Kingdom of Corrosion
Chapter 467 - 241: In the Mountains (Part 1)

Chapter 467: Chapter 241: In the Mountains (Part 1)

Maya confirmed the positions for our firepower and planned our route, and we set off in the morning. Not long after entering the mountains, Sunlight and Starlight fell behind, erupting into an argument. As the guide, scout, point man, spearhead, trap-tester, and rope handler, Lin Wu only knew what was happening but not why, and it made him itch with curiosity. It’s not that he enjoyed gossip, but it was impossible to resist when the gossip was so explosive, especially since this was about a model couple, a golden boy and a girl made of jade.

So Wai took the lead as the point man while Lin Wu gradually fell back, his mind a hive of speculation. Maya, seeing through Lin Wu’s intentions, grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to the front of the group. Under Lin Wu’s questioning, Maya shared what she’d heard: "They seem to be arguing about Hardcore Mode. It looks like Starlight doesn’t want to stay in Hardcore Mode, while Sunlight wants to challenge himself by staying in it."

Maya said, "Sunlight indicated he would support Starlight and the others leaving Hardcore Mode. Starlight got so angry he cursed in Shrimpese, and the two started arguing in Shrimpese."

Lin Wu asked, "You don’t speak Shrimpese?"

Maya replied, "The purpose of a language is to communicate and learn. Shrimpese has no value in that respect." She was a pragmatist.

Lin Wu glanced at the romanticist Shana, who was supposed to be leading the rear guard and asked, "Hey, why are you at the front trying to eavesdrop on my private conversation with Maya?"

Shana let out an "Ah," looked up at Lin Wu, and stumbled forward. Fortunately, Maya was in front of her and not Lin Wu. Maya, quick as a flash, caught her, preventing a nasty fall. If it had been Lin Wu instead, he might have instinctively thrown a punch at Shana to knock her out of harm’s way rather than let her fall flat on her face. Whether or not others believed Lin Wu was capable of such a thing, at least Maya did.

After steadying Shana, Maya asked, "What happened?" her mind elsewhere.

"Nothing," Shana replied.

Lin Wu asked, "Shana, you understand Shrimpese, right?"

Shana answered, "A little."

Lin Wu encouraged her, "Go back to the rear and find out why they’re arguing. I need to, ahem, ’stir the pot’—no, I mean mediate."

Upon hearing this, Maya reflexively punched Lin Wu on the shoulder. Whether it was Lin Wu’s insolence or Maya’s unorthodox response, Shana turned a blind eye, feeling downcast, and said, "It should be fine, let’s go."

"Woof, woof."

The scout Wai stood immobile, while Lin Ma approached his side. The trail they were on was just an ordinary mountain path. On one side, there was a sloping hill; on the other, a steep cliff. Maya lifted her rifle and observed for a moment: "Six Wings, at least ten of them."

Maya opened the map and discovered that on the other side of the cliff was a lake resort, clearly the intended ambush spot for the Six Wings targeting players entering the lake area. However, from their position, the Six Wings were also blocking the mountain trail.

Lin Wu took out the Silencer and looked for a while: "Too long a range. Do we go or not?"

Maya said, "Let’s go. The rest of you, rest in place."

Lin Wu and the team sat down right there, while Maya chuckled and said, "You go."

"Hmph," Lin Wu, taking the Silent Night pistol and Beretta and huffing with indignation, set off.

No sooner had he walked 10 meters than the Six Wings swooped down. Lin Wu slowly raised his gun and waited; Lock Head made precise shots, and one after another, the Six Wings fell to the ground. After firing 6 bullets, he switched to the Beretta, and all 12 Six Wings were taken care of.

Lin Wu signaled the team to move forward, but saw Shana in the rear breaking up a fight. So he snuck closer and discovered Shana was also speaking Shrimpese. Sunlight and Starlight were looking at the ground and off to the side respectively, though seemingly no longer willing to engage with each other, they appeared to have stopped arguing.

Lin Wu muttered to Maya beside him, "Didn’t expect Shana to be such a busybody."

Maya sighed, "If you don’t understand anything, don’t talk nonsense. Let’s go."

The team split into three groups: Lin Ma and the dog in the lead, Peanut, Horse Soul, and Dashuang in the middle, and Shana and the couple, Starlight and Sunlight, at the rear. But soon Shana mixed into the middle group, while the little couple at the back fell further and further behind, causing everyone to stop and rest while waiting for them. After the break, the issue between Sunlight and Starlight was resolved; Starlight left the rear and went straight to the front, while Sunlight stayed with Shana at the back, chatting as they walked.

"Bear," Lin Wu spotted a mother bear and her cub eating berries in the distance and immediately crouched down, reaching into his backpack for a smoke grenade.

Maya quickly took the smoke grenade away, "We didn’t die last time because there was a slope. Now, the terrain is open; if they fire at us, a few of us are sure to get killed."

"What the hell?" Lin Wu complained.

Maya earnestly retorted, "Face your fears." Sometimes, you couldn’t reason directly with Lin Wu; you had to defeat him with his own logic.

Lin Wu said, "I’m not scared of them."

Maya challenged, "Prove it to me."

Lin Wu asked, "How do I prove it?"

Maya responded, "They clearly have no intention to attack, and they’re 15 meters from the road. If you lead us past them, I’ll believe you’re not afraid of the black bear."

"Tch!" Lin Wu puffed out his chest, gripping his assault rifle, and set out.

Starlight, who had been in a bad mood, couldn’t help but snicker, "You really know how to handle him."

Maya answered, "Practice makes perfect."

The black bear soon noticed Lin Wu approaching. Lin Wu pretended not to see it, striding forward with care, always keeping an eye on the bear in his peripheral vision. Should the bear dare charge, it wouldn’t be out of the question for Lin Wu to pull the pin on the smoke grenade and take the bear down with him.

Maybe the berries were too delicious, or maybe because there were many people, the black bear ultimately paid the group no mind and quietly led her cub away. It was clear she was scared, too.

...

After about a 40-minute walk, the team began to cross through the forest, another challenging part of their journey. Lin Wu took the lead. Swiftly scaling the rocky cliffs and carefully setting ropes in the more dangerous stretches, he helped everyone advance.

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