Chapter 3: The Volcanic Battle
1582 Words
Temperature: 53°C
Thermal Energy: +72
Liquid Level: 92%
Gas Sensitivity: 69%
Vacuum: 10%
Enemy Biological Units: 1
...
Having dawdled all the way here, Sister Housewife couldn't hold back anymore: "What do all these readings mean?"
Chu Ge explained, "This cave isn't very big, but the first two readings indicate that once we enter, each person's HP will drop by 4 points per second. With a liquid level at 92%, if I'm not mistaken, this should be a magma cave. The rising gas sensitivity and vacuum levels mean we'll face oxygen deficiency inside, which will lower the accuracy of our weapons and skills."
Sister Housewife exhaled deeply: "Bao Xiaodi, if it weren't for your help, we would've been half-dead just reaching this cave entrance. Thank you."
This time, her gratitude was genuine, not just for show.
Hot Chick was silent for a moment and then spoke: "Bao Feng, you should head back. Take the Desert Fox Land Rover and drive it to Dream Star Harbor. We'll pick it up when we return. Here's the key."
Chu Ge was taken aback: "What do you mean by this?"
Hot Chick replied, "That Malagobi is tough, and the inside of the cave is quite dangerous. Your job is done; thank you. I'll pay you as agreed when we return to the city."
Chu Ge responded, "What are you saying? Do you think I took your deposit for nothing? When you do a job, you have to love it, you know? I live off my technical skills. Let's go!" With that, he led the way into the cave.
Hot Chick and the others exchanged glances, then followed him in.
In reality, both Chu Ge and Hot Chick had their own plans. Hot Chick was worried that Chu Ge, being too low-level, would not only be ineffective in the upcoming fight but could also drag the team down. She had no idea of Chu Ge's true capabilities. Meanwhile, Chu Ge had a more calculated idea—once the fight broke out, there would definitely be casualties. If anything valuable dropped, why not seize the opportunity in the chaos? The others were high-level players with good equipment; even picking up one piece could make him rich.
Inside the cave, the scene was just as the sensor had indicated, and the four were stunned upon entering.
It was a hemispherical cave, not very large, but the entrance and the far end were separated by a 40-meter-wide chasm, connected by a narrow stone bridge just wide enough for one person.
Below the bridge was a massive pool, with fiery magma surging and roaring like countless demons shrieking.
On the small dead end across the chasm stood the Weasel Man, glowing in a full set of purple gear. Knowing he had nowhere else to run, he stood waiting for their arrival.
Seeing Hot Chick and her group, he was slightly surprised: "You got here faster than I expected."
Hot Chick glanced at her digital watch, her expression serious: "Only thirteen minutes left. If we don't take him down, the mission will fail."
Malagobi laughed: "Come on, you bunch of women, come and get me. If you can't take me down, be careful; I might come for you!"
Hearing this, Sister Housewife was infuriated. She gripped her energy sword, ready to charge.
"Wait!" Chu Ge stopped her, raising his Mauser.
Bang—
A sharp c***k echoed.
The Mauser's shot sounded like firecrackers exploding in a steel pipe, carrying an intimidating force.
The muzzle flashed brightly, spitting out a red flame as the bullet flew.
There was no dodging such a shot, and Malagobi didn't even try. In fact, the area he stood on was less than 5 square meters; dodging was impossible.
Chu Ge's intention was clear—to test the waters first. A Conjurer's HP generally increased by 50 points per level. Even if he had maxed out his Constitution specialization, at level 26, his HP wouldn't exceed 3000. Besides, no Conjurer in their right mind would put all their points into Constitution.
With a soft "thud," the bullet hit Malagobi's left shoulder. To everyone's shock, the damage number above his head read: **-21**.
Hot Chick was stunned: "How is that possible?"
As a Gunner, she knew the Mauser's stats. The weapon had a theoretical damage output of 576 joules, but various factors like humidity, wind speed, the opponent's defense, armor, and spells could reduce this. Even so, it shouldn't drop to just 21 joules of damage.
Malagobi laughed: "Do you really think you can kill me with a Mauser? Your naivety makes my lonely game a bit less boring. Thanks."
Sister Housewife almost exploded with anger.
Chu Ge contemplated: "The temperature and thermal energy here are too high, which greatly reduces the gun's performance. His purple gear must be high in fire resistance and defense, which is why the bullet's power was so diminished."
Hot Chick nodded: "Let me try." She unslung her MP5, aimed, and fired. The MP5 spat out a fierce burst of flames.
The sound of gunfire echoed as the MP5 emptied 30 rounds in four seconds. The damage numbers floated above Malagobi's head: **-25, -29, -24, -26...**
Despite the MP5's rapid fire, its accuracy dropped to 73.4%, and 9 bullets missed. With a muzzle energy of 630 joules, the result was barely better than Chu Ge's shot.
"This..." Hot Chick was clearly not expecting this. Having chased across mountains and rivers, no one imagined they'd face such a situation in the cave.
Chu Ge observed Malagobi, who had not attacked. At a distance of over 40 meters, his spells would also be weakened. He wasn't foolish; attacking now would be unwise. Delaying was his best strategy.
"Only ten minutes left until the 24-hour mark," Oath said anxiously, casting "Energy Healing" to replenish the team's HP.
"Let me handle this." Sister Housewife raised her sword, took a stance, and shouted, "Yah hey!" She activated her charge skill, sprinting across the stone bridge like an arrow, leaving a shadow behind her, moving with incredible speed.
The other three watched as Sister Housewife's HP continuously dropped with red damage numbers: **-50, -51, -48, -49...**
"The bridge is heated by the magma; it deals strong fire damage," Chu Ge shouted.
But Sister Housewife, a Strength-type Gene Warrior, didn't care. Gene Warriors in *Star Wars World* were modified to have superior strength, jumping higher, running faster, and being more agile, making them formidable in close combat. Sister Housewife had specialized in Strength and Armor.
Strength specialization increased melee damage and HP regeneration, while Armor specialization boosted equipment defense.
With a powerful momentum, she crossed the 40 meters in about 3 seconds, letting out another angry shout. She leaped 5 meters into the air, her energy sword flashing as she descended for a deadly strike.
This was the Gene Warrior's "Thunder Leap Strike" skill, highly lethal in close combat. Even high-defense classes like Chip Warriors or Healers couldn't withstand many hits.
A piercing metallic clash rang out as Malagobi ignited a bright ring of fire around him, blocking the attack. Sister Housewife was sent flying.
Chu Ge was stunned; this was the Conjurer's level 25 skill, "Surrounding Shield," which could be formed from the elements of ice, fire, lightning, wind, or earth.
But it wasn't over. As Sister Housewife was thrown back, Malagobi waved his hands, causing the magma below to erupt in four huge streams, arching towards Sister Housewife.
"Watch out!" Oath shouted in alarm.
Sister Housewife was hit by the magma, her body falling towards the lava pool—a certain death for anyone.
In the nick of time, with a dull "clank," the purple energy sword pierced the bridge's railing. Sister Housewife grabbed the hilt, dangling mid-air.
Malagobi was surprised. With a flick of his fingers, a fireball shot out. Cunningly, the fireball aimed not to harm Sister Housewife directly but to make her let go of the sword.
In a remarkable display of Gene Warrior agility, Sister Housewife swung herself back onto the bridge just as the fireball missed, but the energy sword was now stuck in the bridge, unreachable.
Severely injured, Sister Housewife retreated to the near cliff, her armor charred and smoking. Furious, she exclaimed, "I had 3000 HP, and that hit took away 2500! That little jerk!"
Oath quickly cast "Energy Healing" on her. The spell doubled the healing rate compared to a blood serum, restoring 100 HP per second. It would take Sister Housewife at least half a minute to recover fully.
Malagobi laughed uncontrollably: "Come on, you've only got five minutes left. My friends will be here soon, and we'll all die together. You bunch of weaklings!"
Chu Ge remained calm, rapidly calculating. Malagobi's earlier display had revealed much of his abilities.
Malagobi was undoubtedly a Fire Conjurer, which explained why he chose this place as his last stand.
Conjurers were powerful attackers, capable of manipulating elements to cast spells. In this magma-rich environment, the fire element was abundant, allowing him to cast spells without using much mana or even needing mana potions. He could directly trigger magma eruptions. While he couldn't attack from this side, crossing the stone bridge seemed impossible.
At level 26, Malagobi's "Surrounding Shield" was strong, but it required a 30-minute cooldown. He could only use it once.
"Once his shield is down, he's done for," Chu Ge analyzed.
Hot Chick also realized this. "Let's all attack together. Sister Housewife, break the shield, and we'll cover you."
- Writer
