Chapter 106: The Baby-Faced Bombshell

This is a trap! Chen Mo was not surprised at all. Ever since he encountered Mu Xiaoyi, he knew this was a setup.

Through his data scan, Chen Mo had access to Mu Xiaoyi's information. Her character ID, "Poppy," belonged to one of the top ten powerhouses on the leaderboard. It was impossible for someone of that caliber to be sobbing uncontrollably while being chased by a D-grade zombie.

Therefore, Chen Mo had played along to lead her right into this trap. His smart-brain map had already revealed ten red dots in the area, and he was curious to see what kind of ambush they had prepared.

Putting on an act, Chen Mo feigned anger and shouted, "You tricked me!"

Mu Xiaoyi broke free from Chen Mo’s back, performed a graceful mid-air somersault, and landed lightly before him.

"Hehehe! Big brother, how did I trick you? My partners really are here!" Mu Xiaoyi let out a melodic laugh. A white light enveloped her, and her hair instantly turned white. Her beginner gear vanished, replaced by a white Gothic lolita dress, a bright red hairband, and crimson contact lenses.

Chen Mo said coolly, "This is your true face, isn't it, Poppy?"

Eh?!

Mu Xiaoyi’s body shuddered. She stared at Chen Mo, her red eyes wide with disbelief. "You knew I was Poppy all along?!"

Chen Mo scanned Mu Xiaoyi and the ten players surrounding him before sneering, "Yes."

Mu Xiaoyi’s expression turned serious. "It seems I underestimated you. I thought you were so distracted by my chest that you’d forgotten which way was up, but it turns out you let me lure you here on purpose!"

Chen Mo looked at the blood-stained stream and the corpses hidden beneath the surface. "If I’m not mistaken, your entire gang uses this place as a base to hunt passing players. When there are no players around, you use your 'innocent little girl' act to lure prey here. Then, you beat them to a pulp, and finally, whoever has 'Slaughter Mode' activated finishes them off to loot all their equipment!"

"Hehehe! Big brother, you’re amazing! You really are too clever!" Mu Xiaoyi’s demeanor shifted abruptly, her voice turning dark. "But has big brother prepared himself for death?"

Chen Mo didn't respond, his eyes locked onto the Slaughterer. "Sigh, what a pity. Only one of you has Slaughter Mode activated. Why didn't you all turn it on?"

"Poppy! Enough talk! Do it!" The speaker was Zheng Haonan, a genius ranked 12th at the Teachers' College Affiliated High School. Known as the school's strongest heavy-armored melee fighter, he wore B-grade Purple Flame Dragon Armor. This armor not only reduced physical and magic damage by 20% but also featured an automatic counterattack system. Whether facing melee or ranged attacks, two small dragon heads on the shoulders would blast beams of purple flame. While not as powerful as true dragon breath, it was far stronger than the average mage’s fire.

Mu Xiaoyi’s weapon was a white guqin. Her class was a Magic Musician—a hidden class not available in the store.

Mu Xiaoyi said calmly, "Watch out for his Blood Claws. He has definitely undergone military training; his moves are simple, practical, and aimed at one-hit kills. Besides the claws, he also has a black sword with immense power. Do not be careless!"

"Don't worry! I have it handled!" Zheng Haonan stepped forward, taking the lead.

The Purple Flame Dragon Armor generated a faint purple shield that vaguely resembled a dragon. According to the evolution forum’s standards, the ability to manifest energy into shapes indicated the Marquis rank. This man’s true strength was high-level General rank, but the fact that he could manifest a dragon’s outline meant he was close to breaking through to the Marquis rank. No wonder he was so confident!

Mu Xiaoyi was the leader of this eleven-person squad, and the team was named the Poppy Squad—a testament to her importance.

"First wave, magic attack!" Mu Xiaoyi commanded coolly.

Among the eleven, there were five mages, all at the early General rank.

"Double Compressed Fireball!"
"Double Folded Wind Blade!"
"Double Split Lightning Strike!"
"Water System Dual Burst!"

As expected of General-rank mages, they had all mastered advanced magic techniques and had even innovated them further. With all four mages attacking at once, they had previously insta-killed several early General-rank players, making the Poppy Squad extremely confident.

*Interesting!*

Chen Mo smiled faintly. Using his left foot as a pivot, he spun like a compass, dodging the Water Burst beneath him. He immediately pivoted to the right, avoiding the second burst.

The Water System Dual Burst could be cast directly under an enemy’s feet to launch them into the air, incapacitating them so the other three high-level skills could finish the job.

*Huh? He dodged it?* The mage who cast the Water Burst was stunned.

Zheng Haonan, the vice-captain, said confidently, "It’s fine! He might have dodged one, but can he dodge all four?"

*Dodge?* Chen Mo didn't need to dodge at all!

"Annihilation! Blade!"

The pitch-black magic sword swept out, transforming into a fifty-meter-long black sword aura that sliced through the fireball, wind blades, and lightning in mid-air!

*BOOM!*

The magic exploded, but the black sword aura instantly devoured the magic particles, growing even larger as it slashed toward the enemies!

"Oh no!"

Zheng Haonan jumped in front of his teammates. "Vajra! Perseverance!" He activated two defensive skills in succession. Raising his heavy shield high, he braced for the black sword aura!

*CRACK!*

The heavy shield split down the middle. The black sword aura sliced through Zheng Haonan’s C-grade Barrier Shield like tofu, broke through his Perseverance armor and Vajra buff, and finally tore through the Purple Flame Dragon Armor, carving a bloody gash across his chest. Blood began to trickle out.

*Huh?*

Chen Mo was slightly surprised. His Annihilation Blade in Slaughter Mode hadn't killed this man in one strike, proving he indeed had some skill.

Compared to Chen Mo’s mild surprise, Zheng Haonan’s heart was in turmoil. He was completely shocked.

The opponent had shattered four layers of his defense—shield, Perseverance, Vajra, and the Purple Flame Dragon Armor—with a casual swing! How terrifying was the power of that strike?

*Captain, oh Captain, what kind of monster have you brought us to fight?!*

However, Zheng Haonan wasn't afraid. Instead, he began to laugh maniacally. "Partners, look! This brat is truly powerful; his equipment must be worth a fortune! Everyone, listen up—prepare to fight to the death! Take him down!"

"Kill!" The Poppy Squad was highly disciplined, with clear division of labor.

Realizing the enemy’s strength, they immediately abandoned their linear formation and shifted into a "△" triangular defensive formation, with the soul of the squad—Poppy—at the center.

A sinister smile played on her lips as the white guqin hovered before her. Mu Xiaoyi’s voice rang out clearly, "Poppy Magic Array, activate!"

*Hummm—*

A triangular magic array ignited beneath the eleven players. As the "△" rotated, each member funneled a portion of their power into the guqin.

Suddenly, Mu Xiaoyi’s voice rose sharply: "Poppy Magic Zither, First Style: Ten-Finger String Execution!"

*Twang—*

Mu Xiaoyi plucked the strings with all ten fingers simultaneously. Ten white poppy flowers sprouted from the guqin, spinning rapidly as they shot toward Chen Mo!

*Oh!*

Chen Mo’s eyes widened. This was unexpected.

*Flowers born from strings! At this level, how could Mu Xiaoyi, an early General-rank player, possibly manifest this? This is a technique that requires at least the Marquis rank!*

*This is interesting!* Chen Mo stared at the guqin, his eyes burning with desire.