Chapter 63: Chapter 33. They Are Ursus

Clap, clap, clap.

Wei Yenwu gently applauded. "A very powerful statement. I agree with your perspective. Now, let us add a bit more to the stakes. If you accept this gambling contract, then in Lungmen's pioneering trade routes next year, Rhodes Island may dispatch a squad of no more than fifteen operators. The profits will depend entirely on your own abilities. How does that sound?"

"I told you I would offer terms you could not refuse."

"Lord Wei, what on earth do you mean?"

Warfarin was somewhat unable to comprehend the intentions of Lungmen's helmsman. The terms he offered were too generous to ignore.

"I mean nothing else. I know you all trust that Mr. Guang. In the brief time of the past, he has indeed led you to win many unrepeatable battles. I am quite fond of him. If not for that, why would I have lent Ch'en and Hoshiguma to you in the first place?"

Wei Yenwu leaned back in his chair, stating objective facts one by one. A warm, spring-like smile remained on his face, but Warfarin knew that beneath this smile lay countless corpses piled up in Wolong Bay.

This man had never been a saint; even behind a temporary display of friendliness lay deeper, calculated motives.

"I cannot accept this."

As Warfarin uttered these words, she let out a long, heavy breath.

Wei Yenwu put away the document. "I understand. I respect that. This document remains valid. Now, let us see what else shall unfold."

***

"Cough, cough, cough."

Four people huddled in the corner. Bison and Cuora blocked the front, followed by Waai Fu, and right in the innermost spot was Zhou Jinru.

"Is everyone alright?"

"I'm fine, just too much dust and smoke."

Waai Fu buried her head, choking so badly she couldn't speak clearly.

Tat-tat-tat-tat!

Gunshots rang out continuously. It seemed the battle was still raging fiercely upstairs.

Judging from some of their foul language, Bison's expression grew exceptionally solemn. "Why are there so many Ursus people?"

"What?"

Bison explained, "Before Lungmen was unified, Lord Wei poured tremendous effort into its development. Back then, a massive war broke out between mobile cities. An Ursus mobile city suddenly deviated from its original route and secretly allied with some of Lungmen's gangs. The two sides clashed openly and covertly in Lungmen numerous times, resulting in countless casualties. In the end, Lord Wei achieved final victory, completely expelling the Ursus people from Lungmen. In January of the following year, the Firearms Management Act was promulgated. To commemorate those who died in the mobile city conflicts, the people of Lungmen hold a special hostility toward Ursus."

"Well, that settles it. Your security forces have a problem. Not only did they let in so many Ursus people, but the enemy also has guns, bullets, and explosives. Look, the ceiling of the 34th floor has even been blown apart..."

Zhou Jinru was spouting nonsense without a second thought. Watching Bison continuously provide surprise points that slowly filled his surprise meter, he couldn't help anticipating what changes would occur after his Elite 1 promotion.

Many operators underwent qualitative changes upon reaching Elite 1—such as Exusiai's strafing, Lappland's wolf spirit, or Ptilopsis's SP recovery aura—while some operators only became divine-tier entities after Elite 2, like SilverAsh or the Black and White Demons...

Yet seeing his level stuck at LV16 was agonizing. To level up, he had to watch movies—day in and day out. A Lungmen film lasted at least 90 minutes, and the experience bar would only rise once the viewing finished. He couldn't watch many in a single day, and the best option was to find collector's edition video discs signed by celebrities.

There was also a setting he found almost unacceptable: a film could only be watched once; the second time yielded no experience, forcing him to constantly switch titles—films like *Past Events at Wolong Bay*, *The Blind Gambler*, or *Black and White Match*, watching whatever he could get his hands on.

For the time being, no one had discovered them. That was the only thing worth celebrating; otherwise, whether they could withstand a round of gunfire was hard to say.

"Doctor, stop talking. Those are Originium explosives. Regular gunpowder doesn't have that kind of destructive power, but Originium-based explosives can easily tear apart roads and blow up floors. There must be Elite-level personnel among these people."

Boom!

Another loud explosion rang out, this time originating from the floor beneath their feet. Everyone looked at each other in dismay. Who would have thought there were enemies below as well?

"Doctor! Doctor!"

Ch'en's anxious voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"Doctor, they planted Originium explosives on the lower floors. The emergency stairwell has been blown through, and my people are trying to find a way up. You must be extremely careful!"

Zhou Jinru: "..."

He couldn't find the words to complain. At that moment, an armed operative in full combat gear dropped down through a gap in the ceiling of the 34th floor. The intruder meticulously inspected every corner of the floor, cautious as if a monster might leap out from the shadows at any second.

As the intruder passed a corner, a pair of powerful hands suddenly reached out from the opposite side, dragged him in, and knocked him unconscious before he could even utter a scream.

His entire set of equipment was swiftly stripped away, leaving him in only his undergarments.

"I can't use this, it's too heavy. Once I put it on, I won't be able to move."

Zhou Jinru discarded the full set of gear and picked up the intruder's weapon, only to discover it was powered by Originium Arts, which made him even less inclined to use it.

Firearms in the world of Terra were not traditional firearms in the conventional sense he remembered. Gunpowder bullets accounted for a very small portion and were mostly equipped only by the security police, for the simple reason of insufficient power; if the opponent wore thick armor, steel-core bullets couldn't even pierce the clothing.

However, bullets fired using Originium Arts were different. Not only did they deal massive damage to shield values, but they also possessed special effects against monsters contaminated by Originium. Yet, operating such firearms required prolonged training and a touch of talent.

And it was precisely that tiny fraction of talent that served as the fatal threshold for sniper operators; the strength of one's talent dictated their proficiency with Originium firearms.

The endowment bestowed upon the Laterans destined them to be the chosen ones for wielding firearms.

"Forget it, I guess I'll just have to rely on Turtle's baseball bat to dish out some damage. By the way, Turtle, why do you carry two baseball bats?"

Cuora said helplessly, "One is for playing, and the other is my prized possession—it has a baseball star's autograph on it, Doctor, please don't ruin it, you can't buy another one."

The gunfire upstairs gradually subsided. Zhou Jinru knew the situation was turning bad. Regardless of which side had won the upper hand, being trapped on the 34th floor with no way forward or backward would make them glaring targets.

Right at that moment, several ropes dropped down through the hole in the ceiling. A few heavily equipped figures slid down, shouting a string of foreign words in a booming voice.

Zhou Jinru couldn't understand a word. Bison fell silent for a fraction of a second before translating, "Surrender immediately. It's cold here, so we'll treat you to some Water of Life. If you don't surrender, we'll throw you all down."

"They are Ursus."