Gamers Are Fierce-Chapter 750 - 748: Recycling

CLANG!

Black Holy Son stood his ground, feet unmoved, while his upper body twisted a full 180 degrees, blocking Yuyi Xinzhong's katana with the snake-shaped dagger in his hand.

WHOOSH—

Billowing black flames erupted beneath Black Holy Son's feet, his cloak fluttering though there was no wind. He tilted his head, squinted, and spoke in a hoarse voice, "Why?" 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

"..."

Maintaining her demonic form, Yuyi Xinzhong ignored the tense "comrades" around her and the astonished Plague Doctor. Her voice was icy as she said, "The Ghost of Hidden Eye, who died on the third night, also saw Yuka Yuri in his dreams. He was your subordinate, loyal to you. Although he left a written account, no one can guarantee he didn't discover something on his own and leave some clue on the paper meant only for you. Furthermore, when the red-cloaked old woman attacked 13MARK on the fifth night, she climbed down from the stairwell. This proves she must have been on one of the floors between 9 and 14 before that. You and Bai Haozheng are the most likely suspects to be the insider."

Black Holy Son nodded calmly. "Then why not him?"

Yuyi Xinzhong silently increased the downward pressure on her sword, her voice cold. "The red-cloaked old woman merges with the souls she devours. The Ghost of Hidden Eye was loyal to you. And just now, an invisible thread appeared on you, connecting to her."

"An invisible thread, you say..."

Black Holy Son lowered his head and chuckled softly. Beneath his robe, the sound of bones cracking and shifting could be heard. "Indeed, players and their bizarre skills... so annoying..."

A powerful wave of malice erupted from Black Holy Son, sweeping through the labyrinthine corridor. The black flames at his feet flared up like a wildfire fanned by the wind.

Nearby, Bai Haozheng, Brother Dao, and the others no longer hesitated. They unleashed their various attacks, bombarding Black Holy Son.

The red-cloaked old woman stomped her foot, and the snowflake-like Evil Qi crystals swirling around her swept towards Li Ang. She herself, under the cover of the snowflakes, transformed her lower body into black smoke, wielding a naginata as she slashed towards Li Ang and Wanli Fengdao.

Wanli Fengdao's expression was tense as he retrieved a spare longsword from his inventory. Wanli Fengdao didn't subscribe to the passionate creed of 'sword is life, no sword is death.' This Nine Chime Sword was one of his collectibles and of comparable quality. However, in terms of balance, length, shape, and Special Effects, it wasn't as smooth to handle as the Dragon-Slaying Sword. The strength he could exert with it would likely be diminished.

"ROAR! Coming at me head-on? You choose not to flee but to approach me?"

Li Ang shook his head with a smile, raised his arm, and pointed his index finger at the red-cloaked old woman. "Your next line is, 'BLECH!'"

Absurd!

The red-cloaked old woman's face was savage, her naginata held high. True, Li Ang's aura is stronger than mine, but with such an underestimating attitude, I'll cut him in two...

"BLECH! BLECH!"

As if suffering from PTSD, the red-cloaked old woman suddenly vomited, clear warm water spewing from her nostrils and mouth like a goldfish.

This sudden, bizarre occurrence made her hand tremble. She thought she had somehow fallen for the opponent's dirty trick, expecting the water she spat out to turn into potent poison or deadly acid the next moment.

CLANG!

The naginata hacked heavily onto the corridor floor in front of Li Ang. The shockwave of the impact rippled the carpet like a wave.

So fast.

A sinking feeling settled in the red-cloaked old woman's stomach. She had clearly used the naginata's Special Effect to cause a visual displacement in her next attack. If the opponent tried to predict, block, or dodge based on the blade's visible trajectory, they would misjudge and be easily struck.

But Li Ang seemed completely unaffected by the naginata's Special Effect. He had made his judgment halfway through her skill activation, retreating half a step diagonally backward at a terrifying speed, easily dodging the blow. He even had time to wave an arm towards Wanli Fengdao at his side. Little Brother Dao, who had intended to block with the Nine Chime Sword, was inexplicably sent flying by Li Ang's gesture.

Strike again!

The red-cloaked old woman stepped forward, her legs rooted like tree trunks. Arms raised high, she swung the naginata, stirring up a Gale in the corridor. The blade, glinting with a cold light, slashed forward, wreathed in black ice crystals.

In the real world's player hierarchy, Kafei, Danfei, and Bob were considered mid-tier. In contrast, 13MARK and Ω possessed both significant backgrounds and formidable strength. The red-cloaked old woman had devoured and merged with all of them. However, the assimilation wasn't complete. She hadn't acquired the combined stats of five players; her Spirit Energy Value and physical attributes were only equivalent to the sum of three. Nor had she obtained all their equipment and items, as when a player dies, equipped items drop, while items in their inventory vanish. Still, it was enough for her to reach a level previously unimaginable.

Judging from 13MARK's fragmented memories, her current strength was likely only slightly inferior to the Ant King whom 13MARK served. If she returned to the real world, she could easily rank in the top hundred of the individual combat power list, perhaps even higher.

Skill: Cat Elegance (increases agility, enhances bodily flexibility) - from Kafei.

Skill: Underworld Armor (grants armor an Underworld effect, with a chance to deflect external attacks) - from Danfei.

Equipment: Rock Skeleton (replaces original bones with rock, making them sturdier, more resilient, and capable of supporting greater muscle strength) - from Bob.

Equipment: Mechanical Radius (replaces radius and ulna with mechanical parts; when Special Effect is activated, can deliver a punch like a rocket) - from 13MARK.

Like Liu Wu Dai, the red-cloaked old woman's body also shimmered with a multicolored radiance visible only through Spiritual Sense. She made no attempt to conceal the glow of her extraordinary items. Only one thought occupied her mind: Kill the opponent.

The naginata, wreathed in black ice crystals, hacked down.

Li Ang stomped the ground, his body recoiling like a spring, and retreated rapidly, easily evading the attack. Little Brother Dao had also learned his lesson. He slashed out with a Sword Qi from his Nine Chime Sword and, pushing off with his toes, leaped backward.

It missed again...

The red-cloaked old woman narrowed her eyes, activating the enhanced vision skill from Ω. Only then did she see a large number of translucent threads faintly suspended in the corridor ahead.

Spider silk? No, that's mercury.

Fragments of 13MARK's memories surged into her brain. The red-cloaked old woman instantly recalled that this must be a piece of equipment called "Cyber Martial Arts: Spiders and Webs: Chip." When used, it could drive Nano Robots and other networked machines to invade physical servers and acquire data. Alternatively, it could utilize only the physical effects of the Nano Robots, arranging the networked machines into desired shapes. For example, commanding Mercury Blood Amber to refine itself into fine threads dispersed in the air. If touched, the threads would snap, alerting the user to an intruder.

The red-cloaked old woman had originally thought this non-offensive piece of equipment was reclaimed by the System after 13MARK's death. She never expected it to be in Li Rising's hands.

Could it be...

The red-cloaked old woman's thoughts raced. According to Black Holy Son, Li Rising had shown the other players the information on the paper scraps left by 13MARK during the day. The others assumed 13MARK only had time to leave the scraps. But in reality, 13MARK might have also left a few pieces of micro-equipment, and Li Rising had chosen to conceal this. Had Li Rising been wary of an insider and trying to identify them since then?

From Li Rising's perspective, things were clear. If the red-cloaked old woman could not only devour players but also absorb their complete memories, then anyone who knew he had hidden 13MARK's equipment and was wary of this fact would be the insider colluding with her. Conversely, if an insider truly existed but didn't show any caution regarding this, it would indirectly prove that the red-cloaked old woman couldn't absorb memories—or at least, not completely.

The red-cloaked old woman understood all this in an instant, astounded by Li Rising's thoroughness and 13MARK's composure. Fortunately, I chose to attack 13MARK when he was alone. If I had left him alive until now, he would have become a massive threat...

While these thoughts raced through her mind, the red-cloaked old woman's actions didn't slow. Her tattered red clothes billowed without wind, and dark ice crystals shot out from beneath her feet, severing all the mercury threads set up for detection in the corridor ahead. Simultaneously, a mechanical prosthetic limb extended from her chest, blocking Wanli Fengdao's silently thrusting longsword.

CLANG!

It was unknown what material 13MARK's mechanical limb was made of, but it managed to block Wanli Fengdao's Nine Chime Sword with just its palm. At the cost of half its hand being mangled, it gripped the Nine Chime Sword firmly, preventing Wanli Fengdao from withdrawing it.

Perfect timing!

The red-cloaked old woman grinned savagely. The clothes and skin on her back peeled open, revealing four pairs of hexagonal exhaust ports, resembling the vector thrusters of real-world jet fighters. These futuristic hexagonal ports first glowed with an orange-red light around their outer rings, then fiercely spewed azure flames from their inner rings, propelling her into a sudden acceleration.

Her body, now tall and massive under the effect of the Ghost of Hidden Eye's skill, brought its arms together in front, intending to crush Wanli Fengdao in an embrace.

Seeing he was about to be caught in the deadly hug, Wanli Fengdao remained calm. He flipped his palm, and Sword Qi erupted from both sides of the Nine Chime Sword's blade, severing the mechanical hand and freeing his weapon. Simultaneously, he bent low, not retreating but advancing, charging into the red-cloaked old woman's embrace. He held the Nine Chime Sword in a reverse grip, hilt up, tip down, blade angled forward.

Let's see if you crush me first, or if I disembowel you!

Wanli Fengdao's clothes and skin were already covered in numerous cuts from the rapidly spinning black ice crystals, but his heart still beat slowly, steadily, and calmly. True, her Energy level far surpasses mine, but a life-and-death struggle isn't decided by who has more Energy. Human strength is limited; even a strongman who hones his body to its peak cannot compare his might to an excavator. Similarly, a Qi cultivator who trains their God Soul to the limit probably can't surpass a nuclear power plant in terms of Energy, especially in an environment devoid of Spiritual Energy. The key is how to use the limited strength one possesses—how to deliver that strength to the most vital spot...

"Heaven-Piercing Sword Qi!"

Pale Sword Qi surged along the blade as it swept upward, tearing through the hem of the old woman's red clothes and slicing into her waist and abdomen.

But the red-cloaked old woman's embrace didn't stop.

Her abdomen was pierced by the Nine Chime Sword. Large amounts of Evil Qi and dark, viscous blood gushed from the wound. Through the tear in her clothes, one could vaguely see that beneath the red fabric were not ordinary human organs, but a mass of bloated, shapeless, rotten flesh.

"How many times do I have to tell you," the red-cloaked old woman's face was contorted in a hideous snarl as her arms tightened around Wanli Fengdao, "I am no longer human!"

Her arms suddenly constricted with immense force. Even a giant pillar forged from pure steel would twist and deform under such a crushing embrace.

HISS—

A faint sound of tearing air whispered past her ear. The red-cloaked old woman felt a sharp pain in her chest, and her arms closed on empty air.

My chest... it's been torn open.

She instinctively looked down. Wanli Fengdao, who should have been in her grasp, was gone. Instead, a massive gaping hole had inexplicably appeared in her own chest. Through the opening in the swollen, rotten flesh, she could see the other end of the corridor, and Wanli Fengdao, drenched in blood, holding two longswords, still in a thrusting stance.

As understanding slowly dawned, the red-cloaked old woman realized that in that instant, Wanli Fengdao had used his blade to tear open *her* chest, transformed his body into Sword Qi, pierced through her, and emerged at the other end of the corridor. In the process, he had also retrieved his Dragon-Slaying Sword, which had been hanging at her waist, returning it to its rightful owner.

SIZZLE—

The red-cloaked old woman's putrid flesh corroded Wanli Fengdao's hair, face, and skin.

On the fifth night, Ω, who was staying in room 0108, had received the note. He had just survived a deadly battle, his stamina depleted and Spiritual Power scarce, when the red-cloaked old woman ambushed him, inflicting severe injuries immediately. Yet, he still had the strength to retaliate, dealing massive damage to her, almost killing her. The red-cloaked old woman's current decayed, twisted form was Ω's handiwork. She had transitioned from a semi-corporeal state to one of flesh and blood, but this flesh was intensely corrosive, eating away at nerves, constantly subjecting her to an agony like that of a thousand ants devouring her body.

At this moment, skin was peeling off Wanli Fengdao's face and body. Enduring the excruciating pain, he kept his eyes closed. He didn't take out a Healing Potion to drink. Instead, he maintained his thrusting stance with both hands and shouted, "I've trapped her with Sword Qi! Attack now!"