Chapter 45: RPG-32
The Soulbreaker Helm emitted a faint blue glow, which took me slightly by surprise.
As a blue-tier piece of equipment, the attributes of this helmet were exceptionally good!
Its basic stats were standard—30 defense, 20 strength, and the like—each with level and quality restrictions, nothing extraordinary there. But it actually had a specialty granting 20 points to accuracy. This accuracy not only boosted physical attack hit rate but also improved shooting accuracy, making it a must-have attribute to stack!
Moreover, the greatest enhancement of the Soulbreaker Helm was the blessing “Might - I,” which directly added 50 attack points. Given the human super-warrior’s racial growth, strength and attack power scale 1:1, so 50 attack points equated to 50 strength points—a massive boost for any player.
Anyone who experienced the beta knew that in Star Abyss, there were three tiers of attack buffs: Might - I, Greater Might - II, and Divine Might - III, with each higher tier adding more attack power!
At this stage, most dropped equipment lacked attack buffs, so finding a “Might” blessing on the Soulbreaker Helm was truly impressive.
I wasn’t at all dissatisfied; this was already remarkable.
As for “Greater Might - II” and “Divine Might - III,” such blessings were nearly impossible to find at this stage. Even purple and orange equipment only had a slim chance of rolling “Greater Might,” while “Divine Might,” a god-tier blessing, only appeared on higher-tier equipment like teal, pink, or gold.
In Star Abyss, early equipment tiers were white, green, blue, purple, and orange. Later, these would be reclassified from S1 to S5. Mid to late game would introduce equipment tiers from S6 to S14.
S6 was teal-named and known as Immortal-grade; S7 was pink, called Relic-grade; S8 was gold, termed Cataclysm-grade; S9 was brown, called Chaos-grade; S10 was crimson, labeled Void-grade. The higher the tier, the more powerful and rare the equipment—many high-tier items were simply out of players’ reach.
But for now, I was basically in kindergarten. No need to think about those superior tiers yet.
“Clack!”
I donned the blue Soulbreaker Helm. Instantly, it felt as if I had strapped a toilet seat to my head; I didn’t look nearly as cool anymore.
But since this was a game, looks were worthless; stats were king!
Next, I checked my experience points and swiftly leveled up to 22. Honestly, after level 20, the experience needed skyrocketed—after grinding all day and spending what amounted to a year and a half’s salary on ammunition, I only managed to level up twice.
I allocated all six free attribute points into strength and upgraded the Primal Energy Furnace to level 20. My overall combat rating had now risen to a new height—
[Shadowchaser] (Stellar Super-Warrior · Sword Specialization · Stage 2)
Level: 22
Attack: 192–349
Defense: 110
HP: 8,700
Crit Rate: 3%
Lifesteal: 2%
Damage Increase: 5%
Charisma: 0
Primal Energy: 100/100
Overall Combat Rating: 804
Potential Point Distribution: Strength 254 / Agility 121 / Spirit 80 / Stamina 60
Achievements: 6
...
Breaking 800 combat rating, I was undoubtedly the undisputed number one in Creek City!
Climbing back to a high branch, I crossed my arms and rested a moment, deciding to stop fighting for now... I’d return to Creek City via the teleportation array when time’s up. After all, my top spot on the leaderboard was secure.
Suddenly, deep in the forest, a rapid staccato buzz sounded. Two helicopters appeared in view, a massive beam of light sweeping from afar and locking onto me!
“What the hell?”
I froze briefly—had they detected me via infrared and come to hunt me down?
Clearly, it was because of the Sonic Beast.
That Sonic Beast was apparently highly valued by the Dark Tide organization, expected to wreak havoc among players. But I had shot it dead before it even entered Westwind Forest!
And since the Sonic Beast had used its 200-decibel sonic blast skill once, the Dark Tide must have detected the shockwave, prompting them to dispatch helicopters within minutes to hunt me!
Next, mechanical turrets appeared on both sides of the helicopters—four Gatling gun-style cannons aimed right at me!
“Damn...”
Internally, I cursed. Using Gatling guns to shoot a mere player? This was like using anti-aircraft guns to swat mosquitoes. The Dark Tide must be insane!
Without hesitation, I leapt off the tree.
Gunfire erupted continuously!
In the air, streaks of fire zipped past, pulverizing the tree I had just stood on. The Gatling guns tracked my position relentlessly!
The firing rate was too fast—I wasn’t Rambo; dodging was impossible!
“Boom!”
I unleashed my primal energy, performing an explosive dash that instantly put 40 meters between us. My hair bristled as electric currents surged through my cells. The next moment, I activated a long-unused skill—Bioelectromagnetic Pulse!
“Boom~~~”
A blue electromagnetic storm exploded in the jungle, sweeping through all space within a 1-kilometer radius!
Immediately, the two helicopters crashed into the forest, engulfed in towering flames!
“Whoosh!”
Seconds later, a fiery projectile flew toward the wreckage—an RPG!
I twisted my body sharply, executing a stepping slash to dodge 5 meters, while heavily raising the Randall Shield before me!
“Boom—”
The impact threw me back several meters.
“2,284!”
No denying the RPG’s power. Though my defense held, I still lost over two thousand health points. Luckily, after leveling up, my health bar was full, so the damage was barely a scratch!
I quickly switched to the Wind Whisperer rifle, toggled night vision, and aimed at the RPG carrier fifty meters away—three consecutive shots to the head, instantly killing him!
“Clatter~~~”
As he fell, the RPG launcher rolled to the side.
My excitement was uncontrollable—I ignored caution and pounced like a ravenous wolf in the night. I kicked over the fallen’s body, stowed the RPG in my dimensional storage, then rifled through his backpack and combat suit pockets, snatching three more RPG grenades and four explosive grenades—all secured in my otherworldly stash!
Jackpot! Fortune favored me!
Just as I considered taking his submachine gun and pistol, gunfire erupted again—more Vanguard members inside the helicopter who hadn’t died started their assault, and distant vehicle headlights showed reinforcements arriving!
Time to retreat!
I spun sharply, launched an explosive dash to put 40 meters between us, and activated bio-optical stealth, quickly disappearing from that cursed place!
...
That night, around nine o’clock at the Phase Teleportation Array.
“Whoosh!”
Without hesitation, I stepped through the array and entered the player black market in Creek City, switching back to my civilian form.
“Hey, isn’t that Ding Han?”
Old Ma grabbed me, making me a bit nervous.
“Weren’t you supposed to be on a regional mission in Westwind Forest? Why are you back so early at nine?”
“Nothing much...”
I replied casually, “I got hungry and missed the lamb soup downstairs. Besides, it was too dangerous over there. Coming back early was probably for the best.”
“That makes sense...”
Old Ma nodded, “How was the haul?”
“Not bad. Gotta go now.”
“Alright!”
Old Ma waved goodbye reluctantly.
Without looking back, I slipped into the ancient district’s night shadows. Once alone, I checked the stats of the RPG I’d snagged. No kidding—it was top-tier. Today’s luck was off the charts!
[RPG-32 Unguided Anti-Tank Rocket Launcher] (Quality: Blue)
Tier: Stage 2
Base Stats: Firepower 3000–5000, Effective Range 700 meters
Weight: 10 kg
Agility: +20
Blessing: Explosive Amplification — 50% chance to trigger on firing, greatly increasing blast radius and damage
Required Strength: 150
...
A fine weapon, perfect for ambushes and taking out enemy armored vehicles and helicopters!
Too bad the grenades were scarce—only three left. Fortunately, the Vanguard soldier had carried four explosive grenades, so my stockpile now included three RPG-32 grenades and five explosive grenades. Not bad at all.
Back in my apartment complex, I dove into the lamb soup shop downstairs, ordered a small hot pot, and began eating.
“Ding!”
A WeChat message popped up from Zhang Ruolin: “Confirming—three of us are safe here. How about you?”
“I’m already home.”
“Huh?”
Zhang Ruolin was stunned.
I sent her a photo of my lamb hot pot in front of me.
“Damn!”
She replied with a disdainful emoji: “So this is a big boss’s world? Leaving work early?”
“Or what?”
I sent a sly grin emoji and started showing off.
...
Full and satisfied, I returned to my room and glanced at the event leaderboard—still far ahead. The second-ranked player, Dragon Shot, had barely half my points.
Only two hours remained until the event ended. Unless Dragon Shot summoned a Gundam, there was no chance of a comeback.
I took a hot shower, changed into fresh clothes, and lay in bed enjoying the peaceful moment.
Checking WeChat, no messages from Lu Xiaobei. But scrolling her Moments, I saw she had shared a discount for a dessert shop—someone must have bribed her; otherwise, she wouldn’t have posted it.
I hesitated but didn’t like the post. Ads didn’t deserve likes!
Milo was probably working, too busy to chat.
I got up and began disassembling and assembling the RPG. With my Repair skill now at level 10, handling such a simple RPG was a breeze, and my skill experience steadily increased.
Late at night, 11:50 p.m.
I stared at the ceiling, probably unable to sleep before the rewards were distributed.
Finally, as the clock struck midnight, a chime sounded in my ear!
[Congratulations! You ranked first on the kill leaderboard in the regional mission “Dark Tide’s Surveillance,” earning the super reward: “Heavenly Craft” (SS-grade skill manual)!]