Chapter 174

Chapter 174

Encountering such an issue, theoretically, one should cancel the operation first to adapt to the new body and get familiar with the newly acquired weapon.

But things were just that coincidental; it was 11:03 in-game, not far from the next day, and it would be a waste to forfeit a teleportation opportunity.

So he clicked "Confirm" and was quickly transported to another battlefield via particle transfer.

The viewers in the live stream watched dumbfounded as their trainee disappeared from head to toe, then the screen switched, and he reappeared from head to toe again.

"What if he gets attacked during the teleportation?"

"If his legs are attacked while his head has already been teleported, can he feel it? If the head that just got teleported is attacked before the hands arrive, can they fight back?"

These were all profound questions.

"I guess the teleportation process will be protected, like being turned into energy, making it impossible to attack." The Command Unit was also engaged in heated discussion. Trainees from other countries had quickly introduced the current situation of their trainees within the first few minutes of the game's start. It turned out they had indeed entered the game, a full-immersion holographic game.

Their planet’s holographic technology was still limited to high-end virtual meeting rooms, and they couldn't mass-produce holographic pods yet. So this was their first experience with a real holographic game.

Ji Xinghai spent a minute successfully teleporting. His fingers quickly flicked, warming up, but in reality, this data body seemed to require no warm-up; it was ready for combat at any time.

He was randomly teleported onto a bridge spanning a river, where cars were jammed, and people were running out of them, carrying children or important documents.

A few hundred meters away, a vaguely visible, massive monster was wreaking havoc on power equipment and nearby buildings. Its head was more formidable than a hammer, each strike causing buildings to crumble, resulting in countless human casualties. This creature also dragged a long tail, with a glowing red health bar above its head.

Ji Xinghai looked at the full health bar.

"Too early."

"Monster No. 707, named San Dao Fu, a C-level monster. Adult length ranges from 83 to 129 meters, weight between 21 to 28 tons. A physical-type monster capable of generating millions of tons of attack force with its head. Beware of its agile tail."

His watch beeped, displaying a picture.

It showed a four-legged monster with red and blue stripes. Its claws resembled those of a crocodile, connected by a webbing, likely allowing it to swim. It also dragged a long tail, with both neck and tail appearing very flexible. Notably, it had three raised exoskeletons on its head, shaped like axe blades, perhaps the origin of its name.

Ji Xinghai extended his thumb, squinted one eye, and estimated the creature's length to be around eighty meters, likely male.

Having traversed several worlds, he had encountered such giant monsters before, even becoming one himself in one world, giving him a certain level of understanding.

Generally, if related to insects, reptiles, amphibians, fish, or birds, females tend to be stronger than males. For mammals, males are usually stronger or about equal in strength, with little difference.

Observing its form, he guessed this was a reptilian monster and relatively weaker male.

At this moment, Ji Xinghai instinctively glanced at the monster's belly touching the ground, the eyes on either side of its head, and the well-hidden vital areas.

These should be considered weak points… right?

This weakness was relative. Around the monster flew many unmanned drones, firing bursts of flames, but all attacks left only faint black marks on the tough skin of San Dao Fu.

It must hurt, otherwise, it wouldn't be so angry. But the damage was minimal, evident from its agile movements and unchanged health bar.

Moreover, this creature was intelligent. It feigned injury, luring the flying drones to gather, then struck with its tail, destroying several drones and damaging others beyond use.

Can the game's natives see the health bar?

"Hit the weak spots! The health bar will drop!"

The spectators outside were anxious, wishing they could join the battle themselves. Ah, this game suits the players' constitution perfectly; they wished to participate!

"Huh? Does our Brother Hai play games? Does he know how to play properly?"

"…I suppose he does?"

No, Ji Xinghai hadn't played games before. He had been busy surviving, living cautiously every day. Of course, he knew what games were and recognized this as a game, with a large health bar displayed. Real monsters wouldn’t reveal their true condition.

But he didn't care. Even if this was a game, it should follow real-world rules.

Treat it as a life-or-death battle.

The monster was crawling toward the bridge, possibly heading for the water or the bridge itself. If it climbed onto the bridge, the reinforced concrete wouldn't support its weight, and the bridge would collapse.

Ji Xinghai knew he needed to leave the bridge quickly. To fight the monster, he had to stay alive first.

This body was as fragile as a newborn. Even if he ran, he lacked the agility to reach the monster. Even if he jumped onto it, he lacked the grip to hold on, potentially getting flung off by a single tail swing.

The disparity was too great; close combat was not feasible. Guerilla tactics were the way to go.

Seeing the approaching warrior clad in black combat gear, Ji Xinghai pondered how to share the spoils. He needed to cherish every opponent that could help him grow, to quickly gain independence and kill monsters for promotion.

Promotion within three days was the first hurdle of this exam.

Ji Xinghai thought about his only weapon: the basic light source gun.

The basic light source gun had two modes. Normal mode fired once per second, effective up to 120 meters, requiring eight hours of automatic recharge or five minutes of power recharge after ten shots. Abnormal mode had only one shot, effective up to 300 meters, also requiring eight hours of automatic recharge after a single shot.

Undoubtedly, abnormal mode had far greater attack power but lower tolerance for error.

If there was only one shot, where would it be most effective?

During an attack, all creatures instinctively protect their vulnerable parts with their tougher ones. In the past few minutes, the monster used its tail, spine, and head to shield other areas.

The best-protected spot was the weakest point.

Eyes!

Attacking the eyes had the highest cost-effectiveness.

To attack the Three-Blade Axe's eyes, which move so nimbly on its head, one must be at a higher position with an unobstructed line of sight, ensuring nothing can block the bullet's path.

Looking up, he saw the bridge piers on the shore, towering about fifty to sixty meters high—just the right height.

The black silhouette ran against the human tide toward where the monster had appeared, leaping from car to car. The wind whistled past his cheeks, his lungs burning, yet his mind raced furiously.

The Three-Blade Axe monster met its nemesis and was held back. The Special Operations Group members in black combat suits were clearly psychics; they could easily damage the monster's outer skin that bullets couldn't penetrate, reducing its health bar by roughly one-tenth in a short time.

With these people acting so swiftly, waiting another ten minutes might mean getting nothing. With this thought, he quickened his pace once more.

When the monster's health bar dropped by a fifth, he had already reached the bridge pier. He clung to the weathered stone wall, digging his fingernails into the cracks, and began climbing.

Ji Xinghai, agile amidst the chaos, quickly scaled to the top. There stood a lightning rod, and he crouched beside it, using it to steady himself against the strong winds.

From this vantage point, he could see the monster more clearly.

The wounded monster was close to the bridge, undeterred by the gunfire. Perhaps its brain told it that once in the water, humans would find it harder to harm.

Crouching at the top, he kept a close watch on the monster while opening the game's newbie gift pack.

There were no flashy effects, only a row of icons flashing, each as small as a fingernail, dozens of them blocking his view.

At that moment, the monster moved, crawling rapidly toward the riverbank. Ji Xinghai didn't have time to examine the icons closely; he clicked one randomly and aimed his light gun at the approaching monster as soon as the icon disappeared.

Its running posture resembled that of a lizard, with both eyes independently scanning the surroundings.

Ji Xinghai, small and huddled on the stone platform, exposed only half his head and wasn't noticed. He aimed at the moving monster's eye.

One step, two steps... within effective range!

A beam of light shot out from an angle the monster didn't notice, precisely predicting the direction and force of its head movement, hitting the unsuspecting eye perfectly.

Simultaneously, a black silhouette leaped from the tall pier, diving into the water with all its might.

"Roar—"

The hit monster let out a sharp howl, its tail swiftly lashing out and smashing the stone pier into several fragments. Ji Xinghai plunged into the water without looking back, followed by something massive crashing in behind him.

A tiny fragment grazed his cheek.

It was a piece of the broken pier.

The massive concrete block slammed into the river, creating a huge splash.

He quickly found the shore's direction amidst the surging waters, swam to the bank, and leaned against the mossy stone wall, catching his breath as blood trickled down his face.

The monster reacted fast, but he was quick enough too.

The light gun's shot was used up, so he put it away and climbed ashore. Along the shore were rows of coffee shops and snack bars; sitting here at sunset for a drink and scenery would be nice, but now they were empty and overturned.

Ji Xinghai, with blood on his face, walked along the shore. His black combat suit was waterproof, leaving only his head wet, dripping water from his hair.

Not far from the monster, buildings obstructed the view, but the sounds of gunfire and explosions grew more frequent and intense, with flying vehicles crowding the sky.

A black-clad member of the Special Operations Group glided through the air on a skateboard, freezing patches of ground with a wave of his hand.

Ji Xinghai sighed inwardly, lacking good weapons, he could only watch others show off their strength.

The heavily wounded monster was finally killed near the riverbank, never making it into the water.

Upon its death, Ji Xinghai, who had participated in the battle, received his reward:

Obtained 100w × 7% regular currency, 1000 × 7% contribution points.

Activated innate skill Devour, gaining 2 points of Strength and 1 point of Agility from the Three-Blade Axe monster.

His personal information changed accordingly:

Player ID: 101

Strength: 9

Agility: 7

Intelligence: 12

Skills: None

Equipment: Basic Light Gun

Pet: Ink Snake

Level: 1 (Rank NO13)

Contribution Points: 70 (Rank NO7)

Ignoring the newly appeared rankings and the subtle enhancement from the Devour skill, he focused on the words "Ink Snake," recalling the earlier chaos.

Was it during that confusion?

He opened the small image, revealing a larger one showing a thin, long, pitch-black snake, with only its bright eyes encircled by white eyeliner, giving it a somewhat delicate appearance.

Below the image was a description: No special skills or cultivation potential discovered in this combat pet yet.

No special skills or cultivation potential? Then he could discard it.

He noticed a small dot next to it, clicked it, and a finger-thin snake descended from above.

Upon landing, it stuck to Ji Xinghai's calf, its little head raised high.

"Father!"

"!!!"