Wasteland Hideout: Upgrading from the Sewers

Chapter 177: Yu Yuan, the Essence of a Battlefield Rat

In the corridor of Freedom Tower's third floor, darkness enveloped everything.

With the aid of his Dark Vision, Yu Yuan could clearly see the player not far away, gripping a large hammer, beginning to move stealthily, shifting his position.

But with the enhancement of his [Neighborhood Rat] title, Yu Yuan could still hear the other's movements—not just footsteps, but also the rustling of clothing and equipment.

From the direction of the passage on the other side of the hall, some faint, fragmented sounds were captured by Yu Yuan's fully focused attention.

Listening to the movements of the two players, Yu Yuan slowed his own breathing considerably, quietly waiting for the battle between the two sides to begin.

Clearly, they had both discovered each other and each regarded the other as prey, gradually closing in.

Closer, even closer!

Suddenly.

*Zzzzzzzip...*

A relatively clear sound of a bow being drawn, an arrow nocked, and the bowstring being pulled taut echoed in the corridor.*Thwip...*

Immediately after, Yu Yuan saw an arrow shoot towards the location of the player holding the large hammer.

The other party promptly hid behind a hall pillar. The arrow grazed past the pillar and flew towards the wall.

*Snap—*

Lights lit up in the hall. The archer player had turned on his headlamp, illuminating the area around the hall pillar brightly.

Hiding in a corner, Yu Yuan also saw the archer's equipment. The gear on the other player's body was likely also found in Freedom Tower.

Its style was identical to the gear he himself was wearing.

And so, right under his nose, the two players began a game of cat and mouse around that pillar. The archer constantly sought an opening, while the hammer player carefully hid, looking for a chance to counterattack.

"Brother, are you sure you want to fight? Wouldn't it be better if we didn't interfere with each other collecting supplies and evacuating? There's no need to fight to the death, right?" The hammer player's voice came from behind the pillar.

However, Yu Yuan saw the hammer player, during a lull in the hiding, place the hammer aside and take a long spear from his back.

This spear was clearly homemade, a style Yu Yuan had never seen before.

Clearly, the other also knew that a hammer wasn't very suitable against a long-range weapon like a bow.

A spear was more agile and lighter.

That wasn't all. Yu Yuan then saw the other untie the clothing at his waist, revealing a row of... throwing knives!

Yu Yuan blinked, confirming he hadn't seen wrong. They really were throwing knives.

He was genuinely gaining new knowledge.

He could understand the bow, but someone who played with throwing knives? He really hadn't expected that.

Hearing the voice from behind the pillar, the archer curled his lips into a mocking smile.

"I wish that were the case too, but who made the Wasteland Battle Royale's settlement mechanism tied to the number of players killed? So, you'd better come out quickly! Don't waste time."

That's what he said, but the archer's body slowly retreated, backing into the passage he came from, creating space for maneuvering and kiting.

Clearly, he was also wary of the possibility of the other rushing in for close combat.

Watching the actions of the two, Yu Yuan raised an eyebrow slightly.

Interesting!

So the Wasteland Battle Royale's settlement rewards were actually related to the number of players killed. This was something Yu Yuan hadn't known before.

Fortunately, knowing now wasn't too late.

Yu Yuan carefully adjusted his hiding position, observing the situation of the two.

Just as he thought the stalemate would continue, he saw the archer's right hand, which was pulling the bowstring, suddenly twist half a turn to the left.

Then he abruptly released. Under Yu Yuan's astonished gaze, that arrow curved in a wide arc, drawing a curve around the pillar and shooting towards the player hiding behind it.

"Holy crap... what is this?" Yu Yuan was shocked in his heart.

The hammer player hiding behind the pillar had just picked up a throwing knife, preparing to find an opportunity to throw it.

As a result, he saw an arrow flying swiftly from beside the pillar, and a look of utter disbelief appeared on his face.

But before he could react, the arrow had already pierced his left shoulder. Although protected by Rare-tier clothing, the bow in the archer's hand was also a weapon found in a treasure chest!

Blood instantly seeped from the wound.

Meanwhile, after firing the first arrow, the archer once again nocked an arrow and let it fly. However, this time the flight direction was towards the other side of the pillar.

He wanted to attack from both sides.

But this shot wasn't successful, because the moment the hammer player was hit, he had already crouched down, dodging the second arrow.

He immediately pulled the arrowhead from his body, then took out a syringe and jabbed it into his neck.

Intense pain made the veins on his body bulge, but as the syringe's contents were quickly injected, his face turned flushed.

The pain on his body subsided. The hammer player picked up a throwing knife and hurled it towards the archer. Even though it was a throwing knife, he was clearly trained. Its accuracy was no worse than the bow.

The archer shrunk his body against the wall to dodge.

While the archer was dodging, the hammer player grabbed the long spear with his left hand and charged towards the archer.

While running, he continued to throw knives.

Hearing the sound of the other running, the archer didn't dare hesitate. He immediately retreated and once again aimed his drawn bow at the passage entrance.

*Thwip...*

The moment the hammer player peeked out, the archer immediately released the arrow.

Who would have thought this was actually a feint by the hammer player to bait the shot? The moment he peeked out, he had already pulled his head back. The arrow grazed past his scalp.

Seizing this opportunity, a throwing knife flew from the hammer player's hand and embedded itself in the archer's thigh.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

Heart-stopping.

Watching the intense clash between the two, Yu Yuan gradually gained an understanding of the strength of other players.

The archer's archery and the hammer player's throwing knives were likely combat skills, similar in nature to his own [Precision Shooting].

But both players were quite skilled.

And these were just newbie players like him who had just passed the Newbie Protection Period. They were already this capable. How could other veteran players be weak?

The slight complacency Yu Yuan had felt due to his consecutive victories in invasion wars vanished completely at this moment.

When it came down to it, his previous invasion war victories were entirely because he held the home-field advantage and had fortified the sewer and civil defense shelter level into an iron-clad defense.

If he were to truly face those veteran players head-on in a direct fight, victory or defeat would be far from certain.

"Veteran players... still can't be underestimated!"

That's what he said, but Yu Yuan wasn't foolish enough to actually clash head-on with enemies.

If there was a chance to trick one to death, that was one less. It would be best if they all ended up like Blood Wolf, landing and turning into a box.

Just like now.

Watching the hammer player and the archer chase each other away, Yu Yuan had absolutely no intention of following.

What's the hurry?

There's still plenty of time!

Yu Yuan took the opportunity to approach the pillar area and directly stored that large hammer into his Rabbit Ring.

He had been eyeing this weapon for a long time. It clearly wasn't ordinary equipment. Sure enough, it was actually a Rare-tier weapon.

Struck gold!

"Damn! If hit by this hammer, there's a chance to trigger a fracture effect. And the greater the strength, the higher the probability of fracture occurring. So brutal!"

Yu Yuan clicked his tongue in amazement inwardly.

This weapon was practically tailor-made for him.

Don't forget, after equipping Mie Mie, his strength was off the charts.

The battle in the distant passage continued, the commotion growing even louder. Not only that, he noticed that as the sounds faded into the distance, a red light dot deep within the 3rd floor began to move.

The direction of its movement was precisely towards the location of the two players' fight.

"Elite-level Infected..." Yu Yuan licked his lips.

"Forget it, let them wear each other out first. I'll reluctantly collect the spoils of war here!"

"The Wasteland Battle Royale truly lives up to its evaluation of having extremely high-value supplies. This wave is a huge profit!"

Yu Yuan began searching the bodies of the slain Infected.

Not letting go of any opportunity to scavenge—this was the essence of being a battlefield rat!

Yu Yuan's looting movements were quite proficient.

An ancestral craft, honed on the battlefield, trustworthy!