Chapter 52 Another Day of Regretting Teaming Up

Chapter 52 Another Day of Regretting Teaming Up

Er Bao’s pupils constricted, his breath catching. “This… this black substance… Is it some element from the Abyss? I saw the same black substance and corrosive effect on that mermaid by the shore earlier.”

Hua Diao fought back a wave of nausea, standing rooted to the spot. Hearing Er Bao’s words, she nodded in agreement. “It must be. They clearly weren't killed by infighting, and we didn’t hear any commotion. The only possibility is that they died when they were pulled into the illusion.”

“Brother Da Bao said he was repeatedly stabbed to death by mermaid soldiers but could still loop back and was unharmed. That proves dying in the illusion at the hands of mermaids isn’t fatal. Brother San Bao’s suicide didn’t stick either. So, the only permadeath risk in the illusion that carries over to reality I can think of is the Abyss.”

Lin Xiaobao pursed his lips, confirming her words. “In the illusion, I accidentally saw what mermaids looked like after being devoured by the Abyss. It was exactly like this—their faces frozen in the terror of their final moments.”

Er Bao clutched his chest, his face etched with lingering fear. Da Bao and San Bao were fine, but he had almost been in danger! If the illusion hadn’t shattered in time, he would’ve plunged into the depths of the Abyss and likely ended up like these poor wretches, dead within the illusion.

Belatedly realizing the terror of his near-miss, Er Bao turned teary-eyed toward Hua Diao and said gratefully, “Girl, thank you for saving my hide! If you ever need anything in the future, just ask. I’ll go through fire and water for you without hesitation.”

Having already been briefed by Da Bao about Er Bao’s narrow escape from the same fate as those corpses, Lin Xiaobao’s expression also grew serious. His gaze toward Hua Diao softened with a hint of closeness and gratitude. “If Er Bao can’t manage it, you can come to me.”

This was his promise.

Hua Diao smiled at him. It seemed the Bao Brothers had a strong bond. Despite Lin Xiaobao’s outward disdain for his three older brothers, he had still given her such a promise because of Er Bao.

Hehe, promises from smart people weren’t given lightly.

Hua Diao curved her lips and accepted it without false modesty.

Lin Xiaobao was the most promising and worthwhile investment among the two groups of Special Operations Bureau members she’d met these past two days. Building a good relationship with him was beneficial, and securing a promise from him was an even greater advantage.

This trip had been incredibly profitable.

Compared to this, yesterday’s investment in the edgy Brother Ba seemed almost negligible. With Lin Xiaobao and the other three Bao Brothers—all insiders in the Special Operations Bureau—she could now get internal information directly from them instead of going through Brother Ba to ask his older sibling.

Ah, she suddenly regretted leaving the wolf-tooth club with that kid. It would’ve been better to gift it to the Bao Brothers—their sturdy, burly builds were far more suited for wielding a wolf-tooth club.

“Awooo—”

An ear-splitting howl rang out, followed by countless answering cries from all directions. The chorus of howls suggested a pack at least several hundred strong, if not a thousand.

The ground beneath the five of them in the abandoned park trembled noticeably.

Lin Xiaobao’s expression turned alert. “They’re coming this way. We need to leave, fast.”

He then turned to Hua Diao and said quickly, “You grab the treasure chests, then we retreat.”

“Oh, right, right.” Hua Diao nodded repeatedly.

She had actually wanted to suggest they go ahead without her—with her island space to bail her out, no number of werewolves could kill her. But seeing the four brothers standing tense and resolute around her, clearly unwilling to leave her behind, she knew persuasion was pointless.

Sigh. Another day of regretting teaming up with others.

In situations like this, she couldn’t just save herself and run.

In the end, she said nothing and tapped the final “Loot” option—deliberately avoiding the “Loot All” function to prevent the treasure chests from Lakeside Road from flying over as well.

After quickly identifying the direction with the most howls—the doghole path leading back to Lakeside Road—they ruled out retreating the way they came. Instead, they chose to exit through the abandoned park’s front gate.

Hua Diao ran in the middle of the group, the golden, shimmering treasure chest diligently following her like a loyal little attendant.

They didn’t dare stop, sprinting until their lungs burned. Near the park entrance, they finally encountered the vanguard werewolves.

The five of them tensed.

Hua Diao scanned their surroundings. Behind them was the abandoned park they’d just fled. Ahead, left and right were narrow paths leading to dilapidated demolition buildings. With the approaching werewolf horde shaking the ground, bricks and debris were already crumbling from the unstable structures. Taking either side path risked getting crushed by falling debris—or worse, buried alive if the buildings collapsed under the werewolf stampede.

That left only the main road ahead: punching through the werewolf line blocking their way.

Lin Xiaobao, having reached the same conclusion, said coldly, “Prepare to attack. We’re breaking through. I’ll take the two on the left. Brother Da Bao, Brother Er Bao, Brother San Bao—handle the three on the right. And you—”

Those three dimwits he called brothers had been calling her “girl” this whole time without ever asking her name.

They probably didn’t even know it themselves.

Knowing his brothers were all brawn and no brains, Lin Xiaobao mentally sighed.

Hua Diao promptly supplied, “I’m Hua Diao. There are six werewolves total—you’ve assigned five, leaving just one for me. How about giving me one more? I’ve got weapons, deep ammo reserves, and enough game gold to restock on the fly. Combined, your reserves probably don’t match mine.”

Lin Xiaobao gave her a surprised look. She was even more stacked than he’d figured.

Being able to resupply ammo anytime via the survival system meant she’d already unlocked the basic membership tier—which required ten gold coins. In the Special Operations Bureau, you could count the number of people who’d unlocked it on one hand. Even he hadn’t saved up enough yet.

But considering how she’d broken the illusion faster than him, her intelligence and capabilities made it entirely plausible she’d accumulated that much wealth in just two days.

He agreed immediately. “I’ll give you mine.”

He didn’t suspect her of kill-stealing—there were more than enough werewolves to go around now.

The five of them swiftly launched their attacks.

Hua Diao whipped out her Elven Wooden Bow from around her neck. With a flick of her wrist, it snapped to full draw length. She drew the bowstring, a glowing green energy arrow materializing as she loosed it toward a werewolf.

The Elven Wooden Bow had fully recharged by now, its arrows pulsing with emerald energy.

After running comparisons, she’d found guns less effective—it took two or three critical hits to down a werewolf. But with the Elven Wooden Bow, a single precise shot was enough. So the bow was her go-to.