"Nightmare Difficulty: I don't need any hints. I was born for greatness. I'm the chosen one of this new world! Cut the chatter—let's get down to business!"
"Nightmare Difficulty Completion Reward: A guaranteed Middle-Level Treasure Chest and a 10% chance to trigger the Lucky Prize Wheel."
"Penalty for Failure: Turn into a moron!"
'Screw your "moron"!' Gao Neng couldn't care less about rewards at this point. Only one thought ran through his mind: 'Everyone dies eventually. It's just a matter of sooner or later.'
'So, I should go for 'sooner'?'
'Right?'
Gao Neng felt helpless, lost. He wanted to sing a song. More than that, he wanted to compose a poem...
In the end, he did nothing at all.
After all, he was Gao Neng, the academic prodigy. He wasn't your average Joe. He quickly calmed down and, for good measure, pulled a cookie from his bag and wolfed it down.
'Youth is meant to be lived with passion.'
'So what if I have to take down Shen Ning'Er? What's the big deal? Just like the mission said, if I could take her down once, why can't I do it a second time?'
Gao Neng gazed at Shen Ning'Er in the distance and the Steel Giant Dragon coiled around her body. The dragon's head was majestic and mighty, radiating an unmatched arrogance.
He hadn't received a hint.
Therefore, he needed to calmly consider a few minor issues.
'For instance, where am I supposed to take down Shen Ning'Er? Here? And should I rush in and fight alongside these guys, or should I wait until they're finished and take her on alone?'
'If I team up with them, doesn't that make me one of the bad guys? But if I don't take advantage of this situation, what other chance will I get?'
'A paradox!'
'Such a paradox!'
'A hint... I need a hint...'
'Stupid, moronic system!'
Just as he was lost in thought, he saw the shouting middle-aged men and youths charge forward.
'Could there be Energy Warriors among those men?' Gao Neng was surprised. He thought they would have turned and fled the moment they saw Shen Ning'Er summon her Steel Giant Dragon.
But they didn't run.
Not a single one of them ran!
They bravely charged forward together!
And then...
The Steel Giant Dragon swatted two of them down with a single claw and sent another five or six flying with a sweep of its tail. They were all taken down in the blink of an eye.
Over a dozen bodies flew into the air.
Then, they came crashing back down to the ground.
Their bravery moved Gao Neng. But he was already preparing to flee.
'To hell with joining forces with them! I am Gao Neng, an academic prodigy! I am righteous and honorable, calm in the face of danger. How could I possibly associate with such a pack of lowly thugs?'
'Wait a second.'
'It looks like three of them are still standing.'
Yes, there were indeed three still on their feet. As the dozens of bodies crashed to the ground, three of the men landed standing. They hadn't fallen; they stood tall and unyielding.
All three of them were the middle-aged men.
'These old-timers are beasts!'
'A chance! It looks like there's still a chance!' It was as if Gao Neng had seen a glimmer of hope in the darkness. He had no intention of relying on these men for his opportunity; he just wanted to be a third party, a puppet master behind the scenes.
'Controlling the situation from the shadows is the only way to go.'
'A sneak attack.'
'If I had a mission hint, it would definitely tell me to launch a sneak attack while the three men are ganging up on Shen Ning'Er.'
'That has to be it!'
Gao Neng dropped to the ground, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike.
"Iron Energy manifestation? Hmph... what an unexpected surprise." The three men exchanged glances. Then, a heavyset man among them smiled, nodded, and calmly pulled out a walkie-talkie. "FUCK! She's an Energy Warrior! Call for backup, now! We can't hold out!"
"..." Gao Neng was speechless.
'How can you not hold out? What happened to "These old-timers are beasts"?'
Gao Neng had nothing more to say. These weren't the respectable middle-aged men of old. It wasn't that good men had gone bad; it was that bad men had simply gotten old.
On second thought, however, Gao Neng relaxed.
'How could there be so many Energy Warriors, anyway?'
In the entire Forgotten Land, there were probably no more than a hundred Energy Warriors in total. Li Qingping was one of them.
You could say that pretty much every Energy Warrior held a respectable position—with the exception, of course, of those who used their power for illicit gains.
...
After yelling into his device, the heavyset man took off. The other two men did the same, all three bolting in different directions.
They were even faster than Gao Neng would have been.
But not a single one of them got away.
Because at the very moment the three men decided to flee, the Steel Giant Dragon coiled around Shen Ning'Er disassembled.
'One dragon splitting into the Three Pure Ones...'
'Oh, wait, no—one dragon splitting into three weapons!'
The massive dragon transformed into three weapons: a spear, a sword, and a saber.
"SHLICK!"
"SHLICK!"
"SHLICK!"
The three men fell.
Then, the three weapons flew back toward Shen Ning'Er, merging in mid-air. In the blink of an eye, they had reformed into the Steel Giant Dragon.
Watching all this unfold, Gao Neng could only repeat himself... 'Energy Warriors are truly badass!'
"ROAR!" The dragon's cry echoed.
Shen Ning'Er's gaze swept over the area before finally landing back on Gao Neng. A faint, malicious smile played on her lips.
"Were you... with them?" Shen Ning'Er asked.
"No!" Gao Neng answered without a second's thought.
"Mm, I didn't think so. You'd already be dead if you were," she said. "Still, I am curious. Why are you here?"
"Would you believe me if I said I was here to fix the road? I've even got a shovel in my bag..." Gao Neng tried to back away, but his foot was shackled by an iron ring.
"And what do you think?"
"Well... you could!"
"Heh. Gao Neng, you need to understand something. If you confess now, you might have a slim chance of getting out of this. If you don't, and I take you in, your only option will be to face the full force of Alliance law." Shen Ning'Er gave a light chuckle and continued, "Let's see now... assaulting an Alliance Major... that's at least twenty years in prison, no problem. And before the trial, I could always use your 'resistance' as an excuse to... 'accidentally' break a leg and a couple of arms..."
"Are you a monster?"
"Mm, you could say that. Alright, you have ten seconds. I'm starting the countdown now. If you can't give me a reasonable explanation by the time I'm done, I'll start by breaking one of your legs." Shen Ning'Er's smile was absolutely radiant.
"..." Cold sweat trickled down Gao Neng's face. He was certain Shen Ning'Er wasn't joking. She had no reason to.
He was just a high school senior from the Forgotten Land.
Forget breaking his legs...
...she could kill him without facing any consequences.
"Ten," Shen Ning'Er began with a sneer.
"Nine."
"Eight."
"..."
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Alright, time's up!" Shen Ning'Er declared. The Steel Giant Dragon began to move. Its enormous head reared back, baring a set of chilling fangs.
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