Damn it! Let's smash the darkness together!-Chapter 1178 - 123: Chance Encounter with a Powerhouse, Residual Team Alliance
"What the heck???" Xu Shu nearly felt like his language comprehension had a glitch.
Is he crazy? Can someone who says things like that be alive?
"Of course, Aunt, I know you well. Your interests are quite normal, totally no suspicion in this regard." Gu Yue Ming said earnestly.
"Well, thank you for your discerning insight, Aunt!" Xu Shu replied helplessly.
After Gu Yue Ming explained further, Xu Shu finally remembered who this person was.
Turns out the visitor was none other than the famous cyber celebrity, renowned as the first to be kicked off the Qingyun List rather than promoted voluntarily—a former No. 1 Brother, now the shame of Qingyun, the undying grip Yan Huoxing!
It is said he used to be quite a cheerful and generous guy, often his hearty laugh would arrive before he did, earning him the nickname "Fire of Joy" Brother Ha Ha.
But alas, ever since his downfall, he stopped laughing, often keeping a stern face, exuding gloom.
Apparently now, this was evidently just a rumor, Brother Ha Ha is still the cheerful Brother Ha Ha.
Sadly, the internet is like that; it doesn’t care about the actual facts. Now Yan Huoxing’s nickname has changed.
He is now called "Frost of Sorrow" Brother Wuying and tagged with a little girl’s tendency to cry sadly, which together has evolved and simplified to "Brother Wuying."
This kind of experience is enough to make listeners sigh and witnesses shed tears, making people marvel at the great ups and downs of life, no doubt.
This is, of course, Gu Yue Ming’s words, the internet’s view on Brother Ha Ha or Brother Wuying.
Xu Shu, however, thinks differently.
In his view, Yan Huoxing would never be downtrodden.
Someone who could make it to the top of the Qingyun List, his talent, temperament, skills, resources, each would be unreachable in a lifetime for ordinary people.
Bear in mind, even strong as Xu Shu with his three legendary double pathways, he only made it to ninth place in the Qingyun List ranking competition back then. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Although rapid power growth caused a significant impact with "insufficient ranking points" being a large reason.
But undoubtedly, this ’undying grip’ is absolutely the real deal, a rare and standout presence!
And becoming such a universally mocked "comedian" figure not only won’t impact him at all but rather acts as a great protective color.
Xu Shu sees this very clearly.
After all, he had fallen for the act of a similar character before, like that seemingly comical figure but in truth crafty and sly Heavenly List ninth.
"Speaking of which, I remember the person who kicked Yan Huoxing off the list was that widow from a poor family, right?"
"This guy, having a nickname much more abnormal than mine, yet taking the elegant title like Tangxi Sword Immortal and overshadowing my Iron Armor Barbarian Bull, and stepping on Qingyun List’s top with Iron Armor, she takes all good things. Damn it, why? It’s downright despicable! She’s totally the nemesis of our Powerful Warrior World!"
Thinking back to when he almost shared the stage with that widow on Lie Zhenzi’s "Top of the Gold List," yet her fame totally crushed his, Xu Shu feels utterly infuriated.
Sooner or later, he must step on her hard as the stepping stone to his own advancement!
Of course, heroes are as numerous as carp passing through a river, this matter must be approached slowly, not rushed...
Xu Shu silently mutters to himself.
Meanwhile, Yan Huoxing clearly sensed the fierce killing intent had dispersed from the other side.
He relaxed slightly, immediately took a running start, and leaping like a big bird across dozens of meters, landed stably yet lightly on Xu Shu’s rooftop.
’Huh? Such a light movement technique... this bulky guy’s regular weight must be four or five hundred pounds, how come he is so nimble?’
Xu Shu’s heart tightened, reassessing this super fat dragon about three times his size with a new level of esteem.
Besides, this guy looks chubby, with a body round and chunky, comparable to the monstrous "Land Shark" Xu Shu encountered second; but actually, isn’t all fat, it’s full of terrifying, distinctly blocky muscles like refined iron.
Just from looking at the shape, one can tell its defensive power must be terrifyingly high, not much weaker than his.
Xu Shu was pondering this guy’s power level.
But the other party started speaking first.
"Hahaha, suddenly dropping by is a bit rash, please forgive me, Brother and Beauty! I am Yan Huoxing; our team encountered some strange things, suffered heavy losses, currently fleeing for our lives, happened to sense traces of monster base dispersal nearby, pondering if there are other raids we could seek aid from." Yan Huoxing spoke with a face glowing red.
He had a smile all over his face, introducing himself first with such open and honest demeanor that leaves no room for animosity.
Seeing this, Gu Yue Ming looked around but couldn’t find the "residual team companions" Yan Huoxing had mentioned, so he didn’t say anything. Instead, he shifted his position slightly, shielding Xu Shu in front of him.
Xu Shu thought for a moment and cupped his hands, saying, "So it’s the famous Brother Unyielding Grasp! I’ve long admired your name. I am Xu Shu."
"Hahaha, damn! You’re making me blush, Brother Xu. Don’t bring this up next time."
Yan Huoxing cursed once, then pointed at the mermaid under Xu Shu and asked, "Brother, from what I can see, it seems you’re part of a residual team too?"
"Yes, that’s true. We lost two people." Xu Shu thought briefly before answering.
"Then you’re doing better than us. We lost five people, including the boatman brother." Yan Huoxing said, patting the mermaid he was riding with a sigh.
Xu Shu instinctively took another look and immediately understood.
Because when "Mang" is pulled out, it goes berserk, and you can’t kill it with normal methods; only a "boatman" can exorcise it.
Without their boatman companion, unable to deal with the berserk Mang, Yan Huoxing could only keep the fish stuck on him.
This might have been going on for quite a while, as the mermaid already looked nearly dried up, on the verge of death, with lips pale and peeling.
Obviously, regardless of the species of monster, as long as it has just crossed paths with the "Warrior" vocation,
one must be careful to keep friendships at a distance; if you’re too close, even the most fertile land can be ruined.
Seeing Xu Shu indeed a bit surprised, Yan Huoxing said: "Ah, I originally came over hoping your boatman could help, but now it seems your boatman is dead too. It’s really troublesome!"
He sighed heavily, tone full of regret. He then added, "Brother, don’t laugh at me; your fish looks good now, but you’ll be more anxious than I am when you can’t pull it out later."
Xu Shu shook his head, "I won’t be anxious."
Yan Huoxing didn’t believe him, thinking Xu Shu meant he’d never become weak so wasn’t worried. But rivalry is everywhere, so he immediately said, "Heh, brother, you’re a bigger braggart than I am!"
"No, it was our butcher who died." Xu Shu said calmly.
"What? The butcher died??"
Yan Huoxing’s expression froze instantly, clearly shocked by the news.
After all, generally speaking, the "butcher" only dies when the whole party is wiped out, meaning he’s supposed to die last.
Here, even the healer and the warrior are alive, yet the butcher died first. Truly unexpected.
The next second, Yan Huoxing suddenly slapped his hand and said, "I get it, brother. You’re hiding here because you lost the butcher to scout ahead, right?"
"Can you not say it so harshly? What hiding?" Xu Shu clicked his tongue and added, "Yes."
But Yan Huoxing’s eyes lit up, "Brother, how about we form a residual team alliance? It’d save the trouble of wasting this entrance ticket to the ruins. What do you think?"
"Residual team alliance?" Xu Shu raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself about this new term.
Yan Huoxing didn’t know Xu Shu was puzzled about this term and thought Xu Shu was hesitating, so he started persuading him: "Brother, look, your butcher is dead, no one to scout ahead, our boatman is dead, no one to exorcise, perfect complement! You help me, I help you, mutual assistance, isn’t it wonderful?!"
"This..."
Xu Shu couldn’t help but frown.
Although he didn’t know much about this, and hadn’t heard of it, from the literal meaning, it seemed like a way to team up within the ruins?
It’s known that many Transcendents forming teams to enter the ruins are not familiar with each other, yet they can look out for each other and trust their backs to their teammates because of the "Heart Fire Incense Burner"’s protection.
Members of the same team cannot backstab each other.
This "team damage immunity" feature is a real protection, much more reliable than the symbolic "name token."
Could the "residual team alliance" have a similar method?
But you can’t activate the ascension drive in the ruins, so how do you manage that?
Xu Shu, somewhat in need of assistance, looked towards Gu Yue Ming for help, mentally asking:
"Auntie, translate? Are there any downsides to this residual team alliance?"
"Is it reliable?"
