Chapter 127: 126 Hunting Rats

"Shh—lighter..."Lighter...

"Even lighter..."

In the pitch-black sewer, Dai Lian shushed Gong Yan, who was following behind him.

He needed a very quiet environment to be able to hear the movements of the evil creatures with his own ears.

This world wasn't quite reasonable. Normally, the game would directly determine the interaction between one's attributes and the environment, possibly with a fluctuating value influencing the outcome, and if the determination passed, it would directly present the target within a white circle or outlined shape on the screen.

But here... there was no system assistance, no display on screen.

[It's like I've traveled to another dimension...]

Dai Lian muttered internally, his ears receiving every slight noise like sonar.

The twanging sound of steel rebar expanding and contracting with heat... The dripping sound of cold condensation beads falling...

Natural and chaotic noises needed to be filtered out first, leaving behind the purposeful and rhythmic movements of the Anti-Entropy!

[You are using sensory powers to explore the environment...]

Gong Yan followed closely behind, trying to step as lightly as possible.

Cold objects emitted no ripples of thought; only living things released waves that rippled from their aggregated neural tissue.

Coldness, hunger...

In her world, all emotional fluctuations seemed to act like an unaffected background color, casting themselves around all living things.

However, receiving this information was still slightly difficult for her right now; this instinct was not yet skilled, only with extreme concentration might she faintly perceive something...

"Whoosh~"

The two moved in unison, almost simultaneously raising their weapons.

Dai Lian had switched to a short bow, while Gong Yan, lacking the basics, undoubtedly found it easier to start with a hand crossbow.

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!"

Two arrows were shot one after the other; one missed... the other missed as well.

Combat information appeared with an unpredictable delay. Players usually found it difficult to judge the effectiveness of their actions in real-time through it, but the sound of arrows hitting the ground was obviously different from that of a hit.

The battle-focused Dai Lian was still able to make this distinction.

Even with Level 1 Ranged Weapon Specialization, Dai Lian couldn't achieve perfect accuracy in the Dark Environment, let alone when the target was a living creature.

Fortunately, these dim-witted creatures had lost their awe of larger lifeforms, as well as their perception of fear. Sensing the direction of the attack, they actually initiated a charge.

"Shoot closer."

There weren't many targets, roughly a dozen based on the disordered noises.

Without the control of their "king," they no longer moved in unison, providing chances for targeted strikes.

"Mhm~" Gong Yan quietly responded.

She wasn't particularly fond of fighting, but in this world, having fun without any personal skill was clearly impossible.

Given the chance, she wouldn't mind honing her skills as long as it didn't cost her anything.

Quickly loading her hand crossbow, Gong Yan remained calm. seaʀᴄh thё novёlF~ire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

[Closer, even closer.]

Gong Yan silently recited, steadying the trajectory of the hand crossbow as much as possible with both hands.

3...

2...

1...

Shoot!

"Swoosh!"

"Swoosh!" Read exclusive chapters at M V L

Dai Lian felt some delight at shooting the arrows almost simultaneously once more, even without communication. The tacit cooperation in battle was still exhilarating.

Not like Kuang Xin, that brute!

But having that brute in front seemed pretty reassuring...

[Successfully hit a small moving target, Light Firearms Mastery experience +2.]

[Hit confirmed, 3 points of piercing damage dealt to the target!]

The tension of the bowstring wasn't enough, the pulling strength insufficient, the arrows not sharp enough...

Their weapons, naturally, were not as reliable as Bai E's military-grade ones.

But it didn't matter, the hefty bundle of "arrows" they each carried on their backs served as their ample ammunition supply!

Once they closed in enough, Gong Yan and Dai Lian maintained a steady rhythm of shooting and retreating.

Without the close-combat prowess of that lady from Arbitration Place, they dared not allow these little creatures to close in with their numbers—once the creatures got close, they would crazily climb up from gaps around the ankles and pant legs.

Within a few breaths, they could latch onto an entire body, and with their sharp teeth and claws, whether they tore through the skin or hung onto the torn clothes, it was difficult to shake them off by struggling.

The individual attacking power of these small creatures was indeed not high, but their attack frequency was extremely fast, swarming by the dozens. Dai Lian and Gong Yan definitely did not want to nourish these hungry creatures with their flesh.

Kiting was the only option.

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

Their steps while retreating were swift, their hands never stopping. The knowledge imparted during pistol shooting lessons was also guiding their combat, only that real combat was necessary to convert it into experience.

There were over a dozen targets, but they couldn't be greedy. As long as they aimed as best as they could at one locked target, plentiful shots would eventually hit.

It was foolish to simply shoot into the mass and rely on luck to fight just because there were many targets.

Dai Lian had Level 1 Ranged Weapon Specialization, his hit rate was at least double that of Gong Yan's.

Gong Yan was skilled and dexterous, grasping more than a dozen homemade arrows in her small palm, her movements swift and dazzling. Her small hand crossbow managed to achieve a firing rate not inferior to that of a pistol.

[Successfully hit several small moving targets, Light Firearms Mastery experience +8.]

[Successfully hit several small moving targets, Light Firearms Mastery experience +14.]

The sound of slicing through the air traveled through the pipes, mixing with the wind to carry far...

"You said you wanted to track down the protectors' whereabouts, why are you still being so stubborn?" The burly man's voice was heavy with dissatisfaction.

"Don't talk~" Franca raised her index finger to her plump, bright lips, "Listen..."

"Whoosh~"

"Whoosh~"

"Whoosh~"

The faint howling that vibrated in the air reached them from afar, and the burly man's eyes narrowed in surprise. "When did you notice them?"

Franca had a cheery smile on her face, unconcerned. "You're too impatient now, hence you've lost your acuteness to the environment."

She intentionally deepened her voice, adopting a seasoned tone, "I am training your patience... And these rats are related to our mission, you know. Didn't you mention before that leaving a good impression on ordinary people was important? Isn't it natural for us to do some good deeds for them?

Who knows, maybe seeing us in action, those mutants and demon believers hiding in the shadows will come out and surrender?"

The burly man snorted, "Naive!"

"Naive is a compliment for me~" Franca's eyes twinkled as she looked eagerly toward the direction of the sound, "How about it? Shall we take a look? It might be related to the direction of our investigation?"

"..." The burly man was silent, then hastily set off.

"Tsundere~" Franca hummed a melodious tune, hands clasped behind her as she lightly caught up.

...

[Used close combat to hit the target, Melee Combat Mastery experience +18.]

[Combat concluded, 15 battle experience points gained.]

[You killed a Plague Rat, "Sub-quest — Rat Clearing" progress 10/100.]

"Finally killed it..." Dai Lian wiped the sweat from his forehead; he wasn't Kuang Xin, that handsome muscle-bound gorilla. Out of breath from strenuous physical labor, he clutched his arm and felt a kind of abused exhilaration, "And lost 3 points of health, damn it..."

Bows and arrows were only a means to diminish the Plague Rats' state; to ultimately end the fight, they had to rely on... their feet.

After losing their ability to move and swarm attack due to being kited by arrows from a distance, stomping with their feet became their final coup de grâce.

After all, Zhou just required them to kill rats in the "Dark Environment"; he never specified that they had to rely solely on bows and arrows for the kill.

Stomping on the last one also had a bit of the fun of a game of Whack-a-Mole.

Gong Yan wielded a small shovel...

"I really don't know why Zhou insists on us dealing with these little things at night..." After taking a short break, Dai Lian frowned and said in puzzlement. There was no one in the sewers during the day either, and at least during the day there would be some scattered light, making their vision not so limited.

Gong Yan just pursed her lips and smiled softly, bandaging his arm while listening to him talk.

[Curiosity, irritation...]

Glancing in a certain direction in the dark, her smile remained gentle, "Maybe Zhou just wants to do some good deeds in secret... What we do doesn't need to be known by others."