Chapter 377

Chapter 377: Chapter 374: "Take Miss to Yun Shang City"Karocha," Minister Aiske said, "I heard from Royal City that there was an announcement about the change of the throne. Although the successor is the legendary world-saving hero, Su Rin, he is not of royal blood, which..."

"Thud, thud."

Old Mister Cliff, charged with distributing Contribution Points and Props, tapped his cane in his hand.

"That’s not a problem. Su Rin saved the whole Pulaya years ago. If a crisis arises again, it’s admissible for the princess to abdicate the throne in his favor," Cliff said. "When he first came to Pulaya, he even had a chat with me. Strangely, his appearance hasn’t changed at all after sixty years, it seems he has been blessed by a deity. Therefore, if it is the deity’s will for him to take over the throne, there should be no objections—Our current issue to consider is the chaos at the Southern District docks. Now, all the Soul Hunters have been pulled away by that new leader who suddenly emerged to claim territories for him, and we surprisingly have no manpower to suppress this upheaval."

"Then call him back. I remember that this leader’s name is Amber, right?" the dark-skinned woman with her legs crossed said as she eyed her meticulously done fingernails.

If Lv Shu and Lin Yin were here, they would be shocked, because this prominent vice-minister was once the proprietress they had met, Duoya.

"That Amber, he must have taken a communicator from the headquarters of the Soul Hunters with him. Call him back, let him return the manpower. It’s far more important to protect the residents and the non-participants than his achievements."

"Then you make the call, Duoya."

"You make it."

"I won’t make it."

"Then I won’t make it either."

With a cold laugh, Duoya said, "That guy is tough as nails, slippery as minced meat, and he always diverts the topic almost as if he doesn’t like taking orders. He’s a leader, and I’m just a vice-minister; how can I order him around?"

"Then what should be done?" Aiske said, "Are we supposed to also join this mess and get drawn in as well?"

"How about talking to Su Rin in Royal City? Since Amber is a leader, he could only be commanded by someone in the Royal City," Cliff seriously said. "Lord Su Rin is the world-saving hero of Pulaya, he will surely understand the current crisis and prioritize the safety of ordinary civilians, not letting them get caught up in this competition."

They looked at each other, seeming to agree with this point of view.

Just then, a young man suddenly burst through the doors of the conference room and dashed inside.

The Soul Hunter guarding the door immediately tried to capture him, but the young man’s agile movements allowed him to evade and stand before the assembly of ministers in the blink of an eye.

"Why not listen to my suggestion? I think, I have ways to help you, and methods... that can save my beloved people of Pulaya," the young man said with a smile, seemingly oblivious to the tense atmosphere of the room.

"Who is this outsider? Throw him out!"

Karocha immediately drew his gun, aiming it at the intruding young man.

"No, let him speak first."

Cliff chose to let the young man stay: "During this time, I have met many foreigners. I must say, some of them really do possess wisdom and have made quite constructive suggestions."

"You’re getting senile, an outsider who’s just arrived in Pulaya and you think he has good ideas," Karocha stared at the young man and huffed, "Just a young lad, same as that Amber."

The young man turned his gaze.

He smiled at Karocha, as if immune to anger, meeting his gaze directly.

In that moment, Karocha suddenly felt a strange sensation rising from the bottom of his heart.

His originally angry emotions suddenly calmed down like sand extinguishing fire, and the anxiety in his heart was as if smoothed over by an invisible pair of hands.

Looking into the young man’s dark golden eyes, he suddenly felt a long-lost tranquility.

An inexplicable fondness filled his heart, and he gradually lowered his gun.

Facing the much kinder gaze of the ministers, the young man kept his smile unchanged.

"The current crisis mainly lies in the fact that there are not enough Soul Hunters, and they don’t obey the ministers’ orders, unable to withdraw from the five ordinary strongholds from District Two to District Ten," the young man said softly, his voice like a gentle breeze, seemingly having the effect of calming one’s mind: "—Then, just make them obey. Even if the leader of the Soul Hunters is new, his authority may not be enough to turn them into his puppets."

"What will you do?" Duoya asked.

The young man suddenly stretched out his hand.

He grasped the cross hanging around his neck, gently kissed it, his demeanor immensely devout.

"...We are doing this to free up manpower to save the residents controlled at the Southern District docks," the youth said. "Therefore, we need those residents who are still in safety to pay a small price.

I propose that the residents remaining in Pulaya move to the ordinary strongholds from the second to tenth districts, to force the Soul Hunters to give up their positions.

The Soul Hunters, my dear people of Pulaya, will surely listen to their friends and relatives and would not strike down those who are assaulting their strongholds."

"What kind of absurd plan is this!"

Karocha kicked a nearby chair over. "We originally didn’t want to involve the residents in the conflict, yet here you are, do you want to doom all of Pulaya?"

"You should leave," Cliff also showed a disapproving expression.

The guarding Soul Hunter was just about to grab the youth when suddenly, his eyes glazed over.

They stopped moving.

At that moment, many silhouettes suddenly appeared behind the youth.

Their limbs were stiff, and their eyes lifeless, resembling zombies.

At this moment, the young man’s eyes suddenly turned a brilliant gold.

"I am not here to ask for your opinions, merely to inform you of them," said the youth with a smile.

Su Ming’an arrived at the slightly elevated hill in the Southern District.

It was an excellent location from which one could view the floating boats on the sea surface and a crowded large ship.

However, the atmosphere at the Southern District docks was somewhat chaotic at this time.

On the flat ground by the shore, large patches of dried blood were scattered, and dozens of bodies lay on the ground. Patrolling between them were players wielding various weapons.

The bloodstains continued along the shoreline, extending into the sea near the waves in a long straight line. The bodies were scattered along this line, bearing deep wounds.

It seemed there had been an extremely fierce defensive battle here.

From the hill, Su Ming’an, in a Shadow State, could faintly see the situation on the boat, which did not seem very good.

Several bodies also lay on the ship, the deck was covered with blood. The place where couples should be enjoying the breeze and outlook was now deserted.

It appears that the group of players had succeeded in their raid.

At that moment, a half-naked burly man was dragging a woman with tattered clothes, trying to pull her into the cabin.

From their struggling and grappling, it was clear that this was a forceful act.

"Save me, save me—please—you,"

Her desperate high-pitched screams could be heard from the hillside.

The woman tried to escape, but the large man slapped her face and then dragged her into the cabin by her shoulders.

On the side, other players, who were undressing, seemed also eager to join in.

The novice players, powerless to resist, would face such unilateral situations against those who had experienced several worlds.

...This is also why players are increasingly reluctant to participate.

The gap in strength is simply too great. Once involved, they are like meat on a chopping board, only hoping for the goodwill of other players.

People who held power felt their desires swell, and when faced with players far weaker than themselves, even ones they could choke to death as easily as chicks, they felt like gods.

They judged others, relying purely on brute force rather than right or wrong, because they embraced the concept of survival of the fittest, and these powerful players were mostly not the kind who loved to help and support one another.

Because those who were kind died too easily.

Yang Changxu and Mo Yan, both kind and strong, were, after all, in the minority.

Besides the kind people, there were always those coldly observant players who would hide at the sight of trouble.

In the world they had once lived in, they wouldn’t even help others up when they fell, let alone risk their lives to save someone.

Especially since those who boarded this ship were criminals who thought about looting and murdering.

"Damn it..." Nailuo stared at the scene in front of her, her face turning red with anger, apparently wishing she could tear that man to pieces with her bare hands.

Watching this, a Wandering Night Walk appeared in Su Ming’an’s hand.

The Wandering Night Walk was a handgun suited for long-range shooting. Although it was a handgun, it had Purple Grade quality, and its range could even compare to that of a sniper rifle, loaded with some kind of mysterious technology.

Su Ming’an had brought Nailuo along for a very awkward reason.

He wasn’t a strong shooter.

His gun skill was only at "Basic Gunmanship lv.3". He had nearly missed shooting Xia Luoyang in White Sand Paradise, not to mention a remote snipe on this hillside.

But Nailuo had proposed that she could use this handgun.

He didn’t know what kind of family she came from, teaching her both rifle and shooting skills, but it made things convenient for Su Ming’an.

Su Ming’an handed the Wandering Night Walk to Nailuo.

"It’s your turn to perform," he said.

"Nice gun!"

Just from one look, Nailuo exclaimed it was a nice gun.

"Not bad. I didn’t expect you to have a gun of this quality. It’s truly a surprise, Miss," she said, affectionately touching the softly glowing purple handgun.

Su Ming’an told her what the leader of the skeleton crew looked like, asking her to stay here to be responsible for the sniper attacks, while he would charge forth.

"Okay, then be careful. I’m still waiting to explore the city above with you," Nailuo pouted.

"You want to go to Yun Shang City?"

"Can’t I?" Nailuo said, "Anyway, I already know your true identity, and I know you came to the Yate Empire with ill intentions. I can’t go back, so I might as well follow you up and see. After all, you gave this lady pearls and returned my youth and beauty."

Su Ming’an turned his head speechlessly.

"Yun Shang City is very dangerous, not some legendary place filled with treasures. You’re better off not going," Su Ming’an said. "Even if you can’t go back, staying in Pulaya and finding someone who loves you to be with is much better than staying with a family that didn’t value you."

His words held a sense of rejection.

He knew that Nailuo’s being stranded here was his responsibility, the result of the original Su Rin’s actions. If it hadn’t been for what he had done to the Yate Vessel, Nailuo wouldn’t have ended up in the hands of the princess, nearly becoming an old woman.

But if she wanted to go back, he could arrange for a ship to send her back; if she wished to stay, he could give her endless wealth to settle down here.

...But she seemed to be sticking to him stubbornly.

Hearing his words of refusal, Nailuo’s eyes instantly lost their laughter.

She suddenly raised the handgun.

It was still snowing heavily, and visibility was extremely blurred.

Thick white snow fell on her fiery red hair, and at the moment she raised her gun, her eyes suddenly became very calm.

This lady, who always boasted "I, this young lady" haughtily, suddenly seemed to have retracted her sharp edges.

A slight purple glow gathered at the muzzle of the Wandering Night Walk, like a flowing galaxy.

"Boom."

A soft sound.

The air wave spread along the muzzle, making Nailuo take a half step back, his arm numbed by the vibration. The bullet surged forward through the snow, bringing up a flurry of white flakes, dusting her drooping eyelashes.

The next moment, the big man who had been pulling at the woman’s head suddenly burst, and blood spurted out like a fountain.

The blood mist from the head billowed, and one could faintly see the tragically pale broken neck bone.

This shot was extremely powerful.

Even, accompanied by a slight tremor of the headless corpse, the originally almost complete body also suddenly burst open after a moment of stillness, as if a monster stretched out its claws from the middle of the body, causing the entire body to start disintegrating.

Special Skill "Gaze Shot": Charge for 3~8 seconds before shooting, the bullet will gradually enlarge during the process, causing an explosive+High Level Piercing effect to the enemy, this shot will definitely critically hit, and when the bullet hits the enemy’s vital point, an Instant Death Judgment will be performed.

This shot will be automatically calibrated. Cooldown time one minute.

"Ahh—"

The companion beside the big man was so scared that he sat down on the ground with his pants wet. Nailuo, however, remained unfazed.

Her gaze stayed focused on the deck, her finger on the trigger.

The gunfire started again.

"Boom."

The quick bullet passed through the companion’s head, instantly silencing his screams.

This bullet did not trigger a skill, but it decapitated him while the body still remained intact.

But such a precise, rapid headshot immediately drew the attention of others.

The deaths on deck acted like a fuse, instantly igniting the entire ship, as the armed players quickly emerged from the cabin. Some had already raised telescopes, beginning to search for the sniper’s position.

At that moment, Su Ming’an lifted the sword in his hand.

"Nailuo, after the Maritime Banquet ends, I want to learn gun technique from you for one day," he said.

NPCs with specific powerful techniques can indeed provide fast teaching to players.

If players find any master of swordsmanship or blade technique, after earning enough of their favorability, they can learn their specialized skills.

Clearly, Nailuo was a high-level npc specializing in gun technique, which could rapidly enhance his understanding of gunmanship, so he wouldn’t end up in an awkward situation where he had a gun but couldn’t use it effectively.

"Okay." Nailuo raised the gun in her hand: "Then, you must take me to Yun Shang City. It’s the fantasy of my adventurous nature since childhood!"

Su Ming’an sighed and rushed out.

"I’ll do my best," he said.