Chapter 60: Bomb in Hand |
The three of them turned their heads amidst the firelight, catching sight of the smile on Bai Mu's face.
All three couldn't help but shudder. They completely failed to understand why Bai Mu would be smiling.
In the short day and a half they had spent together, no one had seen him smile even once. This man had constantly analyzed everything like a heartless machine, making the most optimal decision at every single crossroads.
He nonchalantly held hands with Witch, drove recklessly through a zombie-infested city as if it were completely deserted, fearlessly explored an empty haunted house, solved its puzzles, and finally unearthed the Hidden Ending of the Script from sheer details.
These various events had deeply ingrained Bai Mu's image in their minds. All three unanimously agreed that he was a high-tier Player with exceptional intellect, someone with the word "rational" stamped across his face. While he might appear emotionally expressive on the surface, his core felt more like a computer or an AI, entirely dominated by logic.
Interacting with such a rational person didn't typically inspire fear, only admiration.
But when Bai Mu smiled, everything changed. That faint smile sent a chill deep into the hearts of all three.
In their eyes, Bai Mu looked like a psychopathic killer, as if he had only managed to find a rare sliver of joy after bombing a horde of Zombies to death.
"Hurry up and push the gangway, or the Zombies will swarm us again," Bai Mu urged.
The three of them turned around in unison to push the gangway, barely daring to meet his gaze.
The gangway began to loosen, tilting toward the river.
The Zombie horde was still surging. The Boomer's bodily fluids had attracted every Zombie in the vicinity, and they rapidly filled the vacuum created by the Cherry Bomb.
Unfortunately for them, they were too late to weigh down the gangway.
Splash!
The steel gangway plunged into the water, kicking up a massive spray.
Off-balance Zombies tumbled into the river and were swept away by the rushing current.
The Tank was still far away. It grabbed a chunk of concrete wall and hurled it toward the transport ship.
However, its strength wasn't enough to strike a transport ship from hundreds of meters away. In fact, not only did the creature miss the boat, but it also relentlessly battered its own allies, crushing a group of Zombies into a bloody pulp with the concrete wall.
It was then that Bai Mu realized this creature wasn't actually an enemy at all, but rather a scripted event orchestrated by the Script.
It looked utterly terrifying, boasting strength and attributes far beyond a normal Mutant. However, this was ultimately just a D-grade Script. Players weren't actually meant to face this monstrosity head-on within the clear time limit.
Its arrival was purely to heighten the atmosphere. After all, the climax of a Script had to be at the very end. Wouldn't it be highly dramatic to have an intimidating boss suddenly offer the Players an unexpected assist?
According to the Hidden Ending progression set by Paradise, the intended scenario was for the Players to be on the brink of despair, unable to hold on any longer. Then, the Tank would unleash a massive throw, crushing the Zombies weighing down the gangway, or perhaps even blasting both the Zombies and the gangway away entirely, instantly sending the Players from hell straight to heaven.
What a pity, the four of them never got the chance to experience that scene.
They had already raised the anchor and, following the prompt from Paradise, restarted the transport ship.
Requiring no helmsman, the vessel automatically sailed away from the shore, drifting into the middle of the wide river.
The Tank just barely arrived at the battlefield. It stood there like a fool at the exact spot where the Boomer had exploded, staring blankly at the transport ship.
With thirty seconds left on the Script countdown, the notification chime from Paradise rang out.
[Main Quest completed. The Script will be evaluated after the storyline concludes.]
[At least for now, we are safe.]
The three of them, excluding Bai Mu, let out a long sigh of relief.
The glaring red countdown shifted to a soothing green. It seemed all they had to do now was watch the final cutscene.
Bai Mu gazed at the Tank on the shore, still pondering in his mind.
He felt that killing this thing would definitely yield hidden rewards, perhaps a title or a chance for a lucky draw.
His status was almost at maximum capacity, save for his Stamina, which had dropped by thirty percent due to casting [Plant Care].
"Let's give it a try. Though, I don't know if I can bomb it to death," he murmured.
Bai Mu plucked another Cherry Bomb. Great Northern Wilderness was startled and asked, "B-brother, what are you doing?"
"Nothing much, just testing something out." Bai Mu threw the Cherry Bomb.
Boom! The bomb detonated against the Tank, but it didn't turn to ash like the other Zombies. Instead, it leaped wildly in place, seemingly enraged. It began sprinting after the transport ship, yet it remained unable to enter the river out of its fear of water.
This reaction was exactly what Bai Mu wanted. He used [Plant Care] again and hurled another Cherry Bomb.
However, it still wasn't enough to kill the Tank, perhaps because the damage from a single Cherry Bomb wasn't high enough. Even so, the Tank's movements had visibly slowed down. Since Bai Mu still had Stamina to spare, he replenished his ammo and threw again.
After the third Cherry Bomb was tossed, the Tank acted like an exhausted marathon runner. It took a few sluggish steps forward before finally collapsing.
[You have killed the Tank. Damage contribution: 100%.]
After killing the Tank, Paradise provided a dedicated notification.
'I knew it,' Bai Mu thought to himself, certain that there would be some excellent loot during the evaluation.
Meanwhile, Great Northern Wilderness, Nancheng Port, and Misty Rain Traveler were absolutely dumbfounded by his actions.
There was actually a playstyle like this?
Misty Rain severely suspected that Bai Mu was a high-level Player. Otherwise, how could anyone explain that massive cherry with a human face in his hands?
Crucially, such a powerful item seemed to have unlimited uses, which was completely broken. She had watched Bai Mu pluck one off, only for another to immediately grow right back on the branch.
She only wanted to ask one thing: was this even fair?
After Bai Mu killed the Tank, the countdown finally reached zero.
Over a dozen beams of light flared up in the distance, projecting circular spotlights against the dark clouds.
It was the military's vessels, sailing right toward their location. The reason the helicopter pilot hadn't chased after them was that the task of capturing survivors had been handed over to the naval forces.
"Thank goodness we cleared it," Great Northern Wilderness panted heavily. His arms had reverted to their original size. Although he hadn't lost any Health, his Stamina had been depleted by half. "If we hadn't cleared it within the time limit, we would have had to face those military ships, right?"
"Most likely," Bai Mu agreed. "It's possible the Main Quest would have shifted from a safe evacuation to escaping military pursuit."
The military ships slowly approached from afar at a sluggish pace. It was obvious that these weren't warships at all; they had been temporarily requisitioned because no one had anticipated survivors suddenly appearing.
The transport ship sailed south, leaving the military vessels far behind until they gradually faded into the distance.
The ambiance was quite fitting, with the distant ships still blowing their horns and broadcasting warnings over loudspeakers.
Bai Mu narrowed his eyes. Glancing at the flower pot in his hands, he jogged over to the stern of the ship.
"He wouldn't happen to be thinking about..." Misty Rain was the first to realize what Bai Mu had in mind.
That was exactly what Bai Mu was thinking. He still had one active skill left unused.
He activated [Berserk], a skill attached to his title. By overdrawing his Stamina by another fifty percent, combined with his remaining ten percent, he now possessed sixty percent Stamina once again.
Without a moment of hesitation, he threw two Cherry Bombs in rapid succession. One of the military ships exploded violently amidst the smoke and flames, sinking beneath the surface as if struck by an enemy missile.
This scene was countless times more thrilling than a movie with the best special effects.
Misty Rain felt as though she had just witnessed a magnificent fireworks display. Like she was in a dream, she stared blankly at the vessel sinking amid the fire and gunpowder smoke, completely lost for words.
She even felt a bit numb, thinking that if the man before her were to pull out a Sparklence right this moment, shout a transformation phrase, and turn into Ultraman, she wouldn't be surprised in the slightest.
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