Chapter 255 | Chapter 256 | Chapter 257
Chapter 255: The Final Floor, Flame Crow
“Oh my god! Finally leaving the sixth floor. I feel like I’ve been thrown into water and soaked for ages—my whole body is practically swollen!” Jiang Nana complained weakly, leaning against the stone pillar of the sixth floor.
Her utterly exhausted appearance couldn’t help but stir Kou Dingshan’s heartache.
It left the other single people around them speechless.
“Exactly! We’ve finally endured to this moment, able to enter the final floor. As long as we can successfully complete the kill mission on this last floor, we’ll be able to return to the real world as we wish!” Kou Dingshan was equally filled with emotion, a glint of anticipation and excitement in his eyes.
After all, everyone had gone through countless hardships and dangers during this time, and now victory was just a step away.
The other companions also gathered around, exchanging their respective gains with each other.
If anyone had the most right to speak, it was undoubtedly the Ye sisters, Ye Yunshuang and Ye Yunwu.
Especially the older sister, Ye Yunshuang, whose courage was astonishingly great. She actually treated the creepy eyes of the Swamp Toads as snacks, gradually eating them over the past few days.
Because of this, she successfully met the harsh conditions to acquire the [Dynamic Vision] Talent, thus possessing a unique and extremely practical special Talent.
Not only that, during subsequent battles, thanks to the careful guidance of Su Ning and Jiang Weikun, Ye Yunshuang’s combat abilities improved by leaps and bounds.
Especially after discovering the potential of her own talent, [Flaying and Dismembering], it was as if enlightenment dawned upon her, and she grasped its essence.
Even when facing the hard-as-iron Ironclad Pearl Mussel, whose shell was covered in pearl-like bumps, she could quickly find its defensive flaws and dismember it into pieces.
Of course, the younger sister, Ye Yunwu, was no less impressive.
Relying on the beast-taming talent she had previously obtained, coupled with seamless cooperation with the Rending Claw Wolf, her own strength had also greatly increased.
Seeing that everyone had gained something and was full of fighting spirit, Jiang Nana hurriedly urged, “Let’s not dawdle, hurry up and pick up the pace to the next floor! To be honest, I really don’t want to stay here a moment longer!” With that, she took the lead and stepped towards the path to the final floor.
“Slow down! We still don’t know what the seventh floor looks like. What if we get separated suddenly like before?” Zhang Li shouted helplessly, watching Jiang Nana’s figure rushing forward. It was clear she really didn’t want to stay in this eerie sixth floor for a second longer.
Actually, it wasn’t just Jiang Nana who felt this way. Zhang Li herself and the other companions didn’t drag their feet either, quickly following Jiang Nana into the entrance leading to the seventh floor.
However, the moment they stepped into the seventh floor, everyone simultaneously felt their breath catch sharply, as if suddenly pulled back into the terrifying extreme-temperature calamity.
The surrounding air was scorching hot, like burning flames, searing everyone’s skin and respiratory tracts, causing extreme discomfort.
Moreover, this scorching air was filled with choking dust that seeped relentlessly into people’s nostrils and throats, causing fits of coughing and difficulty breathing.
“Oh my god! What kind of hellhole have they brought us to? How can the seventh floor have such a terrible environment?” Jiang Nana had just finished speaking when she started coughing.
As soon as Su Ning entered, she keenly detected the pungent, unpleasant chemical smell in the air.
However, she quickly realized this wasn’t some laboratory; it was filled with the smell of volcanic ash.
So the final floor of the Seven-Story Tower was actually a terrifying volcanic zone!
At this moment, everyone faced not only unbearable high-temperature torture but also needed to be constantly vigilant against the harmful gases they might inadvertently inhale.
Because the harm caused by these gases was equally not to be underestimated. Prolonged exposure could lead to unimaginable consequences.
Su Ning began distributing masks again.
“It seems we’ll have to race against time on this floor. In this environment, we absolutely cannot stay for long,” Su Ning reminded everyone.
Jiang Weikun also began searching for what the monster of this floor was.
Just as Su Ning was about to pull out the monster distribution map, the keen-eyed Kou Dingshan suddenly noticed something unusual in the sky.
It looked as if fire meteors had appeared in the sky; something was attacking.
His eyes widened, and he shouted loudly, “Everyone, be careful! There’s an unidentified object in the sky heading towards us at high speed!” Hearing Kou Dingshan’s warning, no one dared to be negligent, all looking up.
They saw a fiercely burning fireball, like a meteor, streaking across the sky, shooting straight towards them at an astonishing speed.
Seeing this, Zhang Li didn’t hesitate and yelled, “Xiao Qing, deploy defense quickly!”
In the nick of time, Zhao Fuqing reacted extremely fast, swiftly throwing the shield in his hand with all his might.
With a loud “Boom,” the fireball violently collided with the incredibly hard steel shield.
In that instant, sparks flew everywhere, and the shield was blasted open with a huge hole by the fireball.
Seeing the precious shield he had worked so hard to find suffer such damage, Zhao Fuqing’s heart ached. He couldn’t help but say, “My shield!”
At the same time, the others finally saw clearly what exactly was attacking them from the sky.
It turned out to be a group of small, strange birds with flames covering the feathers on their tails.
Su Ning looked.
[Monster: Flame Crow]
Talent: High-Temperature Feathers: Rapidly concentrates high heat.
Skill: Fireball
After some observation, everyone discovered that the Flame Crow possessed unique Talents and skills.
Its name was “High-Temperature Feathers,” capable of easily gathering heat; its main skill was launching powerful fireballs.
At this moment, the meticulous Jiang Nana pinpointed the most crucial skill of this monster and exclaimed, “It’s actually a little bird that only knows the Fireball skill!”
Faced with such fierce and numerous Flame Crows, how could they possibly succeed in eliminating them?
Just as everyone was deep in thought, Kou Dingshan decisively took out the gun he carried with him and began wildly firing at the Flame Crows in the sky.
The others no longer hesitated and directly began to fight.
When Ye Yunwu saw the Flame Crows, her eyes lit up, feeling somewhat delighted, thinking she could tame another monster to join the team.
Su Ning also swiftly threw herself into battle like an arrow released from its bow!
She couldn’t wait to test the power of her newly acquired weapon and skills. In the next second, her figure vanished like a ghost, appearing behind a Flame Crow as if she had teleported.
Chapter 256: Return After Completion!
Su Ning’s figure appeared behind the Flame Crow like a ghost in an instant. The butterfly blade shimmered with a cold, silvery light, resembling a dancing silver butterfly. It danced freely in Su Ning’s hand, slicing through the Flame Crow’s body like a meteor streaking across the sky.
The Scavengers Deadly Poison easily passed through the butterfly blade, snaking into the opponent’s body like a venomous serpent. The next second, this Flame Crow plummeted from the sky like a bird struck by a heavy hammer, instantly meeting its demise!
Witnessing this scene, Zhang Li exclaimed in amazement, “Has Su Ning grown stronger again?”
This flock of Flame Crows, resembling burning flames, numbered over a dozen. Although their fireball attacks gathered like a dense rain of arrows, Su Ning shattered them one by one.
They were quickly dealt with.
During this time, Ye Yunwu also took the opportunity to tame an injured Flame Crow using her Beast Taming Talent.
“These Flame Crows on this floor are more powerful than the monsters on the previous floors,” Jiang Weikun immediately sensed the difference. “Not only that, the surrounding environment is extremely disadvantageous for us. The more I fight, the more I feel short of breath, as if an invisible hand is tightening around my throat.”
Jiang Weikun was suited for close combat. When fighting monsters at full strength, his breathing would accelerate, causing him to inhale more of the surrounding gas. This resulted in a piercing pain in his lungs, as if stabbed by thousands of steel needles.
Su Ning also felt the difficulty of the final floor.
“It seems the challenge of the Survival Instance lies in the final hurdle.”
Su Ning, however, had no fear of the surrounding gas. After all, the Scavengers Deadly Poison could absorb any toxic substance and convert it into her own poisonous ability. So, she merely disliked the air here.
But for the others, this was completely a lethal hazard.
Just as everyone was still anxiously worrying about the surrounding gas, a gust of wind roared in like a roaring lion.
The surrounding gas was quickly swept away like clouds scattered by the wind.
Su Ning saw a person descend as if from the heavens.
This person was none other than Gu Chengan.
This person used his own talent ability, like a master controlling the gale, forming a tornado that swept away the surrounding gas like wind clearing away fallen leaves.
Gu Chengan and Ma Feng appeared before Su Ning and the others.
“I didn’t expect to meet here again,” Gu Chengan said, looking at Su Ning. “Shall we cooperate? It seems quite difficult for you to kill the monsters on this floor alone as well.”
After speaking, Gu Chengan glanced at the somewhat disheveled Zhang Li and the others.
Gu Chengan wasn’t wrong. Killing the airborne Flame Crows was indeed somewhat challenging for Zhang Li and the others. Of course, if Su Ning had Hong Hong come out to help, she could directly solve this problem. Initially, Su Ning had also considered letting Hong Hong out to finish off the opponents with a single Lightning Storm.
However, on the other floors, everyone had unanimously decided to minimize Su Ning’s assistance. Although they were grateful to Su Ning, if she kept helping them all the time, they wouldn’t be able to improve themselves.
Now that Gu Chengan was inviting cooperation, Kou Dingshan spoke up to inquire, “What is Director Gu’s purpose in inviting us to cooperate?”
He didn’t believe Gu Chengan had no ulterior motives. Such a troublesome and unrewarding decision would be unacceptable to anyone else.
Gu Chengan glanced at Su Ning, surprised that it was Kou Dingshan who spoke up. He had thought Su Ning would be the one to take the lead.
“Consider it making friends. Your strengths are not weak, and you all live within the Fifth Shelter. Naturally, I want to be on good terms with you.”
Kou Dingshan couldn’t refute this. He looked at Su Ning, wanting to know her thoughts.
Su Ning shrugged. “As you wish. Why make things difficult for ourselves when the task can be completed simply?”
With Gu Chengan’s ability, they could completely gather the Flame Crows and kill them together, saving them the trouble of chasing the Flame Crows with great effort.
Why not go for it?
The cooperation was established. Gu Chengan directly used his ability to drive the Flame Crows towards the ground.
And Su Ning and the others would do the killing.
This way, the battle became much easier.
However, the battle on the seventh floor was far from over.
Just as most of Su Ning’s group was completing their tasks, everyone felt the pungent, sulfurous smell in the surrounding air and realized something was amiss.
Su Ning looked at the surrounding volcanoes.
Jiang Nana and the others also began to worry.
“It couldn’t be that the volcanoes are going to erupt now, could it?”
As soon as Su Ning finished speaking, Jiang Weikun’s eyelids twitched, clearly sensing that something bad was about to happen.
And in the very next second, the surrounding volcanoes seemed to ignite, one by one beginning to erupt.
Jiang Nana’s eyes widened. “What a Crows Mouth!”
Su Ning: I feel like you’re targeting me!
In response, everyone began fleeing towards a safe area.
Due to his ability [Son of the Wind’s Breath], Gu Chengan could manipulate wind elements and control the airflow around himself. Therefore, Gu Chengan simply took flight.
He was very fast and immediately found a safe place.
“There’s an area with many rock walls ahead. We can take shelter from the volcanic eruption there.”
After much hardship, everyone managed to evade this crisis.
Su Ning looked at the sky outside. The scene before her eyes resembled the apocalypse, with countless streams of lava erupting from the volcanoes shooting in all directions.
“Now, only Yunwu’s kill task remains incomplete. We just need to kill a hundred more Flame Crows and we can return.”
Ye Yunwu felt a bit embarrassed. She knew that Su Ning and the others could have chosen to return directly.
Staying here was entirely because she was holding them back.
“No need to feel embarrassed. Since we’re a team, we won’t abandon you,” Su Ning comforted, noticing Ye Yunwu’s low spirits.
“Exactly. And besides, I’ve never seen a volcanic eruption up close like this,” Jiang Nana began chattering incessantly again.
Kou Dingshan smiled wryly.
Jiang Weikun covered his face. Just who did his daughter take after? Could it be his late wife?
Watching these people interact, Gu Chengan’s mood inexplicably improved. The suffocating pressure he had been feeling could also ease up a bit here.
Ma Feng was also deeply moved. Especially seeing how Kou Dingshan and Jiang Nana interacted, he began to wonder if he should find a wife, so that even in this apocalyptic disaster, he would have a home to think of returning to.
The volcanic eruption soon ended, but the aftermath was that the surrounding air became even worse.
However, with the monster distribution map, they didn’t have to worry about not finding Flame Crows.
Finally, everyone completed their kill tasks.
“I don’t want to wait a single minute longer. I’m returning!”
“See you in reality!”
Everyone returned directly.
The Survival Instance of the Seven-Story Tower finally came to an end.
Su Ning appeared at the place where she had entered the instance.
Gu Chengan and Ma Feng also appeared before her, but the violator Shang Lanyi was missing from their surroundings.
Su Ning wanted to turn and leave immediately, but Gu Chengan blocked her path.
Su Ning frowned slightly and asked in puzzlement, “Director Gu, is there something?”
A thousand words swirled in Gu Chengan’s heart. He wanted to ask about Shang Lanyi’s whereabouts, but it was as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat, leaving him unsure how to begin.
In the end, he could only remain silent.
Su Ning paid no heed to his silence. Seeing that he didn’t speak, she simply turned and left.
Chapter 257: New Human? Weather Control?
After returning from the Seven-Story Tower, Su Ning felt a great sense of relief and prepared to leave the Fifth Shelter.
She had only entered the Fifth Shelter to deal with the violators, never expecting the Survival Instance to descend.
Once those trivial matters were properly handled, it was time for Su Ning to depart.
However, before she could step out of the Fifth Shelter’s main gate, four people blocked her path.
Su Ning looked at the four people who had appeared before her. “What are you trying to do?”
The four were none other than Zhang Li and Zhao Fuqing, along with the Ye Yunshuang sisters.
At this moment, these four attracted the attention of others.
Especially Ye Yunwu’s pet, which was particularly eye-catching.
In the Survival Instance, with Zhang Li’s assistance, upon returning, the two who had lost their storage space—and whose pets could not be placed in Zhang Li’s space—drew the gaze of the Shelter residents.
It wasn’t just the Rending Claw Wolf; the Flame Crow, with blazing flames burning on its tail, was even more conspicuous.
Determination shone in Ye Yunshuang’s eyes. She said softly, “We deeply understand our own limitations. Previously, we lived with our uncle, but he was not a kind person. Now, my sister and I long to follow you forward.”
Having spoken, Ye Yunshuang gazed at Su Ning with expectant eyes, as if awaiting her approval.
What Ye Yunshuang didn’t mention was that she had already taken care of her uncle.
Su Ning’s gaze shifted to Zhang Li, wondering if Zhang Li harbored the same thoughts.
Zhang Li said, “I forgot to tell you that I snatched my planting space from someone else. So, staying in the Fifth Shelter will definitely lead to retaliation from that person’s subordinates. Therefore, I can no longer stay in the Fifth Shelter. You’re the only one I know. Didn’t you say you found a safe place outside the Fifth Shelter? I have nowhere else to go, so I plan to stick with you.”
Actually, she wanted Su Ning’s protection.
She finally understood that Su Ning was strong, stronger than any player she had ever met. Although Su Ning wouldn’t directly expose her full strength, the unintentional aura she emitted made it clear.
Rather than staying under the protection of the Fifth Shelter, it was better to follow Su Ning’s footsteps.
Zhang Li had also gathered various surrounding intelligence; reality was becoming increasingly chaotic.
It was evident from the communication channel that some players were starting to establish their own factions and bases. Shelters weren’t entirely safe places anymore, and as a weak woman, she and Xiao Qing couldn’t handle all potential enemies.
So, she decided to directly defect to Su Ning.
“I’m coming over to you; you won’t refuse, right?” Zhang Li launched a brazen attack.
Su Ning felt helpless.
Looking at the four who had clearly decided to latch onto her, she had no way to refuse.
After acquiring the special entity known as Cloud Island, Su Ning had developed some personal ambitions.
That was to create her own base and faction.
“Since that’s the case, all of you come with me.”
The Ye Yunshuang sisters looked overjoyed.
The group left the Fifth Shelter. The flood outside had not yet subsided.
It even showed signs of worsening.
Su Ning and the others sat in a rubber dinghy and paddled toward Dusk Manor.
…
At this moment, Dusk Manor was also in chaos.
“What is going on with this little one? How can someone who isn’t a player possess such power?”
Lin Lele’s face showed disbelief.
Huang Zhenggang was also witnessing this for the first time.
Xie Linjia said, “This situation is different for me too. I only regained power as a player through an item.”
Everyone gathered around Li Yun, looking at the infant in her arms.
Currently, small clouds were floating around the infant. These small clouds changed according to the baby’s emotions.
When the infant cried, these white clouds directly transformed into dark clouds and began to rain. When the infant laughed, the white clouds immediately condensed into a rainbow.
The miraculous situation baffled everyone.
Li Yun was also worried about her son at this moment, fearing that this special ability might cause him harm.
Huang Zhenggang inquired, “Li Yun, so what exactly is going on?”
Li Yun replied, “I don’t know either. It was only after you all entered the Survival Instance that Coco suddenly gained these abilities.”
Coco was the nickname for Li Yun’s son.
Huang Zhenggang was also puzzled.
After returning from the instance, they were astonished to find that the little boy they helped deliver, nicknamed Coco, actually possessed special abilities, yet this boy wasn’t a player. This was what drew everyone’s attention.
Huang Zhenggang remarked, “Su Ning isn’t here now; otherwise, she could definitely figure out what’s happening with Coco.”
Clearly, Huang Zhenggang knew that Su Ning possessed an ability similar to Appraisal.
Then, Huang Zhenggang heard a familiar voice.
“What situation is there that only I can discern?”
Su Ning saw everyone gathered together as soon as she returned.
Lin Lele turned around and saw Su Ning had returned, and not only that, she had four people trailing behind her.
“Su Ning, you’re back? I feel like you’ve been gone for ages.”
Nan Sheng commented, “It has been a long time; we even went through an instance in the interim.”
Li Yun asked Su Ning with some nervousness, “Please take a look at my son. What exactly is going on with him? He’s clearly not a player, so how can he possess such an ability?”
Su Ning saw a small infant in Li Yun’s arms, but this infant was unclothed; instead, he was enveloped by white clouds.
He appeared quite adorable.
However, his mother only felt worry.
Su Ning also found this curious and immediately activated the Scavengers Eye to observe.
[New Human: Coco (Name Pending)]
[Talent: Weather Control: The ability to control the weather.]
[Skill: Magic Cloud]
[Note: New Human: Children born in the New Era have a certain chance of being blessed with special abilities.]
Su Ning was extremely surprised.
Not just by the identity of Coco, the infant New Human, but also by the Talent ability he possessed.
Weather manipulation?
Su Ning looked at the sky outside and recalled that the continuous heavy rain only stopped after this child appeared.
“No way, does this child have such great potential?”
The others looked at Su Ning, who was staring at Coco without speaking, and began to worry.
Li Yun was even more afraid that something had happened to her child.
“Nothing happened to my child, right?”
Su Ning snapped back to attention.
She comforted them, “Nothing is wrong; in fact, it’s very good.”
Su Ning shared the information she saw, and everyone understood the reason why Coco possessed these abilities.
Lin Lele exclaimed, “New Human? That’s too incredible!”
While everyone was discussing this, Xie Linjia seemed somewhat saddened.
She quietly left by herself.
When Su Ning was introducing Zhang Li and the others to the group, she noticed Xie Linjia leaving.
It was obvious she was reminded of the child she lost prematurely when she came to fetch Linjia.
Lin Lele also realized that her words seemed to have touched Xie Linjia’s sore spot.
She immediately left to comfort Xie Linjia.
Li Yun, unaware of what had transpired, breathed a sigh of relief upon learning her child was safe.
Huang Zhenggang warmly welcomed the addition of Zhang Li and her group.
During dinner that evening, while eating, they saw an unbelievable event on the communication channel.
