CHAPTER 57: CHAPTER 48: CUNNINGLY CAPTURING THE RED FOX

"Kill that fox," the men of the Tushan Tribe waved wooden sticks and various farm tools, rushing towards the blazing red flurry.

The fox didn’t take these people seriously at all, weaving through the crowd. Having lived in the Tushan Mountain since its youth, it was well acquainted with every inch of soil and every tree, making it very agile in evading.

The heavy clubs and various tools didn’t pose much danger to the fox, but in the encirclement, it still suffered a few heavy blows. Although its fur was unharmed, the impact stirred its blood and qi all over its body.

A feeling of unease swirled in the fox’s mind, and it stopped. Not far away, it spotted the two figures it had seen during the day.

The fox’s tail shook once again, that foolish human, did he want to experience the harshness of its fox tail again? Its tail swayed conspicuously, capturing all the attention of No. 0.

"Messenger sister," Tushan Qi still held a chopping knife he had temporarily fetched from home.

In the hands of No. 0, there was an oddly shaped object. Not the slingshot from the daytime, but something Tushan Qi had never seen before.

"One, two, three... Nine, anything more would be a waste." Several fine threads, much shinier than stones, flew out.

Tushan Qi only saw No. 0 touch somewhere on that object, and then in the night, it seemed like hairs had appeared out of nowhere. Except those hairs could fly in the air for a long time.

The silver-black hair needles blended into the red fur of the fox.

The nine-tailed fox was still pondering these objects flying by its side, which didn’t seem as harmful as the big sticks those men wielded, so it neglected them.

All nine tails simultaneously felt numb. The silver-black leech needles penetrated the fox’s fur, a very strange sensation.

If the nine-tailed fox lived in modern times, it would know, the fine hair needles processed by NPC Maggie, which burrow into the flesh on contact just like leeches, turned its carefree squeals into screams of terror.

"Leech needles??" No. 0 also noticed that upon entering the fox’s body, the leech needles initially only caused nine instances of 1% damage. No. 0 was taken aback, and her body underwent a change. Physical Strength, which she had lost due to the fox’s entanglement during the day, was slowly recovering. Her leech needle actually had the effect of blood-sucking to replenish the host’s physical strength.

(Had you planned this all along?) From No. 0’s unhurried actions to the precise firing of nine needles, everything seemed pre-arranged. Little Eight hadn’t noticed anything unusual about No.0 yet.

How could the Physical Strength rise mysteriously? Remembering the blood-sucking function of leeches, No.0 thought of Maggie’s seemingly mischievous behavior. Combining leech skin with cow hair needles could unexpectedly yield such an effect.

"Messenger sister, can we spare it? Mother really likes small animals, and it looks quite pitiful," people from the Tushan Tribe encircling them pointed at the fox. According to the hunting rules, whoever catches the prey has the right to decide its fate.

The nine Leech Needles within the body of the nine-tailed fox were like nine iron leeches, wriggling inside its body, causing its Physical Strength to diminish increasingly over time. Tears brimmed in the eyes of the nine-tailed fox as it curled up its limbs, its previously imposing tail now sagged on the ground covered in dead branches.

"Qi, facing such inhuman creatures, you can afford to show mercy, but remember, when dealing with people, you must never act this way," no matter how tough copper skin and bones are, they are no match for modern high-density steel needles, and copper must yield.

Xia You twisted the magnetic stone on the gunstock, drawing out several needles. She was extra cautious and only removed eight Leech Needles, leaving one needle still inside the fox.

Tushan Qi listened to the words of Zero, responding with a half-understood acknowledgment. Not until he came of age did he truly grasp the meaning of these words.

Having successfully captured the nine-tailed fox, Zero, along with it, completed the craftsman’s side quest. The remaining Leech Needle embedded in the fox made the nine-tailed fox obedient to Zero. During the villagers’ extermination of the fox’s den, they found it filled with small red stones.

(No wonder the previous stone attacks had no effect on this fox,) Little Eight remarked as Zero smoothly obtained the small stones.

Aside from stealing poultry from the tribe, another staple in the diet of the nine-tailed fox was small red stones. Thus, its body contained copper from the red stones.

"System task two completed, Military Merit Points 500. Side quest completed, Military Merit Points 100. Received a finely made stone slingshot and several red bullets." Zero’s military merit rose dramatically.

After obtaining the red-tailed fox, Nu Jiao of Tushan indeed couldn’t part with it, and Zero gained an additional 10 points of affection from Tushan Nu Jiao. However, unlike last time, gaining the mother and son’s affection did not yield any additional items or special skills.

Zero watched on and recalled another origin story about the Tushan Clan, which claimed that the Tushan were reincarnations of a nine-tailed fox. It now seemed that the Tushan Clan simply kept a ’resigned’ nine-tailed fox.

The next day, despite the entreaties of Tushan Nujiao and Tushan Qi, after receiving approval from Tushan Nujiao, Zero’s mission manual updated with yet another item, "System task three, inform Yu of Tushan Nujiao’s message and persuade Yu to visit home." Zero did not immediately head to the Eastern Yi Tribe but decided to withdraw from Military Road.

(It’s still early; you can continue playing,) despite having successfully completed two tasks, Little Eight was dissatisfied with Zero, or Xia You’s, approach to the game.

Previously during the siege on the nine-tailed fox, Zero had purposefully let the tribe’s men lead the siege while she stayed behind. This strategy significantly depleted the nine-tailed fox’s Physical Strength, but if the nine-tailed fox were captured, what could be her act? According to Little Eight’s idea, Zero should take the lead and could rely on her special skills to desert if any issues arose.

After exiting Military Road, Xia You felt relieved, "I don’t want to waste too much time on a virtual game." For her, the virtual military merits served only one purpose—to exchange for real money. Until she found a fool like Yu Xiaonan, there was no need to rush.

(You playing so unorthodox could lead to trouble,) Little Eight continued nagging, having warned her before not to use the ghost pistol, yet she still used it. If it weren’t for discovering the special effect of the Leech Needles, Zero would have been in trouble.

It was still not daylight, and Xia You tiptoed to the bedside, feeling surprisingly not too tired despite not sleeping all night. If Lin Yi was known for fast decisions, Sergeant Driver for fast driving, and Mo Xixi for quick hands, then she, Xia You, should also create a record for speed. "I want to be the fastest to advance within the entire National Security Department and even the whole Rand Military District. Just trying hard in the game isn’t enough," lying in bed, Xia You gently touched Maggie’s cheek, she needed to grow quickly.

In the dark, the butterfly on her chest suddenly fluttered its wings, the sound of its wings spreading like a cold sneer throughout the narrow room.