Chapter 127: The Valley of Death

With a roar of machinery, the harbor sluice gate slowly rose, and the small boat entered the northern canal.

This tributary canal was half as wide, about 50 meters across, but this did not affect the speed of the boat. After traveling about 10 kilometers, a group of people appeared on the riverbank under the cover of night, and the boat slowly pulled up to them.

"Supplies have arrived," Zhang Er Mazi shouted.

Five or six flashlight beams shone over. "Hard work, brother. Here is your payment."

The people on the bank began to unload the crates, which were filled with potions, rations, water, and other supplies.

Zhang Er Mazi completed the transaction on his crystal card. "Please tell Brother Zhan that I won't be coming back in the second half of the night. The next shipment will be tomorrow morning at 10:00; my shop in the city needs to close."

The man on the bank replied, "Understood. Thank you, brother. We’re moving out."

Soon, the group on the bank headed deep into the northern dense forest, and the small boat began its return toward the transit port. Only after both groups were far away did two heads wearing white diving masks emerge from the water.

Wu Hua and Night Cat swam ashore and shed their gear: diving suits, swim fins, masks, oxygen tanks, and various weight-adjusting devices.

As it turned out, the two had been clinging to the bottom of Zhang Er Mazi’s speedboat from the moment they left Phoenix Tail City, using him to pass through the transit port and cleverly slipping in.

Wu Hua changed into his SEAL tactical gear. Ahead lay the Death Hinterlands, a vast primitive forest where the complex terrain and harsh environment would nullify his usual firearm advantage. The Star of Finland, AUG, and M500 heavy weapons held little edge in such jungle terrain.

Night Cat said, "Madman, they are transporting 20 shipments a day. Based on the supply volume, the number of people from the Arctic Snow Company in this forest is likely over 1,000. We can't use brute force; we have to get in cleverly."

Wu Hua nodded. "Then I'll leave the pathfinding to you."

The two donned gas masks, drew their weapons, and began to sneak forward.

This time, Wu Hua had a silencer equipped on his AUG, which he held at the ready. Night Cat used an alloy short sword, favoring a high-agility combat style.

This massive, grotesque primitive forest was teeming with monsters. Level 35 mutated leeches, as large as hounds, were everywhere in the swampy areas. Level 36 wild boars and leopards had incredibly high defense, and 40-level mutated flies buzzed in the air, looking utterly disgusting and exploding into clouds of green and white slime when killed. Beyond that, the forest was filled with swamp miasma; if not for Night Cat leading the way, they wouldn't even know how they had been poisoned.

Wu Hua mused that even if the Arctic Snow Company didn't occupy this place, ordinary players wouldn't dare come here. Female players would likely feel sick at the sight of these filthy creatures, and only high-level gunners, medics, and genetic warriors would dare to venture in.

The sensor alarm triggered every three minutes, signaling either a monster ambush or dangerously high liquid levels.

Wu Hua had keen perception, but while the jungle moss appeared flat, the sensor consistently showed liquid levels exceeding 60%, indicating a trap—a swamp beneath the surface.

Just like in reality, everyone knew the consequences of falling into a swamp alone.

The two made slow progress, as they were using melee weapons to kill monsters to avoid making too much noise. Wu Hua found that the Dragon Tooth dagger was an incredibly sharp melee weapon, and with his high agility and strength, he fought almost like a low-level warrior.

At 3:00 AM, the sensor indicated a target group of about 40 people 300 meters directly ahead, with green dots densely arranged in a semi-circle.

"Is there any other path to Death Canyon?" Wu Hua asked.

Night Cat frowned. "No, this is the only way through."

Wu Hua waved his hand. "Alright, let's move in."

Night Cat followed cautiously behind Wu Hua.

The mossy clearing, surrounded by towering trees, was brightly lit. Over forty members of the Arctic Snow Company were battling a large monster—a patterned python about seven or eight meters long. The giant snake had a pointed, ferocious-looking head. Wu Hua knew from experience that this was likely a boss, and certainly a venomous one.

Since the trees obscured much of his vision, Wu Hua took out the "Do-As-You-Wish" watch that Mao MM had given him. "Let's try this thing out."

He pressed the release catch, and as expected, an extremely thin metal wire shot out from the watch, tipped with a sophisticated alloy triangle claw. The claw hooked firmly onto a branch high above in the trees. He pressed the switch again, and the wire retracted, instantly pulling Wu Hua up to a branch about 10 meters high.

"Cool! This thing is invincible," Wu Hua squatted on the branch, feeling ecstatic.

Night Cat also used his watch to pull himself up.

Once settled, Wu Hua looked down and couldn't help but be shocked.

The forty-plus people below were indeed composed of gunners, medics, and genetic warriors, with gunners making up the majority. What surprised him most were the female medics.

According to the official *Star Wars* lore, while there were only five major combat classes, they were all complementary. With enough dedication and research, these five could evolve into dozens or even hundreds of sub-classes.

Of course, this didn't mean there were literally hundreds of roles, but rather hundreds of playstyles. For example, a gunner like Wu Hua, with sufficient stats and technique, could wield a military dagger as effectively as a warrior's sword. By this logic, a medic could also be trained as a combat unit.

Medics had high defense and high focus, as they used skills frequently. Early-leveling focused on "Focus" and "Agility," but as they leveled up and completed more quests, they had spare attribute points to invest in other areas, such as Strength.

For a medic, this was no less important than for a warrior. High strength allowed them to carry heavier gear, like Type-54 or PPK pistols. If the stats were high enough, even carrying a heavy machine gun wasn't difficult for a medic; they simply lacked the long-range proficiency, accuracy, and damage output of a dedicated gunner.

The dozen or so medics below were each carrying GH5-model flamethrowers. The model looked like an oxygen tank with a thick pipe extending from the nozzle, connected to the tank by a circuit. Once the trigger was pulled, the energy inside would spray out, unleashing flames up to ten meters away, dealing 50 damage per second.

It was an older piece of tech, but simple and practical, and lightweight for medics to handle.

Wu Hua realized that as time passed, more and more players were becoming formidable. With a dozen of these medics clustered together, few would dare provoke them, lest they be burned to a crisp.

Wu Hua also noted that the twenty-plus gunners were all equipped with SAS air force gear and carried FAMAS automatic rifles. It was clear the Arctic Snow Company was far more capable than the Blue Company; their unified equipment took terrain into account. The FAMAS was prized for its ergonomics and ease of carry, which was a wise choice for the energy-draining Death Hinterlands.

Watching the heated battle below, Night Cat couldn't help but ask, "Madman, what do we do now?"

Wu Hua pondered for a moment and said, "Let's wait and see."