Chapter 4: The Fisherman?
Zhou Qian's full-blown assault was unexpectedly powerful. His thrashing blood whips wielded immense force and came in great numbers. He had discarded his knife, and now blood columns erupted from his palms as he charged at the Claw Ghoul with a maniacal grin.
Despite the Claw Ghoul's prowess in close combat, it struggled against this relentless onslaught. Zhou Qian's attack strategy was sheer aggression: a constant barrage of strikes, each one intended to overwhelm and break through the Claw Ghoul's defenses.
"Dammit, if that's how you want it, I'll show you my full strength too!" Lu Li exclaimed dramatically. Another mask floated out from his chest, summoning an Assassin Shadow, which immediately melded into the grass, disappearing from sight.
"My Mind Demon is a Twin Ghost; you can't win against both. Surrender now, and I only want three modules from you!" Lu Li proclaimed arrogantly. The Claw Ghoul kept Zhou Qian engaged in frontal combat while the Assassin lurked, occasionally throwing darts to disrupt Zhou Qian and appearing sporadically to stab with short blades. [TL: Yeah Yeah, Classic Wolf in Sheep Clothing]
"Die! Die! Die! You're the prey here! Stop being so arrogant!" Zhou Qian roared, activating his skill. His blood crystallized into diamond-shaped projectiles, which he launched like bullets. They hit the Claw Ghoul and exploded in dazzling red light.
The Assassin appeared beside Zhou Qian in a flash, slicing his throat with a shadowy short blade. Zhou Qian let the blade cut his neck, and blood sprayed out like a high-pressure hose, slicing the Assassin in half.
"Hahaha, I win after all!" Zhou Qian clutched his neck. Within seconds, blood crystals sealed the wound. He breathed heavily, excitement evident on his face as he approached Lu Li. Once a Mind Demon's minion dies, it can't be resummoned for a while. Although Lu Li was competent in close combat, he stood no chance against Zhou Qian now.
"The thrill of hunting and killing strong prey is so exhilarating!" Zhou Qian used blood crystals to seal his wounds. Although his blood was mutated, open wounds could still lead to infections and various illnesses.
His external blood gradually lost vitality, turning dark red, then black, and flaking off as scabs. A DNA test would reveal that this blood belonged to numerous different people.
Zhou Qian was a Blood Mutation type, able to absorb and control any blood once integrated into his system. However, once his blood left his body, it rapidly deteriorated into useless scabs.
"You made me waste so much blood. I'll drain every drop of yours and make meatballs out of your flesh. Don't worry, I'll savor every bite," Zhou Qian said, his tone sinister. Though he spoke casually, he moved with caution—carelessness in the game could be fatal.
"Ha! You youngsters never learn. Haven't you heard of 'When the snipe and the clam fight, the fisherman benefits'?" A raspy, unpleasant voice interrupted. An aged man in his late twenties but looking forty stepped out. [TL: Old Fisherman]
Wang Lesheng was such a man. Poor upbringing, lack of academic effort, and no strokes of luck meant a life of factory work, which he couldn't hold down for long. Blaming everyone else for his failures, he dreamt of winning the lottery to turn his life around. Without the game, he would have remained stuck in his rut.
Upon entering the game, he cleared the first test mission and won significant rewards. Hearing that the Mind Demon path had the highest potential, he chose it. He started exploiting others, pretending to be harmless to deceive and ambush them in missions. This had brought him considerable gains by his third mission.
After chatting with Lu Li on the forum and seeing an opportunity, he decided to come and seize it. Hiding in the shadows, he watched Lu Li and Zhou Qian wear each other down before stepping in to claim the spoils.
"Hand over your modules, and I'll let you go," Wang Lesheng sneered, his raspy voice grating. Today's haul would be significant.
"Oh, since everyone's here, let's begin the real fun!" Lu Li didn't show the expected fear. Two masks floated out, summoning both the Claw Ghoul and the Assassin. Nine identical shadows appeared behind them, totaling twenty shadow creatures that locked their eyes on Zhou Qian and Wang Lesheng, brandishing claws and blades.
"What the...?" Wang Lesheng panicked. He had come to pick up the pieces, not fight an army. He saw Zhou Qian fleeing and snapped to his senses—survival first, questions later. He knew he couldn't handle this many creatures.
"Why is there such a huge gap between Mind Demons?" Wang Lesheng thought bitterly as he ran. Seeing Zhou Qian's prowess made him question his own choices.
Lu Li, observing their flight, summoned a shadowy dagger and followed. Their path led toward Lu Li's high school—an ideal battleground to finish this confrontation.
[TL: MC "You are in my turf, you're dead mates"]