Ch. 45 - Go, Little Flying Pebble!
Starting the Game with Godlike VisionThis chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Notes
Happy Weekend!
Enjoy your read!
Will be on hiatus until further notice. Thanks all.
This chapter is broken. Please report this on discord.
Happy Weekend!
Enjoy your read!
Will be on hiatus until further notice. Thanks all.
Sometimes, blunt weapons inflicted more devastating damage than sharp ones.
There was no way to stitch back the chunk of flesh that had been crushed.
Despite a section of its neck going limp, the mountain monkey could still move and fight.
Abandoning its attack on Zhang Zhuang, who had trapped it, the creature twisted its elongated neck—over a meter long—swinging it in a vicious arc toward Zuo Chengan's face.
With no bones to restrict it, its neck could now bend a full one hundred and eighty degrees.
Zuo Chengan swiftly raised his metallic ruler to block the attack, waiting for an opening to strike the air sac beneath the creature's throat.
But Zhang Zhuang was faster—his dagger was already in hand.
Seizing the moment while the mountain monkey focused on Zuo Chengan, he lunged for its throat, aiming for the vulnerable air sac.
Greed flickered in his eyes. "The first kill is mine!"
Damn it.
They were already outnumbered and outmatched. If the rival guild obtained another powerful item, they might lose all restraint and launch a direct assault on the vehicle.
Just then, a crisp voice echoed from inside the sightseeing bus. "Go! Little Flying Pebble!"
A bonus gift from the purchase of Little Seven shot through the air, tracing a perfect C-shaped arc. A white streak marked its path as it homed in on the mountain monkey.
The stone seemed to have an auto-targeting function—it struck with pinpoint accuracy, piercing straight through the creature's air sac.
"Nice shot, Little Pebble!" Li Yueqiu waved her hand. "Come back now!"
Obediently, Little Pebble zipped back into her grasp, leaving a faint afterimage in its wake.
"Damn it! Kill-stealing bitch!" Zhang Zhuang cursed under his breath as the stone whizzed past him.
Li Yueqiu ignored him.
She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a newly acquired willow branch. "Brother Zuo, look! We got a drop! Catch!"
Zuo Chengan checked the item's attributes.
It was an auxiliary tool, similar to a compass—nothing particularly valuable. "You keep it. You earned it."
"Alright! Long live Brother Zuo!" Li Yueqiu cheered, grinning from ear to ear.
Zhang Zhuang fumed silently.
As a 1st Heavenly Ascension player, losing loot to an unranked novice was a humiliation he couldn't stomach.
Meanwhile, Li Yueqiu was overjoyed. She twirled her new willow branch and bounced around in excitement, even landing a solid whip on an approaching mountain monkey.
The creature recoiled in pain, its neck stretching as it tried to bite her.
Mo Dou leaped high, its sturdy goat horns sprouting mid-air, and rammed into the monkey, knocking it off balance and sending it plummeting down the cliff.
But Mo Dou had charged too hard and was about to go over the edge himself.
With lightning reflexes, Li Yueqiu grabbed him by the scruff of the neck with one hand and his makeshift cloth harness with the other, hauling him back to safety.
"Oof..." Mo Dou's eyes rolled back as his scalp tightened from the sudden yank.
…
On the roof of the vehicle, the mountain monkey facing Zhang Zhuang and Zuo Chengan collapsed lifelessly the moment its air sac burst.
The seemingly indestructible creature, which had survived a broken neck, perished without a sound.
A peculiar fragrance wafted from the ruptured sac, but before Zuo Chengan could catch more than a whiff, the scent dispersed into the wind.
With the guaranteed first-kill drop now lost, Zhang Zhuang had no reason to linger on the roof.
Seizing the moment, he hooked an electrical cord onto the mountain monkey occupying his spot. Working with his teammates, he tossed the corpse over the cliff before reclaiming his position.
There weren't many mountain monkeys to begin with—about eight in total.
With each player handling one, the battle quickly turned in their favor.
Soon, the monkeys were either dead or hurled off the bus.
The only injury among the players was Li Yueqiu, who had been distracted while assisting Zuo Chengan and ended up with a gash on her thigh.
Having already torn every usable piece of fabric from her clothes to make rope, she had nothing left to bandage the wound.
In an unexpected act of generosity, Zheng Ren offered his own clothes.
With a few swift rips, his upper body was left with two frayed strips barely hanging on.
He handed the torn cloth to Li Yueqiu.
She stared at the dirtied fabric, now mixed with dust, blood, and sweat, and hesitated.
Covering the wound with this will probably cause an infection, she thought. Might as well let it clot on its own.
She seemed to have forgotten that her Constitution was already at 7. Even if she wrapped the wound with filthy rags or took a dip in the Ganges, she'd be fine.
Meanwhile, Zuo Chengan leaped back into his seat from the roof.
Noticing the blood on Li Yueqiu's leg, he gestured for her to hold out her hand and poured a bit of tomato sauce onto it.
"This will heal you. Drink it. Don't waste it."
Unbothered by the lack of ceremony, Li Yueqiu cradled the small pool of sauce in her hands like liquid gold, careful not to spill a drop.
She drank it all, licking her palms clean. Almost immediately, a tingling itch spread through her wound.
Her eyes widened in shock.
First thought: This tastes amazing!
Second thought: Oh my god, Brother Zuo actually shared such a precious healing elixir with me!
She'd heard healing items were ridiculously expensive.
How could I possibly deserve this?
Wait a minute—she suddenly recalled that Zuo Chengan had poured the sauce from a thermos, and he hadn't even tilted it much.
A realization struck her.
She had stumbled upon a big secret.
Quickly, she covered her mouth and kept silent.
She knew nothing. Absolutely nothing.
"Woof!"
Mo Dou, catching a familiar scent, wagged his tail and trotted over to Zuo Chengan, lowering his head to reveal a bald patch where he had scraped against the monkey.
Zuo Chengan sighed at the already-healing wound and poured out a tiny bit more into his palm.
Slurp… slurp… slurp…
Mo Dou lapped it up enthusiastically, smacking his lips in satisfaction.
…
Li Yueqiu's leg injury was hidden by the seat, so the rapid healing went unnoticed by Zhang Zhuang and the others.
Even when Zuo Chengan deliberately made a noise, the rival guild had lost interest in them, shifting focus to the next potential wave of mountain monkeys.
According to Tidal Surge's intel, at least two waves of attacks were expected en route to Sunlit Resort.
The stronger the players appeared, the fewer attacks they would face.
In other words, the mountain monkeys preyed on the weak.
…
Zuo Chengan glanced at the live chat feed. The tone had shifted.
[Wow, they took out the first wave in under two minutes. Impressive!]
[That girl with the willow branch—I thought she'd be eliminated right away. Turns out she's got skills! Those monkeys were flying left and right, hahaha! She's got a mean kick!]
[If she can kick that well… I wonder what else she can do?]
[Not necessarily. I think the woman in the second row is more enticing. Every move she makes is captivating.]
[That guy with the spatula needs to die already. He's blocking my view of the beauties!]
[If they handle the second wave as quickly as the first, there probably won't be a third wave, right?]
[Most likely. If the monkeys realize they're up against tough opponents, they won't bother testing them again.]
…
Another attack incoming?
Zuo Chengan warned Li Yueqiu and Zheng Ren to stay alert and moved to a seat where he could monitor the health bars of the mountain monkeys lurking in the bushes above the cliff.
This way, he'd spot them the moment they made a move.
To Zhang Zhuang, this action sent a clear message—"I know the dungeon's secrets too."
Outwardly, Zhang Zhuang remained calm, but inwardly, he had already labeled Zuo Chengan and his group as Dawnmoon members.