Chapter 15: Why does this guy keep betting his life? |
Ji Xun carefully observed the shadows of those panicked mercenaries.
Just now, he clearly saw that before the man’s head was cut off, a cut appeared in his shadow on the ground first, then his neck broke.
In other words, some mysterious power killed his shadow.
Then the person died.
“Another incomprehensible method.”
Ji Xun muttered slightly.
It looked as sinister as the previous curse technique.
This must be the legendary disaster on the fourth floor of the bunker that no one had seen before.
The information stated that anyone who went to the fourth floor would inexplicably die. The wounds seemed to be cut by a blade, but no one had ever seen what the monster looked like.
Such an attack method, even she couldn’t defend against it.
She glanced beside her. Although she couldn’t see clearly in the dark, the subtle heartbeat rhythm she heard was not the least bit panicked.
She knew this guy was still as calm as ever.
The mechanical-arm girl didn’t understand why they were hiding here together. It seemed like the monster hadn’t discovered them.
Contemplating her teammate’s earlier action of breaking the gas lamps, she vaguely guessed: Could the dark environment evade the monster’s perception?
How did this guy find that out?
The mechanical-arm girl felt she grasped the key point.
However, before she could think more, that guy beside her suddenly drew his gun again.
“Bang”, “Bang” — Several gunshots rang through the air.
The girl’s eye twitched inexplicably. Then her face changed dramatically with a look of disbelief as she turned around.
The disaster was chasing after the mercenaries, and they could probably avoid it by hiding quietly here.
But who would have thought that he fired his gun!
The mechanical-arm girl was stunned as she watched Ji Xun suddenly shoot at and extinguish the nearby gas lamps.
Has this guy gone crazy again?
Wouldn’t firing attract the monster here at this time?
Before she could understand, she heard a rapid yet clear voice arranging the battle plan: “The disaster hides in people’s shadows. It will definitely come for me, you sense it and tell me. If I make a mistake, you kill it.”
“”
The mechanical-arm girl understood from his words: This guy is deliberately luring the monster?
But how did he know the monster would “definitely” come to him?
And how did he know the monster was hiding in shadows?
Wait, shadows!
If the monster is hiding in shadows, then if there are no shadows, wouldn’t it have no place to hide?
When are there no shadows?
When there is no light!
Suddenly enlightened, she realized why this guy broke the lights and hid in the dark.
Ji Xun knew his actions would certainly puzzle his teammate. As she was a combat partner, he explained, “Light allows people to see, but sometimes it covers the brilliant stars in the darkness.”
While the monster hadn’t come yet, he added, “Once it loses its target, it’ll be very troublesome when it comes looking for us next time.”
The mechanical-arm girl’s face showed sudden realization.
Indeed, once this shadow disaster kills those mercenaries, it will surely come for the surviving people in the lab— them!
At that time, being attacked passively, with the monster’s silent stealth methods, risks would be infinitely magnified.
She instantly understood why this guy chose to lure the monster now.
She also guessed what he prepared to counter it.
Although she roughly figured out the reason, this was still currently the strongest and most troublesome known disaster in this different dimension!
Does this guy never hesitate even a bit when betting his life every time?
The sudden gunshots also attracted the attention of the three desperate mercenaries.
They were first stunned, who was firing?
Then, the wild joy of surviving the disaster.
Those two idiots actually lured the monster away!
Wait, no.
Those two guys aren’t dead?
Did the monster not find them?
But it didn’t matter, escaping now was more important.
At this moment, the three of them wished they had more legs. Within the blink of an eye, they disappeared in the passage.
Ji Xun didn’t wait for the monster to kill all the mercenaries before taking action, as he needed the bald ones to continue stirring up trouble and trigger the unknown dangers ahead.
Leaving them alive was good.
The gunfire only attracted the monster’s attention, not locked its hatred.
To ensure the monster took the bait, Ji Xun took out a lighter.
As soon as it ignited, Ji Xun’s figure was illuminated by the flickering flame in the dark.
The firelight illuminated his face with a gas mask. His eyes reflected the flame, bright and spirited.
Holding the lighter behind himself, his swaying shadow appeared in front.
The mechanical-arm girl already knew what he was going to do.
This guy was using himself as bait to kill that monster!
His decisiveness left no time for further thought. At this moment, there was no room for hesitation, she quietly retreated into the darkness, fully alert. If her teammate made a mistake, she could still remedy it.
Indeed, it came!
The girl sensed with all her might and suddenly found the target.
“It’s here!”
Ji Xun received a needle-like signal alert in his head simultaneously.
This mental communication was a method they had devised, much more efficient than speaking.
Almost instantly, Ji Xun released the skill card [The Gambling Dog’s Severed Hand] aiming at his shadow without hesitation.
As he made the move, the revelation entered his mind.
[Shadow Demon]
Details: First-tier A-level disaster; dark-type pollutant, excels in shadow assassination; it’s a demon hiding in shadows, able to silently take your life; death follows like the wind, always with them.
Another A-level disaster.
The monster on the fourth floor of the bunker, which no one had ever seen.
Because those who saw it all died.
Once it possessed someone’s shadow, seeing it meant immediate death.
However, before the disaster could kill him, a mysterious force descended.
Ji Xun preemptively released the skill card [The Gambling Dog’s Severed Hand] on his shadow.
A mysterious curse was released, and then he saw the revelation.
“Casting a curse on the target, 50% probability success, target killed.”
Ji Xun survived.
His shadow squirmed and deformed, falling to the ground.
On closer inspection, it was an ink-black dwarf monster, the A-level disaster [Shadow Demon].
Seeing the monster killed, the mechanical-arm girl appeared beside Ji Xun in no time, looking at the corpse on the ground in disbelief, her eyes seemed to speak: An A-level disaster killed just like that?
It was so simple she felt like dreaming.
The previous [Gambling Dog] was like this, and now the [Shadow Demon] too.
Killed in a single confrontation.
If she hadn’t previously hunted an equally strong but slightly weaker [Fallen Witch] and heavily injured it, she would suspect the difficulty of this dimension had decreased.
Ji Xun had already explained before, the mechanical-arm girl knew the so-called secret to clearing.
She also knew that Ji Xun’s curse card was the “key” to clearing.
But even with the card, it was only a 50% chance!
Half a chance to kill the monster, half a chance to die.
How did this guy dare?
Moreover, no one had ever seen that elusive monster on the fourth floor. Even the most comprehensive information she bought from the informant was just scraps. How did he know the monster hid in the shadows?
For a moment, she even doubted if her temporary teammate was a humanoid disaster himself. How else could he understand this dimension so well? And survived a night with the witch?
As the thought crossed her mind, she asked in an odd tone, “How did you know the monster hid in the shadow?”
Ji Xun, hearing her tone, obviously guessed she misunderstood, said with a wry smile, “It was recorded in those files. What else did you think was in such important clues?”
With that, he roughly recounted the file content: “Specimen 4011 in the experiment chamber underwent a second mutation into an A-level assassin-type disaster [Shadow Demon], hidden in the shadow-”
“???”
Hearing this, the girl realized she overthought but was subsequently extremely shocked.
Only now did she vaguely remember there seemed to be some research records on the monsters.
But that thick stack would take days to finish reading. This guy remembered fully after one read?
Those documents were still in her storage space, the girl asked in a strange tone, “You read all those thick files?”
Earlier, being threatened by monsters all the time, when did they have time to read carefully?
Ji Xun casually explained, “Not all of them. I picked the key points. The monster description happened to match the information you mentioned, so I paid extra attention.”
His mind was highly active, skimming through texts rapidly wasn’t difficult.
One person’s reading efficiency was equivalent to several people reading together.
This was one of the few benefits brought by a morbid mental state.
But there was no need to explain that much.
The mechanical-arm girl, upon hearing his explanation, seemed to comprehend something.
This guy, could he have awakened some mysterious talent direction, such as wisdom?
That might be the only explanation.
No wonder his body was so weak, but he always acted calm and composed.
But remembering is one thing, taking real action is another.
Frowning, she asked again, “But that card only has a 50% success rate. Weren’t you afraid of losing the bet?”
“Obviously, I won the bet.”
Ji Xun nonchalantly shrugged.
But it wasn’t just that.
Seeing her unyielding eyes demanding an explanation, he added, “If you don’t consider other factors, this would indeed be a matter of betting one’s life. But it’s fully confirmed now, there are other forces at play in this dimension.”
“???”
The mechanical-arm girl still didn’t understand.
It’s hard to explain in a few words, Ji Xun didn’t intend to elaborate further, “You’ll understand soon. The trial in this dimension we’ve passed should be nearing the final level.”
Facing the Gambling Dog initially involved some luck, but that was no longer the case now.
When he saw the [Gambling Dog’s Severed Hand], he was sure he could kill the Shadow Demon.