My Computer Leads to an Instance Dungeon-Chapter 79: Preemptive Strike

Fang Zhen raised an eyebrow.

Well, I'll be damned. He hadn't even gone looking for trouble with Rex, yet Rex had already made plans for him—an ambush on the way back to Redstone Town.

'Is he afraid his business of supplying the Kobolds will be exposed? Trying to strike first to gain the upper hand?'

Fang Zhen felt no fear, only a rising anger.

'What kind of riffraff thinks they can mess with me? These so-called Mercenaries, nothing more than scoundrels and bandits, daring to make a move on the person who just cleared out the mines?'

'The sheer audacity!'

Fang Zhen took a long breath, and his emotions quickly calmed.

"Leon, how did you discover Rex's plot?"

"What else did you see?" he asked.

Leon answered immediately, "Sir, my apologies. I wasn't able to follow your orders exactly."

"I didn't just watch Rex's group in Redstone Town; I also followed them into the jungle."

"I discovered that Rex and his men have a stronghold deep in the jungle. There's a cave there, and it sounded like there were kidnapped people inside. I heard pained screams and Rex shouting curses."

"I'm very familiar with the woods near Redstone Town, so they didn't spot me. I followed them the whole time."

"After you returned to Redstone Town, Rex's group followed you out. They're lying in ambush in the woods ahead. I saw them setting up ropes and readying Crossbow Arrows. They mean you harm."

"I took a detour to the mines to bring you this warning."

Fang Zhen understood.

Rex's group was cunning. If he were completely unprepared for an arrangement like this, he really might have fallen into their trap.

If he let his guard down in a moment of triumph, flush with victory, he'd be an easy target for a sneak attack.

His heart skipped a beat when he heard they had set up things like Tripwires.

'Riding a motorcycle at night and getting hit by a surprise Tripwire... that would actually be pretty dangerous.'

"You did well." Fang Zhen patted Leon's shoulder.

Receiving praise, Leon's face beamed with pride, a slight flush coloring his cheeks.

"Where are their positions?" Fang Zhen asked.

"Just ahead, in the densest part of the forest where the path is narrowest. Also, when I was watching, I noticed Rex isn't there himself—only his accomplices," Leon replied.

Fang Zhen nodded. "Good. Come with me."

"Sir, what are you going to do?" Leon asked, confused.

"Heh, what else? I'm going to kill them all." Fang Zhen narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

Under the cover of night, Fang Zhen moved through the jungle. He wasn't on his motorcycle. Instead, he wore Night Vision Goggles and carried the Cheetah Hunting Crossbow.

He moved swiftly through the trees.

Behind him, Quade carried another backpack and held an Anti-Riot Shield. Leon, temporarily acting as a Knight's Squire, carried Fang Zhen's longspear.

The longspear was a bit heavy for Leon, but his excitement gave the boy just enough extra strength to manage.

As Fang Zhen walked quickly through the forest, his shoes made a soft rustling sound on the fallen leaves.

He was already mentally prepared.

Fang Zhen had long considered whether it would be necessary to... kill people inside an instance dungeon.

To him, killing monsters in a dungeon was one thing, but killing people was another entirely.

Sooner or later in this "Instance Dungeon Life Game," he would encounter human or humanoid bosses and enemies. When that time came, he hadn't known if he should act.

But now, Fang Zhen had figured it out.

'Entering the "Instance Dungeon Life Game" is like stepping into an arena.'

'If someone bears me ill will and tries to harm me, I'll do what needs to be done.'

'We're competing on the same stage. Whether it's me or my enemy, if you lose and die, it just means your skills weren't good enough. There's no need for guilt or resentment.'

After having these thoughts, Fang Zhen's own bottom line became clear.

He could kill, but he could never bring himself to harm innocent people like the townspeople of Redstone Town, civilians who were just trying to live their lives in this world.

Harming civilians would violate his own conscience.

With his mind clear and free of hesitation, Fang Zhen's pace quickened.

「One minute later.」

Fang Zhen, who had been moving quickly, suddenly slowed his pace.

Through his Night Vision Goggles, he could already see the Mercenaries lying in ambush in the woods.

There were four Mercenaries, hidden in the gloom on both sides of the forest path.

The path before the dense woods was no more than four meters wide.

The men hidden ahead in the darkness were positioned with two behind a large tree on Fang Zhen's side of the forest, and two in ambush on the opposite side of the path.

This was the narrowest passage in the woods.

Behind the large trees on either side of the path, two Mercenaries were leaning against the trunks, their positions perfectly concealing their bodies. They were holding something in their hands.

Looking through his Night Vision Goggles, Fang Zhen could see a rope hidden under the dirt of the forest path, covered by a layer of soil for camouflage.

The other two men were crouched low in hiding, one holding a hand crossbow and the other a short spear.

Fang Zhen was slightly taken aback when he saw the four-man setup.

Fang Zhen was the only one who would be taking this path; it was self-evident who the Mercenaries were targeting.

Two men to operate the Tripwire, one with a crossbow, and one with a short spear. If Fang Zhen took the bait and was knocked off his motorcycle by the Tripwire, a barrage of attacks from them might have actually been enough to finish him off right here.

Fang Zhen was still some distance away from the four men.

The light was dim in the darkness of the night.

With the aid of his Night Vision Goggles, Fang Zhen could see the four Mercenaries clearly, but they could not see him.

A cool breeze blew through the forest, rustling the fallen leaves and masking the sound of his footsteps.

None of the four Mercenaries noticed that someone was approaching.

Fang Zhen lightened his steps, moving forward slowly in time with the sound and rhythm of the wind rustling the leaves.

Leon and Quade, who were behind him, had stopped some distance away. They didn't make any rash moves, ready to provide support from afar.

After calculating his position, Fang Zhen's expression was calm.

'Strike first, or be struck down.'

Rex's crew was courting death. Fang Zhen had already decided to kill.

He recalled the feeling of being in combat and instantly activated his Battle Instinct and Battle Focus.

As the skills, now off cooldown, activated, Fang Zhen felt the flow of time around him slow down, as if he had entered bullet time.

Honed by his experience in the mines, his skills were more practiced. He fluidly cocked the Cheetah Hunting Crossbow and loaded a Crossbow Arrow.

Once the Crossbow Arrow was loaded, Fang Zhen raised the Hunting Crossbow with both hands, knelt on one knee, and chose an angle where the projectile's path wouldn't be blocked by trees.

He used the optical sight to aim at the only Crossbowman among the four Mercenaries.

At this moment, Fang Zhen's feel for the weapon was perfect. A flicker of inspiration struck him, and he made a minute adjustment, aiming the crosshairs slightly higher.

He pulled the trigger.

"SWOOSH!"

The Crossbow Arrow shot out.

A red streak flashed, and the Crossbow Arrow struck the forehead of the Crossbowman who was hiding behind a large tree by the path, his back exposed to Fang Zhen.

The Crossbowman didn't even have time to cry out before his head was pierced through.

The impact of the piercing Crossbow Arrow punched through the Crossbowman's skull, pinning his head to the large tree.

It all happened so suddenly that the Mercenary working with the Crossbowman, the one waiting to pull the Tripwire, couldn't react.

But by then, Fang Zhen was already loading a second Crossbow Arrow.