74: Chapter 74 The Stealthy, Fully Escape Point Stalker...

"Intel update: The sniper in the team is suspected to have a magic-side curse-type skill. If there are other living creatures within a certain range of the target he kills, the hit target will immediately attack those around them..."

At the northern cliff top, above the watchtower near the cliff top extraction point.

Inside the second-layer compartment of the watchtower, Chu Hong and the other two huddled motionlessly within the cramped space.

Song Jiaojiao rested each of her hands on Chu Hong and Wang Suming respectively.

Her initially awakened skill, [Invisibility], became their supreme concealment skill at this moment.

It not only allowed them to silently return to the secret passage entrance at the northern cliff top all the way, but also allowed them to brazenly sneak into the watchtower right under the noses of a dozen surrounding Lizardman Warrior units.

From their position,

they could not only cover the conventional extraction point at the [Northern Cliff Top Intersection],

but also directly attack the conditional extraction point at the [River Valley Boat].

Even if the targets ultimately chose to head to the slightly more distant conventional extraction point at the [Cliff Bottom Intersection], Chu Hong and the others could rush out of the outpost at the first moment to intercept and kill them midway.

The black-clothed team they were camping could never have imagined,

that the humanoid bots had not been alerted,

that there were no traces of battle in the outpost, and that the boss in the core area was still doing whatever it normally did.

Yet precisely under these conditions, pairs of eyes were staring at them like hunters...

At this moment,

above their heads was a long-range scouting Lizardman captain, and on the lower level were stationed and patrolling Lizardman Warrior units.

The real-time transmission footage from the [flying bird drone]

was playing on the light screen mounted on Chu Hong's hand armor.

Watching the footage of the river valley entrance team being directly executed and killed shortly after failing to beg for mercy,

the eyes of Chu Hong and the other two were filled with ice-cold intent.

Wang Suming gritted his teeth and said, "These bastards really came here just for killing! Look at them, they aren't even entering the core area!"

Chu Hong and Song Jiaojiao did not speak.

Yet in the footage at this moment, the team in black did not head towards the extraction point direction immediately.

"Hunter, check the opposite cliff and the core area to determine if there is a third team..."

The woman controlling the black insects watched as her companion chopped off the prey's head and packed it into a backpack,

and gave orders through the earpiece to Hunter, the sniper currently on top of the cliff.

"Understood..."

The scope began observing the situation of the northern cliff top inch by inch.

The number of Lizardman Warrior units at the outpost was correct.

The Lizardman captain at the top of the outpost was also there, and surprisingly, no one was visiting the high-value supply points...

Hunter's expression relaxed slightly.

He began observing towards the core area once more.

At the several gathering spots of Lizardman Warrior units confirmed by intelligence, their numbers still matched up, and there was not the slightest trace of battle in the core area.

Boss... In the scope, on the open space in front of the Chieftains Council Hall, the boss Lizardman Leader Molov was sharpening his long spear.

"Report captain, the situation at the northern cliff top is normal with no traces of personnel activity. The core area... the Lizardman Priest is not seen."

"At the several outposts on the northern cliff top, the numbers of Lizardman Warrior units are all correct, and there are similarly no traces of battle."

Hearing this,

the black-clothed team captain at the bottom of the cliff nodded, and the doubts in his heart were temporarily dispelled.

Could that flying bird shot down just now have been controlled by this team at the cliff bottom?

"It doesn't matter. The activity route of the Lizardman Priest is uncertain to begin with; it might be in some building area. Never mind that, prepare the forbidden object! The target is Lizardman Leader Molov, and the rest follow me to the extraction point."

"Hunter, after completing the task, close in on us immediately."

"Understood..." Hunter got up.

He swiftly pulled out a palm-sized small box from the backpack behind him.

Opening the wooden box and the metal box inside, it revealed a syringe-like bullet filled with an ominous and eerie aura. The bullet was made of a crystal material, and through the faint crystal bullet body, one could see what seemed to be some kind of liquid flowing in an active state inside.

"Click."

The bullet was chambered!

With practiced movements, Hunter immediately re-entered the sniping state. In the scope, [Lizardman Leader Molov], who was concentrating on sharpening his spear, had no idea at all.

He withdrew the source energy stimulated during the previous shot.

Like an ordinary professional sniper, Hunter began adjusting his breathing and calculating the wind and angles.

"Bang!"

Gunfire erupted!

Spanning over a thousand meters across the river valley, that bullet filled with an ominous aura accurately and instantly struck the chest of [Lizardman Leader Molov].

The bullet embedded itself into his body,

causing Molov to emit an angry and painful roar.

Terrifying magical fluctuations erupted from his body, and at this very split second, a scene that shocked Chu Hong and the other two on the other end of the [flying bird drone] appeared.

Just as [Lizardman Leader Molov] had stood up with an angry roar and surging magical power had just emerged from his body,

his body suddenly stiffened.

Following that, within the blink of an eye, he gradually turned crimson and ferocious, and then began to rapidly grow taller and swell.

"What the—fuck!"

The energy reaction data transmitted in real-time by the flying bird drone also began to skyrocket rapidly.

Qiyuan Realm Stage 5, Stage 6, Stage 7...

Watching it instantly upgrade from an ordinary-grade secret realm boss directly to the level equivalent to a confidential grade, let alone Chu Hong and Wang Suming, even Song Jiaojiao, who was quite knowledgeable, felt her pretty face turn pale at this moment.

"This, what are they trying to do? Not killing the boss is one thing, why are they even strengthening the boss?" Wang Suming's voice trembled.

Chu Hong and Song Jiaojiao, however, had solemn gazes filled with coldness.

Within the footage of the [flying bird drone],

the remaining four members of the black-clothed team had already arrived at the extraction point of the [River Valley Boat].

And up on the cliff top over there, Hunter, who had completed the shooting, immediately packed up his equipment and quickly moved to rendezvous with the team.

Not fighting the boss, not searching containers, only killing people... and finally artificially strengthening the boss's strength a notch.

Watching Molov, who had clearly lost his mind and had even begun launching brutal attacks against his subordinate Lizardman Warrior units in the core area, Chu Hong and Song Jiaojiao finally understood completely.

The principles behind the actions of the Black Hole Council.

"The reason secret realms shatter is because the accumulation of energy exceeds the restrictions of the barrier, thereby causing the monsters in the secret realm to give birth to a World Will... The Black Hole Council is artificially making the boss awaken the World Will ahead of time!"

A layer of fine sweat nervously seeped out from Song Jiaojiao's hand clutching her wand.

Chu Hong, however, looked at the five people who had already rendezvoused in front of the extraction point boat,

and calmly issued an order:

"Prepare for battle!"

Above the river valley,

the flying bird drone emitted a sharp whistle and suddenly dove down towards the black-clothed team.

Beeping sounds rang out from the payload bomb of the flying bird drone.

Its sudden and unexpected appearance gave the entire team of black-clothed people no time to react at all.

"Boom!!!"

The massive explosion

instantly startled the cliff-top outpost where Chu Hong and the others were hiding.

Amidst the black smoke,

the Lizardman captain issued a sharp warning sound, and dense long spears instantly blotted out the sky, fiercely hurling down from the cliff top toward the extraction point below.

"Damn it! There are still people!"

The black insect woman who served as the captain let out an angry, low shout.

With a wave of her hand,

a curtain wall entirely composed of black insects instantly enveloped the heads of all of them.

The explosion was too sudden.

Although it didn't blow anyone to death,

within the team, especially the sniper Hunter whom Chu Hong had selected as the primary target from the very beginning, had one of his arms directly blown off.

At this moment, he was collapsed on the ground with a ferocious and painful expression.

"Hiss!"

Within the vision obstructed by the black insects,

there seemed to be the faint sound of some turbojet engine.

Before several of them could make a judgment on whether to retreat or fight,

yellowish bullets had already viciously and instantly shattered the black insect curtain wall, pouring down upon them on the spot.

"You've fallen into a trap!"

Chu Hong didn't show any arrogance; right off the bat, he served them golden bullets!

No matter how hard these people from the Black Hole Council racked their brains, they could never have imagined that in a mere ordinary-grade secret realm, someone would be equipped with full-body golden-quality gear, use golden-quality firearms and weapons, and even use golden bullets!

"Da da da!"

The black insect curtain wall shattered instantly.

Behind it, a person in black who was pulling and trying to carry the sniper Hunter on their back was instantly hit by a dozen golden bullets.

His torso and arms were beaten into a pulp of flesh in an instant.

Dead as dead could be.

The black-clothed team captain's expression changed drastically. Through the shattered black insect curtain wall,

on the opposite cliff, along an ice slope extending for hundreds of meters, a stout man holding a ferocious giant shield roared with a terrifying momentum as if crashing through luck, charging straight toward them.

"Face me, you scum!"