novelbin Chapter 77 : Chapter 77
Chapter 77 : Chapter 77
Chapter 77: Can We Switch Bodyguards?
Back in the Command Room, when Wang Longcheng saw that Li Mu had actually used a transformation art to kill the monster, he knew that Li Mu truly was taking his daughter’s safety seriously.
At the command platform on the other side, Liao Feng sat leaning back in his chair with his arms folded, watching the progress of Zhang Kang’s team.
Zhang Kang’s strength was indeed impressive.
The long saber in his hand was extraordinarily powerful.
His warhorse was clearly a Special-Grade Warhorse as well. It was extremely fast, but it still feared monsters.
Jiang Linlin rode her own horse.
Whenever they encountered a monster, Zhang Kang still had to dismount and go fight it.
He was basically killing them instantly too.
But in terms of ease, he was completely incomparable to Li Mu.
And it was also seriously delaying their travel time.
The middle-aged man and woman from the research institute were standing nearer the center, closer to the main command platform.
But from time to time, they also glanced toward the secondary command platform.
What they saw was that Li Mu’s warhorse was barely stopping at all.
The moment they saw a monster, he flashed over, killed it instantly, and returned to the horse in one smooth sequence.
And because Wang Yinhuan was riding the same horse as him, her level of safety had increased enormously.
That side was steady as a rock.
The two of them could not help exchanging a glance.
Could this Li Mu be a space-type talent user?
But then how was it that he could also kill monsters with a single cudgel strike using such terrifying attack power?
An instant kill with a blunt weapon and an instant kill with a bladed weapon were both instant kills.
But anyone with eyes could see the difference between the two.
How did this mere middle-stage Third Grade fellow have such methods?
So the two of them began paying more and more attention to Li Mu’s side of the screen.
Before long, they understood.
Li Mu was not just a little stronger than Zhang Kang.
He was stronger by a huge margin.
No wonder someone like him had been included in such an important mission.
The female researcher immediately shot the male researcher a look.
The male researcher cleared his throat and said to Liao Feng, “Commanding Officer Liao, could you call them back first and switch the two bodyguards?”
For Jiang Linlin’s safety, they had to speak up as soon as possible.
Otherwise, once they reached the target area, it would be even harder to say anything.
They could hardly raise the matter halfway through the mission.
Wang Longcheng frowned and glanced at them.
Liao Feng was also extremely displeased.
Damn it, I already gave you plenty of face.
Before departure, I let you choose for yourselves.
You kept whining that Li Mu was not good enough.
You picked Zhang Kang yourselves, and now they are practically at the destination, and you want them recalled?
Was this some kind of joke?
The top brass of the Pearl Military District had long since grown dissatisfied with the two of them.
If the old fellows inside the research institute did not hold such enormous influence,
how would people from the research institute dare act so arrogantly?
Of course, there was another reason they were being this arrogant: the Pearl Military District held the lowest status in the entire Northern Frontier.
If they fell out with the research institute as well, their situation would become extremely awkward.
Liao Feng said coolly, “A mission is not child’s play. Switch them? On what grounds?”
The female researcher stepped forward.
“We believe this Li Mu is better suited to serve as Jiang Linlin’s escort.”
Liao Feng glanced at her.
This woman truly had not the slightest sense of shame, to say something so shameless right to his face.
“I think you make a good point.”
“However, this is not something I can decide. Why don’t you go raise it with Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang?”
“If Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang agrees, we will recall them immediately.”
Liao Feng’s tone turned faintly sarcastic.
Both of their expressions changed, and neither said another word.
Zhang Kang was Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang’s son.
And he wanted them to go talk to Deputy Commander-in-Chief Zhang?
Say what?
That they thought Li Mu was a little more capable than his son, so could they please call them back
and replace his son?
Liao Feng was clearly doing it on purpose.
The female researcher gave a faint snort.
If they were not switching, then fine, they were not switching.
Did praising Li Mu a little really mean those people had to act so smug?
Zhang Kang was not that bad either. What was the big deal if they did not switch?
The two of them stopped bothering with Liao Feng after that.
About an hour later, Li Mu’s voice came through on Wang Longcheng’s side.
“Commander, we’ve reached the Fourth Grade area.”
“We are seven kilometers from the mission target point.”
On the screen, Li Mu and Wang Yinhuan had already dismounted.
The surrounding environment had become increasingly lush and vibrant.
Green trees had begun to appear, along with grassland, and even some small animals.
“There should be a mountain ahead. Follow along the edge of it and try not to enter the dense forest.”
“Understood!”
Li Mu motioned for Wang Yinhuan to walk behind him.
In the Abyss, scenery this green and thriving was actually even more eerie.
Within the Abyss, ruins and desolation were the norm. Even in places humans had already cleared, there were not many small animals left.
But here, squirrel-like creatures with fangs hugged crystalline food in their paws and gnawed on it constantly.
Their scarlet eyes stared at Li Mu and Wang Yinhuan as they passed.
High overhead, two large birds with beaks sharp as shears were savagely fighting in the air.
Their strange cries made one’s nerves tremble.
Feathers and blood mist rained down from the sky.
Before they even hit the ground, one of the birds had already lost and was being seized by the other, which was preparing to take off again.
Then a strange creature, nimble as a cat but nearly twice the length of one, suddenly sprang upward.
In an instant, its body wrapped around both birds at once.
All six of its claws clamped down tightly on their bodies as it slammed to the ground with them.
Then it swiftly unfurled itself, seized both birds in its jaws, and darted into the crown of a towering tree to hide.
Humanity had spent years studying the creatures of the Abyss and discovered that every Abyss creature bore traces of Blue Star life.
It was as though all of them had mutated from the creatures of Blue Star.
Yet not a single trace of the Abyss’s supernatural energy had ever appeared on Blue Star.
That left humanity deeply puzzled.
As archaeology continued to develop, humans discovered that many of the geological formations and landforms within the Abyss had been extremely similar to those of Blue Star decades, even a century, earlier.
It was practically a duplicate of Blue Star.
That was, until the appearance of supernatural plants and animals.
The creatures of the Abyss gradually began to mutate by feeding on those supernatural plants and animals.
They became stronger, larger, and more savage.
And what followed was slaughter and extinction.
There were many ruined buildings within the Abyss, which showed that civilization had once appeared here, and perhaps even humanity itself.
But in the end, everything had vanished without a trace.
Had they gone extinct, or had they mutated into something else?
Humanity was still exploring the answer.
As for when those supernatural energies first appeared, and where they had come from, no one knew that either.
Li Mu observed the small animals around them, all of which were eyeing them like predators.
Normally, such creatures had little to no grade at all, First Grade at best.
When they encountered someone with Li Mu’s aura, they would usually keep their distance.
But to be safe, Li Mu still took out a wine gourd from his storage space.
He had bought it a few days earlier specifically for carrying liquor.
He opened it and took a drink, hissing at the burning taste.
Wang Yinhuan looked at him in confusion at once.
She did not understand why Li Mu was drinking.
But after Li Mu drank, all the small animals within five meters, and even farther out, trembled in fear and fled.
Li Mu then opened the system.
On the way here, he had killed more than a dozen monsters.
He now had 410 Triumph Points.
Li Mu spent 300 points to unlock 【Safe-Haven Method】.
【Safe-Haven Method: Use a weapon to draw a circular barrier on the ground. The barrier’s defensive power is approximately half that of ‘Bronze Head and Iron Arms.’ At the same time, allies within the barrier experience a great rise in momentum, and their attacks gain a 10% increase in True Qi strength. Duration: 5 minutes.】
This was another percentage-based enhancement skill.
His current Bronze Head and Iron Arms gave him one hundred times his own defensive power.
And that personal defensive power, in turn, depended on both his bodily strength and the strength of his True Qi.
There were so many conversions involved that even Li Mu did not fully understand them.
But as long as the system could calculate it, that was enough.
That 10% increase in True Qi, though the conditions were rather strict, required an ally to stand within the barrier, but once the range expanded in the future, the ability would become terrifying.
This divine ability was also part of a skill tree.
Li Mu spent another 100 Triumph Points and activated a node.
【Duration increased by 10 minutes.】
With the current Safe-Haven Method, protecting Wang Yinhuan and blocking some smaller monsters would definitely not be a problem.
The two of them walked another five or six kilometers.
There were more and more small animals, but not a single large monster in sight.
At that moment, the mountain ahead also began to slope upward.
It turned out to be a mountain range stretching into the distance behind it.
Trees and rocks began to grow denser as well.
Wang Yinhuan raised a hand, and two large dogs leapt out from the space before her.
Li Mu looked over and silently praised them for being beautiful.
The two dogs looked somewhat like sheepdogs, but each stood about one point seven or one point eight meters tall.
One was pure white, while the other was black and white. Both looked extremely alert and obedient.
The moment they appeared, the two dogs began happily bouncing around Wang Yinhuan.
At the same time, they kept glancing at Li Mu from time to time. There was no hostility in them, but their ears remained pricked in vigilance.
“No barking.”
Wang Yinhuan first made a quieting gesture, then took out a white cotton swab and let the dogs smell it.
As soon as they did, both dogs sneezed several times, making Wang Yinhuan laugh softly.
She fondly rubbed both of their heads and instructed them, “Go find it.”
The two dogs immediately obeyed and ran off ahead.
“What did they go looking for?” Li Mu asked.
“That’s a perfume I made to imitate the scent of Living Crystals.”
As Wang Yinhuan spoke, she took a device from her Storage Ring and began scanning the surroundings as she walked forward.
She had obviously entered full work mode now.
Meanwhile, while remaining alert in all directions, Li Mu asked Wang Longcheng through the communicator, “Commander, how are things on the other side?”
In the Command Room, Wang Longcheng glanced toward the main command platform.
Then he said in an indifferent tone, “They just entered the Fourth Grade area...”