landbeastnovel Chapter 8 Corrupted Insect Nest
Chapter 8 Corrupted Insect Nest
"Alright, we'll do it your way," Li Tianshan decided. Without the bureaucratic wrangling and layers of approval, the Dragon Guard, as China's top-level law enforcement agency, only values efficiency.
Strategies can be finalized in five minutes, and approval authority can be granted in ten minutes.
Half an hour later, Lu Yan followed Xiao Qianyu to the exclusive assembly hall on the third basement floor of the Dragon Guard.
The space was spacious and bright. Five people stood in front of the tactical board, three women and two men. This was the highest-ranking frontline combat echelon of the Zhenguo Dragon Guard, and also the "First Squad" personally selected by Li Tianshan to cooperate with Lu Yan.
Xiao Qianyu stepped forward and tapped on the metal locker next to her: "Stop what you're doing and get to know someone. This is a new recruit who was just transferred to our team, and he'll be the core target for protection in all the upcoming operations, Lu Yan."
Five pairs of eyes fell on them simultaneously.
Lu Yan looked back calmly. Ignoring their scrutiny of his rented tattered armor, his gaze swept over the five men's positions and equipment. These five were no ordinary individuals; they were all top-tier level 50 combatants.
"That big guy on the left," Xiao Qianyu pointed to a man over two meters tall, whose muscles were so bulging that his armor looked like it was about to burst, "Zhao Leiguang, a heavy warrior. Leave the defense line to him. As long as he can still breathe, the monsters won't be able to cross the line."
Zhao Leiguang grinned, revealing a row of big white teeth, and raised his large, fan-like hand to greet him.
"The archer beside me, Wen Yue."
The girl named Wen Yue had short, ear-length hair and extremely smooth arm lines. The recurve bow in her hand shimmered with a bluish-gray wind elemental sheen. An archer. As a ranged physical main DPS, she typically handles single-target kills and suppressing enemy fire.
"The mage, Lin Chuxue. Her fire and ice spells can plow a field faster than a tractor." Not only is she a cold-looking female mage, but the staff in her hand, inlaid with a fist-sized red and blue crystal core, is enough to buy an entire street in the mortal world.
The remaining two are a man and a woman.
The man's name was Shen Xinglin. He was a knight, wearing lightweight alloy plate armor. Besides his main weapon, a long spear, he also had a small leaf shield at his right hip. He was a mobile damage dealer, responsible for weaving through gaps in the battlefield and finishing off enemies.
The woman's name was Su Yunqing, a healer. She was gentle and refined, holding a book that emitted a soft white light. She was the team's lifeline.
These five people, along with Xiao Qianyu, the captain of the Dragon Guard, constitute a super-powerful combat force that ranks among the best in China and even the world.
There are currently three vacant spots in the standard 10-person raid group.
Xiao Qianyu pressed the communicator: "Logistics Team Two, send three people over."
A short while later, three slightly inexperienced team members ran into the hall, stood at attention, and saluted.
"This job doesn't require tactical positioning," Xiao Qianyu said, looking at the entire team and issuing instructions. "Simple and straightforward: enter, find your formation. Wen Yue and Lin Chuxue will be responsible for using area-of-effect (AOE) skills; Zhao Leiguang will hold the front line; Shen Xinglin will cover any gaps; Su Yunqing will keep an eye on the mage's mana. As for you three..."
She pointed to the new members of the second team: "Besides picking up equipment, you don't need to do anything else. Only pick up gold-grade and above equipment, and bring your largest foldable backpack. Understand?"
The three members of the second team stood frozen, exchanging bewildered glances. Go to a level 40 dungeon to be babysitters? Or pick up gold-grade or higher loot? What's wrong with these level 50 leaders today? Isn't this a bit too much of a boast?
"Yes!" Despite their doubts, their duty as soldiers led them to answer in unison.
"Twenty-minute break." Xiao Qianyu waved her hand to disperse the formation, then turned to look at Lu Yan. "Come with me, I'll take you to your room."
After passing through a long, silver-gray corridor, Xiao Qianyu swiped open a heavy security door.
"Now you're our group's giant panda! Aren't you excited and happy? Even Xiao Jin can't get into this place." She tossed the access card to Lu Yan. "There's a private bathroom and a change of clothes inside. Daily expenses are recorded in the Dragon Guard account."
"From now on, I'll call you Brother Lu. If you need any help with anything, just send me a message."
"No problem, no problem."
After they finished speaking, the two exchanged contact information.
Twenty minutes later.
The northern suburbs of Jiangzhou, a military-controlled area.
Five or six black SUVs drove into the heavily guarded defensive line. The soil in this area had an eerie purplish-black hue.
A massive portal to a secret realm churned with viscous green light. This was one of the largest insectoid secret realms currently discovered on Blue Star: the Corrupted Insect Nest.
They got off the vehicle. The ten-person team assembled in front of the teleportation array.
A feeling of weightlessness washed over me as I stepped into the light curtain. When my feet touched solid ground, an extremely pungent, acrid odor filled the air, and my vision was dim.
The team panel lit up in the lower right corner of his retina. Lu Yan glanced at it out of boredom.
Xiao Qianyu: Level 50.
Zhao Leiguang: Level 50.
Wen Yue: Level 50.
Lin Chuxue: Level 50.
Shen Xinglin: Level 50.
Su Yunqing: Level 50.
The three people who picked up the bags, A, B, and C, are all in the range of around level 40.
Your gaze slides down to the bottom.
Lu Yan: Level 2.
That unlucky E-rank goblin captain didn't drop any experience orbs, but it did help him cross the first hurdle in the beginner village.
"Is the halo activated?" Xiao Qianyu drew her spear. The blade drew a chilling dark red line in the dim light.
"100x Drop Rate Lv1 - Activated." Lu Yan stepped onto a relatively clean rock. A faint halo, too weak even for night vision goggles to detect, spread along the ground, enveloping the entire team. "Let's get to work."
Zhao Leiguang, carrying two tower shields, took a heavy step forward and casually tossed a high-energy searchlight deep into the insect hive. The bright light tore through the darkness.
At the edge of the horizon, countless purple armored beetles, like ocean waves, clung to the rock walls and the ground. Stimulated by the light, the swarm erupted in a piercing screech, surging towards the entrance like a tide. These ordinary fourth-tier soldier insects, with their thin skin and low defenses, relied entirely on sheer numbers to overwhelm their opponents.
Normally, when raiding groups come here, their biggest fear is getting bogged down in a war of attrition. Once their mana bar is depleted, facing an endless swarm of insects, death is the only outcome. But today, the situation is different.
Lin Chuxue didn't even bother with chanting; she simply slammed her staff on the ground.
"Polar ice storm!"
The temperature plummeted, and the moisture in the air froze into sharp ice blades, which were swept directly into the swarm of insects by the gale. A level 50 mage's area-of-effect attack against level 40 ordinary monsters was a pure numerical crushing victory. The hundreds of beetles at the forefront were utterly destroyed, their bodies reduced to shattered ice fragments.
What happened left the three members of the second team, who were standing in the back row ready to pick up any leftovers, completely astonished.
light.
Golden and dark gold beams of light rose up like a forest sprouting from the ground! The corpses and remains on the ground, which should have only dropped a few silver coins and insect shells, were now wildly spewing out beams of high-quality equipment.
The entrance to the insect nest, which should have been dark and pungent, was transformed into daytime by the golden light that filled the sky.
"I..." Zhao Leiguang, holding his shield, glanced back at the high-level light pillars scattered on the ground. The usually composed heavy armored warrior stammered, "The commander said he brought a mascot. Is this some kind of living god of wealth?"
Wen Yue's hand slipped, and she missed a Wind Spirit Arrow, which struck the empty rock face. She stared blankly at the Epic-level artifact that had fallen to the ground, still bearing traces of purple: "Captain... this..."
Lu Yan stood in the very center of the line, hands in his pockets, calmly observing everything. "Don't stop, brothers and sisters. The bugs are still spawning, those picking up bags, get moving!"
The three members of the second team who were picking up the bags suddenly realized what was happening and rushed into the pile of golden light with a shout.
"Gold-grade [Purple-veined Armored Shield]!"
"Wow! A level 42 unique mage robe with a 30% mana cost reduction affix—it's top-tier!"
"And there's an epic speed boot... My God, is this really something that drops from a level 40 basic bug?"
Hearing the startled shouts behind them, the five max-level players in the team exchanged glances. Then, their monster-clearing speed skyrocketed.
Lin Chuxue unleashed a barrage of large-scale AOE spells without regard to cost, while Shen Xinglin swept through the area in his charge attack.