Sensing the information materializing in his mind, Su Li felt a chill run down his spine.
The creature before him, seemingly one with the darkness, was a Level 9 undead. This assassin could change color like a chameleon, which explained why it had remained motionless, blending into the dark, evading even his detection. If not for Su Li's lightning-fast reaction, activating "Silver Armor Cover," he wouldn't have just been knocked flying—he'd have been torn apart by its sharp claws.
On the other side, Gong Xiao summoned a "Storm Shield" in quick succession to block the black liquid spewed by the Corroder. With a swift motion, she thrust her Everlasting Spear toward the head of this slower-moving Corroder. Though she lacked the "Peep Rune," she realized the monster's body was a mass of fat, impenetrable to piercing. Its head, unprotected by fat, might be its weak point.
On this row of rafts, everyone unleashed their unique abilities to fend off the attacks of these high-level undead.
Xu Haishui's "Flame Control" had reached its second form. He thrust his flame-wreathed short spear into the raft before him. The fire spread along the wood, forming a wall of flames. His "Flame Control" differed greatly from Wu Feng's fireballs. His ability allowed perfect manipulation of fire, even selectively burning targets. Now, the flames spread across the raft without destroying it, merely blocking the swarm of high-level undead charging at them.
The charging undead, feeling the wave of heat, halted in their tracks.
Beside Xu Haishui, Luo Jun extended both hands, activating his "Bone Hyperplasia" ability. In its second form, the power of "Bone Hyperplasia" had greatly increased. As he spread his ten fingers, nails grew, broke, and regrew at astonishing speed, shooting out like sharp spikes in a rain of arrows.
One high-level undead, caught off guard, was struck mid-air by his nails. The terrifying power of "Bone Shield Hyperplasia" erupted. Instantly, the undead screamed, its body swelling and exploding into a shower of flesh and blood.
Bai Wenwei's ability involved controlling transparent threads. He swung his hands repeatedly, and these cutting threads quickly ensnared a high-level undead, slicing its body into pieces with a pull.
Jin Sixing released his insect蛊, silently approaching these high-level undead. Once his controlled insects burrowed into their bodies, their lives would be in his hands.
Wang Xiaofei, with his punk hairstyle, could unleash "Fist Qi." When he attacked, his fists generated a terrifying airflow that enveloped them. This fist qi was immensely powerful, capable of cracking even reinforced concrete load-bearing walls. Now, Wang Xiaofei charged forward, lunging at a small, child-like high-level undead covered in tumors. Just as his fist qi was about to turn the child into pulp, a shadow suddenly appeared beside it from nowhere. Wang Xiaofei's mind went blank as the shadow struck him.
Another assassin had appeared. It had blended into the darkness, nearly undetectable, and launched a sudden attack. Though strong, Wang Xiaofei lacked Su Li's reaction speed. Before he knew what was happening, a sharp claw tore into his chest, ripping downward, exposing his insides. Wang Xiaofei screamed in agony, then took a punch to the face, tumbling through the air before crashing to the ground. Blood gushed from his mouth, and it was clear he wouldn't survive.
Everyone around him was shocked.
"Xiaofei!" Bai Wenwei shrieked. He and Wang Xiaofei were close, and seeing him disemboweled shook him to the core. The assassin that had attacked Wang Xiaofei retreated, vanishing back into the darkness.
Suddenly, everyone felt a sense of impending doom.
Another scream rang out. A man on the other side, sensing nothing, felt sharp claws dig into his back from behind, tearing his body apart.
Another person was dead.
Xu Haishui, witnessing this, let out a furious roar. He frantically controlled the flames, spreading them in all directions to form a long wall of fire, trying to separate the group from the high-level undead.
Meanwhile, Su Li was locked in combat with the Level 9 assassin. This assassin was terrifying—not just for its speed, but for its ability to merge with the darkness, making it nearly impossible to spot. Su Li realized this creature was a serious problem, and worse, it wasn't alone. In this rainy night and darkness, who knew how many more such assassins lurked? At least the ones that killed Wang Xiaofei and the other man seemed to be different assassins. Counting the Level 9 one before him, there were at least three assassins on the scene.
The child-like high-level undead kept pulling tumors from its body and hurling them. These tumors exploded with devastating force upon landing.
Ding Longyun continuously spat "Air Missiles," attacking the giant turtle's back. From the water, another obese high-level undead climbed onto the turtle's shell—another Corroder. This one used its body fat to shield other undead from the "Air Missiles." Though powerful, the missiles couldn't penetrate the Corroder's liquefied fat.
The Corroder attacking Gong Xiao was blocked by her "Storm Shield." She thrust her spear into its forehead, unprotected by fat, and the Everlasting Spear easily pierced through, drilling a hole. Gong Xiao withdrew the spear, and black liquid gushed from the two holes in the Corroder's head—all liquefied fat, spraying from the wounds. The massive Corroder toppled over like a collapsing mountain.
Gong Xiao didn't continue attacking the other undead on the turtle's back. Instead, she quickly retreated. She had noticed the undead lurking in the darkness. Compared to the Spitters, Corroders, or the tumor-throwing undead, these hidden ones were the most dangerous.
Even Su Li, as strong as he was, couldn't instantly kill the Level 9 assassin. He had entered "Demon Muscle" state, launching several attacks with "Spider Walk," surpassing the assassin's speed. But the assassin flipped into the water and vanished without a trace.
The storm raged, the night was deep, and visibility was severely limited. This was a perfect battlefield for assassins, where even the strongest couldn't stop them.
"Ah—"
Another scream. A Level 7 Spirit Source user, without warning, felt his chest split open. Blood sprayed, and his body was flung aside. Only then did everyone notice an assassin had appeared beside him. With angry shouts, they attacked, but the assassin retreated immediately, disappearing into the darkness.
"Everyone, fall back together!" Su Li, seeing the Level 9 assassin vanish into the water, didn't pursue. He shouted for everyone to regroup. He retreated to Xu Xuehui's side and whispered, "Xuehui, can you see them?"
In just a short time, several people had been killed by the assassins' sneak attacks, causing panic. Hearing Su Li's words, they all huddled together.
Xu Haishui controlled the flames, forming a ring of fire around the group.
Now, the undead had no qualms. The child-like undead kept hurling tumors into the fire ring. A new Corroder emerged from the water, opening its mouth to spray corrosive liquid at them. Two nearly identical Spitters appeared, spewing wind blades from their gaping maws. Though weak in close combat, their ranged wind blades were formidable.
Tumor bombs, corrosive venom, and ranged wind blades rained down on the gathered group.
"Boom! Boom!" Explosions rang out incessantly. Gong Xiao repeatedly summoned "Storm Shields" to block them. Fortunately, others with strong defensive abilities also used their Spirit Source techniques to protect the group. Though they managed to hold, it was a struggle, and they wouldn't last long.
Those with ranged attacks, like Ding Longyun and Luo Jun, stayed within the fire ring's protection, launching attacks at the slowly approaching undead.
Su Li retreated to Xu Xuehui's side and heard her reply, "Three."
He understood. There were three assassins on the scene: the Level 9 one he had fought, and two others.
"Where are they?" Su Li asked softly.
Xu Xuehui's eyes widened, a faint glow flickering within. "Two are far away. The one you fought is close—in the water. It's swimming over." She looked down at the raft.
Su Li's heart stirred. He understood. The Level 9 assassin he had driven off had flipped into the water, using its special ability to merge with it, quietly swimming beneath them, planning to attack from below the raft.
"This guy..." Su Li took a deep breath. Without Xu Xuehui's sight, tonight would have been a disaster.
"Its target is you," Xu Xuehui suddenly tensed. "It's coming!"
At that moment, Su Li shoved Xu Xuehui aside. The raft beneath him shattered. A terrifying black claw broke through, grabbing his foot and yanking him downward.