Chapter Fourteen: Side Quest – The Ten Massacres of Yangzhou

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Evening fell, twilight deepening.
Within the primeval forest, fierce battles raged everywhere. The sudden attacks by unknown shadows had thrown most of the alien species into a state of panic, their bloodlust rising several degrees.
Jiang He ran through the forest, a two-meter-tall wild boar relentlessly pursuing him. Its neck was encircled by pale tusks, its eyes glowed a ghostly green, and the corners of its mouth were stained with blood.
Ahead, a giant boulder blocked the path. Jiang He leapt like a tiger, delivering a fierce kick to the stone before flipping backward.
Seeing its prey take to the air, the wild boar lunged forward with surprising agility despite its heavy bulk, striking the boulder head-on. Cracks spiderwebbed across the rock, which then shattered with a thunderous crash.
The moment it landed, the ground gave way beneath the boar, and it fell into a trap where a dozen wooden spears impaled its body. Violent struggles broke all the spears.
Jiang He approached the trap and threw a steel fork from his hand, ending the fight. A notification sounded, but he temporarily muted it.
Old Hei emerged from behind a tree, somewhat proud: “Done. Your skills are as sharp as ever.”
“This beast has a supernatural ability that makes heavy things feel light.”
Jiang He struggled to drag the prey up a gentle slope, skinning and deboning it before placing it into his inventory pouch.
Old Hei brought over a prepared mold, teasing, “This half-dragon truly is our benefactor. Good thing we won back then.”
Jiang He nodded. Indeed, the half-dragon was in a critical stage of evolution. Its blood essence was a powerful tonic, and its bones, when exposed to alien supernatural remains, reawakened evolutionary signs.
Jiang He pressed his finger to the mold. The bones of the Mountain Spirit, Mountain Lady, Wood Guest, White Jade Elephant, and wild boar had all been absorbed by the half-dragon bones. Carefully, he opened his inventory pouch slightly, only allowing a molten metal-like liquid to pass through. Any larger leak would cause an explosion in the dense forest.
The liquid solidified into a 2.4-meter-long spear. Due to the addition of abundant White Jade Elephant ivory powder, the spear gleamed silver-white. Its tip bore a terrifying pattern resembling a giant serpent, as if harboring endless hatred.
[Metal and Fire, Bronze Age Primitive Metallurgy]
[Player 79966 acquired passive skill: Forging Beginner LV1 (2% improved smelting efficiency)]
[Name: Long Regret Spear]
[Type: Weapon]
[Quality: Fine]
[Effects: ① Weighs three thousand jin (approx. 1.5 tons) yet feels weightless. ② Extremely durable. ③ Long Regret Strike: Amplifies weight through the user’s hatred]
[Note: It only acknowledges the target it wishes to kill.]
The moment the Long Regret Spear took shape, the mold shattered, leaving a clear indentation on the ground.
Jiang He lifted the silver spear. Three thousand jin equaled one and a half tons—ancient units described it as the weight of a hundred jun—but he felt it as light as a feather, without any burden to his body. Modern heavy spears weighed about 10 to 12 jin, a vast difference.
“Just a graze hurts, a hit kills.”
Jiang He’s hands flashed; spear shadows formed a canopy, fierce winds sweeping all around. This spear could serve as a main weapon through the early to mid-game stages, though not perfect. The “Long Regret Strike” was meaningless to him, and due to the rough forging, the spear tip wasn’t sharp.
“Pity I have no deep hatred.”
Old Hei said happily, “This place is definitely a treasure trove waiting to be developed. Judging by those strange shadows, we might be the only explorers on this border.”
“Still, we should... play it safe…”
Jiang He began to speak but found his thoughts growing sluggish. When had the forest become filled with dark green-furred monkeys, all standing silently and motionless like statues?
Old Hei panicked, attempting to snatch Jiang He away, but was stopped by a glance.
On a boulder, a snow-white small beast the size of a human head slowly surveyed the surroundings. Seeing no active alien life, it nodded unconsciously and approached a leaf monkey. Despite its terror-filled eyes, the monkey could only become a meal.
The white creature suddenly leapt onto the monkey’s head and gently sucked, crushing the skull. The gelatinous brain matter was consumed as it yawned in satisfaction before turning away.
The leaf monkey, which could transform into a leaf to sleep, collapsed lifeless.
Moments later, the sluggishness vanished.

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Jiang He and Old Hei immediately withdrew, chased by thousands of leaf monkeys.
“Nao, the Nao ape struggles to climb in sorrow. Legends say it feeds on monkeys; primates have no chance against it. Its influence radius is at least two kilometers. I just felt my mind stop.”
Old Hei replied while running, “I wasn’t affected.”
Tens of thousands of leaf monkeys pursued them, enraged that the sacred day of tribute had been disturbed—an unforgivable offense.
Only when they reached the Yu King Monument did the lead old monkey reluctantly halt the chase.
The Nao was born from leaf monkeys and would kill any challenger within the group. Through generations of oppression and resistance, before a new Nao killed the old, the monkey clan stood firmly by the old leader. Over time, the Nao grew stronger, maintaining a constant state of crisis even if the leader was formidable.
A single monument separated yin and yang.
Jiang He returned to the present, receiving his mission reward.
[Mission: Kill Five Aliens 5/5]
[Reward ①: 100 experience points, 100 game coins]
[Reward ②: Random common-quality scroll *1]
[Mission Rating: A, 160% bonus to experience and coins]
[Player Level: LV3 (275/300)]
[Game Coins: 475]
[Name: Hypnosis]
[Category: Active Skill]
[Quality: Common]
[Effect: Hypnotizes living beings through speech and gestures. Effectiveness depends on suggestion strength and mental stats. Costs 30 energy per use.]
[Note: One should do as one wishes!]
After completing the daily mission, Jiang He tore up the scroll, successfully learning the hypnosis skill. Such special abilities rarely appeared in serious contexts but were still quite useful.
He took out the Vermilion Sand Mirror, gazed at his reflection, and activated the hypnosis skill.
“Make the heart beat faster.”
As he spoke, Jiang He relaxed and accepted the hypnosis. He clearly heard his heartbeat thumping. The Garuda Egg had increased his heart’s strength, allowing more powerful blood pumping, but his blood vessels couldn’t fully handle the enhancement, limiting its effect.
Moments later, white steam emitted from his head, and his skin gradually flushed red. Entering Garuda Mode Three, his speed and reflexes increased by thirty percent and could stack with Mode One or Mode Two.
...
Night fell.
Jiang He and Old Hei descended the mountain to the foot where the head of a Yingzhou man lay in pitiable condition. Ants had devoured the flesh, and a raccoon dog gnawed on the skull. The man had suffered immense pain before death.
Back in the red brick house, Jiang He closed the door, removed the half-dragon armor, and retrieved the Long Regret Spear from his inventory. Thanks to its extreme durability, the spear had been preserved in the heat-radiation environment. He raised it and began drilling holes into the scales.
Old Hei brought more scales. The half-dragon was over ten meters long, and its materials sufficed to craft one or two full suits of armor.
Working until midnight, Jiang He finally wove a full set of scale armor using the long whiskers as thread. The armor was lightweight yet offered solid protection. Thanks to improved arrangement and distribution, it fit snugly, no longer bulky.
[Name: Half-Dragon Scale Armor]
[Type: Armor]
[Quality: Rare]
[Effect: Lightweight and durable]

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[Note: Likely to attract the hatred of snake-like creatures]
All preparations complete.
Jiang He took out the Vermilion Sand Mirror again and spoke to himself: “I need to enter deep sleep.”
The moon shone bright among sparse stars; drowsiness came over him.
Old Hei lay on the ground with his furry ears perked, patiently alert to the surroundings.
...
Dawn approached.
Old Hei noticed Jiang He awake, then he himself fell asleep.
Jiang He opened his eyes, feeling refreshed.
Though the deep sleep lasted only three to four hours, it completely erased the fatigue he had accrued.
The hypnosis skill was only common quality; it could not command far-reaching control but was roughly equivalent to a hypnosis expert completing a session quickly. Success depended on mental strength, vigilance, and reasonableness.
Jiang He assessed himself: his strength, endurance, and agility all far surpassed average humans. The three modes derived from the Garuda Egg, basic spear skill at LV7, two active skills, a fine-quality main weapon, a rare-quality armor, and six sudden bursts of gas attacks.
He could not achieve qualitative leaps in the short term.
Everything was ready—it was time to use the black card.
Jiang He chose to start a [Derivative Mission], distinct from daily quests. These missions were optional, with at least a half-month interval and significantly higher danger.
Only in [Derivative Missions] and [World Missions] could the Authority Career Evaluation Card be activated.
Once activated, a notification sounded: carrying modern weapons and non-personal gear would increase mission difficulty. Jiang He discarded his pistol and bullets.
Then a cutscene appeared: a fortress fallen, iron cavalry ravaging the land, corpses piled high, rivers of blood flowing. An endless army crossed the river southward. Refugees scattered everywhere. Cannons bombarded city walls; arrows rained down—bloodshed and chaos.
[The Land Shattered, Life Drifting Like a Reed]
[Year 1645 AD, internal strife in Southern Ming intensifies. The left general, under the pretense of purging the court, marched his army toward the secondary capital but died en route. His son took command. Southern Ming adopted the strategy of using barbarians to pacify rebels, recalling four northern garrisons for reinforcement. Iron-hatted King Tieduo led his troops to cross the river easily and besieged Yangzhou. Refugees flooded in from all directions, lost and uncertain.]
[Mission Name: Ten Days in Yangzhou]
[Mission Type: Team Dungeon Mode]
[Main Objective: Survive ten days]
[Detected player using Authority Card]
[Main Objectives updated: ① Hunt down Tieduo (0/1), ② Hunt down Flag Soldiers (0/200)]
[Time Limit: Ten days]
[Base Rewards: ① One free attribute point, ② One skill point, ③ 300 experience and game coins, ④ Random rare-quality item *1]
[Authority Reward: Unlock Executive Authority Career]
[Side Missions: None yet]
[Temporary Language Translation Module Loaded]
[Initial Identity: Fourth Son of the He Family]
World, commence!