Chapter 128: Chapter 117: Annihilation
Masu looked at Tao Yu’s dissipating figure once more and his entire countenance seemed extremely grave.
Evading that attack just now had not come without a price!
He kept retreating toward the statue and said in a deep voice,
“Friend, your abilities aren’t exactly aboveboard either. There’s no need for us to fight to the death. I only follow the Heretic God for power, and there’s no conflict between us…”
There was no response. Masu maintained a high level of vigilance, faintly feeling that the other was always looking for a breach around him.
“These ghostly times are not peaceful; it’s understandable to seek power. There’s no need to risk your life for the big shots of the Floating City. People should live for themselves! Am I right?
“I only joined the Heretic God Church for self-protection too. I can quit. I still have my wits about me. What do you say to shaking hands and making peace?”
Masu kept up his beguiling speech, which seemed to have a strange effect that easily persuaded others.
However, to Tao Yu in the shadows, this was completely meaningless!
Moving continuously to the side, he found that Masu was always facing him directly.
Thinking about Masu’s previous strike that had decapitated Wino, Tao Yu knew he wouldn’t withstand a similar blow.
After several tentative attempts, the next moment, Tao Yu began to rapidly retreat, while the headless Wino and Cao Shaolin with corpses still hanging from his body both pounced toward Masu.
Meanwhile, Tao Yu himself drew his AT200 and started to fire at Masu from a distance.
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If he couldn’t take him down in close combat, then he would just start shooting!
Streams of shadows clung to the bullets, turning them as soon as they left the barrel into a thick coat of ink!
The moment Tao Yu retreated, Masu ducked behind the statue, shouting fiercely,
“You forced my hand! You’re asking for death!”
Many bullets hit the statue but couldn’t penetrate it at all.
The shadow force, like ink, splashed onto the statue, seemingly seeping into its many cracks and spreading the fissures.
Even combining the bullets with armor-piercing capabilities failed to break the statue.
However, several bullets, focused with Tao Yu’s mental force, moved in an arched trajectory the moment they left the barrel. As they approached the statue, they had gained enough of an angle to envelop Masu from behind!
Clang~
The statue was cut down by Masu himself, and at the same time, a succession of bullets penetrated Masu’s head.
Before Masu’s body hit the ground, Tao Yu’s pupils contracted at the sight of a strange, arc-shaped ripple spreading rapidly from the broken center of the statue,
The all-encompassing mode of coverage left no room for Tao Yu to dodge, even in “Bullet Time.”
He barely managed to slip into the shadows using “Bullet Time,” hoping the shifting form could buffer the blow.
His bear form layered his inner strength, and the Qi and Blood Pill was activated, covering his whole body.
His mental force was highly concentrated, and his Yuan Force was ready to restore at any moment.
Then…
“That’s it?”
Pierced by the ripple, Tao Yu blinked as if nothing had happened.
It turned out to be a mental attack, quite startling…
But in just an instant, it had severed the connection of two zombies close by, enough to show the strength of the mental impact.
After going back and using his spirit and blood to reboot the zombies, Tao Yu also saw Masu’s body lying on the ground, eyes wide open, unwilling to close in death.
“Inner City Pioneer Masu doesn’t seem to be very famous, always very low-key, but his strength is not inferior to Taff’s—a gift from the Heretic God Church, perhaps…”
Tao Yu also felt a trace of solemnity in his heart.
“It’s just that I have many methods at my disposal. If one doesn’t work, I switch to another. If it were purely close combat, his high perception, high speed, and high damage really sort of counters me. That tachi is too long, and my Fist Intention from a distance probably wouldn’t have been enough to incapacitate him…”
Picking up Wino’s head and looking at the sleek cut, Tao Yu couldn’t help but feel moved by the power of that strike—enough to split an armored car, let alone a zombie’s resilience, certainly not something he could resist either.
He placed the head back onto Wino’s body and then let him dissolve into a shadow to recover. Tao Yu proceeded to control the eyeless Cao Shaolin to start scavenging the bodies.
The closest to the statue was Masu. Not only had his head been hit by bullets, his wide-open eyes showed he had died in disbelief, and the direct hit from the intense mental assault was like a coup de grâce.
Nevertheless, Tao Yu continued to make Cao Shaolin crush his skull before starting to search for any items on his body.
Then, Tao Yu discovered that the flesh and blood vessels on Masu’s body were wriggling like black worms, still retaining a semblance of life!
It was unclear whether it was a remnant of his previous prayers or if the proximity to the statue and the mental impact had reactivated them.
After carefully checking the nearby dead matter and other bodies to ensure there were no major issues, Tao Yu ultimately decided to have Cao Shaolin pile up several bodies, pour gasoline on them, and light a fire.
Looking at the raging fire before him, Tao Yu saw Little Black returning, and through “heart-to-heart communication,” he could feel that Little Black had still suffered some mental shock despite having run far away.
The people who had fainted in this temporary camp were probably all somewhat injured, and the nearest few tents were already without the sound of breathing.
After checking the recently shaken-to-death bodies inside the tents and finding no signs of any abnormalities, Tao Yu also breathed a sigh of relief.
Indeed, it’s just an ordinary statue of a god; it shouldn’t be so exaggerated.
“The distance leads to significant attenuation, but a self-destruct of an Evil God statue could make even the clean-up person hesitate…”
Tao Yu estimated that if it weren’t for his Mental Immunity, even the Pioneers stronger than himself would have a hard time getting away unscathed when dealing with this problem!
No wonder Sun Shiyu’s admonitions were so solemn at the beginning.
“To build a temporary camp, and perhaps put on a show like this every night; I wonder what they’re up to. Are they attempting to convert people into followers? Or are they able to absorb or collect something?”
Tao Yu thought of the woman he encountered in the first tent, who seemed to be in the midst of an indescribably pleasurable dream given her terrible state.
Amping up desires? Eroding willpower?
Or is it just simply to please?
“Earlier I heard something about a blood sacrifice; it seems Masu intervened to stop it. It looks like he wants to play the long game and stay undercover…”
Thinking of this, Tao Yu actually felt some pressure.
Internal and external troubles indeed!
But upon further thought, if he were a follower of the Heretic God, he would probably start from the new Development Zone as well, given that it’s where management is weakest and forces are still not strong enough.
It’s completely a potential breakthrough point.
“I just don’t know how many there are; even the Inner City people joined the Church of the Heretic God, what are they after…”
Tao Yu sighed.
He felt that the Outsiders really provided fertile ground for the growth of the cult of the Heretic God; their situation was indeed complicated.
But as for Masu, being from the Inner City…
“Perhaps their family originally rose to power by these means. Judging from their strength, joining the Church of the Heretic God is probably beneficial.”
Although Tao Yu possessed Godhood and Mental Immunity, when it came to Evil Gods and Demon Gods of the Abyss, he had no intention of testing his limits.
Who knows how powerful those things can be?
There’s no need to take risks when a clear path is already laid out.
“Let the big shots worry about it; I’m just a small fry like Karami, no need to stir up trouble. Tsk, does this mean I have to go back again? I wonder if I can find a telegraph or radio…”
While Tao Yu was mulling this over, Cao Shaolin had already come over with the corpse-looting gear.
All was still well; it turns out Masu wasn’t some sort of suicide bomber maniac.
Er, perhaps other people would be more at risk from the statue’s explosion, but for Tao Yu, it was rather good news.
“This knife is quite nice…”
The first thing Tao Yu got his hands on was Masu’s tachi-like long sword, an unquestionable Yuan Force item, and its attributes were quite impressive.
Treasonous Blade: [Sturdy][Sharp][Armor-Piercing][Self-Repair], capable of absorbing one thousand two hundred points of Yuan Force.
Four-fold traits, and they complement each other nicely.
Actually, Tao Yu’s current Colossal Lizard’s Fang was also very good, but the Colossal Lizard’s Fang was a short weapon. Having a longer weapon to complement it was quite beneficial.
The main reason he hadn’t attempted another close-combat attack after his first failed attempt was the gap in weapon length.
The influence of Fist Intention from a distance was reduced quite a bit beyond the range of one’s arm plus the length of a blade.
After all, the maximum destructive impact of Fist Intention was after a successful hit, and the effect would decrease with distance.
So, he temporarily switched to using a spear.
“After taking down a Heretic God nest, the rewards won’t be lacking, right? It can’t be less than what I got for killing an alien, surely…”
After fiddling with the Treasonous Blade for a bit, Tao Yu unapologetically hung it at his waist, displaying it openly.
Compared to some equipment that seems shady, this one is absolutely above board.
What could be a more legitimate source than spoils of war from smashing a Heretic God lair?
But then Tao Yu’s expression became rigid as he thought,
“Er, wouldn’t that possibly draw retaliation from those zealots of the Church of the Heretic God…”
Thinking this, he silently tore off some strips of cloth and wrapped them around the sheath and handle of the Treasonous Blade, deciding it’s better to keep a low profile…