Meanwhile, not far from Zhongyuan apartment, nestled amidst the bustling streets, there stood a humble Chinese restaurant renowned for its authentic flavors.
The place resembled a nostalgic grocery stall, its entrance protected by sturdy steel shutters as a precaution against the imminent danger lurking nearby.
That danger took the form of the fearsome Blood Slaves, vile creatures born from darkness and driven by an insatiable thirst for human blood.
Undeterred by the restaurant's defenses, the cunning Blood Slaves had managed to infiltrate, stealthily scaling the building's exterior until they reached the rooftop.
There, a resilient group of survivors, comprising three men and an exceptional woman, stood together, their bodies pulsating with mystical and supernatural energy.
Anticipation filled the air as they readied themselves to unleash their formidable powers upon the bloodthirsty monstrosities.
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion shattered the peace, emanating from a strategically placed barrel of gas that detonated just outside the restaurant's entrance.
Flames erupted, engulfing the area and surging to the height of the rooftop where the valiant defenders were positioned. The intense heat forced the bloodsuckers to retreat, their grotesque forms recoiling from the ferocity of the inferno.
"Hahaha! That's the spirit!" exclaimed the woman, a mesmerizing vision with flawless, jade-like skin that defied the passage of time.
Not a single wrinkle marred her ethereal appearance. Despite the sparks of fire dancing dangerously close to her body-hugging qipao, she emanated an air of confidence and power.
With a mischievous grin, she conjured numerous tiny fireballs, each no larger than a human palm, and playfully juggled them in mid-air.
Amidst the chaos of the scene, one of the men could no longer contain his frustration.
His slender frame, adorned with black curly hair and a fashionable taper fade, was wrapped in a thick jacket adorned with an array of bag charms featuring beloved cartoon characters.
His eyes, vibrant and filled with depth, defied the skeletal appearance that might otherwise label him as a walking embodiment of anime and Japanese culture.
"Idiot! Zhang Yan, what are you doing?!" he bellowed in anger, his voice reverberating through the chaos.
"Shut up, nerd! Just do your job!" retorted the young lady, her voice dripping with fierce intensity.
The force of her glare alone was enough to make the curly-haired young man recoil, but his narrowed eyes betrayed hidden determination as his body began to twist and rotate.
STAB!
The long pole firmly gripped in his hands found its mark, piercing through the flesh of one of the Blood Slaves that had stealthily launched an attack.
There was no surprise evident on his face or any visible reaction as thick crimson blood splattered across his eyes.
With a nonchalant demeanor, he casually wiped away the blood, wearing an apathetic and indifferent expression as his gaze shifted towards Zhang Yang.
"Hmph! 2D women are the best," he snorted, his eyes lingering intently, particularly toward her chest area. Zhang Yang couldn't help but feel offended, her eyes narrowing with a mix of anger and frustration.
Just as she was about to retort, their leader's cold voice cut through the tension.
"Focus. Xiang Ming, good job with that. And Zhang Yang, what Xiang Ming said is true," he stated, his tone commanding and authoritative.
"If you accidentally burn down the entire restaurant, we'll be doomed. Not only will we owe Mrs. Zhao in this life, but also in the next and the afterlife," he continued, his words carrying a sense of dire consequence.
The speaker was a young man, his sharp eyes complementing his slim jawline and perfectly sculpted nose. His green, brushed-up hair with tapered sides added to his overall coolness, which was further accentuated by his well-toned physique.
Zhang Yang, momentarily silent, let out a faint smile in response, her undivided attention now fully focused on him.
Meanwhile, the curly-haired young man shrugged his shoulders dismissively and continued his relentless assault. The rooftop shimmered with the glint of countless magic crystals.
However, just as their conversation ended, a loud shout rang out from behind.
"Oh crap, I missed that! Brother Tang, be careful!" the final man, who appeared preoccupied with handling the incoming Blood Slaves, shouted in urgency.
Simultaneously, Brother Tang, with his impeccably sculpted physique, suddenly emitted a greenish-white glow from his eyes.
As his eyes shimmered with an otherworldly radiance, an astral projection of himself materialized, separating from his physical form.
SWOOSH!
The astral projection, akin to a majestic fighter ruling the world, effortlessly pummeled the three oncoming Blood Slaves.
The moment was fleeting, lasting only a few seconds, as the astral projection of Brother Tang poised itself to vanquish the remaining Blood Slave.
However, a piercing, shrill sound echoed from a distance, freezing the remaining Blood Slaves in their tracks and capturing their attention.
"Huh? What is that?" they collectively wondered, their focus momentarily diverted by the mysterious and captivating sound.
...
Back in the depths of the Zhongyuan apartment, the pathway leading to the basement had become densely packed with over a hundred Blood Slaves, filling every available space.
Deep within the darkness, an iron security shutter guarded an opening with something peculiar stuck inside. The more cunning Blood Slaves attempted to slip through the narrow gap beneath the shutter, only to meet their untimely demise.
BANG!
With a resounding stomp, Jin, his brows furrowed, glanced toward the creature trapped within the iron security shutter with a sense of unease.
His slitted pupils glared intensely, resembling the eyes of a vigilant tiger. Channeling his strength, Jin exerted his full fifty points of power, delivering a forceful elbow strike to the creature from above.
The impact generated a gust of wind that reverberated throughout the vicinity. However, to his disbelief, all he found was a shallow indentation on the creature's head.
"ROAR!"
Surprisingly, the creature's mouth burst open, revealing rows of sharp fangs and a cascade of drool cascading towards Jin.
It bore a resemblance to an Aardvark, but instead of the elongated and pointed snout reminiscent of an elephant's tusk, this creature possessed a mouth that surpassed even that of a crocodile in length.
It protruded forward, occupying the central one-third of the basement!
The part Jin had struck was merely its mouth, as the rest of its appearance remained concealed behind the barrier of the iron security shutter.
"Judging by its appearance, could this be a mutated Aardvark?" Jin muttered, having relentlessly delivered countless blows to the creature, only to witness shallow impacts.
Its long and pointed mouth, armed with razor-sharp teeth he estimated to be more formidable than a crocodile's, proved surprisingly resilient, withstanding his full strength.
"This must be a high-level creature," Jin's expression darkened as he speculated.
Even level 5 vampiric bats couldn't withstand the full force of his power, yet this creature, armed with its formidable mouth alone, managed to endure his fifty points of strength.
"Frustrating!" Jin exclaimed, his frustration mounting. He forcefully slammed both of his hands against the creature and even leaped, adding the force of his jump to the impact.
BOOM!
Another loud sound reverberated, and the powerful impact sent his body slightly backward.
The hanging ammunition racks and weapons were slightly disorganized but remained intact and suspended, although the same could not be said for the guidebooks.
"ROAR!" The creature let out a roar as one of the guidebooks accidentally slipped and entered the range of its voracious mouth.
The feeble book, under the assault of its razor-sharp teeth, was mercilessly torn apart and swallowed whole.
However, due to the creature's reckless movement, its mouth, wedged between the iron security shutter, continued to bleed from the sharp shards of the shutter pressing against it.
Witnessing this, Jin couldn't help but shudder slightly. Even his strength was insufficient to crush the creature's mouth.
If it were to try and consume him, he would meet a grim fate. His thick, furrowed eyebrows became even more creased, accentuating the additional wrinkles on his darkened face.
Fortunately for him, he had not engaged in direct combat with the creature's head. If he had, he would have met his demise long ago.
If he, with all his powerlessness, faced such a predicament, what hope did other humans have?
With a glimmer of determination in his narrowed eyes, Jin finally decided to test the efficacy of his firearms.
Taking hold of his trusted shotgun, the Mossberg, and reloading it with a fresh shotgun shell, he cautiously approached the terrifying mouth.
"I hope this works," Jin muttered reluctantly, his confidence wavering. First and foremost, he needed to maneuver around, avoiding the range of the creature's mouth.
Unlike his previous attempt where he slammed both hands, he now needed to create a space to aim and evade the creature's deadly attacks.
"It should be immobilized, right?" Jin pondered as he located the optimal spot to shoot. He pressed the shotgun barrel against the creature's mouth, feeling the cold metal against its hard and thick skin.
Positioning himself near the iron security shutter, where the creature's mouth was unable to move and risk further injury from the shard of the security shutter, Jin took aim.
"Eh?" Just as Jin was about to pull the trigger, he noticed a pair of glowing red eyes beneath the area where the mouth pressed against the remaining shard of the security shutter.
The eyes were unusually small compared to those of regular Blood Slaves.
Carefully observing, Jin was shocked to see the eyes move and fixate on him. "These are its eyes!" Instead of feeling terror, he felt a surge of happiness and immediately shifted his target.
BANG!
The shotgun discharged, and in the next moment, the entire iron security shutter trembled under the creature's fury.
"ROAR!" It let out a roar reminiscent of an enraged elephant, attempting to force its way in.
Another pool of blood and a small fountain of droplets emerged from its mouth, which remained pressed against the shattered parts of the security shutter.
Capitalizing on this opportunity, Jin acted swiftly, his slit eyes glowing with determination as he swiftly loaded another shotgun shell into the magazine tube.
Taking a steady aim and inhaling deeply, he maintained a calm mindset as he focused on targeting the moving eyes.
Though inwardly surprised that his previous shot had merely injured the creature's eyelids, he remained composed and activated his skill.
[Skill: Gunslinger Activated!]
[A temporary 10% increase in firearm accuracy and reload speed has been applied for 20 seconds!]
[Any critical hits dealt during the skill's duration will deal an additional 50% damage!]
BANG!
Without a trace of pity or hesitation, Jin's anticipation and ruthlessness shone in his eyes as he pulled the trigger of his shotgun.
A spark of fire erupted as the bullet pierced through the creature's astonishing eyes, delivering a devastating blow.
"ROAR!" The creature roared once more, its resistance growing stronger. Jin could hear the metallic sound and the gears of the iron security shutter screaming as if on the verge of breaking.
"You fought quite well!" Jin praised, almost losing his balance as he narrowly avoided entering the range of its mouth attack.
The gap under the security shutter that he had exploited to gain an advantage in the environment was widening.
Whereas before, the Blood Slaves had to crawl to enter the basement, rendering their advantage useless and making them vulnerable to his stomping, now they could easily crawl through.
However, Jin's swift reloading and the next movement of his shotgun brought complete despair to the injured creature. "Time to end this!" he smirked, pulling the trigger to deliver a fatal blow.
BANG!
"ROAR!" The creature let out its last roar as the continuous trembling and its attempts to squeeze its mouth through finally ceased.
The iron security shutter, which had seemed on the verge of breaking, stood firm, providing him with a sense of security.
However, Jin didn't let his guard down. With a click of emptying the magazine tube, he reloaded another shotgun shell and pulled the trigger once more.
BANG!
The small red eyes widened in shock as blood dripped from its brain. The long and dangerous mouth that had stood tall now resembled a withered leaf, showing no signs of movement.
At the same time, a transparent screen flashed before his eyes, finally allowing his body to relax.
[You have successfully killed a Tier 0 - Level 8 Vampardvarsk!]