Player Reload
Chapter 167 - 153: The End

Chapter 167: Chapter 153: The End

In the midst of the thunderstorm, Li Cheng extended his left hand and firmly clutched the head of the puppet. The latter’s ancient and immutable cold eyes seemed to take on a layer of astonishment at this moment.

Bang!

Li Cheng smashed down with one arm, pressing the puppet’s head heavily against the ground. The liquid metal armor transformed from Gray Rain grew rough spikes under his boots, digging into the ice, providing enough grip.

Leaning forward, shifting his center of gravity downward, bending his thighs, Li Cheng began a mad dash atop the ice, pressing down on the puppet’s head, causing the back of its skull to crash into the layer below, plowing through layers of ice like the bow of an icebreaker.

Not just that, the Thunder Horn created an extremely intelligent storm that centered around Li Cheng and moved with him. Whenever blades of ice and frost swords formed around him, the Thunder Snake and Electric Python would immediately shatter them and pierce into the layer below, continuing to strike the puppet itself.

The puppet struggled violently, attempting to counterattack, as the Eternal Freeze Cold Air spread along the contact surface of both parties, swiftly covering the liquid metal with a layer of white frost.

Li Cheng and Gray Rain immediately severed ties decisively, actively peeling off the frozen hardened parts of the left arm.

The Thunder Horn would automatically attack all targets except the user, with thunder and lightning striking the falling metal shards, defrosting them.

Melted blobs of liquid metal turned into spherical shapes, cursing and grumbling as they rolled away on the icy surface.

"...Is this kid really Level 9?"

Bai Lang, who was watching from afar, had a somewhat twisted expression. Normally, Transcendents of this level, due to the limited capacity of Spiritual Power, couldn’t supply too much Equipment or Skills and would often rely on modern gunpowder weapons as the main means of attack, shooting from a distance.

Close-quarters combat, with its stringent requirements for physical fitness, psychological quality, and combat skills, did not offer a high "cost-effectiveness ratio."

Moreover, close combat made it easier to sustain injuries – all Medical items and Skills in the Slaughter Field Game were exorbitantly priced. Unscrupulous merchants in shabby streets dared to sell a simple bandage that could speed up wound healing for two to three hundred Game Coins.

"Should be."

Su Jie nodded with a complex expression, very certain that the last time they met, the Ant did not have this ability, "We should go over now."

He activated his Rocket Backpack and flew forward, with Bai Lang and Andre following behind.

Boom!

The path ahead was cut off by a tall building, Li Cheng grabbed the puppet’s head with his left hand and smashed it into the wall. After a series of strikes, half of the puppet’s head was ground down, exposing a lot of cotton, and its body was covered with scorch marks from thunder and lightning.

In Li Cheng’s right hand was a shiny, silver-colored 170 Straight Blade, which he chopped from the upper right to the lower left into the puppet’s shoulder.

Clang——

The previously unstoppable sharp Straight Blade struck against something and got stuck within the puppet’s chest, unable to advance further.

Solid ice.

Unbeknownst to when, the puppet had created a series of ice pillars as strong as alloy materials beneath its skin, protecting its heart and spine.

Moreover, the chilling intent attached to the ice pillars quickly expanded further, forming a layer of ice on the surface of the puppet and encasing the 170 Straight Blade as well, rendering it impossible to withdraw.

Beneath the ice shell, the puppet’s face trembled, attempting to switch to the next form.

Death Curse Torrent!

Li Cheng activated the White Bone Corridor, his Protective Bracelet spraying out black water like a ship’s Water Cannon.

The puppet instinctively felt danger and immediately interrupted the form change, releasing more chill to freeze the black water.

The black water solidified into solid ice, sealing the puppet within like a heavy coffin, connecting to Li Cheng’s hand via the Straight Blade.

If one really had to describe it, it actually resembled a candy haw...

Swoosh——

Li Cheng shifted his feet sideways, twisted his waist sharply, and with both hands holding the hilt of the Straight Blade, he smashed the coffin-like black solid ice heavily against the wall, breaking through the brick wall.

Beyond the wall was a candy store, with glass showcases filled with assorted candies and chocolates. The Thunder Horn, indiscriminate in its targets, wildly unleashed electric shocks, melting the candies and filling the room with a sweet fragrance.

Li Cheng shot out the Bat Hook Claw into the roof beam, briefly gaining Acceleration, and while gliding forward he swung the hilt again, smashing the chunk of ice through another wall and breaking out.

He then released the temporary Skill named "Feathered Gliding" acquired from the last mission, briefly gliding in mid-air to extend his time aloft.

Useless.

Inside the ice coffin, the puppet once again began its transformation. With each change in form, it healed its previous injuries and became stronger. By then, it would easily crush these...

Wait, what’s that?

Reflected inside the black ice coffin was the scenery behind the store wall. There stood a distinctly familiar red phone booth, a symbol of absolute safety.

And the spherical Liquid Metal that Li Cheng had opportunistically splashed out had already taken the chance during their entanglement to circle around to the street behind the store, and in coordination, opened the big door of the phone booth.

As long as it doesn’t accommodate more than two humans, the phone booth is an absolutely safe existence in the entire park. Security protocol number nine states that a visitor who starts to grow hair on their body can be taken inside the phone booth to remove the contamination caused by the Princess puppet.

Like Don Quixote charging at windmills with his lance, Li Cheng stuffed the Straight Blade along with the ice coffin at its end into the phone booth.

Only one step remained.

The sheath-like Liquid Metal wrapping the Straight Blade divided by itself, allowing the rusty broadsword hidden inside to be smoothly drawn, and with that, there were no further obstacles.

No!

On the eternal indifferent face of the puppet, intense emotions finally emerged—fear, regret, resentment, unwillingness surfaced in turn,

But none of these could stop Li Cheng’s hands from slowly and firmly closing the phone booth door, sealing away the black ice coffin and the puppet inside.

Hiss—Hiss—

Like a leaky balloon, the puppet quickly shriveled and deflated, turning into a rag doll sloppily patched together.

It was over.

Li Cheng exhaled a breath of extremely cold air, stepped back half a step, and solemnly watched the phone booth. Only when he confirmed that the rag doll inside no longer moved did he lower the Nuclear Energy Lighter turned to the fourth setting.

"Sheesh, so cold, so cold! I’m out of here!"

Gray Rain reverted from its armor form and recollected the Liquid Metal from the ground and inside the phone booth, teleporting back into the Electronic Pet Egg in a hurry, and not forgetting to glance at the sky before leaving.

About two minutes remained before sunset, and as the puppet devolved into a rag doll, the air raid sirens echoing in the sky abruptly stopped, and the Fantasy Castle dissipated on its own.

[Regular Task "Nightmare at the Amusement Park" completed]

The system notification sounded just in time, announcing the complete conclusion of this mission.

Bai Lang, who also heard the system broadcast, changed his expression slightly, greeted from afar, and then sprinted hurriedly towards the park exit.

So did Andre, after nodding to Su Jie and Li Cheng and dropping a quick "Thank you", he left the park in the opposite direction to Bai Lang, not wanting to linger a moment longer.

Obviously, they both believed Li Cheng’s previous ruse about the "Special Affairs Bureau sending reinforcements to surround the place in the real world," and were unwilling to stay long.

"Mr. Ant, thank you for this time, the Special Affairs Bureau..."

Before Su Jie could say something, he was interrupted by Li Cheng, "I wasn’t wrestling with the puppet just to help you or the head you’re after, so let’s skip the pleasantries. Besides, I’ve always been affiliated with the brother organization of the Special Affairs Bureau, the Dragon Concealment Military Base, so there’s no need for recruitment. Our paths may cross again."

Goddamn Dragon Concealment Military Base, so you remember Chu Xuan’s persona from the last mission, huh?!

Amidst Su Jie’s extremely annoyed expression, Li Cheng pulled open the phone booth door, broke apart the Black Ice Coffin, retrieved the rag doll, turned around and left with flair.