City of Sinful Mist (The Black Death) Chapter 145: Another Raid

In truth, Wu Hui had performed exceptionally well up to this point. As a Level 4 player, lacking his own cultivated forces and intelligence network, he had managed to eliminate a significant number of Level 5 and Level 6 opponents.

Anyone else would have found this impossible.

Yet, when one’s strength is too meager, even reaching one’s absolute limit is meaningless.

Just as the Deputy Minister had said to Smiling Face before losing consciousness: they were ultimately defeated by the Demon God, not by you, Lunuo.

To reach Level 4 in mere months and slay a Level 6—this record was something to be proud of. However... if one dies, none of it matters.

Smiling Face approached.

His own condition was poor; the attack launched by Liao Yuan before his death had caused significant weakening. Before the Deputy Minister was turned into a puppet, he had also done his utmost to compromise his own strength. Both sides were at their wit's end, everyone merely struggling to hold on.

Wu Hui clutched his head, feeling a headache coming on. There was half an hour left until his next game began. It was a Level 5 difficulty, Chess Player type. For him, it would hardly be easy.

Although there was no qualitative leap in strength for players between Level 4 and Level 5, the game difficulty increased in reality. If he fought Smiling Face and entered the game while critically wounded, the consequences would be unimaginable. But perhaps, it could also be a chance to turn the tables.

There was no time left to ponder.

The attack from the Level 7 puppet had descended upon the street. A Level 7, even one severely weakened, was absolutely not an entity they could contend with. Their only hope of survival was to quickly capture and kill Smiling Face, who was hiding in the shadows. Otherwise, death was certain.

Guan Shanting gripped his blade and charged. This was his fourth time facing a Level 7. The previous three times, he had Level 6s by his side to take the brunt of the assault, solving the problem or at least stalling the opponent. But this time, he was the strongest person on the field.

"Then I must be the one to hold the line."

The blade was held tight in his hand as countless malicious thoughts and heroic passions collided within his heart, finally refining into pure battle intent and bloodlust.

Strike.

This was the pinnacle of Guan Shanting's power, a strike gathering all his strength. Once it landed, even a Level 6 would be severely wounded. As for a Level 7, he had never truly struck one before, so he wasn't sure.

Now, he had struck one.

The puppet was not a true Level 7; it lacked the wisdom and the original body of a Level 7. It was currently on par with Smiling Face at his peak. After all, the two rampaging Level 7s had nearly destroyed each other, and before being controlled, they had done their best to ravage their own bodies.

The blade swept past. An arm was severed; the mask shattered.

Guan Shanting’s eyes were bright. To severely wound an enemy two levels higher, even with the help of various objective factors, was enough to be proud of.

Ma Fushao and Zhao Xingluan’s long spears thrust in from both sides. The three of them together restricted the Level 7 puppet. Meanwhile, Wu Hui and Ren Yin were fending off a raid by four Level 5s and six Level 4s.

In this city, the number of puppets Smiling Face could find was almost endless. While Level 7s and 6s were hard to find, Level 5s and below were abundant. It was simply that if there were too many, Smiling Face could not control them all.

There were too many enemies.

Wu Hui gritted his teeth, summoned his creatures, and sacrificed them. The Dark Chanter descended once more. A sonic wave, seemingly capable of destroying everything, unleashed its immense power across the street. The indiscriminate area-of-effect attack instantly destroyed the enemy puppets, leaving Wu Hui to be carried back by Ren Yin.

Various black mists dispersed. Ren Yin felt her sanity fraying, but it did not matter; Wu Hui would restrain her when the time came.

Laughter echoed in his ears.

Smiling Face had come in person.

In the end, he held the advantage, though acting personally went against his habits.

"You little things really know how to jump around. Even though I knew taking over a city was difficult, being pushed to this state by a bunch of Level 4 and 5 players is simply an insult to me."

After all, almost all the Level 6s in the city were dead, and two Level 7s had perished.

Although the number of players in Dayun City was not as high as in Changqing, it was still significant. Players usually congregated in more economically developed areas; even those who started in small villages would move to big cities after becoming players. After all, living conditions in big cities were superior—provided you had money.

That was why so many players had gathered here, even with the main forces away supporting Changqing. In small, third- or fourth-tier cities, there might only be one or two Level 6s.

However, Dayun and Changqing were still not where the most players were. In regional capitals or the headquarters of major factions, the quantity and quality of players were truly high.

If Wu Hui and his team won, after this battle, perhaps a tenth of Dayun City’s ordinary population would be dead. The players, however, would lose all their high-level combatants, with only a dozen or so Level 5s remaining.

Smiling Face calculated the destruction he had caused, walking step by step toward Wu Hui.

Though Ren Yin and Wang Xiaodie had lost control, they still attacked Smiling Face. The priority of a slave contract was higher than that of mental control.

A ship set sail, carrying Ren Yin and Wang Xiaodie away. Wu Hui coughed twice and struggled to stand.

Smiling Face quickly dealt with the Dark Chanter—it was unclear if he suffered losses—and moved rapidly toward them. In the corner, shadows surged, and combined with the ice powers Wu Hui had left behind, they attempted to restrain Smiling Face.

Orb Weaver joined the fray, his condition the most stable of the group—better than Smiling Face, who had been scorched by Liao Yuan. Wang Xiaodie transformed into her spider form and sprayed a massive web.

Under the triple restriction, Smiling Face’s pace slowed. Before she lost control completely, Ren Yin raised her gun and fired.

If she hadn't used up her special bullets earlier, she might have truly claimed Smiling Face's life. But alas, the damage was mediocre, only shattering Smiling Face's mask.

Mental energy surged through the spider web to Orb Weaver, knocking him unconscious. Zhao Xingluan, Guan Shanting, and Ma Fushao joined forces, yet were still beaten back by the Level 7 puppet. The damage from the first wave had been significant, but it could only be described as narrowing the gap, not reversing the situation.

Wu Hui clutched his head and gasped. The second time he overdrawn his mental power caused his brain to twitch violently, making it difficult even to think normally.

Smiling Face broke through the restraints, repelled Wang Xiaodie and her swarm, and finished off the beasts around Wu Hui. His figure moved nimbly toward the pair, his book pages turning, and black and white energy flew toward them.

The city seemed to have reached a dead end. No one could save Wu Hui, and no one could save this world.

Outside the city, Iron Hand, who had been attacking the black mist for over ten days, stopped. It wasn't that he didn't want to continue, but the cracks in his hands were too severe; he could not hold on any longer.

At this most dangerous moment, when everyone was at their wit's end, and Wu Hui was still in a state of mental exhaustion, his game time arrived.