Chapter 9-Game Descent: I Am the Sole Player
No wonder that stretch of road had been so eerily deserted—not a single passing car in sight. They'd all been swallowed one by one by the giant fish lurking in the river.
It happened too fast. All Bai Shan could make out were the splashing waves crashing against the bridge piers. She couldn't identify the species of fish hiding underwater, but the ones sunbathing on the bank were easy to recognize—flat-mouthed, long-whiskered catfish.
Except they were a bit bigger than her, hopping along the riverside walkway and leaving dark, wet trails behind them.
Not far away, an overturned patrol electric cart lay on its side, a single shoe beside it.
Several catfish seemed to have eaten their fill and showed no interest in her, but Bai Shan didn't dare let her guard down. She retreated to a snack cart and observed the situation on the cross-river bridge.
If she accidentally got dragged into the water, things would get extremely dangerous. She hadn't been in the water since the summer after ninth grade, when her mother had forced her to learn to swim.
Bai Shan quietly took stock of her currently usable items in a corner.
[100% Accuracy Dart], B-Tier. Best suited against humans—humans had shed their thick fur during evolution, leaving behind a fragile keratin layer that darts could exploit.
Against any thick-skinned Aberrant, the low-damage darts would be about as effective as a massage.
[Tracking Chewing Gum], C-Tier. A piece of gum visible only to the user. Stick it to a target's sole and it creates a path only the user can see—ideal for tracking people or locating Aberrant nests.
[Name Change Card], A-Tier. Useless.
[Ball Lightning], S-Tier. This was the only S-Tier item the current Level 20 Bai Shan could use. It was a floating, glowing plasma sphere that could pass through any object. Five minutes after activation, it would explode with devastating power.
This was a single-use item. Bai Shan had never used it and wasn't sure exactly how powerful the game's description of "devastating" really was, but based on her understanding of S-Tier items, destroying a bridge wouldn't be a problem.
She didn't want to waste such a one-time item lightly.
[Prince Charming], C-Tier. Summons a mount with a human head and horse body, top speed 65 km/h, capable of carrying a rider for 10 minutes. Cooldown: one month.
Oh right—she'd kept this one because it was so bizarre.
Bai Shan pouted resentfully at the blue holographic panel. One truly couldn't empathize with one's past self.
Her finger was already hovering over the next icon when she suddenly paused. This bizarre item [Prince Charming] might actually come in handy.
The biggest obstacle to crossing the bridge was the fish lurking underwater. They could precisely knock a speeding car into the water, but leaping was extremely energy-intensive—they couldn't possibly jump repeatedly in quick succession.
The two giant fish she'd just seen had worked in tandem—one ramming, one catching below. Such dominant predators were bound to be few. She guessed only those two could pull it off.
Her plan was a bit underhanded: wait for the next car to serve as bait, and while the giant fish were busy hunting, she'd ride [Prince Charming] across the bridge at full speed.
As Bai Shan was thinking this, she heard a distant roar in the distance. She peeked out—what perfect timing, a car was heading toward the bridge.
She decided not to hesitate any longer and prepared to use [Prince Charming], then follow that car across the bridge.
Bai Shan watched the car approach from afar. Her focused expression suddenly shifted.
That car looked somewhat familiar.
When Bai Shan made out the license plate, she cursed inwardly, switched items, and sent three darts flying simultaneously, grazing the car's front windshield.
The white sedan braked hard, tires screeching against the pavement.
The occupant didn't get out immediately—probably assessing the situation from inside.
Bai Shan walked over and knocked on the window. The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.
"Bai Shan, what are you doing here?"
Lin Huijun exclaimed in pleasant surprise.
She immediately opened the door and reached out to pull Bai Shan inside.
"Get in, quick! There's a killer nearby!"
Bai Shan grabbed her arm instead and pulled her out, her face expressionless. "I am the killer."
As she spoke, she flipped her palm open. Three darts boomeranged back from somewhere into her palm, then vanished in unison.
Lin Huijun got out of the car. Her expression turned serious, and she asked perceptively, "Is there danger up ahead?"
Bai Shan was the type who, upon accidentally running into an acquaintance, would just put on her earphones and look the other way pretending she hadn't seen them. If she'd gone out of her way to say hello, there had to be something important.
Bai Shan didn't answer Lin Huijun right away. She peered into the car and asked, puzzled, "Are you alone?"
This was Lin Huijun's family car. She'd occasionally seen her parents picking her up after school, so Bai Shan recognized it.
"Yeah, just me."
"Driving underage without a license?" Bai Shan raised one eyebrow, her tone carrying a hint of pressure.
Lin Huijun's eyes darted away. She mumbled, "I can't believe you caught me on that... never mind, that's not the point right now!"
"True. Right now you could drive on the sidewalk and nobody would care—but don't drive onto the bridge."
Bai Shan described what she'd witnessed, omitting her original plan.
Lin Huijun frowned. "That does sound troublesome."
She suddenly ducked back into the car and called out to Bai Shan, "Hold on—let me block the bridge entrance with the car first!"
The white sedan parked sideways at the bridge entrance. It looked flimsy compared to the wide bridge deck, but with it there, vehicles on this side would have to stop—they wouldn't unknowingly charge onto the deadly bridge.
The door opened. Lin Huijun hopped out and ran back to Bai Shan's side.
"Bai Shan, do you have a way to cross the bridge?"
Lin Huijun studied Bai Shan's expression and somehow felt the other girl seemed a bit angry. She couldn't figure out why.
Bai Shan folded her arms, showing Lin Huijun only a cold half-profile. She had had a way—but Lin Huijun had blocked it.
This was exactly why Bai Shan disliked people like Lin Huijun. They'd shove their goodwill and warmth at you uninvited, but for Bai Shan, holding onto those things burned. So at certain moments she'd feel compelled to return the favor, which often led to further complications.
"Build a super fishing net and haul them out. Just kidding, haha."
Bai Shan said in a completely flat voice.
Lin Huijun rubbed her chin and said seriously, "Hauling them out isn't realistic, but we could try killing them."
"Kill them?"
Bai Shan studied Lin Huijun with a probing gaze. "Would you mind telling me your Talent ability?"
Halfway through her sentence, Bai Shan had already casually placed her hand on Lin Huijun's shoulder and activated her first Skill, [Inspection].
[Name: Lin Huijun Level: 5 Talent: Scorching Sun Chariot (S) Skill 1: Scorch The blazing flames ascending from the soul can burn all things, so long as you are willing to endure the pain of being burned alongside them. Skill 2: Unlocks at Level 20 Skill 3: Unlocks at Level 50 Skill 4: Unlocks at Level 90]
Bai Shan's eyebrow twitched. Lin Huijun's S-Tier first Skill looked far more impressive than her own SS-Tier first Skill. Was the rating of her Talent [Tyrant's Grip] really accurate?
Then again, if given the chance to swap with Lin Huijun, she'd rather keep her somewhat underwhelming [Inspection] than take an ability that inflicted pain on the user.
Perhaps that was exactly why Lin Huijun's [Scorching Sun Chariot] was only rated S. How many people could fight while enduring the agony of being burned alive?
She, Bai Shan, certainly couldn't.
"My Talent is called [Scorching Sun Chariot]. First Skill is [Scorch]—basically playing with fire. Pretty decent power."
Lin Huijun told Bai Shan. "By the way, I'm already Level 5."
"You killed players?" Bai Shan asked.
Lin Huijun replied, "I ran into a pack of venomous rats attacking people. I killed them and leveled up to 5."
"Bai Shan, would you mind telling me your Talent ability? We could wait here for other people trying to cross the bridge and combine our strength to deal with the fish monsters."
"My ability is telekinesis."
Bai Shan answered without batting an eye.
Then she put on a puzzled expression.
"By the way, Lin Huijun—why are you driving out here all alone?"
Comments
Post a Comment