Chapter 152:
“Hah, hah”
Ashina ran through the night.
She clutched two crimson hand cannons ready to fire at any moment, with twelve rounds of Vampire’s Requiem loaded in the cylinders. For this elite hunt, Ashina not only spent all the money in her pockets, but also used her “power of money” to buy some gold coins from other players before she was able to complete the purchase.
That’s right.
She was also a little rich girl just like Feel You Poor.
And according to the information privately revealed by Lumina and Orchid, this little one’s family background was far more powerful than Feel You Poor’s.
“Lady Tris charges too much, she’s simply a template for a black-hearted vampire!”
The petite gunner grumbled in her heart as she advanced in the darkness:
“If I fail this time, not only will I be ridiculed by those three annoying girls, I’ll also go bankrupt. But hey, whatever, I’ll fight first and talk later.”
She quickly rushed to where the female vampire had fallen, vigilantly looking around. Relying on the scouting specialty brought by the Gunner profession, she quickly found the blood trail on the ground.But she did not approach recklessly. Instead, she took out three scrolls from her spirit bag, tore them open and patted them on herself.
Bat Senses, Leopard’s Grace, Monkey’s Protection.
All were combat scrolls that increased agility attributes. The scattering spirit light gave her a bit more confidence. She then activated the protective effect of the spirit ring she had previously won from a lottery before finally taking steps into the eerily quiet night before her eyes.
She was certain that shot just now must have weakened this elite vampire.
The craftsmanship of Lady Tris was absolutely commendable. But even a weakened elite vampire still belonged to the “one shot” category for her.
So what followed would be a dance on the knife’s edge.
This expression was awesome!
She liked it.
The malt candy she chewed in her mouth emanated a hint of bittersweet.
This stuff didn’t taste good, but at least her tongue wouldn’t go numb occasionally here. Whether sour or sweet, they were all great! Moreover, an excellent gunner should always be chewing on something.
This was something she learned from those cool movies. It could also help reduce her stress a little.
She was just like those heroines in the movies who ventured into danger, like the unrestrained Lara or Natasha, like a super formidable hunter single-handedly hunting dangerous monsters.
This would be a 1v1 showdown between her and the monster, entrusting both life and death to the upcoming battle!
So, who would be stronger?
The hunter?
Or the prey?
“Bang”
The spirit orb flew out and smashed under Ashina’s feet. The exploding spirit energy knocked her to the ground.
Covered in dust, she saw the savage female vampire pounce out from her hiding shadow, swinging her claw-like daggers to stab at her.
Her chest was still bleeding, apparently unable to dig out the bullet deep in her body.
She had still missed the shot!
The bullet didn’t hit the heart, otherwise this vampire would be weaker.
Hey, she had studied the weaknesses of vampires in detail before the hunt began!
While other players were busy grinding monsters and dungeons, she had spent a long time in the Blood Vulture library reading books related to vampires.
Their weakness was not just in the heart!
The brain and eyes were also one of the weak points. Aside from the transcendent power of the night, these guys weren’t much different from humans.
“Splat”
Ashina’s heart was shattered by the retaliating vampire’s claw. Then her entire figure dissipated. The petite gunner hiding her form with Lady Tris’ illusion ring curled her lips and raised both guns, firing three shots at the female vampire in front of her.
At this distance, with her innate Lightning Reflexes and quick-draw specialty, it was basically impossible to miss.
The first shot hit the vampire’s chest, the second hit her mouth, the third should have hit right between the eyebrows, but the vampire, sensing the danger, decisively transformed into a bat to dodge the bullet.
“Tsk!”
Ashina immediately moved. She slid under the vampire’s thrown dagger, then pulled back to distance herself, crouching down to confront the vampire who had reformed her body just a few steps away. Her ankle seemed to be sprained just now.
This pain was so real that it made her recall the pain of falling off a horse when she was a child.
Ah, that was more than a decade ago.
Back then, she could still run and jump behind her mom and dad. She seemed to have forgotten since when the wheelchair had become an indispensable “companion” in her life.
“Presumptuous blood servant! Die!”
The vampire across from her was obviously enraged.
She could tell Ashina was just a Professional, yet she dared to ignore the pressure of transcendent power and rank to come challenge her alone?
Are the blood servants these days this crazy?
The vampire roared and pounced, moving too fast to react. But Ashina dodged the pounce again with a precise slide, and like an elegant and lethal matador, fired another shot at the vampire’s back in the instant she sidestepped.
It hit this time!
Right in the heart!
As her own heart pounded wildly from the proximity of danger and death, the vampire also staggered and nearly fell, the daylight potion-imbued bullet hitting her heart making her feel weakened.
She immediately realized this petite blood servant had come prepared.
No good!
She couldn’t withstand this head-on, she had to retreat!
Thinking this, the vampire spread her Blood Wings and flew into the sky with difficulty. However, the next moment she saw three other armed blood servants eyeing her like tigers stalking prey beside her.
In that instant, the vampire chosen as the target understood.
Damn Black Iron Trial!?
She was actually selected as the target of a blood servant’s Black Iron Trial?
What a disgrace!
You f**king underestimate people too much!
She cursed with vulgar vampire profanities, intending to escape higher. But Ashina below her calmly pulled out a hunting rifle from her bag and took aim.
The first shot pierced through the Blood Wings, forcing the target to land again.
“Ahhh!”
The frustrated female vampire landed with a flicker and rushed in front of Ashina, intending to grab this blood servant as a hostage. She withstood a barrage of bullets and grabbed Ashina’s wrist.
But the petite girl not only didn’t struggle, she took the opportunity to charge into her arms. The two guns in her hands fired simultaneously, one up and one down.
The scorching bullets pierced through her chin and also through her sole. Her speed was reduced once again, but Ashina was also bitten on the neck by the vampire.
“!!!”
The female vampire had originally intended to absorb blood this way to heal.
But as soon as it entered her mouth, she felt something strange.
This taste was off!
There was no substantial blood in this blood servant’s body at all. How come it was all spirit energy when bitten into?
Was this a summoned creature?
“Hehe, get it now? Too late!”
Ashina’s mocking voice trembled with pain. Seeing her precarious health bar at this near-zero distance, she simply went all out.
She pressed the muzzles of both guns against the vampire’s ample chest and repeatedly pulled the triggers. After five muffled bangs, the midnight clan member with her chest blown open flung her away with a scream of agony, sending her tumbling through the air several times before crashing to the ground.
The vampire herself also collapsed to her knees with a thud.
Including the previous one, a total of six Vampire’s Requiem bullets were shot into her heart. With such injuries, forget her as a Black Iron elite, even a Silver vampire would have to kneel!
Those were handcrafted bullets by a Grandmaster Alchemist. Sniffing carefully, there was even a strange wine fragrance on them.
Was this outrageous blood servant not afraid of death?
Shouldn’t a normal person beg for mercy in that situation just now?
“F**k!”
Sister Pomegranate saw this and immediately popped out her tri-claw fist blades, ready to go help. She saw Ashina couldn’t get up anymore, clearly a sign of exhaustion. But as soon as she started, Orchid and Lumina joined forces to hold her down.
“If you go over now, she’ll hate you for life.”
Orchid said softly:
“This is her battle, don’t interfere!”
“There’s no need to go this far.”
Sister Pomegranate said anxiously:
“Her messing around like this will make the pain accumulate until a forced disconnection, even if pain perception is adjusted to the lowest, it’ll still fail all the same, right?”
“Others might disconnect, she won’t!”
Lumina explained with a sense of regret and helplessness:
“Ashina’s already damaged nerves have long lost sensitivity. This little lunatic calculated even this. No wonder she was so confident. Sigh, I have to admit now she really is smarter than me.”
“Hah, hah”
Sword Saint Ashina lay on the ground, trying hard to get up.
But her exhausted stamina made it very difficult to do so. In front of her eyes, the game and reality seemed to appear as two constantly shifting scenes at the same time. It wasn’t an illusion, because she saw the disconnection warning flickering from the game helmet interface before her eyes.
She had to restabilize her mind before that warning countdown reached zero!
She gasped for breath, lying on the ground feeling the temperature that felt incredibly real and cold. The scene before her eyes also seemed to be hallucinating due to the unstable mental connection.
“Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. I’m sorry, madam and sir, this is no longer a problem I can solve.”
“But she’s only 15 years old.”
“That’s the only fortunate thing. Early detection means some advanced therapies are still useful for this child. I can recommend some.”
“Can she, can she still ride horses in the future?”
“Uh, best not to. Actually, if maintained well, she can still engage in limited free movement with the help of a wheelchair or crutches. But after 30…”
“Please, you must cure her! She’s our only daughter. Money is not an issue! Doctor, please contact immediately…”
Rambling, shadowy voices echoed in Ashina’s ears.
Making her, in a daze, return to eight years ago when she pretended to be asleep in her bedroom, but perked up her ears to listen to the conversation between the family doctor and her parents in the living room.
That was the first time she learned about her real condition.
Sigh, no more horseback riding, no more target practice.
“Smack”
Ashina’s foot kicked hard against the ground. The pain in her toes made her break free from the hallucination. She then shook her head vigorously to sober herself up, trembling as she propped herself up on her arms from the dust-covered ground, panting as she looked ahead.
That female vampire was walking towards her, holding her blown-open chest.
Like a dying prey about to sink its teeth into the injured hunter’s neck, completing a splendid reversal kill to declare the unshakable laws of nature.
As if to declare the sudden malice descending in fate, what an immovable disaster it was for ordinary people.
Like the day when her own world came crashing down.
“Hah!”
Ashina struggled forward with a crawl, grabbing the fallen handgun in front of her.
What a beautiful gun.
Crimson patterns crawled all over the finely crafted gun body in an artistic manner. Probably only a race as idle as vampires would add so many flourishes to their weapons. She fell in love with it at first sight.
Hmm, the craftwork she ordered should be delivered home tomorrow. She was planning to make that her 25th birthday present to herself.
5 years.
The last 5 years remained!
Then she’d have to spend the rest of her life in bed like a vegetable.
However, here!
However, now! She could still move!
“Die!”
The heavily wounded elite vampire pounced with her claws raised, intending to pierce the heart of the petite girl.
Ashina also raised her gun at this moment, aiming the muzzle at her opponent’s eyes. The moment the claws pierced her body, the dust-covered girl pulled the trigger.
Those were the eyes of a hunter.
Calm, yet resisting death.
“Bang”
The last bullet struck, making blood spurt. The midnight child trying to reverse kill in front of her eyes flung her head back as if punched hard, then flipped over onto the ground from that irresistible counter-punch.
Amidst the blood splattering, that midnight body was still twitching from nerves.
Such an attack couldn’t kill a vampire. She would still regenerate, so Ashina had to complete the final process!
“Haha.”
She had never been this exhausted before.
She used both hands to grab her body, crawling onto the blood-stained body of that vampire. With trembling hands, she pulled out the boning knife prepared long ago from her waist.
She gripped the knife handle tightly with both hands, making the trembling in her wrists stop.
The feeling now was just like when she was a child, after a day of running wild with her mother at the ranch, being carried on her mother’s back when returning home because she was too tired from playing.
She didn’t even want to move a single finger.
Mom, Dad, no need to secretly cry while carrying me anymore.
Look.
I can move again now!
Your daughter has finally found her wish again after a whole eight years of losing her dreams and life. I’ve become a mighty hunter just like grandpa.
But timid grandpa could only hunt wild boars, while I can hunt vampires!
Hah, Buffy and the likes are so weak!
I’m the true vampire hunter!
“Splat”
The sharp blade stabbed down.
Right into that heart beneath the broken bones. Then in a forceful tug, that tattered vampire heart was ripped out from the twitching prey’s body.
The wailing vampire beneath her lost its cursed life, turning into a discolored, cold statue.
“Haha.”
Panting, Ashina tossed the knife aside and held the red glowing vampire heart in her hand, leaning against the statue of despair behind her.
She was exceptionally tired, but a peculiar strength was surging out from within her body, as if some invisible lock had been opened.
However, she didn’t seem to be in luck tonight.
Amidst the cries of alarm from her three companions behind, Ashina raised her head with difficulty and saw in her blurry vision another vampire pouncing towards her with a ferocious expression.
She raised her gun with difficulty.
But pulling the trigger only produced an empty click. The last bullet had already been given to her prey.
Sigh, she was still going to die, but it didn’t matter. The Black Iron Trial was already completed.
She was the first player to complete it!
She was the best!
A hundred times better than those jerks who asserted that she could never leave the wheelchair and stand again, that she could never run again!
“Hah!”
Ashina tossed the gun aside and closed her eyes, raising a middle finger towards the sky.
This wasn’t something a lady should do, and the imagined death didn’t arrive either.
“Bang”
The strange muffled sound made Ashina open her eyes. She widened her eyes and saw that evil vampire who was going to kill her plummeting like a meteor, pressed into the ground by a familiar figure from high in the sky.
As if carrying some emotion, like a personal grudge, he pressed the vampire’s head down and smashed it into the ground with transcendent momentum, making rubble fly.
Murphy, who had arrived at some point, was in a standard, cool “justice executed” superhero landing pose, his huge, awesome wings folded behind his back.
His left hand was on the shoulder of this blood clan traitor, his right hand’s terrifying crimson claws piercing through his heart.
“What were you going to do to my cute and brave warrior? Disgraceful scum!”
As the vampire lord coldly withdrew his claws, the assailant’s body turned into another kneeling statue amidst desperate wails.
Murphy kicked it aside and walked up to Ashina.
He squatted down.
Looking at the petite girl in front of him, her face covered in blood yet completing a near-impossible feat, tears were now streaming down that face as dirty as a little kitten’s.
“Why cry?”
Murphy took out a handkerchief and handed it over, asking softly:
“Crying isn’t the celebratory pose a mighty hunter should have after victory.”
“Wuwu, I just… I love it here so much, I love this world so much. What if I can’t play anymore in the future? Please don’t shut down, okay? I have a lot of money, I can donate to you… You must keep operating this game, okay?
Wuwuwu, in the second half of my life… I can only rely on you to stand up…”
Of course Ashina wasn’t scared to tears.
Someone daring to shoot at Salrokdar had guts. She was just finally expressing her true feelings about 《Reality Realm》 in this situation.
Her words were all over the place, but Murphy understood.
This was perhaps the first time the “dog planner” truly felt proud of his current profession. So he showed an even gentler smile in the night and reached out to vigorously rub the crying Ashina’s head.
He said:
“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“But if you want, this world will always open its arms to you, I guarantee it! As long as I’m here for a day, you can continue to enjoy everything you have.
Yes.
I promise!”
“Wuwuwu, mommy said handsome men are the best at lying, wuwu I don’t believe it!”
Ashina cried even harder.
At this moment, she felt the one in front of her wasn’t an NPC, but a real person, a truly warm soul, a soul just like her.
With tear-filled eyes, she raised her blood-smeared hand, stuck out her pinky and said to Murphy:
“Unless, unless we pinky swear.”
Are you a child?!
No wonder you’re not growing taller, you adorable little dummy!
Murphy was going crazy with retorts in his mind, but the words out of his mouth became:
“Ah, is this a magical ritual from a different world? Seems to be related to vows. Then under the witness of the Night Mother, I must treat it seriously.”
So under the gaze of the other three female players, Murphy reached out his pinky and hooked it with Ashina’s. He said in a low voice:
“In the name of Murphy, I promise!”
However, Ashina could no longer hear.
She was too tired.
Her stamina bar had long dried up. Having received the promise, she passed out with her head lolling to the side.
Murphy shrugged, flapped his cape to pick up his warrior like a princess, and delivered her to Sister Pomegranate.
He said:
“She needs rest, and you need to take good care of her, because from now on, she is ‘Murphy’s Warrior’.”