I’m a Max-Level Taoist Master, and You’re Throwing Me Into a Rules-Based Horror Game?! - Chapter 169

Chapter 169: What Are You Staring At? Keep Scouting, Keep Moving!

As everyone knows, the operations of the Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master are always unique.

He can have his own interpretation of the rules within the strange tale world.

His methods are utterly explosive and unpredictable.

Generally speaking, no one’s tactics can reach a level more baffling than those of the Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master.

But this particular strange tale is different. Surprisingly, someone’s actions are even more spine-tingling than the Celestial Master’s tactics.

The performance of Sidney, the Holy Knight from Pasta Country, this round, is so dreadful one can hardly bear to watch.

People fear that this esteemed Holy Knight from Blue Star might perish miserably in the strange tale world.

Even superhumans, when restricted, have a high probability of not surviving.

Those who die from overconfidence are not few; Pasta Country already has one superhuman who died that way.

Sidney encountered major trouble in the previous beginner tutorial level.

He is inherently very timid, trembling with fear without his heavy armor.

It could be said that in the combat zone of the demi-human races, he was incredibly lucky to be swatted away.

Otherwise, he simply wouldn’t have survived.

In this level, while waiting for the right moment, Sidney also spent a long time on the Sky Canopy City, cowering in terror.

Other chosen ones were either busy gathering information or patrolling to increase their contribution points.

Sidney, however, sat in the rest room for over ten hours without moving a muscle.

He even made the cleaning robots wonder if he was broken.

This cowardly display dissatisfied many in Pasta Country, but given his status as a Holy Knight, no one dared to say anything.

Sidney’s approval ratings have always been the lowest.

He and the Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master form two extremes.

Everyone believes the Dragon Nation’s Celestial Master could never die inside, while Sidney stands no chance of coming out alive.

His survival of the first level was merely luck.

Now that they’ve reached the territory of the beast-kin races, Sidney’s old trick definitely won’t work.

But when it was time to depart, Sidney still equipped himself with heavy metal armor and stabilization devices.

It was even bulkier than in the previous level, arming him from head to toe.

His footsteps echoed heavily as he walked.

Even though outsiders didn’t approve of his approach, only with the heavy armor on could he feel at ease.

When he strapped on his parachute pack and jumped from the Sky Canopy City,

His weight exceeded the standard, and under the effect of gravitational acceleration, he plummeted rapidly.

The parachute pack might not withstand his weight at all, and he probably couldn’t even deploy it in time.

Normally, chosen ones need to deploy their parachutes and glide a certain distance to reach the designated location.

Sidney was falling too fast, like a steel egg crashing down.

You simply can’t imagine how heavy the armor on this guy was, but a steel egg falling from over a thousand meters high—the destructive force is conceivable.

The steel egg fell like a meteor, surrounded by terrifying air currents.

With a earth-shaking roar,

Sidney crashed down somewhere.

Thanks to the multiple layers of metal heavy armor and the inherent strength of his mechanical body, he wasn’t killed by the impact.

Just as everyone thought he had no combat capability this round,

They were shocked to discover he had already completed the mission.

It turned out that right where he landed, a lone elite warrior of the beast-kin race was resting.

In the hazy early morning, this leopard-kin warrior was sleeping soundly.

He died instantly, crushed into pulp.

He didn’t even have time to react.

Sidney also surprisingly found the mission completion notification displayed on his goggles.

So, he shifted his body and started moving towards the rally point.

In other words, he passed this level without doing anything!
Sidney’s performance is considered explosive even within the realm of explosive performances.

It’s enough to make countless viewers feel like their minds are splitting open.

Their minds are filled with thoughts like, ‘This works too?’

Sidney’s performance is terrible, yet he passed two levels without a scratch, completing the basic tasks and then leaving.

For a moment, the audience in Pasta Country didn’t know whether to call him lucky or curse his dumb luck.

The Pasta Country audience collectively went offline, maintained silence, and offered no evaluation.

Praising him was truly difficult, but cursing him also felt inappropriate.

In the hall of the Church, everyone had dark lines on their faces.

The expressions of the Cardinals and Holy Knights were somewhat twitching.

They never expected Sidney to pass the second level in such a manner.

As long as he didn’t seek special rewards, he managed to survive this level.

Some straightforward Cardinals even started complaining.

“Did Sidney max out his luck stat? How did he manage to encounter such a one-in-ten-thousand chance?”

“He truly is the one blessed by the Lord. Thanks be to God.”

“Can we turn off the big screen? I really can’t watch this anymore!”

“Exactly, Sidney’s performance is even more embarrassing than Gregory’s!”

Gregory: ???

What did I do to you?

Gregory felt he wasn’t that embarrassing; he was completely innocent and had become a scapegoat.

But as the Pope’s successor, he secretly noted down the names of those who spoke ill of him.

He would deal with these fools after he received the baptism of the Holy Lord’s Temple.

For now, he could only be magnanimous and temporarily forgive these disrespectful followers.

Within the strange tale world, the chosen ones who completed the basic objectives began searching for the Queen Bee’s location.

Not many people died in this level—only thirteen chosen ones, because they were too engrossed in watching the chaotic battle and got surrounded by elite beast-kin warriors.

Don’t think hiding in trees is safe; ape-kin are the masters of the trees.

Moreover, the races living in the treetops aren’t limited to ape-kin; there are also many ferocious bird races.

Zhang Yangqing had already reattached his hand by this point, and the black bear obediently served as his mount.

The black bear was more familiar with this area than the two demi-human brothers.

As soon as Zhang Yangqing mentioned searching for the Queen Bee, the black bear immediately understood and carried him through the vast primeval forest.

Apart from not being able to speak, the black bear had no other shortcomings.

However, the black bear only allowed Zhang Yangqing to ride it. When the two demi-human brothers tried to get on, the bear bared its teeth and refused.

This highlighted the black bear’s understanding, in contrast to the demi-human brothers’ lack thereof.

In the previous round, even the snake-eyed sidekick and the other prisoners knew that when Zhang Yangqing was seated, they couldn’t sit nearby.

That would give the impression of being on equal footing with the boss, which was against the rules.

Zhang Yangqing didn’t blame them, as they were the weakest race in this world, constantly struggling to survive and unaware of these so-called etiquettes and rules.

As the saying goes, ignorance is no crime.

The two demi-human warrior brothers had no choice but to follow alongside.

Zhang Yangqing quite liked this kind of obedient and hardworking animal.

It made things easier for him; he didn’t even need to walk himself.

It was just a pity that the two wolves at the entrance of the demi-human territory had died.

Otherwise, Zhang Yangqing would have brought them along as well, to serve as fighters or something.

If the two wolves knew what Zhang Yangqing was thinking, they would probably say: Just listen to what you’re saying! Didn’t you chop us up? And you’re blaming us?

Is it our fault for dying too soon?!

The two wolves were truly unlucky; their abilities were super regeneration and agile speed.

Who would have thought they’d encounter this guy, who immediately diced them into mincemeat, leaving no chance for their regeneration ability to work.

Just as Zhang Yangqing was pondering how to proceed,

The black bear arrived at an area and stopped.

It pointed ahead, as if saying something.

Zhang Yangqing looked forward, his goggles continuously scanning the area.

The color palette of the area ahead began to brighten. Specifically, compared to other areas, there were many more colorful flowers, mushrooms, and leaves here.

Making this area less monotonous.

Those with any experience know: unusual phenomena signal danger;Abnormal people hide knives; insincere words mask deceit.

This place seemed different from everywhere else, so it was likely an area where the bizarre would manifest.

What kind of dangers awaited remained unknown.

But special rewards were always accompanied by certain dangers.

Especially those colorful mushrooms, their bodies constantly swaying.

Whether it was the chosen ones’ eyes playing tricks on them or not,

They all felt this place was somewhat off.

Many had seen the bizarre plants from the previous round and feared similar oddities would appear here.

Observant chosen ones could notice insects buzzing through this area.

Each insect was as large as a fist, with black abdomens and yellow heads.

Their bodies were covered with many spine-like structures, giving off an unfriendly vibe.

Their mouths had large pincers that looked capable of easily snapping hard rock.

Those familiar with insects knew these things were not to be trifled with.

On Blue Star, this thing should be called the Velvet Ant, a potent stinging insect, also known as the cow killer ant.

The Velvet Ant is one of the few carnivorous bee species; besides nectar and fruit, it also eats other insects and meat.

However, the Velvet Ants on Blue Star aren’t this large. For these guys to grow so big, they must either be mutated or a special race.

Only by being able to eat large animals could they get such good nutrition to grow so big.

Actually, there was another possibility: these Velvet Ants might be the bizarre entities of this level, potentially possessing unusual traits.

Toxins didn’t harm mechanical beings much, but corrosive substances could still cause some damage.

As a special forces soldier often on missions, Brendan, the chosen one from Bullfighting Country, sensed danger.

He thought it was fortunate the strange tale world had given them mechanical bodies.

Otherwise, in such a primeval forest, the death rate for ordinary chosen ones would be as high as 99%.

This was no joke at all.

Poisonous insects in primeval forests were numerous, some beyond imagination; contact usually meant death.

Normal special forces soldiers coming to such a place must be fully armed, covering their bodies completely.

Then they’d spray special potions to repel poisonous insects.

Otherwise, it would be impossible to walk out of the primeval forest alive.

The mechanical bodies saved a lot of unnecessary trouble, effectively lowering the difficulty for the chosen ones.
However, the current difficulty was still very high.

Besides the frightening plants and insects, this area was bound to contain feline creatures and the unknown full moon.

Every step was nerve-wracking, every move required careful observation.

The advantage of operating alone was the small target size, making it harder to be detected.

Brendan was like that. To find the Queen Bee and the hive, he could only follow the Velvet Ants that had collected nectar.

A normal person’s speed certainly couldn’t keep up, but now with tracking instruments and triple the normal human speed, Brendan was following the Velvet Ants ahead.

After entering this area, Brendan detected a pollen-like scent.

But since he had a mechanical body, even if there were some toxins, he wouldn’t be affected. He was just curious about which flower this scent came from.

While tracking, he needed to constantly watch the sky, avoid plants that looked abnormal, and check his surroundings for feline creatures.

One could say the difficulty was extreme, hard for ordinary chosen ones to adapt to, and easy to lose the target.

Just as the chosen ones were speculating about the bizarre entities of this level,

The first chosen one to die a miserable death in the dangerous area appeared.

After entering a certain area, the chosen one from Sakura Country noticed a full moon appearing in the sky.

So he prepared to retreat, but unbeknownst to him, a bizarre cat-kin warrior stood behind him.

She had a sleek, black, slender body, a cat’s face, was covered in fur, and made almost no sound when walking.

She didn’t look entirely human but gave off an intensely seductive feeling.

It made one want to stroke her fur.

Especially her eyes, several times larger than a normal person’s, could instantly evoke strange sensations.

Rather than saying she resembled a human, it was more accurate to say she was a cat with a humanoid form.

What people often call a ‘furry’.

Coincidentally, this chosen one from Sakura Country was a furry enthusiast and was momentarily mesmerized.

The bizarre cat-kin warrior swayed her alluring figure as she approached.

Every step was so elegant, surpassing Victoria’s Secret supermodels.

No, it should be said that Victoria’s Secret supermodels were imitating her gait.

Because the Sakura Country chosen one had already triggered her attack conditions.

With her unparalleled speed, she wasn’t afraid of the Sakura Country chosen one escaping.

Here, the Sakura Country chosen one missed the best chance for escape, or perhaps for a counterattack.

If one observed carefully, they could see that the bizarre cat-kin warrior wasn’t actually strong; the chosen ones’ mechanical bodies didn’t feel fear.

Even the Sakura Country chosen one was merely admiring, not afraid.

There was a detail here: as long as one wasn’t afraid and observed carefully, even making eye contact wasn’t necessarily a problem.

That was, observe the places where the bizarre cat-kin warrior walked.

The areas she stepped on would turn pitch black, the plants blackening, becoming similar to her fur.

The rules of the bizarre cat-kin warrior were special; she could be considered the contamination of this strange tale, like the white spiders from the previous level—not strong in combat but capable of damaging mechanical bodies.

By the time the Sakura Country chosen one suddenly came to his senses and remembered he had weapons, it was too late.

The bizarre cat-kin warrior was already very close.

Just as the Sakura Country chosen one raised his hand cannon, the bizarre cat-kin warrior stepped onto it.

Looking down at him from above.

The bio-hand cannon was already turning black.

Actually, even at this point, the Sakura Country chosen one still had a slim chance of survival.

As a mechanical body, he could have quickly detached his arm and sought a chance to turn the tables.

But, being a furry enthusiast, looking up from below, he became mesmerized once again.

When the bizarre cat-kin warrior’s soft foot sole stepped on his head, the Sakura Country screen went black, and he was eliminated.

This made the Sakura Country audience lose their composure.

: Damn it! Why did he hesitate to act? The chosen one next door already fought the cat girl for over a round and managed to escape the area.

: I also want to be stepped on. Can I enter this strange tale? I’d be willing to be stepped to death by a real furry cat girl like this.

: I feel like I’ve awakened something strange. Gentlemen, wait a moment, I’m almost finished.

: I simply love this too much! I just love furry things.

It seems this level is a nightmare for certain special groups of people.

These individuals can’t help but look at the bizarre cat-kin warrior.

The chosen one from Bullfighting Country didn’t have so many thoughts. After entering the full moon area and preparing to leave, he also encountered the bizarre cat-kin warrior.

Drawing on previous strange tale experience, he focused his goggles, narrowing his field of vision.

It was like using his hands to reduce the visible area to two points, allowing him to see parts of the bizarre cat-kin warrior’s body but not her eyes.

Not looking wasn’t an option; without vision, he couldn’t leave the area.

The chosen ones, being mechanical beings, had certain advantages.

Even the bizarre cat-kin warrior couldn’t tell where the gaze behind the goggles was focused.

Without eye contact, the bizarre cat-kin warrior couldn’t attack the chosen one.

This was the necessary condition for triggering the bizarre entity.

Here, two combat approaches emerged, both requiring quick reflexes. The first was evasion.

The chosen ones had weapons and could use the bio-hand cannon to create significant explosions.

The smoke and blast from the explosion would disrupt the bizarre cat-kin warrior’s perception, allowing escape.

The more aggressive approach, like that of Brendan from Bullfighting Country, was to start fighting with weapons.

He had high proficiency in firearms, so his aim was accurate.

However, the bizarre cat-kin warrior’s movements were too swift. Without using the full screen on his goggles, he found it difficult to hit her.

So after firing two magazines of bullets and over a dozen bio-hand cannon shots, Brendan began retreating from the area, seeking a new path.

This was the solo operative approach.

Team combat was much more stimulate. Acting ruthlessly did provide certain advantages when clearing levels.

Ramirez, the chosen one from Argentina, had over two hundred mechanical guards. Upon entering, he began saturation fire.

Any obstacles ahead were directly destroyed; the mechanical guards had plenty of power anyway.

Facing the heavy cannons on their backs, all the bizarre plants were obliterated!

They literally blasted a path open. One shouldn’t underestimate the products of the Green-Skin People’s heavy industry.

Even hero-level figures among the beast-kin races couldn’t withstand such artillery bombardment.

Even if they made a big commotion in this area, outside creatures wouldn’t come.

But when facing the bizarre cat-kin warrior, Ramirez’s mechanical army suffered significant losses.

In solo combat, if the bizarre cat-kin warrior didn’t make eye contact with the chosen one, she wouldn’t get close to the chosen one’s body.

But this was team combat, and many mechanical guards made eye contact with her, allowing her to move freely at high speed.

Out of the over two hundred mechanical guards, sixty-three were contaminated in a short time.

Moreover, the mechanical guards started fighting amongst themselves, resulting in further losses.

By the time Ramirez retreated from the area, only 113 mechanical guards remained with him.

It was a considerable loss, but the bizarre cat-kin warrior was severely injured and retreated, unlikely to attack him again anytime soon.

This was the advantage of having ample firepower.

He had enough units to make mistakes; as long as he stayed in the center, he wouldn’t be the one dying.

After all, mechanical beings knew no fear; they just needed an order to charge forward.

Many viewers felt Ramirez didn’t know how to arrange his troops in formation.

If he had advanced in a formation, the losses might have been smaller.

These viewers desperately wanted to replace Ramirez in the fight.

But it was all just talk; if they were really to go, they wouldn’t dare.

Ramirez’s performance wasn’t ideal, but it was already stronger than the vast majority of people.

However, many viewers were armchair experts, believing that under ideal circumstances, they wouldn’t be much worse.

But then this heavyweight appeared, leaving all viewers speechless.

Watching others, viewers thought, ‘I could do that too’; theoretically, they might even be better.

But watching this guy, they truly couldn’t do it!
After glancing at the rules, Zhang Yangqing directly had the black bear swagger in.

What feline creatures and full moon? Let them try seeing me!

As the saying goes, even the bizarre would find Zhang Yangqing bizarre!
Upon entering the full moon area, the bizarre cat-kin warrior attacked.

Her swaying figure was mesmerizing, even more enchanting than a woman’s.

Especially the smooth, furry texture made one want to caress it endlessly.

The seductive smile on the bizarre cat-kin warrior’s face was enough to make one’s heart flutter.

The black bear didn’t seem affected by this, baring its teeth at the bizarre cat-kin warrior, trying to make her leave.

But the bizarre cat-kin warrior didn’t leave.

Here, the difference in intelligence between the black bear and the two demi-human warrior brothers became apparent.

Without Zhang Yangqing’s order, the black bear stood still.

It knew Zhang Yangqing was the truly fearsome presence.

The two demi-human warrior brothers, like the Sakura Country chosen one, were dumbstruck.

Or perhaps, being in human bodies, they were bewitched, standing there in a daze.

Naturally, Zhang Yangqing looked into the bizarre cat-kin warrior’s eyes, triggering her attack condition.

But the bizarre cat-kin warrior was also about to trigger Zhang Yangqing’s instant-kill rule.

After all, triggering worked unilaterally for other chosen ones.

For Zhang Yangqing, it was mutual.

The bizarre cat-kin warrior seemed unaware of how dangerous this mechanical being was, continuing her catwalk approach.

Twenty meters, ten meters, five meters—the distance of death had been reached.

The bizarre cat-kin warrior still swayed her alluring figure.

But her opponent wasn’t buying it. Zhang Yangqing executed a sword technique; the sensation of the blade cutting through flesh was clear, and blood instantly sprayed out.

The bizarre cat-kin warrior’s body was very fragile; only her speed was an advantage.

But before Zhang Yangqing, she was at a disadvantage.

With a thud, the slender, alluring body was cut in two.

The disbelieving cat head rolled several times in the air before falling to the ground.

pitch black blood stained a large area.

The contamination seemed severe.

After sheathing his sword, Zhang Yangqing looked at the stunned demi-human brothers and said, “What are you staring at? Keep scouting, keep moving!”

No need to look so surprised; for me, it was just a flick of the wrist!

The black bear also glanced at them disdainfully, as if saying: Look at you two, so inexperienced! Although I was scared too, I didn’t dare show my bear-like fear!