Chapter 41

Previously, Guratias had no idea, but now he could sense the danger that permeated the entire jungle. Who knew how many hidden traps he had left during their recent skirmishes... No, even if there were hidden traps, he shouldn't have had the chance, so...

What exactly did Phiro hide?

Since that's the case, I'll just use brute force to destroy all the trees around me!

Just as Guratias was about to do this, he furrowed his brow and blocked Zheng Chen's proactive attack. He quickly scanned the surroundings; the light in the jungle was dim, and he needed to be extra vigilant to spot the hidden dangers.

But if he分散 his attention, the opponent in front of him would become a threat. Even though the crossbow arm in the opponent's hand wasn't sharp, it could still easily cause harm. A slight lapse in attention could result in an injury!

As Guratias retreated, he felt discomfort in his back, furrowed his brow, and immediately swung his longsword backward to cut the metal wire behind him. However, he could only勉强 avoid the attack from the front, and a trail of blood spurted from his chest.

"..."

With a successful hit, Zheng Chen pressed the attack even more fiercely. Guratias had to block the attacks that needed to be blocked and endure those that didn't. Suffering some damage, he couldn't break free from the压制 rhythm.

As he was pushed back, Guratias' counterattacks gradually turned into defense. The metal wires around him increased... No, this area where they were forced by Zheng Chen, they had never been here before, meaning it was pre-prepared by the opponent!

It was as if they had anticipated the attack at this moment!

"So, Phiro betrayed us long ago?" Guratias glanced at the numerous, web-like scars on his body. Relying on his speed, he dodged the metal wires at the last moment, so most of the injuries were just cuts on the skin. They looked gruesome, but they weren't severe, just bleeding a lot.

"You abandoned her, not the other way around."

Zheng Chen said calmly. The letter Phiro left last night, though it didn't specify the time and place, was very suggestive. If Zheng Chen couldn't figure it out, he would be foolish and deserve to be caught off guard!

Of course, there was also an element of chance. Regardless, there was always a way out, so Zheng Chen prepared accordingly. As for why Phiro did this... Well, women's thoughts?

No matter what, she had always been living in self-imposed constraints. Making this choice at the last moment was a rare moment of freedom.

Guratias didn't respond, his face becoming even more grim. Now, he couldn't vent his anger on the tool that was already dead; the only target was the young man in front of him.

"Many researchers in the organization are very interested in your body. It seems I can't bring you back intact now." He said coldly, the black aura surrounding his longsword becoming more intense, and his speed increased significantly!

As he charged at Zheng Chen, he saw Zheng Chen's expression unchanged and instinctively slowed down, feeling a slight pain in his foot. Close call!

Compared to the metal wires spread throughout the area, the ones close to the ground were even more unpredictable. The former could be roughly discerned based on Zheng Chen's movements, even if there was a chance of being misled, some precautions could be taken. The ground ones were a different story; Zheng Chen didn't need to make any extra movements, just stepping over the height of the wires was enough.

This was his home turf!

Staring at the cut on his ankle, his calf had been injured twice, affecting his movement.

Continuing like this would be very disadvantageous for him!

Not only that, but as he retreated, Zheng Chen flicked a handful of darts from his sleeve, which flew to the nearby trees. Immediately, a dense sound of breaking air filled the area as a large number of small arrows with metal wires shot out from the ground and surroundings. All the places where the arrows landed were covered by obstacles.

Guratias wanted to observe the front but couldn't look behind... He couldn't expose his back to Zheng Chen.

Even without seeing, he knew the area was completely sealed off. He frowned, the metal wires surrounding him were correct, but in this situation... Could he still launch a strong attack?

As if reading Guratias' thoughts, Zheng Chen moved two steps to the side, seemingly confirming a position. He reached down and pierced the ground, pulling out a crossbow that was clearly buried beforehand.

Without hesitation, Guratias swung his longsword around, trying to clear the metal wires. If he didn't, he would become a live target!

Whether it was the AOE-type crossbow bolts that split or the normal ones, his movement range was severely restricted, making it impossible to dodge.

Clearing the metal wires around him, Guratias felt his longsword tighten, unable to move! The weapon was entangled with many metal wires, and while the ends connected to the trees were pulled off, the ends extending from the ground were firmly fixed!

He had been tricked...

"Phiro really revealed a lot to you!" Guratias' face grew even darker, trying to buy some time to break free from the bindings. Discarding the bonded weapon meant breaking the bond.

"Not much, I don't know you." Zheng Chen said calmly. He indeed didn't know Guratias, only hearing a little from Greyaz. As for the layout here, it didn't matter who it was targeting; anyone entering this area would be targeted.

Before he finished speaking, Zheng Chen had already fired the crossbow. Guratias' eyes widened; the crossbow bolt was... four-pronged!

Such a crossbow bolt had no accuracy, and its range was greatly reduced due to the metal wires connecting it. However, in close-range attacks, its power was much stronger.

There was no way to dodge!

Adjusting his body quickly, Guratias barely managed to block the attack with his longsword. As soon as Zheng Chen fired the crossbow, he discarded it and approached Guratias, his crossbow arm slashing down without hesitation!

A severed arm fell to the ground, not the one holding the weapon.

"Enough!" Guratias shouted in pain, pulling at the weapon still entangled in the metal wires. The resilience of these wires... troublesome!

Since he couldn't retrieve the weapon, he decided to break the bond. A small, black-capped holy war angel quickly钻入 Guratias' surviving arm's sleeve, looking at his severed arm with concern.

"Should we retreat first?" the holy war angel whispered, this being the first time she saw Guratias so severely injured.

"Retreat?" He sneered, glancing around. Zheng Chen had forced him into this area at all costs; there was no chance of retreating. He had been thoroughly tricked.

At that moment, a squirrel jumped down from a tree next to Zheng Chen, landing on his shoulder, making Guratias slightly stunned. Phiro had mentioned a squirrel before her death; was this it?

He took a nut from his pocket and handed it to the squirrel. "Go play for now; I'll give you a name after this is over."

The squirrel holding the nut tilted its head, jumped off Zheng Chen's shoulder, and ran far away, not leaving but hiding behind a distant tree, nibbling on the nut while watching.

Guratias snorted, re-bonding with his weapon. With his severed arm bleeding profusely, he couldn't last long and needed to find an opportunity to escape... retreat!

He attacked again, without any reservations. After being tricked, this small area had no hidden traps left. He needed to resolve the battle here! Having figured out Zheng Chen's tactics, he wouldn't fall into his rhythm again.

Even if Zheng Chen retreated, he would suppress his retreat route, forcing him back to the areas they had previously fought through. Even if the metal wires in these areas hadn't been cleared, he had encountered them before and remembered them, so he could avoid them...

"What!?"

As Guratias forced Zheng Chen to defend, his weapon hooked a metal wire, and he showed a hint of surprise. There definitely weren't any metal wires here before... What was pulled out?

A small, oval black ball with metal wires on both ends. The end connected to his longsword was attached to the black ball itself, and the other end was connected to a pull ring on the ball. A grenade!?

Boom—

As the smoke from the explosion rose, Zheng Chen quickly moved to a tree, cutting a metal wire embedded in the bark. Under the cover of the explosion, the traps set up around reconfigured the metal wire layout.

"..." Hearing the distant explosion, the exhausted Greyaz dodged an attack from Phiro and couldn't help but glance in the direction of the explosion, wondering how Zheng Chen was doing. Their situation was frustrating; they had been fighting for a long time, and the number of Phiros hadn't decreased. Plus, there were players nearby firing from the shadows...

They couldn't hold out much longer. Kokovit was already exhausted from calling out, rarely using spells to attack. Lassadi's situation wasn't much better; she needed to take care of Lei, which was more draining.

The explosion made Phiro and the nearby players pause for a moment. The explosion was sudden; everything had been calm just a moment ago. What happened?

Should they go check?

Some players couldn't resist the temptation, thinking they might find an opportunity.

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