NABC Chapter 38 Abyss - Lava Demon! The Abyss Realm and the ImmortalDemon Realm
Chapter 38 Abyss - Lava Demon! The Abyss Realm and the ImmortalDemon Realm
After explaining the situation of the polluted area and the Abyss Rift Valley for a while, Zhou Chengjie turned to the next slide, his laser pointer landing on the outermost green area: "Our assessment area is in the outer perimeter!"
"Each team draws lots to determine their landing location. We drew the outer area of the East Third Great Rift Valley."
Zhou Chengjie flipped to the next slide, which was a more detailed partial map.
The map shows the terrain, architectural ruins, and markers of various colors.
"This area was Snake Valley before the cataclysm, home to species like the Five Spirit Pythons and the Black-striped Giant Serpent," Zhou Chengjie circled on the map with his laser pointer. "Now, snakes are still there, but they're not the only ones!"
"According to the information provided by the school, the common types of strange beasts in this area are roughly as follows..."
He rummaged through the desk, pulled out a sheet of printed paper from a folder, and found it covered with densely packed tables.
"The first type is mutated snakes. Most of them are snake-like magical beasts that were corrupted but not completely mutated back then, with strength ranging from servant level to mid-elite level. They are not fast, but their venom is very potent..."
"The second type is the Demon Rat Swarm." Zhou Chengjie's tone became noticeably more serious. "The individual strength is not high, ranging from the early stage of the Servant level to the high stage of the Soldier level, but their numbers are extremely large, with hundreds deployed at a time! Moreover, their teeth can bite through most standard armor."
He paused for a moment, then added, "When encountering a swarm of Rat, never engage them head-on. Find a position using terrain to your advantage, or clear them out with grenades!"
Su Chen silently remembered it.
"The third type is the Demon Wolf," Zhou Chengjie said. "They range from low-level soldier to high-level elite. They are extremely fast and excel at teamwork. They are usually led by an alpha wolf. The key is to take down the alpha wolf first, then the rest of the pack will be easier to deal with!"
"There are also more than twenty kinds of magical beasts, such as the Long-tailed Scorpion. Everyone should remember the common magical beasts."
After describing these common mythical beasts, he turned to the next slide of the PowerPoint presentation.
The monster in the picture is clearly different.
The art style has changed.
The markings on the map turned dark red, and the monster's outline became even more ferocious and terrifying.
"Those I just mentioned are just the local residents of this area," Zhou Chengjie's tone turned serious. "The real trouble comes from those things that crawled out of the Abyss Rift!"
The laser pointer touched the large rift valley on the map that runs through the East Third Region.
"Abyssal demons. To be precise, lava demons!"
Su Chen stared at the monster encyclopedia on the projection screen, his brows furrowing slightly.
The creature in the encyclopedia is dark red all over, with skin like charred rock, and dark red light flowing through its cracked lines, like magma flowing inside its body.
There were no eyes, or rather, the places where the eyes were were two deep hollows, inside which flickered a deep red flame.
Upon seeing these images, Su Chen couldn't help but think of the ultimate crisis facing the world.
At the very beginning...
When the apocalypse broke out, numerous spatial rifts appeared, from which many otherworldly monsters emerged.
Based on the information currently released by the federal government...
The human world has two ultimate enemies: the Abyss Realm and the Realm of Immortals and Demons!
The former includes Abyss Lords and Ancient Gods whose power is comparable to that of gods, as well as many strange and terrifying beings known as evil gods.
The latter refers to demons, monsters, ghosts...
For the Huaxia Federation, ghosts and gods are absolutely the most terrifying thing.
It's somewhat like a folk worldview, an entity that can spread bizarre beliefs and possesses many strange powers that go beyond the normal martial arts system.
The cult organizations it cultivated within the China Federation are extremely harmful!
Thinking of these terrifying beings, Su Chen's slight sense of arrogance, which had arisen due to his rapid increase in strength during this period, instantly deflated.
"The path of martial arts is long and arduous!"
.......
"There are quite a few types of lava demons. Currently, we know that there are roughly a few types that might appear in this area."
Zhou Chengjie opened the folder and went through it page by page.
"The first type is the Lava Hound. It's about the size of a large dog and its whole body is covered in fire. Its main attack methods are biting and charging, and the high temperature of its body is its greatest weapon. Its weak point is its abdomen, where the rock armor is thinnest."
"The second type, the Lava Golem..."
"The third type, the Flame Demon..."
"The fourth type..." Zhou Chengjie's finger paused on the paper, "The Earth Flame Demon Worm, a gigantic creature that lurks underground and suddenly emerges to attack. When it's underground, it's very difficult for psionic detection to pinpoint its location. Its weakness is its head, but it's also its most powerful attack point."
After explaining these four points, he closed the folder.
"Of course, we can't rule out encountering more advanced demons. However, the school should have already cleared out any overly dangerous targets when designating the assessment area."
"But...that doesn't mean it doesn't exist!" he added.
"Our team's strength is definitely not enough to just roam the outer areas; we'll inevitably enter the buffer zone, and even approach the inner zone. Therefore, the monsters we encounter will certainly exceed our expectations!"
Su Chen nodded unconsciously, without interrupting.
Zhou Chengjie turned to the next slide of the PPT, which was an intelligence table.
"The school gave us basic information about this area, including the distribution of monsters, terrain features, and potentially dangerous areas, etc."
He made some dots on the form with a laser pointer.
"but..."
He turned around to face the crowd, his expression serious.
"Intelligence is limited."
"The school won't give any team complete information. After all, there are many unexpected situations during wilderness training. The school wants to test our ability to deal with unexpected situations."
"If we want more information, we need to search for intelligence envelopes left behind by the school along the way."
Zhou Chengjie turned to the next slide of the PPT, which was the tactics section.
"Next, let's talk about the equipment!"
"According to the equipment standards announced by the school this time, each person can choose one melee weapon. Each person will also receive one basic firearm, along with a certain amount of ammunition and hand grenades."
He looked at everyone, his tone serious.
"When choosing a melee weapon, everyone should consider their own fighting style. Those who excel at close combat should choose knives, swords, or spears; those who excel at defense should choose various shields; those who excel at mid-range combat should choose weapons like the nine-section whip; and those who excel at long-range combat should choose a bow."
"As for firearms, the school provides standard psionic rifles, which are powerful enough! They're mainly for dealing with ranged harassment enemies, such as lava imps."
"Don't use grenades recklessly; save them for clearing out swarms of demon rats or dealing with elite monsters!"
After he finished speaking, he looked at Wang Yichuan and said, "Yichuan, you explain the specific tactical division of labor."
Wang Yichuan nodded, stood up, and walked to the front.
The projection screen switched to a new image: a simplified tactical deployment diagram.
The positions of forward, wing, defender, and beast tamer are marked.
Wang Yichuan's voice wasn't loud, but it was very clear.
"There are seven of us in total, plus two pets, making a total of nine positions. My idea is to divide the roles according to everyone's strengths and characteristics: forward, center-back, and defender."
He pointed to the markings on the tactical map.
"The forward position is responsible for close-quarters combat engagements and clearing the way, drawing enemy fire from the front. Players in this position need to be durable, capable of dealing damage, and have quick reflexes!"
"Center-backs are responsible for supporting the forwards while protecting the defenders. When the forwards are marked out of position, the center-backs must be able to immediately move up or provide support."
"The defender is responsible for covering the rear, preventing attacks from the flanks and rear, and providing long-range fire support."
After he finished speaking, he looked at everyone.
"The specific positions will depend on everyone's strength and fighting style; there's no strict rule. But the general principle is to maintain formation and not break apart. In the contaminated zone, being alone is tantamount to suicide!"
Su Chen was somewhat surprised when he saw the allocation.
How formal!
His Shadowless Step is already level 3, which is not slow for the team. He can run and retreat.
The opening technique is just the beginning; it doesn't make one a very strong fighter, but it's not entirely without output either.
Xiao Zi's speed and lightning-type skills can provide burst damage and control at crucial moments.
He felt he was more of a mobile support type.
It's not the kind of material that can withstand strong attacks, but it's not purely a back-row player either.
Center back?
"Furthermore, the coordination between beast tamers is very important!"
Wang Yichuan looked at Su Chen and Zhou Chengjie: "The Wind and Thunder Hounds and the Shadow Leopards should ideally have some close contact before tomorrow, at least to prevent them from fighting amongst themselves on the battlefield!"
Su Chen nodded: "It's already being arranged!"
As he spoke, he patted Xiao Zi's head and said, "Did you hear that? Next up are your comrades!"
"Awoo~"
Little Purple called out, looking aggrieved but agreeing nonetheless.
Zhou Chengjie nodded: "Let them stay together tonight and get used to it!"
Wang Yichuan continued, "Xiao Zi's speed is an advantage, and it can play a significant role in the early reconnaissance and clearing phases of the assessment! The Shadow Leopard's stealth ability is suitable for reconnaissance in complex terrain. Specific arrangements will be determined tomorrow depending on the situation."
After saying this, he closed the folder.
"That's roughly the tactical framework. We'll adjust the specifics based on the actual situation when we get to the assessment site tomorrow."
Zhou Chengjie picked up the conversation, his tone becoming more relaxed: "Alright! That's the situation. Everyone, please feel free to share your thoughts now."
Zhang Yan was the first to raise her hand: "I want to choose a long spear!"
Zhou Chengjie looked at her: "Have you used it before?"
"I've used it!" Zhang Yan patted her chest confidently. "I'm an all-rounder!"
Lin Xiyue, who was standing next to her, couldn't help but chuckle softly.
Su Chen added expressionlessly, "Last time you sparred with Liu Xiangdong, you used a spear but he knocked it out with a sword, and you lost your weapon in three moves."
Zhang Yan's face flushed red: "That...that's because that was a wooden gun! The weight was wrong, the feel was wrong! This one's real!"
"Okay!" Zhou Chengjie didn't hesitate and wrote it down on the paper. "Spear, main melee attacker, who else?"
Yang Xin spoke up: "I specialize in firearms. Tomorrow, equip me with a heavy rifle with plenty of ammunition so I can provide fire support at medium to long ranges."
Zhou Chengjie nodded and made another note on the paper.
Li Yu, the rather chubby boy, raised his hand and said, "I choose the shield and the one-handed hammer. Front row, can take some damage."
Zhou Chengjie glanced at him: "How much strength?"
"The most recent test was last night, and the weight was 663kg!"
Zhou Chengjie nodded. This was his regular teammate, and he was just asking as a matter of routine.
Wang Yichuan said, "I can use a sword, either as a center-back or a striker."
Lin Xiyue said softly, "I can use my bow to provide fire support."
Zhang Yan nudged Su Chen's arm with her elbow: "What about you?"
Su Chen thought for a moment: "Let's go with the longsword! Plus Xiao Zi, I'll play a mobile role, covering wherever needed."
After listening to everyone's intentions, Zhou Chengjie quickly drew a formation on a piece of paper.
"Alright! We'll stick to this lineup tomorrow. Forwards: Zhou Chengjie, Zhang Yan, Li Yu. Center-backs: Wang Yichuan, Su Chen. Defenders: Lin Xiyue, Yang Xin."
"Beast Taming Synergy: Shadow Panther is responsible for reconnaissance and surprise attacks, while Little Purple is responsible for rapid support and burst damage."
He put down his pen, placed his hands on the table, and scanned everyone with his gaze.
"Any other questions?"
No one speaks.
Zhou Chengjie closed the folder, his tone resolute.
"Alright! Tomorrow, at Five Heads Mountain, let's have a good fight!!!"