Chapter 1 A Mess

ps. Written late last night, I felt there were some problems with the wording, so I'll update first and then revise. No words to read, better reading experience.

When Su Lun came out of room 1021, the hotel was already in chaos.

A black-gray mist spread down the stairs from the second floor, as if adding a layer of underworld filter to this brightly lit luxury hotel. A gray, cold color filled the eyes.

The identification showed it was a special "corpse qi."

The NPCs in the hotel had already been polluted during these three days, so as soon as they touched this gray mist, they began to mutate. Their bodies, as if irradiated, grew disgusting fleshy tumors and strange tentacles... turning from humans into grotesque, clawing monsters.

For a time, the entire hotel was overrun with zombies, with screams and wails echoing endlessly... a veritable purgatory on earth.

Su Lun had learned from the intelligence before entering that this "ghost mist" was a gas that caused a high probability of mutation in Wasteland Hunters.

This was why Wasteland Hunters only came out on time after twenty-four hours, even though they could have stayed longer.

But Su Lun found that this "ghost mist" was a dark attribute energy purer than a kind of dark spiritual power, and could also increase the upper limit of dark spiritual power value through breathing techniques.

He even tried taking a few breaths, and found...

His dark spiritual power value, which had been full and increasing very slowly, continued to rise again.

Moreover, his body had a higher affinity for this "ghost mist," and breathing it was very pleasant. Between breaths, it would also increase the recovery efficiency of consumed dark spiritual power. The amount recovered was almost the same as the amount consumed by him unlocking the Bio-Mech Armor and 【Mu Shi】 now, and there was no sign of mutation at all...

Which also meant that in this environment, Su Lun could almost always maintain the Bio-Mech Armor in an unlocked state.

This was also good news.

.......

Intense fighting came from upstairs, it sounded like "Magician" Edward and the other two had engaged the old nun.

But Su Lun wasn't in a hurry to go upstairs.

Now both sides were at their peak, and the battlefield upstairs was bound to be extremely dangerous.

If he interfered, he might be caught in the crossfire and injured.

According to the thousand-year story line, Edward and the others should have been wiped out.

Now... it was hard to say.

Judging from the abilities they had shown just now, all three were very strong. As long as they didn't demonize, they would definitely have the strength to fight.

Listening to the sounds upstairs, there was give and take, which was why it was so intense.

So, wait a little longer.

The best time to enter the arena was when both sides were injured.

Su Lun walked into the corridor, thought for a moment, and decided to check the situation on the first floor first.

Today's situation was somewhat different from the previous Wasteland Hunter teams entering.

When the previous Wasteland Hunter teams came in, they only had to face the hotel's on-duty room attendants and guards at midnight. And if they wanted to hunt other monsters, they needed to open the doors of each room one by one. If they didn't open the doors, the monsters basically wouldn't come out on their own.

But today, because the "ghost mist" erupted in advance, most of the residents were in the banquet hall on the first floor.

This also led to the monsters mutating in a concentrated manner, and a chaotic dance of demons.

But this wasn't all bad news.

The good news was that because the mutation erupted in advance, although there were many of these monsters, their strength wasn't strong.

Su Lun casually killed a 【Mutated Waiter】 in the corridor, and found that it wasn't a "Weird" level monster, but at most an elite monster.

This was very different from the previous intelligence that said the lowest level on the first floor was Black Iron Weird.

Moreover, there was another piece of good news for Su Lun.

Originally, the higher the floor, the stronger the mutation of the monsters.

But now that most of the guests were gathered on the first floor, there would be very few high-level monsters on the second and third floors.

If he wanted to go up later, this would reduce a lot of danger for him.

......

The 【Demonized Faceless Corpse】 left a trail of wet, sticky marks in the corridor.

Su Lun followed it and watched it grab a panicked Wasteland Hunter with its tens of meters of tentacles, then drill the tentacles into the person's mouth and nose, turning the person into a dried corpse in the blink of an eye.

The Wasteland Hunters also discovered this monster with a head blooming, but ordinary bullets couldn't cause any damage to this second-tier Silver Weird. Even artillery, apart from a few slight marks, had little effect.

Because it was wearing a hood, this Weird didn't bother with him.

Su Lun knew he couldn't kill it, so he didn't waste time trying.

Room 1055 and room 1022 weren't far apart.

As Su Lun walked in the corridor, he watched a semi-transparent shadow with a long tongue floating over. An appraisal revealed that it was the hanged corpse from 1055 that had turned into a ghost species.

Because Su Lun had the 【Hanging Noose】 on him, this ghost species selectively ignored him, and the person and the ghost brushed past each other.

Without the threat of this second-tier Weird, Su Lun felt that the first floor didn't seem to have any fatal dangers.

Thinking this, he came directly to the banquet hall.

Here, demons were dancing wildly, and gunfire was chaotic.

The cute maid apprentices had turned into "Bloody Maids", the long-legged dancers had turned into "Desire Succubi", and the gentlemen, ladies, and mistresses had all turned into various grotesque zombies...

The Wasteland Hunters were engaged in a fierce firefight with the monsters.

"What the hell is going on! It's not midnight yet, why are these ancient people mutating..."

"It's probably that wanted criminal Su Lun who did it, damn it, if I had known, I would have killed him earlier!"

"These mutated monsters don't seem to be that powerful..."

"Haha, we're going to get rich this time..."

"..."

When Su Lun came over, he watched the Wasteland Hunters split into two groups and hunt the monsters.

One group was freelancers, and the other group was those guys from the "Sand Scorpion Gang".

Because these monsters were mostly zombie species, and most of them hadn't reached the level of Weird, although there were many, concentrated gunfire swept them down in pieces.

But the good times didn't last long, and the entrance of four special second-tier Silver Weirds instantly turned the tide.

In addition to the 【Faceless Corpse】 and 【Hanged Corpse】 he had seen before, the other two also appeared.

The 【Big Headed Wraith Infant】 had turned into a big-headed zombie species, a terrifying eyeball the size of a basketball occupying most of its head, with enormous strength and the ability to burrow into the ground;

And the 【Drowned Female Corpse】 had also turned into a ghost species with a blue glow all over its body, floating along and leaving a puddle of water on the ground.

It was these four second-tier Weirds that made the Wasteland Hunters' counterattack instantly pale and weak.

The two zombie species were okay, although they were hard to injure with gunfire, their movement speed wasn't fast, and they could use the terrain to avoid them.

But the two ghost species were tricky, completely ignoring physical damage, and able to pass through walls, float, and fly, making it impossible to escape...

"Ah... those are ghost species!"

"Don't be afraid, there are many of us, the ghost species can't control so many people!"

"Don't fucking run around! The more afraid you are, the more it will stare at you!"

"..."

The Wasteland Hunters also had experience in dealing with ghost species, but in the end, not everyone could control the fear in their hearts.

Scaring themselves, their minds became disordered, and their sanity dropped to a very low value. They would immediately be controlled by the ghost species' mental attack methods. The atmosphere of fear would also spread, and the companions' miserable wails would strongly stimulate other people's nerves, infecting one after another...

When Su Lun came over, he watched two ghost species floating in the crowd.

Wherever they passed, corpses fell to the ground like wheat being harvested.

For ordinary people who weren't good at mental power, their methods were almost unsolvable.

The target selected by the 【Hanged Corpse】 seemed to create a suffocating illusion of hanging, and then the hands would instinctively make movements to take off the noose. In reality, they were grabbing their own necks with their hands. The stronger the feeling of suffocation, the harder they would struggle to strangle themselves to death...

The 【Drowned Female Corpse's】 attack methods were similar, creating a feeling of drowning and suffocation, making people suffocate themselves to death. But judging from the water stains on the corpses, it should also have the ability to manipulate water elements...

Both ghost species were completely immune to physical attacks, which was why ordinary Wasteland Hunters were afraid.

Originally, mages could still fight, but the freelancer groups basically didn't raise any money-burning professionals, so ghost species basically meant "certain death."

.......

Su Lun watched from a distance and roughly figured out the abilities of the four second-tier Weirds.

Because of the "Anti-Weird Quartet" on his body, the four special monsters ignored him, and he didn't bother with these monsters.

But other mutated monsters were very sensitive to the aura of living people on Su Lun's body and surged over.

Su Lun wasn't polite, and the twin guns spat fire.

From his experience playing games in his previous life, to fight a Boss, it was best to clear out the mobs first.

He wanted to clear out the monsters on the first floor as soon as possible, so as not to have any accidents when he went upstairs later. For example, as time went on, the monsters would become stronger; or the old nun above had some special methods to summon mobs upstairs...

So, the best defense is a good offense.

As long as they weren't Weird-level mutated monsters, Su Lun's marksmanship could almost take them down with a few shots.

If ordinary bullets didn't work, he would use alchemy bullets.

After Su Lun's strength increased, the people he killed also became stronger and stronger, and the spoils he seized became more and more abundant. He had more and more alchemy bullets on his body, and the number had reached thousands.

For a "Gun Expert," ammunition was confidence.

The mutated monsters surged over like sharks smelling blood, he found a corner with walls on three sides, stood there, hung up the ammunition box, and began to reap them expressionlessly...

Because he knew tonight was going to be a fierce battle, Su Lun didn't skimp on ammunition.

"Pa," "pa," "pa," "pa"...

The rapid-fire crackling of the submachine gun-like sounds connected into a single piece, occasionally mixed with the special alchemy bullet explosions of "bang" and "bang."

Although the gunshots were loud, the rhythm didn't sound flustered.

【Qing Gui's】 firepower suppression, 【Thunder Snake's】 precise sniping, made Su Lun's movements alone worth more than the firepower of an entire organized team of Wasteland Hunters in the distance.

Headshots, joint dismemberment, overlapping shots to break defenses...

Absolute calmness made Su Lun's marksmanship appear precise and deadly.

In fact, because of the difference in marksmanship and alchemy bullets, he killed more monsters alone than the total of those dozens of freelance Wasteland Hunters.

After all, how could ordinary Wasteland Hunters who hunted for survival equip themselves with alchemy bullets that cost an average of 10,000 yuan each?

A single burst cost hundreds of thousands, which ordinary Wasteland Hunters couldn't afford.

This was a gap in equipment,

And also a crushing in technology.

Gradually, the corpses of mutated monsters piled higher and higher in front of Su Lun...

Watching those ordinary Wasteland Hunters in the distance, their mouths watered.

Su Lun's gun skills alone, which hit every shot, shocked everyone.

Especially those guys from the "Sand Scorpion Gang," their faces turned even paler.

They realized how ignorant their previous thoughts were, still thinking about killing this "S-Class Wanted Criminal" for the bounty?

If this round of bullets hadn't landed on the mutated monsters, but on them, the result would probably be the same.

What's more, Su Lun's methods weren't just marksmanship.

.......

Most of the NPCs in the hotel from a thousand years ago were also ordinary people, and because they weren't completely "polluted," they weren't considered strong even after mutation.

The tricky ones were the original professionals among the guards and guests.

After they mutated, they were at least Silver Weirds.

In this hall on the first floor, there were at least three or four hundred guests and hotel staff combined, so there would always be some hidden professionals.

Once the ghost mist erupted, they emerged one by one.

Extremely fast spider women who climbed walls, skull-crushing doctors who liked to knock people's heads, flesh mountain monsters that couldn't be killed by alchemy bullets, chameleon-like invisible monsters...

These Weirds mixed in with the monsters were the biggest threat to Su Lun.

But although there were many mutated monsters, Su Lun also had many "people."

Several rows of various weird dolls stood beside him.

【Grinning Doll】, 【Wailing Doll】, 【Blast-Proof Doll】, 【Lead-Sinker Doll】, 【Oil-Swallowing Doll】, 【Phosphorus Fire Doll】, 【Voodoo Doll】...

Now that he had a large number of witch's hair, this greatly improved the number and efficiency of his puppet control. Da Feng Novel

The cilia of the eight-armed spider spear could easily and precisely control the silk threads, even if Su Lun continued to fire with both hands, it wouldn't affect the puppet's operation at all.

These puppets could also ensure that an occasional monster that slipped through the firepower coverage would be blocked outside the safe range.

Even if there were one or two very tricky second-tier Weirds, the invisible living corpse behind Su Lun would cut the monster's head in half before they even got close.

With ranged means and close-range means, it was difficult for mutated monsters to get close.

.......

Dark spiritual power value was also enough, ammunition was also sufficient...

Originally, at this rhythm, Su Lun felt that after a while, the monsters on the first floor, except for those four, could probably be cleared out.

But as he fought, an accident happened.

Just when Su Lun was killing smoothly,

The 【Big Headed Wraith Infant】 exploded without warning, turning into a pile of minced meat...

Before he understood what had happened, the light and shadow of the 【Drowned Female Corpse】 also collapsed.

The two Weirds seemed to have suffered some invisible attack and suddenly died violently.

"Eh..."

Su Lun was still firing his gun, but when he saw this scene out of the corner of his eye, he let out a surprised sound.

He was sure that the sudden violent death of the two second-tier Weirds wasn't his doing, and those Wasteland Hunters definitely couldn't do it either.

They had inexplicably died violently.

"Could it be Edward and the others upstairs who did it?"

Su Lun suddenly realized something, but he didn't understand how this method of killing monsters from a distance worked.

But he didn't think about it carefully.

Because at this time, his gaze fell on the place where the 【Drowned Female Corpse】 had collapsed.

There... a ball of "gray mist" actually appeared!

It was difficult for zombie species to produce gray mist fragments, but because ghost species were originally spiritual bodies, the possibility of producing gray mist was extremely high.

Because he was too far away, Su Lun didn't have the chance to collect the gray mist.

And in just a few breaths, the light and shadow fragments and flesh fragments that the two Weird corpses had collapsed into seemed to be absorbed by this space, disappearing without a trace.

Looking back, a complete 【Drowned Female Corpse】 floated out of the door of room 1055 in the distance, screaming strangely.

And not long after, a big-headed monster also came to the banquet hall, hopping and skipping with a strange laugh to continue hunting...

Sure enough, they could be resurrected infinitely.

.......

However...

When Su Lun saw this, a flash of inspiration suddenly appeared in his mind, and a bold idea emerged.

These four corpses could indeed be resurrected infinitely, but what would happen if the soul fragments were stripped away?

Su Lun suddenly realized that he had found a way to restrain these four mutated monsters, no, maybe even kill them!

Thinking of this, he no longer chose to squat in the corner, but ran to a position near the two ghost species, waiting to try something.

Before long, the 【Hanged Corpse】 also died violently for no reason, collapsing.

"Gray mist" appeared again.

Su Lun seized the opportunity, rushed up in an instant without waiting for the gray mist to disappear, and then devoured the ball of gray mist.

「Obtained 'Demonized Hanged Corpse's' soul fragment *2」

「You have comprehended 'Mental Illusion · Suffocation Technique (Fragment)'...」

「Mental power +0.6」

When Su Lun digested this ball of gray mist, his eyes lit up.

It really worked!