Chapter Forty-Seven: The Fifth Level of the Ancient Tomb

The first thing Qiao Qiao did upon returning to Dream Star City was to contact the rookie reporter, as instructed by Wu Hua. In fact, she hardly needed Wu Hua’s introduction—by now, the rookie reporter was already something of a celebrity. Many players in Dream Star City knew him as the “badass explosion” reporter from the survival mission, so Qiao Qiao had no trouble recognizing him.

The rookie reporter drove once more to Monica’s Boutique Factory and ordered a full ten thousand rounds of ammunition for Wu Hua, spending over ten thousand credit points. Qiao Qiao transported the batch of bullets to the ancient tomb, and Wu Hua’s final message to the rookie reporter was: “Just collect the ten thousand credits directly from Tuo Tao when the time comes.”

The rookie reporter had unquestioning faith in Wu Hua’s integrity and immediately sent Tuo Tao a message: “Bro, want a ticket?”

Tuo Tao replied, “From now on, just call me idiot.”

The rookie reporter was puzzled: “Why?”

Tuo Tao answered, “You guys just conned me out of another sum.”

The rookie reporter was speechless.

When Qiao Qiao returned to the ancient tomb, Wu Hua and the others were still sitting in the rotunda, smoking and chatting, with Lanlan and Lingling listening with great interest.

The three doctors each had their own unique characteristics. Qiao Qiao was a high-capacity type, with an upgraded spatial backpack—no one knew where she got it—which could hold 250 units, whereas Wu Hua and the others only had backpacks with a 100-unit capacity, and those came with weight restrictions.

Lanlan was a high-MP, high-skill doctor, boasting a multitude of abilities and strong magical energy—perfect for covering in combat.

Lingling, on the other hand, was high-defense and high-agility, and she carried an old Type 54 pistol in her hand. Wu Hua was a bit surprised, but Lingling quickly explained: once a doctor reached level 25, they could choose a self-defense weapon—a pistol or a military dagger—but any heavier weapon was beyond their capacity, and no doctor would be foolish enough to specialize in strength.

Still, Lingling’s pistol made sense to Wu Hua. In Star Wars, the professions complemented each other. Gunners could wield swords, doctors could use guns, but it was all just for show—lacking the specialized attributes of the other professions, the effects were negligible.

For example, a warrior could use a gun, but without ranged specialization or related skills, it was just for appearances.

Wu Hua entertained a wild thought—what if he could train as both a gunner and a warrior? But he quickly dismissed it, knowing such prodigies certainly weren’t him. With over two billion players in Star Wars, there probably weren’t even ten such people.

With everything ready, the group prepared to descend to the fifth level of the ancient tomb.

The fifth level’s basic structure was the same as the previous four, but the passageways were much wider—all seven could walk side by side.

“It’s an unexplored area. Let’s take it slow—something seems different here,” Wu Hua said.

“I’ll scout ahead,” Lingling volunteered, moving to the front of the group. The dim sconces along the walls cast her face in a yellow veil.

Lanlan cast an energy shield on Lingling, and her white doctor’s coat was instantly enveloped in a pale yellow aura, as if she were protected by an eggshell.

Tuo Tao grumbled, “If my twelve-piece alloy armor hadn’t exploded, my defense would be higher than hers.”

Lingling grinned smugly, “Haha, I’ve got 1030 defense now.”

“A real ironclad!” Wu Hua exclaimed. “You lead the way, we’ll follow.”

The trouble began with that energy shield. Lingling’s “eggshell” dashed down the dark corridor, soon becoming a bright dot, like a star in the night sky.

In less than ten minutes, the eggshell came barreling back. A buzzing, like the hum of bees, echoed down the corridor.

Lingling shouted as she ran, “They’re coming! Run!”

“What is it? Monsters?” Tuo Tao tensed, drawing his energy sword.

“Bees—bees!” Lingling was sprinting for her life.

“Lunatics?” Tuo Tao and Ri Wan exchanged confused glances.

After a long, bewildered pause, a truly horrifying scene emerged from the corridor—a swarm of bees, each as large as a human head, appeared in the air.

Everyone’s first instinct was to vomit.

Even Tuo Tao, who always thought he was tough, felt his stomach churn violently.

It was hard to imagine a bee growing so enormous. Wu Hua suddenly remembered the “Alien” movie series—the scene was uncannily similar.

“Incredible Poison Wasps?” Ri Wan blurted out.

Tuo Tao cursed, “Damn it, have you watched too many movies?”

“Fall back! Retreat slowly! Fight as you go! Warriors up front, doctors in the middle for healing, Su and I will cover the rear!” Wu Hua ordered. Even with his remarkable composure, the sight of so many bees made him nervous.

In truth, anyone would have panicked at the sight. Many defeats come from being overwhelmed, but such feelings are only human.

Lanlan quickly cast energy shields on both Tuo Tao and Ri Wan, while Lingling regrouped in the center with Qiao Qiao, both administering energy healing to the frontline.

Wu Hua raised his gun and fired upwards.

With a hiss, the first bullet struck the first bee directly in the head.

With a splatter, yellowish fluid gushed from its shiny skull—enough to make anyone want to retch.

-2122.

The damage was normal, but what wasn’t normal was that after a single shot, the bee immediately darted aside with surprising speed—Wu Hua had keen eyesight, but even he nearly lost track of it.

“Not good, these bees are fast,” he said as Tuo Tao and Ri Wan were already engaged with the swarm.

Tuo Tao’s formidable strength was useless here. He swung his sword, landing a normal hit—damage showed as “-510”—but the bee dodged aside instantly, while the others dived, exposing their sharp stingers.

A series of metallic clinks sounded as the bees’ stingers struck Tuo Tao’s armor.

Ri Wan fared no better. His “Pork Eighteen Slashes” flashed brightly, blades whirling, but he barely landed any hits.

Wu Hua fired several more shots, and a bee, wings buzzing, crashed to the ground in a splash of yellow and white mush.

“They have over six thousand HP!” Wu Hua shouted. “These are monsters above level 30!”

“This corpse looks like dried-out corn porridge,” Su20, usually the quiet one, muttered, and Lanlan couldn’t hold back, vomiting on the spot.

“Su, you sick bastard, are you trying to gross us out?” Tuo Tao cursed, then yelped.

-201.

No sooner had he spoken than Ri Wan yelped as well.

-218.

Wu Hua saw it clearly—both had been stung in a vulnerable spot.

Chip Warriors’ armor covered most vital areas, but the joints were left exposed; otherwise, their already low agility and speed would be further hindered. These bees were clearly controlled by AI, targeting the warriors’ exposed skin. A large patch of green appeared at Tuo Tao’s elbow, and damage numbers—“-30, -40, -35”—began to float above his head, a sign of poisoning.

“Fall back! Quickly!” Wu Hua shouted in alarm. One bee was nothing, but a swarm stinging all at once—no one could withstand that.