The man furrowed his brow, his eyes scanning the surroundings as he idly kicked at the ground, causing small pieces of luggage to roll away. Suddenly, a figure lunged at him from the side. The man reacted swiftly, delivering a sharp kick—
But it met only air.
At the same time, he tilted his head, narrowly evading the flying kitchen knife.
This person's reflexes were astonishing! Eric clenched his teeth, realizing he could no longer retreat and charged forward instead. The man sneered and fired a shot at her—
It struck her abdomen.
Yet, to his bewilderment, the young girl seemed unfazed by the pain, continuing her relentless advance.
She carried no weapon, clad only in a simple tracksuit, appearing utterly harmless. How could she dare to confront him?
The man pulled the trigger again, this time aiming experimentally at Eric's leg.
Bang!
Both shots found their mark.
"Are you... wearing a bulletproof vest?" the man frowned in disbelief.
By now, Eric had closed the distance between them. Lacking any formal combat training, she relied solely on her primal instincts for survival. She aimed to strike at his heart and throat. The man was intrigued—how could anyone remain utterly unfazed after being shot? He ceased firing and merely sought to fend off her relentless assaults.
From his perspective, Eric was utterly inexperienced in combat; her movements awkward and lacking in force, as if she intended to pierce his chest and sever his throat with nothing but soft, supple hands and bare nails.
Ha! How utterly ludicrous!
"Hey little sister, aren't you afraid of pain? Is there something wrong with your body? Are you a mutant? I know a laboratory, do you want me to take you there for a check-up? "The man smiled playfully, as if teasing a little cat.
Eric didn't pay attention to him, his carelessness towards her was in her favor!
On the other side, another player was found and the two of them started fighting, with several gunshots.
The man's companion shouted at him, 'Stop playing! This person has two brushes!' He was so entangled that he couldn't breathe, and not a single bullet hit him. The gun was even thrown away!
The man smiled and said, "This girl is a bit funny, okay, you wait."
He finally got serious and restrained Eric with all his strength. With one hand, he could grab her wrists and clip them behind her back, making her unable to stand steadily and smashing her face into his arms.
"
I won't kill you, it shouldn't matter if one person is missing from the sacrifice. I'm curious about your body. I'll take you to the laboratory later and definitely help you study it carefully. "
He touched it a few times and was surprised to find that Eric really wasn't wearing a bulletproof vest. He really wanted to take off Eric's clothes and see what happened to the location where she was hit by the bullet.
Just as he pondered this, his companion called out once more.
"Here it comes!"
The man glanced back briefly, only to freeze instantly. He swiftly turned his head downward, meeting Eric's upward gaze.
Compared to him, Eric's stature reached merely to his shoulders; when pinned against his chest, her head nestled perfectly against his torso.
What an exquisitely fortuitous position. From her pocket, Eric produced a fruit knife, her will moving with graceful intent. She bit down firmly on the handle, driving the blade with resolute force toward the man's heart.
Completely unguarded, the woman he had subdued effortlessly with a single hand—what further tumult could she possibly conjure?
Thus, the blade was plunged entirely into his heart.
Sensing his grip weaken, Eric struggled fiercely, striking him with her head with renewed force, driving the knife ever deeper.
The man staggered backward several steps, clutching the knife's hilt; his eyes glazed over and vacant.
"Ugh… ugh… cough, cough!" He withdrew the blade halfway before succumbing entirely to unconsciousness. Eric panted heavily, fixed him with a steady glance, then inhaled deeply and lunged forward to retrieve the fruit knife—an invaluable asset, once used, gone forever, and thus imperative to reclaim.
She also noticed the gun carelessly tucked at his waist and snatched it without hesitation.
Swiftly, she moved to assist the other player; together, two against one, they finally prevailed.
Reluctantly, the player exchanged for a medical kit. After Eric's timely aid, a camaraderie blossomed; the player exchanged names with her: "I'm Samuel. And you?"
Eric wiped the cut on her lip inflicted by the blade; the sting grounded her in reality. She nodded and replied, "Just call me Rookie. Let's get out of here first."
Cautiously, they exited the luggage compartment.
Outside, chaos reigned—flames engulfed the wing, a hijacking unfolded within the aircraft, and the palpable aura of terror and tension left Eric no time to dwell upon the dread of having taken a life for the first time.
"Damn it, I'd sooner race a serpent on a deserted island than endure this kind of mission!" Samuel cursed bitterly.
"I wonder how the player in the cockpit is faring. Judging by the present chaos, there's no way we can get through," Eric murmured just as a hijacker appeared, brandishing a gun while approaching the luggage compartment—apparently coming to bolster his comrades who hadn't returned.
In unison, she and Michael retreated, positioning themselves on either side of the doorway. Michael grasped the firearm he had deftly relieved from the assailant, while Eric, unable to wield a gun, relied on her trusty kitchen knife.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Bullets rattled across the luggage bay entrance, yet the attacker refrained from advancing.
He had discerned their presence.
An explosive device was hurled inside with a deafening blast, searing pain prickled Eric's skin.
The assailant lingered outside, lying in wait; the moment they revealed themselves, they would be riddled like a sieve.
Soon, flames engulfed the luggage compartment, thick smoke billowing forth. Neither Eric nor Samuel dared venture out. The advancing fire crept at Eric's trouser leg, inching up her calf, and she dared not move an inch.
The torment of the flames was excruciating; she smiled bitterly to herself, contemplating that though death had spared her eternal damnation, this game forced her to endure the sufferings of hell's eighteen layers—resurrection was no facile affair.
Only when the assailant withdrew did they scramble out, hastily applying medical kits to their wounds.
"Damn it, how on earth did they smuggle all these firearms aboard? This is utterly unnatural!"
Samuel muffled his mouth and nose with his shirt. "The cockpit must be compromised as well. So many armed men and ammunition aboard without an insider is inconceivable. In my experience, we'd best stay put and wait out the crash."
Eric nodded in agreement.
Out of their sight, a dozen or so passengers parachuted to safety, drifting languidly through the sky, casting glances toward the aircraft's doomed fate as they descended.
Seconds later, the plane convulsed violently, pitching and rolling uncontrollably before finally succumbing to gravity's relentless pull.
Inside the cockpit, blood stained every surface, corpses strewn about. Only the captain remained seated steadfastly, his eyes blazing with fervent conviction at the moment of water entry—a faith that consumed him utterly, offering himself and the plane's remains as a pyre of sacrifice.
He closed his eyes expectantly and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The aircraft crashed into the sea; flames atop the wings were swiftly doused by the waves. The impact scattered countless fragments into the water, the tail section breaking off and sinking to the ocean's depths.
Simultaneously, a radiant halo ignited behind him.
At the moment of impact, Eric clung tenaciously to the cabin door's handrail but was violently thrown about by the force. Dizzy and disoriented, her chest compressed painfully, and the metallic tang of blood filled her throat as consciousness faded for several agonizing seconds.
Her world spun wildly, myriad iridescent shards dancing swiftly before her eyes.
"Wake up! Rookie! Are you with me? Hurry and buy a medkit! No penny-pinching now!"
Eric's blurred senses caught a flicker of lucidity; she instantly purchased a healing kit whose restorative effects were immediate, banishing the crash's injuries. Samuel tugged her urgently, "Move! The plane's sinking fast! We must hurry!"
Together, they swiftly exited the luggage bay.
Upon entering the passenger cabin, she gasped involuntarily; all were dead—bodies strewn everywhere, and the floor coated thickly with blood that soaked through her shoes at every step. A chill of horror gripped her heart. Why had these people done this? The mysterious reference to a sacrifice echoed faintly in her mind, casting ambiguous shadows over her thoughts.
"Let's search the interior quickly once more. If we don't find a halo, we must evacuate," Samuel urged briskly.
The fuselage sank section by section as seawater poured through breaches. Eric struggled within the tilting cabin, inching forward hand over hand on the seats to avoid slipping.
The overwhelming number of corpses left her numb.
She navigated over them, descending relentlessly to the plane's far end. Samuel reached for the mangled cockpit door but found it immovable. Seeing this, Eric hurried forward, and together they summoned their utmost strength.
"The cockpit must be flooded. One last try—if this fails, we leave!" Samuel shouted.
Eric responded in kind, and amidst Samuel's count—"One! Two! Three!"—she gritted her teeth and pushed.
The door groaned in protest as a torrent of seawater surged toward them. Tumbling into the water, Eric's vision blurred, but she caught sight of the halo's shimmering form. Elated, she swam swiftly toward it.
[Player Eric has completed the Common Dungeon: The Sacrificial Plane, earning 4 points.]