Chapter 1

Within the vast and desolate construction city, a group of people fought.

On one side were four Wan Jia Xiong Meng players, each wielding swords, guns, and other weapons, cloaked in tattered black capes. They moved with practiced coordination through the city's complex terrain, weaving an impenetrable web of firepower.

On the other side were two figures.

One wore a hood and a maple-leaf-red cloak, with dark red soft armor. Maple leaves extended from beneath the shoulder and wrist guards. He wore long boots and a brown leather quiver hung at his hip.

The massive longbow in his hands was crafted from blood-colored beast horns and metal. The tips of the bow were covered with blood-stained raven feathers, and the bowstring was woven from strands of metal rope.

The other was a streamlined metal golem, its arms hanging down like heavy hammers. It emitted destructive crimson beams at regular intervals.

These were none other than Liu Wu Dai and the [Calamity Sunset Mechanical Behemoth] she had borrowed from Mule.

*Zheng zheng zheng zheng!*

Liu Wu Dai slid along the wall, her longbow firing a rapid succession of lightning arrows.

The arrows, crackling with electricity, traced an arc through the air, aimed at the tattered capes pursuing her in the sky.

The sound of heavy gunfire echoed across the construction city.

A sniper perched atop a tall building fired three shots in quick succession from a tripod-mounted sniper rifle, precisely intercepting three arrows.

Another arrow was blocked by a different teammate.

"It's no use."

High above the construction city, a red-haired, bewitching woman shrouded in a black cloak—Ming Huang Chi Yan (Scarlet-Eyed Moth), ranked ninety-ninth in individual combat power and one of the Seven Warlords of the European Heavy Industries Group—said softly in a charming voice, "I've read and memorized the data of every participant in this competition.

You are indeed strong. Relying on several perfect-grade equipment pieces and a large number of expensive consumable items,

you can overcome and even kill players several levels higher than you, with superior base stats.

But, all these things have limits.

Consumable arrows cannot be precisely controlled and can be detonated prematurely by minor attacks;

the golem will run out of energy;

the arm drawing the bow will become tired and sore;

the bowstring will wear out and break;

the effects of potions replenishing spiritual energy and sanity will gradually diminish, even causing the body to reject them;

even micro-life potions cannot compensate for the physical and mental strain of prolonged combat.

How many more times can you draw that bow..."

An arrow shot towards Ming Huang Chi Yan, only to be intercepted and exploded by a sniper bullet in mid-air.

Standing on the edge of the high-rise terrace, Ming Huang Chi Yan continued unhindered, "In a one-on-one fight, I would definitely not be your opponent. You could possibly defeat even players ranked in the top eighty or top seventy.

But in the Lost World, sticking together is far better than going solo.

Three players ranked outside the top one hundred and fifty, and myself at ninety-ninth, can coordinate flawlessly, taking turns to attack and defend, precisely timing the cooldowns of our equipment and items.

We can easily trap and kill lone wolves who rely on their superior strength, and seize their belts..."

*嗡——*

A beam of crimson laser, as thick as a bucket, swept upwards like a long blade, bisecting the suspension ladders and pipelines in its path.

Molten iron dripped from the severed surfaces of the hardened metal, splattering onto the ground littered with discarded machinery, creating a shower of sparks.

However, Ming Huang Chi Yan had already been alerted by her teammates who specialized in reconnaissance. Anticipating the attack, she leaped off the ground, her figure rising lightly. A grappling hook shot out from her wrist, embedding itself in the dome above.

As the grappling hook rope retracted, she swung forward rapidly, avoiding the [Calamity Sunset Mechanical Behemoth]'s beam.

"Just as I said, an individual's abilities and areas of expertise always have limits,

while a team can handle reconnaissance, early warning, ambushes, suppressive fire, assaults, defense, and covering retreats..."

Ming Huang Chi Yan landed silently on the broken staircase, looked at Liu Wu Dai who was running at full speed, and said calmly, "I can offer you an opportunity now.

A chance to continue fighting without surrendering and dropping out of the competition, and even to obtain a Door-level reward."

From her backpack, she retrieved a cloak that was as black and tattered as the one she was wearing.

The cloak was thin and light, with faintly visible hollow veins, like the veins of an insect's wing.

On the inside of the cloak, at the back, was a pale green insect larva.

The lower half of its body was fused with the wing-veined cloak, while the upper half wriggled back and forth, opening and closing its mouth filled with sharp teeth.

[Name: Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Spawn]

[Type: Armor]

[Quality: Perfect]

[Defense: Low]

[Effect: Parasitism. Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Spawn, is produced by the same series of equipment, Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Mother. After the wearer puts on the Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Spawn, they will share thoughts, senses, attribute values, sanity values, spiritual power values, and the recovery speed of various values with the Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Mother. The wearer of Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Spawn will experience cognitive biases when attempting to harm the Mother, and will be influenced and controlled by the Mother to a certain extent]

[Consumption: None]

[Cooldown Time: None]

[Equipment Requirements: Constitution attribute greater than or equal to 7 points]

[Note: The level of the wearer of Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Spawn cannot exceed the Mother's level by four or more, the Constitution attribute cannot exceed 15 points, and the Sanity value cannot exceed 1200 points, otherwise the parasitism will fail]

[Note: The mind-sharing between Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Spawn and the Mother is limited by factors such as distance and the user's mental state]

[Note: When the Mother orders the wearer of Scarlet-Eyed Parasitic Molt · Spawn to execute commands that violate biological instincts (such as suicide), resistance and opposition will occur. The strength of the resistance depends on the willpower of the Spawn host]

[Note: A maximum of 7 Spawn can exist at the same time, each Spawn consumes a fixed 100 points of the Mother's maximum sanity value]

[Note: Parasitism, Breeding, Prevention]

Ming Huang Chi Yan actually displayed the equipment information, exposing it to the detectors as well as to Liu Wu Dai, but she didn't seem to care.

"You should know that I'm one of the so-called Seven Warlords."

Ming Huang Chi Yan tilted her head and said, "The European Heavy Industries Group has given me a lot of benefits, hiring me to participate in this Door competition in their name.

If you're willing to accept parasitism, I can sign a contract with you guaranteed by the power of the system, promising not to use the Mother's power to force you to your death or to perform other dangerous tasks, and not to force you to hunt down Special Affairs Bureau members.

You can have a complete, unaffected free mind, and you can withdraw from the competition at any time.

If we can successfully advance to the top fifty, I will give you seventy percent of all the rewards, absolutely no holding back.

If we can eventually obtain the Door, the ownership of the Door will belong to the European Heavy Industries Group, but you and I will each take 25% of all the benefits obtained from the Door.

If you agree, I can lift the network of fire immediately, what do you say?"