Chapter 77: Ambush
With those words, Lin Huai slipped the Space Jade Bangle from her wrist and held it out to Dragon Emerging from the Sea.
“Brother Long, this is a spatial artifact. Inside are all the shared squad supplies, along with most of the gear from my personal backpack. I only kept a few essentials for myself; everything else is stored in the bangle.”
She lowered her voice, her gaze piercing. “My coffin is inside too.”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea’s brow furrowed tightly. “Boss, what are you saying? Is this special reward… that dangerous?”
Lin Huai let out a slow, heavy breath, keeping her words vague: “Something like that. I’m really not confident this time, so I want to leave these things with you in advance, just in case.”
As a former special forces operative, Dragon Emerging from the Sea had an instinct for danger and recognized when someone was making final arrangements. He stared at Lin Huai for a long time before finally letting out a quiet, helpless sigh. “If you don’t feel confident going alone, why not lean on the squad’s strength?”
“If we all go together, our odds of winning will definitely be much higher.”
Seeing no change in Lin Huai’s resolute expression, he pressed on in a low, earnest voice: “How about this: let the others head northwest first, and I’ll go with you to the southwest. If things go bad, I can hold the line to cover your escape. I swear I won’t slow you down…”
Lin Huai turned her face away, a sudden sting in her eyes.
How could she not be moved? She had such a dependable team, such loyal comrades in Brother Long and Sister Cai, such warm friends in Shan Shan and Milk Tea—everyone was so genuine and good.
Yet she was not a good leader; she wasn’t even a qualified one.
“I’m sorry… Brother Long, I haven’t been a qualified boss. I’ve never truly carried my weight for this team…”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea cut off her apology firmly: “You hold first place on the server, which makes you our undisputed leader. You’ve done more than enough. It’s just that, as our boss, maybe you could… learn to trust us a little more.”
He had always been sharp; he saw through everything, even if he rarely spoke of it.
He knew Lin Huai carried heavy secrets, but he had never pried.
Just like now, he knew she was heading off to handle something behind their backs, yet he chose not to interrogate her. He only wished she wouldn’t push herself to the brink, carry every burden alone, or hesitate to rely on the squad.
Lin Huai fell silent for a few seconds. Standing up, she set the jade bangle firmly on the center console. She turned toward the open door, her shoulders set with fierce resolve. “Wait for me in the northwest. I will find a way to come back alive.”
“And if…”
Her boot paused on the threshold as she stepped out. Looking back over her shoulder at Dragon Emerging from the Sea, her eyes burned with dark determination: “Brother Long, if I don’t make it back, take the others, take that bangle, and protect the coffin inside. Exit the instance immediately.”
“You can throw away the supplies, but that coffin must never fall into anyone else’s hands!”
Seeing the grim intensity on Lin Huai’s face, Dragon Emerging from the Sea realized the gravity of her words. He gave a firm, solemn nod. “Understood. I’ll defend the boss’s coffin with my life.”
A faint, grateful smile touched Lin Huai’s lips. When the stakes were highest, Dragon Emerging from the Sea was always the rock she could count on.
Having secured his promise, she dropped down from the high cab, summoned her war scythe, and cut down several lunging monsters in swift, clean arcs. Leaping back aboard her armored hearse, she slammed her foot onto the accelerator and tore across the dunes alone.
The moment she pulled away, a fresh tide of desert monsters erupted from the sand, pinning the remaining vehicles down in place.
If You’re Bad, Practice More shouted anxiously over the radio: “Dragon, what happened? What did the boss say to you?”
Old Wang from Building Materials sounded just as frantic: “Yeah, why did the boss take off by herself? Should we hit the gas and back her up?”
Watching the armored hearse shrink into the dusty horizon, Dragon Emerging from the Sea kept his voice calm and commanding: “Everyone, dismount and clear the perimeter. The boss has her own business to settle. We follow the plan: push northwest toward the Ghost Mother’s Lair.”
“Old Wang, stay sharp. Keep your truck close to shield Shan Shan and Milk Tea.”
“Sister Cai, take the forward scout position. If you spot other players, report back immediately—don’t engage on your own. The boss made it clear before leaving: we must not get bogged down in useless fights. Reaching the Ghost Mother’s Lair is our primary mission.”
Knowing her own reckless tendencies, and hearing that these were Lin Huai’s direct orders, If You’re Bad, Practice More gave a firm nod. “Understood. I’ll keep my temper in check!”
Cute and Sparkling toggled her food truck’s weapon systems into combat mode: “I’ll be extra careful too. Everyone watch out for yourselves first; don’t worry too much about babysitting me.”
Milk Tea Seven Parts Sugar’s gentle voice broke through the channel, accompanied by the rapid chime of incoming system transfers: “My ambulance can’t attack, but reaching Level 3 gave me solid defensive shields. I’ve just sent everyone high-grade trauma kits and Guiyuan restoration pills. Take them now, before a fight breaks out and things get too chaotic.”
Old Wang gave a gruff “Copy that” over the radio, then asked, “Brother Long, are we still waiting for the boss?”
Dragon Emerging from the Sea went quiet for a moment before answering with steady resolve: “Yes. We’ll hold position near the perimeter of the Ghost Mother’s Lair. To give her time, we need to get there as fast as we can.”
“Keep your eyes peeled along the way. See if we can link up with Lawyer He’s unit.”
Inside an instance, players only had access to their local squad voice channel, without a global server chat. Contacting drivers outside their immediate team required meeting them face-to-face.
Finding Peace and Violence, Jiangzhehu Inheritor, and the Three Knight Brothers would depend entirely on luck.
Once the immediate wave of monsters was cut down, the five vehicles accelerated across the desert, driving hard toward the northwest.
Meanwhile, Lin Huai checked her rearview mirror. Seeing that Dragon Emerging from the Sea and the others had followed her instructions and hadn’t trailed behind, she kept the pedal pinned to the floor, steering her hearse southwest like a roaring storm.
The true Ghost Mother was in the northwest, but a decoy lair lay hidden in the southwest. Guarding it was a Birth Ghost, and slaying that fiend yielded a rare special reward.
Chen Feng was a reincarnator just like her; he would definitely come here.
At that very moment, deep within a rugged stone forest canyon, a sinister crowd had gathered.
Master Cloud Cliff stood clad in his immaculate Daoist robes, holding a horsetail whisk. His tone was cool and detached: “Are you certain she will walk into this trap? If she truly retained her memories, why would she bother coming to a fake Ghost Mother’s Lair?”
Standing at the center of the gathering, Chen Feng sneered with absolute confidence. “I’m certain. No one in this world understands her better than I do.”
“Besides, the spirit coffin she drives needs to be upgraded. To do that, she has to come here to slaughter the Birth Ghost and refine the stillborn fetus cradled in its arms. That’s the only way to advance it into a Corpse Refining Coffin.”
“Mark my words: she will come!”
Perched on a high boulder nearby, Old Demon of Xiangxi stubbed out his cigarette butt with a dirty boot. Long, matted hair hung over his forehead, masking his dead, hollow eyes. His raspy voice cut through the dry air:
“Chen Feng, are you absolutely certain you can tear that little girl’s coffin away from her?”
