Chapter Eighty-Three: Azure Starry Sky

Blue Moon Mountain Range lay to the north of Azure Sky City. This land served as the juncture between the southern and central regions of the Glorious Federation, but for now, it remained an uncharted territory. The mountain range stretched and wound for more than twenty kilometers, notable for its sparse forests where every tree soared skyward. According to Monica, this land had once been heavily irradiated by energy, causing the trees to mutate and emit a faint blue radiation known as “Type T2.” This radiation was harmful; every six hours, one had to rest in place, or endurance would drop sharply. At the same time, the radiation severely reduced visibility, casting a perpetual twilight over the forest—hence the name, Blue Moon Mountain Range.

Although the slopes weren’t steep, Wu Hua and Yu Jialing were thoroughly exhausted by the time they reached halfway up and had no choice but to stop and rest.

“What kind of quest are you on that you had to come all the way here?” Yu Jialing unscrewed her water bottle and took a long drink. “You do realize almost no one comes here? Last time, our party had thirty-six people.”

Wu Hua smiled. “Don’t worry, it’s not much farther. There’s a magma cave up ahead called the Fire Pit, right?”

Yu Jialing stood up abruptly. “You can’t possibly be thinking about challenging the level 40 boss, the Magma Golem?”

“Exactly,” Wu Hua replied.

Yu Jialing was dumbfounded. “Just the two of us? That’s suicide. Wait—are you here for an S-grade Fire Crystal?”

Wu Hua was stunned in turn. “How did you know?”

Yu Jialing plopped back down onto the rock. “You could’ve just told me! Why the need for all this mystery? I happen to have one right here. Why did we bother climbing halfway up this mountain? You never cease to amaze me.”

“You’re kidding! How did you get it?” Wu Hua was intensely curious.

Yu Jialing explained, “It was an extra reward from an NPC when I completed the SIG550 mission last time. You think I could take on a level 40 boss by myself?”

Wu Hua was truly astonished. He’d expected a long, drawn-out battle, but who would have thought it would be this easy?

After a moment’s thought, Wu Hua asked, “How much do you want for it?”

Yu Jialing looked at him, puzzled. “What are you doing?”

“Sell it to me,” Wu Hua said, scrambling to his feet.

She shot him a look. “Is this really necessary? After all, you’ve helped me out before, and you’re A-Jie’s friend, too. My sister just treated you so rudely. I’ll just give you the crystal.”

“No, let me buy it,” Wu Hua insisted seriously. He knew exactly how valuable an S-grade Fire Crystal was—rare items commanded high prices. Right now, on the market, an S-grade crystal was worth ten times that of an A-grade—eight thousand points. “You’re working for a living, too. That’s over a thousand yuan.”

Seeing Wu Hua’s earnest expression, Yu Jialing couldn’t help but laugh. “It’s not like I need the money. I’ll get it for you from the studio when we get back.”

Wu Hua was about to press the point when his receiver vibrated. Glancing at it, he saw a friend request from someone named “Azure Starfield.” Simultaneously, Azure Starfield sent a request to Yu Jialing as well.

The first message Yu Jialing received from Azure Starfield read: “This has nothing to do with you, step aside. I don’t want to kill women. Stay away from the man next to you.”

Yu Jialing was stunned. Wu Hua immediately grabbed his AUG.

Azure Starfield messaged Wu Hua: “You have two options. One, log off immediately. Two, end it yourself.”

Wu Hua couldn’t suppress a cold laugh. “Lunatic?”

Azure Starfield replied, “I didn’t want to get involved personally, but you killed five of my sisters. You have to pay for it with your life.”

Wu Hua froze. Suddenly, he realized the leader of the Seven Fairies had always been something of a legend, and this Azure Starfield was almost certainly their boss.

Azure Starfield continued: “No need to guess. I’m at the foot of the mountain right now, fifteen hundred meters from you. You can run if you want—I don’t mind a game of cat and mouse.”

Wu Hua was alarmed. Quickly, he pulled out his binoculars and scanned the slope below. The sight filled him with a deep sense of foreboding; this time, real trouble had arrived.

On a rocky path below, a female warrior walked unhurriedly. She wore an unusual suit of armor, silver and gleaming, her head entirely encased except for her eyes. The armor looked like alloy plating, but it wasn’t as rigid as typical exosuits; it was difficult to tell if she was a gene warrior or a chip warrior.

But what truly shocked Wu Hua wasn’t the armor—it was that Azure Starfield was completely alone. He’d thought Blue Company’s next act of vengeance would involve a horde hunting him down, including the likes of Snowy Night Fairy. That wouldn’t have bothered him; he could always maneuver, talk, and buy time. But now, only one person had come.

His instincts screamed that this was no ordinary opponent—Azure Starfield must be a top-tier expert. For a warrior to challenge a gunslinger one-on-one, walking so slowly and confidently, she had to possess overwhelming strength.

Yu Jialing, peering through the binoculars, was also stunned. “Could that be Blue Company’s boss?”

Wu Hua nodded grimly, swiftly raising his gun, loading a magazine with practiced ease, flicking off the safety, and activating the scope.

He knew she was his enemy, but excitement and anticipation surged within him. This might be his first face-to-face duel with a top-tier player in Star Wars, and he longed for victory.

Azure Starfield continued her leisurely ascent. With every step she took, Wu Hua’s heart pounded faster. Unlike the rest of the Seven Fairies, who were ignorantly arrogant, this woman exuded absolute confidence—every step was steady, her entire being radiating a calm, composed aura.

Long Zhan Xingye had possessed a similar aura, but compared to this woman, even he fell short. Long Zhan Xingye’s stability was that of a soldier—reliable and solid. But this woman reminded Wu Hua of an ancient swordsman: poised, elegant, and exuding an oppressive sense of power.

Finally, Azure Starfield entered the effective range of the AUG. Wu Hua sneered, “All of you from Blue Company suffer from the same flaw—overconfidence. Take this!”

With that, his finger squeezed the trigger decisively. The muzzle flashed a clover-shaped spark, and the armor-piercing round whistled through the air.

Something unbelievable happened—a sharp “ding” rang out as the bullet struck Azure Starfield square in the chest. Her armor erupted in a burst of electrical sparks, and a red damage figure floated above her head: “-13”!

“That’s impossible,” Wu Hua muttered, doubting his own eyes, and fired again.

Bullets are loyal to their shooters—they never lie. The second shot hit Azure Starfield in the chest once more, producing another burst of blue-white sparks.

Red damage: “-15!”

Azure Starfield didn’t even flinch. She raised her head to look up the slope, a trace of mocking amusement in her eyes.

“She can’t possibly be wearing Sixteen-Node Alloy Armor, can she?” Yu Jialing was incredulous. “But her armor doesn’t look like that at all.”

Her analysis was correct. Sixteen-Node Alloy Armor boasted over fifteen hundred points of defense and couldn’t be a basic model—such armor could negate up to three thousand points of damage. Yet this AUG dealt around twenty-five hundred joules per shot, with a green-tier gun and purple ammo, and still only did a dozen points of damage.

At that moment, Wu Hua felt as if a torrential rain were pouring in his heart. The shock was overwhelming, but he reached a quick conclusion: Azure Starfield’s gear was definitely superior to his, at least blue-tier or possibly even silver.

But regardless—be it unique, legendary, or even artifact-level gear—he could not afford to fear. The most important quality for a gunslinger was composure. No matter the situation, he could not panic.