To deal with these two assassins, everyone had prepared thoroughly. Their bodies were made of straw, enveloped in a layer of black mist, making them particularly vulnerable to fire.
The moment they charged forward, Qi Xu and the others simultaneously aimed and threw torches coated with accelerant powder.
However, the assassins moved too quickly—only Dan Dan Qi’s torch hit one of them on the thigh, quickly burning a small black hole.
The acid rain continued to drizzle, making the weather itself unfavorable for combat. They had to wrap themselves up completely—if the acid rain touched their skin, it would undoubtedly leave blisters.
Qi Xu checked his protective raincoat, put on his rain goggles, locked onto his target, and charged forward, striking the scorched spot on the assassin’s body with his electrified baton.
Just as the assassin launched its attack, Little Seven, who had been waiting for the right moment, rammed into it, knocking it off balance.
Sweet Girl took the opportunity to bite down but ended up with a mouthful of straw. Cursing, she retreated, settling for cheering from the sidelines.
The two little ones wore raincoats modified from Tao Tao’s love-themed rainwear—designed for pets, the fit wasn’t perfect, but they worked well enough for short-term use.
The others fanned out behind Qi Xu, intercepting the other assassin, focusing on defense to prevent it from getting close to him.
This was the plan they had agreed on earlier that afternoon. Qi Xu figured he couldn’t keep calling for backup every time assassins attacked—he needed to train himself, especially since he aimed to kill ten assassins and earn a VIP card from the Assassin Hall.
The B-rank assassin’s stats were significantly higher than Qi Xu’s, so even injured, it still held the upper hand.
Moreover, it felt no pain and acted purely to kill, making the fight between Qi Xu and Little Seven incredibly tough.
At the very least, they could protect themselves.
"Whirlwind Boss’s moves have really come together—his progress is insane. Back in our first co-op dungeon, his combos were still stiff, but now..."
War Wolf 009’s muttering stunned Dan Dan Qi and Zhu Fu. "Wait, you’re saying Whirlwind Boss had no combat experience before joining the survival game?"
"Yep."
Dan Dan Qi kicked the assassin in front of him away, took a moment to flash a thumbs-up, and said, "Damn, Boss is on another level. That improvement speed is unreal."
"I’ll agree with that. And that dog’s pretty solid too—loyal and tough as hell."
Zhu Fu, for once, didn’t argue with Dan Dan Qi.
The group kept chatting, much to the assassin’s fury. Could you at least pretend to respect me? Blocking its path was bad enough, but now they were casually chatting? It immediately targeted the shortest one, teleporting in for a sneak attack.
To its shock, a lit firebrand was shoved straight into its chest.
Followed by the mocking laughter of the human child.
"You think I’m easy prey after all these chases? Think again, dumbass!"
The assassin hastily retreated, rolling in the rain to douse the flames. The group could’ve easily finished it off if they wanted to, but they weren’t aiming for a kill just yet.
Qi Xu dragged the fight out for nearly 30 minutes before spotting an opening. He spun around, landing three consecutive strikes with his baton, knocking the assassin off balance. The moment it hit the ground, he pulled out his pistol and shot it right between the eyes.
He hadn’t used the gun earlier because the assassin was too fast—by the time he drew, aimed, and fired, it could’ve closed the distance and crushed his skull.
With 30 minutes almost up, Qi Xu didn’t waste time. While his teammates kept the other assassin occupied, he shot it down too.
If it escaped when time ran out, the opportunity would be wasted.
Dan Dan Qi couldn’t hold back his amazement. "Your aim’s insane! Hacks, right? Last time I saw you in a dungeon, your shots were... well, y’know."
Qi Xu admitted freely, "Yeah, hacks. Unlocked ‘Gun Mastery.’"
"That’s some OP shit! How come I’ve never seen it?"
"Only drops from Obsidian supply crates. I’ve only found one."
"My bad, didn’t mean to pry."
"Since you’re here, might as well stay for dinner."
Qi Xu ushered everyone into the car, swapped to a slightly larger dining table, and pulled out a hotpot feast for them to share.
"When’s the next assassin coming after me? This is fun—I wanna play too," Dongfang Yuan said, clearly not satisfied with just one fight.
After the Hundred Ghosts calamity ended, the lack of monsters left him restless, and the constant rain made everything inconvenient.
"Let me ask."
Zhu Fu thought Qi Xu was joking. "Hah, ‘let me ask.’ Sure."
"They’ll come for you at 8 a.m. tomorrow. But yours is just an F-rank assassin—might not be much of a challenge."
"Hey, I’m not picky!"
Zhu Fu was baffled, assuming the 6 p.m. attack today was either coincidence or some precognition item. "Wait... you’re serious? Why would they listen to you?"
"The Assassin Hall’s leader—that giant black serpent—is a friend of mine."
"Damn." Zhu Fu flashed a hand sign.
Qi Xu grinned.
The big black snake was hilarious—before 6 p.m., it had even warned him, "Two assassins are on their way. Get ready."
When Qi Xu scheduled another attack, the snake agreed even faster than before. Practice makes perfect.
After this fight, Qi Xu felt more confident. Next time, he wouldn’t need backup.
With his advanced space stone, pistol, and Little Seven drawing aggro, taking them down shouldn’t be a problem.
He was even looking forward to the next battle—fighting weaker opponents barely helped him improve.
Once everyone left, Qi Xu took a quick shower. He’d be pulling another all-nighter—the next dungeon notice would arrive at 1 a.m.
Just then, a message arrived from the little goblin!
The new weapon was ready—its name: 〖Cherry Blossom Fall〗.
Qi Xu loved the name. Excited, he summoned it and—damn, the goblin had outdone itself. Not only were they twin heavy blades, but they were pink twin heavy blades!
At first glance, Qi Xu was mesmerized. The blades were coated in translucent pink enamel, so delicate that the curved patterns beneath resembled scattered cherry petals.
Gripping them, the weight felt perfect—solid and reassuring, exactly what he’d envisioned.
The ridged handles fit snugly against his palms, wrapped in rose-gold ribbons studded with diamonds. Once he held them, the ribbons coiled around his wrists automatically.
Qi Xu swung the twin blades through the air twice. The sharp sound of splitting wind carried a shimmer of scattered light, as if crushed cherry blossoms had been woven into the blades—romantic to the extreme.
.........
