Chapter 51: Malicious Intent
Watching the brutal battle finally subside, Su Liu’s tense nerves relaxed just a fraction.
Though the masked player had won, the price was heavy. His towering, chilling skeletal dragon was on the verge of collapse, fractured in multiple places, the soul fires in its eye sockets dimming as if they would extinguish the next second. He managed to recall it back into his beast space with great difficulty.
The player himself was in an even more pathetic state. Half of his mask was shattered, exposing a pale chin and tightly pressed, blood-stained lips. His dark purple combat suit was covered in cracks and scorched marks, clearly marking him as being at the end of his tether.
Leaning against the cold cave wall, he panted heavily, his body trembling uncontrollably, every breath aggravating his internal injuries.
Shock and doubt swirled within Su Liu's mind. "Today is only the final day of the beginner protection period... To possess this kind of strength, and such a spirit beast! Even Moyu from the previous dungeon wasn't this exaggerated! Could they have some secret method to grow stronger ahead of time?"
The informational advantage brought by her rebirth had developed an unknown fracture at this very moment, sending a trace of unease through her.
Taking a gentle breath, she confirmed that the other party was temporarily incapable of paying attention to her, making this the optimal time to leave.
Pressing close to the shadows of the mine wall like a nimble fish, she silently crept toward the fork leading to the shallow zones.
One step, two steps... The light of the tunnel exit was already faintly visible.
Right at that moment, a cold, sharp gaze, filled with the greed and malice of a venomous snake, instantly locked onto her!
Su Liu’s body stiffened abruptly, and she slowly turned her head.
The masked player had raised his head at some unknown point. From beneath the remaining half of his mask, a pair of bloodshot eyes were staring straight at her.
There was no gratitude in that gaze, no curiosity, only naked appraisal and... chilling calculation.
His eyes swept over the durability-depleted steel pickaxe in Su Liu’s hand, drifted across the cute and harmless-looking little plush ball, and finally landed on Su Liu’s slightly "plain" attire.
A microscopic smirk, mixed with exhaustion and cruel contempt, curled the corners of his mouth.
"Hmph..." A suppressed snort carrying the metallic scent of blood escaped his nostrils.
He moved his body with difficulty, bracing against the cave wall in an attempt to stand firm, but his body swayed and he almost fell over again.
Clearly, forcibly driving that kind of power to repel the elite guard had cost him a horrifying price.
Yet this weakness only deepened the sense of warning in Su Liu’s heart.
A true beast was most dangerous when on the verge of death!
Sure enough, the man spoke in a halting voice, raspy like sandpaper grinding:
"Heh... To think... hiding over there... A scavenging bug... dares to come... to a place like this?"
His words were filled with condescending disdain, alongside an undisguised greed.
Su Liu understood instantly: this person held utter contempt for her, believing her strength to be insignificant, yet she had appeared deep within the mine. It was likely she harbored something valuable on her person. Coupled with his severe injuries and urgent need for supplies, his intention was clear—silence her!
After all, a player capable of fighting an elite guard under the restriction of rules possessed methods and secrets of inestimable value; they must never fall into the hands of others!
Being extremely weak at the moment, he would certainly not let go of any target that might threaten his secret or from whom value could be extracted.
Su Liu’s heart sank, but her mind was operating at over-capacity.
Panic could not solve problems; the experience and poise of a transmigrator were pushed to their absolute limits at this moment.
An expression mixing terror and ingratiation instantly bloomed on her face. Her body shrank back slightly, her voice trembling visibly:
"B-Big brother... Please don't misunderstand! I just... I just got lost! I didn't see anything! I'm leaving right now... I'm leaving..."
While speaking, she carefully backed away, her hand seemingly unconsciously tightening around the pickaxe handle, vividly portraying "weakness" and "fear."
Simultaneously, a faint mental command was rapidly transmitted through her contract with Tuanzi:
[Tuanzi, get ready! On my command, cast 'Void Trace', aim at where my pickaxe points! Create the biggest commotion possible! Pretend a new elite guard has arrived! Target—distract him!]
Receiving the command, Tuanzi didn't understand the entirety of it, but it sensed the intent to kill.
It lowered its body, its tail taut, its azure pupils locked onto the masked player.
Seeing Su Liu’s cowardly appearance, the masked player’s contempt deepened.
An idiot who could reach this place relying on a steel pickaxe might just harbor a bit of small luck.
Drain the supplies first, then... The killing intent in his eyes nearly condensed into substance.
"Wait!" He forcefully gathered his breath, raising his voice with undeniable command,
"Throw... your pickaxe... and everything... on your body... right over here! I'll spare... your life!"
He panted, his other hand seemingly concealing some item in secret.
Su Liu sneered inwardly; this was precisely what she wanted!
To focus his attention entirely on extortion!
"H-Here! Take it! Take it all!" Su Liu’s voice shook as she made a motion to throw the steel pickaxe in her hand.
The very instant she swung her arm and the pickaxe left her grip—
"Void Trace!" Su Liu roared inwardly!
Tuanzi shared her mind and executed the command almost instantly!
A razor-sharp spatial tear violently ripped open on the mine wall slightly behind and to the side of Su Liu!
BOOM!!
Violent spatial fluctuations erupted alongside the massive sound of the mine wall shattering! Rock fragments flew everywhere! Dust filled the air!
This strike was not directed at the masked player himself—Su Liu remembered the restriction against attacking within the mine, and being executed by a guard was no joke—rather, it was meant to create chaos!
The commotion was so massive that in the silent mine, it sounded like a thunderclap on flat ground!
The masked player’s eyes constricted violently!
Severely injured and with dulled senses, the sudden thunderous roar of the exploding mine wall and the spatial fluctuations made him react by conditioned reflex: Another elite guard had been attracted by the commotion here!
This was the crisis response most aligned with his cognition and instinct!
His entire consciousness and remaining spiritual energy tightened instantly, driving him to instinctively defend or flee toward the source of the dust!
Right now!
The moment she hurled the pickaxe, Su Liu’s body was already in motion!
"Hourglass of the Hour of Chen! Partial Acceleration!" She sprang forward like a cheetah, her target not the masked player's front, but the mine wall at his back!
Simultaneously, a poisoned dagger—a tier-three poisoned dagger glowing with an eerie green light—instantly materialized in her left hand!
Choosing not to engage in a frontal clash, she used her momentum, utilizing the brisk footwork of the [Windstorm Tread], grazing past the masked player’s side with the tightest possible arc. In a flash, her arm lashed out like lightning!
Her target was the armpit of the arm he was using to brace against the cave wall—an extremely tricky and vulnerable spot close to his torso!
Slash!
Under the imperceptible acceleration of the "Hourglass of the Hour of Chen," the sharpness of the dagger reached its peak! The virulent poison tore through flesh! A neurotoxin was instantly injected!
"Ugh—!" The masked player emitted a short, sharp scream mixed with excruciating pain and astonishment!
Only when the true agony struck did he realize he had fallen for a trap! But it was too late!
The fatal numbness spread frantically along his nerves, adding insult to injury for his already heavily wounded body, freezing his movements completely!
His balance shattered instantly. The toxic paralysis, coupled with the mental shock from the spatial explosion sound, made his footsteps light and floaty, causing him to stagger—
Thud!
He crashed heavily to the ground, landing right upon the sharp mineral rocks that had just cascaded down from the explosion! Another muffled crunch of breaking bones echoed through the air!