Single Player Only Chapter 52-53

 

Chapter 52: Talk Much, Die Quick

 

 

The shadow wore a Zhao Army uniform. The shoulder area of his uniform was painted with three black feathers.

 

 

He wore the hint of a contemptful smile on his face. He looked pleased at himself as if he had every situation well under his control.

 

 

"I will introduce myself." He said, "I am grandmaster Zhao's subordinate scout. My name is Zhu Huai."

 

 

While he spoke this Zhu Huai shook his clothes pretentiously, putting on a most carefree appearance. Compared to him, both Yue Qiang and Yin cut a sorry figure. Yin could only stand by leaning against Yue Qiang, and the latter hadn't even recovered over 20% of his HP up yet.

 

 

He had fought through multiple consecutive battles, and he was literally a hair's breadth away from death during the struggle against the two tigers. At the time, his nerves were extremely taut. When he acquired the quest reward 'S/L Module', he relaxed so much that he actually did not sense someone coming from behind them.

 

 

There was no doubt that this fellow was an enemy, and from the looks of it he wasn't an easy enemy either.

 

 

"These two monsters are incredibly formidable, and yet they still died in the hands of a small fry like you. Moreover, you have suffered grievous injuries while killing them. It looks like I have arrived at exactly the right timing." While speaking as if he was a calm general unruffled in the midst of chaos, Zhu Huai closed in slowly towards Yue Qiang. His face wore a leisurely smile, but he gripped a small knife in his hand.

 

 

Yue Qiang knew that he was in a bit of a pickle.

 

 

When he saw Zhu Huai's Zhao Soldier uniform, he only needed to ponder for a moment to figure out the whole picture.

 

 

Why was he able to escape the Zhao Army's watch so easily even though he was obviously a captive? Even if he had the a.s.sistance of that strange Ai Qian, he still had escaped the enemy's watch a bit too easily. The only explanation was that Zhao Yan had let him leave on purpose.

 

 

There was no such thing as friendliness towards one's captive during the war of two States at all. If he himself would not give up on the experience points that were surrendered to his hands, then on what basis must the enemies of this game capture but not kill their enemies? This was the first point. The second point was the sheer risk of his act of stealing from Zhao Yan's residence. Not only did he take away the quest item, he even took the opportunity to steal the Ring of Earth beneath Zhao Yan's pillow as well!

 

 

He once calculated carefully the Zhao Army General Zhao Yan's true strength. If he a.s.sumed that the Zhao Soldier's strength was 1, the Zhao Sergeant's strength was 3, and his own strength after the culmination of three months of hard work and all sorts of good luck was around 4 or 5, then Zhao Yan's strength was at least 50! Moreover, his strength could only be more than 50, and his upper limit being an unknown figure. To this day, he still could not imagine exactly what kind of ability one must possess to be able to catch a giant crossbow bolt with just the strength of two fingers, while looking like he still had unspent strength that he didn't use.

 

 

Now then, here comes the question: Would an elite at General Zhao Yan's level really had not noticed him at such close range?

 

 

At the time Yue Qiang merely thought that he was lucky, but after meeting this scout he knew now that it was nothing more but a delusion. Zhao Yan must have sensed him since a long time ago. He was simply too lazy to bother, or putting on an appearance. His true aim was to send someone to follow him and check out the happenings at School of Mo's Great Camp. In fact, his aim might even be the 'S/L Module' in his hands!

 

 

That was why this scout named Zhu Huai had appeared, and during the moment he was about to acquire the final quest reward no less.

 

 

He had to say that Zhu Huai's timing was impeccable. He must have followed his tracks all the way up to this point.

 

 

"You know, I actually quite admire your courage." Zhu Huai continued to close in slowly, "Back in the room, you knew that grandmaster Zhao can kill you with a single finger. Yet you still dared to steal from him."

 

 

"You were there?"

 

 

"I wasn't just there, I saw everything clearly from the start to finish." Zhu Huai smiled and said, "Not only do you have quite the skill on a battlefield, your improvisation abilities are also quite impressive. You actually managed to figure out all sorts of ideas to prevent that woman from screaming. Otherwise, grandmaster Zhao would not have been able to continue pretending anymore."

 

 

"It is thanks to you that we realize the abnormal situation in this area. It is also thanks to you, that we do not need to face these two terrifying beasts ourselves. I have no idea how you manage to take down these two tigers. I would not have the confidence to succeed at all if I was you."

 

 

Zhu Huai continued to speak, but he never slowed his approach either. Just as he walked to a point that was very close to Yue Qiang, he suddenly made a turn and kicked right at Yin!

 

 

Yin was already severely injured due to the female tiger's attack. Later on, she forcefully used the Eye of Truth to damage the enemy and appraise his items, so she was now incredibly weak. There was no chance she could have avoided Zhu Huai's kick at all, and so she fell sideways on the ground and rolled far, far away. The white bedsheet wrapped around her body was also torn to shreds due to the crushed rocks on the surface of the ground.

 

 

"It would be fantastical to think that your strength alone was enough to kill the two tigers, so I thought that the little girl might hide some tricks up her sleeves. But I suppose I overthought things." Zhu Huai continued to smile leisurely and approached Yue Qiang once more.

 

 

Every since Zhu Huai had appeared abruptly in this little room, Yue Qiang made almost no moves at all. He simply listened to Zhu Huai chattering and taunting incessantly, and even when the man had sent Yin flying away with a kick, Yue Qiang merely frowned a little and continued to make no moves at all.

 

 

However, when Zhu Huai reached about three meters away from him – which just happened to be the maximum attack range of the iron rod – Yue Qiang moved.

 

 

He neither used 'Killing Style, One', nor used Basic Jabbing Skill.

 

 

He typed a few words:

 

 

"Do you wish to escape death?"

 

 

Once he was done typing, Yue Qiang then decisively tossed out a small log at Zhu Huai. The item he tossed out was the dim wooden log.

 

 

Yue Qiang had prepared for this strike for a long time.

 

 

This Zhao Scout Zhu Huai had appeared from behind his back, so there was a huge possibility that he never saw the 'S/L Module's' true appearance and only heard about Yue Qiang and Yin's discussion. Even when the scout showed himself, Yue Qiang had consciously blocked the rainbow light emanating from the small wooden log.

 

 

Zhu Huai had heard of Yue Qiang and Yin's discussion. Therefore he extended a hand and attempted to catch the small log flying in the air. This movement would split Zhu Huai's attention and slow him down.

 

 

Therefore, this was an opportunity.

 

 

If Yue Qiang wanted to kill him, then he must create such a deliberate opportunity. He did not know how powerful this Zhao Scout Zhu Huai was, but he must prepare for the worst and do his best to increase his chances of victory.

 

 

When Zhu Huai reached out to grab the log, Yue Qiang also used the fastest speed in his life to equip the iron rod.

 

 

Right now, his HP was still below 20%, which was why his gauge was recovering continuously and thus at full bar. His stamina bar was also full.

 

 

He activated Basic Jabbing Skill, and Run LVL 2 to increase his speed at the same time before stabbing out with his fastest speed.

 

 

His attack immediately scored a penetration damage!

 

 

The iron rod had actually pierced right through the scout Zhu Huai's right chest and exited through his back. The force of his attack still did not fade as it nailed Zhu Huai right onto the ground!

 

 

Contrary to expectations, Zhu Huai's defense was unbelievably weak.

 

 

Yue Qiang came to realization instantly. This scout Zhu Huai was a kind of a.s.sa.s.sin cla.s.s personnel. His close range damage was extremely deadly, and his agility was pretty high as well. Judging from the way he appeared, he probably had some sort of concealment skill as well. But in contrast, his defense was also far weaker than an average soldier's. He could not see Zhu Huai's health bar, but from the single jab of his iron rod alone he could more or less guess that this guy's defense and health was probably incomparable even to a normal Zhao Soldier's!

 

 

If this scout was given enough s.p.a.ce to hide and time to lurk, then he could probably take out several Sergeant level people on his own. But seeing that his condition and Yin's were terrible, and he was afraid that Yue Qiang would employ his 'S/L module' item to regain his strength, he had appeared beforehand and actually gave Yue Qiang the opportunity to fight head-to-head instead.

 

 

In reality, Yue Qiang's face-to-face combat prowess was pretty amazing already.

 

 

He nailed his opponent to the ground with a single Basic Jabbing Skill. Then he immediately followed up with a fully Rage enhanced 'Break Fist – Killing Style One'! It was nearly impossible for him to miss a fixed target in close range.

 

 

There were no popping numbers. The system no longer gave out a numerical indicator for damage.

 

 

Yue Qiang blew his head off with a single punch.

 

 

After he walked over and picked up his iron rod, he then arrived at Yin's side and supported her. He typed, "Those who talk too much, usually die quickly as well."

 

Chapter 53: You Are Playing A Game, Aren't You

 

 

Yue Qiang's close combat ability now was already pretty amazing.

 

 

Although there was no leveling system in this game and his stats weren't OP, his skills had quite the compatibility with one another. Killing power, movement, attack power, and recovery&h.e.l.lip; the basic elements required in close combat were already all there. They propelled him from a person who nearly died when he first ran into a Zhao Soldier level enemy to someone who could now single handedly beat down three Zhao Sergeant level enemies alone.

 

 

The real factor that enhanced Yue Qiang's combat strength and allowed him to unleash all sorts of combination skills was in fact, the realistic fighting system.

 

 

If he attacked an enemy's vital spot, such as a tiger's head, then he might be able to kill it in one shot. He could also potentially deal penetration damage to an enemy with weak defense and nail him on the ground. The many and varied attack effects and meticulous control allowed him to deal far more damage than what the superficial numbers suggested. This was also why Yue Qiang was able to win from a position of weakness multiple times.

 

 

He looted the scout Zhuo Huai's body. The drops he got were 1.1 Progress Points and an accessory: Black Bracelet.

 

 

Black Bracelet: Equipping it will cause the user's figure to become difficult to identify. The effects are even better in a dark environment. There was also a short text at the back: Green Cow Village Market – Deng Fang. Quality comes only from Deng Fang.

 

 

The reason the scout Zhu Huai had appeared soundless just now was probably to the merit of this item. Although there were no stat enhancement whatsoever, it was an excellent equipment for ambush purposes.

 

 

Yue Qiang put on the bracelet and went blank staring at his own pathetic a.s.sortment of equipment. He had killed a lot of mobs up to this point, and this was the first time ever a mob that he killed had dropped an equipment (that he could equip). Moreover, it was an equipment that did not give any stats at all. Does this game really have no equipment that can directly increase one's stats?

 

 

He glanced at Yin once. The girl's white bed sheet was even more damaged than before, revealing many places that shouldn't be revealed. There were also a lot of dust and dried blood on them. After glancing a couple more times, he controlled his character to strip Zhu Huai's clothes.

 

 

"Um&h.e.l.lip; You can tear the white bed sheet around you and wrap your wounds a little; there's a wound on your leg that's still bleeding. Then you can wear his clothes." Yue Qiang said.

 

 

"I realized that you really like to loot bodies*. You looted a tiger, and you looted a soldier as well." Yin accepted the clothes and turned around. She pulled all of the torn white bed sheets around her body and tossed it at the side. Then she put the large-sized Zhao Scout uniform on herself. The hem of the upper outer garment nearly reached her knees, and the pant waist was three sizes too big. She first tore a few clean fabric from the white bed sheet and bandaged her wounds simply, then wrung the rest of it into two long shreds. One shred was used as a belt, and the other was wrapped around her chest. It covered the huge gaping hole in the uniform caused by Yue Qiang's earlier stab.

 

 

*In Chinese, the gaming term 'loot' can be read as 'gropes' as well.

 

 

Yue Qiang quietly watched her change at the side.

 

 

When the girl had abruptly appeared, she was wrapped around a white bed sheet, and now she was wearing a tattered military uniform three and four sizes too big. None of them fell under the normal category of clothing. However, no matter how odd her clothings were, the foundation of her beauty was still the same. She was very beautiful.

 

 

Very, very beautiful.

 

 

The process of a woman changing was a long one. In his boredom, Yue Qiang clicked open Yin's character stat since he had nothing to do, and because there were no urgent issues this time, he was able to read it in greater detail.

 

 

Name: Yin

 

 

Cla.s.s: Patient

Strength: 8 (grey font) A strange illness prevents Yin's strength from rising in any way.

Stamina: 8 (grey font) A strange illness prevents Yin's stamina from rising in any way.

Intelligence: 25 (Yin has a.n.a.lytical abilities that far exceeds the common man) (rare attribute)

 

 

Skill:

Plague of Grave Illness LVL 1: A strange illness prevents Yin from increasing her basic stats in any way. This skill will automatically level up, and as the level rises, Yin's stats will continue to drop further.

Eye of Truth LVL 1: Yin's unique skill (A sub skill that can be expanded further)

*Pa.s.sive Effect 1: Take damage when opening one's eyes. The amount of damage increases along time.

 

 

*Pa.s.sive Effect 2: Can see the object directly in front while one's eyes are closed.

 

 

*Pa.s.sive Effect 3: The power of all of the active effects of Eye of Truth are directly affected by Intelligence.

 

 

*Active Effect 1: Gaze. Unleash an absolutely accurate attack at a close range target. This attack cannot miss, and its attack power is directly affected by Intelligence (This skill requires the user to open their eyes).

 

 

*Active Effect 2: Unravel. Capable of unraveling any forms of complications. The level of difficulty that can be unraveled increases along with Intelligence.

 

 

Power of the Heart LVL 1:

 

 

To Live Through Death LVL 1:

Memory Unlock Rate: 0%

 

 

Yin's character stats were many and complex. The one that drew his attention the most was without a doubt the 'strange illness'. The effects of this illness seemed incredibly scary, and worse, it wasn't a continuous debuff, but a skill that can be leveled up. Even more scary was the fact that the skill seemed perfectly capable of leveling up on its own.

 

 

Yue Qiang suddenly understood a little why Yin's expression was so calm when she told him that he should have used her as bait. He wondered how she was infected by this illness – or should he say, this skill Plague of Grave Illness LVL 1 – and what kind of story she had.

 

 

"Are you finished reading?" At this time, Yin had already finished changing into her clothes and making some simple bandages around her wounds. She continued to look incredibly weakened, but her expression was calm, and she seemed utterly incapable of feeling pain at all.

 

 

"I'm done. You&h.e.l.lip;"

 

 

"If you're done, then I would like to ask you about a few things. We both have questions of our own before, but they were postponed due to the urgent circ.u.mstances earlier." Yin said slowly.

 

 

In order to preserve her stamina, Yin curled up and sat while holding her knees. The clothes on her body were too huge, causing her to look weak and delicate. She brushed her hair to the back and waited quietly for Yue Qiang's arrival while closing her eyes.

 

 

Yue Qiang walked beside her and sat down. Now that he was close, he could clearly see every detail of her face. Yin was extremely beautiful. It's just that her complexion was a little pale; the kind of delicateness only a patient would have. Originally, he had a lot of questions that he wanted to ask as well, but after considering the girl's powerful observation and a.n.a.lytical abilities, and the 25 Intelligence stats gave out by the system, he chose to let her ask first.

 

 

"I have a lot of questions." Yin said, "But these questions all originated from some basic questions&h.e.l.lip; I realize that your combat abilities are terrific, but there is always a kind of disharmony every time you move. For example, when you walk, run and jump, no matter what kind of terrain you're on, the extent of your movements and the strength you used every time are incredibly constant&h.e.l.lip; can you explain this?"

 

 

Yue Qiang watched the computer monitor quietly. His two hands were placed on the keyboard and he had tapped out the dialogue box. And yet, he didn't know how to answer her.

 

 

Of course there was an answer to this question. There were only so many hotkeys on a keyboard, and even if he found far more methods and hotkey tied to his character's movements than there were in other games, some amount of lifelessness and stillness was inevitable.

 

 

Yin waited for a short while, and seeing that he did not answer her, she continued to speak, "Why do you speak so little, and your tone is always exactly the same? Why is there no difference in the time lag between every word you speak at all?"

 

 

Yue Qiang could only continue to stay silent; he was only using the dialogue system to type words was all. Could it be&h.e.l.lip; Suddenly, an incredibly strange emotion fleeted through his heart. This feeling, was a little like&h.e.l.lip; fear.

 

 

Yin did not stop talking and instead continued to ask, "Then, I would like you to help me explain a few terms."

 

 

"This item. You call it a 'Save/Load Module'?" Yin pointed at the wooden log overflowing with rainbow light.

 

 

"Yes."

 

 

"Can you tell me what 'Save/Load' means?"

 

 

Yue Qiang fell silent. He did not know how to explain it.

 

 

Yin did not give him the time to explain it either. She continued to ask, "I realize that you really like to loot bodies. Can you explain the two words 'loot bodies' to me?"

 

 

Yue Qiang suddenly felt immeasurable sense of dread. He abruptly bolted away from his chair, stood up and circled behind his monitor to take a look. There was nothing there. Then he returned to his seat dejectedly, and it was just at this moment Yin asked her final question, "Can you explain the two words 'skill book' to me? I remember you uttering that term when you pa.s.sed over that 'The Philosophy of c.o.c.kroaches' to me."

 

 

"You do not speak, and you wear no expression as well. In that case&h.e.l.lip; it would seem that my guess is correct." Yin said calmly.

 

 

"You are playing a game, aren't you?"