Chapter 181 - 180: Talent Infusion

Chapter 181: Chapter 180: Talent Infusion

Lu Chen leaped down from the train car, his feet landing steadily on the gravel beside the tracks. His gaze immediately locked onto the unremarkable clump of fine sand in Gu Su’s hand, and he couldn’t help but grin, his tone full of genuine praise.

"You really know how to pick ’em!

This Deserted Twisted Corridor looks ordinary, but it’s the core of stabilizing equipment and supplies in the late game."

After a pause, he glanced over at the towering Graveyard Demon in the distance. The behemoth glinted ominously in the night, the vines on its walls writhing slightly. He added casually,

"But your Graveyard Demon is massive enough, and its footprint is wide. There’s more than enough room to put this Twisted Corridor inside, so you don’t have to worry about running out of space.

Alright, you’ve got what I came to give you. I have to head to the next defensive zone. There are still a lot of surviving players waiting for supplies to stay alive."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Chen turned and quickly leaped onto the locomotive, his figure flashing as he slipped into the cockpit.

A moment later, the steam train let out a heavy, chugging roar. The wheels slowly began to turn. The steel behemoth, which had been stationary for a long time, slowly started up and moved steadily away along the tracks. The CLANG-CLANG of the wheels on the rails gradually faded into the thick night, growing more and more distant.

Gu Su stood his ground, watching as the train’s silhouette vanished completely into the darkness. His gaze unconsciously followed the tail of the extra-long train, scrutinizing the cars one by one.

The further back he looked, the clearer the function of each car became. Some were entirely covered in thick, reinforced armor, with Artillery on top pointing toward the sky—clearly combat cars designed for offense and defense.

Some cars were bulging, and he could vaguely make out the supplies stacked inside. They were most likely dedicated supply cars.

Other cars were simpler in design, with faint light showing through the windows, likely the crew’s rest quarters.

From the style, wear, and functional layout of each car, he could clearly see Lu Chen’s growth trajectory in the Game World. From the initial simple cars, he had upgraded and polished them step by step, finally turning them into the offensive and defensive mobile fortress it was today.

Once the train had completely disappeared from sight, the tracks that had stretched across the battlefield began to glow faintly, just as they had when they’d appeared out of thin air. Then, they dissolved and dissipated at a visible rate, turning into fine points of light that silently merged into the scorched earth below.

Other than the corpses on the battlefield that the Skeletons hadn’t finished collecting, not a single trace of the tracks or the train remained. It was as if the strange steam train had never been there at all.

Only when the surroundings had completely returned to their usual silence did Gu Su slowly withdraw his gaze. He turned and walked toward the Graveyard Demon, re-entering his personal Mobile City.

Inside the Graveyard Demon, a faint Death Qi still lingered, mixed with the pungent smell of mycelium and soil. The vines on the walls writhed slowly, greedily absorbing the flesh and blood from outside. The thick trunk of the Deceitful Tree glowed faintly in the night, its hanging branches stirring without a wind, as if sensing his arrival.

Gu Su stopped in the clearing under the tree. He thought for a moment, then called out into the darkness.

"Vampire."

A black shadow slid silently down from the surrounding wall like a piece of tattered cloth blown by the wind, landing lightly in front of him.

It was the Vampire that had been hanging in the second-floor room. It had now returned to its humanoid form, wearing a black cloak with dark red patterns embroidered on the edges. Its gaunt figure looked even more sinister under the faint glow of the Deceitful Tree.

"You can communicate, right?" Gu Su asked.

The Vampire raised its head slightly, revealing a gaunt face from under the shadow of its hood. It opened its mouth, showing two reasonably sharp fangs. Its voice was hoarse but clear. "Yes, my lord."

Gu Su nodded. ’As expected.’ Like the Vampire, Corpse Witch, and Death Knight, these High Tier Undead were different from Ordinary Skeletons that acted only on instinct. They had their own consciousness, capable of communication and thought.

"So, do you have any thoughts?" Gu Su asked tentatively.

The Vampire paused for a moment, then the corners of its mouth curled up slightly. The smile looked particularly strange on its pale face.

Its voice carried a hint of understanding. "My lord, if you have orders, just give them."

"Piloting or firing Artillery. Which are you better suited for?" Gu Su asked.

The Vampire’s gaze fell on the Writers, its dark red pupils contracting slightly. It stared at the pulsating masses of flesh for a few seconds, then looked up, its eyes moving past Gu Su to the massive Graveyard Demon in the distance.

"Piloting?"

"That’s right. Piloting the Graveyard Demon, adjusting its direction flexibly, and controlling its speed," Gu Su confirmed with a nod.

The Vampire was silent for a moment, its dark red eyes flickering in the night as if it were thinking rapidly. After a few breaths, it finally spoke, its tone cautious yet tinged with anticipation:

"I want to be a gunner."

Gu Su looked at it, his gaze scrutinizing. He didn’t answer immediately, instead staring at the Vampire for a long time as if to confirm whether its choice was truly suitable. In the end, he nodded.

He reached into his storage space and took out a translucent, slime-covered mass that quivered like a brain, placing it gently on the Vampire’s head.

It was the Flesh Talent Writer he had gotten from Lu Chen.

The moment the Talent Writer touched the Vampire’s body, it instantly dissolved into a faint red glimmer of light that slowly poured into its body through its facial orifices.

Immediately after, the Vampire, which had been rail-thin and emaciated, became visibly more robust. Its once pale, blood-tinted eyes turned a brilliant crimson, and a faint bloody aura enveloped it. Its combat power had clearly increased.

"How is it? What are the Talent’s effects?" Gu Su asked, watching its transformation with a hint of anticipation.

The Vampire raised a hand, feeling the Power surging within its body. A flash of pleasant surprise crossed its eyes as it hurriedly and respectfully reported, "My lord, I have obtained the ’Bloody Cannonball’ Talent!

When controlling Artillery to Attack, Attack Power increases by 3 points. Also, for every enemy killed, there is a 30% chance to automatically generate a new Bloody Cannonball without consuming additional resources."

Hearing this, Gu Su was slightly taken aback. He immediately asked, "What type is this Bloody Cannonball?

Is its power different from a normal cannonball?"

"The type and power of the cannonball depend on the type of Artillery being controlled," the Vampire replied with a bow, its tone respectful and detailed. "The higher the quality of the Artillery, the stronger the Bloody Cannonball’s power will be. The type will also change according to the Artillery."

"Are there any other effects?" Gu Su pressed on.

"Yes, my lord," the Vampire quickly added. "This Talent can be upgraded. As my Level increases, the Talent will unlock other Attribute effects, and its power will increase accordingly.

However, the core of this Talent is its synergy with Artillery. Without Artillery, even if a Bloody Cannonball is generated, it will be completely useless."

After listening, Gu Su understood completely.

’This is undoubtedly a very practical Talent.’

With this success, Gu Su felt even more confident. He immediately turned and summoned an idle Walking Dead.

The same process, a faster reaction. The tendrils frantically burrowed into the Walking Dead’s facial orifices. Its body convulsed violently a few times, and the ghostly light in its eye sockets flickered erratically before quickly stabilizing.

After the Writer disappeared, the Walking Dead’s body showed no obvious changes, but a faint, almost imperceptible glimmer of light appeared in its once-vacant eyes. It looked somewhat similar to a Minion, just without the Minion’s Battle Banner on its back.

Gu Su stared at it. "What do you feel?"

The Walking Dead was silent for a few seconds, seemingly struggling to form words.

After a good while, it forced out a few words in a voice so hoarse it was almost inaudible:

"Charged... Attack."

Gu Su’s eyes lit up. "Explain."

The Walking Dead fell silent again for a few seconds before explaining intermittently. Although it spoke with difficulty, Gu Su understood.

The Talent it had acquired was called "Charged Attack." It allowed for a charge of up to 15 seconds before firing the Artillery.

For every additional second of charge time, the Artillery’s range and power would increase by 10%.

In other words, a full 15-second charge would result in 250% Attack Power.

After hearing this, Gu Su couldn’t help but smile.

’This Talent is practically made for siege warfare.’ Although a 15-second charge would be difficult to pull off on a rapidly changing battlefield, a single fully charged shot, if timed right, could be enough to change the course of a battle.