Chapter 28: Return

"Sister Wu?"

"That is insane! Is this the true power of a Sword Saint?"

Behind the scenes, Twilight of the Gods watched from a distance as Luo Wushang effortlessly deflected four arrows at once. He was left wide-eyed and slack-jawed, struggling to believe what he was seeing. Although he had long known that Luo Wushang, Vice Guild Leader of Heaven’s Might and holder of the Sword Saint title, was no ordinary player, it was impossible not to be stunned after witnessing that display.

"It's normal," Fang Zhen remarked with a calm demeanor, smiling as he explained. "In *Pilgrimage*, Luo Wushang is known as the 'One-Sword River-Breaker, Master of Ten Thousand Currents.' That’s not just hype; she actually severed a river in the game, forcing the water to flow backward."

"In this *High Martial Arts* world, the virtual immersion is 100%. While our physical attributes are far inferior to our in-game Sword Saint forms and the physics engine is much more realistic, our control and reflexes are actually superior here."

"It was only four arrows. It would be a joke if she couldn't block them."

"Fair point," Twilight of the Gods nodded, feeling embarrassed for overreacting. As a true Sword Saint from *Pilgrimage*, she stood at the pinnacle of players. If she struggled with the very first scripted combat of the game, it would be a disgrace to her title.

However, the conversation between Fang Zhen and Twilight of the Gods left Lin Qi speechless.

*Look at that!*

*Only four arrows?*

*It would be a joke if she couldn't block them?*

*Is that even something a human would say?*

Still, Luo Wushang’s stunning performance genuinely shocked Lin Qi, making him feel as though he had hit the jackpot. At this rate, he was effectively being carried to victory by experts.

However, the opposing Feather-kin wanderers were not easily intimidated. After their brief moment of shock, the four Feather-kin immediately resumed their frantic barrage against Zhang Qingwei and Luo Wushang. Even if Luo Wushang deflected every arrow, the suppression fire significantly delayed their advance.

"Hao Tuo, use the trump card!" the young Feather-kin leader shouted through gritted teeth as he watched Luo Wushang and Zhang Qingwei closing in.

"On it."

A hulking Feather-kin youth, over two meters tall and carrying a large metal case, set it down and retrieved two electromagnetic grenades. These grenades represented the savings of their entire squad over the past six months. With this trump card, they usually felt confident enough to face even a Quasi-Martial Artist. But now, they realized they were up against true experts; if they didn't use them, the whole squad would be in danger.

The youth held the two grenades and sprinted toward the window, preparing to coordinate with the arrow fire to blow the two intruders to pieces.

"Damn! These NPCs are playing dirty because they can't win?" Zhang Qingwei muttered, his expression darkening as he looked at the Feather-kin youth twenty meters away, now wielding two high-explosive threats.

Deflecting arrows was no problem for Luo Wushang, but blocking a grenade blast was impossible.

"Go to hell!"

As Luo Wushang prepared to deflect another volley of arrows, the Feather-kin youth hurled the grenades.

*Whoosh!*

A piercing sound cut through the air. A pitch-black arrow struck one of the grenades mid-air, detonating it instantly. The explosion and the subsequent shockwave of fire and lightning swallowed everything in its path. The blast was so intense that the six Feather-kin inside the building lost their footing, and the walls were shredded, exposing them to the intruders.

"Awesome, Brother Zhen! You managed to hit that from so far away in the dark," Twilight of the Gods exclaimed, staring at the dissipating flames.

"It’s nothing, just over a hundred meters," Fang Zhen said dismissively. "For professional players in *Mecha Continent*, that doesn't even meet the entry-level assessment standards."

As they chatted, the six members of the White Feather Gang inside the ruined building were in a state of confusion.

"How are there more experts?"

"What kind of gang is this?"

"Are they a team of Quasi-Martial Artists heading back to the city?"

One could deflect arrows from four people at once, and the other could shoot a grenade out of the sky from a hundred meters away in the dead of night. Aside from Quasi-Martial Artists, they couldn't imagine any other possibility.

"No, if they were a real team of Quasi-Martial Artists, why would they be riding a tricycle?" The White Feather Gang's leader shook his head, staring down at Luo Wushang and Zhang Qingwei as they charged in. "There are only two experts in their squad. Don't let them scare you! Remember, we are experts of the White Feather Gang, too. It’s not over yet."

Heartened by their leader’s words, the other five calmed down and regained their fighting spirit. Whether it was Luo Wushang or Fang Zhen, they were undoubtedly skilled, but they were ultimately just wanderers like themselves. Their speed suggested they were merely Quasi-Apprentices. In a real fight, especially with their numerical advantage, the outcome was far from certain.

"Hao Tuo! You and I will pin down the woman with the sword," the leader commanded. "The rest of you, take out the one firing the arrows!"

Luo Wushang and Zhang Qingwei had already reached the ground floor; a fierce battle was inevitable. Running was impossible—the situation had escalated to a life-or-death struggle. Fleeing would only make them easy targets, so they decided to use the geography of the ruins to eliminate the two opponents first.

"Understood!"

The leader and Hao Tuo were both peak Quasi-Apprentices, only a hair's breadth away from becoming true Apprentices. Such strength made them notable figures within the White Feather Gang. They were confident that together, they could easily suppress the sword-wielding woman, while the other four could easily take care of the archer once they closed the distance.

The leader and Hao Tuo charged down to the first floor to meet Luo Wushang, while the other four leaped from the upper floors to ambush Zhang Qingwei.

"You two have guts to charge in, but it ends here," the leader sneered at Luo Wushang, hoping to distract her so he could land a sneak attack. "In close quarters, neither Hao Tuo nor I will lose to a sword expert like you. And your archer friend won't stand a chance against my four men."

But as Luo Wushang drew her weapon, the Feather-kin leader went blank.

*A sword?*

Luo Wushang wasn't using a sword at all.

*Damn it, she was using an arrow!*

She had been using a single arrow to deflect all their shots! The leader wondered what kind of bizarre human gang this was—one moment they were carrying alloy shovels, the next they were using arrows as melee weapons.

*Is this even a legitimate gang?*

Before he could process this, Luo Wushang’s black steel arrow thrust forward.

Five rapid strikes, forming a cross-shaped pattern, flashed with a dark, lethal light. This was Luo Wushang’s signature technique from *Pilgrimage*: "Star-Point."

Combined with the explosive power of the Shattered Stone Fist, each strike was amplified by her own strength. With her base power reaching 112 kilograms, each thrust hit with 224 kilograms of force—a level consistent with a formal Martial Arts Apprentice.

The Feather-kin leader tried desperately to parry with his spear. The first strike made his arms ache; the second and third knocked the spear from his grasp; the fourth pierced directly into his heart, ending his life.

Even as he died, he couldn't grasp how he had been killed by someone using an arrow. As his vision faded, he saw an unbelievable sight: Zhang Qingwei was using his compound bow like a club, beating the other four members back with every swing, completely suppressing them with nothing but a longbow.

*What kind of human squad is this?*

*Is there a single normal person among them?*

Less than three minutes later, all six members of the White Feather Gang lay at the feet of Luo Wushang and Zhang Qingwei.

"Too brutal," Lin Qi sighed, feeling a flicker of sympathy for the White Feather Gang members, especially the four who had been bludgeoned to death by a longbow. But sympathy aside, looting the bodies was non-negotiable.

"As expected of the White Feather Gang, they’re loaded," Lin Qi marveled as he tallied their spoils. A typical undocumented wanderer would have less than 500 bits to their name, but these men were carrying four A3-grade compound bows and six A3-grade spears, already worth over 1,500 bits.

Even more valuable were the smartwatches on their wrists and a large crate of Blood Essence Rice. The six secondhand smartwatches alone were worth 6,000 bits, and the crate of rice—likely around 100 kilograms—was clearly a fresh harvest intended for sale in the city.

However, beyond the loot, Lin Qi felt the greatest gain was the performance of his players. Just three of them had wiped out a six-man squad without sustaining a single scratch. This level of strength was impressive even among the top-tier wilderness wanderers.

As Luo Wushang and the others grew into full Apprentices and eventually Quasi-Martial Artists, who in the entire Wasteland District would dare provoke the Obsidian Martial Arts Hall?

Once the cleanup was complete, Lin Qi awarded each of them 200 Martial Arts Hall points. The group was ecstatic; they hadn't expected such a simple scripted quest to yield such generous rewards.

"Let's go. Back to the Hall!"

Lin Qi watched as they loaded the loot onto their large tricycle and began the journey back to the City of Light.