Chapter 104: Exclusive Training Session

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Online Game: One Shot, Blood Spray

In the conference room at Blue Ocean Company headquarters, Azure Starry Sky was still sipping her coffee leisurely. Her bearing remained as elegant as ever, her eyes as beautiful and melancholy as ever—but her face was utterly devoid of expression.

The other women looked as though they had turned to ashes and did not dare say a word.

The Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain operation was the greatest blunder Blue Ocean Company had ever made. They had suffered several defeats before, but none had been as disastrous as this one.

Six of the seven beauties known as the Seven Fairies had been wiped out. Explosive Frenzy alone had killed five of them, leaving Blue Ocean Company with a humiliation it could scarcely bear.

The first media outlet to break the news of the Wind, Forest, Fire, Mountain operation was naturally Strange Gate Television. Under the new reporter’s direction, footage of Wu Hua instantly killing several beauties was edited into a video. The close-ups captured every expression on the Seven Fairies’ faces before their deaths: some laughing wildly, some glaring, some transformed into headless corpses, and some blasted backward through the air.

The new reporter had deliberately given the video an exceptionally ferocious title: “A Grand Collection of Real Men’s Deaths.” It was accompanied by “The Song of Heroes” as its soundtrack. The video was broadcast throughout Dream Star City—in shops, hotels, streets, and at the harbor. It caused a sensation across the city, and when the news reached Illusory Moon City, it stirred up an even greater uproar.

The Southern District section of the forums was in complete chaos as well. The post titled “A Grand Collection of Real Men’s Deaths” had drawn more than two million views after Strange Gate Company promoted it. Plenty of people were not fools; they could all tell that the Seven Fairies had been killed by a sniper wielding heavy firepower. For a time, everyone was asking about the expert’s name.

When Azure Starry Sky saw the reports, her hand trembled slightly, and a few drops of coffee splashed onto the tabletop.

Everyone present knew that gesture well. It appeared only when their elder sister was furious.

Moonshadow Autumn Gauze said, “Big Sister, I never expected 1860 and Old Iron to be working together.”

Azure Starry Sky said coolly, “1860 is nothing special. He merely has slightly better equipment.”

Lily of the Valley said, “But Strange Gate Company has already seized the vital passage of Mount Lingjue. Our company will never again be able to develop the southern region of Dream Star City.”

Azure Starry Sky waved her hand. “That is only natural. When two great powers clash, fortunes rise and fall. Old Iron has merely taken a small advantage this time. Can his influence really reach all the way to Illusory Moon City? Viewed as a whole, we have not lost our advantage.”

Moonshadow Autumn Gauze asked, “Big Sister, what you are worried about is…”

“Exactly.” Azure Starry Sky nodded. “Explosive Frenzy is indeed a serious threat. I went too easy on him last time, and that is why we have ended up with today’s result.”

Peasant Woman Three Punches said indignantly, “That brat only got hold of a sniper rifle, didn’t he? Without the sniper rifle, he’s nothing but a nobody.”

“You are wrong.” Azure Starry Sky’s expression suddenly became ice-cold. “You always overlook the most crucial point. Several of our operations were ruined by him alone. That is the first thing. Second, only one month has passed since the survival mission began. How much has his strength increased? How much has his equipment improved? Have any of you calculated that?”

Everyone fell silent. Azure Starry Sky’s analysis was completely sound. If things continued at this pace, then in another month they would no longer be qualified to contend with him at all.

“Actually, none of that is the most important point,” Azure Starry Sky said slowly. “Do you know what kind of person is the most difficult to deal with in Star Battle?”

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The Snowy Night Fairy could not help asking, “What kind?”

Azure Starry Sky said slowly, “People who are not afraid of death are the hardest to deal with, because they are willing to throw away even their own lives. What else could they possibly fear? A thousand-mile embankment can collapse because of an ant’s nest. The balance of a war is often tilted by one or two individuals. If we continue like this, Old Iron will sooner or later drive us into a dead end.”

“Big Sister, what should we do now?” Moonshadow Autumn Gauze asked.

Azure Starry Sky said, “Notify Bao Daiting of Martial Arts Radio. Have him investigate Strange Gate Company’s next large-scale operation. The moment he gets any information, have him report to me.”

***

In the Bloody Wasteland of western Dream Star City, Wu Hua and the others were walking through the jungle.

Just as before, there were no monsters to be seen anywhere in the Bloody Wasteland. It was as though someone had cleared the entire area spotless.

“Most players are much higher level now. These ordinary low-level monsters basically no longer pose a threat to the majority of players,” Yu Jialing said.

Wu Hua nodded. He found her explanation reasonable.

Tu Shao said, “I come here all the time, but it’s impossible for there not to be a single low-level monster.”

“Look ahead,” Qianqian said, pointing into the distance. She was the level-twenty-nine advanced medic whom Tu Shao had invited, a rather pretty young woman.

A large crowd had gathered around the entrance to Mulin Ancient Tomb—two or three hundred players at the very least.

“What happened?” Wu Hua and the others hurried over.

On the open ground outside the ancient tomb’s entrance stood twenty or thirty electronic signs. But instead of party recruitment notices, the glowing red words on them read:

“Longcheng Clan has reserved this area for monster hunting. Outsiders forbidden. Violators will be killed without mercy.”

Seeing those signs, Wu Hua was both annoyed and amused.

Tu Shao and the others laughed as well. “That bastard must have forgotten how he died during the survival mission.”

Longcheng Clan was, of course, the Longcheng family that had taken part in the survival mission. Its leader was Murong Longcheng.

Ever since the survival mission, Murong Longcheng’s reputation had continued to soar, and he had become a notable figure in Dream Star City. The reason was quite simple.

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After transforming into a broodmother zombie, he had enjoyed astonishing luck. Through a combination of capturing and looting, he had somehow risen to level thirty-six. In the end, Wu Hua had killed him and cost him one level’s worth of experience, but he had still remained level thirty-five. At a time when most players were hovering around level twenty-five, level thirty-five was an astonishing figure.

After being killed by Wu Hua, Murong Longcheng had also gained some clarity. Realizing that his equipment was inadequate, he changed tactics and pursued fame instead. He found an obscure place and trained like mad, becoming a renowned leveling expert. By the time most players had reached around level twenty-eight, Murong Longcheng had trained all the way to the absurd height of level forty.

Many novice players suffered from the misconception that the higher someone’s level, the more formidable they must be.

There was some truth to that. Looking across the entire world of Star Battle, no level-forty figure had apparently yet emerged among the Chinese players. A few mighty level-forty experts did exist among foreign players, but their number could still be counted on two hands.

When the novices heard that Longcheng Clan was recruiting and that its leader was actually level forty, they flocked to join, each afraid of arriving a step too late.

After more than half a month, Longcheng Clan had swelled to over fifty thousand members, instantly becoming a novice stronghold. The sight left experts like Wu Hua laughing themselves sick.

At that moment, twenty or thirty warriors from Longcheng Clan were blocking the entrance, calling out one after another:

“Break it up, break it up! Move along, move along! Nothing to see here! Friends who are willing to leave, our clan is offering one bundle of potions. Choose either health potions or mana potions. Anyone who wants one, go over there.”

Looking to the side, they saw another unique feature of Longcheng Clan: a group of tour-guide girls wearing baseball caps stood there handing out potions. Behind them, the electronic signs were covered in an overwhelming number of advertisements:

“Adiwang—the equipment brand you can trust most. Available at Stall 13, Section H, Black Market!”

“Brother Chun: a true man of steel, a real hero! Brother Chun brand waist belts—wear nothing and you’re a sissy; wear one and you’re a real man! Order hotline: 574823.”

“Spirit-Snatching Noodles—fragrant, delicious, and visible to the eye! Grand opening at Street B1 of the Harbor District. Buy one bowl, get one free! First come, first served; buy more, get more, while supplies last! Enjoy the exhilarating life of eating one bowl and throwing one away!”

…

The onlookers had initially been quite dissatisfied, but the moment they heard that free potions were available, their curses immediately grew quieter. Potions were not cheap, after all, and ordinary players were reluctant to use them. Having taken advantage of the small bargain, they quickly dispersed.

Wu Hua laughed loudly. “That’s a pretty good trick. But how are we supposed to get inside?”

Qianqian stepped forward and raised her hand. “I have an idea!”

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