Star Abyss Walker

Chapter 15: An Unsuccessful Start (Thanks to Wujiang Little Bookworm Alliance Leader!)

Upon entering the insect hive, a small map appeared in the upper right corner of the combat interface.

Chen Jinnan carefully examined the minimap and said, "This insect hive branch is a narrow, winding path type, which is perfect for a five-person team like ours to clear it out."

As he spoke, he turned around and looked at him: "Ding Han, do you have a blue Wind Whisperer sniper rifle?"

"some."

A flash of light appeared in my hands, and the Wind Whisperer was lifted up by both hands.

"Not bad, do you have level 5 in basic shooting?"

Chen Jinnan said, "I heard that once you reach level 5 in basic shooting, you can hit a target within 300 meters with a sniper rifle almost every time."

"There is."

I didn't reveal that my basic shooting skill was already level 10. There's no need to brag about this; it just makes everyone feel bad.

"That's good."

Chen Jinnan pointed to a stalagmite not far away and said, "See that rock? That's the highest point in the insect hive. Go up there and find a firing position. You can come to our aid with long-range sniping. Sniper bullets deal high damage, so you can get a lot of experience points too."

"Row!"

"Axe, Little White."

Chen Jinnan continued to command: "You guys go to the left, Ruolin and I will go to the right. When the swarm of insects rushes over, we'll take turns providing cover and give each other a chance to reload. If all else fails, Ruolin can switch to her shield and hold out for a few seconds. Ding Han, aim and shoot, but be careful not to accidentally hit anyone."

"Don't worry, there won't be any accidental injuries."

I stopped talking, slung the sniper rifle over my back, and quickly climbed up the rugged and damp rock surface to the high point. Fifty meters ahead, there were clusters of emerald green flowers.

Of course, those are not flower buds, but the embryos of nest worms. Once a player gets close, those nest worms will immediately "emerge from their cocoons" and launch a ferocious attack on the player!
……

"Zhizhi~~~"

As the group approached, the spores of the wax beetle embryo began to wriggle rapidly, followed by a series of "splattering" spurts of mucus, and insects the size of washbasins burst out!

"Level 15, normal monster, fire!"

At Chen Jinnan's command, flames burst forth below.

I lay prone on the high rock, already with my gun set up, aiming directly at the swarm of bugs below. With each loud "bang bang bang," I fired a shot into the swarm, hitting its mark every time, and damage numbers rose one after another.

"442!"

"433!"

"415!"

"447!"

The blue sniper rifle does indeed deal high damage. These level 15 broodworms only have a total of 900 HP, so one shot can take away half of their HP, making it quite satisfying to fight them.

"I go……"

While firing bursts with his submachine gun, Axe frowned and said, "Ding Han's firepower is too fierce. This shot is equivalent to a full magazine of submachine gun fire. It's a bit outrageous!"

"hey-hey……"

Ruolin laughed and said, "How could I be wrong about the person I've chosen?"

Xiao Bai smiled, then suddenly stopped shooting. Deep blue spiritual energy surged in his eyes, and a silent wave of energy burst forth forward, instantly causing a nest insect to lose more than 200 health points and its movement speed to become extremely slow.

Mind Blast, one of the basic skills of psykers!

I didn't think too much about it; I just kept shooting and reaping experience points from the nest bugs, feeling quite satisfied.

In the game "Star Abyss", the more damage you deal during a team battle, the more experience points you gain. It follows the rule of "the more you work, the more you get" and prohibits any form of slacking off.

Furthermore, even the boss-hunting system is similar. After defeating the boss, all participating players will receive a boss ability crystal treasure chest. However, what each person gets is completely different, and the more you contribute, the higher your chance of obtaining high-value treasures!

After emptying all four spare magazines of the Wind Whisperer, I jumped off the rock, switched to the Howler, and continued to fire. The teamwork was quite good, and we didn't give the bugs any chance.

……

Soon after, the nesting insects within a radius of tens of meters were completely cleared away.

Suddenly, a ding-dong sound rang in my ears.

[You performed exceptionally well in battle, triggering the quest "Clean Up the Insect Hive" (Rank C)! Quest objective: Eliminate all insects in this insect hive while ensuring your own survival. Quest reward: Abundant experience, "Dragon Blade" (Rank B Skill Tome)!]

The mission is coming!

Overjoyed, I said, "I triggered a C-level mission to clean up the insect hive. Do any of you have one?"

"No."

Chen Jinnan shook his head: "No way... how come we don't have any?"

"It might be an element of luck."

Ruolin smiled and said in a broadcaster-quality voice, "Fate always seems to favor fools unexpectedly."

I was speechless; her mature, older-sister voice was really quite captivating.

"Congratulations!"

Xiao Bai gave him a smile.

I nodded and didn't say much. We stayed where we were and reloaded all the magazines before setting off, pushing our way deeper into the Zerg hive.

Everything went very smoothly.

Within just one hour, after gaining a large amount of experience points, I successfully leveled up to level 11. After extracting a large amount of experience, the Yuanli Furnace also leveled up to level 7, further increasing my attributes.

At this moment, the overall combat capability level has increased to 205 points!
If the regional rankings in Xicheng are based on combat power, I would most likely be able to enter the top three.

……

In the afternoon, all firepower was unleashed inside the insect hive, and the five members of the Heaven and Earth Society team fought fiercely against the hive insects.

"drop!"

A WeChat message, surprisingly, came from Lu Xiaobei: "Ding Han, where are you... I got caught by the urban management officers... Come and get me..."

As she spoke, she even sent a pitiful emoji.

I almost burst out laughing.

But there's no way I can go back to Xicheng to get her now, not even to the point of distraction. So I just shoved my phone into my pocket, put it on silent, and ignored her. I'll just pretend I found a place to sleep outside and explain later. This boss is reasonable; he'll probably understand the exhaustion of a night shift worker.

Time passes bit by bit.

Around 3 p.m., I had almost used up all 1000 rounds of 9mm submachine gun ammunition, but I still had quite a few large-caliber bullets for the Wind Whisperer.

"Only a little bit left."

Chen Jinnan pointed ahead and said, "Brothers and sisters, the end of the insect hive is just ahead. With a little more effort, we can clear this map. Let's cheer each other on."

"I'm running out of bullets, almost completely out of supplies," Ruolin said.

"I have a little bit left."

Axe pulled out a box of bullets and laughed, "Two hundred rounds. You're welcome. Just treat me to a meal later, okay?"

There is no food.

Ruolin accepted the bullets and said, "But I will definitely return them in full."

"I rely on..."

Axe said sullenly, "Is it so hard to have a meal with me? Am I really that ugly?"

He looked at Xiaobai.

Ling Baiwei frowned: "Don't look at me, I am indeed a bit ugly..."

Chen Jinnan burst into laughter.

"Chief Chen."

I said, "My submachine gun ammo is all used up, but I still have some sniper ammo for the Wind Whisperer. I'll take care of the ranged attacks from now on and won't engage in close combat, okay?"

"Sure, they're all the same."

Chen Jinnan smiled and said, "Ding Han, although you just joined the team today, everyone has seen your performance along the way. It's quite remarkable. With proper development, you'll definitely become a master in the future."

"Any ideas about joining my Heaven and Earth Society? I'll give you the position of the Green Wood Hall Master in the future."

My lips twitched slightly: "Forget it, I'm not considering joining any organization for now, but you can call me if you want to level up."

"Alright, going down the solo player route isn't bad either. Will we, Tiandi, force you?"

As he spoke, Chen Jinnan led the group to begin exploring the final map of the insect hive, while I found a high vantage point and, from dozens of meters away, headshot the half-health insects one by one.

About five minutes later, only the last ten meters of the insect nest remained.

"The last of the hive worms."

Chen Jinnan picked up his gun and walked over.

'wrong……'

Looking at the last small piece inside the nest, I noticed that one of the embryonic spores was emerald green, looking like a large piece of emerald jade. It was quite different from the other nest insects, and it looked somewhat familiar.

This seems to be...

Suddenly my heart clenched, and I shouted, "Chief Chen, be careful! That's not a Tier 1 Nesting Bug, it's a Tier 2 Exploding Bug..."

"what?!"

Chen Jinnan was shocked, but it was too late.

A level 25 elite worm, hidden in the swarm, quickly charged towards Chen Jinnan.

"Everyone back off!"

I yelled, but it was too late.

"Bang~~~"

The exploding insect, braving the combined firepower of Zhang Ruolin, Xiaobai, and Axe, rammed into Chen Jinnan. A deafening roar followed, and the insect exploded into a pool of blood. Simultaneously, Chen Jinnan's body melted away, turning into a pool of blood!
"Wow~~"

In the air, the outline of an alternate dimension storage space flickered, and then Chen Jinnan's items exploded out, leaving a pile of guns, bullets, and miscellaneous items on the ground.

"Hold……"

Axe was terrified, his face turning deathly pale.

"Stop being stunned!"

I headshot the brood worms one by one, shouting, "Kill all the brood worms first, quick!"

Xiao Bai and Ruolin then came to their senses and retreated while shooting, quickly wiping out the last insects in the nest.

……

[Congratulations! You have completed the quest "Clean Up the Insect Hive" (Rank C), and have received the following rewards: 6 experience points and an additional reward: "Dragon Blade" (Rank B Skill Tome)!]

You have enough experience points to level up to 12 and obtain the universal skill Dragon Blade for sword-type super weapons.

Logically, they should have been happy, but Chen Jinnan's death dampened their spirits.

"rustle……"

I walked over carrying the Wind Whisperer, stood beside the three of them, and looked at the blood plasma that Chen Jinnan had turned into.

"What do you think happens if you die in this world? Is it possible to return to the real world after you die?" Xiaobai asked.

"maybe……"

Ruolin said, "If I could really go back after I die, I would want to die now. But what I fear most is dying here, dying in reality, and then I would really have nothing left."

"so……"

Axe asked, "Is the boss really dead?"

"Ah."

I nodded without saying anything more.

Everyone was silent, their mood shrouded in a persistent gloom.

"That……"

Axe looked at the mess on the ground: "The stuff the boss dropped..."

(End of this chapter)