MTL - Cataclysm King

Chapter 286 Perfect Acting

"Do you think the legion commander will directly capture the king of those people in the Eastern Wasteland this time? Hey, if that happens, our 'Venom Bee Vanguard Legion' will make great contributions, and collective merits are indispensable. Say. Maybe the leader will even get the 'Red Dragon Medal'."

"I heard that the Eastern Wasteland has a federal parliamentary system. There is no king, right? It seems that the Augustus royal family still remains. But since the leader went there in person, he has to get some military exploits. We can also drink along. Soup."

“This time my combat achievements are enough, I plan to exchange for some gold-level Thunder Dragon materials. After I advance next time, I will also try to join the official knight order. I’ve had enough of standing on this **** Ranger Post.”

“Hey, I originally thought that exploring the ruins of the Talon Dynasty as a pioneer this time would be a hard job. I didn’t expect that now that I met those weaklings in the East Wasteland, I would become a rich man who gained military exploits.”

“Joel, do you feel weird, like something is staring at us in the dark?”

“We are now operating under the eyes of those in the East Wasteland, so it is normal for us to be targeted.”

"Hmm. I used the magic spirit to sense it. It shouldn't be a human being. It might be some kind of detection spell, or maybe it's a passing magical beast."

ˆ “.”

In a hidden valley on the eastern outskirts of Devil's Crossing.

 The Airel Empire Vanguard Corps rests here.

On the high ground at the mouth of the valley, two sentries were chatting boredly.

They had no idea that in the darkness not far away, a black shadow had been staring at them for a long time.

 This is not a person.

Rather, it is a "shadow clone" composed purely of dark elements.

It is incorporeal and quietly blends in perfectly with the surrounding dark environment.

Even the perception spells on the two sentries didn't notice it.

 The person controlling the shadow was none other than Ji Xun, who was hiding in a hidden corner nearly a kilometer away in the valley.

The shadow over there was observing the two sentinels, and Ji Xun, one kilometer away, also completely shared the shadow's perception.

 The sights and sounds in front of Shadow's eyes were as if they were in front of his own eyes.

Ji Xun looked at it and read his lips, imitating them like a parrot.

 That’s right.

 He is learning a language.

 He needs an infiltration identity, so he must master the "Talonese" spoken by those people in conversation.

Ji Xun himself was already proficient in Talun writing. He had communicated with Nan Jing, who was also learning Talun ancient language, and learned a little bit.

 He has an easier time mastering the language than others.

Moreover, the benefits of Master Merlin's brain development for him have become more and more exaggerated in terms of learning ability. Coupled with JOKER's "photographic memory" entry, learning Tarun is almost as easy as reading it once.

However, just “knowing” is not enough.

 After observing for so long, Ji Xun also found several alternative targets.

 What he has to do now is to get familiar with the interpersonal relationships of these people, imitate their living habits, pronunciation and accent.

“This shadow trick is really easy to use. It’s a magical detection skill.”

After observing for a while, Ji Xun had already come to a conclusion, and a smile appeared on his face.

  After all, [Joker's Shadow Trick] is JOKER's exclusive ability, and its level is no less than "supernatural power".

It

The sentinel noticed it just now, not because those two guys were so powerful.

 It was Ji Xun's deliberate move.

 The purpose is to test the limit of shadow trigger warning.

Thirty meters away, the fourth-level sentry was completely undetectable. It is estimated that even if you encounter a fifth-level card master, as long as you don't have special sensing methods, a hundred meters away is a safe distance.

  And it doesn’t matter if you find it.

 The shadow is originally a mass of elements that can disintegrate on the spot and disappear without a trace.

This ability is not only useful for reconnaissance, but also for exploring dangerous secrets. It is also an ideal danger-avoiding skill.

 And the most important point!

This is also what Ji Xun finds most surprising about this secret method.

Now he has confirmed in actual testing that the experience improvement brought by shadow learning skills will be superimposed on the main body!

Although the shadow cannot breathe and meditate, it is very effective for learning martial arts, reading, and understanding the mysterious magic.

That feeling is completely like the result of two seasons of searching for themselves and learning at the same time.

It’s not just superposition.

 It’s like two people discussing things, and in many cases it will bring about a learning effect of “1+1>2”.

ˆ which means

Ji Xun’s current learning efficiency is more than twice what he was before!

 For his current situation, this is completely like drowsiness meeting a pillow.

 It is equivalent to doubling his study time.

From this point of view alone, the significance of this clone to his extraordinary promotion is no less than that of any magical mystical method except [Devil's Feast].

 Other than the higher cost of mana power, this secret method has almost no shortcomings.

 But Ji Xun and Shadow are not two independent individuals.

 It seems that there is a "second personality" in the body that thinks independently and has common cognition.

Just because of this, it might be difficult for anyone else to get started.

 But Ji Xun is very familiar with this situation.

He has many "selves" with clear divisions of labor in his mind, and he doesn't care about one more.

Even because of this shadow trick, he came up with a bold idea: Can he get more shadows in the future?

 But this is something to consider in the future.

 【Shadow Trick】It is only Lv.1 (103/1000) now, and there is still a lot of room for improvement in the future.

As proficiency increases, the shadow's range of activities will continue to grow.

Ji Xun just hid at the entrance of the valley and continued to observe the sentries of the Eirel Empire.

 At the same time, he also kept an eye on the communicator.

 After Catalina sent word that the seventh-level army commander had secretly sneaked into the Nugget Pier, there was no news.

Ji Xun also wanted to know how the battle was going.

Although I don’t know how the enemy was discovered, I have deduced some of the process.

The seventh-level man was unfamiliar with the place and was able to sneak into the Nugget Pier secretly, which meant that a "traitor" had appeared among the top leaders of the federation.

  After all, the current Nugget Pier is only accessible to unknown persons.

Being able to let the man enter the dock quietly means that the mole who responded is familiar with the detailed defense of the Nugget Pier.

There are also intricate personal connections.

 There are only a few people in the entire federation who can do this.

 It must be of high weight.

“Is it one of the five major congressmen? Tsk tsk, this has just begun, and you have already surrendered.”

Ji Xun deduced some information in his mind and raised the corner of his mouth with a sarcastic arc.

 Although when discussing with Catalina before, they had considered that there would definitely be a traitor in the Federation.

 But for some reason, Ji Xun felt a morbid enjoyment at this moment when he truly saw the despicability of human nature.

Compared with the glow of humanity that warms and warms the heart, Ji Xun feels that this despicable humanity is like a knife stabbing into the chest, and the painful feeling can soothe the restlessness of the soul.

Hehe, I really want to kill those guys.

 There was a traitor as expected, but I guess it shouldn't be a big problem.

 Because this morning, Catalina received another good news: Gong Wu finally came back at the last moment.

Moreover, he successfully advanced to the seventh level!

 That old man has already reached the seventh level, only one step short of the final step.

 Once the materials for the professional card are found, advancement will be a matter of course.

This is top-secret information that the entire federation does not know.

 Even if the traitor betrayed everything.

 Seventh level Gongwu will definitely cause the enemy to suffer a big loss!

 This wait is more than ten hours.

  Ji Xun has been observing.

Without the seventh-level legion commander to hold the battle, this group of people would not have the strength to sweep across the city-state.

 The group of pioneers in the valley did not dare to run around.

　　hiding without showing up.

Probably I think the people in the Card Master Federation don't know that their leader has left.

 Wait, wait, wait.

 Suddenly, a text message came from the communicator: "It's done!"

Ji Xun heard this and grinned.

 The word "It's done" reveals too much exciting news.

 In other words, Catalina is not dead, but the seventh-level one is already dead.

Ji Xun didn't have time to think too much. Before he could wait a moment, there was a sudden explosion in the valley.

 “Let’s go!”

 “Go separately! Avoid towns, be careful of being surrounded!”

ˆ “.”

The vanguard regiments seemed to have some way of confirming that their regiment commander had died in battle.

Ji Xun didn't dare to be careless and immediately put some distance between them.

Within a few minutes, Shadow saw more than a hundred people rushing out of the valley.

As soon as they came out, they immediately dispersed into several teams.

　　The reason why we gathered together before was because there was a seventh-level legion leader leading the team. With a large number of people, they could plunder large cities.

Now that Ding Zhan is dead, this group of people know that once they are discovered by the federal card masters, their situation will be very dangerous.

 They are originally a reconnaissance team and have enough experience in dealing with it.

If you want to survive as much as possible, you can only disperse and escape.

Ji Xun knew that his opportunity had come.

There were an unknown number of sixth-level card masters in this team. He did not dare to act rashly, so he kept staring at the team where the few sentries he had observed before were located.

 Generally speaking, in the army, officers and elites do not stand guard.

Looking at several teams rushing out of the valley, he easily selected a team with several familiar faces and followed them using his shadow.

 It goes without saying that the more sentries there are, the weaker the team will be.

Ji Xun’s own body was hanging far behind the team.

 This run lasted nearly an hour.

The team no longer dared to stay near Devil's Crossing, but ran into a wild forest.

Those guys were also cautious enough and left various early warning agencies along the way.

If it weren't for the shadow, Ji Xun would have lost him or been discovered.

 When these guys arrived in the forest, they probably felt safe, so they stopped. “What’s going on? Why did you suddenly evacuate?”

 “I don’t know, something seems to have happened to the Legion Commander.”

"It must be those guys from before! Damn it, they deliberately surrendered to paralyze us and sent wrong information. They just wanted to ambush the regimental commander!"

"It seems like this must be the case. Otherwise, with the strength of the group leader and the support of others, how could something happen?"

"Those guys in the Eastern Wasteland who overestimate their capabilities are seeking death! As for the Capone family, I have made a note of it. When the army arrives, they will kill this family first. Next time anyone wants to surrender, kill them first. Let’s talk later!”

“I have said it a long time ago, the strength of our empire does not require any ‘betrayers’!”

ˆ “.”

 A group of people were running in a helter-skelter manner.

This incident not only made them feel the crisis of death, but also great humiliation.

Their powerful Airel Empire Vanguard Legion was actually being chased by a little Card Master Federation that didn't even have the seventh level. They had to run away to save their lives?

 It’s not a matter of strength, it’s a slap in the face of their empire!

In the forest, a dark figure silently observed everything.

 This is part of the plan.

Only if this ambush plan succeeds, will those guys in the Federation with evil intentions stop.

 In the future, there will be fewer "insiders" on the battlefield.

But this is not what Ji Xun needs to consider.

He observed along the way that there seemed to be no sixth level people in this team, but there were at least five levels.

 He didn't think he had the strength to kill someone quietly and replace him.

Ji Xun also observed patiently.

 This wait lasted nearly two days.

 The team in the forest only consisted of twenty or thirty people.

 Two days are enough for Ji Xun to get familiar with the information, habits and interpersonal relationships of everyone in the team.

 He also selected a suitable target for him to lurk.

 At nine o'clock in the evening, the appointed time arrived.

The sound of rapid footsteps suddenly appeared in the forest.

 A team of hundreds of people arrived quietly.

Ji Xun knew that the "actor" was in place.

 If he wants to replace one of his enemies, he must first kill him.

 It must also leave no trace.

 He can't do it alone, he can only rely on others.

 Two days ago, Ji Xun sent a message to Catalina and reported the coordinates of this group of people.

 Now the people are finally here.

The forest is full of early warning traps, and the people from the Pioneer Group discovered them immediately.

 “No! It’s people from Donghuang! We are surrounded!”

"rush out!"

ˆ “.”

A dragon roared in the forest.

Ji Xun watched those guys transform into various dragon-born forms one by one.

 After observing them in detail for two days, Ji Xun was also very moved. The average rank of these card masters in the Irel Empire was really high.

 The entire vanguard group is a level 3 or above card master.

 And the strength is not weak.

 The dragon is inherently a higher creature.

 The dragon bloodline makes it easier for them to advance, and their various elemental affinities and physical strength are much stronger than those of normal humans.

For example, the threshold of the third-level elemental condensation seal can make most federal card masters stuck at this bottleneck for a lifetime.

 But for these dragon-born card masters of the Airel Empire, there is almost no bottleneck.

 The fighting strength of this group of people is normally enough to resist a thousand-man federal army.

 However, the reinforcements called by Ji Xun were also prepared.

At this moment, all kinds of spell cards in the forest were bombarding each other like a heavy rain.

 Wind blade, fire snake, quicksand, fireball, ice pick, man-eating vine.

Landslides and ground cracked, various elements seemed to explode, and big trees in the forest fell in pieces.

 The people in the vanguard legion did not know how many pursuers there were, and they were focused on running away.

But I have to say that the spell cards used by these guys are much more exaggerated than the federal card masters.

Not only are there many types and powerful ones, but there are also many secret spells that even federal card masters have never seen before.

 This is the benefit of inheritance without interruption.

Chasing and escaping, what is very subtle is that the federal card master did not take much advantage.

 Just quietly, someone controls this delicate balance.

Ji Xun saw this and smiled: "Here comes the master."

 It cannot be completely wiped out, and it cannot suffer too many casualties. It must be evenly matched.

 To perform so well, one must be a master.

 At least level six, even legendary.

 But his latent plan is top secret, and only a few people know about it.

Ji Xun was still wondering who was coming.

Suddenly, I saw a graceful figure next to me.

 “Aunt Qin?”

Ji Xun didn’t expect that Qin Rushi would come in person.

"Um."

Qin Ru nodded, and a faint smile appeared on her beautiful face.

 But this was not the time to chat, she asked directly: "Which target is it?"

Ji Xun stated the characteristics succinctly: "The one with brown hair and the wolf-tooth dagger."

 He had already observed an assassin card master named "Joel".

That guy is ostracized, has simple interpersonal relationships, and his fighting style is easy to imitate.

Qin Ru nodded, "Let's go!"

 The two of them chased after him.

At this moment, the fighting in the forest was extremely exaggerated. In the deliberate chaos, the members of the vanguard group were scattered to pieces.

The twenty or so people fled in panic.

 With Qin Ruzhi's help, they easily killed that "Joel".

Ji Xun put on the guy's clothes, his clown mask changed, and he completely transformed into Joel.

 After observing them for two days, not only the appearance, but also the color of the spell, the dragon scales on the arms and the sinister assassin's temperament in the eyes are exactly the same.

  The battle was still going on in a lively manner on both sides, and they had no idea that someone had been replaced.

Even Qin Rushi, who was witnessing Ji Xun's disguise, had a flash of surprise in his eyes.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have recognized it as Ji Xun at all.

Since time was running out, Ji Xun handed over some unnecessary things on his body to Qin Rushi. Without daring to delay, he said, "Aunt Qin, I'm going."

"Um."

 Qin Ru nodded.

She had personally experienced the battle at Nugget Pier two days ago, and also experienced the power of the seventh-level Dragonborn card master.

If it weren't for Senior Gong Wu, these legends would probably suffer a big loss.

It was precisely because of this that she realized that the risk of lurking this time was very high.

 After all, there are real eighth-level or even ninth-level card masters in the enemy's large backup force.

 That's why she came in person after knowing Ji Xun's plan.

  To ensure nothing goes wrong.

 Otherwise, any flaw will be a fatal hazard.

A hint of worry flashed across her eyes, but in the end she only said: "Be careful."

Ji Xun smiled brightly: "Okay!"

 With a new identity, the world in my eyes is completely different.

 He likes the feeling of hiding in someone else's shadow.

This is not acting, but replacing.

 In "I am the world", he replaced someone's fate line and walked on.

This feeling of walking on the edge of fate is great.

 Not long after, a group of people rushed into a valley.

The earthquake technique collapsed the surrounding rock walls, and the Venomous Bee Pioneer Group finally got rid of the pursuers behind them.

“It’s a good thing we have a way of retreat. Those guys from Donghuang shouldn’t be able to catch up.”

“Damn it, six of our brothers died! If we hadn’t been short of people, I would have really wanted to go back and kill all those guys!”

"Let's repair it temporarily here. Joel, Lot, and you guys are on guard!"

 “Yes, Captain.”

ˆ “.”

　　A man dressed as an assassin stood up in response.

 No one noticed anything unusual about him.

This is none other than Ji Xun.

Nearly everyone in the team was injured, and six people died.

 What a coincidence!

“Joel” didn’t have many close friends in the team, and they all happened to be dead.

 No one pays attention to this already marginalized teammate.

   Small card text, a little less words~

　　

　　

 (End of this chapter)