Chapter 61

The gymnasium was dark, and Feng Bujue and Xiao Tan both took out their flashlights, while the two GMs each put on a pair of night vision goggles.

Pan Hua and the two others frankly stated that their equipment was pre-set. This included the weapons in their hands, the metal boots on their feet, the armor not displayed on their bodies, and the night vision goggles that had just appeared... In short, the set of items on the GMs could basically handle any scenario at their level. Their equipment had no requirements, was extremely powerful, and was bound to them. All six of their specialties were at D level, and since the success rate of D-level skills was only 60%, they did not have any active skills, only passive skills that enhanced their abilities.

The four of them followed the coordinates of the derivative in the GM menu and arrived at a large basketball court in the center of the gym, which was still dark.

They entered from the entrance on the stands, and after pushing open the movable door of the passage, the vast dark space swallowed the light from the flashlights. The flashlights in Feng Bujue and Xiao Tan's hands could not reach very far (such as the opposite stands), and the night vision goggles of Pan Feng and Hua Xiong were also limited, making distant areas appear dark. In such a place, a monster of human size could easily hide by crouching behind a row of seats.

"I want to ask... is it useful to talk to them?" Xiao Tan whispered, his hand gripping the kitchen knife trembling, his palms drenched in sweat.

Before the other three could answer him, a sudden muffled sound came from behind. The source of the sound was the mutated form of Dr. Ashford, which had already leaped up, targeting Xiao Tan.

The script boss had hidden in the rear stands above the entrance, which was a blind spot for the four after they entered. Whether from its hiding position or the method of attack, this was not a choice that an ordinary monster could make.

The derivative knew the real-time coordinates of the players, and Dr. Ashford could also determine which entrance the players entered from by smell. Therefore, it had hidden in this critical position and prioritized attacking the weakest player, which was likely a built-in selection mechanism of the script boss.

This attack came suddenly, and the monster pounced silently, making no sound except for the noise of its leap from the stands and the wind it created while flying through the air. Even the GMs did not notice it in time, let alone an ordinary player like Wang Tanzhi.

Fortunately, the place was very quiet and spacious, and the sound of the leap reached Xiao Tan's ears faster than Dr. Ashford's pounce. He still had time to turn around before being hit, but the time left for him to react was only about one second.

In that second, Xiao Tan had few choices. If he did nothing or made a mistake, it would mean a significant reduction in his health.

Death was unlikely, as Xiao Tan had put on the black steel helmet from his backpack before setting the bomb outside, which provided some protection for his head. Being torn apart by the claws would not happen. However, whether it was the helmet or his body being attacked, being hit by the script boss with such force would definitely reduce his health by three-quarters, and it was uncertain whether he would suffer from dizziness, bleeding, or other status effects.

With Xiao Tan's speed, avoiding the attack was impossible. Relying on Feng Bujue's Winchester or a GM's weapon to save him was also too late. He could only rely on himself.

In that split second, Wang Tanzhi's shock value not only did not increase but decreased to zero.

At that moment, his eyes changed, becoming calm, determined, and focused, like a surgeon performing an operation. The mutated form seemed to be the one lying on the operating table, helpless against what was about to happen.

Some people who usually appear gentle can show coldness and cruelty in critical moments.

Wang Tanzhi's hand holding the knife became very steady, precise, and powerful. In the dim environment, a cold light flashed, and the blade drew an arc, touching the mutated form's claw.

The result of this collision would undoubtedly be that the knife in Xiao Tan's hand would be knocked away, and his hand might be cut or broken.

However, the transmission of force takes time, no matter how brief.

At the moment the blade touched the mutated form's skin, before the impact fully took effect, Xiao Tan's figure disappeared like a shadow. At the same time, he reappeared over ten meters away, unharmed. However, since the stands were sloped, he appeared in mid-air, with a five to six-meter drop to the seats below. The fall and roll cost him 27% of his health.

Even Feng Bujue was surprised, not expecting Xiao Tan to calmly make such an extreme reaction in a crisis. Pan Feng and Hua Xiong were even more shocked, but their reactions were quick. As soon as Xiao Tan disappeared, they immediately charged forward, taking advantage of the mutated form's missed attack and unstable footing, striking it with an axe and a spear.

After several seconds, Hua Xiong realized, "That kid used [Quick Retreat Slash], right? Haha..." He couldn't help but laugh.

Pan Feng also said, "Ah... I didn't react in time. He only has that one skill, which he got from his title."

"I'll deal with this boss; you two have other things to handle," Feng Bujue suddenly said.

The Winchester fired again.

Feng Bujue aimed at the direction where Pan Hua and the two others were facing.

Just then, in the darkness, a silent, sharp shadow leaped from the large screen hanging in the middle of the basketball court, gliding through the air and diving towards Pan Feng and Hua Xiong.

If Dr. Ashford's ambush was sudden, this attack was entirely within Feng Bujue's expectations.

His judgment of the derivative's AI was quite accurate. Since it could set up such a trap, it must have a follow-up plan. The derivative's target was not the players, but the GMs. The players posed little threat to it, but if either Pan Feng or Hua Xiong were killed, the derivative's chances of winning would greatly increase.

Therefore, whether this attack succeeded or not was not important; what mattered was to draw the attention of the two GMs. When they focused on fighting the mutated form, the derivative would approach from another direction in an unexpected way.

The special environment, the position of the mutated form, and the direction it faced after the attack... all these were set up to serve this ambush. As long as the ambush succeeded, even if the mutated form was killed, it would not matter to the derivative. Because once the boss died, the two players would be forced to leave the script within three minutes, and by then, the heavily injured Pan Feng and Hua Xiong would be in a very passive position. The derivative could use its speed advantage to drag out the fight until the blood wolves and zombies outside broke through the barriers or found other entrances, sealing the fate of the two GMs.

If only Pan Hua and the two others had come, the derivative's plan might have succeeded, but unfortunately, it encountered Feng Bujue.

A gunshot rang out, knocking the derivative, which had approached to within five meters, out of the air.

The [Eye of Enmity] had already been fixed on the abnormal shadow in the darkness. Even though the flashlight's light could not reach far, when the derivative moved in the air, Feng Bujue noticed its presence. He calmly warned Pan Feng and Hua Xiong, waited for the derivative to enter a range he was confident about, and then pulled the trigger.

Although the derivative was agile, it did not have the ability to change direction freely in the air. Once its diving path was determined, it was like heading straight into the gun's line of fire.

The massive impact from the Winchester made the derivative's state resemble a swing hitting a wall. With the gunshot, it suddenly stopped sliding and fell vertically. Despite being covered in blood, the monster was still strong and managed to grab the edge of the stand's railing with its hand.

Feng Bujue spent two seconds ejecting the shell, reloading, aiming, and fired again, destroying the monster's hand holding the railing.

"Don't waste time; the derivative is your primary target. I can handle the mutated form," Feng Bujue calmly continued loading the bullets and reminded them.

The two GMs only just understood the situation. The faster Hua Xiong retracted his long spear, turned, and leaped, using one hand to support himself on the railing, flipping down to the lower stand to attack the derivative.

The lower stand was very dark, but Hua Xiong had night vision goggles, which did not affect his combat efficiency. From Xiao Tan's perspective, he could not see the battle, but he could see sparks occasionally flying in the darkness and hear the sound of metal clashing, indicating that the derivative had revealed its "claws."

"You stay here and tangle with it; I can't fire," Feng Bujue said to Pan Feng. "I said, I can handle the mutated form alone."

"Shut up! Even if you can keep it busy, I've already drawn its attention. If I leave, it will follow me!" Pan Feng replied while fighting.

"That's easy to solve," Feng Bujue suddenly put away his gun, took out his pipe wrench, and charged forward in a suicidal manner.

Feng Bujue closed in on the mutated form, blocking it from Pan Feng and the boss. Without using his weapon, he extended his leg to trip the monster...

Pan Feng thought Feng Bujue had finally gone crazy, but the next second, the mutated form let out a painful howl and fell to the ground in a very strange posture...

{Piaotian Literature}