Chapter 16: She’s Been a Bit Dim Since Childhood (Thanks to Leader Hanye Alliance and Xu Wangzhi Nuo Alliance!)

Chen Jinnan’s equipment was quite a haul: a green submachine gun, two white pistols, a white shield, and a small amount of ammunition.

“The captain has already left,” Zhang Ruolin said.

Ruolin clenched her teeth. “Is it really appropriate for us to be dividing his belongings here?”

Axe fell silent, likely feeling the sting of conscience.

Ling Baiwei furrowed her brows but remained quiet.

Finally, Zhang Ruolin’s gaze settled on me. “Ding Han, what’s your opinion?”

I spoke plainly. “First, the scene of the captain’s death was truly harrowing. Judging by what I saw, it’s very likely he’s truly dead. This means we only have one life in the Star Abyss world; once we die, it’s over, and we probably won’t wake up in the real world. So…”

I paused, then looked around. “If I were Captain Chen, I’d want everyone to take my equipment and keep it shining, helping the team survive well in Star Abyss, rather than clinging to unnecessary things and wasting resources.”

“That makes sense.”

Ling Baiwei nodded immediately. “I support Ding Han’s idea.”

“In that case…”

Ruolin said, “Let’s divide the gear. I’m sure the captain would be glad to see this.”

“Agreed!”

So everyone took what they needed.

Ruolin took the green submachine gun, Ling Baiwei took the two pistols, Axe packed up the white shield, and I gathered the remaining bullets—about three hundred 9mm rounds, just right for my Roarer.

…

Zhang Ruolin scooped a handful of sand and scattered it over Chen Jinnan’s bloodstains.

Each of us took a handful and covered the blood thoroughly.

“Let’s go.”

Ling Baiwei’s mood was low. “The car is still outside. We should head back to Creek City.”

“Alright, let’s return.”

Everyone nodded.

This time, I led the way, clutching the Roarer, walking ahead. After climbing out of the insect nest cave, the sun was still high, so we headed across the forest meadow toward the old Santana.

“Rustle…”

Suddenly, footsteps sounded ahead.

“Be careful, someone’s coming,” Zhang Ruolin warned.

“Got it.”

I nodded, raising my gun slightly.

Through the swaying leaves, three figures emerged. Green health bars hovered above their heads. The leader radiated an aura of sharpness, his eyes piercing and fierce. The ID looked familiar—he was one of the top three players in the regional leaderboard!

[Soulpiercer] (Stellar Superweapon, Sword Specialization, Tier 1)

Level: ???

Guild: None

…

He was the number two ranked player in the region!

Following Soulpiercer were two others: a young man in his mid-twenties, top of the Zu’an humanities exam and a high-level psychic, his face marked with a faint hostility; and a girl in combat armor, looking youthful, under twenty, holding a sniper rifle glowing with blue light—known as the region’s firepower specialist, Rabbit Critical.

Three fierce players, all ranked in Creek City’s top ten.

“…”

Soulpiercer glanced at me, and I returned the look.

Neither said a word.

---

Soulpiercer’s gaze swept over Zhang Ruolin and Ling Baiwei, then landed on Axe.

Axe, a hothead, glared back fiercely.

“Hmph…”

Soulpiercer smiled faintly but remained silent.

The group brushed past each other. Though tension lingered, both sides kept calm—no shots were fired, not even a gun was pointed.

…

The old Santana remained in the woods.

Axe took out the keys and started the engine; I sat in the passenger seat.

“Did Soulpiercer seem like he wanted to make a move?” Ling Baiwei finally asked.

“Almost.”

I nodded. “His eyes looked hostile. If we were three instead of four, they might have attacked.”

“Soulpiercer has quite the reputation. During the beta, he was the leader of the Twilight Guild,” Zhang Ruolin said. “I heard he’s from Yangzhou, surname Huang—had some dark past ties. He had his subordinates take the fall for him. In short, he’s not someone to mess with. Best if we just avoid trouble.”

Axe nodded in agreement. “That’s about right.”

I said nothing, pulling out the Dragon Blade skill manual from my extra-dimensional storage. I brushed it with my hand, and data flowed up—

[Dragon Blade] (B-rank Skill Manual): Deals up to 200% attack damage, consumes 3 energy points, requires class: Superweapon.

…

It’s one of the basic skills for Superweapons, able to amplify damage somewhat. Though the damage isn’t high, it’s a key early-game offensive skill, crucial like the Step Slash. Without learning Dragon Blade, you can’t progress to the Burst Charge or second-tier skills.

I activated the manual, and the silver-glowing tome transformed into a streak of light appearing in my skill bar.

Then, feeding in a large amount of skill experience, I rapidly leveled Dragon Blade to lv10. Bells rang in my ears as I gained 1, 2, and 3 points of strength, totaling 6 points.

My power grew bit by bit.

Confirming the upgrade, my level reached 12.

A small joy stirred in me. Leveling up outside the city by killing monsters was far faster than grinding daily tasks inside, but it consumed a lot—1,000 rounds of 9mm ammo had been used up. Next time I go out to hunt bugs, I’ll have to worry about ammo supply again.

My energy furnace had also reached level 8, a bit slow, but each level added about 10 points of combat energy—a frightening boost.

Combat energy rating is crucial—it reflects a player’s true strength. It’s said that at high enough levels, one can withstand orbital bombardments, and at monstrous levels, even survive nuclear explosions at ground zero.

In short, stacking combat energy as high as possible is a player’s lifeline in Star Abyss.

The old Santana bounced along as we returned to Creek City.

I glanced at my phone—Lu Xiaobei had sent three voice messages, but I hadn’t answered. After that, no messages came.

I was a bit speechless, not knowing how she was doing.

…

Two hours later, at dusk, we finally entered Creek City.

At that moment, I sent Lu Xiaobei a WeChat message: “I fell asleep and didn’t hear. How are you now? Should I come over?”

Soon, a reply: “Come here. She’s still at the Urban Management Team and very defiant.”

‘…’

I was even more speechless. That message was probably from Urban Management, not Lu Xiaobei.

“Axe, drop me off by the Urban Management Team. I’m not going with you guys to Health Road.”

“Okay.”

Axe nodded.

Soon, the bloodstained Santana stopped by the roadside. I got out, waved goodbye to Zhang Ruolin, Xiao Bai, and the others, then glanced toward the Urban Management Team before stepping into a nearby tobacco and alcohol shop.

“Handsome, what would you like to buy?” The shop owner was a voluptuous, alluring middle-aged woman.

“A pack of Jinliqun,” I said.

I glanced at the shelf prices. A pack of golden Jinliqun cost 30 yuan, a bit pricey, but I didn’t care much. “And a whole carton of Jinliqun. Can you give me a discount, ma’am?”

“Really can’t,” the owner smiled. “The tobacco control here is strict. Our wholesale prices are high. We make less than one yuan profit per pack.”

‘I don’t buy it…’ I thought, but still handed over 330 yuan. “How about throwing in a lighter?”

She tossed me a lighter.

I pocketed the loose pack and put the carton into my extra-dimensional storage.

---

At the Urban Management Team, in an office at the end of the corridor.

I saw Lu Xiaobei sitting on a bench, looking resentful. She looked surprised when she saw me. “Ding Han…”

“Don’t say anything. I’ll handle this,” I said, frowning quietly.

“Oh…”

She lowered her head, silent.

A man in an Urban Management uniform stood up. “You must be her friend. I’m Wang Jin, deputy captain. Your friend often sells goods in the Old City. We usually turn a blind eye, but recently Creek City ordered a crackdown to regulate the Old City tourist area. We had no choice.”

He frowned at Lu Xiaobei. “We only confiscated her merchandise, but guess what? She publicly accused us of abusing power and oppressing the people. She called us a cancer in building a harmonious society. What do you think of that? What do you think?”

‘Damn…’ I looked at Lu Xiaobei speechlessly, thinking, you’re really something.

She stared at me wide-eyed, acting as if she was completely justified.

“Captain Wang, please don’t be angry.”

I deftly pulled out the loose pack of Jinliqun and offered him a cigarette. After lighting his and my own—though I don’t smoke—I endured it for Lu Xiaobei’s sake.

“Captain Wang,” I frowned, “my friend does have some issues. Could we talk privately?”

“Alright.”

We stepped outside under a tree.

I continued, “Captain Wang, I’ll call you Brother Wang out of respect. Actually, this isn’t entirely her fault…”

I tapped my head and lowered my voice. “She has some mental issues.”

“Really?”

Wang Jin was stunned.

“Of course. She’s had a door slammed on her head since childhood!”

“No wonder…”

Wang Jin nodded knowingly. “Otherwise, who else would be as arrogant as her?”

“Exactly…”

“Brother Wang, my friend has no one in Creek City. As her friend, I have nothing to say—only to ask you to tolerate her…”

Looking around to ensure no one was watching, I pulled out the carton of Jinliqun from my extra-dimensional space and slipped it into Wang Jin’s coat.

“Her mind’s not right. She’ll probably keep selling in the Old City. Please turn a blind eye when you see her. It’s tough for a girl to make a living out here…”

“Alright then.”

Wang Jin nodded and accepted the cigarettes silently. He smiled, “You’re a good boyfriend. This time we’ll let it slide. I’ll tell the guys on the team to leave this lady alone from now on.”

“Thanks a lot, Brother Wang!”