Abundant Martial Arts Virtue

The surrounding environment became clear.

This was an abandoned underground tunnel.

The tunnel floor was riddled with debris and some corpses; there was almost no place to step.

Darkness and silence enveloped the place.

Without light, it was impossible to see the direction or to discern where the end of the tunnel was.

Wu Xiaode found himself standing in the middle of the underground tunnel.

Xia Huilan's expression of fatigue receded as she took a small and delicate pistol out of her pocket, checked the magazine, and reloaded.

Xia Ni stood to her right, her face wearing a faint smile.

"Input the battle duration so I can allocate tactics accordingly," Xia Ni said.

Xia Huilan turned to Wu Xiaode and asked, "How much Soul Power do you have?"

"Five points—I seem to need to kill five monsters to take you both back," Wu Xiaode said.

"Understood," Xia Ni replied, then became still.

Xia Huilan showed a look of satisfaction and patted Wu Xiaode on the shoulder, "You have five points of Soul Power just after Awakening? That's pretty good."

Having made the decision to stay and help Wu Xiaode, Xia Huilan seemed to let go of her burdens, emitting an aura of determination and ambition.

— She was, after all, an expert in mechanical technology!

"I'm completely in the dark about this place; I don't know what we're facing," Wu Xiaode spoke with gravity.

"Teleportation is random, so everyone encounters different situations," Xia Huilan said.

"Is this world very large?"

"Upon research, we've confirmed that this is a vast Otherworld. In half a year, no one has yet to find its boundaries."

"Sister, you seem a bit desperate about this world?"

"Yes, from all the data, it's terrifying—let's see—abandoned underground tunnels, this isn't a known teleportation location, but it has many passages. The monsters will find us soon."

"Because I'm a newcomer?"

"Yes, the fluctuations from newcomers attract them."

As soon as he finished speaking.

Ghost fire of a dismal green color suddenly emerged in the Void in front of Wu Xiaode.

The three immediately took up defensive positions.

However, nothing else appeared around them; only the ghost fires danced in the air, slowly gathering into lines of small characters:

"Welcome, friend."

"This is the team leader of the Ghost Fire Team."

"Come, we have enough reliable companions, food, weapons, information."

"—If you are willing to join us and help each other, place your hand on the ghost fire and say 'I am willing.'"

Wu Xiaode quickly read through and spoke, "Uh... what do I have to give in return?"

The ghost fires slowly formed a new line of characters:

"You don't need to give anything extra, just come. It's very hard for us humans to survive in this world; one more person means more Power!"

Wu Xiaode shook his head repeatedly, "Forget it, no need."

The ghost fire again formed new characters:

"In recent days, the survival rate of Awakeners has become even lower. Do you really think you can survive on your own?"

Wu Xiaode laughed, "Exactly, that's how cool I am."

The ghost fire stiffened and then slowly dissipated.

The Book of the Dead quickly displayed a line of ice crystal characters:

"This long-distance communication has ended."

Wu Xiaode exhaled a sigh of relief, turned around, and met the inquisitive eyes of Xia Huilan and Xia Ni.

"According to past statistics, forming a group can increase the survival rate," Xia Ni said with a smile.

"Why did you refuse?" Xia Huilan asked curiously.

Wu Xiaode earnestly replied, "Sister, I asked him what price had to be paid, but he said nothing was required, yet there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

His gaze turned cold as he continued, "Let alone in such a place, even in our society, if a person doesn't have to give anything in return, then what kind of treatment can they expect, right?"

"Do you think it was a trap?" Xia Huilan asked.

"I'm not sure, but I don't trust such unwarranted benefits," Wu Xiaode said.

Xia Huilan pondered, "That's true, this is an extremely dangerous world..."

"Exactly," Wu Xiaode shrugged, "I'm just a newcomer; it's better not to let those old birds see through me."

"Don't you trust me either?" Xia Huilan asked with raised eyebrows, softly speaking.

"Sister Lan is the best; I trust Sister Lan the most," Wu Xiaode hurriedly reached out to take Xia Huilan's hand.

Her hand was slender, soft, with a hint of coolness.

"You sly boy, cut it out!"

Xia Huilan glanced at Xia Ni and shook off Wu Xiaode's hand.

Wu Xiaode stepped forward with a grin, his eyes scanning the surroundings, but his hand reached out again and took hold of Xia Huilan's hand.

Xia Huilan did not move.

A rustling noise came from the depths of the dark tunnel.

"Something's coming," Wu Xiaode said.

"Xia Ni, get ready," Xia Huilan ordered.

"Entering combat mode," Xia Ni's gentle voice sounded.

Xia Ni stepped toward the darkness, her body emitting a soft glow that made everything in the tunnel visible.

The rustling noise grew closer.

Xia Ni raised her hand—

Dazzling light radiated from her hand, illuminating nearly a hundred meters of the tunnel.

Somehow, the tunnel walls had become covered with colorful scorpions, each as big as a desk.

Wu Xiaode walked forward to stand shoulder to shoulder with Xia Ni, readying his fist stance.

To be honest, there were a bit too many scorpions.

He needed to beware of them swarming over.

And it wasn't known whether these Otherworld scorpions possessed any other abilities.

As Wu Xiaode was pondering this, he suddenly heard a female voice:

"I'll handle it."

Xia Ni grabbed a streamlined firearm from the Void, aimed it at the center of the tunnel, and gently pulled the trigger.

An invisible shockwave burst from the muzzle.

Hum——

The entire tunnel immediately filled with a deep, low-frequency vibrating noise, echoing from close to far.

Wherever the vibration passed, the scorpions hissed in distress.

Their brains burst open, splattering gray matter all over the ground.

The only one that managed to slip through was about to leap forward but was met by Xia Huilan's pistol, which fired a full extended clip at it.

The scorpion's body was riddled with bullet holes, and blue blood gushed out, leaving it motionless on the ground.

"Haven't used a gun in so long," Xia Huilan said, massaging her wrist.

Just a moment.

All the scorpions were dead.

The dark, abandoned tunnel once again fell silent.

Wu Xiaode, still rigidly in his fighting stance, looked at the corpses of monsters scattered about and muttered softly, "… I didn't even… get to make a move…"

"What?" Xia Huilan didn't hear him clearly.

"It's nothing, just that the food is so soft, so fragrant," said Wu Xiaode.

Xia Huilan gave him a sidelong glance and said, "The night is still long, you need to conserve your strength."

"What do you mean? I thought we could go back once I killed five, Sister," asked a somewhat confused Wu Xiaode.

"It's not like that. You need to kill those monsters that have Soul Power. Ordinary ones don't count," Xia Huilan explained while reloading her weapon.

Wu Xiaode then realized.

He was lucky Xia Huilan had joined him, or else he really wouldn't have known these basics.

Xia Ni suddenly spoke:

"An abnormal vibration has been detected up ahead. After spectral analysis, based on its characteristics, it's identified as pronounced Soul Power fluctuations."

"What does that mean?" asked Wu Xiaode.

"The big one is coming," Xia Huilan said solemnly.

The three of them found a corner, dragged over some obstacles to form a makeshift defensive position, and quickly prepared for battle.

Before long.

A massive silhouette emerged from the depths of the tunnel.

Xia Ni pulled out a soft-shelled Light Ball and hurled it into the distance.

Light instantly illuminated the tunnel.

A monster about the size of a truck was making its way toward them.

If you only looked at the body, it was a giant serpent-like beast, its skin covered in moist, dark scales, leaving long, sticky trails on a ground piled with white bones.

But it had a giant human head, with eyes full of ferocity, looking down upon the three insignificant humans ahead.

"Sssssss—"

It emitted a sound filled with murderous intent and lunged at the three.

"Identity mismatch, database has no category for this kind of monster, initiating exploratory attack."

Xia Ni said gently, her hand reaching into the Void—

A rotary machine gun was pulled out, held in one hand, aimed at the monster.

Wu Xiaode's eyelid twitched.

Noticing his concern, Xia Huilan whispered, "I've loaded it with a small space storage silo to serve as an armory."

"What kind of technology is this… I've never even heard of it…" mumbled Wu Xiaode.

The rotary machine gun began to whir.

Ratatatatata!

Fire at will!

Bullets streamed through the tunnel like a deluge, striking the beast like torrential rain.

The serpent with a human head seemed startled, hastily hiding its head within its lengthy body.

"Projectile efficacy: low."

"Suspected weak point: head."

"Switching weapons."

Xia Ni continued in her "welcome home" gentle tone, stowing the rotary gun and with both hands reached into the Void again.

A massive cannon appeared in her hands, perched on her shoulder.

"Railgun ready."

"Current environment suitability rating: A+."

Almost before anyone could see clearly—

The monstrous serpent let out a miserable scream and was flung away as if swept up by some force.

Xia Ni stood in place, her feet deeply embedded below ground, only her knees remained above the surface.

The recoil was too strong!

Only a killing machine like her could withstand the recoil of a railgun!