Chapter 41: Combat Power of 20

The reaction of the water bandits was exceptionally swift. Utilizing the position from which their companion had been shot, they quickly determined the approximate direction of the attack.

Crying out, they brandished their weapons, raised their shields, and scattered, charging directly toward the giant boulder where Li Xia was positioned.

The water bandits skilled in archery drew their bows to the limit and loosed their arrows straight at Li Xia.

"Clang!"

An arrowhead struck the rock, chipping off a white mark, and ricocheted past Li Xia's ear.

Li Xia took a breath. As expected of water bandits in Middle-earth, both their accuracy and power were quite astonishing.

The monocle clearly marked the source of the arrows. Li Xia immediately shifted the muzzle slightly, aligning the baseline in the monocle with the archer.

"Bang!"

The recoil transmitted through the bipod to the ground, kicking up puffs of dust. The archer's head exploded like a watermelon.

These flesh-tier one water bandits were completely incapable of withstanding a sniper rifle headshot; it was truly one shot, one kill.

[Water bandit killed. Current quest objective: 17]

Not only that, two more lagging water bandits were silently shot down by Numbers 1 and 2, collapsing onto the ground and foaming at the mouth.

Working the bolt swiftly, a bright yellow, steaming cartridge casing flew through the air.

Another water bandit fell with a miserable scream, convulsed for a moment, and went still.

[Water bandit killed. Current quest objective: 16]

"There are more people in the back!"

Finally, some of the water bandits discovered Numbers 1 and 2, who had been sniping from behind all along, and shouted angrily.

By this time, however, a full six men had been paralyzed by spider venom and had collapsed to the ground.

The remaining ten individuals fell into a brief panic, unsure of whom to attack.

At that moment, loud shouts rang out from inside the tent. As if instantly finding their backbone, the water bandits struck their shields and split into two groups, charging toward the positions of Numbers 1 and 2.

"I'll flay your skin and drink your blood!"

Accompanied by a roar, a tall man clad entirely in armor charged out of the tent.

[Water bandit leader Pophis has appeared]

The prompt from the Hall of Light carried a faint red hue, and the monocle beeped continuously.

[Combat Power: 20]

A combat power of 20—this was the highest combat power Li Xia had seen thus far. Even factoring in equipment, this water bandit leader's personal strength was definitely not low.

When the numerical values were small, the Scott Combat Power Tester was relatively reliable.

However, its inability to display weaknesses on the panel was exposed once again. If possible, Li Xia would much rather know the enemy's stat panel.

Taking a deep breath, he locked the crosshairs onto the water bandit leader.

"Bang!" Another crisp gunshot rang out. Just as he was being targeted, Pophis suddenly lifted a small shield to block in front of his head.

A flash of light appeared on the small shield, and the bullet, which was powerful enough to pierce 22mm armor steel plate, was directly deflected.

Li Xia's pupils constricted. A magic shield?

Inside the monocle, a savage grin appeared on Pophis's face. Striking the shield with a gleaming short sword, he charged straight toward Li Xia's position.

A distance of one hundred meters was not long. Li Xia put away the TAC-50; bullets were expensive, and the points he had acquired were at most enough for one more Void Magazine replenishment.

The pitch-black Night Silence slowly materialized in his outstretched palm. The moment his palm met the rifle barrel, the anti-slip engraved texture felt exceptionally comfortable.

It felt as though, at this very moment, the long spear had truly become an extension of his limbs.

"Hiss————"

The whistling sound of rapidly surging airflow echoed near his lips, his heart thumped heavily like a beating drum, and the blood throughout his body began to accelerate at that moment.

Total Breathing: Concentration!

Two small, shallow craters erupted in the ground as Li Xia leaned forward, plunging downward with the aid of gravity.

The distance of one hundred meters vanished in an instant as the two charged at each other.

The long spear spun nimbly in his hand, coming to rest horizontally across his waist.

A cold flash appeared. His muscles first relaxed, then tensed to the absolute limit the instant he thrust forward.

Pophis's savage grin turned into astonishment. In that split second, he twisted his body with all his might, holding the shield with both hands in front of him.

"Clang——————!"

A massive roar akin to a striking bell echoed out. Dust billowed, and the shaft of the long spear bent upward into a shallow-arched curve.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant, followed by a loud "hum." The long spear rebounded violently. Li Xia stepped back a few steps, feeling his arms so sore and trembling that he almost lost his grip on the spear, and the web of his right hand was dripping with blood.

A flood of prompts refreshed like water.

[You have suffered recoil damage from the Shield of Argos. HP reduced by 21%]

[Your left arm has suffered a mild muscle tear. Strength output reduced by 5%, HP reduced by 3%]

[Your right hand has suffered a minor hairline fracture. Strength output reduced by 6%, HP reduced by 2%]

[Your thrust dealt 44.3% shock damage to Pophis]

Li Xia twitched the corner of his mouth and exhaled the stale air from his lungs. This shield... packs a punch!

However, Pophis on the opposite side was not having a good time either. He sat directly on the ground with a dazed expression, his left arm hanging limply at his side while the shield remained strapped to his arm, dangling along with it.

"Ugh," Pophis vomited a mouthful of blood and struggled to climb up from the ground, only to stagger around like a drunkard.

Li Xia gathered his breath once more, barely stabilizing the trembling in his hands, and thrust the spear forward again, though the force was much reduced compared to before.

The third-tier attack intensity of the Night Silence spear finally displayed its due power. The tip of the spear barely pierced Pophis's armor, only to be blocked by the chainmail underneath, penetrating a mere half-inch into his flesh.

Pophis let out a sudden cry of pain, evidently snapping out of the concussion.

With a gloomy expression, he looked at his broken left arm, wiped the blood from his mouth, and without a word, raised the longsword in his hand to slash horizontally.

Not only that, but the water bandits who had previously been kept occupied by Numbers 1 and 2 were also brandishing their weapons and charging forward with shouts, while the two archers were circling around to rendezvous with him according to Li Xia's prior orders.

Dodge-rolling past Pophis's longsword, Li Xia swept his long spear horizontally. The heavy shaft whistled through the air, striking Pophis in the abdomen.

Pophis, who had yet to recover from the concussion, turned pale and vomited a mouthful of blood once more.

Before Li Xia could follow up with another strike, the other water bandits had already arrived. Li Xia retracted the spear and swung it around in a counter-attack. A water bandit hurriedly raised his sword to dodge, but the moment the spearhead arrived, it was mysteriously drawn back, exquisitely bypassing the sword before lightly sinking into the bandit's face.

An axe whistled through the air carrying a vicious gale, chopping toward Li Xia's arms as he held the spear.

Li Xia released the spear. The water bandit's expression flashed with joy and he opened his mouth to shout, only to see the figure before him charge forward a few steps, closing the distance to his chest. Li Xia's left hand smoothly embraced and pressed down on the water bandit's right arm while stepping out with his right foot.

He punched the water bandit in the face, then released the arm and used his elbow to strike upward at the throat. This was precisely the Baji Quan close-combat striking technique known as the King of Hell's Three Point Strike.

With a crisp 'crack,' the water bandit's eyes bulged, clutching his throat while making a rattling sound as he fell backward.

Li Xia reached out and grasped the long spear protruding from another water bandit's face, pulled it out with force, and twirled the spear to flick away the blood on the tip.

With a light kick of his left foot against the butt of the spear, he planted it heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The spear vibrated twice as if imbued with life.

Zhongping Spear!

"Come!"