Chapter 92: Massive Explosion

Opposite them was the pride of black lions charging in hot pursuit, each with bloodshot eyes and fangs gleaming coldly.

A lion’s mane was the symbol of the king’s status and dignity. To have a human secretly pluck it away was the greatest humiliation the black pride could suffer. They had to catch that detestable thief, tear him apart and devour him alive, then carry him back before the lion king, who stood atop the mountain keeping watch and directing them.

Ahead were four men. They did not have a thief’s body, but they had the thief’s scent.

Suddenly, a streak of light shot out from the darkness. The pride could not evade it in time; a lioness was struck and let out a miserable scream.

Roar!

The lions thundered in fury. Several male lions broke away to surround the lioness. One of them suddenly opened its bloody maw and bit down on the black arrow, wrenching it out with brutal force.

Blood gushed forth in a torrent.

The health bar floating above the lioness’s head changed accordingly.

Black Lioness, Level 28, HP: 1400/2800.

Damn it.

Li Xin was speechless. The success rate of a precision shot from ten paces was only fifty percent. It had barely carved away half the lioness’s health, and the one-hit-kill effect had not triggered.

Another arrow to finish it off?

No. With his current set of abilities, he had only one arrow. If he wanted sustained fire, he would have to buy specialized arrows from the shop.

A gun?

No. That would alert Simmons and the others once they turned around upon hearing the commotion.

The stealth skill had been activated in advance when Master Sarion issued the mission. It was only beginner level, and anyone with sufficient strength could detect it. Its duration was only four hours, and now there was just one hour left. He still had to endure until he could charge back into Black Lion Ridge once more.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Xin called up the game spirit’s status panel, and his speed exploded to the limit in an instant.

In a flash, he rushed to the front of Simmons and the others. The four of them, hearing the roar of the pride, had only just managed to turn around.

They saw only a blur flash past. Before they could even react, more than twenty black lions came howling toward them.

“Shit! Shit! Open fire, now!” Simmons roared, instantly pulling out his assault rifle and spraying bullets.

Rat-tat-tat—

The gunfire continued, echoing through the vast reserve.

Mozark and the other two also drew their weapons, and in the blink of an eye they had taken down the first two lions.

Then, suddenly, great sheets of black flame surged up from the ground beneath their feet. It was the black lions’ skill: Burning Blaze.

The black fire was horribly hot, rapidly scorching and melting their clothes and equipment.

“Damn it, boss, my bracer’s completely ruined!” Letch wailed, despair on his face. The silver bracer he had finally managed to snatch was gone just like that.

“Damn it, what are you shouting about? My greaves are gone too!” Simmons bellowed in rage.

“Stop standing there. Everyone, get ready to throw the blast grenades!”

“Got it!”

The three answered at once, each producing a grenade.

Clap, clap, clap!

Suddenly, countless broad, massive paws came crashing down from above like a rain of death, battering the four of them like balls. Sharp claws tore in unison, and in an instant the four were ripped to pieces.

Boom!

The blast grenade detonated violently, instantly blowing apart the six adult black lions that had closed in. Flesh and broken bones scattered through half the sky.

The explosion’s tremendous roar surged outward in all directions, reverberating through the immense Sandra Wildlife Reserve. The NPCs sleeping in the Sandra Hotel were all jolted awake, screaming in terror and fleeing in panic everywhere.

Farther away, the reserve’s security team reacted swiftly as well, grabbing rifles, jumping into vehicles, and racing toward the sound.

After more than ten seconds, the black flames finally died out. The ground was left a charred ruin, and the shattered flesh had been burned into cinders, giving off a nauseating stench.

On Black Lion Ridge, the lion king let out a roar, and the pride immediately wheeled around and rushed back. In their view, the detestable thief must already have been killed. As for the losses suffered by the pride, though regrettable, they were still within acceptable limits.

After another three seconds, once the pride had gone far away, two beams of light flickered over the wreckage as Simmons and Letch were resurrected.

When players first create their characters, they are usually level zero. People like Wang Xiaoqian, who could directly become a captain and company commander, were lucky few granted such special privileges.

Most players had only one resurrection. After dying a second time, they would be sent back to the nearest city or barracks revival point.

A considerable number of players, once their luck and achievements surpassed the preset threshold, could gain two on-site revivals. Simmons, Letch, and the nine girls of the Rose Thorn were among them.

Li Xin’s three resurrection chances were not because his luck defied the heavens. It was because his character creation base had been one, and Wang Huan’s original account had contributed two more. The ability to directly buy and seize another person’s account, thereby obtaining numerical bonuses, was something Li Xin had not yet discovered in the current game or on the forum.

Perhaps none of them knew this little secret yet.

Or perhaps no one else was ever in a position to have such an opportunity.

In any case, Li Xin was a freak with two layers of broken-system advantage.

Simmons was livid. He had failed to kill and loot his target, lost one resurrection chance and two brothers, and several pieces of equipment had been completely burned beyond use. Glancing back, he saw Letch with a face full of grief, looking as though someone in his family had died.

“Useless trash,” Simmons cursed under his breath. If Mozark were still alive, he would have been a powerful asset.

“Quit standing there, damn it. Pick up the gear and let’s move!”

After Simmons shouted at him, Letch finally came to himself. He looked down at the ground and saw several pieces of fallen equipment from their teammates, along with gold and items dropped by the dead black lions.

His beady little eyes rolled, and he intended to pocket a few things while he had the chance. Just as he was about to make his move, a figure darted out and swiftly collected everything.

“Fuck!” Letch swore, eyes widening as if he had seen a ghost.

The dawn was beginning to break, and the figure’s body could now be seen clearly. It was that Chinese player from before.

“Shit! You’re still alive!” Simmons had also noticed Li Xin, who stood about five meters away.

Li Xin toyed with a shoulder guard in his hand and grinned. “Yes. Thanks to your help, the pride let me off with my life.”

Simmons’s eyes seemed ready to spit fire. In Li Xin’s hand was Mozark’s silver high-grade left shoulder guard. This set of ice shoulder guards was only silver tier, but as a pair its attributes rivaled many gold-tier items. Now that one piece had been lost, the remaining one was practically useless.

“I don’t care about the black lions’ loot, but our gear, you hand it over right now!” Simmons growled, raising his assault rifle.

At five meters, he was absolutely confident he could land a fatal shot.

“Your gear? This is something I picked up off the ground,” Li Xin said, glancing down with a mocking smile. “It doesn’t have your names written on it.”

“Shit!” Simmons barked.

Letch was no longer foolish either. He raised a Browning pistol in his right hand, gleaming with silver light. It seemed to be of decent grade.

Two against one. Li Xin gave a helpless smile. “Fine. I’ll give it back. But I need to step away a bit first.”

He retreated five meters. Simmons did not fire. As long as the gear was returned, that was enough.

“Here you go!”

Li Xin hurled it with force. The ice shoulder guard arced high into the air, and Simmons and Letch hurried forward to catch it.

Boom!

Li Xin suddenly fired a shot into the air, striking the left shoulder guard with perfect accuracy. Then he turned and vanished into the night.