Skills with no cooldown? I become the Undead Scourge! - Chapter 14

The father and son were stunned.

Lu Ran was still alive!

But what happened to those three assassins?

A communicator going offline meant either death or manual deactivation.

This had been a golden opportunity—Lu Ran leaving Blackflame City was rare. Yet, those three had failed?

“What do we do now? If we couldn’t kill Lu Ran this time, it’ll be even harder to find another chance,” Liang Shaoyu fretted.

He didn’t care about Lu Ran’s gear.

He just wanted Lu Ran dead!

Especially after yesterday’s humiliation—where his attempt to mock Lu Ran had backfired spectacularly.

And it had happened in front of their entire class!

Even with Wang Yujiao now by his side, he still looked like a clown in front of Lu Ran!

“This isn’t your concern. What you should be worried about is the fallout if those three failed and word gets out. Do you understand the consequences?” Liang Tai’s face darkened.

Even if Lu Ran was just a commoner, the law in this world was strict.

Hiring assassins to kill another professional was a serious crime!

“Drop the matter for now. Monitor the situation. And keep trying to contact those three idiots—I want to know exactly what happened today!” Liang Tai ordered his men.

….

Meanwhile, Lu Ran and Qin Wuyao parted ways.

Instead of sticking with Lu Ran, Qin Wuyao dashed straight back to the Qin family estate.

In the living room, Qin Lie was deep in conversation with a middle-aged man.

Spotting Qin Wuyao, Qin Lie immediately asked, “Where have you been all day?”

“I told you this morning—I went dungeon-running with a friend,” she replied, then nodded politely at the man. “Uncle Xu.”

Xu Jie, a member of the Heavenly Dao Alliance—not from the Blackflame branch, but from the central division.

“My, how you’ve grown since I last saw you,” Xu Jie said warmly.

“Let’s get back to it, Old Xu,” Qin Lie urged.

Qin Wuyao flopped onto the sofa, flipping absently through a strategy guide but too distracted to focus.

Her gaze kept drifting to Qin Lie, as if she wanted to speak but hesitated each time.

Qin Lie and Xu Jie resumed their discussion.

Xu Jie sighed. “Two pressing issues: the strategy for the Level 60 raid dungeon, Black Dragon Mountain, and the National Wars next month.”

Qin Lie nodded. “As the highest-level raid dungeon currently, every nation is scrambling to conquer Black Dragon Mountain. But the difficulty is extreme, and casualties are high. We can’t rush this.”

Xu Jie shook his head.

“We have to rush. Because yesterday, the Eagles globally cleared Black Dragon Mountain on normal difficulty—first in the world.”

Qin Lie’s face paled.

“The National Wars are in a month. If the Eagles have already cleared Black Dragon Mountain, they’ll start farming its gear!”

By the time the National Wars began, the Eagles—armed with Black Dragon gear—would be unstoppable compared to other nations.

“That’s exactly what I fear. China hasn’t ranked in the top three for three years straight. If we drop further this year, our National War rewards will shrink again—a vicious cycle. And internationally, the Eagles aren’t the only ones eyeing us!”

Qin Lie fell silent.

After a long pause, he said gravely, “So why come to me? If the nation needs me, I’ll leave for the capital immediately and join the Black Dragon assault team!”

But Xu Jie shook his head.

“You know our country’s principles. People come first. The Eagles used brute-force tactics, sacrificing who knows how many professionals to barely clear Black Dragon Mountain. We can’t recklessly throw lives at this. I’m just here to vent—it’s been a while since we talked.”

The two men shared a heavy silence.

But Qin Wuyao, listening intently, had already thought of Lu Ran.

Black Dragon Mountain, as the world’s highest-level raid dungeon, was brutally difficult.

Even teams of hidden-class professionals faced high mortality rates.

And in dungeons, death was permanent.

China had the numbers but refused to adopt the Eagles’ ruthless tactics, hence their stalled progress.

Yet now that the Eagles had cleared it once, they could farm Black Dragon gear, snowballing their advantage.

In a month, they could arm an entire battalion of elite fighters.

And in the National Wars, those elites would crush other nations—especially China, the Eagles’ long-standing rival.

If China’s ranking dropped further, their rewards would diminish again, worsening the cycle. That was the real nightmare.

But if Lu Ran could grow strong enough…

Even with just his current abilities—endless skeleton summons and Corpse Explosion—he could single-handedly form a small army!

And that was Qin Wuyao’s conservative estimate.

If Lu Ran served the nation, his impact would be unprecedented!

Of course, this hinged on him growing powerful enough before the National Wars.

“What if someone could single-handedly shift the National Wars’ outcome? Or even solo Black Dragon Mountain? How would the nation treat them?” Qin Wuyao suddenly asked.

Qin Lie and Xu Jie turned to her, startled.

But Xu Jie quickly dismissed the idea.

“No individual can sway the National Wars. It’s not about one class or one person’s gear.”

Qin Lie added, “Wuyao, stop daydreaming. Even as a hidden-class professional, you’d still need teamwork in Black Dragon Mountain. No one can solo it at this stage.”

Qin Wuyao pressed, “But what if?”

Xu Jie pondered for a moment.

“If such a person existed… I can’t even imagine the treatment they’d receive. But I guarantee—China would dedicate national resources to nurture them. ‘Treatment’ wouldn’t cover it. They’d be honored as a national treasure! They could do anything in this country!”

Qin Wuyao’s eyes blazed with excitement.

Under their puzzled stares, she sprang up. “I’m going to grind levels!”

….

Meanwhile, Lu Ran was still tearing through Frostwolf Valley.

But now, confident in his strength, he’d chosen hard mode.

Double EXP—yet his clearing speed barely slowed.

After all, Corpse Explosion shredded enemies regardless of their HP!

His level skyrocketed.

He didn’t even stop for lunch, grinding until sunset.

Finally, the notification he’d been waiting for chimed:

[Level successfully increased to 10!]