The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 256 Blood Sun (3)

The female player's ears were flushed, feeling that Su Ninglong was too harsh and didn't have the qualities of a veteran player she had imagined.

"We didn't expect to lose our powers as soon as we entered the contaminated zone. Our strength was reduced to the level of an ordinary person. We were already heartbroken when our teammates died. If it weren't for this damn contaminated zone..."

Su Ninglong's face turned cold: "Your teammate died, and you're blaming the contaminated zone for being too difficult?"

“We didn’t blame the contaminated zone for being too difficult. We were saddened when our teammates died, but I chose to save my own life first.” The female player said, “We’re trying to talk to you properly. Could you please be a little more patient and let us finish what we have to say?”

The female player rubbed her thumb and forefinger together, like a gambler holding a bad hand, determined to salvage her situation.

“We’ve cleared many dungeons, so we won’t hold you back. Now that we’re confirmed to be in the contaminated zone, we should help each other out. You’re so skilled, carrying one of us shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

They contradicted themselves and even dared to openly flirt with her? Su Ninglong found them truly laughable.

Their reckless intrusion into providing nourishment to the spirits without prior investigation or reporting was enough to make Su Ninglong dislike them.

"Do you know that this contaminated area has been classified as a four-star level pollution zone?"

The two looked up abruptly, their faces drained of color. Four stars… how could it be four stars…

One- or two-star contaminated zones can be managed with difficulty, but four-star contaminated zones are practically a death sentence.

Looking at the calm and composed Su Ninglong and Shen Zhaoming, they finally understood that these two were definitely hunters. Only hunters would be so indifferent and disdainful of net hunters.

This strengthened their resolve; to survive in the four-star contaminated zone, they had to follow the hunters.

The female player suppressed her earlier resentment and apologized in a low voice: "I'm sorry... We bought the information from an information broker from the 'Star Alliance.' Everyone says that the secrets of advanced hunters are hidden here, and we thought the information couldn't be wrong."

The two were quite embarrassed. A four-star contaminated zone could certainly advance them to hunter level, but the key was whether they could even get through it!

Upon hearing the words "Star Alliance," both Su Ninglong and Shen Zhaoming's expressions changed simultaneously.

"When did you buy the information? When did you get in?"

"I saw the message in the group yesterday, and in order to get ahead of others, I immediately teamed up with two other people to join..." They didn't dare to lie, but they were guilty and didn't say the group name, "Future Five-Star Hunter Mutual Aid Group".

Shen Zhaoming sensed a deeper problem, and his pale face darkened further: "How many people are in your group exactly? How many of you have barged in like this?"

The two lowered their heads in embarrassment.

In the presence of a true hunter, they seemed like trembling quails.

The other party had too strong an aura and too sharp a mind; that little bit of arrogance had long since crumbled.

I don't want to admit it, but I have to.

"All we know is... at least seven or eight two-person squads will come in."

There are already more than ten people known to be involved, and there are likely many more acting in secret.

The Star Alliance has always been jealous of the Star Alliance's success, and this time they've clearly resorted to underhanded tactics again.

Su Ninglong rubbed her temples and immediately understood the Star Alliance's intentions.

This isn't sending helpers, it's sending burdens.

If you were to team up with them out of kindness, it could result in the injury or death of ordinary people. If they die, all is well; but if they don't, as hunters, they will inevitably be held accountable afterward, and may even face imprisonment.

Nowadays, the government is absolutely ruthless towards crimes committed by spiritual beings. Those who violate criminal law and go to jail will be banned from using their supernatural abilities for life, with no possibility of being unbanned.

The cyber hunters are nominally under the jurisdiction of the Star Alliance.

By leaking information to overconfident web hunters, the Star Alliance is certainly breaking the law. However, they can shift the blame by blaming the Star Alliance for its own mismanagement, thus exploiting a loophole to clear their name.

When it comes to exploiting legal loopholes, Star Alliance is indeed too "adept".

Su Ninglong was no longer willing to dwell on the issue of the web hunters. She couldn't be bothered with those who were courting death; she'd leave that to the Star Alliance to handle.

As Shen Zhaoming stepped out of the villa's gate, he turned back and said coldly, "You'd better not follow us."

"But...but we have no weapons, and most of our superpowers have been sealed..." The two followed helplessly behind, looking pitiful, still hoping to be protected.

The female player stepped forward to grab Su Ninglong's arm, but she deftly dodged to the side.

"Please, let us come along. We promise we won't cause any trouble." The female player was still unwilling to give up. Seeing that Su Ninglong had just been willing to help, she held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that the other party would soften her heart.

"We're entering this 'game' to delve into the most dangerous areas." Su Ninglong's voice was clear, carrying an unyielding coldness. "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Ask yourselves, in those places, could you protect yourselves or fight the enemy? In the relatively safe areas right now, you all need me to survive, so what makes you think you won't cause trouble?"

"You are Star Alliance hunters, Su Ninglong, I recognize you!" The female player finally dropped her pretense, as if grasping at a lifeline, and her tone became threatening: "Star Alliance hunters have a responsibility to protect the people. You are abandoning us now, which is tantamount to watching us die! If we get out of here alive, we will definitely report you."

Su Ninglong suddenly laughed. Ingratitude?
The female player felt a sudden chill run down her spine, a cold, bone-chilling sense of warning creeping up her spine.

“Everyone online says I’m cold-blooded,” Su Ninglong’s voice was light and airy, yet sharp and pointed. “I’ve never denied it.” Her figure suddenly drew closer. “There are no surveillance cameras in the ‘game.’ If I killed you as a monster, who would know? Besides, you’re missing the conditions in the law. Hunters only have a responsibility to protect the public in reality. In polluted areas, they can do whatever they want and no one can stop them.”

A pale hand silently gripped the female player's neck.

Su Ninglong smiled, her pulse throbbing weakly beneath her fingertips, as if it would be extinguished with the slightest force.

Her fingers tightened, and the female player's face flushed red from lack of oxygen.

The female player realized she had misjudged the situation. She had thought that even if Su Ninglong became angry and attacked, she could put up a fight.

However, they overlooked the fact that although everyone starts from level zero, the most basic data of their bodies will not change.

Even with her spiritual power sealed, her body, tempered by heavenly lightning, was far beyond what an ordinary net hunter like her could contend with.

She tried in vain to pry open those iron-like fingers, but they wouldn't budge. All she could manage was a broken plea from her throat: "I...I was wrong...I'll never do it again..."

Su Ninglong flung her hand away. "Hunters are not saviors. Since you chose to step into this world, you must be prepared to bear the consequences."

After releasing the female player, Su Ninglong and Shen Zhaoming quickly left along the original route.

"Cough cough cough..." The female player was kneeling on the ground coughing violently, and the male player quickly covered her mouth: "Keep your voice down."

The intermittent coughing attracted the blood slaves wandering nearby.

The two had no choice but to flee in a sorry state.

"Why did you provoke her?" the male player complained as he ran. "The guy next to Su Ninglong just told us not to follow them. If we just held back and quietly followed them, they might not really do anything to us."

"You blame me?" Although the female player regretted her provocation, a fierce look appeared in her eyes. "All the hunters said that Su Ninglong was kind-hearted, but it seems that those rumors were all false. She is cold-blooded and ruthless. Let's go find the group leader. She came in last night and might be nearby. She is a hunter from the Star Alliance and would never leave us to die."

The male player was still hesitating. "Are you going or not?"

"Go, go!" After learning that "Blood Sun" was a four-star contaminated zone, he refused to act alone.

Blood slaves and blood beasts have keen eyesight but relatively dull hearing.

Su Ninglong easily dealt with three or four of them, and then left the prey for Shen Zhaoming to practice on, to help him level up and gain the ability to protect himself.

Perhaps because they were still in the beginner area, and because Su Ninglong was so efficient at clearing monsters, they did not feel much of a threat for the time being.

She assisted Shen Zhaoming in dissecting two blood slaves and one blood beast.

Preliminary assessment suggests that the erosion is essentially a physical distortion.

The SAN value was unaffected because the erosion first affected the physical layer.

Blood beasts evolved from blood slaves, and their corrosive nature acts like a cruel body-refining technique, constantly strengthening their physique. This means that as time goes on, the monsters will only grow stronger.

Su Ninglong pointed to the shattered green core inside the monster's chest cavity: "Can the formation mechanism of this structure be analyzed?"

"Wait a moment." Shen Zhaoming put on protective gloves, picked up a core fragment, and examined it carefully.

The glasses no longer perched on his high, straight nose, and a glint of silver flashed in his eyes, which were usually hidden behind the lenses, as if data streams were quietly passing by.

He stared intently for a long time, his fair skin turning slightly red, a hint of embarrassment in his eyes, as he couldn't tell what it was.

"An unknown substance with a very special structure, it seems to be designed purely to give monsters an obvious yet difficult-to-attack weakness."

"I see." Su Ninglong couldn't hide her disappointment. "I was hoping to find rare refining materials. This game is too stingy. Is there no other way to get stronger besides fighting monsters and leveling up?"

Shen Zhaoming chuckled: "You really think this is a game?"

“Of course not.” Su Ninglong raised an eyebrow. “But designing a complete game process isn’t easy, is it? Since you’ve already made it, why not make it even better? That way, people will be more engaged.”

Her tone carried genuine regret, as if she were heartbroken that a game had been ruined, but in reality, she was simply disappointed that she hadn't been able to find more exploitable vulnerabilities.

Shen Zhaoming took the beef jerky Su Ninglong offered and began to chew slowly. The bloody environment did not affect his appetite; he noticed that the hunger level on his character panel had finally risen back to eighty percent.

Su Ninglong smiled and said, "I don't know if this data is accurate. If it is, it would be very useful for people who want to lose weight."

She recalled the common saying "70% full" or "80% full," which ultimately meant not being full. But when faced with delicious food, the concept of "full" was far too vague.

“Actually, there are nanorobots that control appetite,” Shen Zhaoming casually added. “They can be implanted in the stomach and automatically regulate food intake.”

Su Ninglong was speechless for a moment. Having never needed to think about losing weight before, she was surprised to learn that even interstellar people had such advanced methods for weight loss.

The dissection process took only about ten minutes.

After Su Ninglong determined the direction, the two continued eastward (the direction of Rizhao is temporarily considered east).

This choice was not arbitrary; the blood-red sun in the sky had remained suspended on the same side, radiating an ominous light, and had not moved an inch in the past half hour.

This is far too deliberate.

The direction indicated by the blood-red sun was precisely the city center.

Since Shen Zhaoming is set up as the behind-the-scenes boss of the research institute, he must be shouldering some kind of mission, even though he himself has not yet realized it.

Having found nothing at their previous lodgings, the only clue they have now is to search in the area where monsters are most concentrated.

Moreover, no hunter would ever miss the exit direction indicated by the Blood Sun.

They can use this opportunity to observe, and perhaps they will run into Lei Qingya and Tong Zi.

The two dealt with five more blood beasts along the way.

Su Ninglong advanced to level three, and her strength recovered to the second level of Qi Refining.

Her expression suddenly changed, and the chilling aura lingering in her dantian once again attempted to erode her.

Although it could not break through the dantian's defenses to spread throughout the body, it still stubbornly lingered.

"I need to find a place; I must deal with the erosion problem." On the character panel, the erosion value, which was originally only 1 or 2 points, has now soared to 20.

Perhaps because she was exceptionally sensitive to energy, at the very beginning of the invasion, the aura was like ice water suspended in her dantian; the pain was not intense, but it was impossible to ignore.

Her consciousness continued to resist.

Like mold growing in the corner of a wall, a chill is seeping out from the smallest cracks in my heart, spreading on its own.

Seeing that they were about to reach the exit, Shen Zhaoming was not in a hurry.

He realized while traveling with Su Ninglong that the moment they escaped the villa area, the punishment mechanism might be triggered again, and Su Ninglong needed to be prepared to ensure their safety.

Su Ninglong immediately sat cross-legged on the ground, her consciousness sinking into her dantian, carefully observing the two inner cores that were slowly intertwining and rotating.

During the rotation process, the inner elixir will always retain a small amount of cold and yin energy.

Instead of eroding the dantian as expected, these energies were gradually torn apart by the power generated by the rotation. When they shattered, in addition to releasing a bone-chilling cold, they also left behind pure spiritual energy, which was then absorbed by the dantian.

Su Ninglong was stunned: Is this a case of turning misfortune into blessing?
She couldn't help but curl up her lips.

Standing guard by the window, Shen Zhaoming spoke without turning his head: "Your smile is making me depressed."

These words carried a hint of personal grudge, a form of revenge for Su Ninglong's earlier mockery of his disheveled state.

Su Ninglong glanced at it indifferently, her eyes clearly saying, "Try saying that again."

Shen Zhaoming lightly touched the bridge of his nose and suddenly felt a chill down his back, as if caterpillars were crawling on his skin, raising goosebumps.

"Your smile heals my heart, okay?"

Seeing Su Ninglong close her eyes and concentrate again, he couldn't help but smile slightly, the deep tenderness in his eyes bringing his whole face to life.

Shen Zhaoming's bone structure perfectly supports his refined appearance, and this charm will likely only become more profound with age.

The data flow in the game world was too complex to completely block out interference, so he had to put his glasses back on.

At this moment, Su Ninglong quietly accelerated the circulation of her dantian, drawing in all the cold, yin energy.