Chapter 805
Using the sword extending out from his Bug Armour, Xia Xiaolei casually cleaved a giant savage bear into two. Shaking his head, he then said to Lun Tai in a puzzled tone.
“They are not that strong. Although these creatures have become infected, with the exception of their size, they did not become all that strong.”
They were presently at the entrance to Griffith Park. The area around them was littered with mutilated human corpses and destroyed vehicles. The gate was terribly damaged and nearly half of the surrounding wall had collapsed.
The corpses of tens of mutant creatures littered the way they came from.
The interior of the city of Los Angeles had already turned into hell.
Xia Xiaolei’s detection ability revealed that the mutant creatures around the zoo only accounted for two thirds of the total number of mutant creatures. The remaining one third had dispersed, slaughtering and wreaking havoc everywhere in the city.
Although these mutant creatures were not that strong for Awakened ones and Players, for the average citizen, those creatures were unstoppable slaughterers.
“That’s because you fellows have become stronger. Correspondingly, your horizons grew as well.” Nicole glanced at Xia Xiaolei and shook her head. “For the average Player and Awakened ones, even though these creatures are not completely beyond their abilities to handle, they are still not negligible.”
“Nicole is correct.” Lun Tai nodded.
The mutant beasts they met on their way failed to pose any threat towards them. The beasts had grown bigger and the characteristics of their species grew more pronounced, but they did not evolve any new special abilities.
However, it was mostly because the current Meteor Rock Guild had long since grown into a guild with practically no shortcomings. Be it melee, ranged, magic, technology, reconnaissance or defence, they could do them all. Moreover, they displayed a very good level of cooperation.
As long as they did not have to face opponents like Thorned Flower Guild or those at the level of the former resident guilds from Zero City, Meteor Rock Guild no longer needed to fear any other opponents.
“What I am more concerned about right now is whether or not these so-called alien genes are contagious.” Lun Tai pointed at the corpse of the giant bear on the ground. “Go do another test.”
Xia Xiaolei nodded. Crouching down, he extended his right index finger, inserting it into the giant bear’s corpse. When he pulled his index finger out, several barbs had grown out from his fingertip and they hooked out bits of flesh.
“I’ve checked, no.” Xia Xiaolei closed his eyes. After a while, he said confidently, “There are alien fragments implanted into its DNA, but they do not carry the code for self-replication and proliferation.”
“Very good.” Lun Tai nodded, feeling at ease.
On their way here, every time they encountered a wave of mutant beasts, Lun Tai would ask Xia Xiaolei to use his Bug Armour to test the DNA of the corpses. It was to ensure without a doubt that these mutant creatures would not spread their genes.
Even though the instance dungeon’s description had stated that these alien genes could not infect Players and Awakened ones, Lun Tai was still worried that the ordinary citizens of Los Angeles would mutate as well.
If that were truly the case, considering how many of them there were, this would be a serious headache.
“Enough. You’ve had this kid test a number of times already on our way here. Are you still worried?” Tian Lie waved his hand impatiently. “Let’s hurry. That Aderick should be inside this park. That’s how it is, right kid?”
“My detection ability shows that there is a high number of life forms gathered inside this park.” Xia Xiaolei nodded. “Moreover, their density here is an order of magnitude higher compared to the outside. Even if there were tourists inside, they should have been killed long ago. Thus, it can only be these mutant creatures.”
“An order of magnitude?” Lun Tai pondered it for a moment. “You mean there’s at least ten times more, correct?”
“Even if there are two orders of magnitude of them, it won’t matter.” Tian Lie grinned widely. “No matter how many more of them there are, with the exception of Aderick himself, these fellows mean nothing.”
“That’s true.” Lun Tai pondered with a frown before nodding. “Let’s go. Continue onwards. However… maintain a state of vigilance. Do not let your guard down. Do not forget how that Team Leader from Thorned Flower Guild died. Xia Xiaolei, have your detection skill active at all times. Do not let us fall into an ambush.”
“Understood.” Xia Xiaolei was quick to nod.
Nicole had already explained Aderick’s skills to them. With his attack that can directly damage the soul, neither Tian Lie’s liquid metal data body nor Xia Xiaolei’s Bug Armour-enhanced regenerative ability could disregard him.
At the end of the day, there was no such thing as an invincible skill in this world. No matter how powerful a skill was, it would surely have a weakness somewhere.
Even though Tian Lie did not think much of these mutant creatures, he did feel somewhat fearful towards Aderick’s soul attack. And while he continued to speak arrogantly, he did not go too far with it. He nodded and stepped towards the gate of the park.
The mutant creatures within the park, be it in quantity or quality, were a level higher compared to those that had attacked the city. Additionally, they also gathered together before attacking those from Meteor Rock Guild at the same time.
While the mutant creatures did not appear to be directly under Aderick’s command, a good number of them were insects with their respective swarms. An example of that were the giant ants and bees. These creatures had their own type of organization. Add the fact that they had to be on guard against Aderick’s sneak attack, they were not able to move forward quickly.
Griffith Park was the biggest municipal park in the United States. In addition to the Los Angeles Zoo, it also included observatories, golf courses, theatres, museums and other facilities, covering an area of over 4,300 acres. The guys from Meteor Rock Guild had entered the park through the southwest entrance. According to the Bug Armour’s sensory organs, the place with the highest concentration of the mutant creatures was the northeast corner of the park.
“It’s there.” Xia Xiaolei pointed ahead.
They had just climbed up a hill. Standing atop the hill, they peered far down at the foot of the hill. The gentle slope nearest to them was a golf course. Slightly farther ahead were the tall buildings of a big amusement park.
By then, the roller coaster and the other machines inside the amusement park were already irrevocably destroyed. Farther ahead were the various venues within the zoo. The roads leading to the various venues were now filled with various monsters. Mutant creatures of all kinds roamed around the place.
“There’s quite a lot of them, but it’s not a big problem.” Nicole inwardly weighed the difference in power between them and the mutant creatures. “Rather than these monsters, how we deal with Aderick is more important.”
“Yes.” Lun Tai nodded. “We’ll need to come up with a battle plan. Regardless if it’s because he hasn’t found us or because he could not divert his attention to deal with us for now, at the very least, Aderick has yet to appear. Nicole, you were once a member of the Angel Corps. Tell us everything you know about him.”
In the past six months, due to Chen Xiaolian’s departure from their guild, Lun Tai had been the one leading them through fire and water. Thus, he very much had the qualities of a Guild Leader.
This time, Meteor Rock Guild was about to face their strongest opponent yet.
After Tian Lie, they had never had to fight against a second [S] class opponent.
Moreover, even their fight against Tian Lie had involved numerous strokes of luck. Only by taking advantage of their terrain and sacrificing Nicole were they able to barely kill off Tian Lie.
Their Meteor Rock Guild was nearly wiped out back then.
This time, it was the other party who held the upper hand.
Although everyone in their guild had grown far stronger than before, this was an [S] class opponent who had the upper hand within this instance dungeon. Without a proper plan, this fight might herald the end of their guild.
Nicole thought about it for a while before slowly saying, “Sir Aderick… is an assassin.”
“Nonsense.” Tian Lie rolled his eyes. “Everyone here saw how he killed Gaza before immediately leaving the battlefield! If he is not an assassin, could he be a berserker?”
“Just shut up and listen to me!” Nicole glared at Tian Lie unhappily. “I’m not talking about his development route, but his behaviour!”
“Fine, go on.” Tian Lie rubbed his chin and stopped interrupting.
“Sir Aderick is a very cautious person. This is something that your Meteor Rock Guild should be very aware of.” Nicole turned towards Lun Tai. “After I was revived, I had returned to Zero City a few times before. I heard of how Chen Xiaolian fought in the Blood Verdict on behalf of Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild.”
“Mm.” Lun Tai nodded. “I know about that. He substituted in for Bluesea and killed off a member from Rodriar Guild and another from Knights of Darkness Guild.”
“In truth, there should have been three fights for the Blood Verdict.” Nicole gazed at the zoo situated at the distant foot of the hill. “But after Jacob was killed by Chen Xiaolian in the second round, Sir Aderick immediately gave up on sending more men out, acknowledging Blade Mountain Flame Sea Guild’s victory. That was despite having planned for that day for a long time.”
“A long time?” Qiao Qiao widened her eyes as she looked at Nicole. “How long?”
“How long has Skyblade disappeared?” Nicole instead retorted with a half-hearted smile. “A guild that no longer has an [S] class expert to protect it. By what right does it continue to enjoy the various authorities of a resident guild of Zero City?”
“It was never made public. However, after the rumour about Skyblade’s disappearance spread throughout Zero City, all the guilds there had been eagerly moving about. They had planned on splitting and gobbling up this soon-to-fall guild. Naturally, that had nothing to do with us. In Zero City, only the Angel Corps will forever maintain its pure, non-alignment standing. Only, amongst all those guilds, the most active of them all was the Knights of Darkness Guild.
“And yet. Despite all that, when Sir Aderick saw Chen Xiaolian’s thunderous attack and determined that Chen Xiaolian had risen to [S] class, he immediately made up his mind to give up all his previous efforts and accept the loss of the Blood Verdict.”
“A ruthless man of ambition.” Lun Tai slowly nodded.
“Yes.” Nicole smiled faintly. “Just like how he killed off Gaza with one attack back then. Be it his fighting style in battle or his plans for the entire guild, he would always go with this style… he would never fear losing too much time. He would lurk around quietly, lying low as he waits until that moment when he could land a sure hit. And once he realizes it could not be done, he would never hesitate to instantly give up everything he had invested into the effort. He would absolutely not act carelessly.”
“Mm.” Lun Tai nodded. “Then, does he have any weaknesses?”
“For Awakened ones, their personal skills are their biggest secret. I am not a member of the Knights of Darkness Guild. There is no way for me to know that much about it.” Nicole shook her head.
“While it is impossible for [S] class experts to avoid all kinds of rumours from floating around, with the exception of his skill’s ability to directly attack his opponent’s soul, I do not know much about his other abilities. Generally speaking, though, he has a slight preference for melee battles. It is almost impossible for experts at his level to have any usual weaknesses such as having a weaker defence due to being an assassin or having a weaker ranged attack due to being a fighter. Moreover…”
Glancing at Tian Lie with the corner of her eye, Nicole then said, “The so-called [S] class simply meant that that person had, in a one-on-one battle, defeated at least three [A+] class opponents. It did not mean that all the Awakened ones with the title of [S] class are of the same standard. Not only are there distinctions between the strong and weak within the [S] class, under special circumstances, an [S] class expert can be defeated by lower-levelled opponents who hold the numerical advantage.
“Are you implying something about me?” Tian Lie looked at Nicole and tutted a few times.
“No. I’m openly talking about you.” Nicole openly pointed at Tian Lie. “After he and I were revived, we have fought together many times. I know his abilities very well. The thing he relied on the most is his regenerative ability that makes him nigh-unkillable. But when it comes to killing, finishing the opponent in a single blow, he is still somewhat lacking.”
“Do you think I can’t kill you?” Tian Lie cracked his fists and threw a vicious grin at Nicole.
“Cut the crap. You know I’m comparing your ability with the other [S] classes.” Nicole was not frightened by Tian Lie’s threat at all. “Beating up weaker opponents is not some amazing ability.”
“So, what do you suggest?” Lun Tai said, his expression serious.
“Not a suggestion, just a warning.” Nicole shook her head. “Sir Aderick led the Knights of Darkness Guild to prominence, becoming a resident guild of Zero City for 21 years. I’ll be more blunt. His comprehensive combat power could only be greater than Tian Lie’s, not below. Moreover, with his style of doing things, he would never casually take action. But should he take action, it would surely hit home. We will likely be incapable of repeating our last strategy of dragging out the fight by running again and again. Additionally, it would be best for us to be ready to… lose half our team.”
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