Chapter 135: The Massacre

Lü Yang put down the rocket launcher and slowly moved closer to the Dark Predators. He discovered that they no longer attacked him. In fact, they completely ignored him!

Even the angry Dark Pheasants on the ground had no reaction upon seeing him either.

Lü Yang narrowed his eyes slightly. This last stage’s setting was truly strange. Not only did it provide practically limitless ammunition and powerful weapons, but it also made these Dark Predators give up attacking him!

Lü Yang began to sense… things definitely wouldn’t be this simple. There was likely an extremely well-hidden trap inside. If he failed to find it in time, it could plunge him and Liu Hui into permanent destruction.

He already had some thoughts about this trap, though they were very preliminary. He needed to perform some tests to verify his suspicions. Besides, the prerequisite for any of this was to get Liu Hui safely near Donkey Tail Town first.

Lü Yang stepped back a few paces, loaded a flare into the launcher, confirmed the firing angle and target, then pulled the trigger, launching the first flare.

Right after firing the flare, Lü Yang quickly dove into a nearby thicket of trees. He hid in a chosen, shaded spot to observe.

The flare was incredibly powerful. Under its intense burning light, the Dark Pheasants on the ground were quickly reduced to ash. The Dark Kidnappers didn’t last much longer, being also wiped out. The Black Fog Armor of every Dark Lumberjack was completely destroyed, their bodies suffering significant burns too. The Mute Old Men fared a bit better, but their Black Fog Armor was also on the brink of destruction.

Even Lü Yang, hiding in the shadows, felt a burning sensation, like being near a volcano or a blazing furnace.

The flare’s light range was surprisingly wide, illuminating the entire area between two Safe Points on the mountain path. And while the flare burned, any Dark Predator caught in its light froze completely on the spot. Clearly, this intense burning hindered their movement.

As the flare was about to hit the ground, Lü Yang shouldered the rocket launcher. He fired a heavy shot right at the center of his pre-set target. A loud explosion followed. Every single Dark Predator between the courtyard and the next Safe Light was utterly eradicated. Not one remained.

It felt incredibly cool!

After testing the power of these two weapons of mass destruction, Lü Yang placed them on the ground and walked back into the courtyard where the Safe Point was located.

After careful thought and selection, Lü Yang chose a submachine gun with a sight as his main weapon. He took a full case of flares, rocket rounds, and over twenty submachine gun magazines. Finally, he grabbed some Flashbang Grenades and Hand Grenades.

Lü Yang had a notion about what the handcuffs might be used for, so he took those too.

Carrying all this gear at once was impossible; he wouldn’t be able to move. But Lü Yang didn’t plan to. He already devised a strategy for transporting this equipment and safely escorting Liu Hui down the mountain.

Besides the Portable Searchlight and the flashlight, Lü Yang didn’t let Liu Hui carry anything else. For her, staying agile was paramount.

“Let’s go,” Lü Yang said to Liu Hui after struggling to stand straight under the heavy load.

“You look just like the Terminator!” Liu Hui exclaimed after looking him up and down.

“You know about the Terminator?” Lü Yang glanced at her, genuinely surprised. Someone who’d seen Terminator mistook a Hand Grenade for a soda can? How high an IQ did that require?

“Sure I do!” Liu Hui didn’t seem to catch the sarcasm in his tone.

…

Lü Yang’s tactic was simple: First, use a flare to illuminate the path between two Safe Lights on the mountain trail, destroying the Dark Predators’ armor. Then, clear that area with rocket rounds. After clearing a section, he would leave the rocket launcher and flare launcher behind. Carrying only the Flashbang Grenades, Hand Grenades, and the submachine gun, he’d escort Liu Hui to the next Safe Point.

Of course, Lü Yang could only get Liu to the Safe Point; he could not enter it himself.

After getting Liu Hui safely under the light of the next Safe Light, Lü Yang would put down the submachine gun, grenades, etc., right there. Then, he’d backtrack in two trips to move the rocket launcher, flare launcher, and various ammo close to where the next Safe Light would be targeted. He’d then repeat the process: escort Liu Hui to the next Safe Point after that. Step by step, methodically, he guided her down the mountain.

The area between the Mute Old Man’s courtyard and the first roadside Safe Light became virtually empty after the recent big explosion. Because of the barrier created by the Safe Light itself, Dark Predators from the zone between the first and second Safe Lights couldn’t enter it.

However, by the time Lü Yang and Liu Hui got there, a few scattered Dark Predators, mainly Dark Kidnappers, had started roaming within this “cleared” zone. But against Lü Yang’s well-armed assault, they stood no chance and were easily slaughtered.

Lü Yang, who’d been painfully conservative with ammo before, could only describe his feelings now with one word: ‘cool!’ (‘shuang!’)

The Dark Predators in the previous stages had frustrated Lü Yang terribly. Short on ammo and supplies, he’d mostly been fleeing, desperately squeezing the flashlight’s charging handle while on the run to break their armor. It had been extremely humiliating.

But now it was different. Liu Hui’s Portable Searchlight, set on its strongest beam, could shatter a Dark Kidnapper’s Black Fog Armor almost instantly. When the light went off, Lü Yang’s bullets followed right away. He could even practice his aim, scoring headshots almost every time!

The tables had turned. The feeling of just slaughtering them felt intensely satisfying. Plus, these Dark Predators, while fixated on Liu Hui, paid Lü Yang absolutely no mind. Before long, Lü Yang smoothly got Liu Hui beneath the first Safe Light.

Going back to move the rocket launcher and flare launcher stand was remarkably smooth too. The Dark Predators occasionally wandering out of the dark thickets still ignored him completely. Not only that, Lü Yang noticed that the longer he stayed in the dark, the thicker the Black Fog Armor covering him became.

Having cleared the Dark Predators from the next section of road, Lü Yang used his sight-equipped submachine gun to shoot out the Safe Light from a distance. Then, he and Liu Hui moved towards the site of the next Safe Light together.

…

Lü Yang’s tactics worked effectively. Everything went incredibly smoothly. Within an hour, Lü Yang and Liu Hui had passed unharmed through over a dozen Safe Lights and arrived at a hillside overlooking Donkey Tail Town.

Smooth, very smooth. It felt so smooth that Lü Yang almost forgot this was the Mysterious Domain. It felt like playing an incredibly cool, thrilling game.

But the game was now reaching its climax! The critical moment. It was the moment when things got down to the wire. If Lü Yang still couldn’t figure out the trap set by the Death Killer now, only death awaited him, Liu Hui, and Yi Ya.

Right at the center of Donkey Tail Town, only one building showed any light; everything else was pitch black. That lit building was the location specified in the Task briefing for the fourth stage of the third round: plant the timed explosive device to destroy Donkey Tail Town.

After activating the bomb, Lü Yang must get Liu Hui out onto the main road outside the town before the explosion. Both of them then needed to get at least ten kilometers away from the blast center to officially complete the fourth stage Task.

As for the Electronic Voice’s statement that this third round was the final game of this Mysterious Domain… only time would tell if that was true.

…

A signal flare exploded high above Donkey Tail Town, flooding the entire place with light like broad daylight. As the intense brightness faded into gloom, Lü Yang emerged from the darkness, confirming once more that Donkey Tail Town was completely devoid of people.

It seemed the rules of this Mysterious Domain had forbidden Dark Predators from entering the town for the time being.

Drowned in the flare’s dying light, Lü Yang spotted the main road leading out of Donkey Tail Town, far in the distance. While the town had no Dark Predators, the road out was thick with shifting shadowy figures. They weren’t as densely packed as back on the mountain trail, but it was clear they’d pose a major problem if Lü Yang tried to flee down that road after setting the bomb for a ten-minute blast timer. Reaching safety ten kilometers away would be challenging.

All the heavy weapons of mass destruction had been depleted during the descent. Lü Yang only had the submachine gun, magazines, a few Hand Grenades, Flashbang Grenades, and similar gear left.

Because Lü Yang was affected by the dark influence, the flashlight and Portable Searchlight were now Liu Hui’s responsibility to carry and use.

…

“Xiao Hui, what brought you to Lutou Town last time?” Lü Yang looked up at the sky, estimating the time. It was around 5 AM; dawn was approaching. He needed to end this Mysterious Domain quickly. If the sun rose and daylight came, he, corrupted by the dark, would be utterly immobilized.

“For a few days then… I was feeling bad,” Liu Hui answered. “I happened to overhear Uncle and Aunt planning to come to Lutou Town. I was really curious about what they were up to… I lied to my mom, told her I was staying at a friend’s. Then I borrowed my friend’s car and secretly followed them…”

“When I got off the highway, I lost them. So I just drove around this area a bit, stayed one night. The next day, I searched for them everywhere but couldn’t find them. My friend got scared by my mom and told her the truth. My mom kept calling my mobile phone. I was too afraid to answer, so I just started rushing back… Then, on the road back to the highway… I hit you…”

“Why didn’t you call their mobile phones if you couldn’t find your uncle and aunt?”