C12 Fatal Red Scorpion(1)

You've acquired a "Basic Skill Upgrade Potion x1."

You've mastered Basic Slaughter (G), unlocking the Killing Aura Bar.

Basic Slaughter (G): Adds 1 slot to the Killing Aura Bar's limit. Utilizing the bar's energy grants a 10% damage boost for 5 seconds.

Achievement quest unlocked: "Murderer" — Kill humanoid creatures 0/100. Reward: "Beginner Skill Book."

You've opened a white treasure chest and obtained "Kui Protective Leggings" x1.

Kui Protective Leggings: Requires 4 Dexterity, green quality; Durability 36; +1 Dexterity, +1 Strength; Python Tail Strike: Inflicts 1.5 times physical damage of 100+ Strength. Equipping this item grants an additional +2 Strength, consumes 50 stamina, with a cooldown of 30 minutes.

Chen Ye never expected to hit the jackpot with a mere 1% chance, scoring green quality gear from a white chest — a near impossibility. Perhaps even fate felt pity for his recent streak of bad luck.

"If I knew getting bitten would lead to protective leggings, I should've let it bite my body!" Chen Ye quipped with a laugh, slipping them on with ease.

Thanks to his digitized body, the leg wound didn't result in a "crippled" status. Despite the pain, it didn't hinder his mobility. After some rest and health regeneration, Chen Ye resumed his journey to the inspection station.

It took a grueling six hours of deliberate stamina depletion to max out his Basic Physical Fitness (C). Upon consuming the skill potion, his fitness soared to a B rank, and his health cap finally hit 110. Breaching the hundred-point mark, Chen Ye felt a newfound sense of security.

Side Mission 4: Red Scorpion — 7 hours and 24 minutes remaining, 21 participants left.

From a distance, Chen Ye checked the mission update and felt a jolt when the count dropped from "22" to "21." He swiftly altered his course, heading for the nearest border checkpoint.

The gradual decrease in numbers suggested that Red Scorpion wasn't launching a full-scale assault but picking off targets one by one. Their likely prey was the patrolling guards. With checkpoints to the east and south, and having returned via the south, Chen Ye was closer to that one. Rather than returning to the station to report and then having to concoct a reason to hunt down Red Scorpion, he decided to head straight to the south checkpoint, hoping to cut off the mercenaries.

Chen Ye had no plans to engage in direct combat with the Red Scorpion. Considering his own profile, he was at best equivalent to a squad leader at the border inspection station. With over 40 personnel divided into three shifts, and half of them already assassinated by the mercenaries, that included at least 24 soldiers, among them two squad leaders. A direct confrontation would be suicidal. Chen Ye aimed to intercept them to slow down their killing spree and to raise the alarm immediately. He doubted that without a strong figure like Lee Yunfei present, a group of mere assassins like the Red Scorpion could cause significant upheaval.

Upon opening the door to the barracks at the southern gate, Chen Ye was hit by a stench of blood. The sight that greeted him nearly made his soul leave his body. Eight bodies were neatly arranged in two rows, their throats slit with precision, blood pooling on the floor, staining it red. Among the dead was Wang Jianguo, who had always looked out for him.

The sudden crack of a gunshot snapped Chen Ye back to reality. Shaking off his sorrow, he thought, "They must have been ambushed by the Red Scorpion in their sleep. Four from the platoon are missing, likely split into two groups on watch. The blood is fresh; they've been dead less than thirty minutes. The killers are still close by!"

Chen Ye picked up a Type 56 rifle from the corner and dashed towards the sound of the gunshot. He had lost his own weapon during an earlier shootout with a scar-faced man. Although he had spare ammunition in the Celestial Vault, it was of no use to him now.

"Ah! You damn curs!" Gong Dazang's voice echoed from the woods near the barracks. Chen Ye, now cool-headed, moved stealthily closer to the source.

He saw two military men with prominent noses and deep-set eyes, clad in green camouflage with a red scorpion emblem on their sleeves. One bald soldier was locked in a fierce knife fight with Gong Dazang, taunting him between strikes. Gong Dazang, unarmed and drenched in blood, was being slowly overpowered, his eyes burning with rage. Despite his formidable strength, it was clear he wouldn't last much longer.

Another soldier, donning a beret, was aiming a carbine at Gong Da Gang, ready for any unexpected moves. Nearby, a border patrol soldier lay on the grass, his chances of survival looking grim.

Lightness Technique! Burst of Killing Intent! Python Tail Strike! — "Bang!" The seventy to eighty-meter gap closed in a blink. The beret-clad soldier seemed to sense the danger and quickly rolled to evade, but the precision of the entry-level shooting (G) was undeniable. Chen Ye, having anticipated his movement, landed a shot squarely on the back of the soldier's head. The bullet's formidable penetration left a fatal wound.

The base kinetic energy of the Type 56 was 35 points of damage. The "Swallow" effect added 1.2 times the sum of Agility and Strength. Although Python Tail Strike was a close-combat skill, it didn't prevent it from applying a Strength +2 judgment. Thus, the Swallow effect dealt 14.4 damage. Coupled with the critical hit, the total damage soared to 98.8. For a mercenary with 100 health points, it wouldn't be an instant kill, but the 10% damage boost from the Killing Intent Explosion was the final blow.

The bald soldier, hardened by a life on the edge, was thrown into a panic by his comrade's sudden death. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, determined to kill Gong Da Gang, even if it meant taking a punch, to break free and escape. But Gong Da Gang didn't strike back; he wrapped his arms around the attacker, allowing the dagger to plunge into his heart.

"Bang! Bang!" Two gunshots echoed. Chen Ye was as accurate as if shooting at stationary targets, hitting the bald soldier with both shots. Only after confirming the enemy's death did he rush over.

"Gangzi!" Chen Ye kicked the bald soldier's body aside, not even pausing to pick up the white treasure chest next to it. He frantically patted Gong Da Gang's face.

But Gong Da Gang was unresponsive. Chen Ye's shots had not only killed the bald soldier but the bullets that had passed through also claimed Gong Da Gang's last breath. Chen Ye gently closed Gong Da Gang's staring eyes, his heart filled with rage. Though their acquaintance had been brief, the bond formed in the crucible of military life was deeply etched in his memory. He might have been somewhat selfish, but he was far from heartless.