Ch. 128
Chapter 128: Lynn’s Holy Light Grenade Concept, Mercenary Corps Gather at Lemon Port
Grenades, as a thing, were actually not complicated in principle when talked about.
Altogether, there were just a few steps:
Pull the firing pin, strike the detonator, the detonator ignited the delay charge, the delay charge burned out.
Boom.
The main explosive detonated, killing through shockwaves and splashing fragments.
But when placed in this world, where combat power had skyrocketed to absurd levels,
ordinary grenades were like firecrackers set off during New Year—nothing more than a loud bang.
On top of that, among the undead,
most undead creatures possessed outrageously abnormal recovery abilities.
Fragments pierced into the body?
Unless they were enchanted or made of special materials,
otherwise it was no different from scratching an itch—just dig them out and be done with it.
Some high-ranking undead did not even care about this level of physical damage at all.
So what Lynn had been pondering was not this kind of childish little toy.
If he was going to do it, he would do something big—
a Holy Light version grenade!
The core idea was also simple and brutal.
Stuff highly concentrated Holy Light power inside, and when it exploded, let it scatter like heavenly maidens tossing flowers, specializing in purging all kinds of undead.
Even ordinary mercenaries could use it.
Even more sinister was that Lynn also planned to attach the effect of 【Divine Might Unbound】 to this Holy Light!
This move was truly vicious.
Things like the black bugs in Lemon Port often had “parent–offspring” relationships.
One upper-tier mother bug could hatch one or several lower-tier offspring bugs.
Whether by bloodline or mental linkage, in short, they were tightly connected.
【Divine Might Unbound】 could follow this layer of connection and deliver a “strike through the mountain to hit the bull”!
Blow up one small offspring bug, and the Holy Light energy could trace back upstream, directly injuring its mother!
Of course, the scale had to be controlled carefully.
Lynn did not want some reckless mercenary
to throw a grenade at a small bug, only for 【Divine Might Unbound】 to chase the link all the way down, crackling and stabbing into the depths of the nest,
alerting a Rotting Lord that might be hiding in the port.
That would be a real disaster.
It would be equivalent to directly delivering a precisely located package to them, cash on delivery.
Paid with one’s life.
So the level of this tracing strike had to be strictly limited!
Hitting one level up, or at most two levels up, would be the absolute ceiling.
It must never trace infinitely upward.
Moreover, if the power was insufficient, against overly high-tier enemies, it would probably just be like lighting up a lamp for them.
Pure provocation, meaningless.
“First, I need to get some first-generation prototypes out to test the waters,” Lynn calculated silently.
From the ruins, they had rummaged up some trigger-type explosive structures similar to grenades.
Although the principles might not be exactly the same,
their appearance and activation methods undoubtedly gave the town’s craftsmen an excellent reference.
Imitating a cat by drawing a tiger was always better than imagining things out of thin air.
So he did it immediately.
Lynn sent down a divine oracle.
Liz immediately understood, and from those people who were fervently researching ancient technology,
she split off a group of dexterous ones and formally established a “Holy Light Grenade Research and Development Group.”
After all, the major mercenary corps were still gearing up and gathering manpower.
It would probably still take a few days before true large-scale turmoil broke out.
This stretch of time was perfect for working on some new inventions.
……
Time passed in a flash, and four or five days went by.
Outside Lemon Port.
At this moment, it was as lively as a marketplace.
With the “Platinum Mercenary Corps” at the forefront, dozens of mercenary corps of all sizes
packed the outskirts of the ruins of the only city gate that could be used to enter and exit the port, cramming it full.
The leading and strongest mercenary corps was named the “Platinum Mercenary Corps.”
The corps leader was a man wearing a deer-hunting cap, his chin covered in stubble, nicknamed Old Cat.
He looked lazy, but his eyes were sharp enough to see through people’s hearts, his strength firmly seated at the peak of the Third-tier.
The vice leader, on the other hand, was a conspicuous character, nicknamed White Crow.
Her hair was entirely white—even her eyebrows and eyelashes were snow-white—looking exactly like an albino.
Yet under the sun, her eyes shone brightly, and she was also a capable Third-tier expert.
The remaining members were all uniformly Second-tier elites, well-equipped and strictly disciplined.
Just standing there, their presence completely overwhelmed the ragtag troops beside them.
And aside from Platinum, there were also mercenary corps with recognizable names like “Blood Blade,” “Steel Shield,” and “Silver Fox.”
Blood Blade’s people were all brimming with killing intent.
Steel Shield’s burly men carried giant shields like door panels.
Silver Fox’s members had flickering gazes, clearly adept at calculation.
So many forces gathered together, yet none of them rushed to start fighting.
The reason was simple.
There were plenty of black bugs inside Lemon Port!
The War Wheel Mercenary Group had ultimately shared their experience of hunting black bugs.
Many people paid money to buy the information, and if they did not share it, they would offend others—there was no need to hide it.
With Bona taking the lead,
everyone basically understood the advantages of luring monsters out to surround and kill them.
The only danger was that frequent luring could potentially cause a bug swarm riot.
But as the saying went,
there was strength in numbers.
In front of so many同行,
no one was willing to appear cowardly—it would be too embarrassing.
They roughly divided up the territory and agreed to take turns.
Then it was like lining up to fetch water.
One corps would first go to the city gate ruins to make some noise, lure out a small wave of bugs, drag them to their preset battlefield, and wipe them out.
Once finished, the next corps would step up.
All of it looked very relaxed.
There was also a rather annoying point.
Lemon Port was surrounded by the sea on three sides, with only this one land entrance.
All mercenary corps had to squeeze into this area; there was no way to open up a second battlefield.
Thus, a strange scene appeared outside the city gate:
One group nervously lured monsters and fought.
Beside them, several other groups squatted nearby watching the show, cracking seeds, wiping weapons.
From time to time, when a mercenary displayed an impressive performance, there would even be applause and cheers.
As if watching a performance, and then waiting for their own turn to go on stage……
……
In a territory slightly farther from the city gate.
The core members of the Platinum Mercenary Corps were coldly observing the bustle ahead.
Vice Leader White Crow brushed aside the white hair on her forehead, a trace of playful smile at the corner of her lips.
“Tut, it’s been a long time since I’ve seen mercenaries from White Rock Fort this united.”
“For a single mission, they’re flocking like a black market. Interesting.”
Her gaze shifted in another direction.
It landed on a lone purple figure on a distant hillside.
“Hey, Captain, that purple-robed female magician—she’s the mysterious employer who issued the mission, right?”
“She’s quite open about it, not hiding at all.”
That was Avril.
Dressed in a striking purple mage robe, it was impossible for her not to draw attention.
These past days, there had indeed been some small mercenary corps trying to cozy up or probe her background.
All of them were driven back by her cold expression and magic.
A Third-tier magician’s strength was right there; ordinary people really did not dare to overstep.
The Old Cat captain, wearing the deer-hunting cap, squinted his eyes as if dozing off.
Yet his voice was steady and clear: “No rush. Let these cannon fodder make noise first.”
“With how they’re doing this, the bug swarm in the city will sooner or later riot, and they’ll definitely send out a sizable force to clear the area.”
“At that time, the density of black bugs near the city gate will temporarily drop.”
He looked toward a small, thin man beside him whose presence was extremely faint, almost merging with the shadows.
“Dean, when the time comes, it’ll be up to you.”
“Take advantage of the chaos and sneak in. The target is the warehouse district deep in the port, or the former lord’s castle. See if there are signs of high-ranking undead activity.”
“Remember, intelligence comes second—safety first. If anything feels off, retreat immediately!”
The man named Dean silently nodded.
White Crow added, “That’s right. The fattest meat in this mission is this short-term intelligence.”
“Killing bugs? Heh, that’s just scraps the people in front are scrambling over.”
“We just need to provide cover for Dean.”
Their conversation was calm and utilitarian.
Completely out of sync with the heated enthusiasm or tense unease of the other mercenary corps.
The Platinum Mercenary Corps was more like a pure elite force, driven solely by profit.