Chapter 268 – The Boss is Mighty

A moment earlier.

On the low hill just one or two hundred meters away from the national highway, several snipers had long taken positions at various firing points, waiting for the target to appear.

On this hilltop, there were also twenty to thirty fully armed personnel—though not clad in armor and wielding swords and sabers, but rather carrying various modern firearms and modified guns.

“Before the Great Change, with the Boss’s influence, it would have been impossible to smuggle so many weapons and equipment into the Xuan Nation. But now, not only is it simple to bring them into the country, we can even buy many advanced items that were previously banned.”

“It’s just that supernatural items related to you players are getting more and more expensive, and they’re practically priceless even if you have the money. If it weren’t for this, why would we resort to violent means?”

The speaker was a young man wearing glasses, who appeared refined and scholarly.

He seemed to be the Boss’s spokesperson.

Beside the young man stood four individuals whose attire was completely different from that of the armed personnel.

Three men and one woman—based on their outfits, they could roughly be identified as a Heavy Sword warrior, a hooded assassin, an archer, and a healer.

The lead Heavy Sword warrior said impatiently, “Cut the nonsense. Tell us about the target.”

“Yes, yes, Your Excellency Black Jiao.” The young man paused before continuing, “The target this time is a small company called Mu Fei Trading. The company hasn’t been established for long, but according to our investigation, the total amount of Soul Crystals this company has spent on procurement has already exceeded one thousand.”

“One thousand? Are you sure?!”

The archer couldn’t help but curse.

The leader Heavy Sword warrior also turned his head in surprise, as the concept of one thousand Soul Crystals was simply too exaggerated. Throughout all their years in the Eternal World since they entered, the total number of Soul Crystals they had earned might not even reach one thousand.

As if knowing what these people were thinking, the bespectacled young man added, “We are absolutely certain. This company has trade relations with many large merchant guilds. A single transaction often involves dozens of Soul Crystals, and sometimes even one or two hundred.”

“This is probably the wealth of a Lord player.”

“We’ve also investigated—the Lord behind this company is just a newly advanced Lord from a commoner background. He might have received some investments and is among the top of the newly advanced Lords, but he is not a second-generation Lord and has no powerful backing. You can all feel free to take action.”

A Lord like this, full of Opportunities and potential but not yet having converted that potential into power, is indeed the most suitable target for plundering.

They are weak in strength, yet possibly wealthier than many veteran Lords.

Isn’t this just like a child flaunting a gold brick while walking through the market?

The hooded assassin, the archer, and the others all chuckled darkly, “We’re not afraid of any second-generation Lords. We just want to know if this target is worth our effort.”

“Ah, then we’ll be counting on you all when the time comes.”

The young man sneered inwardly.

There was one thing he didn’t mention: the reason they chose this target was not only because the company was wealthy, but more importantly, this company had been continuously purchasing various Remnant Souls. So far, they had spent at least several hundred Soul Crystals just on buying ordinary one-star Remnant Souls.

Ordinary one-star tier troops? Even dogs wouldn’t want them, yet this company was enthusiastic about purchasing them—clearly, there was something fishy going on.

After analysis, they concluded that this company possessed a sacrificial-type Treasure.

And its tier was extremely high.

How could something capable of devouring thousands or even tens of thousands of Remnant Souls not be of a high tier!Such a treasure must be an extremely rare and precious item even within the circles of Lords!

More importantly…

“This sacrificial treasure is most likely located on Blue Star, not in the Eternal World.”

Because cross-border transportation of goods requires paying a substantial cross-border tax, the correct approach is naturally to perform the sacrifice on Blue Star. After undergoing “depletion – essence extraction – treasure formation,” it can then be sent to the Eternal World.

The Boss wants this treasure!

Although the four players, including Black Jiao, possess considerable power, in their eyes, they are merely… a saber to be wielded.

…

Three sniper bullets clattered to the ground, startling everyone present.

In the company, the accompanying ordinary people trembled in panic and were immediately pushed down by the security department players beside them. “Stay hidden! Stay hidden! There’s a sniper!”

The players were actually panicking too.

Though they possessed supernatural powers and had experienced numerous “life-and-death battles,” facing a gunfight… this was their first time.

It’s said that even Professional Tier players can predict or block bullets, but that’s only if their judgment is correct.

If a person is shot, they might die.

And this was a sniper rifle.

Most players who had applied to join the company inherently lacked the courage to fight desperately. Under the threat of a sniper rifle, they couldn’t remain calm enough to make rational judgments.

Fortunately, they still had their troops.

“Come forth, my Chief Sentinel!”

“I choose you, Great Swordsman!”

“Go, Door-Shield Goblin!”

They represented the vast majority of players, whose main forces were mostly Common Two-Star and Common Three-Star troops.

However, the players had used their creativity to equip their limited troops to the teeth.

The Two-Star Sentinel wore magnificent gilded armor—whether it was strong or not was another matter, but its visual effects surpassed even those of the Rare Three-Star Royal Imperial Guards.

A Great Goblin carried a door-like weapon, standing at the front as sparks flew from the bullets ricocheting off it.

The security team captain, Lin Sushuang—a veteran player personally recruited by Sophia—immediately summoned an Ironclad Giant Scorpion in front of her.

This Ironclad Giant Scorpion had also been modified, with an exceptionally large build, resembling a moving fortress vehicle.

Sniper bullets couldn’t penetrate it.

Soon, Captain Lin summoned a Shadow Cat Demon and a Halberdier.

She possessed more than just these three Rare-tier troops, but with the enemy’s situation unclear, she needed to keep some trump cards in reserve. This was the combat wisdom unique to Elite players.

“We must locate the sniper’s position.”

However, sniper bullets posed a significant threat to her as well. Being hit would at least result in serious injury, unless she maintained her energy armor throughout. But doing so would consume too much energy, and without knowing the enemy’s details, it wouldn’t be a wise move.

She merely directed the Ironclad Giant Scorpion to advance slowly.

Bullets fell like raindrops, clinking and clattering.

“Found them!”

In Sophia’s eyes, figures hidden in the darkness were reflected.

Whether it was the armed personnel firing relentlessly, their gun muzzles sparking with flames, or the snipers lurking further away, waiting for an opportunity, or any others—she had already locked onto their positions.

The Black Crow was her eyes.

The night was also her eyes.She had to find the enemy first, because she wasn’t skilled in protection. Using Black Feather to deflect sniper bullets was basically her limit. If the enemy’s attack reached Third-Order Warlord Tier, she couldn’t protect the others.

However, the best means of protection was to eliminate all enemies.

Since the location was locked, it was now her turn.

Snap

She snapped her fingers, and an invisible storm seemed to swirl around her. One after another, black Nether Crows flew out from her sleeves and hair.

Several, then over a dozen Nether Crows gathered together, forming a large black bird with a wingspan exceeding two meters.

Four of these large black birds took to the sky.

Their wings burned with eerie black flames, and their dark eyes seemed to ripple with expanding circles. Bullets striking them were like hitting water or fire, utterly ineffective.

“Elemental-type creatures?”

“What kind of unit is this?”

“Hmph, to deal with players, it’s ultimately up to us to take action.”

Black Jiao spoke.

He stepped forward, charging out of the darkness toward Sophia and Lin Sushuang. In his eyes, among this convoy, only these two possessed any significant power.

He wielded a Heavy Sword but wore light armor that didn’t cover his entire body. The exposed skin was covered in twisted scales.

His eyes were heterochromatic—one black, one gold—with the golden vertical pupil particularly striking in the night.

This appearance was quite distinctive even among players.

“He is…”

“Black Serpent Jing Qilong, with a bounty of 990,000! It’s said he was once the vice-captain of the Serpent Dragon Adventurer Group. After killing several members over uneven distribution of spoils, he went into hiding and later committed several major crimes, causing his bounty to continuously rise. Most importantly…”

“Black Serpent Jing Qilong was already a Third-Order Warlord Tier expert before his defection, and that was over two years ago!”

Lin Sushuang quickly explained.

As a player who frequented the Blue Star world, she kept up with the bounties posted on the forums. She wasn’t aiming to become a bounty hunter but rather to avoid them. Players officially wanted by Taixuan were never easy to deal with.

And Black Jiao, a first-class wanted criminal, was among the strongest of the bountied players.

Damn, this is big trouble!

“Sophia, this guy…”

Before she could finish her sentence, an arrow shot out from the darkness like a streak of light, directly hitting one of the large black birds.

They were facing more than just Black Jiao!

However, before Captain Lin could speak, the shattered black bird dispersed into countless feathers, reforming two seconds later.

The black bird was completely unscathed and pounced on the hidden sharpshooter.

The bird and the sharpshooter tangled, with the former quickly overpowering the latter.

“Dispel! Holy Light!”

A female player who seemed to be a priest raised a cross high.

The power of Holy Light could indeed deal significant damage to the shadow-aligned Nether Crows.

But the Holy Light dissipated halfway through its descent.

The voluptuous female player looked down to see a black claw piercing through her chest.

A Halberdier and an Imperial Guard stationed beside her only noticed at that moment but stood frozen in place.

It was Sophia.

“First one.”

The two unit types faded, dissolving into specks of light before vanishing.

The next moment,

Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—

Countless bullets swept through, causing the deceased female player’s body to tremble incessantly, but the true target had already disappeared without a trace, leaving only a few black feathers drifting in the air.The hooded assassin was stealthily moving, but blending into the night was nothing more than showing off one’s meager skills in front of an expert like Sophia.

She was the spokesperson and master of the night.

She controlled the Black Crows to swoop down, tearing through the area and unleashing dark netherflames. The netherflames fed on all living beings, burning endlessly. No matter how many minions the hooded assassin sacrificed as decoys, he was completely engulfed by the flames within seconds.

Black Jiao, with her high bounty, was stunned.

“You call this company ‘having no background’?”

“How could they have such a powerhouse if they had no background!”

Black Jiao cursed under her breath, hesitating briefly between a tactical retreat and fighting, and ultimately chose the latter.

She couldn’t escape.

As a warrior-type professional, it was nearly impossible for her to flee from a tracking-specialized assassin of such caliber.

Her only option was to fight!

She pinpointed Sophia’s location. “Using the Black Crows as a medium for positional shifts? But there must be a weakness…”

Her right eye, implanted with the Wyrm’s Eye, widened in fury, unleashing an invisible draconic aura that scattered Black Feathers like falling leaves.

She raised her sword, activated the Flash Step skill from her Ring, and charged straight toward Lin Sushuang, who was hiding behind an armored giant scorpion.

Just as expected, the Black Crows appeared.

Gray water surged from Black Jiao’s sword, enveloping the surroundings like a curtain of rain.

But in the next moment, clusters of black flames ignited around the Black Crows, incinerating every drop of the gray water without missing a beat.

The Black Crows transformed into Sophia.

Facing the wanted criminal Black Jiao, who sought to close in, Sophia neither dodged nor evaded. She simply raised her hand.

Her pale palm morphed into a black claw, enveloped in energy that swelled uncontrollably.

Four meters! Ten meters! Forty meters!

A massive, pitch-black claw, shrouding the night sky and blazing with dark flames, loomed over the desolate, empty road and…

Slammed down with immense force.

“Crap! I forgot to hold back!”

…

The sniper attack from the assailant had nearly cost the lives of her employees, and Sophia was naturally furious.

She didn’t deploy the Night Sky Curtain, opting instead for the most primal, straightforward close-quarters combat to crush her enemy.

She wanted to instill fear in her foes.

However…

“Ahhh! This Black Jiao is a walking million Soul Crystal Coins!”

Sophia lamented, but fortunately, Black Jiao was tougher and more fire-resistant than expected. Though her body was mangled and her features blurred, she could… probably still be exchanged for the bounty.

“No, she definitely can!”

She turned to Lin Sushuang.

Team Leader Lin stood dazed for a few seconds before stammering, “Yes, ah yes, definitely. We even have the dashcam footage.”

She knew her boss was strong, but was the boss this ferocious?

The legendary wanted criminal Black Jiao couldn’t even last three moves!

The boss is mighty!

“Fei… no, Boss Fei, what Realm are you actually at?”

“Just Fourth-Order Commander Tier.”

To Sophia, Fourth-Order Commander Tier was nothing special.

She’d heard that her colleagues had slain over a hundred Fourth-Order Commander Tier monsters these past few days.

It was like slaughtering chicks.

But to Lin Sushuang and the other player employees, Fourth Order was undeniably a top-tier expert! This was their first time seeing a living Fourth-Order powerhouse!

Some had previously thought the job was too dangerous and considered resigning, but now they only regretted not performing better earlier.

A Fourth-Order expert was right before them!

Mu Fei Company was clearly no fledgling startup but a subsidiary backed by a major conglomerate, with boundless prospects.

And Boss Fei was undoubtedly a pivotal figure within that large group, her status surely surpassing that of many Lords.There’s no need to voice these speculations; keeping them to oneself is enough.

“Go capture the other armed personnel.”

“Yes!”

The outcome of the battle was no longer in doubt.

Under the assault of the giant black bird, the armed personnel on the low hill had long been thrown into chaos.

Subsequently, the players from the security department could finally strike with full force, capturing all the armed individuals who had been shooting at them for so long alive, and eliminating those who couldn’t be captured.

“However, these people are just pawns. The one truly targeting us is the boss behind the scenes, though these individuals seem to know very little about him.”

“No matter.”

Sophia looked at the captives on the ground. “If interrogation doesn’t work, so be it. We can still search their souls, read their memories, or use them as mediums for divination. I refuse to believe we can’t uncover the mastermind behind this.”

Methods like divination and soul-reading are difficult to use effectively against agents of the Eye of Divine Radiance.

But they are core personnel of the Empire with official status—what are you, in comparison?

Ordinary people have no resistance to techniques like divination and deduction.

A day later,

A wealthy individual ranked among the top in the entire state died silently in his own villa.

He did not seem to pass peacefully.

“Although we’ve dealt with this enemy, procuring supplies has become truly troublesome now. It’s no longer just a matter of money—it’s having money but nowhere to spend it.”

“At the very least, if we want to obtain goods quickly, we have to go pick them up in person.”

In the villa, Sophia hesitated between “solving the problem on her own, reporting it later, and receiving praise from the Lord” and “requesting backup from headquarters,” but ultimately chose the latter.

She would have preferred the former, hoping to hear, “Excellent, I couldn’t have thought of a better solution myself.”

But it would take time.

Blue Star doesn’t have much time left, so of course she couldn’t let her desire for a “You’re so amazing” affect the acquisition process.

Mu Yuan nodded. “It’s fortunate that the Crimson Mist disaster month has ended, so we can spare some manpower. I’ll arrange for everyone to provide support. Do you have any specific personnel in mind?”

Lu Liu, Sickle Moon, Daisy, or even Rakshasa Red Robe Dolai could be dispatched to Blue Star.

After all, things are different now compared to the old days.

These veteran officers of Tianyuan Territory have learned and absorbed a fair amount of common knowledge about Blue Star—though much of this knowledge may soon become largely useless.

“Do your best with the acquisitions; you’ve already been a great help. Well done.”

“Yes! No problem! Boss!”

After the communication screen closed, Sophia’s lips curved into a smile. She threw herself onto the bed, hugging a pillow and rolling back and forth three times.

Hehe~

(End of Chapter)