Chapter Thirty-One: Angry Birds

At the very moment when Hei launched his rolling blade ambush on Bai Feng, Wang Ling was swiftly closing in as well. As he ran, his hand remained steady, holding aloft the iron musket, its barrel aimed unwaveringly at Bai Feng’s head. However, when he was only fifteen meters away, the muzzle suddenly shifted!

From the black, hollow barrel, sparks erupted in an instant—a dark lead bullet spun out, firing toward its target.

The gunshot rang out, and the fat man let out a hoarse, heart-wrenching scream. His massive body crashed to the ground, a gaping, cup-sized wound torn through both sides of his neck—a horrific injury inflicted by the powerful lead bullet.

The shot had only appeared to be aimed at Bai Feng to lower the fat man’s guard. Bai Feng, shielded by her battle aura, would not be seriously harmed by a single bullet, Wang Ling reasoned. So, the moment he shouted “Take action!” and pointed the gun at Bai Feng, his mind had already resolved to attack the fat man instead.

The iron musket’s effective range was thirty meters, with an optimal range of ten. Wang Ling was confident he could hit his target at fifteen. Thus, after raising the musket and charging toward Bai Feng, he abruptly altered his course midway, firing at the fat man’s neck.

Standing beside Bai Feng, the fat man was in a position to be protected. He never imagined Wang Ling would suddenly turn the gun on him; he had no time to dodge. He was not a powerful Dreamer, but had been brought along by Bai Feng for his “super sense of smell” skill, which allowed him to track people by scent. After being shot through the neck—a fatal wound to a weak point—his health bar instantly emptied, his life extinguished, and it was clear he would not survive.

“Run!”

After finishing off the fat man, Wang Ling shouted to Hei, raising his gun again, this time aiming at Bai Feng’s heart.

The iron musket could only automatically reload once per minute after firing. Wang Ling’s action seemed more a threat than anything else. Yet when he pulled the trigger, the musket thundered once more.

This was no ordinary lead bullet, but a fire bullet.

“Skill: Fire Bullet. Imbues the ammunition with fire element, causing it to explode upon hitting an enemy, dealing triple damage. Additionally, it deals 15 points of fire damage to targets within a one-meter diameter, and 5 points of splash fire damage within a five-meter diameter. Each time a fire bullet is fired, the musket must rest for an hour, allowing its old barrel to cool completely.”

Wang Ling had noticed during training that using the musket’s inherent skill would instantly reload it. Now, he seized the opportunity: attacking Bai Feng while also impeding her pursuit of Hei.

Truthfully, Wang Ling felt no affection for the small, dark, thin Hei. In fact, he harbored considerable resentment, given Hei’s blatant attempts to drag him into trouble. Nevertheless, since Bai Feng was determined to eliminate all Dreamers on the side of justice to avoid any mishaps in her mission, Hei had to be saved.

After all, anyone who survived a day under the pursuit of a woman wielding battle aura and a violet weapon, and who had easily dispatched five broom-heads earlier, surely possessed considerable strength.

The fire bullet, a formidable skill inherent to elite red equipment, erupted in a ball of flame upon striking Bai Feng. The protective battle aura shattered instantly! Fire spread across a five-meter radius, engulfing Bai Feng entirely so that nothing remained visible but a massive red fireball.

Wang Ling did not wait for the flames to subside or to see the results. After firing, he immediately turned and fled, placing the red-hot musket into his spatial bag as he ran. The weapon would be unusable for the next hour.

He had considered using the Kung Fu Scene card to summon Wang Long to take down Bai Feng. But first, he couldn’t guarantee that Wang Long could defeat a woman with battle aura—he had no clear understanding of Bai Feng’s strength. Second, there was the main quest to consider; if Wang Long fell here, facing the elite leaders of the Dark Fighters would become much more troublesome. Third, he didn’t quite trust Hei.

The fireball from the fire bullet was soon dispersed by another surge of white battle aura! Bai Feng’s figure appeared, her face contorted with rage. Her ski jacket had been burned to shreds, her upper garments ruined and tattered, exposing large swathes of pale skin—yet there were no wounds, and her health bar remained full. The powerful fire bullet had failed to harm her at all.

Seeing Wang Ling and Hei fleeing at full speed, one ahead of the other, Bai Feng realized that without the fat man’s tracking ability, she would struggle to pursue them. Frustration caused her chest to heave violently.

“You just wait!”

The broad sword and shield in Bai Feng’s hands vanished. Before her, a giant slingshot rooted itself in the ground. She gripped the black leather strap and pulled it taut. At that moment, a red, round, cartoonish bird with a yellow beak and two round eyes appeared in the slingshot.

On the Android system, from “Angry Birds World”—Skill: Bird Shot!

With a sharp “whoosh,” the red bird was launched from the slingshot, arcing through the sky. Though Hei posed a greater threat to Bai Feng, her anger over the ambush made Wang Ling the bird’s target.

Wang Ling, sprinting at full acceleration, heard the fluttering bird cries drawing closer behind him. Though puzzled, he had no time to look back.

Suddenly, the bird collided with his back. He felt a heavy blow to his vest, a sweet taste in his throat, and blood sprayed from his mouth. The force of the bird’s impact, combined with his own momentum, sent him tumbling to the ground, his forehead striking the pavement, rolling several times in succession. Even with an iron head, the hard cement left him bloodied—a consequence of the tremendous inertia from his accelerated run.

Hei happened to be running right beside Wang Ling. The man knew that whether for the main quest or a future encounter with Bai Feng, this Eastern child would be useful. He also coveted the iron musket Wang Ling had stowed in his spatial bag. Without hesitation, he bent down and hauled Wang Ling under his arm.

Hei was a Dreamer focused on strength and agility. Even carrying someone, his speed remained impressive. Bai Feng, far behind, readied her slingshot again, but Hei, with Wang Ling in tow, darted into a nearby shop, causing her to lose sight of her target.

Unable to kill them, Bai Feng angrily stomped her foot, pulled a shirt from her spatial bag to cover herself, and looked down with a sour expression at the fat man’s lifeless, wide-eyed corpse. She sighed, picked up the key dropped upon his death—by now, some low-ranking Dark Fighters had arrived. Bai Feng, as a mid-level leader, could command them: she ordered some to report the appearances of Wang Ling and Hei, and others to carry away the fat man’s body.

Hei continued his mad dash with Wang Ling until they had crossed several streets. Finally, he stopped, set Wang Ling down, and caught his breath. Glancing around, he spotted a car parked by the roadside. Without ceremony, he strode over and smashed the window with his fist, reaching in to unlock the door.

At that moment, the car’s owner emerged from a nearby shop, saw a stranger tampering with his vehicle, and ran over, shouting, “What are you doing?”

His answer was a machete.

With a single swing, Hei cut down the owner. Ignoring the terrified screams of bystanders, he calmly searched the corpse’s pockets for a wallet and keys, then kicked the body aside. His expression didn’t change, as if he had done something trivial.

This alone showed that Hei was much more ruthless than Wang Ling, who wouldn’t rob ordinary people.

Wang Ling had already gotten up. The collision with the red bird during his accelerated run had cost him 17 health points, and the fall left him slightly dazed. However, his health was a robust 95, and as a Dreamer, his constitution exceeded that of ordinary people—his health would recover over time. Such injuries would completely heal in an hour or two.

Watching Hei’s treatment of ordinary people, Wang Ling felt a brief murderous impulse. But with the Dark Fighters’ power growing, and a formidable enemy added to the mix, he had to unite with Hei for now. He walked over with a blank expression.

Hei understood the importance of alliance. Having fought side by side, they were now somewhat familiar. He gave a slight smile, saying, “Glad you’re alright. Get in, let’s leave before that woman catches up.”

Wang Ling nodded, taking a seat in the back. Hei trusted him enough not to object, starting the car and driving away.

“Tell me about that woman,” Wang Ling said after they had sped down the road for a while.

Hei exhaled deeply, his voice tinged with anger. “This is real bad luck! I never imagined such a routine main quest would bring us face to face with someone so powerful! Bai Feng is ranked top three in personal strength in the lower district, a melee type—probably a strength specialist. She uses battle aura and has ranged attacks, too. That shot she hit you with must be a skill from the Angry Birds world.”