I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 159

Chapter 159: If You Hadn’t Spoken, I Would Have Forgotten to Chop You Up!

The time displayed on the goggles showed it was already 1:52 PM.

The Chosen Ones had no time to continue observing, and since they hadn’t found the commander’s whereabouts, they could only head to the preparation hall first.

It had to be said, the speed of this body was more than three times that of their original human form. The Chosen Ones quickly ran to the target location.

By the time they arrived, quite a few people had already gathered.

Everyone was lining up according to their serial numbers.

The Chosen One’s number was 1333. Using this number, they found their designated spot.

There were five squads in the preparation hall, each consisting of three hundred fully armed, highly combat-ready mechanical guards.

Each squad had a green-skinned captain and a mechanical guard lieutenant.

The commander for this combat mission was a green-skinned officer wearing sunglasses.

Compared to the tall and imposing stature of the other green-skinned beings, this one was somewhat obese.

His large green belly was round and bulging, looking as if it was about to burst through his clothes.

The commander pressed a button, and a holographic map appeared in the preparation hall.

The goggles of all mechanical beings were recording this map information.

According to the commander, their target was a city of 100,000 demi-humans.

This city was rich in minerals. They not only needed to capture enough labor but also seize the mineral resources of the demi-humans.

Since all participants in the battle were mechanical beings, there was no need for motivational speeches.

They only needed to be told what to do.

The first battle was the so-called novice trial, facing the weakest race in this strange world.

But even as a novice trial, the casualty rate among Chosen Ones in this strange world was very high.

After all, many people were randomly selected this time. Even with powerful bodies, if they didn’t know how to use them, it was useless.

The green-skinned commander was discussing specific attack directions with the squad captains.

Faced with the impending war, many Chosen Ones wanted to retreat, but doing so here would likely result in being executed on the spot.

Next, the mechanical guard lieutenants began inspecting everyone’s equipment.

Other Chosen Ones were fully equipped, and those carrying heavy firepower were praised by the lieutenants.

Being praised in the strange world could be considered a good thing. It meant the lieutenant thought highly of them, earning some favor.

This mechanical guard lieutenant looked very imposing, an enhanced version of a mechanical being.

He gave off an aura of authority without anger and had a high level of self-awareness.

In the eyes of the Chosen Ones, currying favor with the lieutenant was definitely beneficial.

When the lieutenant inspected Zhang Yangqing, a large question mark seemed to appear above his head.

While other mechanical guards had at least a rifle or something, this one only had a pistol and a hand cannon. How dare he go into battle with that?

So, he scolded Zhang Yangqing, “With equipment like that, who do you think you can kill?”

Zhang Yangqing looked at him and replied, “Killing you wouldn’t be a problem.”

The mechanical guard lieutenant: “…”

Although he was a mechanical being, he felt utterly shown up.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to retort.

He just found it strange. Which programmer wrote such a boastful mechanical guard?

Besides following the rules in their minds, mechanical guards still had their own autonomous consciousness.

The lieutenant seemed skeptical, but Zhang Yangqing didn’t care.

It’s fine if you don’t believe me now. You’ll find out soon enough.

Just as the lieutenant was about to say something, the elevator platform was ready.

The big-bellied commander issued the order, and all mechanical guards boarded the transport vehicles one after another.

The Sky Veil City must have been parked relatively far from the target, as the transport vehicles needed to travel a certain distance to reach the destination.

In this round, as mechanical beings, the Chosen Ones could see prompt information on their goggles.

Attack and retreat orders were issued through the goggles.

Suddenly, everyone felt themselves descending rapidly.

The moment they landed, rules appeared on the Chosen Ones’ goggles.

Demi-Human Combat Zone Rules:
[Rule 1: During combat, pay attention to your surroundings. This is crucial for your safety.]
[Rule 2: You must capture at least 20 demi-human prisoners, stamp them, and return. Otherwise, the commander will be very angry.]
[Rule 3: Follow the captain’s arrangements. It will benefit you.]
[Rule 4: If you have the chance, look for houses with red roofs. There might be resources you need there. Ensure your safety before entering.]
[Rule 5: If you see another mechanical being with goggles glowing blue, stay away. They might harm you.]
[Rule 6: Note: Once you enter an interference zone, leave as soon as possible. You cannot call for support inside an interference zone.]

Seeing this, as a special forces soldier, the Matador Country’s Chosen One, Brandon, had a very clear line of thought in his mind.

This level felt like a benefit level with a large number of teammates protecting him. As long as he didn’t fall behind, there shouldn’t be much danger.

Rule 2 was clearly the rule to pass this level, and it shouldn’t be too difficult.

But the question was, the reward rule was obviously Rule 4. The things there must be useful, perhaps enhancement items or something.

Because Brandon could deduce that after fighting the demi-humans, they would likely face half-beasts, dwarves, and elves.

If they didn’t obtain enhancements at this stage, the dangers later might be even greater.

Everyone had seen the previous round of the strange tale. Only those who ate the right food and obtained the color fruits in the earlier stages had a chance to survive in the end; otherwise, they couldn’t even escape.

In the strange tale world, if there’s a reward, you must go for it. Otherwise, you’re mostly waiting to die.

Every bit of strength increases your chances of survival in the strange tale world.

Rules 5 and 6 were likely explanations for Rule 4.

According to Brandon’s thinking, these two rules foretold the dangers that might be encountered in the reward area.

The rules for this level weren’t very difficult, and most Chosen Ones could guess them.

Zhang Yangqing’s thoughts were completely opposite to everyone else’s.

He believed Rule 2 was the true reward rule, and Rule 6 was the action rule.

Because in the area mentioned in Rule 6, they couldn’t contact the outside world.

In other words, if they acted there, others wouldn’t be able to detect them.

Zhang Yangqing knew this was a journey of killing it was just a matter of who to kill.

As a ‘new recruit,’ Zhang Yangqing asked the mechanical guard next to him how to become a lieutenant and what conditions were required.

The mechanical guard he asked honestly told him.

All official positions in Sky Veil City were directly appointed by the city lord. No one else had the authority to appoint positions.

If they, as mechanical guards, wanted a promotion, they must achieve certain merits.

For example, capturing elf prisoners, finding special supplies, etc., could all lead to promotions.

Lieutenants had the authority to mobilize mechanical guards but could not violate the rules.

In other words, if there was a higher-ranking commander on-site, the lieutenant had no authority.

Without other ranking commanders, the lieutenant was the boss.

There was a hidden port on their left shoulder. Only the lieutenant had a chip here, a symbol of authority.

Zhang Yangqing nodded. Understood. I’ll just grab the chip directly!

As the armored transport vehicles began to bump along, many Chosen Ones felt uneasy.

This was their first time participating in a war.

There were 100,000 enemies on the other side, and they only had 1,500 people. Could they really win?

Moreover, the Chosen Ones didn’t know what level of civilization they were about to face, so it was normal to feel不安 (uneasy).

Where the armored transport vehicles traveled, dust flew, trees fell, and even the earth shook.

It gave a sense of a higher civilization about to crush a lower one.

Even more excited than the Chosen Ones were the audience.

The audience was always a group that loved watching excitement and didn’t mind trouble.

After all, they weren’t the ones inside and hoped to see such blood-pumping battle scenes.

This was also the first time most Chosen Ones, after being cautious for so long, were opening kill mode. It felt strangely tense.

They wondered if they could bring themselves to do it when faced with bloody and tragic scenes.

After some time, the armored transport vehicles stopped.

The Chosen Ones were urged out of the vehicles by other mechanical guards.

Zhang Yangqing was the opposite; he urged other mechanical guards to get out quickly and not block him.

It gave the impression that he was about to go on a killing spree.

According to the commander, they were surrounding this demi-human city from five different directions.

You heard right. 1,500 people surrounding 100,000.

The Chosen Ones were in the 5th squad. Once all squads were in position, they could begin suppressive fire.

Now was the time for the Chosen Ones to observe.

Zhang Yangqing glanced at the city ahead. The high walls looked vulnerable.

The gate was magnificent, with two massive fierce wolf beasts emitting a terrifying aura.

Besides them, there was a group of negligible demi-human guards on watch.

In this world, demi-humans seemingly couldn’t practice magic, and their physical strength was inferior to other races.

To survive, they could only rely on taming massive fierce wolf beasts for combat. As long as the fierce wolf beasts were dealt with, the demi-humans were easily crushed.

Compared to mechanical guards armed with firearms and bio-cannons, these demi-humans holding shields, spears, and bows were far too primitive, putting the Chosen Ones at ease.

It could be said this was a war launched by green-skinned heavy industry against primitive demi-humans.

In the eyes of most Chosen Ones, this wasn’t a battle; it was a massacre.

Of course, they only thought this for now.

At the green-skinned captain’s order, all mechanical guards began their bombardment.

The Chosen Ones carrying heavy weapons fired the heavy cannons on their backs and the volley launchers on their waists.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The roar of explosions echoed throughout the area.

The fierce wolf beasts guarding the gate were hit before they could react, their bodies bursting into blossoms of blood.

Flesh and skin splattered, blood overflowed.

The next second, the enraged fierce wolf beasts roared and pounced.

Seeing the ferociously charging fierce wolf beasts, the Chosen Ones were utterly dumbfounded.

According to their thinking, these fierce wolf beasts should have been pierced through on the spot.

But these two fierce wolf beasts were only injured, not fatally.

This didn’t match the commander’s script!

Although the demi-humans weren’t strong, the fierce wolf beasts guarding their gates weren’t to be trifled with either.

These fierce wolf beasts reacted very quickly, able to dodge cannon fire.

Ordinary firearms and hand cannons were useless against them.

As the two fierce wolf beasts were about to reach them, when the Chosen Ones turned to ask the green-skinned captain, they discovered that the moment they opened fire, the green-skinned captain had already driven away.

In that instant, the Chosen Ones who realized what was happening knew where the trap in this level was.

They were pawns to be sacrificed. Their mission was to attract the fierce wolf beasts, serving as bait to cover the other troops’ attack.

“Holy crap, no wonder the wall in front looked so magnificent. This is the main gate!”

The Matador Country’s Chosen One, Brandon, knew he had been tricked, but there was nothing he could do.

He directly detached the heavy cannon from his back and ran towards the nearby area.

At this moment, the Matador Country’s Chosen One, Brandon, finally remembered a rule.

[Rule 1: During combat, pay attention to your surroundings. This is crucial for your safety.]

So, Rule 1 meant paying attention to the surroundings during combat for this reason.

If they observed their surroundings the moment combat began, as long as they saw the captain sneaking away, they would know to run.

No wonder this rule was placed first. He thought it was just a precaution, but it turned out to be essential.

Brandon felt that this so-called ‘novice level’ had suddenly turned into a hellish difficulty.

Thankfully, the strange tale world gave him this body, more than three times faster than his original one.

Otherwise, if the fierce wolf beasts chased him, he wouldn’t be able to escape.

Brandon felt like cursing: Who the hell said this was a killing journey? Isn’t this still running away!
Once again, he felt that the traps in the strange tale world were truly absurd.

As he ran for his life, those two fierce wolf beasts were already slaughtering this bait squad.

The Chosen Ones, who thought they were the ones massacring, were instead being massacred.

The fierce wolf beasts only needed one slap to send mechanical guards flying.

But the mechanical guards’ armor was very sturdy. One hit only sent them flying everywhere, not enough to kill them.

Some mechanical guards fearlessly continued their attack.

Some Chosen Ones who hadn’t reacted yet, whether too scared or overconfident, were still using heavy cannons to attack the fierce wolf beasts. As a result, they were pounced on, and their necks were bitten off.

The screen went black. These Chosen Ones, who moments ago were uneasy about massacring ordinary demi-humans and somewhat couldn’t bear the bloody scene, died just like that.

Those who reacted quickly, upon seeing the captain disappear, also began to run away.

The other mechanical guards were still fighting, meaning they were buying time.

If they didn’t run now, were they waiting to die?
This was the last chance the strange tale world gave them to escape.

For a moment, the vast majority of Chosen Ones began discarding their armor and weapons, throwing away everything they could, and running for their lives.

Forget about how to complete the subsequent rules; surviving now was key.

It had to be said, these mechanical guards truly feared no death. After being sent flying, they stubbornly stood up and continued fighting the fierce wolf beasts, exhibiting a spirit of ‘either you die or I perish.’

They also bought a lot of time for the other troops.

Because these two fierce wolf beasts were the guardian gods of this demi-human city.

How could they be easily defeated?

Coupled with the demi-humans closing in for the kill.

Don’t look down on these demi-humans just because they used bows and arrows; they seemed weak.

But don’t underestimate these tools. These bows and arrows were made of special materials. If aimed well, they were no worse than firearms.

Among the arrow configurations, the arrowheads were the most powerful.

The arrowheads were imbued with special effects, each shot having different power.

There were shockwave arrowheads. Upon hitting the target, they created a spatial tremor, interfering with everything nearby.

There were electromagnetic arrowheads. Upon hitting the target, they briefly and rapidly released a high-voltage magnetic field, Adsorption should be attracting, but context suggests disabling) the mechanical guards’ firearms to metal objects.

There were explosive arrowheads, self-explanatory—they exploded upon impact, causing significant damage.

Additionally, there were strong acid arrowheads, poison gas arrowheads, flash arrowheads, etc.

Seeing the demi-humans display such formidable combat power.

The Chosen Ones felt deceived. This wasn’t crushing a lower civilization; their civilization wasn’t weak either.

In this level, Chosen Ones who couldn’t escape in time would be surrounded and killed.

Apart from not feeling pain, they were truly dead.

Among them, the most embarrassing yet luckiest Chosen One was the Pasta Country’s Holy Knight, Sidney.

It’s important to know that a single strike from a fierce wolf beast couldn’t instantly kill a mechanical guard; their bodies were very sturdy.

The fierce wolf beasts needed to use their teeth to bite, or wait for the demi-humans to arrive and expend great effort and time to completely annihilate this squad of three hundred.

Don’t underestimate the technology of the green-skinned heavy industry.

By the time they finished off this squad of three hundred, the other teams had already returned fully loaded.

Here, we must mention Holy Knight Sidney. Having lost his muscles, he was very timid.

So, he installed heavy armor all over his body, hard like a turtle shell, looking very embarrassing.

It was even strenuous to walk, let alone fight.

Seeing the two fierce wolf beasts and the surrounding demi-human troops.

Actually, both the Pasta Country and the Church thought he was done for this round.

Gregory even stated: If he doesn’t die here, I’ll eat…
Before he could finish, a ‘miraculous’ accident occurred.

The fierce wolf beast fiercely bit towards Sidney.

Crack!
The fierce wolf beast’s tooth actually broke!

Enraged, it swung its paw and hit Sidney like a golf ball, sending him flying hundreds of meters away.

Not only that, the fierce wolf beast’s hand bone was broken.

Although Sidney was dazed from the fall tumbling dozens of times before stopping.

He had indeed escaped danger, and his mechanical body didn’t have any disgusting feelings.

This left the Church members stunned. Equipping himself with heavy armor actually had this use?
Did he truly contemplate and discover some details?
This made the Church members think Sidney might have figured something out.

Gregory, seeing this, twitched slightly at the corner of his mouth. He thought this guy was just lucky, a mere coincidence.

The strange tale world probably didn’t expect any Chosen One to arm themselves like an iron turtle.

But Gregory also felt somewhat relieved. Thankfully, he didn’t finish his vow about eating something, or he would have had to actually eat it!
Normally, the script for this first level of the strange tale was for the Chosen Ones to recognize the danger and escape, then find other teams to mix in and get some ‘kills,’ allowing them to complete their mission and return alive.

The guardian god fierce wolf beasts, whom even heavy cannons couldn’t penetrate, were practically invincible.

Moreover, the superhumans had all their abilities restricted. Those who didn’t run could only wait for death.

Everyone was running for their lives.

At this moment, the most nervous were undoubtedly the Dragon Country’s audience and expert panel.

Because they saw that faced with the attack of such colossal beasts, Zhang Yangqing actually wasn’t running.

They all grew anxious. Those who didn’t run next door had all died.

Zhang Tian Shi, it’s okay to run this time. It’s not about face.

We know you’re strong, but you have neither magical power nor physical strength now.

To Zhang Yangqing, mere two wild dogs required running?

The moment you saw me appear, it should be you running away!

As the two fierce wolf beasts opened their bloody mouths wide, wanting to bite Zhang Yangqing to pieces.

A treasured sword somehow appeared in Zhang Yangqing’s hand.

A flash of bright sword light passed, so fast it was frightening.

Hundreds of sword lights shook the heavens and earth, forming an extremely terrifying pressure.

Every sword light wielded immensely powerful sword energy.

As he brandished the Ink Dragon Flying Sword, the sword’s howling sound resembled a dragon’s roar.

The sword energy transformed into black dragons, making the heavens and earth tremble.

Instantly, the bodies of the two fierce wolf beasts were chopped to pieces by Zhang Yangqing’s sword energy!
Lying on the ground like two piles of meat paste, it looked extremely horrifying.

If not for the two massive wolf heads lying there.

You completely couldn’t imagine what these two piles of meat paste were.

After sheathing his sword, Zhang Yangqing said to these dumbfounded mechanical guards, “What are you standing around for? Charge in and kill them.”

At this moment, the mechanical guard lieutenant subconsciously said, “I’m the lieutenant here. What right do you have to give orders!”

Before he finished speaking, a long sword appeared before his eyes.

Thud!

The long sword directly pierced his forehead, then pulled down sharply, cutting through his power core, splitting his body from top to bottom into two halves.

The action was seamless; no one had time to react.

Zhang Yangqing took the chip from his arm and attached it to his own.

He said disdainfully to the pile of scrap metal on the ground, “If you hadn’t spoken, I would have forgotten to chop you up.”

Scrap metal: “…”

The sizzling sound of the scrap metal seemed to say: I spoke too much, I deserve to die?