Chapter 111 – Mission Complete
Bang!
Bang!
Two bullets, each wreathed in Armament Haki and Conqueror's Haki, struck Alva Roskin square in the forehead, cracking it slightly. Just as Zhou Ning was about to fire a third shot, that familiar sensation hit him again—a sudden dizziness in his head, as if his body's momentum and inertia had been tampered with. He plummeted to the ground and landed hard.
Zhou Ning's heart tightened. He forcibly suppressed the rising anxiety within him. Alva Roskin was already charging forward with heavy strides. Letting out a furious roar, his stomp on the ground produced a deafening BOOM!—his fist, raging with power, came crashing down at Zhou Ning.
The punch was lightning-fast. There was no time to dodge. Zhou Ning's mind raced as he quickly raised his forearm, cloaked in jet-black Armament Haki, to block the blow. At the same time, all sorts of gadgets—wrist-mounted darts and throwing knives—launched chaotically from the arm of his Phoenix Battle Suit toward Alva Roskin.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Alva Roskin didn't even blink. The darts hit his body but didn't leave a single mark—just the faintest, barely perceptible dip in his health bar. As shockwaves rippled outward, a torrent of brute force hit like a bursting dam. With 102 Strength, Alva's blow crushed through, but the tremendous defense provided by Zhou Ning's Armament Haki, combined with the enhanced defense and Strength buff from the upgraded Phoenix Battle Suit, mitigated the worst. Still, the number -89 floated above his head. He staggered back a step, the taste of blood thick in his breath.
[You were attacked by Alva Roskin (Lv.42). You lost 89 HP.]
"If it weren't for the Phoenix Battle Suit, my HP would've hit rock bottom!" Zhou Ning's expression was grave.
He still had about 120 HP left—enough to survive just one more blow. Time to go all in.
Moments later, Alva Roskin once again came chasing after Zhou Ning like a shadow.
Zhou Ning didn't hesitate—he rolled and tumbled toward a bookshelf to the side. His Observation Haki alerted him that Harrison Rivers was circling around from the other side.
As a master of explosions, it was time to blow something up.
Using the cover from his earlier roll, Zhou Ning had quietly planted a bomb at the intersection.
Half-crouched, a grin curled on his lips as he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
BOOM!
A crimson flame erupted beneath Harrison Rivers' feet. Fire and falling rubble engulfed him in an instant.
[Your bomb dealt 172 damage to Harrison Rivers!]
[Your bomb dealt 235 damage to Harrison Rivers!]
…
The damage was minimal, but Zhou Ning had never expected it to kill Harrison. All he needed was to stall him for a few seconds—to secure a brief one-on-one with Alva Roskin.
Taking advantage of Alva's momentary distraction from the explosion, the medium-sized mechanical unit that had been lying dormant in the corner suddenly rose and fired at him again.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullet after bullet struck Alva's back. The flintlock's firepower was weak, barely scratching him—yet, in the blink of an eye, Alva had already teleported to Zhou Ning's side. Zhou Ning suspected he'd used some sort of supernatural item that allowed short-range teleportation—but not repeatedly.
His speed stirred the fallen rubble into a whirling storm, shattering rocks into powder that danced like desert sand in the air.
Bracing against the wind, Zhou Ning squinted. In his mind's eye, a vision appeared once more:
"In approximately two seconds, Alva Roskin will be transformed into a skeleton by the curse."
At the same time, from the rubble, Harrison Rivers burst free—now towering over two meters tall, exuding a vile presence.
A strong sulfurous odor filled the air—he had transformed into a demon.
No hesitation. No panic. Zhou Ning quickly regained composure, his black eyes turning razor-sharp.
Then, a wave of invisible force surged from him in all directions.
Alva Roskin was immediately overwhelmed with fear, stunned for a brief moment.
Harrison Rivers, too, reeled as if struck by lightning, freezing in place.
Bang! Bang!
As predicted by Zhou Ning's Observation Haki, the seventh bullet from the medium mechanical unit finally triggered Pirate General Victor's curse effect.
A pale moonbeam shone from the void. Under its glow, Alva Roskin's three-meter-tall stone body rapidly shrank, transforming into a skeleton less than 1.8 meters tall.
[Pirate General Victor's Curse: Transforms the target into a walking skeleton. Defense reduced to zero. Weak to sunlight. Loses sense of fear and pain. Duration: 8 seconds.]
Though the curse's duration dropped from 30 seconds to 8 for Alva Roskin, it was enough. Zhou Ning had already raised his revolver and aimed.
Ripple Shot!
Intense ripple energy swirled around the bullet, which struck Alva's skeletal head with a crisp CRACK, releasing a plume of black smoke.
[Your Ripple Shot dealt 479 damage to Alva Roskin (50% damage amplification).]
[Alva Roskin is now under Ripple Burn: loses 2% HP per second for 10 seconds.]
"AAAHHH!"
Alva Roskin, now fully skeletal, let out a brief, high-pitched scream. His body froze mid-motion as golden flames erupted from his bones, trailing black smoke.
Zhou Ning didn't stop. He leveled the revolver at Alva's skull again and fired continuously.
Armament Haki-enhanced, Ripple-infused, wrapped in Conqueror's Haki—every shot howled forward, slamming into Alva's head.
"Wa—"
Alva tried to say something, but the word died in his throat. Moments later, his body reverted to its three-meter stone form.
Thud!
Life drained from him, and he collapsed with a thunderous crash. The entire room trembled. His eyes were frozen wide with disbelief and unwillingness.
[You have slain Alva Roskin (Lv.42) above your level. You gained 25,000 EXP. Bonus for defeating a higher-level target: +55,000 EXP.]
Harrison Rivers froze. His gaze toward Zhou Ning now brimmed with wariness. He had rushed over to assist Alva as soon as the fight escalated—he knew exactly how strong Alva was. Among supernaturals, he was elite. Even Harrison would struggle without using his clan's special ability.
Yet in just a few seconds, Alva had died to Zhou Ning's gun.
This ability that turns enemies into skeletons could pose a real threat to him, too.
At that moment, the five-minute duration of the clan ability expired. Zhou Ning's lips curled into a faint smile. He tapped a card in his inventory, recalling the mechanical unit with the flintlock in the corner.
Then, one by one, he deployed three more medium mechanical units onto the floor. They raised their guns at Harrison Rivers in unison.
Seeing the machines and recalling the skeleton transformation, Harrison's pupils contracted slightly.
Zhou Ning smiled and said, "That explosion just now must've drawn attention. Supernatural teams will be arriving any moment. Mr. Rivers, are you sure you want to continue?"
Harrison knew he was telling the truth. He clenched his fist, then slowly released it. A moment later, he chuckled and gestured politely.
Zhou Ning slowly backed away. Once he reached the door, he removed his half-height silk top hat and tipped it in farewell.
Not until he had fully exited 52 Wooden Gate Street did Zhou Ning finally breathe a sigh of relief, only to realize his back was soaked with sweat.
His stamina and HP bars had both been dangerously low—if Harrison Rivers hadn't been startled by his composure, this could've ended badly.
Zhou Ning didn't dare linger. He kept walking down Wooden Gate Street, all the way to a fork in the road, where he spotted a Supernatural team rushing toward the commotion.
At last, the mission prompt appeared:
[You have completed the A-Rank survival mission "Deadlock." You gained 95,000 EXP. You obtained Epic Vampire: Zhou Ning Character Possession Card x1. You obtained Mist-Lost London dungeon pass x1.]
(Support me and read ahead on Patreøn: patreøn.com/craxxtranslations.
3 new chapters are released daily—thank you for your support!
Powerstone Event: For every 50 powerstones, 1 chapter will be unlocked.)