【Xinxue Chu Ji】: Boss, it’s all arranged! Should I do anything else?
That was fast.
Cheng Shuili opened the regional channel to check the results.
Currently, the regional channel was filled with discussions about how many people Black Feather had lost, or when Black Feather’s next recruitment drive would be.
In the eyes of these people, it was likely a case of a starving camel being bigger than a horse.
Besides, as long as Crow was their core figure, no matter how much Black Feather declined, how far could they really fall?
Regardless, the impression that “Black Feather is currently relatively weak” had been successfully planted in everyone’s minds.
The next step was to wait patiently.
Cheng Shuili stood up and stretched, ready at any moment to receive a new declaration of war notification.
Since they had agreed on a victory banquet tonight, Qi Wanyi had called several members to busy themselves in the communal canteen. With the siege over, Yu Bing had led a few people out to start laying roads.
Cheng Shuili wandered around the territory for a bit, eventually stopping in front of the empty hospital warehouse for a silent moment before teleporting back to her vehicle.
She took out the radio battery and installed it.
There were only two batteries left now; if the special building they passed next wasn't a beastman town, it would just come down to luck.
Cheng Shuili sighed and checked the trading channel to see if anyone was selling radio batteries or teleportation cards for special buildings.
She searched patiently but found no one selling them.
This sort of thing relied on fate; the last person could produce five at once, yet when she actively wanted to buy them, she couldn't find a single seller.
Cheng Shuili thought about it and opened her private chat to find the previous seller, intending to see if they still had any batteries, only to find their avatar was already grayed out.
Cheng Shuili’s actions paused. She stared at the chat window for a while before letting out a helpless sigh.
Now that the radio battery was installed, she would just have to wait patiently.
If it weren't for the rocket launcher...
Cheng Shuili frowned at this thought, stood up, and knocked on the driver’s cab door.
Su Rui didn't even turn her head as she asked, “Any orders?”
“Stop the vehicle.”
Cheng Shuili’s voice came through the closed door. Even though Su Rui didn't know why they were stopping, she complied.
Once the vehicle was steady, Cheng Shuili pushed open the door and stepped out with agile movements.
Su Rui followed curiously, only to see her boss circle the vehicle once before pulling a wolf fang necklace from her pocket.
She had seen this item before; the group of wolf-race beastmen who had dealt with the Screaming Chicken were summoned by this very thing.
Thinking of this, she turned her head to look around.
Forget about monsters, there wasn't even a single supply crate. Why was the boss summoning those subordinates now? Was she bored and looking to reminisce?
Reminiscing was too inaccurate; according to Cheng Shuili, this was to pay respects.
With a calm expression, she raised her hand and held up the wolf fang.
The sharp tip pierced her palm, and blood meandered down the grooves of the wolf fang before suddenly erupting into a blinding bloody light.
Centered on Cheng Shuili, a dark red ripple exploded outward.
“Awoo!”
The wolf-race entrance was as stylish as ever, but Lang Ju, who had been so majestic last time, now had only suppressed excitement in her single eye.
She walked slowly to Cheng Shuili, pressed her head heavily against the ground, and said in a steady voice filled with restrained agitation, “King!”
Cheng Shuili offered a faint smile and bent down to help Lang Ju up. “How did the investigation into the last matter go?”
She really wanted to visit the territory of the wolf-race beastmen.
If only their territory could be merged directly into her own.
That way, whether she needed them to help kill monsters or to assist these wolf-race beastmen in developing, it would be much more convenient.
Cheng Shuili was expectant, but Lang Ju suddenly panicked. She knelt directly on the ground and knocked her head against it with a series of loud thuds.
The sound sent ripples through the quiet highway. Other wolf-race beastmen looked over, and upon realizing what had happened, they immediately knelt down as well, keeping their heads low as if trying to press their bodies into the ground.
Su Rui had been about to chat with a wolf-race beastman when she saw this scene. She glanced at Cheng Shuili in astonishment, her brain failing to keep up as she subconsciously asked, “Do I need to kneel too?”
Cheng Shuili: “...”
She was truly at a loss for words.
How had she not known this girl had such a comedic talent before?
But this wasn't the time to focus on her. Cheng Shuili bent down and helped Lang Ju up from the ground.
Lang Ju’s body was trembling slightly, and she kept her head down, not daring to look at her.
The face that was clearly fierce with only one eye now appeared somewhat fragile.
Cheng Shuili pulled her up and patted her shoulder. “It’s that you can’t enter the territory, isn't it?”
“Yes, King.”
Lang Ju’s voice was low; she was truly blaming herself.
It wasn't her fault that the King couldn't enter the territory, but it was entirely her responsibility for taking so long to inform the King about it.
This was the first task the King had given her, and she had performed it so poorly.
Thinking of this, the heavy guilt in Lang Ju’s heart nearly crushed her.
Cheng Shuili patted her shoulder again gently. “It’s fine, don't be sad. I had already guessed it.”
Cheng Shuili’s voice was calm, showing no signs of disappointment.
Lang Ju jerked her head up, her remaining eye filled with astonishment and confusion.
“King... you already knew?”
“It was just a guess.” Cheng Shuili withdrew her hand, her gaze sweeping over the other wolf-race beastmen who were still kneeling. “Everyone, rise.”
Hearing the order, the wolf-race beastmen scrambled up from the ground, though they kept their heads lowered, maintaining their respect for Cheng Shuili.
Su Rui watched from the side and clicked her tongue in wonder, leaning in to whisper to Cheng Shuili, “Boss, you certainly carry yourself like a true king.”
Cheng Shuili ignored her and continued to speak to Lang Ju: “You didn't come to report for so long, not because you didn't want to, but because you couldn't, right?”
She raised her palm, where the wolf fang lay quietly.
Such a small prop was actually the only token connecting her to the wolf-race.
Cheng Shuili thought about this and suddenly closed her hand.
That matter was now in the past.
Cheng Shuili offered a few more words of comfort to Lang Ju before steering the topic toward the purpose of summoning them this time.
She pointed to a rocket launcher carried by one of the wolf-race and asked, “How many of these does our tribe have?”
Lang Ju looked in the direction Cheng Shuili pointed and immediately replied, “Reporting to the King, there are currently ten such weapons in the tribe. They were distributed uniformly by the Rat King when each tribe was created. However, the remaining ammunition is not much...”
She lowered her eyes and complained in a low voice, “The shells sold by the Rat King are too expensive—one costs ten thousand game coins. He controls all the trading stations on both the black and white markets, relying on his monopoly to amass wealth crazily. Although everyone calls him ‘Your Majesty’ out of respect, everyone knows he is just a filthy rat who commits all kinds of evil!”
Only after she finished speaking did Lang Ju realize who she was talking to. She paused, her expression suddenly panicked, and seeing that she was about to kneel and kowtow again, Cheng Shuili grabbed her. “Stop kneeling.”
She looked at Lang Ju and asked, “You just said the Rat King charges you ten thousand game coins per shell?”
Lang Ju nodded. “Yes, ten thousand game coins each. It has been like this for many years, always at this price. Before, the tribe didn't have money, but the monsters around us were few and not strong, so we didn't need that many shells. Now that the tribe is slightly wealthier and the monsters have become more numerous, we have to spend money to buy shells. The Rat King must have anticipated this long ago; all the game coins can only flow toward him!”
Cheng Shuili frowned slightly.
The shells the Rat King sold her were not at this price; they could even be considered gifts.
But in his dealings with these beastmen, he monopolized weapons and sold ammunition at high prices, using this method to control the development of each race and ensure he remained at the top of the food chain.
A truly excellent tactic.
“I understand.” She looked at Lang Ju. “Next time I see you, I will help the tribe acquire a batch of shells. Until then, continue doing what you have been doing.”
A glimmer of hope flashed in Lang Ju’s single eye as she nodded vigorously. “Yes, King!”
Cheng Shuili learned a bit more about the wolf-race situation from Lang Ju. Once she confirmed that the wolf-race had no major issues and that they all revered her as their King, Cheng Shuili began to feel a bit embarrassed.
She waved her hand, intending to tell them to leave, when another vehicle suddenly appeared out of thin air on the road.
There was no sound at all. If Cheng Shuili hadn't seen the reflection of the vehicle’s metal exterior, she wouldn't have even noticed the road had merged.
Her gaze sharpened, and alarm bells rang in her heart!
The timing of this road merger was far too coincidental.
Cheng Shuili had considered this possibility, but she really hadn't expected that the big fish she wanted to catch would have the courage to challenge her directly!
In the blink of an eye, Cheng Shuili had already donned her cloak.
The reactions of the wolf-race beastmen were naturally faster than those of humans. By the time Su Rui noticed the anomaly, the beastmen already had their rocket launchers on their shoulders.
But without the King’s order, they would not attack rashly.
Cheng Shuili moved almost subconsciously to find cover, not even forgetting to pull Su Rui along.
But it was too late.
A crack opened in the window of that vehicle, and a pitch-black muzzle poked out.
“Bang!”
A wisp of blue smoke drifted from the muzzle.
Time seemed to stretch into infinity. The direction that bullet was aimed at clearly wasn't Cheng Shuili’s position, yet it twisted strangely in the air and flew rapidly toward her!
There was no way to dodge, but since the cloak’s first-time rebound probability was one hundred percent, Cheng Shuili wasn't panicked.
The bullet tore through the air with a whistling shriek.
Cheng Shuili stood in place, able to clearly see the faint airflow generated by the spinning bullet head.
She trusted the rebound effect of the special cloak she wore!
The first time was a one hundred percent probability; it was the foundation of her confidence in facing danger.
However, the next second.
“Pfft.”
A muffled sound.
It wasn't the rebound sound of metal striking metal she had expected, but the sound of a sharp object piercing fabric and tearing through skin.
Cheng Shuili felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder. The force made her stagger back a step, and warm liquid instantly soaked her robes.
She looked down in disbelief, seeing a tear in her garment. The bullet had already buried itself in her chest, leaving only a hideous, bloody hole.
One hundred percent rebound... failed?
No, it didn't fail; it wasn't triggered at all!
In the instant the bullet hit her body, she caught a glimpse out of the corner of her eye: the surface of that bullet seemed to be covered in an extremely faint, barely perceptible gray halo.
Was this not a regular bullet, but some kind of special prop?
Something that could track targets and ignore the cloak?
Although it was highly inappropriate, Cheng Shuili suddenly remembered the cloak’s description: “When the wearer suffers physical attacks such as bullets, swords, or fists.”
Had this thing transcended the category of physical attacks?
Regardless, this was simply too heaven-defying.
This place never lacked people with good luck.
Liang Shanbo, who was always a lucky person, Brother Invincible, who had opened a manor, and now this person who possessed this item...
With something like this, it wasn't strange that they had targeted her.
That was Cheng Shuili’s final thought.
Her body fell powerlessly onto the road. The azure sky dimmed, and amidst her hazy consciousness, she seemed to hear several heart-wrenching shouts.
Then came the sound of an explosion, followed by a prop quietly shattering, and Cheng Shuili’s wounds began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Her body remained weak. Cheng Shuili closed her eyes and began to count the seconds in her heart.
One, two, three...
Counting to five, the pain in her body disappeared completely. She opened her eyes and sat up.
The Totem of Undying required five seconds to take effect; she now had two uses remaining.
The air was filled with the smell of gunpowder. That vehicle was gone, and the furious wolf-race beastmen had scorched the road with their rocket launchers. Su Rui’s body couldn't stop trembling. Upon meeting Cheng Shuili’s gaze, her eyes suddenly moistened, and she cried out with a choked voice, “Boss.”
Cheng Shuili reached up to touch her chest. While the clothes remained torn and bloodstained, her skin was as smooth as new, as if the agonizing pain had just been a hallucination.
She looked at Su Rui and managed an assuring smile: “I’m fine, I have a life-saving prop.”
She stood up, her gaze sweeping over the charred road and the still-vigilant wolf-race beastmen, finally resting on Lang Ju.
Lang Ju’s single eye was filled with lingering fear and undissipated killing intent. Upon seeing that Cheng Shuili was unharmed, she finally let out a small sigh of relief, though the veins on her hands gripping the rocket launcher were still bulging.
“King, this subordinate is incompetent...”
Lang Ju’s voice was hoarse.
“It’s not your fault.”
Cheng Shuili interrupted her, her eyes looking coldly at the spot where the vehicle had once been. “The opponent’s methods are too bizarre.”
That kind of strange bullet was unheard of.
Su Rui leaned in, looking Cheng Shuili up and down to confirm she was truly okay before relaxing.
“Don't worry about me.” Cheng Shuili paused and asked, “Did you see the person inside that vehicle just now?”
Su Rui shook her head: “That person canceled the road merger immediately after firing. It seems they either didn't care about the result or were so blindly confident that the bullet would kill you that they disappeared too quickly to be identified.”
Cheng Shuili heard this and curled her lips in a smile. This person... definitely wasn't one of the top-ranked players.
Life-saving props like the Totem of Undying were hardly a secret among those at the top of the leaderboard; she had one, and Broken Iron had one too.
Only those ranked lower would be unaware of such things, allowing for such blind overconfidence.
As for whether they were the ones who incited Ling Yun and the others to declare war...
She would have to see if there were any other clues.
Rate on N.U.
