Chapter 364 - 348: Mirage Gauze
Just as Mrs. Wang was certain she was about to die, the burly City Guard who had been carrying her suddenly let out a furious roar.
He used every last ounce of his strength to violently throw Mrs. Wang from his shoulder, along with a skinny teammate next to him, toward a safe area to the side.
"Go!!"
Mrs. Wang hit the ground hard. It hurt, but she had escaped with her life.
Still in shock, she turned to look back.
SQUELCH!
The Ghost Fire Meteor that should have struck all three of them had pierced through the City Guard’s head.
Ghastly green flames instantly engulfed his tall figure.
The player’s body was still frozen in the posture of having shoved them with all his might, but from the neck up, there was nothing but a scorched, black hole as the fire spread across his body.
Then, the headless body was consumed by the flames, and a charred corpse collapsed in front of Mrs. Wang.
In that instant, Mrs. Wang’s mind went completely blank.
She stared dumbly at the headless corpse at her feet, at the hand that was still pointing in the direction of her escape.
Just a few seconds ago, she had been cursing this man in her heart, calling him a bandit, a robber, wishing he would just drop dead.
’And now, this "robber" died right in front of me to save me? Just like that... he’s dead?’
Then, with a stupefied expression, she was once again hoisted onto the shoulder of another City Guard, The Little Match Girl, who hurried to evacuate.
「...」
「Meanwhile, near some ruins.」
A Foundation Establishment Stage Evil Cultivator was circling in mid-air, his cold gaze sweeping over the area below.
Beneath him was a field of rubble and ruins, already littered with corpses.
In the shadow of a collapsed wall, Su Wenjing nervously clutched a piece of gauze as thin as a cicada’s wing.
It was the treasure that the big brother from the Nine Schools Sect had given to her sister and her—the Mirage Gauze.
The Spiritual Power stored within it was sustaining a hundred-meter-diameter concealment field, protecting the Su Family and the surrounding civilians in an attempt to evade the terrifying Evil Cultivator.
The player Kabuta Giant, who had been stripped of his official post, was also hiding in this group.
’No idea where Miss Su ran off to, she’s still not back to save the day! Help us!!!’
’Break the illusion formation! Okay, I probably need to find a way out of the formation to trigger the "call for support" plot event. But these are members of the Su Family! If I can protect Miss Su’s family at a critical time like this, I might be able to grind some hidden affection points when she gets back. It’s not impossible she’d reward me with some Spirit Stones.’
Although he no longer had the "red dot recon" privilege on his mini-map, he had a good buddy who had become a City Guard!
[Private Chat]
[Kabuta Giant]: Old Three! Give me a location! Where’s that Evil Cultivator flying? The Su Family has some kind of invisibility item over here! I think this spot is safe!
[Old Three Next Door (City Guard)]: Hold on, hold on! Let me see... He’s two hundred meters to your front left! Be careful, stay safe!
Relying on the human radar provided by his good buddy Old Three Next Door, who had successfully become a City Guard, Kabuta Giant led the group of combat-ineffective NPCs in a game of cat and mouse right under the Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator’s nose.
However, just as they were about to approach the designated evacuation point, a message in the area channel made Kabuta Giant’s heart leap with joy.
[Grave Robber (Councilor)]: Shit! The secret passage in the Tongli Money Shop collapsed! A normal-sized person can’t get through! Anyone out there who rolled a dwarf character? Hurry up and provide support! Or does anyone have the Bone Shrinking Skill?
「...」
Kabuta Giant looked at Su Wenjing, who was using the Mirage Gauze to maintain the concealment field, and his mind raced.
’I heard the Mirage Gauze has a limited supply of Spiritual Power. Holing up here is just waiting to die.’
’There isn’t a single Foundation Establishment Stage player here. How the hell are we supposed to fight that Evil Cultivator flying around up there? Not to mention, who knows what other old monsters are hiding behind the white mist.’
’Stalling here is obviously a bad idea. And this illusion formation is clearly meant to block communications. The only way to break this stalemate is to get out of the city and call for backup.’
’Someone has to escape the formation’s range and contact Miss Su to get her back to the city! The home base is being raided!’
’And now, it seems all the pieces are in place...’
Kabuta Giant’s eyes glinted as he schemed internally:
’Passage: The Tongli Money Shop’s secret tunnel leads directly outside the city, but it’s collapsed. Only someone with a very small body can pass through.’
’Candidate: The kids from the Su Family are the perfect size!’
’Survival: Su Wenjing has the Mirage Gauze, and I heard she also has a Heart Guarding Pendant that provides single-target invisibility.’
’Although seeing these Magical Artifacts made me itch with greed, the huge cost of being demoted to a "vagrant" combined with the possibility of being hunted down by Miss Su in the future—not to mention the items seemed to be soul-bound—instantly suppressed my avarice.’
’I’ll go all in! If I pull this off, I can make a comeback!’
Kabuta Giant hesitated no longer. He immediately opened the [Anhe City Area Channel].
[Kabuta Giant]: @[Grave Robber]! You call that a plan? Step aside and let a pro handle this! I’ve got the perfect candidate! It’s a story NPC from the Su Family! They’re all kid-sized! And they come with a temporary invisibility item!
[Kabuta Giant]: But there’s a Foundation Establishment BOSS watching us from the sky, we can’t move! Requesting tactical support!!
...
Grave Robber, who had been tearing his hair out in frustration at the entrance to the Tongli Money Shop’s secret passage, felt like he’d just grasped a life-saving straw when he saw the message.
He made a snap decision and immediately used his Councilor privileges to issue a quest.
[Emergency Quest Issued: The Great Wall of Flesh and Blood]
[Quest Objective]: Provide full cover for the group from the Su Family carrying special items as they head to the Tongli Money Shop’s secret passage!
[Execution Strategy]: Suicidal Lure!
[Detailed Instructions]: All players near the evacuation route are to immediately reveal their positions! At any cost, regardless of life or death! Lure away all Evil Cultivators on that path!
[Quest Reward]: Contribution +50, copper coins +500
...
Following Grave Robber’s order, a sudden commotion erupted from a patch of ruins several hundred meters away from where the Su Family was hiding.
"AHHH! He—he found us!! Run!!!"
"It’s safe over there!! Run!"
A large group of regular players, their faces filled with terror, swarmed out from their hiding spots and fled frantically in the direction leading away from the secret passage.
In mid-air.
The Foundation Establishment Evil Cultivator watched the crowd scattering and fleeing below, a mocking smile playing on his lips.
"Heh, can’t hold back any longer, can you?"
He began to slowly descend on his white bone Magical Artifact, but he faintly felt that something was not right.
’These mortals were hiding so well just now. Why did they all suddenly reveal themselves at once?’
However, due to his long immersion in slaughter, a bloodthirsty desire stemming from the instincts of his demonic arts instantly flooded his mind.
’The fear radiating from their running, the fresh, pumping blood... It’s all too tempting...’
’Who cares what they’re plotting! In the face of Foundation Establishment power, what can a bunch of mortals possibly do to turn the tables?’
"Run, run faster... That way your blood will flow even faster, and it will taste all the more delicious when I drink it..."