Chapter 35: The Nightingale (Special thanks to our Silver Tier patron, Xiao Han of Yuequan Bay!)

Although the advanced skills had become more powerful, their levels were reset to LV1, requiring a fresh investment of skill experience points to upgrade them.

I checked my current skill experience. Though I had been busy these past few days, I had only accumulated 110,000 points, enough to raise two skills to level 10. After some thought, I chose Advanced Shooting and Advanced Swordsmanship.

Advanced Shooting would provide a steady increase in my firearm damage, while Advanced Swordsmanship was a signature skill for sword-type Super-Warriors. The higher the level of this skill, the greater the damage dealt when wielding a longsword; although not explicitly stated in the interface description, this was a well-known hidden mechanic.

With a massive injection of experience points, both skills flashed repeatedly. Soon, both reached LV10, granting me an additional 6 points in Strength and Agility each. This is the beauty of upgradeable skills—with enough experience, they can be raised all the way to Tier 9, LV10, netting a total of 54 attribute points. It’s practically heaven-defying.

Unfortunately, most players lack the god-tier passive "Practice Makes Perfect," so they have to earn skill experience through repeated use. Most skills can never reach level 10. Even in the late game, most players only prioritize maxing out their core class skills, while secondary skills like Shooting, Throwing, Programming, or Maintenance are considered quite decent if they reach the cap of Tier 3.

I left the mission map.

*Whoosh!*

With a flash of light, I reappeared in the night air of Xi City, though the entrance had shifted. I was now in the center of the city park, standing in a patch of woodland.

Just a meter in front of me, a young couple was huddled in the darkness on a stone bench, whispering sweet nothings.

"Will you love me forever?"
"I will. I'll only love you for the rest of my life. No other woman will ever enter my heart again."
"Swear it!"
"I swear on my honor, I will love only you."
"Oh... your hand..."

The air around them began to heat up. I felt incredibly awkward; if I didn't do something, they were likely about to do something else.

"Ahem..."
"Ah?!" The couple jumped in terror.
"Sorry, I was just taking a leak. Didn't mean to disturb you. Please, carry on, carry on..."

As I spoke, I mimed pulling up my pants and dashed out of the woods, leaving behind a panicked pair who were frantically scanning the ground, looking for the "evidence."

...

The central park wasn't too far from where I lived, but it required passing through the Old Town district. I picked up my phone and remembered the messages from Lu Xiaobei.

"Are you still coming?"
"What time is it even?"

She replied instantly with an angry emoji: "It's a good thing I can eat—I've been going at it this whole time. I'm sending you my location. Get over here; if you're lucky, you might still catch some food."

"Fine." I was indeed getting hungry.

The location Lu Xiaobei sent wasn't far. Passing through the center of the Old Town, I arrived quickly at a night market near Feiyang Internet Cafe. It was rare for a girl to be wandering around so late—she really didn't fear trouble.

My stomach growled like thunder. I sprinted through countless dark alleys. Checking my phone, I was only a hundred meters from the night market; I could already see the lights at the end of the dark lane. I decided I’d eat a lot—fifty lamb skewers to start, at least.

*Hum—*

Just as my mind was filled with thoughts of lamb skewers and dried grilled fish, the air around me suddenly solidified. A strange sensation washed over me, and in the next second, I could no longer see, hear, or smell anything. It was as if my five senses had vanished entirely.

*Zap!*

A sharp pain erupted in my chest and abdomen. A black spike pierced through my chest, and as I tried to struggle, pale, ghostly arms reached out from all directions, gripping my limbs, skin, and hair, pinning me in place.

This is bad!

I had never experienced this sensation before; a crushing sense of oppression weighed on my spirit.

[Warning: You have been controlled by the skill "Psionic Cage" used by "Nightingale" (Blue BOSS)!]
[Mental power comparison: Nightingale (Blue BOSS): 125; You: 68. Your mental power is less than 50% of the opponent's. After calculation, the duration of the control is 4.5 seconds!]

Beyond being controlled, the opponent unleashed a flurry of spikes, continuously piercing my body. My health bar plummeted!

"833!"
"799!"
"812!"
"903!"

In the blink of an eye, my health had dropped to about 50%!

*Rustle...*

In the alley, a graceful woman in a gray robe and high heels stepped out of the darkness. Her face was hidden beneath a hood, but in the dim light, one could see a cold, beautiful face with bright red lipstick and eyes filled with deep mockery.

"033, did you really think you could escape the grasp of the Dark Tide?" She sneered, her eyes flashing with cruelty. "You and 066 are traitors. Not only did you betray the Dark Tide, but you also killed Instructor Lakuri. Hmph, though that guy was a fool, killing a superior officer is an unforgivable sin!"

She lifted her chin, her expression filled with disdain. "I am Nightingale, a Psionic Officer of the Dark Tide Special Forces, sent by General Vija to infiltrate Xi City. Don't think that just because you've escaped into this neutral city, you can live beyond our reach. Killing you two is no effort at all for the Dark Tide!"

A chime sounded in my ear.

[The effect of "Psionic Cage" has ended. You have regained your freedom!]

This game mechanic... I frowned. Only now did I realize the importance of mental power. If my Source Energy Furnace, skill levels, and equipment hadn't been so robust, my mental power wouldn't even have reached half of hers. In that case, I would have had no way to fight back and would have been controlled to death by this Psionic Officer named Nightingale.

"Why aren't you saying anything? Are you already dead?" Nightingale approached slowly, her mouth curled in a mocking smile. "Don't die too quickly; big sister hasn't had her fun yet."

However, the next second, when Nightingale saw the look in my eyes, she was instantly thrown into a panic!

*Boom!*

Three points of Source Energy exploded, turning into the light of a Burst Dash, instantly piercing through Nightingale's body!

I turned, the Vanguard Stinger flashing with a chilling light. A basic attack, followed by Dragon Blade, another basic attack, Earth Spike Slash, and a final basic attack—a five-hit combo landed on her. Combined with the damage from the Burst Dash, I dealt six rapid, concentrated strikes!

"612!"
"404!"
"1624!"
"401!"
"2412!"
"403!"

...

I was quite lucky; both Dragon Blade and Earth Spike Slash, my main damage dealers, landed critical hits. In an instant, I dealt over 5,800 damage to Nightingale. Although she was a level 20 Blue BOSS, her health bar wasn't as thick as the Armored Earthworm's. Psionics are essentially mages, and she had weaker health growth, totaling only 10,000 HP. She was left with only 40% health in a heartbeat!

"You bastard!" Nightingale shrieked in rage. Retreating, she waved her hands, and two skills—Mind Blast and Psionic Burn—whistled toward me. My health bar continued to drop!

I didn't hesitate. Hesitation is death. I immediately used Step Slash to keep up the pressure and continued to hack at her, maintaining melee range to prevent her from focusing her mind to launch stronger psionic abilities.

One after another, my basic attacks landed, and Nightingale's health bar was soon in the red.

"033, you cunning bastard!" Nightingale's eyes were full of venom. Suddenly, she raised both hands, and a heavy mental pressure descended from the sky, enveloping me!

[Warning: "Nightingale" (Blue BOSS) has used the skill "Mind Control" on you. Given the disparity in mental power, the success rate for this skill is 19%!]

Mind Control, a Tier 2 Psionic skill!

"MISS!"

In an instant, a blood-red "MISS" floated above my head!

"How can this be?!" Nightingale was horrified. She hurriedly raised her hand to cast another Psionic Burn on me. The blue energy seeped into my body like alcohol, beginning to scorch my flesh and dealing continuous damage. My health bar finally couldn't hold out, dropping below 30%!

[Warning: You have entered the "Light Injury" state. All attributes and attack power are reduced by 35%, all skill effects are reduced by 50%, and you have entered the "Locked Health" state!]

It was my first time being injured, and the feeling was terrible. My head was spinning, and sharp pains shot through every part of my body. If this was only a "light injury," would a "serious injury" mean I'd pass out?

Regardless, Nightingale was down to her last bit of health.

I fought through the pain. My LV10 Advanced Swordsmanship looked incredibly flashy as a few cold flashes of light slashed through her abdomen, thighs, and throat, draining her final sliver of health.

[Combat Hint: You have killed "Nightingale" (Blue BOSS). You gained 200,000 character experience points. The Source Energy Furnace extracted 100,000 experience points!]
[Congratulations: You have killed "Nightingale" (Blue BOSS). You obtained: "BOSS Ability Crystal" x1!]

...

Before my eyes, Nightingale's body twitched, her skin turning purple as the psionic energy within her burned out. Within moments, she had reduced herself to a pile of ashes—a self-cremation. It was likely a protocol to prevent leaving traces behind after a failed mission.

A gust of wind blew, and nothing remained but a few bloodstains on the ground.

With a heavy thud, I collapsed at the base of an alley wall, blood still trickling down from my tattered clothes.

*Beep... Beep... Beep...*

My phone rang incessantly. On WeChat, Lu Xiaobei had sent a flood of messages.

"Ding Han, where are you?"
"Why has your location stopped moving?"
"Did something happen?"
"Don't move, I'm coming to find you."

...

Perhaps due to the blood loss, I felt bone-chillingly cold. Sitting there, weak and limp, the early winter wind blowing through the alley made me feel as if I were about to freeze solid.

At that moment, a figure walked into the dim light. She had long hair, wore a wool coat and winter boots, and looked breathtakingly beautiful. She lowered her head to look at me, her face full of anxiety.