Chapter 79

If one of the two ambushers was a Constitution-type Level 1 Awakened, or had similar resistance to attacks, Xu Dong would have no chance of easily killing them. Unfortunately, both were Agility-type Awakened. In the language of online games, this was a typical case of high attack, low defense, and low health. Once their speed was suppressed, it was like a tiger without its sharp teeth and claws, easy to kill.

After taking out the two, Xu Dong felt no guilt at all. He even found a pile of gold coins and two unenhanced qualification examination certificates on their bodies. At this point, he had a total of two hundred gold coins, enough to visit the second floor of the Hand of Imperfection. As for the unenhanced qualification examination certificates, he now had four.

In fact, it wasn't that Xu Dong was ruthless. His logic had always been simple and direct—those who wanted to kill him, he would kill. Yang Buqu wanted to kill him, so he took out Yang Buqu; the Iron Fist duo wanted to kill him, so he struck first. He gradually realized that in this world, principles and laws were not as effective as a strong fist.

The rule of the strong and the supremacy of power were universal principles.

Having resolved the trouble on the way, Xu Dong's journey back to the vicinity of Blood Helmet City's gate was relatively smooth, with no significant bumps.

The city's gate guards had a battalion stationed outside the city, at the request of the Adventurer's Union, to leave a path for the candidates. As for Xu Dong daring to appear near the city gate, did he not fear that Yang Buji would discover his whereabouts through special means and come to kill him, thus ruining his last chance?

Life and death were no laughing matter!

In fact, Xu Dong was terrified, terrified to death. But in such a situation, he had no other choice but to take a gamble.

Clearly, he had won the bet. Xu Dong still couldn't believe it, cautiously patrolling the area around the city gate, repeatedly confirming that the star of misfortune was not lying in wait. Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief. However, a shadow of gloom lingered in his heart. If Yang Buji didn't come to kill him, or if he thought Xu Dong had perished in the Ghost Forest, he would most likely go after Yang Guang and his companions!

The only good news was that in the side mission "Guard," the symbol representing Yang Guang's health remained at 100%, meaning the boy was temporarily safe. As for praying, Xu Dong didn't dare to speculate on Yang Guang's character—whether he would abandon or hold on. He could only pray.

There were about three hours left until the Adventurer's Union opened for registration, and four hours until the mission ended. In other words, he had three hours to infiltrate the military camp and one hour to submit the mission materials. It seemed ample, but it was actually very tight.

Lurking near the military camp, Xu Dong quietly observed the situation.

The layout of the gate guard camp was neat and orderly, square-shaped, with torches planted all around. The night guards, clad in armor and armed, were on duty, patrolling along fixed routes. Inside the camp, there were watchtowers, each equipped with three archers. At first glance, the camp's defenses seemed impenetrable, not even a fly could get in.

Xu Dong pursed his lips, thinking: Strange, this doesn't match what the soldier said when I left the city early yesterday.

Despite the urgency, he forced himself to remain calm and patiently observe.

He memorized the patrol routes, the positions of the watchtowers and the approximate field of vision of the archers, and the distribution of the tents. As for the commander's tent, he didn't need to search for it specifically, as there was a particularly large tent, three times the size of the others.

Lurking quietly, Xu Dong was like a leopard hunting in the darkness.

Time passed quickly as the torches flickered in the wind.

Finally, just before dawn, the most dim moment of the day, the night guards, looking exhausted, changed shifts!

A glint of determination flashed in Xu Dong's eyes, knowing this was his last chance. Seizing the opportunity, he rolled quickly towards the camp's defensive structures, then leaped up, drawing a perfect arc. As his hands touched the ground, he pushed off lightly and silently rolled into a dark corner of a tent he had scouted out.

The whole process took only one or two seconds.

Just as he had barely hidden himself, a series of footsteps sounded. These were the night guards, preparing to change shifts and passing by.

The guard, dragging his weary body, turned the corner and passed by Xu Dong's hiding spot, the footsteps gradually fading away, completely unaware that an uninvited guest had slipped in.

The guard turned the corner, lifting the tent flap. Xu Dong, who had been watching closely, subtly changed his expression.

Only after the guard had fully entered the tent did Xu Dong let out a sigh of relief, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead. He didn't move, choosing to wait. From his observations, each guard had a fixed route, and he knew exactly how long it took to patrol each route.

Having managed to enter the camp, he naturally waited for the shift change to complete and for all the guards to settle into their new routines.

About ten minutes later, the newly rested guards, clad in armor, began their duties. Xu Dong, lurking in the shadows, finally breathed a sigh of relief. The new guards' patrol routes and the time it took to complete them were almost identical to the previous batch, with no significant changes.

Xu Dong focused his mind. As two guards crossed paths and turned in the corridor, he lightly tiptoed and leaped, landing silently. His figure moved like the wind, like a transparent ghost, darting to another corner to hide.

One of the guards seemed to hear something, suddenly turning his head. The corridor was empty, and no one was there. He frowned, then shrugged, thinking he was being overly sensitive, and continued his patrol.

In fact, the camp's defenses were somewhat tight on the outside but loose on the inside. Once inside, one could find gaps and opportunities. With all the routes and times memorized, Xu Dong moved through the camp as if it were empty, quickly passing through six corridors, with the commander's tent in sight.

At this point, Xu Dong glanced at the sky; the sun was about to rise.

However, there was one last obstacle to overcome. The only corridor leading to the commander's tent had three guards patrolling it, and it was within the field of vision of the watchtower archers.

Xu Dong frowned, feeling the pressure.

By now, the sky was turning a pale white, and soon the first rays of morning sunlight would shine, leaving no darkness for Xu Dong to hide in.

Time was tight!

However, in critical moments, people often become calmer. He continued to observe patiently.

Hmm?

His efforts paid off, and Xu Dong finally found a flaw.

When two guards on the cross corridor met and turned, the guard on the vertical corridor would take three steps before turning. When the guard on the vertical corridor had taken two steps, the archers on the watchtower would habitually look elsewhere. In other words, this seemingly unsolvable problem had a one-second flaw!

Xu Dong's breathing became rapid. From his position to the entrance of the commander's tent, it was about twenty-five meters.

Twenty-five meters in one second, was that possible?

Seeing the sun about to rise, Xu Dong knew he couldn't delay any longer. He took off all his clothes and shoes, leaving only a pair of underpants, and took a deep breath.

As he inhaled, a hint of green appeared on his leg, spreading out. The green faded, and fine, hair-like tendrils sprouted from his pores. The tendrils grew and thickened, forming green vines. The green vines wrapped around Xu Dong's legs like snakes, creating a dense, impenetrable layer.

The vines hardened, forming a leg armor that gave a sense of rugged nature.

Activating the flesh armor, Xu Dong could feel the power of the flesh armor surging through his body, significantly enhancing his physical abilities.

Xu Dong bent down, preparing to sprint.

He murmured, "Someone said that when I activate the Quick Step skill, my speed rivals that of a fully awakened Agility-type. If that's the case, then... I can only trust you, my friend, my rugged ancient armor!"

Quick Step skill, activated!

The moment the skill activated, Xu Dong's lips tightened. As the archers on the watchtower shifted their gaze, he darted forward!

It was visible that he tiptoed, and when he burst into full speed, his big toes twisted and exerted force, seemingly grabbing the ground and gaining a powerful forward thrust.

The points left by his toes extended, and the distance between each point was exactly eight meters, no more, no less!

The soil around the points did not scatter, so Xu Dong's burst of speed was silent, making him a formless, intangible ghost in the wind!

The technique of using toe strength to burst forward was something Xu Dong had learned through countless failures and from the path of despair.

The concentrated and non-splattering force was a speed enhancement technique he had developed from practicing the Tiger Pounce Heavy Strike with his bloodied hands.

Someone had said that Xu Dong's potential was mediocre, and even if he broke through the Agility barrier, he would only be above average. Even he didn't think he was particularly outstanding.

Thus, he struggled to complete tasks and improve his abilities...

He lived with all his might!

Truly hardworking people often don't see how hard they work, but when the opportunity comes and they push themselves, they realize they can be so excellent!

The twenty-five meters passed in an instant; the mere second felt like a fleeting moment.

When the guard on the vertical corridor turned, the guards on the cross corridor stopped, and the archers on the watchtower sensed something and turned their gaze, they all frowned, looking at the empty corridor and the slightly swaying tent flap. They seemed to sense that something had happened, but the reality told them nothing had.

The patrols continued, and the lookouts kept watching.

The traces left by Xu Dong were barely noticeable, as if only the first ray of morning light noticed, landing on the traces...

Inside the tent, the commander looked up at the intruder, somewhat surprised, "It's you? I didn't expect to see you so soon."

This commander was none other than Cheng Jianbang, who had tried to recruit Xu Dong before.

Xu Dong's face suddenly turned grim, not because he saw Cheng Jianbang, but because in the side mission "Guard" interface, the health bar representing Yang Guang's life had suddenly dropped by ten percent!

"Has Yang Buji... finally caught up with Yang Guang?"

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