Chapter 58: This Flex of His Looks Like Something a Friend of Mine Would Do

"Careful!"

Chen Baili shouted loudly, raising the nine-ring broadsword that had been completely dyed dark red to slash at the companion beside him.

The opponent did not dodge or avoid.

He let the blade light fall.

A ghost villager who had silently appeared beside him, clutching a sharp blade in his hand, was instantly split in half vertically by Chen Baili.

After dealing with the ambushing ghost villager.

The two stood back-to-back, panting heavily, their eyes a mixture of irritability, exhaustion, helplessness, and even despair.

"There are way too many of these! Who the hell cleared this nightmare-level dungeon? Is this even something humans can do?" Chen Baili said helplessly, "Can we get someone from outside to come back?"

Hundreds of ghost villagers still surrounded them; even after killing dozens, their numbers showed no sign of decreasing.

Unless something unexpected happened.

These ghost villagers were just the minor mobs in the dungeon; the real BOSS was still over at the sacrificial square.

Even so, the two felt their hope of escaping was slim.

The sheer numbers were bad enough, but these ghost villagers also performed a dance every two minutes, at which point a powerful mental shock would affect the two of them.

Even with the talisman pasted by Department Head Old Xiezhi to counter this mental shock.

The two of them would be unable to take any action while resisting the shock, forced to stand still and wait for the ghost villagers' dance to end.

Then face the despairing numerical suppression all over again.

This was an unsolvable dead loop.

"The message has reached the people outside; no one will enter the village now. The two of us have to rely on ourselves to escape," the companion said helplessly too.

Since the seal of the Great God Yin Yuan was broken, all electronic devices in this area had lost their function.

He had used a pigeon-type item at the very beginning to transmit the Department Head's order to evacuate the vicinity.

After breaking out for a while, he only realized upon coming to his senses.

That the two of them seemed unable to escape.

Who knows why there are so many of these ghost villagers!

"I have a large-area restriction item here that can paralyze all creatures within a thirty-meter radius with less than 10 points of mental power for about three minutes," the companion said, pulling out a strange device resembling a lightning rod from his backpack.

Seeing this, Chen Baili's face lit up with great joy.

These irrational ghost villagers obviously wouldn't have more than 10 points of mental power.

Such a large range and duration.

Would be completely enough to break out!

He patted the other's shoulder and said, "Bro, why didn't you bring out such a good thing earlier? My hands are about to go soft from chopping."

The other replied with no good temper, "You think I didn't want to use it from the start? The side effect of this thing is too stupid."

Chen Baili froze.

He instinctively asked, "What side effect?"

The companion answered with a grim face, "After using it, I myself will fall into a paralyzed state for five minutes, completely unable to resist."

"?"

Wait, bro, you restrict the enemy for three minutes.

But your own side effect is five minutes.

What the hell kind of stupid item is this?

Chen Baili understood why the other hadn't used this thing from the start.

It really was a bit stupid.

"Normal methods can't break us out anymore; otherwise, I wouldn't have brought out this stupid item. After using it, within a thirty-meter radius, only you should still have the ability to move. Can you carry me and run?" the companion asked, rubbing his temples.

"You trust me that much?"

Chen Baili was somewhat surprised.

Although they were both members of the Strange Affairs Bureau, after all, this was their first meeting; wasn't this kind of trust, handing over one's own life directly, too reckless?

What if I turned and ran?

After three minutes, when the ghost villagers were unparalyzed, he would just be lying there waiting to die.

"No, I trust Department Head Old Xiezhi," the companion's eyes became firm as he said, "You are the one he brought up. I believe he wouldn't misjudge and teach a ungrateful wolf who abandons his teammates."

Hearing this, a trace of pride appeared on Chen Baili's face.

He patted his chest and said, "Good! Just for your trust in my boss, even if I die today, I will absolutely die before you. My name is Chen Baili, what's yours?"

"Xu Hu," the companion said as he stuck the device into the ground and saw the ghost villagers surrounding them again, "Don't talk about dying. Let's talk about whatever we need to say once we get out alive."

"Ready?"

Chen Baili shouted, "Do it!"

Click—

As soon as the words fell, Xu Hu slapped the switch on the device.

Buzzzz—

A strange electric current sound echoed within the device; Xu Hu swallowed dryly, and his hand began to tremble reflexively.

He had used this thing once before.

The memory wasn't pleasant.

Boom—

Chen Baili heard a huge noise behind him; turning around, he was startled to find a lightning bolt had inexplicably appeared in the sky.

It struck heavily right on the pointed tip of the device.

Xu Hu, pressing the switch with his hand, was instantly electrocuted into a comical explosion hairstyle, trembling all over as he collapsed to the ground, twitching spasmodically, with inexplicable black smoke billowing from his mouth.

The next second, a strange blue electric grid spread across the ground, instantly covering a thirty-meter radius.

The ghost villagers within the affected area all fell down, unable to rise again; just like Xu Hu, they lay on the ground twitching, paralyzed and unable to move.

"Damn! Is this really a lightning rod?"

So the side effect was that one had to electrocute oneself first, right!?

Chen Baili cursed, grabbed Xu Hu from the ground, slung him over his shoulder, and started sprinting in the direction leading out of the village.

Fortunately, the power boost provided by the 【Bloodthirsty Ring Blade】 lasted for one minute; having just killed so many ghost villagers, he had already stacked it to the maximum.

Now, with his strength surging, even carrying the weight of an adult man, he ran as if flying.

Five meters... ten meters... thirty meters!

In just a few steps, Chen Baili burst past the thirty-meter mark; seeing the ghost villagers behind him stumbling and falling, he couldn't help but sigh with relief.

These guys would be paralyzed for over two more minutes; it was completely impossible for them to catch up.

From here on, the sky was the limit!

Thump-thump-thump-thump-thump—

Just then, the sound of dense footsteps came from ahead.

Xu Hu, on Chen Baili's shoulder, looked increasingly grim; the helplessness in his eyes gradually turned into despair.

He saw countless ghost villagers.

Running wildly toward them from the front.

Their numbers were at least double what they had faced before!

They had only just broken through a few steps ago!

He himself would need to be paralyzed for at least four more minutes.

Relying on Chen Baili alone to hold back the ghost villagers that the two of them had previously struggled to deal with? And there were even more of them?

That was obviously impossible.

The sprinting ghost villagers were still at a distance; if Chen Baili put him down, there might still be a chance to rush into the forest before they arrived.

Once inside, escaping would be much simpler.

"Brother Chen, put me down..."

"Shut up!"

Chen Baili interrupted Xu Hu's barely spoken words.

He took a rope from his backpack and bound the other man completely to himself, then gripped the blade handle with both hands as the blood-red in his eyes gradually spread across his pupils.

He spoke word by word: "I said, you will not die before me!"

【Trustworthy Berserker • Chen Baili】

The system prompt echoed in Chen Baili's ears.

His title had changed.

But Chen Baili had no time to focus on what effects the new title brought; he only wanted to carve out a path to survival.

In the blink of an eye, that group of sprinting ghost villagers reached the two of them.

Chen Baili did not retreat; instead, he advanced.

He lunged forward, wielding He Daoren with wide, sweeping strokes; a sword technique that was wild yet carried a touch of violent aesthetics instantly slew three ghost villagers, leaving Xu Hu on his back stunned.

This guy... was he this fierce just now?

Thump-thump-thump-thump—

The sprinting footsteps did not stop.

Xu Hu immediately noticed something strange.

These ghost villagers...

Were not attacking the two of them?!

They continued sprinting toward the village center; even though Chen Baili had slain several of them mid-way, the ghost villagers nearby did not stop to look at the two of them once.

It was as if some great terror behind them was chasing and driving them forward, leaving them no mind to deal with the two of them.

Although Chen Baili and he were instantly swallowed by the crowd, they were merely mixed in, not surrounded and blocked.

The ghost villagers brushed past them one by one.

"Wait! Brother Chen! What is behind them?" Xu Hu immediately called out to warn him.

The blood-red in Chen Baili's eyes gradually faded.

Gradually, a slender figure appeared at the end of the road.

The other party's appearance was unremarkable; wearing a hoodie and black-rimmed glasses, clearly not belonging to this Yin Yuan Village, he carried a rusted broken sword in his hand.

He simply walked step by step.

Unhurried, like taking a post-meal stroll, approaching from the distance, even whistling a relaxed and pleasant tune.

Occasionally, a few ghost villagers, having their legs broken by being trampled by other companions, fell to the ground; when the youth passed these ghost villagers who had lost their mobility.

They let out a terrible cry and then exploded into a pile of ash and dust on the ground.

The ghost villagers that had driven the two of them into a desperate situation.

Could not even spare a second glance or stay for a second longer in front of this person?

"This... what kind of person is this?"

The overwhelming power and sense of ease displayed by the other party made Chen Baili and Xu Hu's breaths hitch.

If this were a player, only someone at the level of a branch department head of the Strange Affairs Bureau or higher would possibly possess such strength, right?

For a moment, the two of them even forgot about breaking through.

Because the ghost villagers had already fled to a much farther distance.

They were now basically certain that the ghost villagers had become so abnormal precisely because they were fleeing this youth.

Tap-tap—

The youth walked over to the two of them.

He glanced at Chen Baili, who was covered in blood from head to toe.

And slowly uttered a single sentence: "If you're no good, just practice more."

Having said that, he walked toward the deeper center of the village without looking back.

Xu Hu turned his head to look at the other party.

The back, completely unguarded, was thus laid bare before the two of them, as if he had no concern at all that they might pose a threat to him.

What immense confidence!

Moreover, that phrase "If you're no good, just practice more" seemed to be something he had seen somewhere before.

Wait! On the server-wide announcement!

Could he possibly be the expert who cleared the Nightmare-level solo dungeon!?

"Brother Chen Baili, let's go quickly. I'll use the Carrier Pigeon item to notify the Director and the others that the expert has arrived to handle this Disaster Den," Xu Hu remarked with emotion.

But Chen Baili did not leave immediately; he still frowned, looking in the direction the youth had departed.

Although his figure and voice did not match at all, the silhouette of him walking away toward the group of ghost villagers in his mind gradually overlapped with the silhouette of Wei Wang Ren walking toward that group of students in "Return of the Cops."

It was too similar...

Equally seemingly unremarkable, yet utterly eccentric and individualistic to the extreme.

Damn, he's so cool!

"Brother Hu, you might not believe me if I say this."

"The way the expert pulled off that flex reminds me of a friend of mine."

Xu Hu: "?"

You actually know such an expert!?