Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Sowing Discord
Long Ming then walked to the desk, his gaze falling on the wireless communication device. This thing would probably be quite useful for a team, but it was useless to him. Moreover, it was so bulky and probably very heavy, so he decided to just leave it.
Long Ming inspected the water cup and other items on the desktop, then pulled open the drawer.
Inside were a wrench, a flashlight, and other assorted junk.
Long Ming gave them a glance but didn’t take any of it. He needed to save his carrying capacity for more valuable items.
Soon, Long Ming had finished searching the watchtower. He then walked to the lookout post to observe the entire base from his high vantage point.
A few worms were scattered here and there within the military base, but none of them were very large.
However, at the entrance to the giant, circular structure in the center of the base, Long Ming spotted two huge insects. Their bodies were covered in hard carapaces from which sharp spikes protruded. Below their red eyes were circular, barbed maws, giving them a ferocious appearance.
These two were Putrid Beetles. One was five meters long, while the other was slightly smaller at just over four meters.
Long Ming sucked in a sharp breath. Even though he knew this was a game, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of fear.
But a moment later, his eyes sharpened with focus.
Long Ming took out the Bacca rifle with the highest durability and loaded it full of ammunition. He had already loaded his Kogg pistol and M24 sniper rifle before arriving.
Once everything was ready, Long Ming set the Bacca rifle aside. He then picked up the M24 sniper rifle, carefully poked it out the window, and took aim to get a better look at the two Putrid Beetles.
However, Long Ming didn’t fire immediately. Both insects were armored, and he wasn’t sure if his rifle could even penetrate their carapaces.
Just then, the smaller Putrid Beetle curled into a ball and raised its tail. The tip began to secrete a red liquid that looked quite alluring in the sunlight.
Soon, a red moth swooped down from the sky and began to greedily lap up the red liquid.
The Putrid Beetle then slowly revealed its menacing head and turned to look at the feeding moth.
The red moth, however, seemed unaware of the impending danger and continued to feed.
On closer inspection, one could see the moth’s mouth growing sluggish as it licked the fluid, its body uncontrollably sinking into paralysis.
The next second, the Putrid Beetle abruptly opened its gaping maw and snapped up the red moth, catching it easily.
But just as the Putrid Beetle was preparing to savor its prize...
...the larger Putrid Beetle charged over domineeringly, sent it flying, and snatched the red moth’s carcass to devour for itself.
Seeing its prey stolen, the smaller Putrid Beetle let out an indignant screech but didn’t dare try to take it back.
Long Ming’s eyes lit up at the sight. He began to fine-tune his aim, locking onto the larger Putrid Beetle.
Since this was his first time sniping from such a long range, Long Ming wasn’t very confident in his shot. Fortunately, the creature’s head was large; even if he missed its eye, he was bound to hit a nearby spot.
A light breeze drifted by.
Long Ming focused his aim, holding his breath and waiting for the right moment.
Just then, the Putrid Beetle paused, stopping to swallow.
Long Ming’s eyes narrowed. He decisively pulled the trigger.
WHIZ!
The bullet tore through the air, striking the Putrid Beetle right in the eye.
SPLAT~
Viscous fluid splattered everywhere. One of the Putrid Beetle’s eyes burst, and it let out a pained screech.
But it didn’t fall. Instead, it thrashed its head about, frantically searching for its attacker.
The only other creature nearby was the smaller Putrid Beetle, so the larger one assumed it was the attacker. It charged forward in a rage, ramming the smaller one and sending it flying.
The smaller Putrid Beetle, having been inexplicably attacked, was also enraged.
It furiously charged at the larger one.
The two became a tangled mess, each opening its maw to bite the other as they rolled about, locked in a fight to the death.
Long Ming kept trying to aim for its other eye, but with all the movement, he couldn’t get a steady lock.
He gave up on the eye and instead tried to lock onto the larger beetle’s abdomen before pulling the trigger.
BANG!
The large Putrid Beetle was hit in the abdomen, and viscous fluid flew out. It let out an agonized shriek as its life and Power steadily drained away.
The smaller Putrid Beetle seized the opportunity, sinking its mandibles deep into its opponent’s neck.
CRUNCH!
The larger Putrid Beetle was killed instantly.
Though covered in wounds, the victorious smaller Putrid Beetle let out a continuous, excited chittering.
Just then, Long Ming pulled the trigger again.
BANG~
The bullet instantly struck its head.
Viscous fluid splattered.
Before it could even react, a second and third shot followed in quick succession.
Finally, the smaller Putrid Beetle collapsed, letting out one last cry of defiance. Although it wasn’t killed instantly, it was clear it wouldn’t survive. Its death was only a matter of time.
After dealing with the two Putrid Beetles, Long Ming carefully scanned every corner of the entrance with his scope. Once he confirmed there were no other immediate dangers...
...he reloaded his M24 sniper rifle, then picked up the Bacca rifle beside him and slung it over his back.
A moment later, Long Ming climbed down from the watchtower and continued his advance.
On the path to the central base, there was a guardhouse and a square-shaped building.
Soon, Long Ming reached the guardhouse. He went inside to search it and found two skeletons, but nothing of value.
He came back out after a brief look around.
Next, Long Ming went to the door of the square building and cautiously peeked inside, discovering it was a maintenance area.
He walked in. The entire maintenance area was a wreck, littered with debris, scattered parts, and damaged military weaponry.
Long Ming crouched down to search, a hesitant look on his face.
’These weapon parts and things are actually worth a bit. If I took them out, I could probably sell them for twenty or thirty thousand.’
’Combined with what I’ve already scavenged, this dungeon run would at least turn a small profit.’
But that small profit wasn’t nearly enough for Long Ming. ’What I need isn’t just a little cash. I need a score so big it’ll set me up for good.’
After a moment’s hesitation, Long Ming walked out of the maintenance area, his gaze fixed on the giant structure at the heart of the base.
He knew for a fact there was good stuff in there, but the danger would be exponentially higher.
He was left with two choices: quit while he was ahead, or take a gamble. ’Fortune favors the bold.’ he thought.
Long Ming took a deep breath, steeled his resolve, and started walking toward the central base.
Soon, Long Ming arrived at the entrance of the central base.
The main entrance to the central structure was a large blast door, now wide open. The corridor beyond was pitch-black, like the gaping maw of a man-eating beast.
Long Ming took a deep breath and stepped cautiously inside. It was pitch-dark; all the lighting systems were offline.
He immediately stopped and turned back to get the flashlight.
...
