69novels Page 206
Page 206
At the same time, a DEBUFF appeared in Nie Qingyun's status bar.
【Touch of Corrosion】
Effect: Reduces movement speed by 20%. After ten seconds, deals minor damage to the current target and leaves a corrosive area with a diameter of ten meters at the target's feet.
In the "Apocalyptic Survival Guide," the last few garbled messages regarding "Ominous Signs" have also been updated.
Chapter 282: Something Only She and I Could Do
In addition to the previously mentioned basic skills and the newly introduced [Touch of Corruption], several new lines of description have appeared at the top of the basic information for [Ominous Sign] in the [Apocalypse Survival Guide]:
The second phase transitions into a weakened state, where [Ominous] ceases some attacks and actions, and the [Unique Boundary] restriction is lifted, allowing one-way passage. Each unit can only use this ability once during this battle. When [Ominous] accumulates more than 70% of its total health in damage, it enters the third phase.
The three-stage transition involves the random generation of three mazes within the barrier, with three "Symbiotic Masters" appearing at random locations within each maze; [Ominous] enters a berserk state and gains new skills.
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As the description ended, Nie Qingyun, who was running, suddenly stumbled, and his jaw almost dropped to the ground.
We've been busy for so long, and we've only just passed the first stage. There are still two more stages to come!
Looking at the [Ominous Sign] that had been teleported back to the center of the arena, Nie Qingyun suddenly understood Qin Hehuan's previous actions.
Despite possessing SSS+ level skills and being exceptionally capable in all aspects, she didn't choose to rapidly improve on her own. Instead, she did everything in her power to help others survive...
Because monsters of this level cannot be defeated by an individual's abilities.
Even with a large enough population, just getting the basic skill information for [Ominous Sign] would require hundreds or thousands of lives.
It goes without saying how brutal this level of punitive expedition will be.
Take the first stage of [Ominous Sign] for example. If Nie Qingyun hadn't skipped the class in a way that was almost shameless, the people in the camp would probably have been wiped out before even reaching the second stage.
Only now did Nie Qingyun truly understand what a massive undertaking this level of punitive expedition was.
This also refreshed his understanding of the "Apocalyptic Survival Guide".
If all "elite" level monsters in the future have similar mechanics, then the strategic significance of the [Apocalypse Survival Guide] will be immeasurable!
After calming down a bit, Nie Qingyun looked ahead again.
At this moment, [Ominous Sign] lay motionless on the ground, seemingly having entered a state similar to hibernation.
Because he still had the [Touch of Corruption] debuff on his head, Nie Qingyun didn't dare to make any rash moves. Instead, he retreated more than ten meters away and stood still, quietly waiting for the final countdown.
The instant the number in the status bar finished counting down, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his body and mind, and then a green area with a diameter of about ten meters appeared under his feet.
To be precise, it's more like a puddle of green mud clinging to the ground.
Without a second thought, Nie Qingyun leaped out, and at the same time, the discomfort and the slowing effect disappeared.
After a brief observation, he tried again to extend his hand into the area where the soft mud was located.
A sharp, intense pain followed, instantly spreading from his arm throughout his entire body.
Compared to the tolerable pain of being under the debuff before, this sludge lying on the ground is clearly much more severe.
Simply by reaching his hand into the area, Nie Qingyun's arm began to fester and wither at a visible speed.
If a person were to stand directly in, they would probably be dissolved into dust within seconds.
After testing the waters slightly, Nie Qingyun quickly withdrew his arm.
Logically, after being injured, one should leave to find Lingyuan Ellie for revival, in order to avoid further injury and thus affecting the efficiency of action.
But seeing that [Ominous Sign] had completely fallen into a state of "weakness", Nie Qingyun finally gritted his teeth, picked up his weapon, and went over.
According to the description in the "Apocalypse Survival Guide", the "Ominous Sign" will not fight back during this stage. The information center only mentions that the "Ominous Sign" will gain new skills after entering the third stage, but does not specify what those skills are.
Therefore, to obtain specific information, we still need to successfully enter the third stage.
Thinking of this, Nie Qingyun approached without hesitation and delivered a powerful blow to [Ominous Sign]'s head.
Amidst the ear-piercing metallic clang, the hard carapace was left with a shallow wound by [Kingslayer]. Although the effect was more noticeable than before, this level of damage was almost equivalent to scraping.
Fortunately, during this stage, [Ominous] really won't fight back. No matter where or how it's attacked, [Ominous] will just lie on the ground and not move.
Furthermore, the "Apocalyptic Survival Guide" doesn't mention any time limit for this stage...
It seems the only option is to "scrape" it slowly...
As time slowly passed, at a certain moment, a light flashed above Nie Qingyun's head as he continued his "logging" work, and the [Touch of Corrosion] debuff reappeared in his status bar.
This made him frown, forcing him to stop his attack and walk away with heavy, slowed steps, quietly waiting for the countdown to end.
This process is necessary. Otherwise, it won't be long before [Ominous] is completely surrounded by that green, corrosive slime, making it impossible to attack.
The thought had barely crossed Nie Qingyun's mind when he froze, instantly realizing something.
Although the second phase of [Ominous Sign] does not attack, its duration is not infinite!
He glanced back at the two puddles of mud on the ground, his pupils contracting slightly.
Assuming that this [Touch of Corrosion] is a two-stage periodic skill, then as the number of times it is used increases, the area in the space where a person can stand will become smaller and smaller.
Before the refuge is completely covered, and before the third stage is reached, everyone here will die!
No, even if you enter the third stage, the corrosive sludge remaining on the ground may not necessarily disappear.
In the worst-case scenario, during the third phase, everyone will have to fight against the [Ominous] in a place filled with corrosive slime.
In other words, the faster the second phase ends, the more room there is for activity in the third phase.
In addition, the placement of the soft clay must be strictly controlled.
They should be placed at the edge of the arena first, and the slimes should be overlapped as much as possible to buy more time for the battle.
Indeed, in a data-driven world, even with all sorts of skills, it's not as simple as just fighting monsters and leveling up.
Everything has its own unique meaning...
For example, Yuwen Chaolu's [Energy Diversion] skill can provide others with a large number of enhanced weapons, which will have extremely significant strategic importance in such battles.
Liu Zhenyu's [Silence Ban] has no effect on the monsters.
Every gift of fate comes with a hidden price...
Faced with an unprecedented predicament, Nie Qingyun's eyes suddenly became clearer and more determined.
[Ominous Sign] The more difficult it is to defeat, the greater the reward will be.
At this stage, the only ones who have a chance of successfully defeating him are him and Qin Hehuan!
Chapter 283: Phase One Investigation Concluded
Such thinking is not arrogant. Objectively speaking, Nie Qingyun has surpassed the vast majority of people in terms of comprehensive abilities such as survival and combat.
He had the ability to resurrect from the very beginning of the apocalypse, which ensured his basic survival. He also met his senior, which made it safer for him to go out and explore.
In addition to this, there are the attributes gained when forming a bond with Lingyuan Ellie, as well as the extra benefits brought by the achievement system, which are things that ordinary people cannot have.
Even though the apocalypse has been going on for over a month, for most people, the struggle to survive is still the norm, let alone actively exploring and becoming stronger.
Most importantly, he is no longer the loner he used to be; he has a reason to move forward.
He was willing to sacrifice everything to protect these precious bonds, because those lovely smiles and heartwarming moments were the salvation he sought in the apocalypse.
Nie Qingyun's impression of Qin Hehuan remained unchanged.
He is powerful, calm and collected, and harbors many extraordinary secrets. He clearly understands the world better than most people and can always make rational judgments at crucial moments.
Although they may seem cold-hearted at times, and their solutions may not necessarily solve the fundamental problems, they are always the best solution for the current situation. In short, when interests align, they are a trustworthy companion.
Furthermore, she has been planning everything with the goal of defeating [Ominous] since the beginning of the apocalypse. If even their group cannot defeat [Ominous] now, it is estimated that no one else in the entire Linjiang Terrace can do it.
Therefore, they must now seize every moment and utilize all available resources to overcome this challenge in order to prepare for the impending crisis.
Pulling himself back to his senses, Nie Qingyun suddenly intensified his attack, changing from steady slashes to a frenzied barrage that nearly exhausted his stamina.
Because most of the area was already covered by the green slime left by the [Touch of Corrosion], he deliberately controlled the placement of the slime to avoid being blocked in the end, so as to avoid having nowhere to retreat.
This task may be very simple at first, but when the area between venues is reduced to a certain extent, planning the route alone will take a lot of effort, not to mention that you have to be on guard against other possible unexpected situations at all times.
Unbeknownst to them, the green mud had already covered ninety percent of the area inside the barrier, leaving only one path leading to Lingyuan Ellie.
Nie Qingyun stopped attacking, took a few deep breaths, and then took a deep look at [Ominous Sign], who was covered in wounds. Somewhat unwillingly, he withdrew his weapon and retreated.
One person's total output is ultimately limited. Even if their attributes are three times that of an average person, it's still only equivalent to three people dealing damage. For this [Ominous Sign] to enter the third stage, it would conservatively require a team of at least 10 people to continuously attack, thus allowing enough time for the third stage of the battle.
If we want to enter the third stage by relying on Nie Qingyun's output alone, then we can only use the previous method to revive and maximize our combat power. Only then is there a slight chance, but such a method is obviously not very realistic.
After the second phase of [Ominous Sign] enters a weakened state, it disappears into thin air and then respawns in the center of the arena. If Lingyuan Ellie enters at this time, not to mention the random "targeting" mechanism of [Touch of Corrosion], once she dies and revives, the aggro will instantly transfer to the senior, and the battle will be completely lost.
After much thought, Nie Qingyun couldn't find a better solution. Given the current situation, it seemed the only way to enter the third stage and see the [Ominous Sign] skill was to bring others along.
Nie Qingyun can manage to complete the first phase on his own, but if his damage output is still insufficient in the second phase, then everyone except him will die here.
The problem seems to have returned to the choice of "who to send to their death".
"It's really troublesome..."
After Nie Qingyun was resurrected, he rubbed his hair and looked at the [Ominous Sign], which had returned to its initial state, with a somewhat helpless expression.
Of course, he could choose to avoid this kind of choice.
As long as the situation is explained to Qin Hehuan truthfully, this woman, based on the current situation, will definitely make a quick and decisive judgment without hesitation, and then choose a suitable person to be sent to their death.
But doing this... how should I put it, is rather cunning.
As mentioned before, since they were companions, Nie Qingyun felt obligated to help Qin Hehuan shoulder some responsibilities, whether righteous or bleak.
Only in this way can this mutually beneficial cooperative relationship enter a virtuous cycle.
Because the second phase of the battle had taken up too much time, it was already getting light outside.
After briefly organizing all the useful intelligence gathered that day, Nie Qingyun decided to retreat temporarily and go back to discuss countermeasures.
As things stand, the next investigation will definitely require a large team, and it's impossible to decide at this point whether to selectively reduce casualties or take a desperate gamble.
The return journey was much smoother than the way there, since the route had been planned in advance and the situation with the zombies had been investigated.
To make the journey easier, Nie Qingyun, for the first time in a long time, had his senior hug him like a koala.
This long-lost warm and soft touch reminded him of the time when he first met his senior.
Back then, my senior didn't know anything and didn't even have a body temperature, but now she's become quite reliable.
As he was thinking, Nie Qingyun stopped in his tracks while passing by the commercial street.
After a slight hesitation, I turned inside.
The controllable capsules that Qin Hehuan mentioned earlier are not hard to find; they are available in most pharmacies, although the quantity may not be large.
Although Nie Qingyun was reluctant to manipulate his fellow human beings to their deaths with lies and self-interest, as if using them as tools, this could indeed bring the greatest benefit to the collective when death was unavoidable.
Nie Qingyun knew very well that he was not kind.
Whether it was helping the survivors or showing compassion for life, these were all necessary compromises he made in order to live as humanly as possible.
Only in this way can he be qualified to embrace emotions, accept the kindness of young girls with a clear conscience, and find redemption in them.
Since the zombies on the outskirts of the commercial street were not dense, Nie Qingyun did not take any evasive measures when he entered. Instead, he took care of all the monsters on the way.
There are many buildings and the most resources here, so there are bound to be other survivors. He already has enough to deal with, and he doesn't want to stand out too much and get targeted.
To his surprise, just as he was about to break down the front door of the pharmacy, there were actually survivors inside.
Chapter 284: Think Carefully About How to Repay Me
Not only were there survivors inside the pharmacy, but they were also quite adamant, even turning people away without showing their faces.
Nie Qingyun wasn't too surprised by this, since even under normal circumstances, no one would easily take in someone of unknown origin.
Moreover, with all kinds of supplies being scarce, each additional person adds to the burden for any small group.
Nie Qingyun had come to look for something and had no intention of clashing with the other party. Hearing the unfriendly attitude of the people inside, he took a few steps back from the doorway, looked out the window, and said briefly:
"I need some medical supplies that are unique to this area. I'll take them and leave."
A few seconds later, the blinds on the second floor were pulled open, and a middle-aged man with a somewhat disheveled appearance peeked out.
The man first glanced at Nie Qingyun and Ling Yuan Ellie, then frowned and shifted his gaze to the street behind them.
By the light of the still-lit streetlights, one could clearly see the zombie corpses lying haphazardly along the way.
Clearly, the person who managed to find their way here in the middle of the night is no pushover.
After thinking for a moment, he turned around and seemed to be talking quietly with the people inside. In the background, one could vaguely hear what sounded like the voices of children.