CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 47: LITTLE EIGHT’S SPECIAL SKILLS

(Good news and bad news, one of each. The good news is that the fox’s Physical Strength isn’t high, the bad news is that all its other stats are stronger than yours except for spiritual power.) Little Eight’s reminder was simply superfluous.

Number 0 and Tushan Qi stood together close by the edge of the cliff, their retreat path already blocked by the fox.

Nine fox tails, from a distance, looked like camellias blooming in an instant. The red stone’s color and the nine-tailed fox’s fur seemed quite similar, suggesting some connection between the two. Number 0 set up the stone slingshot, aiming at the nine-tailed fox.

Number 0’s movements were neither slower nor faster than before; in fact, she had used all the strength in her arm and did not dare let her eyes waver even slightly.

MISS, MISS. Two successive stones missed the fox, and the howling attacks enraged the red fox, which curled its fore and hind limbs into a sphere, lunging at Number 0 like a ball of thunderous fire.

(Protect the NPC,) Little Eight urgently reminded. The main battlefield was different from the Sub-God Space; due to the presence of players, NPCs were also dragged into the fight, and players had to ensure the safety of NPCs.

The sharp fox claws grazed over Number 0’s scalp. A gust from the claws lifted the roots of her hair, causing a tingling sensation on her scalp. Although Number 0 dodged the assault, she rolled out over the ground, hugging Tushan Qi, not daring to breathe loudly, listening to the noises beside her.

Gravel scraped several cuts on her hands, but ignoring the pain of the skin splitting open, Number 0 tried to get up and escape. A suffocating entanglement of fluffy tails firmly wrapped around her neck. Tushan Qi was held in Number 0’s arms, unable to see the scene behind her. The hands hugging him did not loosen, and the sound of human breathing was strangled in the throat.

"Messenger Soldier," Tushan Qi called out anxiously, his voice echoing in the secluded woods.

1%, 2%, 3%, Number 0 could clearly feel her Physical Strength decreasing. The nine-tailed fox’s tail had her windpipe tightly wound, and as she gasped for air, more fox fur was sucked into her nostrils and mouth, making breathing even harder. She wanted to pull those damned tails away, but if she let go, Tushan Qi would die. Protect the NPC, Number 0 thought bitterly with a wry smile.

In the brink of life and death, Number 0 recalled the "oxygen reaction" she had experienced when she first entered Prehistoric Society.

(You’re so weak; I have to make a move at the critical moment.) Little Eight’s voice sounded like heavenly music, piercing through the heavy fur and stimulating her eardrums.

The sensation of suffocation vanished, her body rolled down the slope, without the stones bumping into her as before, and the formidable entangling force of the fox’s tails around her neck was gone.

At the mountain peak by the red stone, the nine-tailed fox "squeak" squeaked a few times. Its tails meant for entangling humans were still curled, but where had that reckless human gone?

After rolling for dozens of meters more, Number 0 finally confirmed she and Tushan Qi had escaped from the trap. She scanned her surroundings with her eyes and spotted a piece of dead wood, hooking it with the tip of her foot, finally coming to a stop.

At the foot of the mountain, they had gone from the mountaintop all the way to the base in one go.

"Where is the Red Fox?" Tushan Qi was oblivious to the life-and-death struggle they had just endured, still fascinated by the red fox they had seen earlier.

(No need to be paranoid; the one who saved you both just now was me. If it weren’t for my special skill, Desertion, you’d both have been strangled by that fox.) Little Eight boasted complacently, expecting Number 0 to be deeply grateful to her this time.

"Why didn’t you act sooner?" Number 0 was still apprehensive.

(I’m a Sub-God, not a nanny. It’s beneath me to act carelessly. Moreover, using a Special Skill will deplete my spiritual power.) Little Eight spoke the truth; unlike Agent 0’s Loli Reconnaissance Skill, after using Desertion in the heat of battle, her spiritual power dropped by a full 20 points.

When they had climbed the mountain, it was high noon, but now the evening was setting in, painting the sky with a golden hue.

It was the first time Agent 0 had failed, and she still felt a bit gloomy. Tushan Qi, on the other hand, still had a child’s temperament, and kept talking about the Red Fox on the way home.

During the night, Agent 0 tossed and turned on the repaired kang bed. Following Little Eight’s suggestion, she would have to find that craftsman tomorrow morning to turn down the side quest.

(There’s no use being unwilling to accept, in terms of strength, you’re simply no match for that nine-tailed fox. The fox has human-like intelligence and frighteningly high Attack Power. Just its tail almost claimed your life, not to mention those claws. Right now, I’m only at a half-competent level as well, with all my Special Skills except for Desertion being sealed. Unless you improve your skills, my Special Skills can’t be unsealed. I also had not anticipated that the mission would be so prickly when we accepted it,) Little Eight reiterated over and over.

One would have thought the silent night would pass quietly amidst the tossing and turning. Yet, in the middle of the night, the Tushan Tribe suddenly erupted into noise.

First there was a chaotic uproar, then torches were lit one after another. The light shone on the roof beams as if dawn had come early.

While other households were bustling with noise, only the front of Tushan Nujiao’s house remained silent. Listening to the mother and son next door and their servants getting out of bed one after another, lights turning on.

Tushan Nujiao’s voice lowered in reprimand, followed by Tushan Qi’s sobbing.

"If I don’t go... they will ridicule me again," Tushan Qi lamented. The tribe had been restless lately, with mysterious disappearances of poultry at night, leading every household to send male members to patrol and make noise with gongs and drums.

"The blame, alas, falls on us, mother and son, for our hard fate," Tushan Nujiao seemed to have touched upon her troubles, her eyes reddening, unsure of how to comfort her stubborn son.

"My lady," Agent 0, who had been listening from outside, could not help but push the door open and entered. After a whispered conversation, Tushan Qi was seen nodding repeatedly as he stepped out of Tushan Nujiao’s home. On Agent 0’s mission manual there was now an added entry, System Quest Two: Assume the role of Yu and eliminate the menace for the Tushan Tribe.

Several robust men formed a patrol squad that stopped next to a recently raided chicken coop, where the chickens had just been frightened. Feathers lay scattered on the ground, among the pools of blood mingled with red hair.

Tushan Qi, following by Agent 0’s side, immediately recognized the red hairs, "Fox fur."

(Great, now there’s no way to refuse the quest,) Little Eight didn’t even feel like lecturing anymore. This system quest that had been long awaited turned out to be time-sensitive. The first task was simple, but the second one was quite troublesome.

"Concentrating the Qi of so many people to deal with just one red-haired beast shouldn’t be too hard," Agent 0 replied nonchalantly, seemingly having not learned from the day’s lessons.

Following the trail of blood drippings on the mountain path, the Tushan Tribe’s men searched noisily up the mountain. No one paid attention to Agent 0 and Tushan Qi, who had joined the patrol squad last.

The two quickly fell behind the main force. At night, the mountain path was slippery, and Agent 0 proceeded very cautiously and slowly. Tushan Qi urged her a few times, but she was not in a hurry, lingering behind.

The trail of blood became scarcer, and Agent 0 stopped, looking ahead at the mountain peak. Under the shroud of night, the leaves were no longer an indistinct black mass; both the leaves and the air seemed to be swirling with a layer of red.