Chapter 166: Engineering Blueprint
Judging by the previous difficulty and the direction of the plot, Zhou Ning felt that perhaps only by keeping Arthas and Jaina could he stand a chance of completing this.
Because once Arthas and Jaina left the party, it meant losing a reliable tank and a controller. In fact, this run was practically a failure already. However, Zhou Ning wasn't planning on quitting the instance just yet—at the very least, he wanted to see what was coming next.
Following Varian Wrynn into Stratholme, a foul, decaying stench instantly hit his nose. Yet, on the streets, quite a few residents still bustled about, appearing as if everything was normal.
Zhou Ning had to admit—the sense of smell in this game was surprisingly realistic.
As he stepped through Stratholme's main gates alongside Varian, the screen zoomed out, transitioning into a cutscene.
Varian planted his sword into the ground and paused, turning back to Zhou Ning. "Hero, you shouldn't have come. But I'm glad, truly glad, that in what may be the final moment of my life, I get to fight alongside someone like you. I've backed down too many times in the face of that clown. From Stormwind to Lordaeron, I abandoned my people and came to this forsaken land. But I'm done giving up. Now I have only one goal—to save those tortured by the Scourge from the hands of that madman... or to die honorably in battle."
Clap clap clap!
A round of applause echoed from nearby. The "clown"—a twisted version of himself dressed in a purple suit and grotesque clown makeup—stepped out from the shadows, clapping as he walked. Behind him trailed a brooding middle-aged man and a grotesque abomination cobbled together from rotting flesh.
"Well done, young king!" the Mad Clown's lips curled into an exaggerated grin as he praised gleefully. "You remind me of an old friend. A dear, long-lost friend. And you, adventurer—your courage impresses me as well. To celebrate our reunion, I've brought you a little gift... a grand surprise!"
Zhou Ning couldn't help but twitch his lips—this was his first time meeting another version of himself in a certain twisted sense. Based on his guess, every parallel world template truly existed—they weren't just cold, lifeless models.
It was hard for him to imagine what sort of personal tragedy this alternate self must've endured to become such a deranged clown—a textbook case of a performative personality, utterly opposite from Zhou Ning's own reserved and grounded nature.
The clown turned and looked at the middle-aged man.
"Got a light, Putress?"
"My pleasure!"
A small Molotov cocktail flew from the man's hand, igniting a nearby fuse. A moment later—boom!
Dazzling fireworks erupted all around them, shooting high into the sky. Quite a few townsfolk even paused to watch curiously. As far as cutscenes went, this one—especially from a zoomed-out angle—was quite a visual spectacle.
The Mad Clown raised both hands like a conductor cueing the audience to applaud, laughing wickedly. "As you can see, the residents here have long since been infected by the plague. The flame of life in Stratholme will be extinguished forever... and you—what can you possibly do?"
The camera zoomed back in. The cutscene ended, and in an instant, all the townsfolk on the street threw back their heads and roared, transforming into undead and mindless zombies that began wandering the streets.
So densely packed, it triggered Zhou Ning's trypophobia.
Zhou Ning: …
Can someone tell me how the hell I'm supposed to deal with this?
Watching the gruesome scene unfold, Varian could no longer suppress his fury. He raised his greatsword and charged at the Mad Clown, but the latter twisted his body in an unnaturally awkward way, narrowly dodging the strike. In a blink, the purple-suited figure reappeared some distance away, snapping his fingers.
[Instance Phase Two: "Purge Stratholme" has begun.]
Zhou Ning and Varian both experienced a brief moment of stiffness, and a new debuff, "Fatigue Curse," appeared in Zhou Ning's status panel.
"Knowledge is power!"
Twin bolts of lightning flashed in his eyes as Zhou Ning silently recited his clan's motto. Without hesitation, he activated his racial trait, firing two rounds from his Ebony and Ivory pistols directly at the clown.
"Oh?" A bullet hole appeared on the Mad Clown's purple suit. Above his head floated the number "-420." He narrowed his eyes and stared in Zhou Ning's direction.
Mad Clown · Zhou Ning
Level: 62
Template: Boss
Race: Human
Class: Warlock
Attributes:
Strength 85, Agility 155, Vitality ???, Spirit 174, Willpower 85, Charisma 98
Emotion: Calm
HP: 4150 / 4570
Status: Healthy
Special Traits:
Shadow Resistance (Shadow Resistance +100%)
Legendary Juggler (Unmatched bodily perception and coordination)
Weakness Insight (Can easily identify and exploit enemy weaknesses)
Notorious (50% bonus to fraud, coercion, and brainwashing techniques)
Lightning Reflexes (Reaction speed +25%, bonus Agility +20)
[Other traits unknown]
Skills:
Shadow Bolt (Master-level)
Blink (Expert-level)
Raise Dead (Master-level)
Marksmanship Mastery (Expert-level)
[Other skills unknown]
So he's just cheating now, huh? A whole mess of legendary and elite perks, and somehow he's even above the current level cap? How the hell is anyone supposed to fight that?
Just then, the Mad Clown snapped his fingers again, and a massive horde of wandering zombies surged toward the pair.
As the ground visibly trembled, Varian's arms tensed. He charged into the swarm, greatsword swinging with fearless resolve.
Fortunately, among this group of zombies, only three were elite-class; the rest were just regular mobs. Despite being heavily outnumbered, Varian held his own effortlessly. A well-timed Thunder Clap cracked the earth beneath them, slowing all nearby enemies.
With Zhou Ning's high DPS, the horde didn't last long under their combined assault. One of the zombies even generously dropped a blueprint.
Schematic: World Amplifier
Use: Teaches you how to craft a World Amplifier.
World Amplifier – Epic (Purple)
Use: Magnifies the entire world for 10 minutes or until you attack an enemy.
Cooldown: 60 minutes
Note: Only cutting-edge Gnomish technology could create a device that alters the world.
Requirements: Intermediate Engineering or Intermediate Precision Machinery
Well, that was a pleasant surprise. Zhou Ning raised an eyebrow as he picked up the blueprint. He hadn't expected such an interesting drop.
This was a unique schematic from World of Warcraft, and its learning requirement wasn't too high—he could craft it right now if he wanted. Then again, whether it was truly useful depended on how it was used. Mishandled, it'd be nothing more than a toy.
Zhou Ning learned it on the spot. After a brief cooldown, the second wave of zombies spawned. To be honest, they weren't all that difficult. Zhou Ning's output rivaled an entire average player party, and his survivability far surpassed ordinary players. Varian, meanwhile, was the perfect blend of tank and damage dealer.
The annoying part was that the interval between zombie waves kept shrinking. During this time, the Mad Clown also began erratic hit-and-run harassment. Though he didn't launch a full assault, he kept flitting in and out of range, casting various debuffs and curses to wear them down. It was absolutely infuriating.
Only now did Zhou Ning realize a major weakness of the Gunslinger class: it was too focused on single-target damage, severely lacking in AoE abilities. His only AoE option was Conqueror's Haki—but in such a prolonged battle, he simply didn't have the stamina to sustain it.
After dispatching the fifth wave, the game interface displayed a notification:
[Optional Quest 2: "Eliminate 100 Reanimated Zombies" completed. You've earned 70,000 experience points.]
By this point, Zhou Ning's clan trait had long since expired, and his stamina bar was depleted. After surviving nine waves, an Abomination named Ramsden the Swallower entered the fray—becoming the final straw that broke the camel's back. Zhou Ning couldn't hold on any longer, and in a flash of white light, he returned to his camp.
Opening his pocket watch, he checked the time—he had spent nearly a full day in the instance, though only about five minutes had passed in the real world. The time flow was completely different.
[Instance "Purging of Stratholme" Failed]
Recalling the details of the run, Zhou Ning couldn't help but twitch his lips.
That... was just insane.
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