Translator: AnubisTL
The flames flickered gently, drifting outward from the cave entrance.
Seeing this, Chen Jiang let out a small sigh of relief. "The fire's drawing outward. It's likely a dead-end cave with no other exits."
He then positioned the Steel Sword Autonomous Turret beside him, blocking the cave entrance.
Pulling three tear gas grenades from his pocket, he tossed them up and down a few times, clicking his tongue. "I have to admit, these single-use items are really handy."
It would be much simpler if this cave had no other exits.
His main concern was that one or two might slip away and ambush him later.
He could have simply set the cave on fire to smoke them out, but there was a settlement of human players nearby—their allegiances unknown—and the wilderness behind the cave teemed with mutated beasts.
If he made too much noise, the human players might not die, but they'd certainly have a hard time escaping.
Chen Jiang exchanged a glance with Scar Dog.
Without hesitation, he activated the Steel Sword Autonomous Turret and hurled the three tear gas grenades deep into the cave.
The grenades bounced off the walls, clattering and rolling deeper into the darkness.
Meanwhile, inside the cave, the group had gathered, their faces twisted with grief and fury as they argued.
"Boss, we can't let this go unavenged! If it weren't for our human race innate ability—that extra life—we'd all be dead right now!"
"Exactly! We offered them an olive branch, a gesture of goodwill, and what did they do? They opened fire without a word!"
"Enough!" The leader, his face dark and grim, snapped coldly, "Revenge? With what? We lost all our items back there."
"You saw that turret! What are we supposed to use to stop it? Our heads?"
"But we won't forget this."
"A gentleman's revenge takes time, not rash action."
"We need to be smart, understand?"
"Xiao Si, go find Old Stick at the abandoned mine. Tell him we encountered a human player with a talent for enhancing weapons using scrap items. He'll be interested."
"Xiao Wu, write a note, wrap it in a stone, and throw it into the ruin field security room. Just say the guy's a human player."
"I don't know what he was doing at the ruin field, but openly contacting the mechanical race means he's definitely hiding his human player identity."
"And you."
The man turned to the woman beside him, his tone softening slightly. "Why didn't your talent work this time? Investigate the cause yourself."
He deliberately avoided mentioning the woman's talent by name. After all, the men around him had gathered because of her ability. How could he reveal it so openly?
Just looking at the men—their faces contorted with righteous anger, yet their eyes flickering with fear—revealed they were already terrified of him. The only reason they didn't show it was to avoid losing face in front of the woman they admired.
Through such methods, he had amassed a considerable following. But for some reason, her talent had suddenly failed this time.
Just then—
Several muffled explosions erupted within the cave.
The leader froze, instinctively turning to see smoke grenades detonating in an instant.
He reacted swiftly, dropping to the ground and growling, "Cover your mouths and noses! Hide and wait for them to rush in!"
Clearly, someone was targeting them.
Though they didn't know which group it was, their best course of action was to hide and deliver a fatal blow when the attackers charged in.
In an instant—
These men, who had survived three months of life-or-death struggles in the wilderness, were no pushovers. They scattered immediately, hiding in various corners of the cave, clutching stones in their hands.
Their firearms and items had been lost at the site of their first deaths.
Now, they could only rely on stones picked up from the ground as makeshift weapons.
Yet after waiting patiently for over ten seconds, there was no sign of the attackers rushing in.
But—
They couldn't endure much longer.
Their eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming down their faces. Each breath of the white smoke felt like inhaling volcanic ash, burning with searing pain.
Their heads began to spin.
At this rate, they wouldn't last much longer.
The leader steeled his resolve, his bloodshot eyes glaring as he coughed and growled, "Charge out and fight them! If we stay here, we'll all suffocate!"
Meanwhile, outside the cave, Chen Jiang and his companion stood on either side, gripping their weapons and patiently waiting.
Finally—
Shortly after the smoke grenade detonated, a flurry of chaotic footsteps echoed from within the cave.
Simultaneously, the turret positioned at the cave entrance began to slowly rotate its barrel, unleashing a relentless barrage of firepower that proclaimed the lethal allure of guns and cannons to the world!
Brrrrt!
A relentless stream of glowing projectiles streaked into the cave, one after another.
Thud, thud.
The muffled sounds of bullets piercing flesh mingled with agonized screams.
After about a minute or two, silence fell.
Chen Jiang and his companion remained outside the cave.
By now, the smoke had begun to drift outward, but fortunately, the darkness of night concealed it somewhat.
As the smoke gradually dissipated, Chen Jiang and his companion strode into the cave, weapons in hand, to finish the job.
Seven or eight corpses lay piled at the cave entrance, evidence of those who had charged toward the exit only to be mowed down by the Steel Sword Autonomous Turret.
"One," Chen Jiang murmured, his face impassive as he raised his rifle and methodically shot each corpse in the head.
"Two."
"Three."
"...".
Soon,
Chen Jiang and Jiang continued systematically clearing the corpses until they reached the center of the cave.
Most had died during the initial charge, while a few men, paralyzed by fear, had collapsed within the cave. Chen Jiang now dispatched them one by one while they lay unconscious.
"Sixteen?" Chen Jiang frowned, his expression darkening slightly as he scanned the cave again.
It was indeed a dead-end cave with no other exits.
Yet when the group had first died, he had specifically counted seventeen bodies.
Now there were only sixteen? Had one escaped?
Just then—
He suddenly heard a faint, barely audible voice.
"Help... help me!"
Chen Jiang whirled around, his gaze snapping to the source of the sound. He saw the woman who had initially come to find them alone, her face deathly pale, hiding in a crevice in the rock wall, her head peeking out as she looked at Chen Jiang and Scar Dog.
Her voice trembled with pleading as she begged, "Let... let me go. I can give you what you want."
Seeing the slight upward curve of Chen Jiang's lips, she suddenly felt emboldened and added, "I'm very... you won't be disappointed."
Chen Jiang strode to within three steps of the woman, stopped, raised his rifle, aimed at her head, and gently squeezed the trigger.
Bang.
"Seventeen."
Huff!
Chen Jiang exhaled in relief.
Now there was no need to worry about any lingering threats.
He could finally get a good night's sleep.
(End of the Chapter)
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