Chapter 83: A Moment Between Life and Death (Part Two)

Xue Feifei rested the laser gun on her shoulder and waved toward Kong Zhe in the distance, shouting, “Hey, it’s ready! Get away from it, I’m about to aim—”

Kong Zhe’s heart leapt with joy at her words, and he quickly changed direction, running toward Xue Feifei. Behind him, the Hydra remained oblivious to its status as prey, following him relentlessly, still fixated on the chase.

“Xiao Lei?”

Only now did Kong Zhe notice Xiao Lei on the opposite side, her face flustered as she ran toward him. He felt puzzled, unable to fathom her sudden behavior, but he wasn’t overly concerned; she was still a fair distance away, and this interval should suffice for Xue Feifei to kill the monster.

Zigzagging as he ran, Kong Zhe sought to buy Xue Feifei the best possible shot. He didn’t know exactly how the laser gun would perform but guessed it’d be similar to an ordinary bullet. Besides, the Hydra was enormous; even a novice could hardly miss, and Xue Feifei’s marksmanship was solid. Thus, Kong Zhe believed he had created ample opportunity for her to shoot.

But as he drew closer to Xiao Lei, he sensed something was wrong—why hadn’t Xue Feifei fired yet?

Instinctively, he glanced in her direction and saw her still adjusting her aim, gun raised.

Could she be afraid?

Kong Zhe suddenly recalled the scene yesterday when Xue Feifei shot the fishman. A certain uneasy premonition rose within him.

Indeed, Xue Feifei was afraid. Handling and assembling firearms was her forte, something she could do swiftly and flawlessly, even when pressed for speed. But to kill a monster—especially one so immense...

She had thought she wouldn’t be scared, especially after yesterday’s targeted training. Watching Kong Zhe battle the giant serpent just moments ago hadn’t frightened her. Yet, when it came time for her to personally hunt the beast, she realized it wasn’t so simple. She now understood the terror behind what Kong Zhe had always been doing.

She was far more timid than she’d imagined. Xue Feifei could feel her hand trembling on the gun. Though she forced herself to suppress it, such instinctive physical reactions were not so easily banished.

But now was no time for hesitation. Kong Zhe was leading the serpent ever closer, his urgency plain; she had to shoot quickly.

Though the sight had been adjusted to perfection, she couldn’t help but double-check it. Taking a deep breath, Xue Feifei aimed at the serpent and squeezed the trigger.

Yet in that final moment, she instinctively closed her eyes. To her, if she couldn’t see the monster, her fear would diminish. The target was so large it was nearly impossible to miss, and she trusted her own marksmanship. Closing her eyes even helped her relax slightly—perhaps she’d shoot better than with her eyes open.

“Hiss!”

The Hydra’s furious screech rang almost in Kong Zhe’s ear as he sprinted; he could sense the serpent was only a step behind, and any hesitation would mean death.

Meanwhile, Xiao Lei was drawing nearer, still wearing that panicked expression as she looked at him.

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Kong Zhe simply couldn’t understand Xiao Lei’s sudden panic. Yet he had no time to dwell on it. If Xue Feifei didn’t fire soon and Xiao Lei got close, he’d have to protect her, but with the serpent right behind him, even a slight pause could be fatal. So Kong Zhe kept signaling frantically to Xiao Lei.

But she was stubborn, running toward him regardless.

Just as Kong Zhe was becoming desperate—

“Whoosh!”

A faint sound sliced through the air, quieter than a silenced pistol. If not for Kong Zhe’s sharp hearing, he’d have missed it entirely.

He instantly realized that flash in the air was a laser shot from Xue Feifei’s gun. She had finally fired.

Yet before he could rejoice, he glimpsed the direction of the shot—and felt a sudden chill.

The gun’s muzzle seemed pointed at him.

“No!”

Xiao Lei seemed to envision Kong Zhe being pierced by the laser, the very scenario that had made her so anxious moments ago. Now, it was happening before her eyes. She cried out in anguish, right hand outstretched as if to save him.

Faintly, Kong Zhe saw a shimmer of light flicker over Xiao Lei’s extended hand. Suddenly, he slipped, instinctively tilting his head back. In that instant, a “whoosh” sounded by his ear, his cheek burned as something grazed past, leaving a long wound that bled profusely.

“Hiss!”

Behind him, the Hydra let out a shrill roar; its belly seemed pierced by something sharp, a deep wound left behind. Its massive body collapsed heavily, shaking the ground several times.

Kong Zhe’s face turned deathly pale. He had just survived yet another brush with death. He now knew firsthand the power of Xue Feifei’s laser gun. As the laser shot flew past his face, he felt Death reaching out to him. Had he not instinctively tilted his head, he would surely have been shot dead. The memory left him weak with fear, his chest nauseated. When he came to, he realized his back was drenched in cold sweat.

“Eee…”

The Hydra’s roar had faded, a feeble, wheezing sound replacing its former might, like a bellows in its final moments.

Xue Feifei’s laser gun had worked; though the damage wasn’t high for the Hydra’s formidable defenses, it had pierced through. The Hydra’s health was already below fifty points; Xue Feifei’s shot, though not devastating, was enough to empty its health bar. Its life force was ruptured, and it now survived only by sheer physical resilience.

Yet, as with Sumei Qin not long ago, its struggle was futile. Any creature whose life force is ruptured cannot escape death.

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If the Hydra simply died now, it would count as Xue Feifei’s kill. Being an ordinary person, she couldn’t receive experience. Kong Zhe, as the main contributor, would only get half the experience. That would waste a tremendous amount. So he had to deliver the final blow himself.

Kong Zhe pulled the Fishman Ripper Dagger from his ring and hurled it at the Hydra.

The green dagger gleamed coldly; in the Hydra’s terrified gaze, it struck its thick scales with a clang, sinking a few centimeters but getting stuck. Such was the Hydra’s defense. Yet even that minor wound was fatal now. Small as the dagger was compared to its vast body, it easily snuffed out its last breath.

Ding! Congratulations to Blackwing Jax for slaying the level 15 Hydra, an over-level kill. Experience calculation in progress…

Ding! Calculation complete. Surpassed level by 10, drop rate increased many times. Obtained one bronze treasure chest, 8 gold coins, 62 silver coins, and 7354 experience points.

Kong Zhe’s experience bar surged upward, leaping past the leveling threshold.

At the Hydra’s death site, items began to spill out with a clatter—mostly gold and silver coins. Magical currency scattered across the ground, dazzling everyone with its golden glow.

At the very center, lay a half-cubic bronze chest. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary metal box, but its surface shimmered blue, unmistakably marking it as a precious magical item.

A drop rate boosted over twentyfold yielded only a single bronze chest, showing just how rare equipment drops were in the apocalypse.

It was only because Kong Zhe had the tentacle summon skill and caught the Hydra during childbirth that he had a chance to kill it. Even so, the ordeal was perilous. Ordinary awakened ones would never have the opportunity to slay a monster ten levels above them. For a long time to come, battered and wooden chests would be the norm, while bronze chests remained rare treasures, let alone silver or gold.

But Kong Zhe had no time to admire the loot. He quickly gathered everything from the ground, then stormed over to Xue Feifei, breathing hard, veins bulging on his forehead.

“You—!”

He managed only a single word, unable to express his feelings, glaring at her with piercing eyes to show his displeasure.

“What—what’s wrong? Isn’t the monster dead? Why are you glaring at me?”

Xue Feifei, having finally relaxed after the monster’s death and busy tidying her gun, was startled by Kong Zhe’s fierce glare. Because she’d closed her eyes when firing, she hadn’t witnessed the harrowing scene that nearly claimed Kong Zhe’s life.

Though she didn’t understand what mistake she’d made, Kong Zhe’s intimidating look made her heart beat anxiously.

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