novelraw Chapter 334: A Desperate Gamble
Chapter 334: A Desperate Gamble
A rush of wings.
Adai was flying with regal elegance — wings spread wide, circling at over four hundred meters altitude, paying special attention to the densely vegetated valleys and ravines below, with particular focus on thickets of undergrowth. His manner was alert and watchful.
All of it performed exactly as Li Wei had instructed.
Every detail suggested that Li Wei's side had taken significant losses from the trap in the thicket.
Everything fit the expected logic.
Li Wei was closing in slowly, using the terrain. He couldn't see the two Neanderthals, but he knew how to avoid their likely routes and could roughly estimate their positions and intentions. He even laid a few traps of his own in spots that might prove useful — better than nothing.
Suddenly, Adai seemed to notice something — a small snapped twig. He immediately shot upward in alarm, climbing to over eight hundred meters, circling several times in apparent agitation, then turned decisively and flew west. Clearly heading back to report.
But after crossing two mountain peaks, he dropped altitude immediately, flew low and circled back, closing to within the ten-kilometer effective link range with Li Wei.
"Adai — don't approach. Stay low and on standby."
Li Wei gave the silent command. At that moment, two figures burst from the valley ahead — but they didn't stop at the spot where Adai had spotted the broken twig. Instead, using the terrain, they moved to several choke points ahead and began setting traps.Then further traps behind those — chain traps, designed so that only when the forward trap was triggered would the rear traps activate. Anyone who thought retreating along their original path was safe would learn a painful lesson.
These chain traps were almost certainly Three-Star enchanted mechanisms — non-physical triggers, nearly impossible to detect without exceptional Perception.
Li Wei watched the two Neanderthals work — setting traps, chatting happily, occasionally letting out strange laughs. Their language was completely unintelligible, untranslatable in real time. These were clearly enemies from outside the All-Heavens Lord Alliance.
Li Wei used the terrain and his Shadow Concealment passive talent to close in gradually, until he was within five hundred meters. Then he stopped behind a boulder, silently drew the Enchanted Strong Bow, and took out five Three-Star Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrows. He didn't look at the Neanderthals' positions. He didn't need to aim.
The next second, Li Wei drew the bow to full draw and fired three rapid shots.
At four or five hundred meters, the sound of arrows cutting the air instantly alerted both Neanderthals. One reacted with extraordinary speed — a sharp shout, and a massive Enchanted Tower Shield appeared in his hand, glowing with an eerie dark blue light.
The other, covered by his partner, rolled and transformed into a pangolin over a meter long, dove underground under the shield's cover, and vanished. An excellent way to break target lock. Li Wei immediately lost track of him — and expected the target to resurface within ten seconds at an advantageous position to suppress Li Wei.
Because the first Neanderthal was already charging toward Li Wei's position, shield raised, moving fast.
And not just that — he summoned three massive hunting hounds, howling as they spread out to encircle from multiple directions.
Both Five-Star. Not one Four-Star and one Five-Star. Both Five-Star.
Are you on a Cross-Border Mission?
The thought flashed through Li Wei's mind. At the same moment, he recalled Adai and fired the fourth Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrow — activating Adai's talent: Death Lock.
The arrow flew wide on purpose — but under Adai's control, it curved in an arc toward the Neanderthal's rear.
This was the signature technique from the day Adai had earned his MVP.
The arrow wasn't just an arrow — it was a delivery vehicle, sending Adai in to unleash Ice Magic.
One second later, Adai materialized thirty meters behind the Neanderthal, wings sweeping wide. An ice storm took shape and screamed forward.
But facing this sudden reversal, the Neanderthal only grinned savagely. He dropped the shield in an instant, drew a long blade, and turned to slash directly into the ice storm. The blade's gleam put the ice storm to shame.
He wasn't afraid of Ice Magic?
Adai was genuinely terrified — the blade's edge nearly sheared off several feathers. He was a heartbeat from death when Li Wei recalled him at the last possible moment.
But that had bought Li Wei a small advantage.
Because the Enchanted Strong Bow now had a Four-Star Enchanted Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrow nocked.
And in the space between his brows, the Destiny Matrix formed by four Profession Cards ignited. Full-Grid Resonance activated. The Enchanted Strong Bow resonated with it. Magical energy burned. Destiny Grids howled. Even the mountain forest seemed to resonate — because this was Li Wei's domain.
Seven hundred percent bonus damage was fully realized in this moment.
The shot was invisible. No one could see how Li Wei drew the bow or how the Four-Star Enchanted Armor-Piercing Arrow was released. Near-double sonic speed. No arc needed.
Five hundred meters was nothing.
The Neanderthal's expression shifted in an instant. He tried to turn and block with the shield — but he was a fraction too slow. Three successive layers of magical light blazed across his body — magical tools, or something like a Noble Crest, designed to nullify lethal attacks to the greatest possible degree.
Worthy of a Five-Star Cross-Border Neanderthal.
But Li Wei wasn't using an ordinary Three-Star armor-piercing arrow. He was using an Enchanted Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrow — specifically designed to break through magical shields.
In that moment, the magical light extinguished instantly. The arrow's own enchantment also burned out simultaneously. Mutual annihilation.
But it didn't matter. The arrow's raw physical power remained entirely intact.
A hardened steel arrowhead the length of an adult's palm. Three razor-edged ridges. Still carrying over double sonic impact force. Combined with devastating precision — nothing could prevent what followed.
The Neanderthal's eyes had only a moment to flash with despair before his neck was severed at the root. Not pierced — severed.
His body dissolved into a mist of blood, pulled away by some force. But two brilliant lights remained — a blazing gold and a vivid purple. Universal Gold Card and a purple drop card.
Li Wei immediately recalled Adai, who flew over and collected both. Li Wei himself put away the bow and ran.
As he ran, he downed a Stamina Elixir. The three hunting hounds were closing in. And the other Neanderthal had transformed into a hunting leopard, cutting off his escape from another direction with terrifying speed and agility.
Killing intent, absolute and overwhelming.
Li Wei's instincts told him this Neanderthal was at the level of Chu Wushuang. He couldn't win a direct fight.
He probably couldn't have beaten the first one either — but his three-hit combination had been too powerful, and with the small advantage he'd built in advance, plus Adai's cooperation and the enemy's brief moment of underestimation, he had landed the kill.
This one had immediately learned from that. He wasn't giving Li Wei any room to use his ranged advantage.
He had found the right approach. With three Three-Star hunting hounds assisting, if Li Wei got pinned down, he was almost certainly dead.
Adai made several attempts to circle back and use Ice Magic — each time the Neanderthal dodged without difficulty, completely unaffected. So Adai fell back to a secondary objective: deal with the three hunting hounds. That was easy enough. Just dogs with no eyes.
As for Li Wei — he ran. Zigzagging. Through ravines. Along ridgelines. Burning every last reserve of stamina. And still the distance was closing.
Just as the leopard was about to catch him, Li Wei suddenly stumbled and fell — rolling forward like a tumbling gourd. At almost the same instant, three sharp Enchanted Ballista Bolts fired from the grass ahead.
A trap.
A Two-Star trap.
One of Li Wei's own.
All that exhausting reconnaissance. All that map memorization. All that careful preparation. Had it been for nothing?
Every advantage was built from accumulated effort, one piece at a time.
You thought I only had three moves? No — call me Li Wei, Master of Traps.
The Enchanted Ballista Bolts hit with tremendous force. And the timing — perfectly calibrated to the direction of Li Wei's charge, triggered at the exact moment the leopard was mid-leap.
Flawless execution.
All three hit. The leopard was forced back to human form. Two layers of magical light flared and absorbed two of the bolts. But the third drove into his abdomen, punching clean through.
Li Wei was already on his feet, and in the moment the enemy was staggered, the Bloodthirsty War Spear flew from his hand like lightning.
But the Neanderthal's capabilities were beyond Li Wei's comprehension. In the instant the spear was about to connect, a brilliant magical shield appeared — unlike anything before, this one persisted for three full seconds.
Li Wei watched his Enchanted War Spear dissolve against the shield. At the same moment, the Neanderthal yanked the ballista bolt from his own gut, downed a Life Elixir, and looked completely unbothered.
Li Wei cursed inwardly and turned to run again, downing a Stamina Elixir of his own, hoping to reach the second trap position.
Then a sense of imminent doom hit him. No time to think. He didn't dare look back. He switched to the Tracker title immediately — Perception to +5.
Necessary. Every point of Perception brought transformative results.
Sure enough, the lethal sensation sharpened with sudden clarity.
An arrow.
The Neanderthal had drawn a bow inside the magical shield. A Four-Star Enchanted Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrow glowed with dark light, waiting for the shield to expire before delivering the same treatment Li Wei had given his partner.
Could he dodge?
No. Near-double sonic speed — detection was destruction.
Was there any rock cover nearby?
None. He was charging up a ridge. No matter what he did, he couldn't escape.
His only advantage — his only chance at survival — was that he could predict the exact moment the arrow would be released.
In that instant, Li Wei became absolutely calm. Perception +5 tracked the lethal threat with perfect clarity. Then — he spun around, drew the Enchanted Greatsword, dropped to one knee, and drove the blade into the ground.
He was going to use the Enchanted Greatsword to block the kill shot.
At almost the same moment, the Neanderthal's presence surged to its peak. There was no possibility of holding back now.
The arrow had to fly.
He adjusted the angle slightly — but with Perception +5, Li Wei adjusted simultaneously. And then, in an instant — like Zhao Xuanxuan's hammer coming down — both hands went numb. The magical energy in the Enchanted Greatsword shuddered. One hundred points of enchantment durability burned away instantly.
A hole was punched through the blade.
But that was all. The lethal Four-Star Enchanted Sniper Armor-Piercing Arrow had not taken Li Wei's life.
The next second, Li Wei switched back to the Flame Baron title, snapped off the arrow shaft, picked up the Enchanted Greatsword, and ran.
He had given up on a clean sweep. That was impossible — these Neanderthals were stronger than he had imagined.
And he was willing to bet that as long as he escaped, the information would get back within a day — there was a one-day delay on events in the pioneering mission world.
The Neanderthal transformed back into a leopard and gave chase without hesitation.
Killing Li Wei would expose them, yes — but it would buy more time. And how could he let this human with extraordinary Perception simply escape? He had just watched his partner get sniped. He knew that even he himself, caught off guard, would have had almost no chance of surviving that shot.
An archer like this — especially one operating alone — had to be eliminated.
Within moments, the leopard closed the gap again. But this time it was more careful — maintaining the chase while watching Li Wei's movements closely, knowing the human might be a trap master.
Then Li Wei made a feinting motion — clearly there was another trap ahead.
The leopard immediately swerved sideways to avoid it. But Li Wei had only been faking. In the instant the leopard leaped sideways, Li Wei reversed his grip on the Enchanted Dagger and threw it — burying it in the leopard's ribs, forcing him back to human form again.
Li Wei pressed the advantage, swinging the Enchanted Greatsword as he charged in. Let's fight to the death then.
But the Neanderthal transformed into a sable, dodging effortlessly. The next instant, a flash of cold steel — a long spear drove at Li Wei's throat.
Fast.
No time to dodge. No time to parry with the sword. Three layers of magical light burst open in rapid succession — like popping bubbles.
One thrust had broken through all the magical shields on his Noble Crest.
Li Wei broke into a cold sweat — but it had bought him a moment to breathe.
The Enchanted Greatsword found an opening, blocking and counter-striking. He felt his 45 Strength straining against what must have been 50 Strength on the other side.
The spear came again — a flurry of thrusts, like a dragon's tail, like a tiger entering deep mountains, like a great bird soaring upward. Li Wei was being overwhelmed. His Perception +4 was being beaten like a punching bag.
He couldn't even manage a mutual kill. His best efforts barely kept him alive. The Neanderthal was simply too strong.
This was a true Five-Star Cross-Border expert — nothing like Li Yue or Liang Yuzhi.
In those brief moments, Li Wei was driven to the edge — sweat-soaked, soul nearly fleeing his body, barely holding on. Every second felt like dancing on the border between life and death. Every moment felt like he was about to give out.
He felt like every last drop of his potential was being wrung out of him.
And then Adai, having finished off the three hunting hounds, came screaming in — ice spike arrows raining down like a swarm of locusts.
Good news: this Neanderthal apparently couldn't nullify Ice Magic.
So he had to split his attention.
Bad news: Adai's ice spikes couldn't break through his defense. The occasional hit barely mattered.
But for Li Wei, it was a lifeline.
The Neanderthal's focus split even slightly, and the pressure on Li Wei eased slightly. He had stopped trying to counter-attack. He just needed to hold on — because the Neanderthal was bleeding.
Two wounds. The first a through-and-through. Even with a Life Elixir, this level of sustained high-intensity combat was taking its toll.
After several more exchanges, the Neanderthal clearly wanted to disengage.
He knew his own condition. Worse — Li Wei had Adai. He had nothing. His three hunting hounds had been as useful as actual dogs.
He tried to transform into a leopard and retreat. But Li Wei came at him like a man with nothing to lose — reckless, relentless, willing to trade wound for wound just to keep him here.
Finally, the accumulated injuries slowed him for just a fraction of a second. Li Wei seized it — a sword thrust connected, hitting the Neanderthal's arm. He grunted. His grip on the spear failed. In the next instant he transformed into a bear over five meters tall — desperation move.
But this was panic medicine for a desperate illness. Without the spear's flowing suppression, Li Wei was as agile as a monkey — he dodged the massive paw swipe effortlessly, leaped onto the bear's neck and back, and was about to drive the Enchanted Greatsword down when the Neanderthal transformed back to human form, let out a strange laugh, and crashed into Li Wei's chest — initiating a full-body grapple.
He didn't care that Li Wei's sword was striking his back. He fought like an animal — and bit down on Li Wei's shoulder and neck, tearing out a chunk of flesh.
What the—
In this situation, Li Wei had no choice but to drop the sword and wrestle back. Biting, clawing, rolling on the ground. Even Adai was stunned watching.
Street brawl energy.
But Adai wasn't actually stupid. When Li Wei managed to pin the Neanderthal's head down, Adai dove in and completed the achievement of blinding him with his talons.
Even then, the Neanderthal had seemingly endless strength — both hands locked around Li Wei's throat, refusing to let go even in death. It wasn't until Adai found the right angle and sliced through his throat with a talon, draining the last of his life and blood, that Li Wei finally escaped being strangled to death.
Absolutely ridiculous.