"What on earth are these things..."

Wanli Fengdao, crouched on a branch, drew a sharp breath. A dozen or so floating corpses emerged from all around the forest, surrounding the tree. Their murky, gloomy eyes stared at him, filled with a bloodthirsty desire.

Instinctively sensing danger, Wanli Fengdao leaped up. At that exact moment, several floating corpses slammed into the ancient tree beneath his feet, shattering it.

Branches snapped with a crackle and leaves scattered. Crystalline raindrops, clinging to the foliage, cascaded down like a waterfall.

Wanli Fengdao had no time to assess the situation below. He swiftly shot a grappling hook from his sleeve. It lodged in a distant tree trunk, pulling him forward in a swing.

An Exploding Arrow silently followed a curved trajectory toward Wanli Fengdao's back. It struck a skinny floating corpse that had leaped up.

The explosion engulfed the floating corpse. The resultant force propelled Wanli Fengdao forward at an even faster velocity.

But there was more than one floating corpse below.

A giant floating corpse roared. Its thick soles splashed in the puddles as it slammed its body ferociously into another tree, breaking the sturdy trunk.

In such a short time, the grappling hook could not be retracted and fired again. Pulled by gravity, Wanli Fengdao hurtled towards the ground.

Below, more than ten floating corpses lay on their backs, their gaping maws wide open, waiting for him to fall so they could tear him apart and feast.

Just as he was about to be ensnared by the ring of corpses, Wanli Fengdao hastily twisted his body upside down. The Dragon-Slaying Sword in his hand emitted Sword Qi, piercing down through the skull of a floating corpse.

Using this as a leverage point, he sprang up again, narrowly avoiding the grasping fingers of several other floating corpses.

BANG.

Wanli Fengdao landed on one knee, dragging two long trails through the fallen leaves.

He lifted his head, his eyes steely cold as he faced the fourteen floating corpses rushing towards him.

These water-swollen bodies had pale skin and bloated figures. Their limbs and bellies looked as if they might burst at any moment, yet they were unexpectedly resilient. They seemed to have no vital points; neither sword slashes nor Explosive Flames could annihilate them outright.

Wait, fourteen? One missing?

Far in the distance, Liu Wu Dai, wearing a bizarrely shaped telescopic mask, sat on a bicycle, drawing her Longbow and building up power.

Suddenly, a pale blue, semi-spherical, transparent barrier with a ten-meter radius materialized around her. Urgent warning bells rang in her ears.

This was an Excellent-grade item the Liu Family had acquired at great cost. It could preemptively detect enemy malice and raise a Defensive Matrix, forming a physical barrier that blocked all incoming Flying Props.

Although she could not yet see any approaching enemies, the six o'clock position on the barrier rapidly turned from blue to red, pinpointing the enemy's location.

Without hesitation, Liu Wu Dai swiftly released an Arrow. She then jumped on her Old Phoenix Bicycle and pedaled furiously, speeding away without a backward glance. The hemispherical barrier centered on her moved as well.

From a distance, she appeared to be carrying a turtle shell on her back.

Just as she had described, the Old Phoenix Bicycle was incredibly fast.

In its half-power mode, it accelerated to nearly eighty kilometers per hour in a mere breath's time.

If it weren't for the night vision provided by her telescopic mask and a series of enhancement items that increased her perception and Agility Attributes, navigating the pitch-black, rainy night would have been quite challenging.

A floating corpse had intended to sneak up on her for an ambush. (The Water Nightmare also knew that in battle, one must first eliminate the more threatening long-range archers.)

But before it could get close, it saw its target speeding away under a turtle shell-like barrier, accelerating terrifyingly fast. It was impossible to chase.

The floating corpse stood there dazed, engulfed in a flurry of fallen leaves kicked up by the accelerating Old Phoenix Bicycle.

This isn't how it was supposed to go!

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Three arrows, loosed from bizarre angles, shot rapidly through the air. They accurately struck the floating corpse's eye sockets and heart, exploding on impact.

Engulfed in a skyward blaze, the floating corpse seemed drained of all strength. Its body shook violently as it involuntarily dropped to its knees.

Worse still, a barrage of arrows, each wrapped in a piercing whistle, rained down from the sky in a curved trajectory.

It resembled the legendary Katyusha Rocket Launcher—a dense volley of fire raining down, bringing destruction and death.

These arrows were crafted from special materials by players whom the Liu Family had hired, players who specialized in forging and enchanting.

Each cost between 50 and 150 Game Currency—a fair amount more expensive than ordinary real-world ammunition.

Every shot fired was akin to hurling money at the opponent.

The kneeling floating corpse had no time to struggle or evade before the destructive volley of arrows struck, blasting it into pieces that scattered across the forest floor.

This rocket launcher-style attack was powerful and loud, but also slow. It had a wide blast radius and was difficult to control precisely, making it easy to harm teammates.

It was typically used to finish off stationary enemies, not for sneak attacks.

Riding her Old Phoenix Bicycle, Liu Wu Dai silently lowered her Longbow, her face paling. She had to rely on another Buffing Skill to energize her arms for such a rocket launcher-style attack.

The Buffing Skill had a time limit. Once it expired, she would enter a prolonged state of weakness.

Since she had already activated it, she needed to continue attacking while the skill remained active.

Liu Wu Dai's face was tense. She intended to slow the bicycle and attack the distant group of floating corpses, but then she noticed the Red Alert on her hemispherical barrier had not completely dissipated.

Another hostile target was approaching.

To the left!

Liu Wu Dai's hair fluttered. Her delicate fingers drew four Exploding Arrows from the quiver at her waist, nocking them steadily on the bowstring.

She aimed her telescopic mask at an enemy charging from a hundred meters away, drew the Longbow to its fullest, and abruptly released the string.

"Heh."

A hundred meters away, the Water Nightmare, its injuries rapidly healing under the pounding rain, revealed a cunning smile.

The eighteen iron chains around its waist floated up automatically. They hooked onto distant trees, yanking the Water Nightmare into the air. It swirled and maneuvered in mid-flight, drawing the Exploding Arrows to chase behind it. Ultimately, both the arrows and the plunging Water Nightmare hurtled toward the pale blue barrier surrounding Liu Wu Dai.

BOOM!

The barrier exploded, instantly shattering into countless fragments.

Amidst the dust and smoke, the Water Nightmare slowly straightened, its terrifying wounds already healing rapidly in the rain.

"Found you."

The Water Nightmare looked at Liu Wu Dai, who had fallen beside a tree trunk, and flashed a ferocious smile. The iron chains around its waist, as if sensing a living being, slithered along the ground, writhing eagerly.

He stepped forward, rainwater cascading down his wrinkled hide.

"Found you."

A cold voice echoed from above the Water Nightmare's head.

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