The voices of Shen Xing’s group echoed through the mall. After finishing the chant, they exchanged slightly embarrassed glances.
’If we’d known we had to shout it, we wouldn’t have picked such a cringey name!’
However, the awkwardness didn’t last long. The Fog Flowers on their wrists began to spin faster.
And within the Fog, the units that had been half-formed now fully materialized!
Besides Hellish Roar, who wore Berserker Shoulder Armor and wielded a Steel-Cutting Double-Bladed Axe, stood two other figures of completely different styles.
The Archer in front of Xu Jiayi was tall and slender. Her tight leather armor accentuated her graceful curves. She had the face of a Western woman and wore a confused expression.
The figure in front of Qin Lang was quite short, only about four-foot-nine, and was wrapped in a black cloak. It held a dagger in each hand in a reverse grip.
The three of them watched, clicking their tongues in amazement. It was the first time they had seen creatures from the game manifest in reality, their outfits clashing jarringly with the modern architecture of their surroundings.
Hellish Roar and the other two units also stared blankly at their surroundings, clearly not having processed what was happening.
But the situation was urgent, and there was no time for explanations.
"I’ll take the front. Jiayi, you provide ranged fire support."
Shen Xing quickly gave the order, "Qin Lang, get ready to gut it!"
As gaming buddies for years, the four of them had often teamed up across many different games, developing an impeccable synergy.
They didn’t need to say another word; they were already in the zone.
"ROAR!"
Hellish Roar hefted his Double-Bladed War Axe, activated [Gale Step], and charged forward!
His terrifying explosive power cratered the mall floor with every step.
He closed in on the Abomination at extreme speed and brought his axe down hard!
With a SPLAT, fluids splattered instantly!
The Abomination let out a roar of pain and rage, extending its rotten right hand to grab Hellish Roar.
Just then, three or four arrows shot out in succession, all hitting the Abomination’s outstretched right arm.
"THWIP! THWIP THWIP THWIP!"
The arrows dug deep into its flesh, the immense force knocking its body off balance.
Taking advantage of the enemy’s momentary imbalance, Hellish Roar fearlessly raised his War Axe and hacked violently at the monster’s bloated stomach!
A few more swings opened up several deep gashes in its flesh.
Just then, the Abomination’s abdomen began to squirm violently.
Several slimy tentacles suddenly shot out from the wounds at extreme speed.
Hellish Roar’s body was instantly wrapped several times over by these tentacles, and he began to struggle furiously.
But this was [Flesh and Blood Tentacles], the signature Skill of a Three-Star Elite creature; it wasn’t something he could easily break free from.
No matter how hard Hellish Roar strained, his muscles swelling as if being inflated, he couldn’t snap the tentacles.
Not only that, but the Abomination was steadily pulling him closer, its abdominal maw gaping open as if to swallow him whole!
Just then, a small, dark figure appeared, having crept up behind the monster at some point.
Two cold glints of light flashed as it began to stab furiously at the Abomination.
However, he was just too short. Even holding his daggers up high, he could only reach the monster’s waist.
Whether intentionally or not, the vast majority of his attacks landed squarely on the Abomination’s rear end.
"ROAR!"
The Abomination let out another piercing shriek, its face contorting in agony.
And as it turned in a fury, trying to grab the Half-Elf Assassin, Hellish Roar finally broke free of the tentacles.
Shen Xing immediately commanded him to use [Blade Chaos Dance], and he began to spin in place like a top.
"WHOOSH— WHOOSH WHOOSH—"
The Steel-Cutting Double-Bladed Axe sliced across its bloated body again and again. Chunks of flesh and fluids flew everywhere!
Added to that, Xu Jiayi’s Archer continuously fired sharp attacks, hitting the Abomination’s joints or head.
The three units, working in concert, completely suppressed the Three-Star Elite Monster, leaving it unable to retaliate.
"Haha, the six of us are awesome!" Qin Lang clapped and laughed from the side.
Shen Xing, sitting in his wheelchair, nodded in agreement. "You’re right. They couldn’t have done it without us."
Xu Jiayi didn’t speak, just stared at the battle before them, her shoulders trembling slightly.
Commanding her own game unit to fight a monster inside a shopping mall—the sheer contrast of the scene made her tremble with excitement.
A dozen or so seconds later, the Abomination, suppressed by the combined efforts of the three units, seemed on the verge of collapse.
It was covered in wounds deep enough to show bone, with rotten flesh and fluids pooling on the floor. Even one of its arms had been chopped off. It was a miserable sight.
Just as everyone thought it was about to fall, the monster suddenly stopped moving.
"GURGLE... GURGLE..."
A strange squelching sound emanated from deep within its body.
Immediately after, its stomach began to expand rapidly like an overinflating water balloon, looking as if it was about to burst!
A dangerous aura radiated from it.
"Not good! That’s the Abomination’s [Corpse Burst] Skill! It has a huge area of effect!" Qin Lang’s expression changed drastically as he shouted a warning. "Get clear!"
The three subconsciously commanded their units to fall back.
But when they saw the ordinary people lying on the ground nearby, they hesitated.
The [Corpse Burst] Skill had a massive kill radius. Its splattered fluids were highly corrosive and could melt a rock in seconds.
If it really managed to use this Skill, the casualties would likely be devastating.
But they had already done their best. They couldn’t just sacrifice their own lives to save others.
In their moment of hesitation, the glass ceiling on the top floor of the mall shattered, and a massive figure descended from the sky.
But it wasn’t a human. It was a bare-chested Minotaur, over ten feet tall.
It shouldered a massive totem pole and, like a missile, slammed it down fiercely onto the about-to-explode Abomination!
"BOOM!!!"
A violent explosion rang out. The entire mall floor shook, and the glass doors of a dozen surrounding shops shattered instantly!
When the dust settled, a deep crater several meters in diameter had appeared on the spot.
The three of them craned their necks to look, only to see the towering Minotaur leaning on its totem, standing in place.
Its muscles looked as if they were forged from steel. Its ochre-colored skin was covered in ancient war patterns, and the oppressive aura it emanated was almost tangible!
As for the Abomination, it was completely gone, probably smashed into a pulp.
Staring at the powerful Minotaur, the three of them were a little dazed.
"Looks like I got here just in time."
A somewhat familiar voice came from the back of the mall.
Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a figure in a trench coat emerge from a side entrance, hands in his pockets.
It was Zhou Zheng, the man they had met once before, who was also the person in charge of anomalous incidents in this area.
"Zhou Zheng, you’re finally here!"
Qin Lang sighed in relief, saying with some lingering fear, "That Abomination was brutal. If we hadn’t summoned our units, a lot of people would have died."
Zhou Zheng glanced around and nodded in approval. "You all did very well. A Three-Star Elite Abomination like this, even if it’s only Tier One, is extremely dangerous."
"For rookies to step up and face a monster like that takes real courage."
Qin Lang felt a little embarrassed by the praise and scratched the back of his head.
Shen Xing, however, looked at him suspiciously and asked, "You were here earlier, weren’t you? You deliberately waited until the last second to step in, right?"
"Oh? You saw through me?" Zhou Zheng glanced at him, a little surprised.
Shen Xing was speechless. ’I knew it,’ he thought.
’Pioneers like us, who have come into contact with that game, are definitely persons of interest for the Anomaly Handling Bureau.’
’Our movements and information have probably been thoroughly investigated, with someone keeping an eye on us at all times.’
’Besides, this game has been running for many years. The Anomaly Handling Bureau must have handled countless similar incidents.’
’It’s basically impossible for Pioneers to take revenge on society before they die.’
"Alright, let’s not talk about that."
Zhou Zheng smiled, then walked over to them. "Here, fill out these forms."
With that, he skillfully pulled several A4-sized forms from the inside of his trench coat and handed them over.
The documents were titled "Pioneer Violation of Regulations: Self-Defense Statement."
"This counts as a violation?" Qin Lang asked, completely dumbfounded.
"Of course, it does."
Zhou Zheng said matter-of-factly, "The document you signed clearly states in Article 43 that Pioneers are not permitted to use abilities from the game in public. Violators will be subject to punishments such as detention and fines."
"Didn’t you read the regulations carefully?"
Shen Xing and Xu Jiayi were also stunned.
’That document was packed with so many damn regulations, who the hell would read through them one by one?!’
’And what about being good Samaritans? What about being citizen heroes?’
’What the hell is this about detention and fines!?’
Watching their constipated expressions, the corners of Zhou Zheng’s mouth turned up slightly. "Don’t worry, there’s a supplementary clause in the document."
"If a Pioneer acts in public to save ordinary people during an emergency, it can be considered a good Samaritan act and does not count as a violation."
"So you just need to write down what happened, and once the Bureau reviews it, you’ll be fine."
Hearing that last sentence, the three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.
To be honest, even though they had been through plenty of battles in the game, as law-abiding citizens since childhood, the thought of being detained was still instinctively intimidating.
Zhou Zheng watched them sign the self-defense statements, a satisfied smile still on his face.
But when he turned his head and his gaze swept over their units, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
"An Elite Two-Star Beastman, an Elite One-Star Ranger... To think you’ve raised such powerful units in just two days. That’s really beyond my expectations."
He paused, then said, "How about this. Seeing as you have good Potential, and you stepped up this time, I’ll get you a few spots for the ’Foggy Void Realm’."