The sensation of a headshot was strange.
Lin Qun felt as if something had been yanked out of his brain in an instant.
What followed was a wave of dizziness and disorientation.
But the effect was terrifying.
Just a second ago, the creature from the Bakatan civilization was grinning wickedly. The next moment, its head exploded.
It was like a watermelon placed in a microwave.
With a loud bang, the head burst open in front of everyone.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
Its massive body swayed before crashing to the ground.
Right in front of Fan Wenchuan and the others.
The spray of blood was so close that some even splattered onto the young man in black's face.
For a moment, the entire scene fell into deathly silence.
Then came the shouts of astonishment and wild cheers.
Fan Wenchuan exclaimed, "It's dead? Dead! No wonder he's a B-rank! Amazing, absolutely amazing!"
The others chimed in with similar exclamations.
To them, the death of this Bakatan creature could only be credited to the B-rank talent wielder they had hired.
It was the only explanation.
After all, he was the one who had stood at the forefront just now!
What they didn't know was...
The young man in black was equally dumbfounded.
When the Bakatan creature had approached, he had been paralyzed with fear, unable to move or react, let alone attack.
Although he was a B-rank, Fan Wenchuan and the others had no idea that his awakened talent was a support skill called Holy Light Summoning, which provided illumination and healing.
At low levels, this skill had no offensive capabilities whatsoever.
He himself had no idea why such a weak ability was classified as B-rank.
All he could do was bluff his way around, hoping to find a group to team up with. When Fan Wenchuan recruited him, he didn't overthink it.
Who could have anticipated a situation like this?
As such, the young man in black was certain of one thing:
He wasn't the one who killed the creature.
But then...
Who was?
Who had such formidable power?
Even with his B-rank talent, he had no way of dealing with this Bakatan creature. Who could possibly accomplish it?
Swallowing hard, he let Fan Wenchuan drag him back to the group. He glanced around at the others, who now looked at him with reverence as if he were a true powerhouse.
He thought to himself...
The real powerhouse must be hiding among them!
Who could it be?
He was beginning to regret everything.
Who knew global civilization wars were real? Who knew the monsters would appear so quickly and be so terrifying?
What was he supposed to do now?
Now that he had been mistaken for a powerhouse, wouldn't they just send him out again next time?
"I..." The young man in black wanted to protest, to declare that he wasn't the hero.
But Fan Wenchuan, filled with excitement, had already rushed up to him, grabbed his hand, and raised it high. "See? I told you I found a B-rank talent wielder to protect everyone! Let's stay calm and get inside the building. With Brother Li here, we have nothing to fear!"
This moment and Fan Wenchuan's words gave the group enough confidence.
The panic that had been spreading calmed down considerably, and people began to move orderly into the building to take cover.
Fan Wenchuan then whispered, "Brother, I won't let your protection go unrewarded. I'll double the supplies and fees I promised earlier! I don't think anyone would object."
Hearing the benefits being offered, the young man in black swallowed his words, nodding grimly instead. "Let's move quickly! There are five of these creatures. We've killed one, so the rest will be here soon!"
Meanwhile...
Lin Qun, still crouched behind a flowerbed, was anxiously scanning the distance.
The other monsters would arrive any moment now.
They needed to get inside the building first.
However, he felt a newfound calm.
His skill worked.
He could kill these Bakatan creatures!
All he had to do was stay hidden and snipe them from the shadows, minimizing his own risk.
But he noticed something new on his interface after using the skill once.
His stamina bar had changed:
[Stamina: 10/12]
So, using the headshot skill cost two points of stamina?
No wonder he felt a little dizzy.
And that wasn't all. The text in his vision began to change, scrolling with new messages:
[You have successfully killed a foreign civilization creature. Civilization Contribution Points +1, Experience Points +50.]
[You have unlocked Civilization Contribution Points.]
[You have unlocked the Upgrade System.]
[10 Contribution Points allow for one skill card draw.]
[100 Contribution Points can upgrade your current talent skill to Level 2!]
[Accumulating enough Contribution Points unlocks civilization technology or grants access to special civilization privileges.]
[Note: Each kill of a foreign civilization creature on the global battlefield grants one Contribution Point.]
So that's how the system worked!
Killing one Bakatan creature granted 50 experience points.
One more kill, and Lin Qun's personal level would rise to Level 2.
What would change with a level-up?
And Contribution Points seemed incredibly valuable but could only be earned by killing foreign creatures!
No wonder... No wonder these civilizations fought to enter the battlefield first, and why the Bakatans had immediately begun slaughtering without hesitation.
To them, Earth's humans were nothing but walking Contribution Points!
At that moment, two more Bakatan creatures appeared from another direction.
This time, there were two of them.
Having learned of their comrade's death, they approached quickly but cautiously.
They fired wildly from a distance, suppressing anyone who dared to poke their heads out.
Fortunately, Fan Wenchuan and the young man in black had already taken cover, staying hidden in the building.
The two Bakatan creatures, now highly vigilant, advanced step by step toward their fallen comrade's corpse.
Their astonishment was evident as they examined the body.
They couldn't believe that humans, whom they viewed as weak prey, had managed to kill one of their own.
Meanwhile, Lin Qun moved stealthily behind the flowerbed, remaining in their blind spots.
He understood the stakes now.
It was kill or be killed between humanity and the alien civilizations.
These two creatures had to die.
Taking advantage of their distraction, Lin Qun aimed carefully and struck again.
Two successive headshots.
Two more Bakatan creatures fell.
Lin Qun's stamina dropped to six, well below the safe threshold.
Panting heavily, he collapsed behind the flowerbed, his vision dimming as the world around him grew distant.
His interface displayed new messages:
[Battlefield Rankings have been activated.]
[Please set your Battlefield ID. Once set, you can view and enter the rankings.]