Apocalypse: I Have One More Keyword Than Others

That evening, the Feng Family members searching for other Heavenly Demons within Luyang City returned one after another, empty-handed.

This was within Duge's expectations.

The simulated world was called Daqian, which possessed the most fertile part of the Central Plains, surrounded by several smaller nations.

The populations of these nations added up to more than eighty million.

Now, in the simulated world, there were only a little more than six hundred competitors left.

More than six hundred people scattered among a population of eighty million were like droplets falling into the ocean, unable to create even a splash.

Even if the competitors would focus on important sects or major cities, with hundreds of thousands of people in Luyang City, the Feng Family had only sent out five or six individuals.

For five or six people to seek out hidden competition players, who after being possessed looked exactly like the locals and were equipped with the natives' memories in the vast Luyang City, was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.

Running into a Wang San was already their stroke of dumb luck.

Upon not finding any other Heavenly Demons, Feng Shiyi offered some words of comfort before sending them off to rest.

Duge and the others also went to rest separately.

Their rooms were next to each other, with Feng Yunjie on the side, next to him was Duge, next to Duge was Wang San, and next to Wang San was Feng Shiyi.

Wang San was a new addition, and Feng Shiyi, not trusting him yet and fearing his potential betrayal, did not dare to immobilize him as before by sealing his acupoints, opting instead to keep a watch over him to prevent his escape.

The Direct Disciples who were searching for Heavenly Demons were sleeping in the rooms opposite, with two on guard duty.

Under such stringent supervision, the chances of an unarmed Wang San escaping were almost non-existent.

...

Duge was making his own calculations, just as the Feng Family was making theirs, but life is full of uncertainties, and things rarely go exactly according to plan.

The unexpected happened that very night.

In the middle of the night, exhausted from traveling and practicing martial arts, Duge who was sleeping soundly was suddenly awakened by two muffled groans, followed by faint yet chaotic footsteps and breathing sounds from outside and above the roof.

His eyes snapped open, and he sat up abruptly, what's going on?

A classic scene from martial arts dramas, a night ambush?

Targeted at them?

Isn't this happening too fast?

Where did the leak happen?

In an instant, a series of questions flashed through Duge's mind as he swiftly got dressed, grabbing the sword and sheath by his bedside, "Second Householder, we're under attack."

After shouting a single loud warning, Duge abruptly held his breath.

The night was dark, but his heightened senses allowed him to see much better than ordinary people in the darkness; he could barely make out a blowpipe that had penetrated the window paper and was poking inside.

A night attack with sedative smoke, that's really the whole damn package!

Startled by Duge's sudden shout, the blowpipe retracted rapidly, but it was already too late—Duge's thrown knife was already on its way.

He hadn't specialized in hidden weapons, but Duge didn't need to be like Li Xunhuan, with every throw hitting the target's throat.

At a distance of three or five meters, as long as the thrown knife hit the assailant, it was enough. With Duge's current strength, if it hit the target, it could create a gaping hole, its lethality not much less than that of a handgun.

Ah!

A scream sounded, and blood stained the window frame red.

At the same time.

Their whereabouts exposed, the chaos outside escalated suddenly.

From the next room came a shatter of glass; Duge rushed into the hallway, not worrying about Feng Yunjie, and kicked open Wang San's door before barging inside.

Less alert than Duge, Wang San had succumbed to the sedative and was unconscious, currently being carried on the shoulder of a man in black, who rushed towards the window.

Duge raised his hand and threw another knife.

The man in black, burdened with Wang San and with his back to Duge, and having not anticipated anyone throwing hidden weapons in the dark, was too late to dodge when he heard the whistling sound—the knife hit him squarely in the back, eliciting a scream as he collapsed to the ground.

Duge was about to check on Wang San.

Suddenly, his personal information began to flicker.

He raised his hand to open his personal information.

There were no changes in the other categories, but an additional item had appeared under advanced skills:

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Backstab: When you attack others from behind, you receive a speed bonus, with a higher attribute granting a larger bonus percentage.

...

Holy shit?

Aren't advanced skills supposed to be continuously developed?

New skills are born when the conditions are met?

Duge was startled, then filled with ecstasy. Had he known this, he would have been stabbing people in the back with throwing knives much earlier.

Backstab, although it restricted the direction of attack, was not merely a supportive skill like the previous two; it actually increased his attack power.

This skill is good!

Outside the window, someone heard the noise inside the room and peered in, Duge threw a knife with a swift hand. The man ducked, narrowly avoiding it—his kung fu was obviously better than that of the person in the room.

At that moment.

The outside was thrown into chaos.

The voice of Feng Shiyi, filled with shock and fear, came through: "Iron Sand Palm? Are you people from the Iron Palm Gang? The Feng Family has no grievances with you; why attack the Prosperous Jade Building at night?"

"Swift battle, leave no one alive except the Heavenly Demon," another unfamiliar voice followed, and then torches were lit outside the window, illuminating the night.

Iron Palm Gang?

Heavenly Demon?

It was indeed a targeted attack. The Feng Family was small and normally attracted no attention; even if exposed, it shouldn't have happened so quickly.

There was an informer!

Duge immediately understood the reason. He swiftly took two steps, picked up Wang San from the ground, and also yanked the throwing knife from the back of the dead man, quickly exiting the room.

Even though the outside was more dangerous, he couldn't stay in the room filled with smoke. Although his senses had sharpened, he still needed to breathe; holding his breath for so long was already quite an achievement.

Guesthouse corridor.

Feng Shiyi's uncle and nephew were entangled with three Feng Family direct disciples and over a dozen men in black, struggling desperately. Each was injured, and two disciples responsible for the night patrol were already lying in a pool of blood.

The attackers outnumbered them, and their martial arts abilities were superior to the Feng Family's. Except for Feng Shiyi, the others were essentially being overpowered.

As Duge emerged, another Feng Family direct disciple screamed and fell dead in the corridor.

The corridor was narrow, and with a crowd squeezed together, throwing knives risked hurting his own people. Duge decisively dropped Wang San to the ground, drew his longsword, and aimed it at the back of a man in black who was attacking Feng Yunjie, thrusting it forward.

The men in black were well-trained and coordinated their moves efficiently. Noticing Duge pulling out his sword, a man in black disengaged from the battle to intercept him on behalf of his comrade.

But the speed of the backstab was too fast. Just as the man stepped back, Duge was already ghostlike behind his comrade, his longsword piercing all the way through him.

His eyes bulged out: "Hall Master, there's a master here."

Hearing this, some men in black who were attacking others immediately broke away towards Duge, intending to deal with him first.

Duge cursed under his breath and swiftly pulled out the longsword, swiftly saying to the encroaching men in black, "You can't kill me, I am the Heavenly Demon, we need a living witness."

The men in black were seemingly caught off guard by his lack of resistance and momentarily froze.

One of the men in black took a look at Duge and said, "If you are the Heavenly Demon, drop the longsword and we may spare your life."

Duge suddenly looked behind the man, his face showing a look of surprise.

The man in black spun around, but there was no one behind him. Realizing he had been fooled, it was too late for him to turn back. Decisively lunging forward, all was already in vain.

A piercing pain in his chest and the gleaming tip of the sword came through his front; he only managed to utter "despicable" before he collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide open in death.

With the backstab successful, a warm flow spread through Duge's body, and his attributes incrementally improved.

Watching their companion get sneak attacked to death right in front of them, the remaining men were filled with rage and simultaneously swung their blades at Duge.

Duge parried with his sword while saying, "I am the Heavenly Demon, you can't kill me."

"To hell with the Heavenly Demon, I'm killing you," one of them said, his eyes red with rage.

"Don't be rash. If you kill me, your people will have died in vain," Duge said. "Will your Gang Leader forgive you when you return?"

Their attacks hesitated, and the weapons that were aimed at Duge's vital spots were now redirected towards his arms and legs, places that wouldn't be lethal, and noticeably the force was much weaker.

Unable to kill, but wounding all the same, these men weren't going to be tricked into stopping by Duge's words.

However, such fighting was inevitably half-hearted, leaving them extremely frustrated.

With his rear eye, Duge had an easy time defending himself when being attacked. Now, he felt even less pressure, effortlessly blocking the incoming swords and blades. He scanned the crowd and said, "That's more like it. There's a difference between killing and capturing. Don't let impulse ruin the Iron Palm Gang's grand scheme. If you fail the mission and get yourselves killed in the process, what's the point? The dead are gone, but the living must go on. You have to think ahead. And you on the left, lower the arc of your swing. It doesn't matter if you injure me, just be careful not to hit your own people..."

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