Chapter 458: Counter-Kill
Dr. Deng had both hands covered in glue. After Xu Huo pulled him up, he initially thought the glue wasn't very sticky and tried to clean it off, but the moment his hands touched, the glue became extremely adhesive and impossible to separate.
"Be careful, don't touch this glue with your hands!" Dr. Deng complained bitterly.
Several players moved toward the center. Xu Huo looked at the surrounding trees and said, "We can't go through the ground. Let's take the trees."
The trees weren't far apart, and even the injured Chu Yuan could manage it. Xu Huo helped Dr. Deng up into a tree and was about to head toward the laboratory when something dripped from the sky.
He instinctively stepped back and, upon seeing that the liquid falling on the leaves was transparent glue, immediately opened his umbrella:
"Boom!"
The glue poured down like heavy rain. Xu Huo pulled Dr. Deng under the umbrella, avoiding the impact. Miao Yu had already leaped to a nearby tree, but Chu Yuan and Gan Qing reacted too slowly. Their movements to use items were half a beat behind, and most of their bodies were drenched in glue, their eyes and noses stuck together.
"Don't wipe it with your hands!" Xu Huo stopped them. "Unless you want your hands and face glued together."
The two froze, and Xu Huo quickly drew his sword, slashing at the nearby trees.
After several trees fell, the figure hiding behind them dashed out, leaping along the trunks as if trying to circle around to Chu Yuan and Gan Qing.
"It's Qiu Xiangdong!" Miao Yu recognized him. "I'll deal with him!"
But before she could act, Xu Huo closed his umbrella and threw the "Desert Windmill" to the ground. The raging sandstorm not only obscured vision but also covered the glue-smeared ground and tree trunks.
Tong Jian's advance setup was rendered useless. Xu Huo identified Qiu Xiangdong's position, cut through the sandstorm, and intercepted him head-on!
The sandstorm could partially block the keen senses of players, and Xu Huo immediately took out the "Silent Figure" the moment he struck, directly blocking Qiu Xiangdong's path. By the time Qiu Xiangdong realized he needed to flee, it was too late.
Xu Huo had predicted his escape route, using items to block him in time. With less than three meters between them, killing him was easy.
But just as the sword edge reached his neck, Qiu Xiangdong suddenly vanished from the spot.
Protected by "Oxygen Supply," Xu Huo turned expressionlessly and sprinted in another direction!
Tong Jian and Qiu Xiangdong were working together. One had stayed on the first floor, while the other had escaped the explosion with only minor injuries. Last night, they had planned to set up an ambush outside the laboratory, but the relentless rain had disrupted their plans, forcing them to instead search the underground third level from the seaside.
By dawn, they returned to the laboratory area. The glue on the ground and the glue-coated clothes hanging from the trees were all prepared by Tong Jian, waiting for the players to walk into the trap.
But this tactic wasn't clever enough to restrain all the players. Before a two-on-two confrontation could happen, a sky-obscuring sandstorm began.
Tong Jian was farther from Xu Huo's group and naturally recognized the item as Xu Huo's. Seeing Xu Huo heading toward Qiu Xiangdong, he took the opportunity to attack Dr. Deng and the others from behind!
His evolution rate was higher than Qiu Xiangdong's, so he sensed someone approaching him earlier. Instinctively, he fired two shots ahead but heard no sound of impact.
Player instinct made him retreat, but at that moment, a faint sound cut through the sandstorm from behind!
"Bang!"
Sword and gun clashed. One of Tong Jian's guns was sliced in half. Xu Huo pressed down with all his strength, but the next second, his protective barrier was struck.
The item barrier wasn't easily broken, but a fine scratch appeared on its surface. He kicked Tong Jian away and casually retrieved the "Desert Windmill" tied with "Kite String."
As the sandstorm dissipated, Tong Jian raised his gun at him.
Xu Huo dodged the incoming bullets, leaping sideways and sweeping out a sword strike.
Tong Jian reacted quickly, using a defensive item to block in front of him even from a distance. The sword energy couldn't cut through the defensive item, giving him a chance to fire continuously.
Xu Huo dodged behind a tree, pulled a thumb-sized metal ball from his luggage compartment, pressed the switch, and threw it out.
"Click! Click!" As the metal ball rolled beside Tong Jian, his gun suddenly malfunctioned, unable to fire bullets. Realizing it was the effect of the metal ball, he kicked it away.
But Xu Huo wouldn't give him that chance. He swept his sword horizontally, slicing Tong Jian's shoe in half.
Tong Jian withdrew his leg just in time, or his foot would have been cut off. Seeing that his gun was useless, he discarded it and instead manipulated his glue-coated clothes to grow rapidly, surging toward Xu Huo!
Xu Huo used a tree trunk for cover, then opened his umbrella to block the advancing glue. As he was pulled by the adhesive force, he manipulated the "String" to fly behind Tong Jian.
"Child's play!" Tong Jian had already noticed his small move. He casually pulled out a toy gun and fired at the string. The string in midair was instantly glued to a tree.
Seeing his item blocked, Xu Huo wasn't worried. He casually threw several bottles of flammable liquid at his opponent.
Seeming to realize what he intended, Tong Jian quickly cut off the growing glue clothes. A sticky, mucus-like mass flew onto a tree, carrying him backward at high speed.
Seeing this, Xu Huo threw the "Fair Wallet" at him.
He wasn't sure what other items Tong Jian was wearing, but this move was just a setup for his attack. Unexpectedly, the effect was surprisingly good—the moment the wallet was thrown, Tong Jian's glue clothes automatically detached!
Suspended in midair, Tong Jian couldn't hide his shock, but there was no chance to retrieve his items. Xu Huo wouldn't give him that opportunity!
"Ding!" The lighter clicked open crisply. Tong Jian's coat caught fire. Although he wore items underneath, the flames surged up and burned his eyes. As he painfully tore off his coat, Miao Yu appeared from behind, her dual blades aiming for his neck!
Tong Jian rolled off from midair. Just as he tore off his coat and stood up, Xu Huo, who had retrieved the glue clothes, struck from the side.
Tong Jian stood his ground without dodging, merely raising his arm to block the sword energy. But the next second, his hand flew off!
"How...!" Tong Jian was more shocked than anyone. Looking up to see Xu Huo closing in, he seemed to understand something. Intense hatred flared in his eyes as he gripped his dagger and charged forward.
A C-level player, even with one hand severed, would surely not lose to a D-level player in close combat—that was everyone's thought. But the reality was, just half a meter from Xu Huo, Tong Jian suddenly froze, his movements stalling.
Only for a moment, but that was enough!
Thank you all for your concern. The one who fell ill is my father. I've regained my composure and adjusted my mindset. I believe in modern medicine and that people can create miracles. Things will get better from now on.
(Chapter End)