’One, two, three...’ Yan Da counted silently in his mind.
These Dark Tide Fishmen surged forward, one after another.
"Boss, is that enough?"
"Almost there." Yan Da’s hands were aching. This was more tiring than just killing fish.
These Fishmen struggled, dodged, and fought back.
He put his all into every attack, not daring to hold back.
His wounds tore open, and blood gushed out.
Finally, the Fishmen’s assault began to slow.
They were intelligent beings of flesh and blood; they could feel fear and terror.
The fact that they could charge for so long without their leader already marked them as elites.
Watching the retreating Dark Tide Fishmen, Yan Da stopped moving, staggered, and nearly collapsed.
Terrified, Yan San rushed to catch his big brother. "Big Bro, don’t you die on me!"
Yan Wu said from the side, "Second Bro, be gentle. Don’t shake Big Bro to death."
When the group carried Yan Da back to the Gated Community, Luo Sea had already been waiting at the main gate for a long time.
"Lord Luo, when did you get back?" Yan Wu asked in surprise.
"Halfway through the fight, the little bastard ran. He had backup waiting. Cunning fellow." Luo Sea waved his hand dismissively, a sour look on his face.
He’d hooked a big one, but it got away. Now that the fish was spooked, it probably wouldn’t be so easy for it to show its face again.
Luo Sea glanced at Yan Da, who was being carried by several people, and sensed his breathing. "Passed out?"
Yan San gave a bitter laugh. "Yes."
Luo Sea said, "Get him to medical treatment, quickly."
Yan Da was taken to a hospital. It had just transmigrated over not long ago, so much of the medical equipment inside was still usable.
There was a backup generator on the hospital’s first basement level. After starting it up, the doctors performed surgery on Yan Da.
Eager to prove their worth, the surgeons performing the operation gave it their all.
Not only did they treat Yan Da’s external injuries, but they also threw in an appendectomy.
When Yan Da awoke, he was wrapped tightly in bandages, lying on a hospital bed. A white tallow candle burned on the table beside him.
This was the scene that greeted him when he woke up.
"How long... have I been back?"
"Big Bro, it hasn’t even been half a day. The doctors treated you. They said they also performed a small, extra surgery on you."
"A small, extra surgery?" Yan Da mused, subconsciously touching his lower abdomen.
His lower right abdomen had always troubled him with a dull ache, like a fine needle pricking him.
He had seen doctors about it a few times, and they’d called it "bowel abscess" and "colic."
The treatment was always a hot compress or *gua sha*.
Sometimes it helped, but after a while, it would occasionally flare up again.
Shaking his head, Yan Da forced himself to stop overthinking. He turned his head and saw a bag filled with a dark red substance, which was being continuously fed into his body.
He squinted, studying it for a moment, and was stunned to realize it seemed to be blood.
’If you’ve lost blood, they can just directly transfuse more? What kind of technique is this!?’
Seeing his big brother’s astonishment, Yan San grinned from the side and said, "Big Bro, the doctors said this is a blood pack from the blood bank’s refrigerator. They said that after this transfusion, once you’re healthy again, you have to give the blood back."
Yan Da narrowed his eyes and nodded. "That’s only right. But to directly transfuse blood after losing it... I’ve never heard of such a method."
There were similar folk remedies in the Great Yong, but the mortality rate was extremely high, and few doctors dared to use them.
The door to the hospital room was pushed open, and Qin Ziwen walked in.
Seeing his lord, Yan Da struggled to get up, but Qin Ziwen came forward and pressed him down. "Don’t get up. Just rest here."
Qin Ziwen asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Much better."
Qin Ziwen smiled. "Good. You’re lucky. This hospital just transmigrated not long ago, so the operating room is very clean, and the medicines and equipment are all well-preserved. We could handle more than just some external wounds; even more serious surgeries are possible. We also gave you some Healing Spring to drink. Your injuries probably won’t take long to heal. You should be able to move around normally in two or three days at most."
The doctors themselves had volunteered for this surgery. Of course, he could guess the reason why.
It was nothing more than a desire to prove their own worth and secure a higher status.
He could understand that.
So he had agreed.
Hearing he had to wait two or three more days to get back in action, Yan Da grew anxious. "My lord, I feel like I could fight those Fishmen again right now! Please, my lord, grant me permission. I’m only a few Fishmen short of completing my challenge."
"I told you to rest, so rest. That’s enough. I have other matters to attend to. You will stay here. Do not leave the Gated Community’s perimeter." Qin Ziwen’s tone was firm.
Yan Da was anxious but didn’t dare to argue. "...Yes."
Just before leaving, Qin Ziwen paused and turned back. "Mogu will catch some Fishmen and bring them to you later to help you complete your mission."
Staring at his lord’s back, Yan Da’s head snapped up, his face filled with irrepressible joy.
"Thank you, my lord!"
Leaving the building, a smile played on Qin Ziwen’s lips. How could he forget about Yan Da’s challenge mission? He had specifically sent Luo Sea to help him complete it.
He didn’t think that completing a challenge with outside help meant it was missing its "soul."
Being able to rely on external strength was a skill in itself. Naturally, it was best to complete as many missions as possible.
Once Yan Da completed the Second Gear difficulty, he would use a Reward Card to boost the rewards to Third Gear.
’Perfect!’
Back at the Home, Qin Ziwen found Luo Sea. Luo Sea had also suffered quite a few injuries, but given his large frame, the wounds weren’t deep. After drinking from the Healing Spring, they were already beginning to heal at a visible rate.
"So, you fought the Dark Tide Fishmen. Any thoughts?"
"Their strength is lacking, but their speed is decent," Luo Sea replied without hesitation.
Qin Ziwen teased, "No wonder you couldn’t catch him in the end."
Luo Sea sounded a bit indignant. "I did catch up. He just had help—an underwater Giant Beast, an Extraordinary one at that."
"How big was this Giant Beast?"
"It was a crab, about the size of a Mosasaurus. The guy hid in a crevice of its shell. There was other backup, too—a school of fish with very sharp teeth. I saw they had numbers, so I retreated first."
"An Extraordinary crab the size of a Mosasaurus." Qin Ziwen was a little startled. That thing was a true monster.
For a crab to reach the size of a Mosasaurus, its Defense Power must be absolutely absurd.
I’m afraid even the 2.0 Car-Mounted Crossbow might not be able to break its defense.
A Giant Beast of that size is terrifying.
Luo Sea said, "Yes. Fortunately, their control over the crab isn’t very strong. The crab didn’t have much desire to attack; it just drove me away and didn’t give chase."
"Interesting." Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes. ’So this is the Dark Tide Fishmen’s trump card?’
"Besides the Extraordinary crab, what about the other Dark Tide Fishmen? What’s your impression of them?"
Luo Sea said, "Their bloodline is impure. It wouldn’t matter if they had a legacy or not; they couldn’t use it. We of the Fishman Hunting Race require a strong physique to master our Combat Techniques. Their bodies are too weak. They can’t learn them.
"From what the other Dark Tide Fishmen called him, that guy holds a high position among them, probably upper management. If even a high-ranking member’s bloodline is that mottled, the others can only be worse.
"Chief, I don’t think they developed the means to control those insects themselves. I suspect these Fishmen might have a backer."
"They definitely have a backer." Qin Ziwen voiced his own speculation. "It might be another Tuiyuan, maybe even a Fishman Race Tuiyuan."
Hearing about a Fishman Race Tuiyuan, Luo Sea was stunned for a moment, then became ecstatic. "Chief, why don’t we go conquer that Tuiyuan behind them!"
"No rush. A Fishman Race Tuiyuan probably can’t descend for now. We can only make contact with them after this map ends, unless they have a Card that lets them descend early." Qin Ziwen felt that Luo Sea was even more excited about the news of a Fishman Race Tuiyuan than he was.
Luo Sea cleared his throat twice. "Yes, Chief."
...
...