Chapter 55: Collateral Damage on a Grand Scale

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The deafening roar of the rocket launcher shook the air. Huang Yunshuo reeled from the recoil as if he were drunk—if not for the weapon in his hands instead of a bottle, anyone watching would have thought he was performing a drunken boxing act.

The little white rabbits were either killed by the bleeding damage or finished off by the players rushing forward to deliver the final blow. Ninety-six rockets were fired, and checking the time, it was precisely one hundred and sixty seconds—his calculated rate of fire was accurate to the second.

In such a short span, there was no way Foxy Soft could have returned. Huang Yunshuo sat dizzy on the ground, his mind a muddled haze.

Eleven Carrot Batons had dropped in total.

It would be hard to get any more now—the drop rate was plummeting, but Huang Yunshuo was already satisfied.

He had collected fourteen Carrot Batons so far; if he had brought a few more rounds with Gua Pi today, hitting twenty would have been a delight.

The nine players were absolutely elated.

Nearly a hundred white rabbits had been slain, already amounting to over six hundred copper coins, plus materials worth about two hundred more. Split among them, each person had gotten back almost a hundred.

And everyone had gained nearly four hundred experience points!

It was wonderful—less than three minutes had passed, and this was exactly the kind of thrill that came with a leader at the helm.

At last, Foxy Soft hurried back, bringing with her a hefty four thousand copper coins’ worth of four hundred and fifty-six rockets—enough to keep Huang Yunshuo firing for a good while.

“Let’s keep leveling up.”

Revitalized, and eager to get a few more Carrot Batons to drop, Huang Yunshuo threw himself back into the rabbit hunt.

Just then, a white rabbit respawned three meters away from him.

Not only did it respawn right beside him, but several other team members were nearby as well.

Instinctively, Huang Yunshuo fired a rocket at the rabbit.

Bang!

A chorus of screams erupted.

A huge damage number—one hundred and twenty-two—popped above the white rabbit’s head; it was killed instantly.

The explosion’s shockwave launched the nearby players in all directions, sending them flying five to ten meters depending on their strength.

Each one had a slow debuff icon appear above their heads, and all lost over forty health!

Huang Yunshuo, caught by the combined force of recoil and shockwave, tumbled head over heels, taking fifteen damage himself.

“Crap, my hand slipped.”

He scrambled up, looking thoroughly embarrassed.

He’d forgotten that his weapon dealt area damage—anyone near the target would not only be knocked back and slowed, but also take unavoidable damage.

Doing the math, the rabbit had died to a critical hit, while the surrounding players must have taken half that—about sixty-one points of damage.

That explained why they’d each lost around forty health; their HP bars were now significantly depleted.

“Ahem, sorry, everyone, that wasn’t intentional.”

Huang Yunshuo rubbed the back of his head.

The group stared at him and his rocket launcher in terror, feeling thoroughly betrayed by fate.

They hadn’t thought much of the weapon when it was aimed at rabbits, but now that they’d been on the receiving end, they realized just how terrifying it was.

And this wasn’t even a direct hit—just a nearby explosion had done this! If they took a rocket head-on, would they survive at all?

“Let’s keep grinding, keep grinding.”

Huang Yunshuo chuckled, now careful never to shoot any white rabbits within a ten-meter radius.

Minute after minute passed, one ten-minute block after another. An hour later, Huang Yunshuo was so exhausted he had to use the barrel of his launcher for support; he felt as though his body was on the verge of falling apart.

After six rounds, he’d netted five thousand two hundred and eighty copper coins, fired over two thousand rockets, and the launcher’s barrel was glowing red-hot—its durability had dropped by ninety percent!

His stash of Carrot Batons had grown to twenty-one, one more than he’d hoped for.

Foxy Soft was worn out from constant running, now sitting on the grass, face flushed with a sheen of sweat, unwilling to get up.

Looking at her, fragrant with sweat and exuding an almost intoxicating aura, Huang Yunshuo felt his blood rushing a bit too fast.

He nearly lost control.

“This one’s for you!”

He tossed a Carrot Baton to Foxy Soft, skipping any formal trade screen.

“Wow, thank you, my idol!”

Foxy Soft picked it up, replacing her beginner’s wooden club, her attack power instantly boosted.

“Not a bad trade for all your running around, right?” Huang Yunshuo laughed.

Foxy Soft shot him a coquettish look. “I just love your big baton best!”

Huang Yunshuo almost choked on his own breath, clutching his chest; this girl was just too shameless.

“We’ve killed over two thousand rabbits—at five percent experience share, I’ve gained over three thousand points. I’m just a sliver away from level fifteen.”

Gazing at his experience bar, Huang Yunshuo wanted to push himself back up to keep grinding, but his body simply wouldn’t cooperate.

What a joke—every rocket fired brought a bone-rattling kick of recoil. After two thousand blasts, it was a miracle he wasn’t bedridden already.

“Let me give you a massage. You’ll feel much better!”

Though Foxy Soft was exhausted herself, she knew she couldn’t compare to Huang Yunshuo’s ordeal. Forcing herself upright, she knelt behind him, laying her soft hands on his shoulders.

Her body radiated warmth and a subtle fragrance, her breath tickling his neck, making Huang Yunshuo’s heart itch.

“Your technique is really professional.”

As she pressed harder, Huang Yunshuo let out a yelp of pain, but then his eyes lit up.

He’d thought, given her personality, that her massage would be teasing and gentle, more tempting than therapeutic.

To his surprise, her grip was strong, her fingers digging unerringly into the acupoints beneath his shoulder blades.

Pain shot through his shoulders, nearly making him jump, but an indescribable wave of pleasure crashed into his mind, leaving him stiff and twitching, enjoying the pain and joy in equal measure.

His battered body seemed to recover its strength almost instantly.

“Softy, with skills like yours, you’re destined for greatness. You could marry a rich, handsome man in a heartbeat!”

Huang Yunshuo groaned in contentment.

“No rich guy could ever compare to you, my idol!” Foxy Soft replied in a syrupy tone.

“If you keep this up, I’ll have to call the police.”

Huang Yunshuo considered whether he should warn her that her teasing was dangerously effective.

“From now on, call me Da Huang or Brother Huang, not ‘idol.’ I can’t take it! You’re playing with fire, you know—idols are notorious for workplace scandals.”

“Okay,” Foxy Soft agreed reluctantly.

After enjoying ten minutes of her wonderful massage, Huang Yunshuo felt utterly refreshed. He stood, strength coursing through him, as if he could take down a wild boar with a single punch.