The weapon refiner is not doing her job properly

Chapter 266 Blood Sun (13)

The contaminated area was gripped by a disturbing state of anxiety and fear.

No one knows what "Viper" is planning. He has no intention of winning over the people or consolidating his power; he simply wants to use force to keep the players firmly under his control.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier. Standing outside, Su Ninglong straightened her back, completely ignoring the biting cold brought by the rain.

She immersed herself completely in the torrential rain, and the abundant spiritual energy in the world made her feel incredibly refreshed.

My breathing gradually synchronized with the rhythm of the falling raindrops, and with each inhale, I drew in a vast amount of spiritual energy.

At this moment, she seemed to merge with the entire rain curtain, wielding the power of this world.

The rainwater was no longer just rainwater, but became an extension of her perception, with each drop conveying information about the surroundings.

She stood silently amidst the ruins shrouded in blood-red rain, preparing for the impending battle.

The cocoon of the corrupt weaver twisted in the rain, becoming clearer and clearer, while Su Ninglong's aura grew deeper and more restrained.

Su Ninglong finally approached the oval-shaped black shadows, which numbered in the hundreds and were closely arranged.

They pulsate slightly with a shared rhythm, as if countless corrupt weavers would tear open the cocoon walls at any moment.

The stench grew stronger, and Su Ninglong saw that the rainwater falling to the ground was being absorbed by the cocoon silk.

They also absorb spiritual energy; the more they absorb, the stronger they become.

The Taixu Sword pierced into the cocoon with force, and Su Ninglong felt a dull, sticky resistance coming from the sword, as if it were piercing through tough, rotten flesh.

Su Ninglong switched to her Void form, and the Returning Void Umbrella unfolded, shredding the flesh and blood inside.

However, she did not gain experience when she drew the Taixu Sword.

Not dead?

The Taixu Sword slashed horizontally, intending to tear open the black cocoon, but the cocoon was soaked in rainwater, which continuously provided repair capabilities to the cocoon silk.

It still didn't work. She had expected a major battle, but it turned out like this?
Su Ninglong frowned. Since cutting it wouldn't work, she would just break it apart.

Su Ninglong is not a sword cultivator and does not pay attention to sword intent, but having lived for so long and using the sword as her natal magic weapon, it is impossible that she does not understand it at all.

A spark of spiritual fire flicked from his fingertip, hovering above the black cocoon.

She is a weapon refiner, so her sword intent is naturally related to fire.

"Burn to ashes."

The intent of the Taixu Sword instantly transformed into countless slender yet deadly streaks of light, piercing through every pulsating black cocoon.

At the same time, the abundant spiritual energy stirred up the rain curtain, and every raindrop burst forth with pure sparks.

The flames weren't scorching hot, but rather like a golden crow patrolling the sky, their light intense and their power magnificent. They conveyed a sense of impending doom.

The black cocoon was burned and decomposed in silence, turning from a solid substance into ashes, and finally returning to utter nothingness.

Su Ninglong sheathed her sword, and more than a dozen black cocoons around her had been destroyed.

He only managed to destroy a dozen or so enemies after using his ultimate sword technique, and he only gained 1 experience point. He put in a lot of effort to get a meager amount of experience.

There are so many black cocoons here, and I'm only at level ten or so. My spiritual power is limited, and I'm powerless to do anything about it!

Su Ninglong frowned, unsure of what to do with the black cocoons.

She can't stay here and waste time and spiritual energy to solve this...

"Wow." Yin Leng opened his mouth and exhaled slightly, feeling the scorching killing intent outside, his mind was stirred. "How long has she been a hunter? It's too much like a cheat code. I remember she was still 'weaned' at that age."

"If you're so capable, say it again in front of Su Ninglong." Old Gu chuckled. With a powerful figure standing in front of him, he was so comfortable that he dared to spout nonsense.

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhaoming did not refute it. Su Ninglong was indeed a baby girl who had not been weaned and still drank a bottle of milk every day.

Unfortunately, as her strength increased, the chubby cheeks on her face disappeared.

Su Ninglong, still holding her sword, hesitated whether to continue killing.

The moment of hesitation, the sky cleared.

The blood sun remained in its original position, but the black cocoon, like a monster that only appears on rainy days, turned into smoke and burrowed into the earth.

Old Gu leaned against the window, peering out through the protruding windowsill: "Is it over?"

"No." Shen Zhaoming looked at his assigned mission. "There might be a tough battle ahead."

[Mission failed: Penalty in effect.]

His mission is to search for the lost experimental subject on his own.

Because of teaming up with others, a new round of penalties has been imposed.

"You've been here for so long, are there any more missions being issued?" Shen Zhaoming asked.

Although Lao Gu found his question strange, he still answered honestly: "Yes, it always has, but there's no time limit. As long as you reach level 30, they will issue the same task to find the laboratory's location. We've searched the whole map, but we haven't found it."

Shen Zhaoming pressed further, "Were there any previous missions that failed?"

"Of course there are. Failure will result in the loss of several purification crystals. Without purification crystals, monsters will be attracted." Old Gu's last word had barely left his lips when the corner of his eye froze.

At the edge of the field, where weeds once grew rampant, countless moving black dots suddenly appeared.

Shen Zhaoming lowered his eyes. The punishments came so quickly, each one more severe than the last, and the number of them was beyond his imagination.

He apologized, "It seems I've dragged you into this. My mission only has a punishment option, which can't be offset by purification crystals."

His gaze was fixed on the horde of monsters. With Su Ninglong present, he clenched his fist, rested his chin on his hand, and pondered the reason behind it.

It's normal for Blood Sun to want to remove a bug, since it's a bug in itself.

He did not interfere with the game's progress, and the number of monsters he killed was far less than that of Su Ninglong. He only generated a few pulse guns, which were not considered high-powered weapons.

Why would the "game system" be so alarmed, with punishments reaching such an extreme level? This is contradictory.

The punishment for level two or three is the Blood Slave Master, while the punishment for level ten or more is a monster horde.

What if he fails in the next mission? Wouldn't that mean the entire contaminated zone is targeting him? This doesn't conform to the core principle of any game's logic—balance.

Although Blood Sun is a contaminated area, it still has all the essential underlying game logic.

The game won't go to great lengths to fix minor bugs.

Hearing their conversation, Yin Leng suddenly turned to look at Shen Zhaoming, who was deep in thought. An absurd yet reasonable guess came to mind: "Did you get the identity of the lab's behind-the-scenes boss?"

Shen Zhaoming was stunned. How did he know?

"Have you met anyone who's had the same experience?" Yin Leng nodded, glancing outside. "Shouldn't we run away first?"

“If Su Ninglong stays outside, we don’t need her.” Shen Zhaoming’s trust had reached the point of blindness. Four-year-old Ninglong could handle the contaminated area on her own, and thirteen-year-old Su Ninglong already had the strength of a four-star hunter. Although her rating remained at three stars, she wouldn’t stay at that level for long.

Su Ninglong remained calm and showed no intention of escaping.

Yin Leng was no longer in a hurry. "The man who entered with me took this role card."

Shen Zhaoming's mind raced. Had someone else obtained the character card? Did that prove that the monster tide wasn't solely his fault, but rather a consequence of the character?

Shen Zhaoming relaxed a little.

Monsters emerged in waves, crowding the room and densely packed together.

Shen Zhaoming said, "They came for me. Can I ask you more details about the role later?"

Polite questions are like a breath of fresh air. Yin Leng thought Su Ninglong and her teammates would be more domineering, but she didn't expect them to be so approachable in private.

Yin Leng was someone who responded better to gentle persuasion than force, and since Shen Zhaoming didn't trigger any of her sensitivities, she readily agreed.

One minute later, the monster horde stopped pouring in. After two seconds of silence, a blood beast roared and charged toward its most obvious target, Su Ninglong.

Another group headed straight for Shen Zhaoming.

Fortunately, Su Ninglong was already able to use the Return to the Void technique, and with a single sweep, she knocked the monster to the ground.

She gave them a chance to advance, and they did not disappoint Su Ninglong.

They swiftly began reaping the lives of the monsters.

Unlike before, with Yin Leng joining, morale and combat power have greatly improved. The melodious battle song sung by Yin Leng has different amplification effects with different tones and rhythms, and can also speed up the replenishment of spiritual power.

Su Ninglong, Shen Zhaoming, and Lao Gu could feel their blood boiling involuntarily, their movements becoming smoother, and their condition remaining at its peak.

The four fought fiercely, their levels constantly rising, until the chilling aura became unbearable for each of them, finally ending the battle.

Exhausted to the point where they could barely lift their fingers, they helped each other back to the house.

Yin Leng sat down on the ground, watching with satisfaction as his experience bar leveled up, marking another significant step forward. After defeating a few more monsters, he would level up again.

Having the right teammates makes a world of difference in combat effectiveness.

Su Ninglong, with her umbrella on the ground, slid down the wall. Her long hair, which had been held up by a hairpin, had lost its support and hung down pitifully to her waist.

Her fingertips trembled, and she gasped for breath. It had taken her three spirit stones to annihilate all the monsters. Her heart was bleeding; the spirit stones could have been used for much better purposes.

However, they reaped a great harvest on this trip, with over a thousand monsters contributing one hundred and twenty spirit stones.

After dividing it up, each person would have thirty pieces. It was agreed that they would be divided equally, and Su Ninglong couldn't resist.

After Shen Zhaoming took them, he took out two of them and said, "I need to study its data. You can keep the others; it's inconvenient for me to store them."

Without further ado, Lao Gu also gave the spirit stones to Su Ninglong, saying, "I've already obtained several sacred artifacts from you. Outside, these are all worthless."

The two's strange behavior confused Yin Leng. Humans are social animals and are easily influenced by their environment, so he unconsciously loosened his grip on the spirit stone.

Does he also need to hand over a portion? But we agreed to split it equally; thirty purification crystals could be exchanged for more than three months' worth of food.

He secretly pinched the soft flesh around his waist; before entering the game, this fat had at least three layers. After entering the game, he was so tired that he had lost his touch, and sometimes he couldn't even pinch it anymore, he had to tighten it.

They were all hungry; he was terrified of hunger. In modern society, even the poorest person can eat nutritional supplements to fill their stomach. In the game, the only options are to rob or buy things at exorbitant prices.

"Don't you need to fight off the erosion? And do you have anything to eat?" Yin Leng wiped his face, brushed away the ice shards, and then used a purification crystal on the spot, which greatly reduced the chill.

“We have a big shot named Su, and purification crystals aren’t worth much outside.” Old Gu reached out to Su Ninglong cooperatively and said softly, “Thank you for your help.”

Su Ninglong nodded. Her character interface showed that her erosion level was already at its maximum, and the game had automatically categorized her as a monster. All her quests had disappeared.

It could be considered a bug, but it has flesh and blood and thoughts, and is still considered prey by monsters.

Under Yin Leng's curious gaze, Su Ninglong first purified Lao Gu, and Lao Gu's complexion visibly returned to a rosy hue.

"You...aren't you a combat-type hunter? How come you can even purify?"

"I don't purify spiritual power, I purify the degree of erosion." Su Ninglong spoke calmly, without any pride in this.

Yin Leng looked up at the ceiling, feeling melancholy.

Teacher Ren Bing lamented countless times that she was not destined to be with Lei Qingya and Su Ninglong; otherwise, any one of them would have achieved no less than her.

Now that I'm really close to Su Ninglong, I can somewhat understand Ren Bing's regret.

Her bizarre attire and resentful gaze were strangely jarring.

Su Ninglong asked, "Do you need it purified?"

Yin Leng tightened his grip on the purification crystal warily and asked, "Are you buying crystals?"

"No."

"Then why did they put the purification crystal with you?" Yin Leng wanted an explanation for this unusual situation. He wasn't some easily fooled idiot; why would Su Ninglong purify it for him for nothing?

Su Ninglong smiled, of course, to fool him into staying by her side so that she could purify her teammate at crucial moments. Mental pollution is different from erosion and is hard to guard against.

If you stay in the game for too long, the break point will also become invalid. Having an extra safeguard is always better than being helpless when something unexpected happens.

“I gave the sacred artifact to Old Gu, and he used the crystals to pay off his loan. As for Shen Zhaoming, he’s my brother, so he trusts me to put the things here.” In front of Yin Leng, Su Ninglong placed all the purification crystals into her spatial ring.

Yin Leng raised an eyebrow. "What's that? A spatial container?"

"Pretty much. The space is quite large, and I'll be bound to it." Su Ninglong smiled brightly, her smile incredibly sweet. Those who knew her knew she was scheming.

"If I give you all the purification crystals, can you make a container like this for me after we leave?" Yin Leng asked expectantly.

He believed that Lao Gu was right; purification crystals were worthless outside, and without any erosion that needed purification, they were all trash to them.

But things are different when they're in Su Ninglong's hands.

It is said that if the materials are valuable enough, Su Ninglong will help people forge weapons on a whim.

“That’s fine too. If you bring your own materials after you go out, it will cost you two thousand purification crystals. If I bring the materials, it will cost you four thousand purification crystals.”

Yin Leng, whose net worth was only a few hundred purification crystals, including what he had used before, immediately wilted.

"I don't have that many."

"After we leave, the remaining amount can be settled with star coins. One purification crystal is equivalent to three thousand star coins, how about that?"

Regardless of whether something is useful or not, and whether it's virtual or real, once it's linked to Star Coins, the purification crystals in this game world will soon be completely looted. At this moment, Yin Leng is dreaming of killing monsters.

Yin Leng took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "It's a deal."