74: When the snipe and the clam fight, the sixth one comes from behind.

"Calm down!"

Chen Du grabbed Xia Lai's hand firmly.

Xia Lai's eyes were bloodshot. "That's my sister! She's right there! How do you expect me to be calm?"

"I know you're worried."

Chen Du ignored her questioning and said calmly, "But rushing in recklessly will just be feeding. Your sister needs powerful support, not another corpse to be buried with her."

"What we need to do is slaughter every player who shows their face on this road."

"Circling around the edge of the poison circle is both hunting and saving."

The entire area fell silent.

Li Yaozhi looked at Chen Du's cold profile, and her heart skipped a beat.

She originally thought this guy only knew how to joke around and take advantage, but she didn't expect his mind to be clearer than anyone else's at a life-or-death moment.

Is this... the quality of a leader?

Xia Lai was also stunned, the panic in her eyes gradually subsiding.

She wiped her face hard and gritted her teeth. "Fine! I'll listen to you! Whoever dares touch my sister, I'll tear their whole family into pieces!"

"That's more like it."

Chen Du snapped his fingers. "Let's go now! Target: Southeast!"

"By the way... let's go restock!"

...Leaving the relatively enclosed karst cave, the world outside was simply a living hell.

The sickly green poison mist was like a giant wall connecting heaven and earth, slowly churning a few hundred meters behind them.

Sizzle, sizzle—

The sound of trees being corroded by the strong acid poison mist made one's teeth ache.

The five-person squad moved quickly through the dense jungle, sticking to the edge of the poison circle.

"Hold your breath, imagine we are a gust of wind... a scentless wind..."

An Nuonuo rode on Lin Keke's back, her little face tense, hands forming seals, chanting under her breath.

As the Child of the Weather, this little loli was practically a stealth god.

She controlled the airflow to envelop everyone, perfectly isolating scents and sounds.

Along the way, several drooling Corrupted Hounds passed by them, completely failing to notice the living humans.

"Stop."

Chen Du suddenly raised his hand in a fist.

Ahead was a withered reed marsh, and a strong stench of blood drifted over with the wind.

Several player corpses lay scattered on the ground, looking like they had just died.

These unlucky bastards had been stripped clean of their equipment, not even a pair of patterned boxers remained.

Chen Du didn't waste anything, placing his hand on the corpses.

"Sacrifice!"

A dark red light flashed.

[Sacrifice Successful! Obtained: Compressed Biscuits x2, Hemostatic Bandage x1, life essence x1.]

[Sacrifice Successful! Obtained: Energy Drink x2, 999 Cold Remedy x1, life essence x1.]

..."Tsk, this batch of players is no good, dirt poor."

Chen Du shook his hand in disgust and stuffed the pack of cold remedy into his pocket. "Didn't save up much while alive, and even in death, they're despised."

Complaints aside, he didn't stop moving, lowering his body and leading everyone up a high earthen slope.

Parting the gaps in the withered reeds, the battle below was fully visible.

"That's..."

Xia Lai's pupils constricted, almost letting out a cry of surprise.

In the clearing below, two groups of people were engaged in a life-and-death struggle.

The scene was extremely brutal.

The side being besieged was the "Macho Group" they had seen on the human-powered dragon boat—the White Tiger Regiment.

Captain Brother Shan was covered in blood, waving a notched fire axe, leading his remaining two lackeys in a desperate struggle.

And the ones besieging them were a six-person squad.

This group coordinated extremely well, was well-equipped, and were cursing in an infuriating foreign language.

"Aishiba! Die, Huaxia pigs!"

"Seize all their supplies! Long live the Great Kimchi Empire!"

"Sticks from Kimchi Country?!"

Lin Keke was so angry her pink eyepatch went crooked, her fists cracking. "They dare bully us Huaxia people?"

"Sigh... but Brother Shan and his lot aren't good people either. I guess it's a case of 'evil meets evil'."

Chen Du narrowed his eyes, not in a hurry to act.

His gaze crossed the crowd and locked onto a tall, thin man at the back of the Kimchi Country team.

The man held no weapon but instead raised a wooden stake totem covered in runes.

He was chanting something, looking like he was performing a shamanic dance.

Whenever the totem flashed red, Brother Shan's movements would become sluggish.

"That's hard CC! A curse-type item or talent."

Li Yaozhi lay beside Chen Du, her tone heavy: "AoE slow and weakness debuffs. No wonder they can't use their brute strength and are being kited like dogs."

"Captain, should we do it?" Xia Lai raised her hand crossbow, aiming at the tall, thin man holding the totem. "I can blow his head off with one arrow!"

"What's the rush?"

Chen Du pushed down Xia Lai's hand crossbow, wearing a "camper's" smile.

He watched the battle below on the verge of collapse, his tone as indifferent as an outsider.

"Let them fight like dogs first."

"Wait until they've both suffered losses and used up most of their ultimate moves..."

Chen Du licked his lips, a hint of greed appearing.

"Then we'll go down and teach them a lesson."

"This is what they call—when the snipe and the clam fight, Grandpa gets the prize."

Down on the battlefield.

Brother Shan let out a roar of despair.

The light of Morale Boost exploded on him, but was suppressed by the totem's red light.

Puchi!

A stray arrow precisely pierced his thigh, bringing a spray of blood.

Brother Shan stumbled to his knees.

Before he could get up, an agility-type Kimchi Country player with a katana rushed forward.

A flash of the blade!

Ah—!

The arm of a lackey beside Brother Shan flew high, his scream heart-wrenching.

On the other side.

Xiao Gang was locked in battle with the remaining people, unable to return to help.

"korean expletive! You damn Huaxia pig, your bones are quite tough!"

In the center of the battlefield, the man as thin as a bamboo pole held the totem, a playful look on his face.

As the totem's red light flickered, ripples of weakness spread out, as if putting a gravity shackle on the area.

"Hungry servants from the abyss, come out and feast on your Sacrifices!"

Park Young-chang laughed sinisterly.

His withered fingers brushed the totem, and a string of obscure gibberish burst from his mouth.

Crack!

The earth exploded, and foul-smelling black gas gushed out.

Two pairs of rotting, bone-deep ghost hands with hooked nails burst from the ground!

Those were two Ghouls dripping with corpse fluid, their eyes burning with green fire!

Taking advantage of Xiao Gang's sluggishness, they moved into his blind spots and bit down hard on his thigh and shoulder from both sides.

Although they couldn't bite through his hardened skin, their brute force pinned Xiao Gang in place.

"Brother Shan... I can't hold on..."

Xiao Gang knelt on one knee, gritting his teeth: "These sticks are too sneaky... that totem is suppressing your morale aura completely!"

"Fuck!"

Brother Shan's eyes were bloodshot, looking like they were about to pop out.

He wasn't afraid to die, but this way of dying was too frustrating!

These Kimchi Country guys wouldn't face them head-on at all!

That Park Young-chang was also a disgusting Necromancer. Combined with the slow totem, he had kited them to death!

"Even if I die, I'll knock out two of your teeth!"

Brother Shan roared to the sky, forcibly squeezing out the last bit of strength in his body.

Talent Morale Boost—Deathburst!

Even if his meridians were to snap the next second, he was going to bite off a piece of flesh right now!

...The high slope reed marsh.

Several pairs of eyes were staring coldly through the gaps in the reeds at the struggle of the cornered beasts below.

"Tsk, tsk, how tragic."

Xia Lai held her newly made hand crossbow and complained indistinctly: "Wasn't this Brother Shan pretty arrogant at sea? How did he end up in this state once he hit the ground?"

"He's being countered."

Li Yaozhi lay nearby and analyzed: "The one with the totem is the core. The weakness aura has a fifty-meter radius, full coverage."

"If he isn't taken out, that morale-boosting skill is just for show."

"So when do we strike?"

Lin Keke was a bit eager, the small crossbow bolt in her hand trembling. "I can already see the Star of Death flashing over that guy's head!"

"What's the rush?"

Chen Du half-squatted on the ground, his Golden Wheel Pupils constricting slightly.

Truly a patient camper.

"Let those sticks wear them down a bit more."

"Wait until Brother Shan forces out their life-saving trump cards, then we'll enter the field to harvest."

After saying that, Chen Du turned his head, his gaze scanning the women.

His look was... meaningful.

Xia Lai felt her skin crawl under his gaze, instinctively covering her collar: "What? Capitalist, that look of yours is very 'criminal'!"

"Cough, well..."

Chen Du reached out with a righteous face: "The battle is urgent. For the team's victory, for world peace... Second Sister, let me borrow your undergarments."

"Huh?!"

Xia Lai's eyes widened, nearly smashing her crossbow into Chen Du's face: "Are you sick! Is your 'addiction' acting up again?!"