Apocalypse: Launching a Counterattack Against the Villainess

Page 204

Inside the glass walls on both sides, you can vaguely see unidentified electronic devices that are still in operation.

Nie Qingyun had seen these scenes in the drone before, but when he was actually there, he still couldn't help but feel a sense of tension.

Based on previous exploration results, after passing through this corridor, the open area where the [Ominous Sign] is located is directly ahead.

This was the first time Nie Qingyun had come into contact with a monster other than a zombie since the apocalypse, and he had no idea what would happen next.

Even so, he still has a natural advantage over ordinary people: he can be resurrected.

In some ways, this is already the skill with the highest margin for error in the apocalypse.

Most importantly, this resurrection mechanism can be used to forcibly trigger a break from combat, which is the source of Nie Qingyun's confidence in taking on the investigation mission alone.

As we continued walking, the end of the corridor came into view.

Nie Qingyun took a deep breath, summoned the drone again, and then turned to Ling Yuan and Ellie, saying:

"Senior, step back a bit. No matter what happens later, you are not allowed to come over without my order."

"Awoo~" the girl obediently responded, then dazedly moved back a little.

On the other side, the drone also emerged from the corridor and entered the open area.

As the images kept flashing in his mind, Nie Qingyun became extremely focused.

At one moment, his pupils suddenly contracted.

Because beneath the enormous floor-to-ceiling window lay a giant salamander, as large as a small mountain.

It looks like a giant lizard, covered in reflective scales, with sharp barbs extending from its back to the edge of its tail.

This time, however, it did not attack the drone directly. Instead, it stared through the drone with its terrifying vertical pupils and looked into Nie Qingyun's eyes.

Chapter 279: Isn't that a bit too shameless?

Putting aside its terrifying vertical pupils, the sheer size of the Ominous Salamander alone is enough to awaken fear in people's hearts.

Just by making eye contact with the other person, Nie Qingyun felt his hair stand on end and his spine go cold.

Fortunately, the monster seemed to have also realized that the drone, like itself, was a kind of summoned creature, so it didn't seem to have any intention of attacking. It just glanced at it and then closed its eyes again.

Upon discovering this, Nie Qingyun breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Now that the drones are no longer being attacked, it's a good opportunity to take another look around the area.

So he then piloted the drone to patrol the entire hall.

The result was roughly as he had expected; the entire floor adopted a symmetrical structure.

Besides the central circular hall, there are two long corridors on either side.

And Nie Qingyun's current location is one of them.

The left and right sides of the corridor are separate, independent areas, with nothing else.

After observing the situation thoroughly, Nie Qingyun retrieved the drone and took a moment to catch her breath.

He reminded Lingyuan and Ellie to stay put again, then steeled himself and walked out of the corridor.

The Ominous Salamander's senses were clearly much sharper than those of ordinary zombies, and it stood up abruptly the moment Nie Qingyun took his first step into the hall.

With all four limbs on the ground, it appears to be nearly 15 meters long, and you can feel the ground trembling with every move it makes.

In reality, even a bull charging head-on at you is terrifying enough, but this giant monster moving would probably be equivalent to a heavy truck...

Is this thing... really something that humans can handle...?

Nie Qingyun's lips twitched, and he subconsciously wanted to retreat back into the corridor, but he found that the other party was just keeping a distance and did not intend to attack directly.

The entire hall was completely silent, with only one person and one monster staring at each other from a distance. Looking at that enormous size, Nie Qingyun already felt his scalp tingle before the battle even began.

However, he forced himself to calm down and took a step forward.

Luck won't always favor one person.

Having the "Noise of Causality" and the "Apocalyptic Survival Guide" from the very beginning of the apocalypse is already a unique blessing.

Moreover, for both Qin Hehuan and himself, defeating the [Ominous Sign] and obtaining the token to enter the [Trial] is an essential path to the future.

Therefore, he must now rely on his own will and strength to protect everything he has in this turbulent sea.

As Nie Qingyun slowly approached, at a certain moment, as if it had crossed a critical threshold, the [Ominous Salamander], which had been standing quietly, suddenly let out a deafening roar.

Sound waves, as if they were real, instantly filled every corner of the hall, and then a magical scene unfolded.

The surrounding walls, including the floor-to-ceiling windows that led to the dome, expanded outwards along with the sound waves. In less than a second, the central hall, which was originally less than 100 meters in diameter, was more than doubled in size.

Nie Qingyun was completely stunned by what he saw.

Although he had not taken precise measurements of the building, he was quite certain that its area was simply insufficient to accommodate such a large space.

According to common sense physics, at least half of the altered central hall must have exceeded the original boundaries.

In other words, half of the area should be exposed outside the laboratory building.

However, the reality was quite different. Through the floor-to-ceiling windows, he could clearly see the reflections of the surrounding buildings.

From the outside, the size of this laboratory building appears to be exactly the same.

The space has been stretched...

The thought flashed through Nie Qingyun's mind, and he quickly turned his head to look at the entrance of the passage he had come from.

Lingyuan Ellie was still standing inside, but she was now dozens of meters away from him.

In other words... only the central hall area was stretched, while everything outside remained normal.

At this very moment, the description of the Ominous Salamander in the "Apocalypse Survival Guide" also changed.

Information that was originally obscured by garbled data has been transformed into lines of clearly readable text.

[Accompanying Inherent Boundary]

Effect: Once in combat, it continues to expand, creating a fixed space in the current area and cutting off communication with the outside world until the end of the battle. Nothing inside can escape the barrier's range.

What the hell!

This is exactly as Qin Hehuan said: once the battle begins, only one side can die.

But if we can't get out, how can we kill the other three Masters who summoned this [Ominous Salamander]?

The "Apocalypse Survival Guide" clearly states that only by killing three Masters at the same time can this giant lizard be completely defeated. Could it be that these three Masters will spawn inside the arena as the battle continues?

A series of questions arose in his mind, but Nie Qingyun had no time to think about them, because [Ominous Sign] had already launched an attack on him.

Its massive body was far more agile than it appeared, covering a distance of tens of meters in an instant.

As it moved, it opened its massive jaws, which were covered in sharp teeth, and flung out countless corrosive salivas from its barbed tongue.

Nie Qingyun originally intended to take the opponent's attack head-on to judge its strength.

But he quickly realized that such a thought was far too naive.

Faced with the oncoming Omen, he felt as if he were not dealing with a monster, but with an armored vehicle coming straight at him!

If he stood still, let alone his current full attributes at just over thirty years old, even if they were doubled, he would be crushed without a trace.

Without thinking, he dashed to the side with all his might.

[Ominous sign] He missed his target and slid several meters away.

Taking advantage of the opening in the opponent's attack, Nie Qingyun immediately summoned [King Killer] from the [Data Space] and rushed forward, swinging his sword with all his might at the opponent's side.

The blade collided with the back armor, instantly producing a piercing metallic clang.

[Ominous Sign] It suddenly let out a roar, turned around and swung its tail to the side.

Nie Qingyun had anticipated this move. Judging from its appearance alone, the opponent's long tail was definitely not just for show. So, as soon as the opponent took a stance, he had already retreated more than ten meters.

Even so, the strong wind generated by its thick tail still stung his cheek.

The good news is that the basic information about "Ominous Signs" in the "Apocalyptic Survival Guide" has been updated once again.

[Blind Spot Strike]

Effect: Deals a powerful blow to a 45° fan-shaped area behind the target, inflicting moderate damage.

Moreover, after two rounds of fighting, Nie Qingyun suddenly realized that he seemed to be able to handle this monster.

Although he couldn't fight head-on, his overall stats of over 30 were not just for show; he could at least use them to escape and dodge with all his might.

More importantly, the attack worked.

A shallow wound was left on [Ominous Sign].

This is the power of the [Kingslayer] dagger: no matter how high the opponent's defense is, the final damage will never be less than 40.

Of course, this might not even be considered an injury to the [Ominous Salamander].

But if it works, it means there might be a strategy!

Nie Qingyun's confidence surged instantly. Even if he couldn't defeat this monster, he could at least prolong the battle.

The more information we gather now, the more certain we will be to launch a formal attack later.

However, just as he was preparing to set off again to try and fight the monster in front of him.

The [Ominous Salamander] suddenly stopped moving, its vertical pupils emitting an eerie glow.

At the same time, a ball of energy slowly gathered above Nie Qingyun's head.

And no matter how he dodged, the energy always remained suspended above his head.

Amidst a strong sense of crisis, Nie Qingyun noticed an additional debuff in his status bar.

[A Vortex of Suffering]

Effect: After a short delay, deals devastating damage to the current target. The damage is shared equally among all friendly targets within a 20-meter radius. It cannot be dodged or dispelled.

Upon seeing this message, Nie Qingyun's running steps suddenly faltered.

Where the hell did I get these teammates?!

That's outrageous!

Chapter 280: Let You Get a Good Workout

Looking at the energy vortex constantly gathering above his head, Nie Qingyun knew even without thinking that this kind of "spiky damage" was absolutely impossible to withstand.

The term "spike damage" is a common term in games, specifically referring to instant-kill damage skills that can only be avoided through special defensive skills and certain mechanisms.

The [Vortex of Suffering] skill is a typical spike skill. According to the description, to withstand this skill smoothly, you need to have a large number of teammates to share the burden.

However, even with enough people, it is not an easy task in actual combat.

Fighting a boss-level monster like [Ominous] is extremely dangerous; even a moment's hesitation can lead to instant death. Crowding together will inevitably impair mobility, and if someone loses their composure in a crisis and affects the actions of others, the entire army could be wiped out.

Therefore, in such situations, a special person is needed to go out and attract the attention of the "Ominous Sign" in order to create space for the teammates to act.

This is not something an ordinary person could possibly win over.

Given the average combat strength of most people who have activated the [Data System] in this post-apocalyptic world, this kind of battle is practically hellish.

Nie Qingyun was able to reach this conclusion because he possessed the [Apocalypse Survival Guide]. He had already learned some skill information before the battle with [Ominous Sign], and his physical attributes far surpassed those of ordinary people. In addition, he had the ability to resurrect as a last resort to prevent mistakes. This allowed him to remain calm and rationally think about countermeasures in a battle of this level.

If it were a group of ordinary people...

No, even if dozens of people with all their attributes maxed out, like Shirayuki Rinne and the others, they would still be easy targets.

Seeing the ominous sign rushing towards them again, Nie Qingyun immediately abandoned his attack and ran towards the corridor at the other end of the field.

Although he didn't know the exact damage value of [Vortex of Suffering] after it hit, he had a feeling that if he were hit directly by a skill of this strength, the time required to revive would definitely not be short. Therefore, he had to gather as much information as possible before that happened.

With his full sprint, Nie Qingyun unleashed an astonishing speed, covering more than a hundred meters in the blink of an eye. When [Ominous Sign] charged at him again to launch another attack, he had already prepared to evade it.

"boom!"

The violent impact seemed to shake the entire space. Nie Qingyun, who had dodged the attack again, did not retaliate. Instead, he turned and rushed towards the corridor where Ling Yuan and Ellie were located.

Through the exchange just now, he confirmed two things again.

Firstly, the arena formed by the barrier is indeed consistent with the description; once a battle begins, those inside cannot leave.

If you try to force your way through, you will be bounced back by an invisible energy.

Secondly, the [Ominous Sign] also cannot leave the barrier, and the impact of the battles that occur inside will not affect things outside, nor will it generate hatred towards people outside the barrier.

With these two conclusions as support, he could confidently ask his senior to help him revive.