20: Chapter 20 Leading a Team on an Exploration Trip.

Dormitory 9001 was dead silent, with only the large screen on the wall emitting a cold, pale glow.

In the upper right corner of the screen, the time had just jumped to exactly seven o'clock.

At this moment, with a creak—the single wooden door was pushed open from the inside.

Lin Qing walked out looking refreshed, holding Su Mengmeng by the hand.

The girl beside him had a blushing face, the flush around the tear mole at the corner of her eye had not yet faded, but her walking posture exuded an indescribable stiffness.

Su Xixi, leaning against the wall, turned her head at the sound. Seeing the two holding hands, she ground her teeth audibly.

Bastard!

Big jerk.

You've finished grinding the rewards, and you're still holding hands and won't let go?!

"Oh my." An Mumu rushed over at the first instance, her gaze scanning Su Mengmeng's body uninhibitedly.

"Look at how red our Mengmeng's little face is! It's like a ripe peach, tsk tsk..."

"The two of you plowed deeply for a whole night. The battle results... how are they? Did you grind out a heaven-defying trump card?"

Su Mengmeng felt completely uncomfortable under her gaze and instinctively wanted to hide behind Lin Qing.

"Mumu, stop fooling around, let's talk about serious business." Bai Nian's expression was solemn, directly interrupting the impending out-of-control Shura field.

She hadn't slept for half the night, and her eyes were full of bloodshot veins, but her energy level was exceptionally high—evidently, the monster-grinding last night had brought her significant improvements.

Bai Nian looked at Lin Qing. "What is the reward? This determines our action plan and personnel deployment for today."

More than a dozen pairs of eyes instantly focused on Lin Qing.

Expectation, tension, and apprehension were intertwined.

Lin Qing didn't beat around the bush either and directly snapped his fingers.

A pale golden halo radiated from him as the center, suddenly surging outward and instantly enveloping the entire dormitory.

The soft light swept across their bodies.

Inside the room.

All the girls trembled all over, and the fatigue accumulated from overnight fright was swept away in an instant.

"Th—this is what?"

A girl couldn't help exclaiming.

She moved her stiff shoulders, her body feeling as light as if dozens of catties of heavy load had been unloaded, feeling unprecedentedly relaxed.

"I feel... I can punch a cow to death right now!"

"Me too! My body feels so warm and comfortable!"

Lin Qing swept his gaze across the audience, watching their surprised reactions before slowly speaking: "An SSS-grade support aura skill, [Protecting the Crowd]."

"Within a ten-meter range around me, all friendly units recognized by me will have their defense, speed, stamina upper limit, and self-healing ability all doubled!"

The whole room drew a sharp breath.

Doubled?!

What kind of concept was this?

Bai Nian's A-grade talent, [Combat Mastery], was only five times her own physical quality even when activated.

But Lin Qing's aura was a group buff!

It meant that ordinary girls like them without combat talents could instantly see their physical qualities skyrocket as long as they were in the aura, comparable to professional athletes!

"This isn't all." A flash of coldness crossed the depths of Lin Qing's eyes, and his voice sank. "This skill also has a core trait—[Touch Void]!"

"Within the aura's range, your attacks will ignore all 'unselectable' states of the target!"

[Touch Void]? Unselectable?

Most of the girls were still a bit dazed.

But Bai Nian and Su Xixi reacted, their pupils instantly shrinking.

"You mean..." Bai Nian's voice was a bit tight, "Those invisible and intangible weird things will also materialize within your aura? Our physical attacks can directly harm it?!"

"That's right." Lin Qing hooked the corner of his mouth into an arc. "Care whatever underworld gadget it is. Even if a ghost comes, it still has to obediently take two big slaps!"

Awesome!

So fucking awesome!

The root of fear was often just insufficient firepower and ineffective attacks!

Now, these two problems were directly resolved by more than half through Lin Qing's skill!

What the hell was a hellish start!

As long as it can bleed, it's not called an anomaly; it's called an experience pack!

"I can fight too!"

Just as everyone was extremely excited, Su Mengmeng suddenly broke free from Lin Qing's hand and took a step forward.

She raised her fair and delicate hand, and the chill in her palm surged violently.

Click, click, click—

The water vapor in the air gathered instantly, and in the blink of an eye, an ice crystal exuding a chill condensed in her palm.

The air around the ice crystal seemed to be frozen, making the approaching An Mumu involuntarily shiver.

"This time I obtained the [Heart of Frost], which can condense ice elements to attack, and it also comes with slow, freezing, and cold poison erosion effects!"

Su Mengmeng's voice was soft and glutinous, her moist eyes staring straight at Lin Qing, but her tone was unprecedentedly firm: "During today's outdoor exploration, I want to go with you guys!"

Everyone was stunned on the spot.

This SSS-grade talent was simply too awesome!

In just one night, it turned a weak girl who couldn't even tie a chicken into a strong control ice mage?

Bai Nian glanced at Su Mengmeng's firm gaze, secretly raised an eyebrow, and then turned to look at Lin Qing. "Lin Qing, how should we decide the personnel for going out?"

Lin Qing glanced at his personal panel.

Ever since obtaining the Sentinel Token, he had been lying down and eating 20% of the life energy from nearly forty Goblins killed by Su Xixi and Bai Nian.

His life level had also reached the mid-stage of the Normal tier.

"Monitor, both you and Xixi have reached the mid-stage of the Normal tier. You will stay behind today. Yang Yating and An Muxi will cooperate with you."

"I'm not going out?" Bai Nian frowned.

"The base camp must have top-tier combat power holding down the fort." Lin Qing looked at her seriously and directly, "The monster door-breaking time is random. We also have to guard against malicious jackals outside. You have an A-grade combat talent, staying behind is the most appropriate."

Bai Nian thought for two seconds and approved of Lin Qing's arrangement.

Lin Qing turned around, and his gaze fell on Su Xixi and Su Mengmeng:

"The two of you will go out with me. With my bed shield and aura as a bottom line, we can advance and retreat freely."

"Xixi will focus on close-combat offense, and Mengmeng will handle remote output and crowd control, which is enough to cope with the vast majority of emergencies."

Lin Qing's arrangement guaranteed the combat effectiveness and fault-tolerance rate of the out-going team, and also took into account the defense of the dormitory.

Bai Nian and Su Xixi both nodded, indicating no objection.

"Wait! Add me to the count!"

A clattering sound of metal... no, wood collision sounded, and An Mumu crawled out from who knows which corner.

She wore wooden armor all over her body, and carried a wooden toolbox on her back. That styling looked precisely like a Spartan warrior going out to alms.

She stood in front of Lin Qing and puffed up her proud assets.

"Three people going out is too few. In case of unexpected situations, there won't even be anyone to spell us. I can be a meat shield... Worst case, I can help you guys move bricks and pick up trash!"

An Mumu's inner abacus beat loudly.

What a joke! She had just had dogshit luck last night and picked up an [Offspring Kindling] for free. This was a god-given opportunity!

If she didn't hurry up and go out with Lin Qing, the only 'sower', how could she get the moon first near the water?

Could she expect Lin Qing to run back to the dormitory on his own to 'favor' her?

She had to take the initiative!

Lin Qing looked at her unorthodox, eye-straining 'heavy armor', and the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching.

Be a meat shield? With your physique, are you sure you're not going to deliver 'meat' to the monsters?

However, what she said made some sense. An extra person meant extra strength, and picking up some spoils of war wasn't bad either.

"Fine, count you in."

...

A dozen minutes later.

Lin Qing led the three girls dressed in full wooden armor and pushed open the dormitory door.

The smell of blood in the corridor was even more pungent than last night, and the air was filled with a rotting stench.

The team had just traveled a short distance before stopping in front of the door of Dormitory 9006.

The wooden door was more than half open, and inside stood eight men and four women, all of them staring in a daze at the damaged door.

Their eye sockets were deeply sunken, everyone was injured, looking as if they had run out of a refugee camp.

There was one less person than yesterday.

Associated with that creepy chewing sound last night, Lin Qing instantly understood the end of that unlucky bastard.

Zhou Hao's lips were dry and cracked, his face was livid, and the depths of his eyes held heavy dark circles left by staying up late and fear.

The few lackeys behind him had evasive eyes. When looking at him, they carried a trace of fear and alienation, intentionally keeping a distance from him.

Lin Yawei stood docilely beside Zhou Hao, but when she saw Lin Qing's group, the malice in the depths of her eyes flashed by.

"Stop!"

Seeing Lin Qing, Zhou Hao forced himself to step forward, his bloodshot eyes greedily glancing at the kettle hanging behind An Mumu.

He looked at Lin Qing, pulling a smile at the corner of his mouth that was uglier than crying.

"Lin Qing, being classmates, trading for some water to drink, you wouldn't be so stingy, right? I'll trade with you... I'll trade with the intelligence we collected!"

Lin Qing glanced at him expressionlessly without even stopping his pace. "No, not trading."

The smile on Zhou Hao's face instantly froze.

"Lin Qing. We're all classmates, and Yawei is even your former teammate. We see each other all the time..."

"Are you teaching me how to do things?" Lin Qing sneered, not even lifting his eyelids.

Clang!

Su Xixi was too lazy to talk nonsense with him. With a backhand motion, she drew her short blade, took a step forward, and pointed the blade straight at Zhou Hao.

Su Mengmeng beside her also raised her hand at the same time, a trace of piercing chill like an invisible chain instantly locked onto Zhou Hao!

Zhou Hao's heart shrank violently, and his breathing instantly stagnated!

A fatal sense of crisis made all the hairs on his body stand on end!

How could this be?!

Only one night had passed, how could the aura of these two women be even more terrifying than those few Goblins from yesterday?!

Especially that short girl who looked soft, cute, and easily bullied—the moment she stared at him, Zhou Hao felt as if his blood was about to freeze!

He subconsciously took half a step back, and cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Just at this moment.

An unbearable itch surged up from the root of Zhou Hao's thighs!

That feeling was as if countless small bugs with barbs were frantically drilling and gnawing under his flesh and skin!

"Hiss..."

Zhou Hao's expression twisted instantly, his facial features squeezed together, and his hand uncontrollably reached towards his crotch, scratching through his pants.

Lin Qing looked at this eye-straining scene, his brows locked tightly.

"Good dogs don't block the way. Scram."

Too lazy to waste any more time, he led the three people and directly bypassed Dormitory 9006.

Watching the retreating figures of Lin Qing and the others, Zhou Hao trembled all over with anger, but the itch became more and more unbearable, making him wish he could cut that piece of meat off!

"Brother Hao..."

Lin Yawei leaned over, secretly glancing downwards, carrying a trace of malicious glee.

Her voice was suppressed extremely low, like a poisonous snake spitting its tongue.

"Lin Qing's dormitory, all the main forces are out! Dormitory 9001 now only has a bunch of useless weak women left... They definitely still have a lot of water!"

Zhou Hao turned his head abruptly, his bloodshot eyes staring straight at Lin Yawei.

The depths of his eyes were filled with madness driven to the extreme by the desire to survive and that piercing, bizarre itch!

"Go!"

While scratching, Zhou Hao roared at the lackeys behind him, looking like a mad beast.

"Go knock on the doors for me! Knock all the way from 9004 to 9010!"

"Tell them, Dormitory 9001 has water. Their main force... has all fucking gone out! Right now they're just a bunch of lambs waiting to be slaughtered!"

...

Outside the door of Dormitory 9001.

The short-haired girl in charge of keeping watch turned her head abruptly, fire spitting from the depths of her eyes: "Monitor! That grandson in Dormitory 9006 is shouting in the corridor, trying to instigate other dormitories to come and rob our water!"

Bai Nian grabbed the short blade on the table, her eyes icy.

"Courting death."

She tilted her head to look at the corner: "Muxi, pick up your weapons. Everyone, follow me!"

"Rob our water? Then we'll strike first! Do they really think our Dormitory 9001 is made of clay?"

An Muxi picked up a thick wooden iron spear and strode forward murderously.

Behind her, a dozen girls neatly brandished sharpened wooden sticks, following Bai Nian filing out, their murderous auras connecting into one!

Meanwhile, outside the door of Dormitory 9006.

Eight men and three women stood sluggishly in place.

Their gazes fell squarely on Zhou Hao, looking at him no differently than sizing up a lunatic.

"It itches... Holy shit, so itchy!!!"

Zhou Hao's just-moved hand lunged back like crazy, his nails frantically digging through his pants, and blood seeping out of the fabric.

"Fuck! Can't even fix a door, some dirty thing definitely came in last night and bit me!"

His eyeballs protruded, and just as he wanted to lift his leg to kick someone, his knees suddenly softened, and with a 'thud', he knelt on the ground.

None of the lackeys spoke up or moved a step.

With this fucking appearance of not even being able to stand steady, they still wanted to rob water?

Lin Yawei looked at Zhou Hao's miserable state and shrank back with disgust.

Having drunk dirty water yesterday, her throat was dryly coughing and itching, and Zhou Hao had even taken the opportunity to grab her hair.

She hated him to the extreme.

It just so happened that a boy was dragged away by a monster at night, and when the monster was feeding at the doorway, its saliva mixed with blood seeped into the crack of the door.

She had a flash of inspiration at that time. Taking advantage of others not paying attention, she scraped some foul blood, and this morning...

But this aftereffect was simply too terrifying.

Lin Yawei felt a chill down her back, vaguely regretting it somewhat.

If Zhou Hao was finished, where else could she find a dependable backing she could boss around in this ghost place?

Seeing that not a single person among the crowd made a move, Zhou Hao roared hysterically:

"Go! A lousy SSS-grade scared you guys until you peed your pants? Only four people went out, Lin Qing will undoubtedly die!"

This roar pierced through the gray mist, echoing all the way along the corridor.

Crossing Dormitory No. 9013, it slammed straight into that eerie vermilion door.

The moment the four words 'Lin Qing will undoubtedly die' fell.

Inside the door, red silks danced wildly without any wind!

A terrifying, chilly murderous intent burst out with a boom!

On the mahogany bed, the plump woman whose face was obscured by a maze abruptly opened her eyes.

Her gaze seemed to pierce through the stone bricks, stabbing straight at the source of the sound.

But the next second, she seemed to have sensed something, and the monstrous murderous intent instantly receded.

On that gloomy and dead face, a gentle smile actually bloomed.