NOVEL NEXT Chapter 183: Cannon Bombardment
Boom! It was as if a low cannon shot was roaring.
A blood-red blade, three meters long and slightly ethereal, slashed out, splitting the fleeing Crimson Wings into two from behind!
The sword aura carried vibrating force, so the two halves of Crimson Wings' body didn't have smooth cuts; instead, they looked as if blown open by a powerful explosive, wounds jagged and marked with saw-like bites.
[Unstable Shield Level 4 Effect: Cannon Bombardment: Attach the shield's energy onto a weapon or fists and feet, converting it into a corresponding attack form to explode, with an additional +1 priority for the resulting vibration and slowdown effect.]
The principle of this effect is two words: Condensation.
Previously, the Unstable Shield caused indiscriminate explosion damage around Bai Pu.
The [Cannon Bombardment] effect condenses the power of these indiscriminate explosions into a single powerful, targeted vibrating strike!
Further explanations suggest that if it's a sword weapon, it will generate vibrating sword aura; if it's a fist, it will generate vibrating fist gang; if it's a hammer-like weapon, it'll create a cone-shaped range vibrative Qi force similar to "Earth Splitting Slash."
Once the power is condensed, the damage naturally increases, but what Bai Pu values most is the +1 priority to the vibration slowdown. This means the cannon bombardment effect of [Unstable Shield] already has a priority comparable to a three-star skill!
The emergence of such a rare effect undeniably verifies the popular saying that once skills reach a critical level, the special effects Awakened beings can comprehend are related to their combat/learning experiences!
At the time, Bai Pu chose this rare effect without hesitation because of the +1 priority; he needed to slow down Crimson Wings by reducing its speed advantage.
Just that the battle proceeded more smoothly than Bai Pu imagined, mainly because the [Blood Mist Butcher's Chainsaw Sword] was indeed formidable, turning this move into a finishing skill.
A weapon like [Blood Mist Butcher's Chainsaw Sword] with 30 basic power and 30 basic endurance nearly meets the pinnacle golden equipment requirements, which most mid-level Awakened can't achieve!
Only advanced Awakened can reach that level.
Just imagine, it comes with 30 points of armor penetration by default, and after the [Cutting] skill hits, it can destroy an additional 30 armor of the opponent! The combined armor break is 60 points, and among mid-level bosses, aside from those well-equipped native bosses and leaders with endurance specialization, how many have 60 armor?
Crimson Wings is an example; she didn't wear any extra armor, meaning only the 41 armor from her own endurance is applied!
After her endurance was lowered by Qin's Inert Potion, encountering a total of 60 armor break from the chainsaw sword directly reduced the armor to a negative value, allowing ordinary attacks to cause explosive effects.
Bai Pu gently exhaled.
He thoroughly enjoyed the current feeling of being filled with power but also knew this strength was only temporarily gained through his two major talent skills.
To truly master this chainsaw sword, he would have to wait for a career change.
Bai Pu walked over, first storing the two halves of Crimson Wings' corpse in the storage space, then picked up the golden treasure chest of Crimson Wings.
Like the Blood Mist Butcher's chest, Crimson Wings' chest had dark golden patterns, representing her position as an enhanced leader, just a step away from being a Lord.
Bai Pu did not open the chest immediately since Crimson Wings was snatched from the clutches of the Hidden Snake Team.
Although the chance of the Hidden Snake Team arriving here to intercept was small, the area was undoubtedly unsafe.
The Hidden Snake Team couldn't deal with Crimson Wings, but nonetheless, their strength far surpassed Bai Pu's! It's just that no one could withstand as much as Bai Pu; more people became a disadvantage, constantly having their blood drained by Crimson Wings, fueling her Raging Fury endlessly.
The relationship among the Hidden Snake Team, Crimson Wings, and Bai Pu was like rock-paper-scissors, mutually restraining each other.
Bai Pu quickly slipped out of the rocky crevice, signaling to the Blood Spider to leave on horseback together, waiting to open the chest until they returned to Malmo City.
The Blood Spider still carried an unconscious human girl, intending to bring her back to live in Malmo City.
Saving this girl was just a casual act—had she not been saved, Crimson Wings could have gained blood-sucking "sustenance," extending her Raging Fury by thirty seconds, which would have severe consequences.
If this girl had conflicted with Bai Pu's career task, Bai Pu asked himself—it was unlikely he'd let an unfamiliar Spirit Realm native interfere with his career transition mission.
During Bai Pu and the Blood Spider's return to Malmo City, they passed through the Signa District.
Suddenly, a figure in front caught Bai Pu and the Blood Spider's attention.
There was a native wearing light armor of the expedition scout, squatting on the ground with his back to them as if inspecting a corpse.
"Is this a scout who hasn't rejoined the team?" Bai Pu asked.
The Blood Spider nodded, "Indeed, there were a few scouts among those dozens who returned late and never came back. Some suspect they went further away, delaying their return, while others believe they were discovered and killed by the Blood Ring mutants."
"Wait, something seems wrong."
Bai Pu furrowed his brows.
The sound of their horses' hooves and conversations wasn't concealed, logically speaking, that scout should've noticed long ago, yet never turned around—why?
Even if focused on checking the corpse, he should turn his face around eventually, especially since it's an enemy's occupied territory. What if enemies are approaching?
Bai Pu's spiritual power stretched out as a thin thread, brushing over the scene, his expression swiftly changing.
The scout slowly turned his head.
The way he turned his head was peculiar; his entire back remained motionless, yet his neck twisted 180 degrees backward.
Bai Pu and the Blood Spider saw his face, their backs instinctively shivering with a chill.
The scout had heavy blood at the corners of his mouth, still chewing on a piece of organ!
He wasn't examining a corpse earlier; he was...feasting!
"He's already turned into a mutant..." the Blood Spider exclaimed in surprise, "Didn't scouts carry Lady Qin's antidote? They shouldn't be infected by the Flesh Curse."
"This mutant is different," Bai Pu said. He noticed that the mutant scout's skin was deep red, his face covered with various-sized blisters, while his eyes were completely white, without visible pupils.
Though his action patterns were similar to those of a Death Plague, on closer observation, the appearance had significant differences.
"I used Spiritual Vision; this guy's name is 'Deep Red Death Plague,' and its specific attributes are similar to the Death Plague Supervisor, a Level 5 ordinary template." The Blood Spider said.
"This should be a new plague variant...so Qin's antidote failed," Bai Pu said.
The Blood Spider, flipping through a small notebook with a sudden thought, said, "If we capture it alive and take it back to Malmo City, couldn't we gain reputation with the Expeditionary Army camp?"
"It's not just reputation; you'll gain merit points, and Qin's favorability too..." Bai Pu said.
"Then why not act now?" The Blood Spider looked at Bai Pu in surprise, feeling that he seemed hesitant.
"...Forget it, you go ahead," Bai Pu waved a hand.
The Blood Spider assumed Bai Pu was exhausted from the recent battle, but with her strength, capturing a Level 5 ordinary template Death Plague was effortless, so she didn't say much more.
Sure enough, the Blood Spider acted swiftly, injuring the Deep Red Death Plague severely in a few moves, firmly binding it with ropes, muzzling its mouth, and tying it to the horse to transport back.