Chapter 53

"Where is the Cleaner?" While the Cleaner was observing the fart bug and preparing to find a safe route to bypass it, Peach Eyes sent a message.

"I'm in the fart bug's area. It's inconvenient without a sniper rifle. These big bugs have hard shells, and using a dagger is not practical. Using a mech makes too much noise and attracts a bunch of monsters."

"Oh, just wait. Kantu is online. He's a gunner and should be able to help you."

"How do you know Kantu?" The Cleaner asked with some curiosity when Peach Eyes mentioned the name again.

"He added me as a friend. He seems to be a friend of You You Jing Ran. He said he wanted to learn from you. Aren't you looking for teammates to kill monsters? I thought the kid was pretty smart, so I agreed on your behalf. If he doesn't work out, we can always back out. No contract, no penalty."

"A friend of You You Jing Ran?" The Cleaner raised an eyebrow, then a scene flashed in his mind of a few players with no skill shooting wildly from a high vantage point. He shook his head and didn't ask further.

After walking through the fart bug's area a few times, the Cleaner couldn't find a route that wouldn't alert the fart bugs. Using a dagger to kill wolves and bears was fine, but using it on bugs was troublesome. The fart bugs' farts were corrosive, and the Cleaner didn't want to have to return to the city to repair his mech's durability before reaching his destination, which was still far from the Blue Bay River.

"Kantu?" About half an hour later, a male gunner appeared in front of him. The Cleaner was familiar with this player, the one who almost got killed by the wolf near the little girl.

"Yes." Kantu looked a bit disheveled. The journey to the Cleaner's location was easy for the Cleaner but very difficult for Kantu, who couldn't even shoot well. He almost gave up several times but managed to persist.

"Don't you have a fixed team? Why are you looking for me?" The Cleaner asked, curious. He thought he had no connection with Kantu. The first time they met, they were hundreds of meters apart, and the Cleaner saw Kantu, but Kantu didn't see him. The second time, the Cleaner saw Kantu's corpse, which was actually their first real meeting.

"I don't want to watch my teammates die one by one while I can't do anything, just screaming and running away. I also don't want to spend so much money on equipment only to be called a noob." Kantu said with some emotion.

Actually, Kantu wasn't a lazy rich second generation. He had attended a prestigious university on his own merit, not through family connections. So he did have some ambition, but growing up in a sheltered environment had softened many people's drive. Coming to the Cleaner, Kantu was also driven by a sense of competition, believing that if others could do it, he could too.

The Cleaner was a bit surprised by Kantu's answer, but only for a moment. He had seen many young masters in the military who wanted to "gild" themselves, all talking about lofty ambitions and strong wills, but in the end, they all cowered. So the Cleaner was only slightly surprised by Kantu's relatively honest answer.

However, the Cleaner didn't envy or despise rich young masters. Even though Kantu was clearly a rich kid with a somewhat pretentious game name, the Cleaner didn't despise him. Instead, he admired Kantu for running so far, even though he was disheveled, and for actually coming here. At least Kantu wasn't just talking; he was doing something.

"I do need a helper now, but listen carefully, a helper, not a teammate. I don't want a burden. Whether your hardship is just talk or real, I won't comment. If you join my team, all the materials you get will be mine, and you can keep the equipment you use. You must follow my commands, or you'll be kicked out. If you agree, we'll team up. If not, you can go back."

"I agree. But I have one condition: can you improve my game skills?" Although the Cleaner's terms were very domineering, and Kantu was initially angry, he suppressed his anger.

"At least better than now. No more talk. We have a lot to do today. I don't have time to find a shooting range for you. We'll start with the real thing. See that fart bug at ten o'clock? Shoot it to draw it over." The Cleaner pointed to a fart bug about twenty meters away.

As Kantu was about to shoot, the Cleaner stopped him. "What's wrong?" Kantu asked.

"Nothing. Did you learn your shooting stance from TV? Shooting isn't about fancy moves. Just hold the gun steady, in any position. The standard stance might work for everyone, but every shooter should have their own style. Don't stand coolly to shoot; this area is high, so lying down might look awkward, but it will be more accurate. I know gunners have a precision shooting skill, but using it to draw a monster is too amateur." The Cleaner kicked Kantu's leg.

Kantu felt humiliated by the Cleaner's kick but gritted his teeth and lay down.

The Cleaner squatted next to Kantu and tapped his shoulder. "When you hold the stock against your shoulder, make sure it's tight. This will prevent the gun from moving when you shoot, affecting your accuracy. At 20 meters, you don't need to consider the bullet's trajectory. Align your eye, the sight, and your target, then pull the trigger."

Bang! Splat!

"You hit it." Kantu said excitedly, seeing the green blood spurt from the wounded fart bug.

"At this distance, even a fool could hit it. Why are you still lying there? Waiting for it to eat you?" The Cleaner kicked Kantu again, seeing him still on the ground.

"Ah? Oh, oh." This time, Kantu didn't feel humiliated because the fart bug was charging at him, making him panic.

"Why are you standing there? Shoot! I told you to follow my commands, but you need to react on your own. I can't tell you which foot to move first, can I?" Seeing Kantu still standing there, the Cleaner kicked him again.

"Ah? Oh, oh."

...

The Cleaner's shouts and Kantu's somewhat foolish responses echoed in the fart bug's area. Although the Cleaner found Kantu's shooting and combat skills almost laughable, Kantu was willing to learn and endure the constant criticism, which made the Cleaner look at him differently. After all, a rich kid who could take criticism was rare.

Kantu's ability to endure the criticism wasn't because he enjoyed it, but because he could feel his improvement. This clear progress made him endure the criticism.

Of course, Kantu's clear improvement wasn't due to the Cleaner's magical powers or Kantu's exceptional talent. It was because Kantu's foundation was so poor that even a little correction made a big difference.

They kept advancing and fighting until midnight. After hours of battle, Kantu first felt the joy of improvement, then became numb to it, and finally felt exhausted, as if his bones were about to fall apart.

"That's it for today. Exercise more in real life; it will improve your endurance and reaction in the game." The Cleaner stood up, checked his full inventory, and patted Kantu's shoulder.

Although Kantu's foundation was poor, he was serious and willing to endure hardship. This was crucial and what the Cleaner valued. With the increasing difficulty of the monsters, the Cleaner indeed needed some help. So he was satisfied with Kantu's performance today and planned to train him. After all, war is a team game, and one person can't do it alone.

A week passed. Although each day was tiring, Kantu felt very fulfilled. This fatigue gave him a rare sense of grounding, and he began to develop some basic coordination with the Cleaner in killing monsters. Although he wasn't a game expert, he was no longer a noob.

For a week, the Cleaner and Kantu kept clearing monsters and advancing towards the Blue Bay River. However, the wilderness was full of monster zones, and due to supply limitations, they couldn't clear 300 miles in one go. But the good news was that if a place was cleared multiple times, the monsters would move to other areas.

This was like how a path forms in the wilderness when people walk it often. Although new monsters would spawn behind them, a faint path had been cleared, no longer filled with monsters.

"Cleaner, you need to hurry with the mission. Players in other countries' servers are already able to upgrade to corporal." Gambler sent a message to the Cleaner.

Yesterday, players in the American region could upgrade to corporal, causing a stir among the Destiny players who had been complaining about when the corporal upgrade would be available. All players realized that the key to lifting this restriction was a main quest. Only when a player completed this main quest would the restriction be lifted.

As a result, players in the Chinese region began to curse the player who had received this main quest, accusing them of holding up the entire nation and even the country. Many players questioned whether such an important task should be given to a player, as a useless or traitorous player could ruin the entire server.

Feeling the pressure from the players' complaints and questions, the Destiny officials had to issue a statement, assuring players that the feared scenario wouldn't happen. They explained that while the main quest was unique, the restrictions at each stage were different. There were also other quests that could lift the restriction. If the player with the main quest made no progress within a certain time, they would be penalized.

Although some players were still unsatisfied, the anger in the Chinese region gradually subsided, but only temporarily. Even the Cleaner, who usually didn't pay much attention to such anger, felt the tension of a storm brewing.

It's Friday, and tomorrow is Saturday. I wish everyone a pleasant weekend. Thank you to Shen Xing Si Hai, Wang Zhe Cao Cao, Zou Yun Tian Xia, and Shen Jian Fei Ying 51888 for your support. I really appreciate it. Hehe...

It's the weekend, the last two days of the week. I'm asking for recommendations and favorites. This support is very helpful. Everyone has the means to support, so please do. I bow in gratitude! No matter how you support, I'll make sure to give everyone a very cool sniper rifle tomorrow.

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