Chapter 698: Chapter 54: Showing Timidity
Su Changxin couldn’t help but hold his breath, guessing that the monster might be nearby, but there was nothing he could do. The red barrier was right behind him, so he had no choice but to move forward.
He suspected that the monster’s strength wasn’t initially so powerful, but it kept getting stronger by devouring the corpses of many Extraordinary.
In the Land of Slaughter, the last thing one lacks is corpses.
He waited until the red barrier stopped again, and the monster still didn’t show up. It seemed like it had left this area.
Su Changxin’s expression eased a bit. That monster had given him immense pressure. "In that case, the monster should have fled north, making this area safer."
Hunters generally don’t search the places they’ve passed through again because there would be more prey ahead.
From God’s Perspective, Su Changxin saw an enormous black lake ahead, its surface calm and bottomless.
This lake was peculiar, with golden light reflecting below, forming some illusory floating shadows in the sky.
Su Changxin thought it best to go around it; crossing it might not be too dangerous. In the water, one’s movements would be restricted, and it was unclear what lay beneath.
Even demons had appeared here. If other monsters appeared, he wouldn’t be surprised.
After walking a distance, he heard a cry for help—a woman’s voice, not very loud.
Using God’s Perspective, he looked over; in the grass lay a woman whose head and body were both only half intact, calling for help.
Her Life Force was slowly draining, seemingly paralyzed due to the plague.
The bites on her head and body were similar, obviously from where the monster had bitten her, leaving her critically injured and unable to move due to the plague.
Seeing someone approaching, she quickly shouted, "Help me, please, help me, there’s a monster."
Su Changxin walked over, looked down at her calmly, and asked, "Monster? What kind of monster?"
Tears welled up in the remaining eye of the woman, making her look pitiful. "I don’t know. It killed everyone around here and then ate them. It’s too powerful!"
Su Changxin’s expression remained unchanged; he had already anticipated everything that had happened here, just hoping for additional information: "Then why are you still alive? Did it spare you?"
The woman spat out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of flesh, unclear what it was: "Someone lured it away; it was chasing someone else at that time."
Su Changxin paused in silence, unsure why but he still found her pitiful.
Didn’t think much.
He raised the Silent Spear, aimed at her, and pulled the trigger, the bullet penetrating her body: "This way at least it’s painless."
He couldn’t save this woman, nor did he intend to. People who came here should be prepared to die, like soldiers going to war, ready for sacrifice.
Perhaps this analogy isn’t quite right, but that’s the idea.
If it weren’t for the plague, this woman might have survived.
He looted an intriguing Ability from the woman’s body.
[Showing Timidity: Display a timid expression to reduce the enemy’s killing intent towards oneself, correspondingly lowering one’s presence. The specific effect depends on the gap in Spiritual Power and Perception between both sides.]
"No wonder she survived that monster’s attack; it was because of this ability."
Su Changxin pondered, imagining what it would be like to use Showing Timidity himself. Would he appear pitiful too?
The ability doesn’t augment combat capability but seems extremely practical to him.
Just beg for mercy and let the opponent spare you, isn’t that greatly beneficial?
If life is gone, nothing else matters. Acting timid and pitiable, a small thing!
"The monster’s Spiritual Power might not be strong; this ability could be highly effective. My Spiritual Power is relatively strong, so this woman’s Showing Timidity didn’t greatly affect me."
He swapped out Gunfire Judgment and placed Showing Timidity in the Stealing Position.
Gunfire Judgment could enhance the power of the first bullet, yet his current attack had reached the limit, so it wasn’t that important.
Then Su Changxin skirted along the lake, the wilderness vast, yet no other people were visible.
"This is too brutal."
He stopped by a patch of reeds, not moving forward; going further might end up encountering the monster again.
He no longer viewed that monster as a mere beast, but as a clever hunter, capable of discerning the prey’s mindset.
So he had to contemplate the monster’s thoughts in reverse, never to be careless.
"Wow, didn’t expect to find a living person."
A mocking voice came from nearby.
Su Changxin turned to the sound.
A head emerged from the black lake, hair wet and plastered to the forehead, face crisscrossed with scars, appearing extremely fierce.
This too was a Player, seemingly having avoided the monster by hiding in the water.
He climbed out of the water, walking straight to Su Changxin, casually smiling and asking, "You didn’t see that monster on your way here?"
He seemed relaxed, not taking Su Changxin seriously, having realized that Su Changxin was only a Tier Seven Extraordinary.
Such Players were at the bottom of the Slaughter Game, cannon fodder, each encounter a godsend, free Points.
Su Changxin showed a puzzled expression: "What monster, I didn’t see anyone on my way here, let alone any monster?"
The man’s body appeared somewhat frail, dressed in a blue Daoist robe, seemingly a Daoist, as he walked up to Su Changxin, nodding:
"Although your strength is lacking, your luck is good to have survived."
Although this Slaughter Game was quite different from the past, with more participants and rapid deaths, and such monsters appearing, by now, hardly any like this Tier Seven Extraordinary remain.
Here, powerlessness is the original sin. Lack of strength means you should die; otherwise, don’t enter.
That Daoist drew his Longsword from his waist, slowly saying: "I’m Qu Ping. I usually don’t like killing, but here I have to when in Rome."
"With your weak strength, you’ll surely be killed later anyway, why not let me kill you now, reduce some suffering..."
He seemed to be reasoning with Su Changxin, rather long-windedly.
Su Changxin looked at him strangely: "Why are you so sure you can beat me?"
Qu Ping was momentarily stunned, then laughed: "Isn’t that obvious? Asking the obvious..."
Then he noticed Su Changxin’s timid expression, pitiful, pondering: "Actually, killing you doesn’t seem meaningful, just a few more Points; surviving is what really counts."
Showing Timidity worked, surprisingly making the other give up the intention to kill him.
"You’re not going to kill me?" Su Changxin asked curiously.
Qu Ping looked at Su Changxin, then at his own sword blade, puzzled why he dismissed the idea of killing him, sighed, and said pessimistically:
"After all, we are ultimately destined to die here, just seeing who lasts longer. Why not join forces? We can look out for each other."
