LWGP - Chapter 132
Chapter 132: Danger!
Before Xie Lu returned to help Wang Jiu, he and Qiao Xuejing had first gone to the armory. They naturally gathered what firearms they could. There was no need for trial and error; a few glances were all it took for Xie Lu to know the efficacy of these weapons. Even in a different world, he could still distinguish their general category and power through their size, shape, and weight. After quickly selecting weapons for everyone, they found that because these were ordinary firearms, they couldn't be placed in their inventories. Everyone could only carry them externally, which limited the quantity they could take. Those with backpacks put them in their bags, while those without could only look on with regret.
During the selection process, Xie Lu and Qiao Xuejing noticed two details.
1. The armory was very clean and tidy, as if no outsiders had ever entered. It was likely a game setting, specifically intended as a reward for players who cleared this stage.
2. Some racks that should have held firearms were now empty, and the number missing was not small.
Did Wang Jiu take them?
But the weapons she had taken only filled a single backpack—at most two or three guns plus some grenades, right?
So, where did the rest go?
They must have been put into an inventory.
So they were game equipment?
The two exchanged a look but said nothing more.
Later, the teams led by Luo Sheng and Diao Guang came in. The three teams didn't clash, as there were enough guns here to go around.
But Luo Sheng couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong, though she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
At that moment, Wang Jiu was organizing the special equipment she had taken from the armory in her inventory.
Silver-grade and Bronze-grade firearms, as well as Silver and Bronze grenades and the like.
Compared to ordinary firearms, these were undoubtedly game equipment that could be freely brought in and out of dungeons and used permanently.
In terms of lethality, without skills and spirit power, firearms were naturally a tier above cold weapons. Most importantly, bullets could be used for sustained output instead of spirit power, and they could also reduce consumption when stamina was low.
With so many, how should she use them? They could probably fight for a long time.
Even with stamina and attribute limitations, perhaps there would be spirit power limitations next?
Wang Jiu narrowed her eyes and let out a light scoff.
System: "…"
It felt like this woman was mocking it.
Having confirmed that the police cars were the key to leaving the normal-grade instance, Wang Jiu and her group didn't waste any time. Eight people and one pig got into two cars, with Xie Lu and Liao Luo as the drivers. Wang Jiu sat in the front passenger seat.
Just as she settled in, before she could fasten her seatbelt, a large white ball of fur leaped onto her lap. Wang Jiu's gaze lowered slightly, landing on the fluffy Bai Bai.
Her stare was unsettling. Bai Bai looked abashed but shamelessly declared, "Grandma Ancestor, Bai Bai wants to be with you."
Before Wang Jiu could refuse, Bai Bai stood up, quickly pulled the seatbelt across Wang Jiu's chest, and clicked it into place. Then, with paws on its hips, it said to Xie Lu, "What are you looking at? Did you think you could fasten my Grandma Ancestor's seatbelt? Don't even think about it. Just drive your car, pretty boy."
Xie Lu was caught completely off guard. Under the silent, intense gazes of Wang Shu, Qiao Xuejing, and Dao Dao from the back seat, he felt awkward, speechless, and helpless. He managed to reply, "I'm just familiarizing myself with this car. No rush."
Just then, someone knocked on the window of Wang Jiu's passenger seat. She lowered the window and looked at Luo Sheng.
Luo Sheng's people were also getting their police cars ready. She never did such manual labor, so she took the opportunity to come over.
"Leaving?"
"Yeah."
"Not taking me with you?" Luo Sheng was full of gentle friendliness, not minding their previous conflict in the slightest.
Wang Jiu glanced at her. "Do you have the gecko puppet skill?"
"Huh?" Luo Sheng was taken aback.
"There's room for one more person to cling to the undercarriage."
"…"
In the back, Wang Shu couldn't hold back his laughter.
When it came to being vicious, Lao Wang was truly vicious.
Luo Sheng was thoroughly roasted but didn't get angry. Instead, she smiled and looked toward the back. "Miss Qiao, I was thinking about something last night—have we met before? In France."
Qiao Xuejing, who was stroking Dao Dao's head, looked up at her and smiled. "I've forgotten. If I had met Miss Luo, I'm sure I would never forget."
Luo Sheng's eyes curved like crescent moons. She gave her a deep look. "Likewise. I won't disturb you any longer. Lord Lao Wang, see you in the dangerous dungeon."
Wang Jiu was noncommittal and raised the window.
Qiao Xuejing lowered her gaze, a dark glint hidden in her eyes. She said no more, only secretly glancing at Wang Jiu's profile. Unable to read anything, she turned to look out the window, her fingers on Dao Dao's head tightening slightly.
Luo Sheng watched Wang Jiu's car leave, then quickly got into the car driven by her butler.
Before Luo Sheng could say anything, Zhong Qing spoke up. "Don't overtake Lao Wang's team."
Luo Sheng looked at him. "Afraid of her?"
Zhong Qing said helplessly, "You can see it as respect for the victor. I have that much magnanimity."
He reflected that Wang Jiu's methods were ruthless and extreme, yet she never hesitated to reveal secrets like the police cars.
Perhaps it was contempt for the defeated, or perhaps she never considered such tricks a big deal. It was both admirable and disheartening.
"But is there something wrong with that Qiao Xuejing?"
Luo Sheng leaned against the window, watching the passing scenery, and smiled. "It's the apocalypse. Any problem is a small problem."
In the other car, Wang Shu was muttering about how strange Luo Sheng was and wondering about her background.
"The prestigious Luo family of Hong Kong," Wang Jiu said flatly. Everyone was enlightened. From Hong Kong?
"No wonder she has a butler with her. That Zhong Qing seems to respect her a lot."
"The concept of large families is very strong in Hong Kong. The family forces would have made arrangements in advance. With their foundation in Hong Kong, she probably wouldn't have spawned alone in another region. So, we've connected with teams from Hong Kong? That's a huge cross-region jump."
"If the cross-region jump is that big, then we'll probably meet people from more regions in the dangerous or nightmare dungeons."
"You dare to think about nightmare? I think even the dangerous dungeon will be tough enough."
While the others discussed the dungeon, Qiao Xuejing sent a private message to Wang Jiu.
"Do I need to explain my background?"
Wang Jiu: "This isn't a blind date. Why bother?"
Qiao Xuejing: "It's not that. I just don't want you to hear about my past from someone else's mouth in the future, which might affect whether I can stay on your team."
Wang Jiu: "And?"
Qiao Xuejing: "My second talent tag is—'Patricidal Conspirator.'"
After saying this, Qiao Xuejing was a bit nervous, but she was quickly surprised.
Because Wang Jiu asked, "So what kind of class orientation will this talent give you?"
Qiao Xuejing hadn't expected Wang Jiu's first concern to be something like this.
It made sense. Wang Jiu never got entangled in emotions or morals. If she was like that herself, why would she care about others'?
She cared about benefits and information resources.
"It's not clear yet. After all, I don't have another father to kill." Seeing that Wang Jiu had no interest in her secret past, Qiao Xuejing didn't press the issue.
The remark was a bit self-deprecating. Wang Jiu was amused by it and let out a small laugh.
The laugh was faint and abrupt. Xie Lu, who was driving, couldn't help but glance at her. "The captain seems to quite like Luo Sheng, joking with her so much."
"Don't I joke with you often too?" Wang Jiu replied casually.
The atmosphere in the car fell silent.
Xie Lu didn't dare to speak again, feeling quite frustrated with himself for blurting that out. It was probably because of what he saw in the social group that night.
Lilith, Sisi, Lulu, and the like.
Wang Jiu's interests were too broad. The scope of her life story had no upper or lower limit.
When the system announced their completion of the normal instance, Wang Shu and the others felt annoyed again.
They were the 15th team to clear the simple instance and the 8th team to clear the normal instance.
They still weren't the pioneering team. Damn it, this is so hard! Who the hell is the first team?
"There are eight teams ahead of us? It's this difficult, and they all passed! How strong must they be?"
"They had an advantage by entering earlier. But that's also a disadvantage for us. How can people who come later compare?"
"But entering early is a testament to their ability."
"Hey, be optimistic. This also means we've surpassed the seven teams that were ahead of us outside."
"And a comprehensive rating of 10 stars isn't bad. We get one spin on the Lucky Wheel."
"How did we get 10 stars? I feel like we didn't do much."
Everyone looked at Wang Jiu sitting in the front, guessing there were three factors.
1. The system's set time for the normal instance was probably very long, and they had a time advantage. After all, even Luo Sheng's group spent two or three days without completing it.
2. The completion progress was perfect. The secret of Bi Yue Villa was solved, the ghost hand was dealt with, and the police station was also resolved—and resolved completely.
"I think it's because of the ghost hand. That ghost hand probably wasn't part of the normal instance's setting. It could enter and exit all four instances, like a bonus question, so it boosted the overall rating."
"Our individual ratings didn't reach 10 stars, so it must be the lord's contribution."
They looked at Wang Jiu with some gratitude.
Only to see her call over Wang Shu and tell him to stick his head over.
Wang Shu: "What for?"
Wang Jiu grabbed his ear and spun the wheel twice.
Everyone immediately understood she had gotten a double 10-star rating. But because she couldn't take that battle robe out of her inventory, she chose to spin the wheel now. It seemed she also sensed the terror of the dangerous dungeon and wanted to increase her strength.
But what did she get?
A scroll and a skill book.
What were they?
1. Basic Skill Upgrade Scroll: Has a chance to directly upgrade a basic skill by one level.
2. Wizard AoE Arcane Art 《Black Flame Swamp》: AoE range of 20 meters in diameter. Requires 1000 permanent spirit energy to learn, and 500 spirit power per use.
Wang Jiu was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected her class skill talent to be so reliable today. The level of this 《Black Flame Swamp》 was no lower than the AoE skill she had used against Nevernight. Combined with her attributes and skills, the effect would likely be much more powerful. Its value was definitely no less than Dark Curse and the others.
System: "Your wizard talent was the highest to begin with. If you hadn't ranked it lower, the resources you'd have gotten would surely be more than what you have now."
It still didn't understand why Wang Jiu, someone who prioritized maximizing benefits, would make a losing choice.
Of course, Wang Jiu wouldn't tell it. She directly learned 《Black Flame Swamp》 and used the Basic Skill Upgrade Scroll on Weapon Mastery.
Level 9.
The highest level.
"This Basic Skill Upgrade Scroll is glowing with purple-gold light. Is it a purple-gold grade resource?"
System: "What else? This is a high-grade resource. How is your luck so good today? I think you should forget about those pajamas. Just hug this fatty next time you draw."
It was just complaining, but Wang Jiu didn't retort.
As if she tacitly agreed.
System: "…"
Seeing Wang Jiu's successful spins, the others also tried their luck.
The results were as follows.
Xie Lu: 《Homing Bird Sword Art》
Dao Dao: 《Earth Mastery》
Qiao Xuejing: High-grade item, Gold Array Disk (Increases array effects by 50%)
Wang Shu: 500 square meter Homestead.
If Wang Jiu's spin was a great start, and the others' results were icing on the cake, then Fatty Wang Shu's was a nuclear bomb from Northern Europe to Africa.
The atmosphere in the car was still dead silent. The lonely, helpless, pure, and weak Wang Shu hugged his little octopus spirit and shivered, trying hard not to show his inner ecstasy.
Wang Shu, Wang Shu, stay calm. You're a weakling with a combat power of five. You absolutely cannot show the despicable quality of a petty person who has struck it rich.
But… hahahahaha!
After being crushed by Wang Shu's luck, no one discussed their results. They only heard Wang Jiu playing on a phone, the one she had gotten from the police station—the chief's phone.
Swish, swish, swish. It seemed to be a game like Fruit Ninja. After clearing it, she even asked Wang Shu if he wanted to play.
No, I don't want to, I refuse!
Wang Shu: "…"
Xie Lu looked at Wang Jiu's delicate profile as she quietly played the game and felt for a moment that this person was actually a forbidden castle.
Ancient, full of stories, long-standing, and impenetrable.
And she refused visitors.
Of course, she was also a devil-level schemer.
Wang Jiu had already memorized the location of the research institute. The two cars drove away from the police station, heading towards the eastern outskirts of the town.
Because there were few survivors, the once-busy roads were now empty of vehicles. Only Wang Jiu's cars were driving, followed by the cars of Luo Sheng's and the other team.
"They're following us."
"Let them follow. The dangerous-grade dungeon will definitely be hard. There's strength in numbers." Wang Shu and the others weren't so short-sighted, especially since it was a dangerous-grade dungeon.
"Slow down, the fog is getting thick. The identification system doesn't seem to be working."
"The route indicates the research institute is down the fork to the left."
The cars followed the route, turning off the main road onto a dirt path. The buildings on the side became shabbier and less uniform, with some farmland and factories.
In this area, the identification system's signal became very weak.
After about half an hour of driving, the car's wheels suddenly made a crunching sound, as if they had run over something, and the car jolted.
Xie Lu was a skilled driver. He controlled the steering wheel at the critical moment, and the skidding wheels got stuck against a large tree on the side.
Liao Luo and the others in the car behind also stopped and got out.
After getting out, they looked at the crushed thing under the car's tire.
A fresh corpse.
But strangely, the corpse was wrapped in a thin film, like plastic wrap.
Because the fog was too thick and the ground was dark, they hadn't seen the body on the ground at all. Running it over had burst its intestines, and the ground was covered in feces, urine, and blood.
"Dead for less than half a day."
After examining the body, Xie Lu frowned. "This body seems a bit strange. It seems… to be a player?!"
A player? The others who got out were shocked.
Why couldn't they inspect it?
"So they didn't resurrect?"
There were only two answers to this question.
1. There was a problem with the resurrection point.
2. They were killed by a Bloodthirsty method.
Xie Lu had finished his inspection, but he wasn't as professional as Wang Jiu. He waited for her judgment.
"No external injuries. The blood and muscle tissue show no signs of decay. The temperature is very low, but it wasn't frozen. The body's environment was likely affected by drugs."
"Dead for about ten days."
Everyone saw Wang Jiu take out the phone from the corpse's clothes. The app usage history was still from ten days ago.
This person had used the browser to look up information about this research institute.
The phone must have been obtained from a town native. This person was from a previous team that had cleared the normal instance.
Then why was there no inspection information?
System: "A completely dead player cannot permanently retain their player status. After a certain period of death, the system also needs to filter and eliminate unnecessary data."
It was cold, but everyone was speechless.
It was like some organizations; who would keep the information of retired or deceased employees forever?
Times change, the new replaces the old.
Their proof of identity in this world expired in no more than ten days.
That was all.
And there really was a Bloodthirsty method. This dungeon revealed such a deadly mechanism right in the dangerous instance.
If they encountered it, they could die permanently.
Everyone was quite terrified.
Just then, Wang Jiu suddenly flicked her wrist, revealing Weeping Blood. "The body was deliberately placed here for us to run over. Once it's crushed, the smell of blood and flesh will spread and quickly attract mutated monsters."
Her words shocked everyone.
Flee?
"No need to flee. We've gotten the information we need. The research institute can now be confirmed as the enemy. The dangerous and nightmare instances should be mainly about killing. Conserve your spirit power and start racking up achievements."
In the first two dungeons, Wang Jiu had actually been very low-key, not showing her former sharp edge. But from the moment she revealed Weeping Blood, everyone could hear a familiar bloodlust in her casual tone.
Wang Shu and the others were already tired of being restricted by this dungeon's limitations. Hearing this, they got excited.
"They're coming?"
"First, move the cars. Block the road naturally."
"???"
A moment later, after moving the two cars to completely block the road, Xie Lu and the others followed Wang Jiu into the mountain forest.
After they left, Luo Sheng's two teams arrived. The road ahead was blocked by Wang Jiu's cars, so they had to stop. Seeing the situation, Luo Sheng made a swift judgment.
"The research institute deliberately placed it. They must have known we were coming. This body is bait. Get out of here, quickly!"
"Where to?"
"To where Wang Jiu went. If there are too many monsters, we can't handle them."
"Hurry, they're coming!"
They could already hear the dense sound of beasts rushing through the undergrowth.
Run!
Luo Sheng's group left. Diao Guang's team, aiming to be the oriole waiting in the wings, wasn't as quick to judge but didn't hesitate either. Sensing danger, they immediately followed them into the mountain forest.
Just as the two teams left the road and rushed into the forest on the left, Diao Guang heard roars from behind. He looked back, and his scalp tingled.
"Fuck! So many mutated monsters!"
There were at least two or three thousand mutated monsters, and their size and attributes far exceeded those encountered in the simple-grade dungeon.
"Their attributes have doubled."
"Holy shit, this dog game is too terrifying!"
"Stop bitching and run! Our team can't handle them alone!"
Diao Guang's team fled in terror, but there were too many monsters gathered nearby. Most importantly—their path ahead was blocked.
Luo Sheng's group was also blocked. Both teams were surrounded by monsters.
"Diao Guang, there are five or six hundred ahead. Let's cooperate and fight our way out. Otherwise, if the ones behind catch up, we'll all die here. Staying put is useless," Zhong Qing proactively contacted Diao Guang.
Diao Guang was inherently pragmatic and agreed immediately. The two teams joined forces. With full cooperation, they used various Holy Lights and buffs, even unleashing spirit-power-heavy AoE attacks. After a sweep of brilliant lights, more than half of the five hundred mutated monsters were cleared.
Buzz! Bang bang bang!
"The path is clear, go!"
The high-stamina warrior-type players used shield skills to tank the bites of the remaining three hundred monsters, tearing open a path for their mage-type companions to rush through. Then, the priest-type players cast Holy Light and other healing skills from the rear to support the increasingly wounded warriors.
Covered in blood, these shield warriors collectively used Charge and Evasion to break out. The mutated monsters behind them gave chase frantically. Just as they were about to re-engulf the rearguard warriors, Luo Sheng, Diao Guang, and other powerful players ahead unleashed a wave of AoE attacks.
Flame explosions, frost freezes, metal arrow rains, and so on.
One wave escaped, one wave was annihilated. The ground was littered with monster corpses, but they were quickly covered by the dense swarm of mutated monsters from behind. They were coming again!
Luo Sheng and the others looked back in horror. Luo Sheng, in particular, spotted thirty-plus Silver bosses, their bodies clearly larger than the other monsters, being escorted by the swarm four or five hundred meters away.
They were fast, constantly directing their subordinates to surround the group.
When this wave arrived, they would all die!
"Their limbs probably aren't good for climbing trees. There's a forest of tall trees ahead. Everyone, climb the trees later, quickly!"
Luo Sheng was the strategist of the two teams. After her reminder, everyone sped up, frantically approaching the tall trees. The towering trees, nearly twenty meters high, were right in front of them. Just as they were about to climb, suddenly…
Luo Sheng was the first to sense something was wrong. Her expression changed slightly. She wanted to jump, but it was too late.
"Ah!"
A round of screams.
Everyone from both teams slid into a huge sand trap.
Trapped, Luo Sheng immediately thought of one person: Qiao Xuejing's Trap Art!
Damn it, she fell for it!
Amplified by the Gold Array Disk, not even Wang Jiu could be sure of escaping Qiao Xuejing's trap, let alone others.
As Luo Sheng realized this, the mutated monsters had already swarmed over. To get to Luo Sheng and the others, they frantically rushed into the sand. But the first wave suffered after falling in, and a shrill warning came from the Silver bosses behind.
This was fatal! All their attributes were halved, while these mutated monsters had gotten stronger, and there were so many of them. How could they fight?
It was certain death!
Unless… Wang Jiu had a plan.
"That's a trap, wait for its duration to end!"
"Surround it, don't let them escape!"
The Silver bosses had arrived. Three thousand mutated monsters surrounded the sand trap, like a group of mice surrounding a mousetrap with cheese.
Looking at the sheer number of mutated monsters outside, Diao Guang and the others felt their scalps tingle. But Luo Sheng suddenly calmed down and just reminded everyone in the team channel to get ready.
Ready for what?
Before Luo Sheng could answer, they heard the whooshing sound of a large volley of arrows from above, as well as fireballs and various other attacks. They subconsciously looked up. As these attacks descended, what Luo Sheng and the others cared about most was Wang Jiu, standing on a high treetop, half-hidden by the dense foliage.
With her altar and other buffs fully active, she held the Lord's Scepter.
The golden staff itself emitted a golden glow, but the Lord's Scepter armament had its own majesty. When casting wizard skills, it carried the aura of a supervillain, like the Old Demon of Black Mountain summoning wind and rain after leaving its cave. The moment the scepter appeared, nearly a thousand of Wang Jiu's spirit power was drained.
Blood Wrath + Heavy Strike + Black Flame Swamp.
The scepter furiously shot out a dozen wisps of black energy. The black energy fell and quickly condensed into a twenty-meter-diameter wizard array on the ground. After the array's lines connected, it turned into a dark liquid swamp, trapping all mutated monsters within the twenty-meter range. Then, like will-o'-the-wisps burning in a swamp at night, whenever a living creature touched the dark liquid, it ignited with dark flames, entangling all the mutated monsters.
What a terrifying AoE attack. This was a massacre.
Luo Sheng watched, her heart pounding with fear, but she also understood why Wang Jiu had someone set a trap. It was to use their two teams as bait to concentrate these mutated monsters as much as possible.
A twenty-meter diameter range gathered a full two thousand mutated monsters. One wave of Black Flame Swamp couldn't annihilate them all. Some of the stronger ones barely survived, but the attacks from Mei Qinghe and the others were the final touch of death.
They met their death.
A single wave of attacks, two thousand taken out.
The remaining one thousand outside were about to flee, but at this moment, the effect of the sand trap was canceled early.
Luo Sheng and the others were now face-to-face with these mutated monsters. The enraged monsters screamed and charged at them.
Even Luo Sheng felt she had underestimated Wang Jiu's ruthlessness!
But the second wave of bait-and-kill had already begun.
Wang Jiu and her group, high above, unleashed a second wave of AoE attacks.
They were slaughtered. At the same time, the thirty monsters, all with attributes over one thousand, arrived.
And from a dozen meters away, several of the mutated monsters opened their mouths and shot out balls of light.
Boom!!
The tall tree where Wang Jiu and the others were standing was directly blown apart.
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