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Chapter 484 Lone Star (5K)

Zhongtian Beiji dropped his rifle, which was empty of magazines, and rushed into the room at top speed. He slammed the hatch shut behind him, stuck the mace into the doorknob, and didn't dare to waste a second.

A key characteristic of the "never-dying" fate is that good and bad fortune are intertwined; one minute they are lucky, and the next minute they are unlucky.

Sure enough, in just a few seconds, Zhongtian Beiji first caught his little finger when the door closed, then inexplicably fell to the ground and bit his tongue.

Fortunately, he had taken painkillers beforehand, and with a push of one hand, he stood up. He then took out three vials of sugary glucose from thin air and injected them into the three child players.

Without stopping, he took out four small pieces of C4 plastic explosives and stuck them to the cabin wall.

At that moment, a series of footsteps came from the upper deck of the yacht. American soldiers rushed to the lower deck and slammed the hatch, making the iron mace in the door handle creak.

Mikazuki's eyelids trembled, and he slowly opened them, sitting up from the operating table with a "whoosh".

"you're awake?"

Amidst his busy schedule, Zhongtian Beiji glanced at her and instantly understood what had happened—Mikazuki had killed two SVIPs without realizing it, and her power unlocking progress was higher than the remaining two players, so she was able to wake up faster.

"I'm alive?"

Mikazuki appeared dazed and nearly fell off the operating table.

"They're still alive now, but who knows what will happen later."

Zhongtian, who had C4 explosives installed in the North Pole, tossed a heavy black canvas bag to Mikazuki. "Open the bag and put diving respirators on everyone. Then tie them together with rope."

"it is good."

Mikazuki took a deep breath, jumped off the operating table, and somewhat clumsily unzipped the canvas bag, taking out eight diving breathing apparatuses, which he then put on his own face, the faces of two unconscious players, and the remaining five VIPs.

Then, use safety ropes to connect everyone.

The reason Zhongtian Beiji was able to find the yacht so quickly was because Li Sheng provided intelligence—the previous footage of the secret room showed subtle undulations and swaying that were barely perceptible to the naked eye, proving that the secret room was on a ship.

Considering that the interior of the secret room is not like that of a warship, the most likely place is a luxury yacht, and one that houses US soldiers.

The ant's instructions to Zhongtian Beiji were to rescue three players and take five VIPs with him. As for the specific methods...
Boom!
American soldiers broke down the door, only to find Zhong Tianbei and others hiding under the operating table, holding detonators in their hands.

Boom!

As the detonator was pressed, four pieces of C4 plastic explosives detonated simultaneously, tearing apart half of the aluminum alloy wall on the spot. A huge amount of seawater rushed into the cabin, washing away all the soldiers who were crowded at the door.

The surging water flooded the corridor, and the entire yacht rocked from side to side. Zhongtian Beiji waved his hand, and the iron mace that had fallen to the ground flew back into his hand and was put into his backpack.

With another wave of his hand, he retrieved the electric underwater propulsion device, and with a group of people, swam out of the yacht and submerged underwater.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

What does it mean that "the person under guard has absconded"?

Onboard the Apache attack helicopter, the Black Pharaoh, his eyes bulging with veins, had lost all his composure from his media persona and roared into the communications channel: "Soldiers, find them! Otherwise, you will be a sinner against all mankind!"

After the roar, the Black Pharaoh's superb emotional management skills allowed him to quickly calm down.

The advantage is still on their side; Epstein is in their hands, while the ants are unable to complete their mission and remain trapped in their child form until the system's time limit expires.

What we need to do is eliminate them all before the system's time limit expires, ensuring that no one escapes.

The future of this world hinges on these few minutes. If the Black Pharaoh wins, he will secure player potential and power seeds for this world, preserving the spark of resistance against the otherworldly travelers.

If the Black Pharaoh is defeated, it will not only be a matter of wiping out most of the American elite, but will also bring about the relentless revenge of the superhuman beings from another world.

Biochemical viruses, meme contamination, concept curses—even the most realistic wide-area cyberattacks were beyond what the world of 2009 could withstand.
"Heat source detected!"

The co-pilot's shout brought Black Pharaoh back to reality. On the thermal imaging screen, the ant's figure, like a skier, stepped on metal plates and swooped down the hillside, heading straight for the coastline.

What is he going to do? Is he going to commit suicide like a lemming?
Without time to think, the Black Pharaoh suddenly opened his palms and faced downwards.

Sudden——

A gust of cold wind swept by, and the nightmare bear, nearly three stories tall with bloodshot eyes, leaped out of the shadows of the forest and slapped Li Sheng with its paw.

This palm strike was swift and fast, pressed firmly against the ground, leaving no time to turn or dodge.

Li Sheng's pupils contracted slightly. He gripped the metal pipe tightly and plunged it into the ground in front of him, leaping high into the air like a pole vaulter.

People and vehicles passed each other. The gray rain, in the shape of metal plates, continued to glide forward along the ground, while Li Sheng drew an arc in mid-air and pulled a children's bicycle out of thin air.

The high-displacement, high-torque, gravity-defying "Batwing Heavy Armored Motorcycle" has degenerated into a pink car with training wheels, a front frame, and even tassels on the handlebars and cat stickers on the front frame.

Li Sheng gripped the handlebars with both hands, performed a 360° spin in mid-air, and landed heavily on the ground. Gray Rain transformed back into its slime shape and lay in the front frame of the car.

Why are you still trying to look cool at a time like this?

This was Black Pharaoh's first thought. His second thought was that this must be some kind of skill of the ants, such as performing special moves to restore spiritual energy.

Unfortunately, he didn't know that Li Sheng was just showing off intermittently; otherwise, his expression would have been even more unpleasant.

The Black Pharaoh's momentary daze was also transmitted to the Nightmare Bear.
The latter paused for two seconds, then blurred into a semi-transparent form, passed through the trees and bushes blocking its way, and rushed towards Li Sheng at a low-altitude flight speed, its blood-red mouth opened to its limit.

"What a loud tone."

Smelling the bloody scent emanating from behind, Li Sheng raised an eyebrow, gripped the hollow steel pipe with his right hand, and unleashed a scaled-down version of the "Riding the Tide and Overturning the Clouds" technique.

Strong winds blew out along the hollow steel pipe, providing a powerful thrust that narrowly avoided a bear bite.

That wasn't enough. Li Sheng took out the perfect quality item [Backup Hidden Energy]. This thing was shrunk to the size of a Hermes brand power bank, with a wicked "This side faces the enemy" sticker on the front.

Shila-

He drew spiritual energy from the power bank and then released a six-legged magic cannon chariot the size of a medium-sized dog, firing a shot at the Nightmare Bear.

The 25mm semi-armor-piercing incendiary cannon ammunition struck the Nightmare Bear's chest, but it seemed to penetrate gel, immediately slowing it down and failing to cause any effective damage.

"I extracted the essence of hundreds of thousands of civilians who died in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to create this bear,"

From within the Nightmare Bear, the Black Pharaoh roared, "This world has made such a great sacrifice, why won't you just obediently die?!"

"The mass deaths of civilians in Afghanistan and Iraq are your sacrifice, right? Then you're invincible."

Li Sheng grinned mockingly, using all his skills to first drift away from the bear's repeated attacks with a bicycle drift, and then use the Fog Concealment Technique to obscure the bear's vision and create distance.

The bear instantly teleported and appeared in front of Li Sheng, pressing down on him like a mountain.

The Slave Swap skill was still on cooldown, and the levitation engine was not yet unlocked. At this critical moment, a muffled divine voice came through the walkie-talkie, "Use a powerful flame beam on the abdomen."

Without time to hesitate, Li Sheng had an idea. The six-legged magic cannon chariot that was galloping alongside the bicycle automatically switched its cannon barrel and spewed out a column of fuel fire.

The flames burned through the bear's body, striking an unseen core.
The bear's body flickered violently, losing all mass, and Li Sheng rode his bicycle straight through it.

"Ok?"

Li Sheng's heart skipped a beat. Even the weakened version of the information integration glasses couldn't see through the Nightmare Bear's weakness, yet the Oracle knew.

Could it be that she possesses an ultra-long-range scanning ability? This is bad news.
If the Oracle finds out that I'm a level 12 user on Sunba and a Xiaohongshu user at the same time, I'm doomed.

call out--

In a flash, Hellfire missiles fired from an armed helicopter swooped down from high above. Li Sheng had no choice but to throw the ball-shaped gray rain away and at the same time swerve the car sharply to the side, activating the [Stubborn Rock Rooting Technique].

The next second, the missile exploded with a deafening roar, and the shockwave sent Li Sheng flying, his petrified body crashing heavily into a tree trunk.

The children's bicycle that was transformed from the bat-wing heavy armored motorcycle was destroyed on the spot.

There was no time to mourn for the motorcycle.
Li Sheng leaned against the tree trunk and struggled to his feet. The stones on his body cracked and fragments fell off. As his petrified state ended, these cracks all turned into wounds, bleeding profusely.

Even worse, his left leg was completely broken.

The Nightmare Bear flickered like a poorly tuned television screen, stood upright, pushed aside the trees blocking its path, and looked down at Li Sheng from its high vantage point.

Li Sheng wiped the blood from his face, opened his mouth and murmured softly, "..." The bear instinctively responded with a Black Pharaoh's voice, "What?"

"When undertaking great tasks, one should cherish one's life; when faced with petty gains, one should disregard one's life."

Li Sheng raised his head and chuckled, "You chased after me so desperately just now because you were afraid I would escape into the sea, so you dragged me out until the mission ended."

And the reason you don't dare to kill me yourself is because you feel you have the upper hand and are afraid that you will actually become a player and be dragged into the killing field to participate in an endless death mission.

He wants his soldiers to take my heads so they can obtain the qualifications.

That makes sense. In this world, being the President of the United States means ruling over the three branches of government with extraordinary power, free from any constraints, and without having to consider anyone's opinion.

In the real world, creating a creative mode is much more enjoyable than being a laborer on the battlefield—the latter's average lifespan is even shorter than that of bodybuilders and trans women.

It's a pity that your life was too smooth, causing you to lose your killer instincts. You always prioritized your own safety, and missed your last chance.

A strong sense of foreboding descended upon the Black Pharaoh. On the beach, Gray Rain, in its slime form, leaped high into the air and self-destructed.

Before the guests, who were fleeing from the guns of American soldiers, could react, steel needles pierced their skulls.

Gray Rain's current system note is that she is Li Sheng's summoned creature, and the VIPs she killed should rightfully be attributed to Li Sheng.

[A VIP has died; the current player's ability unlock progress has increased by 2%]

[One VIP has died.]

System notifications flooded in like a waterfall. With lightning speed, Li Sheng, holding the power bank in his left hand, drew upon spiritual energy.

With his right hand adorned with the Compassionate Soul-Giving Glove, he lifted up the body of Gislan Maxwell.

This woman was not only Epstein's mistress, but also his business partner, on par with him. She used her late father, Robert Maxwell, a British publishing magnate and publisher of the Mirror Group, to help Epstein gain access to the world's elite social circles.

Together with the latter, they engaged in human trafficking and illegal imprisonment.

The reason the Black Pharaoh was so confident that he had the players figured out was because he had killed all the original SVIPs, leaving only Epstein alive, who could then designate new SVIPs.

And now.
The compassionate soul-binding and the assembled puppet were activated simultaneously. The tattered Maxwell's corpse suddenly opened its eyes and, under Li Sheng's control, abruptly raised its arm, pointing towards the distant sea. "They are the new SVIPs."

On the sea surface, Zhongtian Beiji, which swam out using an electric underwater propulsion device, had five VIPs wearing breathing masks attached to their safety ropes.

If Epstein's authority was 100%, then Maxwell's authority was 80%.

The remaining 20% ​​was made up by the Joker and the Oracle.

The two infiltrated the island's monitoring center and obtained archived surveillance videos and ledgers hidden in a safe.

This document is a record of the conduct of officials in modern America. With videos and ledger lists, Maxwell's authority has been enhanced to 100%.

The Black Pharaoh, his eyes blazing with fury, disregarded whether he would be granted player status and remotely controlled the Nightmare Bear to slam down with its paw.

In that instant, time seemed to slow down countless times, and the helicopter's rotor blades began to rotate slowly.

The Nightmare Bear's fur shimmered in the firelight.
Zhongtian Beiji pressed the detonator, detonating the plastic explosives attached to the five unconscious VIPs.

Boom!
The bear paw, suspended 1.4 meters above the ground, could no longer sink.

Li Sheng supported himself with his left hand, and his injuries healed rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye, while the system notification sound still echoed in his ears.

Phase Two Mission Completed

Player restrictions have been lifted.

"call,"

Li Sheng twisted his neck, retrieved Maxwell's soul, abandoned the corpse, and clasped the bear paw's fingers together with both hands.

"It's my turn."

With her feet firmly planted in the ground, her petite body unleashed terrifying power, slamming the Nightmare Bear over her head and crashing it heavily to the ground.

Before the bear could struggle to its feet, Li Sheng casually flicked his right hand, grasped the steel flag spear that had returned to its original length, and slammed it down with all his might, piercing the Nightmare Bear's neck.

Then, he looked up at the armed helicopters high in the sky.

With the levitation engine activated, Li Sheng rode the space bubble and soared into the sky at the speed of light. At a height of 300 meters above the ground, he crushed the Hellfire ground-to-ground missile flying towards him head-on.

Instead of using a lightning-fast elbow strike to kill the Black Pharaoh, he deliberately controlled his position, hovering at the same height as the Apache helicopter.

Inside the helicopter, the pilot and soldiers looked terrified and desperate, while the Black Pharaoh's eyes also flickered with some other emotion.

"What were you expecting?"

Li Sheng floated among the clouds, a playful expression on his face. "A nuclear bomb?"

The Ohio-class submarines deployed by the United States in the Atlantic Ocean carry twenty Trident intercontinental ballistic missiles, with each missile carrying an average of four W76-1 thermonuclear warheads.

The total explosive power of a single missile is approximately equivalent to 400,000 tons of TNT, which is 26 times that of the Hiroshima atomic bomb.

This is the Black Pharaoh's ultimate solution: nuke the island, kill all the superhumans, even if it only yields one player qualification, it's still better than letting the tiger return to the mountain.

"You still don't understand one thing: the biggest advantage of players compared to a modern Earth-like world lies in their asymmetrical power."

As Li Sheng spoke, a figure soared into the sky from the heart of the island.

Like Li Sheng, she simultaneously removed the player restrictions, and her wheelchair was upgraded from a manual push-type wheelchair to a sci-fi style anti-gravity floating alloy wheelchair.

Seated in his wheelchair, the Oracle waved his hand and released a vast swarm of drones, which wove together into a large net high in the sky.

The Trident intercontinental ballistic missile, like a celestial fire, re-entered the atmosphere at supersonic speed.

At the physical level, swarm drones naturally cannot intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles with extremely high terminal speeds, so their strategy is to jam them.

The swarm changed formation, from a mesh to a concave radar shape, unleashing violent electromagnetic waves that pierced the electromagnetic shielding layer and burned through the missile's control circuits, command circuits, power circuits, and flight control processor.

The Trident engine quickly shut down, causing the speed to plummet. At this moment, the swarm rushed forward again, releasing anti-gravity traction beams and effortlessly catching the missile that had no time to explode.

Like a miracle.

"Next, it's his turn to appear."

Li Sheng smiled and snapped his fingers, unleashing the Summoning Spell: Farmer.

Boom——

The roar of a high-displacement car engine exploded in the sky, and a Ford pickup truck painted with the Stars and Stripes appeared out of thin air. The familiar cowboy jumped out of the truck.

After being promoted from manor guard to ranch owner, the cowboy's smile remained as bright and sunny as ever. He changed into a felt cowboy hat, wore a leather jacket, a star-spangled flag brooch on his chest, carried a bald eagle on his left shoulder, and held a whip in his right hand.

"Gah!"

The bald eagle emitted its classic sound effect, so loud that even Li Sheng couldn't help but twitch his eyelids.

In fact, the bald eagle, the national bird of the United States, has a hoarse, low-pitched voice that sounds like a rooster's crow and is not pleasant to listen to at all.

The eagle call that often appears in movies, TV series, and animations comes from another bird, the red-tailed buzzard. Its call is long, sharp, and has its own reverberation, which is very much in line with the aesthetics of Americans.

As for why the bald eagle on the farmer's shoulder could make that sound, it's a matter of concept and shouldn't be questioned further.

After the phantom of the farmer appeared, he first nodded politely to Li Sheng, then looked at the Black Pharaoh in the helicopter and paused for a moment.

His principles as a rancher made him want to lash out at Black people six times a second, while his principles as a representative of the American flag gave him a basic respect for the position of president.

What should I do? Should I smoke or not?
After hesitating for two seconds, the rancher's eyes lit up. He took off the Stars and Stripes ornament from his chest and replaced it with a Lone Star pin, symbolizing Texas independence.

Snapped!
He laughed heartily, cracked his whip, and headed straight for the helicopter.

(End of this chapter)