Seeing the combat notification flash in his vision, [Sunset Wargod] felt his brain go numb.
He hadn't expected to be dragged into battle this fast—so fast that he didn't even have time to log out and escape.
"That fat bastard's definitely called for backup.
And from the look of it… the ones he brought are stronger than him!"
He scanned the incoming enemies, muttering under his breath.
"No, I need to get as far away from the fight as possible.
If I can break combat before the others, I won't have to die!"
With that thought, [Sunset Wargod] raised his voice and shouted:
"Yeah, we took your gear—so what?!
If you hadn't stopped [Huoyanyan] from chopping trees here,
none of this would've happened!
You started this mess, not us!"
He was trying to bait the Fatui into going after the real culprits,
diverting their rage away from himself.
Better they die than him—
throwing others under the bus was practically a daily skill.
"I just hope these NPCs aren't smart enough to see through that…" he thought uneasily.
After he spoke, the Fatui squad turned their gazes toward the Fatui Skirmisher - Cryogunner Legionnaire.
"They—they were chopping trees on our turf.
I just went to collect a small fee, maybe ask for some berries…"
the fat man muttered, a bit pitifully.
"So just because of a few raspberries…
they beat you half to death and stole your weapon?"
The Fatui Pyro Agent at the front clenched his fists, his tone seething with anger.
"Then they deserve a lesson!"
The moment he finished speaking, the Fatui Pyro Agent whipped his arms outward—
three flaming blades flew forth, orbiting around him in a deadly spiral.
Before he even reached the players,
the blades' heat had already singed his own allies—
The Fatui Skirmisher - Cryogunner Legionnaire, Fatui Electro Cicin Mage, and Fatui Skirmisher - Pyroslinger Bracer were all nicked by the fire.
Liang Chuan, who had been ready to act, quietly stepped back again.
"…Maybe I'll just watch for now.
If I jump in right away, I'm afraid my IQ will drop to their level,"
he murmured to Citlali and Ororon beside him.
The Fatui Pyro Agent, blades circling, charged toward the players.
Sensing danger, [Sunset Wargod] immediately retreated behind everyone else.
And with him fleeing, that meant—
the others would be the ones to take the hit.
The first victim was a player who'd been slacking the whole fight.
The Fatui Pyro Agent dashed through him in a blur, cutting him down instantly!
The flaming blades slashed outward again—three more players were caught in the crossfire.
One charge—four down.
One dead, three seriously injured.
Watching from a distance, Liang Chuan frowned slightly.
"I was planning to cooperate with Fatui here in Natlan…
so I wanted to avoid unnecessary bloodshed.
But these guys killing my players so ruthlessly—
they really don't hold back, do they?"
With a cold snort, he drew his two-star longsword.
Then he activated [Windstep], vanishing into motion as he closed the distance.
By then, the Fatui Pyro Agent had already split into multiple afterimages,
six fiery silhouettes surrounding the players from all sides.
This was his signature technique—
darting between his illusions in a deadly, high-speed assault.
He was about to annihilate every player in sight.
Liang Chuan frowned slightly.
He didn't recall this move all that clearly.
Back when he was still a newbie,
he'd always died before the Fatui Pyro Agent could even use it.
And now that he was strong—
The Fatui Pyro Agent never lived long enough to pull it off.
"Six invisible copies…
he dashes between them, hitting targets in rapid succession.
Without a special ability, it's nearly impossible to track his position,"
Liang Chuan murmured to himself.
Fortunately, one of the players had chosen the [Adventurer] support class.
And the Adventurer's talent—[Explore]—
allowed them to sense all entities within their field of vision.
Liang Chuan immediately activated [Explore] himself.
In his view, glowing lines of data appeared above the Fatui Pyro Agent's form:
———————————————
Fatui Pyro Agent
HP: 95%
Friendliness: 0%
Threat Level: E (relative to user of [Explore])
Recommended Counter: Apply Elemental Infusion to disrupt invisibility.
———————————————
Besides the standard health bar, the ability revealed several extra details.
Using elemental attachment to expose him—Liang Chuan already knew that trick.
But honestly, there was no need for it right now.
In his vision, the Fatui Pyro Agent's data tags floated above him in huge glowing letters—
far easier to track than any "colored" outline.
The Fatui Pyro Agent let out a chilling laugh,
ready to make these outsiders pay for his comrade's humiliation.
Then—
Squelch.
The tip of a sword pierced clean through his chest.
His laughter froze mid-breath.
He looked down at the blade protruding from his body, disbelief etched across his masked face.
"H-how… when…?"
His heart ruptured. His HP bar plummeted to zero.
Liang Chuan yanked the sword free, and the Fatui Pyro Agent's body collapsed to the ground.
When he reappeared from stealth, players finally saw him—
Liang Chuan standing amidst the dust, sword dripping with embers.
"Whoa?! It's Brother Chuan! Chuan's here to help us!!"
"Ha! And here I thought that hooded NPC was some kind of boss!
Guess not—Chuan bro one-shotted him!"
"Or maybe," another, more level-headed player said,
"it's not that the NPC was weak… but that Brother Chuan's too strong."
"Die!!!"
The remaining-------Fatui Skirmisher - Pyroslinger Bracer, Fatui Electro Cicin Mage, and Fatui Skirmisher - Cryogunner Legionnaire—
all roared and charged at once.
But they were nothing in Liang Chuan's eyes.
His four core stats had already far surpassed the average Vision holder's.
And with his ability to invoke any player skill,
his true combat level was already at the very peak of what "mortals" could achieve.
Just one step further—and he'd be on par with a Liyue adeptus or an Inazuman yokai.
These few Fatui?
Barely enough to keep his blade warm.
He was just about to finish them off when—
The air around him suddenly froze.
A killing chill seeped into his bones, slowing his breath.
From the distance, a tall figure in a Snezhnayan greatcoat walked toward him—
calm, deliberate, terrifying.
Liang Chuan's pupils constricted.
"The… Captain?!"
A cold sweat ran down his neck.
"All this from just one little scuffle…
and it actually drew the Captain out?!"
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