30. The Actor

Sometimes you just have to admit it.

Relying on a woman to get by—living off a soft meal—is shameless, sure, but it is undeniably effective.

For instance, Li Nuo watched as 2B braced her long sword, sprinting alongside the tricycle, taking out a Bomb-type enemy with every strike.

During this ambush, Li Nuo did not use [Emil’s Mask]. After all, he was familiar with Bomb-types; as long as they sensed any creature containing lipids—be it animal, plant, or human—they would indiscriminately attack, aiming to consume the fat as fuel for their own explosions.

In a high-fantasy setting, Bomb-types aren't particularly dangerous. In those worlds, someone waving a sword at the air for a year might suddenly unleash a "Demon-God Shattering Slash," and explosions serve merely to set the mood.

But in a grounded, realistic setting, an explosion is a hell of a lethal weapon.

The problem was that these creatures exploded when attacked, too.

Marjie was pedaling with every ounce of strength he had, creating a spectacle of speed and chaos reminiscent of a storm. The tricycle hurtled across the ruined landscape. 2B could not cover every angle, and on the few occasions a Bomb-type nearly reached them, Chen Shou had to rely on precise rifle fire to push them back.

"Brother Mar! Steady the bike! I can't aim!"

"Have you ever seen anyone drive a tricycle steadily!?"

Bang! Bang-bang! Bang!

Four shots in quick succession; three hit the approaching monsters. One explosion ignited the others, triggering a chain reaction of deafening booms. The injured Resistance soldier lay on the back of the cart, ignored by everyone. Between the constant vibrations and the jarring bumps, the poor guy was in critical condition.

Chen Shou kept firing to ward off the encroaching monsters, but the enemies were endless, and his ammunition was not. Soon, the rifle was dry.

They had scavenged 55 rounds and one standard-issue machine gun along the way, and they had emptied it all. Meanwhile, the slingshot and the hand cannon required charging, making their utility limited.

Desperate, Chen Shou pulled out his pistol.

It was a Glock 17 replica. It had 17 rounds, but it took multiple shots to kill a single target. Panic wouldn't solve anything, so he turned to Li Nuo.

"What do we do!?"

"…I didn't realize someone could actually run as fast as a car in high heels." Li Nuo ignored him, eyes fixed on 2B.

The android was behind them, continuously cutting down the monsters, leaping gracefully through the fire of the explosions. The moment she landed, she sprinted, her heels clicking against the ground. She whipped her blade out to slay a monster nearing the cart, then jumped mid-air to evade the suicide blast of two others.

"Hold on!" Marjie roared, drifting the handlebars!

In an instant, he steered the cart to dodge a near-lethal explosion, using the force of the blast to accelerate.

Chen Shou readied his slingshot. "Nice driving, Brother Mar!"

"Don't talk!"

Marjie refused to be distracted, charging straight along the riverbank.

A Bomb-type leaped into the air, but Li Nuo tapped it on the eye with [John’s Iron Pipe]. The creature shrieked in pain, fell to the ground, and detonated!

The cart’s speed faltered.

More Bomb-types had caught up along the cliffs on both sides, forming a near-total encirclement.

"Watch out ahead!" Li Nuo screamed. A cliff edge was approaching!

The sound of fragmentation cracked incessantly around them. 2B was trailing closely, but the sheer number of enemies made it impossible to counter them all.

At that moment, Marjie made an incredibly bold decision: he drove the cart straight toward the precipice!

"Hey… Marjie, this isn't GTA…"

"Brother Mar… we haven't lived this long just to die like this…"

Amidst the suicide blasts of the monsters, a blue cart burst through the flying debris, spraying water like sparkling light. 2B caught up, grabbing the edge of the cargo rack, and swung with them, carving an arc through the air.

Li Nuo and Chen Shou were resigned to their fate…

Thump!

The cart landed perfectly on the ground below. The vehicle’s heavy-duty suspension prevented the players from suffering serious injury from the fall.

Li Nuo and Chen Shou’s hearts were hammering in their chests. They were speechless. The feeling was akin to someone who had just bought a cemetery plot for a terminal illness, only for the doctor to hand them a medical report saying their daughter wasn't actually theirs.

"Brother Mar… no, Boss Mar, was that planned?" Chen Shou had already started calling him "Boss."

"What do you think?"

"Boss Mar…" Li Nuo also changed his tune: "That bunch of fire-lightning orbs is catching up…"

Looking back, those basin-sized Bomb-types were leaping off the cliff one by one… but a massive one vaulted over the ravine and descended directly above them. If that thing blew, there was little doubt it would take all three players with it.

"We’re done for…" Chen Shou went numb.

At that moment, a flash of steel cut through the air. The massive Bomb-type was cleaved in two and exploded!

In the firelight, 2B blurred through the shockwave, landed gracefully, and flicked her blade. The katana dissolved into particles in her hand, instantly appearing on her back.

Everything happened too fast. With no more Bomb-types to create noise, the sudden silence left Li Nuo feeling disoriented.

A few seconds later, 2B looked at them and asked, "Are you all right?"

Li Nuo stammered, "Y-yeah… we're fine…"

How could they be fine? That shameful skirt showing off half her rear—that was a foul!

Summing up the battle, 2B had done the heavy lifting, Marjie and Chen Shou handled the rest, while Li Nuo and the injured soldier served as the cameramen.

Once certain they were safe, Li Nuo peered at the zone where the giant Bomb-type had detonated and scavenged some usable powder.

[Bomb-type Ash * 2]

[Quality: Common]

[Description: A crafting material. A small amount is enough to create a bomb with a 5-meter blast radius.]

"Materials for a wide-area weapon are secured. Now…" Li Nuo looked toward the Resistance camp, his eyes filled with ulterior motives.

Without the harassment of the monsters, the road was clear. 2B washed the foul-smelling slime off her body near a creek. The injured Resistance soldier had already passed out due to Marjie's "Fast and Furious" driving.

Upon arriving at the Resistance camp, Li Nuo jumped off the cart.

Chen Shou asked, "Are you planning to surrender?"

Ignoring the sarcasm, Li Nuo said, "Please, wait a moment."

"Huh?" Chen Shou gestured vaguely toward the factory. "Aren't we going to the factory to finish the final mission?"

"Just wait a moment." Li Nuo gave Marjie a look, and the latter understood instantly.

The next stop, the factory, would surely be the end of the mission. Before a major battle, one must have supplies. And some supplies required specific tactics to maximize.

Li Nuo took off his mask and used a stone to add a few fake wounds to his forehead.

"Marjie, play along."

"Hmph, I know."

The moment they entered the camp, all the remaining Resistance fighters turned to them with suspicious and guarded gazes.

When he was certain he was the center of attention, Li Nuo feigned weak knees and collapsed to the ground.

Marjie played his part perfectly, catching Li Nuo and shouting, "Hold on, we're here!"

"Are we… are we here?" Li Nuo lifted his eyes, looking at the gathering crowd with a feeble gaze.

The maintenance chief emerged from the crowd, saying worriedly, "Quick, get them to the infirmary!"

Just then, a round, spherical head popped out of the crowd.

Emil jumped over to them, shouting anxiously, "Hey, hey, hey! How did you get so badly hurt!?"

Li Nuo offered a grateful smile. "Emil, I see you’ve already delivered the other wounded soldier?"

"Yes, someone brought one here, but he was badly hurt…" The maintenance chief sighed, then suddenly snapped to attention. "Wait, how do you know about that soldier?"

Emil immediately hopped up and added, "They’re the ones who saved him!"