Chapter 14: Jiang Yi’s Weapon: A Shovel!

Page (1/3)

Following the voice, Jiang Yi realized that the mockery was not directed at him.

It was aimed at Luo Shan.

Luo Shan’s eyes lit up. Like a starving wolf pouncing on its prey, he rushed toward a superb all-black compound bow.

The young man who had mocked him stood nearby with his arms folded, waiting for the entertainment to begin.

That compound bow was indeed the finest weapon among the many inferior ones.

Yet not a single member of the suicide squad had dared choose it.

The main reason was simple: it was far too heavy!

Even the best fighters among the suicide squad would be exhausted within minutes if they had to fight while carrying such a heavy bow.

As for ordinary people without specialized training, they would be panting after only a few steps with it in their hands and would give up immediately.

The young man who had mocked Luo Shan had been waiting for Luo Shan to feel the bow’s weight and embarrass himself in front of everyone.

But he never expected—

Luo Shan lifted the compound bow with the same ease as an ordinary, lightweight sword.

He even gripped it in one hand and swung it a few times, his face alight with excitement!

The scene left the mocking youth utterly dumbfounded.

“Impossible! That bow… Could it be a different one from before?”

The spectacle attracted quite a few sidelong glances.

Many members of the suicide squad looked at Luo Shan as though they had seen a ghost.

Even Sun Hao, who was supervising everyone’s weapon selection, was startled.

He strode over, looked Luo Shan up and down a few times, then ordered sternly, “Display your status panel!”

The status panel was a digitized profile that everyone possessed after the Apocalypse Game descended.

Normally, when summoned, it was visible only to its owner.

Unless a player actively chose to display it, no one else could see it.

Generally speaking, forcing someone to reveal their status panel was extremely rude.

But in this world of the Apocalypse Game, the law of the strong ruling over the weak clearly carried more weight than so-called manners.

To Luo Shan, Sun Hao was one of the strong.

Thus, even though he was unwilling, Luo Shan had no way to resist.

Soon, his status panel appeared before everyone’s eyes—

[Name: Luo Shan]

[Level: 0]

[Lifespan: 11 years, 158 days]

[Talent: None]

[Class: None]

[Skills: None]

[Status: None]

[Strength: 1 (+5)]

[Constitution: 1 (+5)]

[Speed: 1 (+5)]

[Spirit: 1 (+5)]

[Combat Power: 108]

“Gasp…”

“All attributes plus five! His combat power is over a hundred?!”

“This, this, this! That tattooed kid is actually a hidden powerhouse!”

“Powerhouse, my ass! Temporary bonuses like those all have time limits! Once the duration ends, the effects in parentheses will disappear! This guy is actually just an ordinary person with all attributes at one!”

“Even if it’s temporary, he’s still incredibly strong while it lasts!”

Many people gazed at Luo Shan with envy.

Even Gao Chang wore an astonished, unnatural expression.

As for the young man who had mocked Luo Shan, he retreated to the back of the crowd, utterly humiliated.

Sun Hao watched the scene thoughtfully.

He was just about to ask something when Jiang Yi suddenly stepped forward and shouted in an aggrieved voice, “Boss Sun, you have to stand up for me!”

“That Luo Shan snatched my Blood-Devouring Parasite and ate the whole thing!”

“Afterward, he gained an all-attribute-plus-five buff! That buff was supposed to be mine!”

Jiang Yi spoke with righteous indignation.

He sounded as though Luo Shan had stolen an opportunity that rightfully belonged to him.

At first, Luo Shan listened with a bewildered expression.

Page (2/3)

But he was no fool. He quickly realized what Jiang Yi was trying to do.

So he played along, saying, “What’s done is done. It’s not like I can spit it back out and return it to you.”

“Besides, the all-attribute-plus-five effect is temporary in the first place!”

“It isn’t a permanent ability, so what’s there to fuss about?”

The two of them looked as though they were about to come to blows.

Sun Hao rolled his eyes and barked, “Enough! Both of you, stop arguing!”

“Luo Shan, right? Although the all-attribute-plus-five effect is temporary, it’s still an opportunity you’ve been given.”

“If you can seize it, you may be able to grow stronger very quickly.”

“But if you can’t…”

Sun Hao shook his head and left the rest unsaid.

His gaze shifted back to Jiang Yi.

Clearly, when he had looked at Luo Shan just now, there had been a trace of goodwill and friendliness in his eyes.

His tone had also been considerably more patient than when he was dealing with the Longevity Tumor Worms.

But the moment he turned toward Jiang Yi, his attitude became cold and indifferent once more.

“You’re Jiang Yi, are you?”

“You want me to stand up for you?”

“Hah! Naive!”

“You need to understand that in this world of the Apocalypse Game, your fists are the only absolute truth!”

“The reality is that Luo Shan ate the Blood-Devouring Parasite! He gained the all-attribute-plus-five effect, while you”—he sneered—“are still a useless nobody!”

“If you’re useless, then act like it! You have no right to point fingers at the strong!”

Sun Hao’s words were harsh.

The watching members of the suicide squad began whispering among themselves.

If Jiang Yi had been an ordinary person, he might have felt wronged and resentful at this point.

He might even have thrown out some dramatic declaration about how fortunes changed and one should never underestimate the poor youth.

But Jiang Yi had lived two lifetimes. His heart had long since been tempered into steel.

Besides, he knew that Sun Hao was absolutely right.

The Apocalypse Game truly was a world where the strong ruled.

The only unshakable truth was that the stronger fist prevailed.

Jiang Yi believed that if he revealed his own secret—that he, too, possessed an all-attribute-plus-five effect—Sun Hao’s attitude toward him would change as well.

So rather than saying Sun Hao was targeting him, it would be more accurate to say that Sun Hao was targeting the weak.

Jiang Yi did not take it personally.

But Sun Hao’s words left Luo Shan feeling rather embarrassed.

He was hesitating over whether to say a few words in Jiang Yi’s defense when Jiang Yi spoke first.

“I was mistaken about the Blood-Devouring Parasite.”

“Still, I hope Luo Shan can give me some compensation…”

The moment he said this, Sun Hao’s expression grew cold again.

He was about to reprimand Jiang Yi when Luo Shan quickly cut in.

“Uh, well… Is there anything you need my help with? Just tell me!”

“As long as it isn’t too outrageous, I can agree.”

Since Luo Shan himself had said that, Sun Hao naturally had nothing more to add.

Jiang Yi glanced at Luo Shan.

This fellow was far better than ungrateful bastards like Tang Ke and Chen Liang—not merely by a little, but by a great deal.

Luo Shan did not think his behavior was particularly noble.

After all, the all-attribute-plus-five buff he possessed was entirely thanks to Jiang Yi.

Feeling grateful was only human, wasn’t it?

Of course, if Jiang Yi asked for something excessively unreasonable, Luo Shan would still refuse without hesitation.

Knowing how to repay kindness was only natural. That did not mean he was some saint who could be morally blackmailed.

However…

Jiang Yi’s request left everyone present completely baffled.

He picked up a shovel from the pile of weapons.

Then, with a perfectly serious expression, he said to Luo Shan, “Since your attributes are so high, help me sharpen the tip of this shovel.”

Everyone stared blankly.

Luo Shan immediately wore the expression of an old man staring at his phone on a subway.

The other onlookers were confused at first, but then they began to wonder—

Could Jiang Yi be deliberately humiliating Luo Shan by making such a request?

What a narrow mind! What terrible magnanimity! How low could he be?!

Even Sun Hao felt that Jiang Yi was being completely unreasonable and prepared to lecture him again.

Page (3/3)

Yet Jiang Yi solemnly repeated himself to Luo Shan.

“I’m not joking. I really intend to use this shovel as my weapon.”

“It’s just that the tip isn’t sharp enough, so I want you to help me grind it down.”

“But…”

Luo Shan knew the truth of the matter, so he considered it extremely unlikely that Jiang Yi was deliberately trying to humiliate him.

Moreover, Jiang Yi’s expression was quite serious.

So…

“You really plan to use a shovel as your weapon?”

Luo Shan’s expression was strange.

Jiang Yi nodded solemnly once more.

Luo Shan thought for a moment, then nodded as well. “All right. I agree.”

With that, he turned and asked Sun Hao whether there was a whetstone available.

Sun Hao could not make head or tail of these two men—especially Jiang Yi—and had no idea what they were up to.

Still, as long as the matter could be settled this way, he did not care. He lent Luo Shan a whetstone.

And so, a little more time was wasted.

Only then did Jiang Yi and Luo Shan take their weapons and head toward the front line.

Quite a few people found it difficult to describe their expressions when they saw that Jiang Yi’s weapon was a shovel.

In his current condition, naturally no one was willing to team up with him.

Luo Shan, meanwhile, easily holding the compound bow, came over to him and asked in a low voice, “How about we form a team? I… I can protect you.”

Jiang Yi cast him a sidelong glance.

For some reason, Luo Shan suddenly felt immense pressure.

He was becoming more and more convinced that Jiang Yi was the powerful expert from the rumors—the man who had once led the students of Hanjiang University through the beast tide in a bloody charge.

Although that overwhelming ability had already expired, the aura surrounding him could not lie.

Sure enough, Luo Shan was not surprised when Jiang Yi rejected him.

“With all your attributes boosted by five, you could easily fight two Black Widows by yourself. Why would you need to team up with anyone?”

The meaning was clear.

Luo Shan tactfully dropped the subject.

But he kept a little trick up his sleeve. Along the defensive line formed by the suicide squad, he deliberately chose a position beside Jiang Yi.

At this point, not much time had passed since the beast tide began.

Many of the ferocious beasts had not yet spread this far.

As a result, their section of the defensive line was still relatively relaxed.

Luo Shan stood there watching for a while before suddenly drawing his bow.

With a sharp whoosh, an arrow flew straight toward the head of a Black Widow.

Then came a loud bang.

A single arrow exploded its head.

Luo Shan raised his chin smugly. At the same time, he was thrilled by the sensation of power surging through his entire body.

Earlier, when he had been a Longevity Tumor Worm, he had thought that life as one was rather good. At least it was safe, without any threat to his life.

But now…

He finally understood why, despite the staggering death rate, the members of the suicide squad were unwilling to become Longevity Tumor Worms again.

Because…

The feeling of holding power in one’s hands…

Was truly wonderful.

It was exhilarating beyond imagination!

If Luo Shan’s earlier desire to defy fate and change his destiny had come purely from playing too many games and letting his adolescent fantasies run wild,

then now, deep in his heart, a seed of desire for strength had taken root.

He wanted power!

He wanted to become strong!

He wanted to seize control of his own fate!

Become stronger! He had to become stronger!

Jiang Yi, standing nearby, also noticed the change in Luo Shan’s state of mind.

After thinking for a moment, he asked, “Have you practiced archery?”

Luo Shan shook his head. “I wouldn’t say I practiced exactly. I used to roam the mountains with a slingshot, shooting birds when I was in elementary school. When I was in middle school, I even built a crossbow myself…”

As he spoke, his expression suddenly changed. He turned and shouted at Jiang Yi,

“Watch out!”