Ant·Ten Slashes

Chapter 18: Ant·Ten Slashes

Up close, the dead monster's information was displayed:

[Category: Organic Intelligent Lifeform]

[Origin: Poro]

[Species: Qixiao]

[Gender: Male]

[Height: 1.78 meters (Planetary Measurement)]

[Physique: Insufficient Permissions]

[Spirit Energy: Insufficient Permissions]

[Faith: Insufficient Permissions]

[Elemental Affinity: Insufficient Permissions]

As expected, it was an extraterrestrial creature. These monsters, called Qixiao, were likely thrown into Origin Point by a higher civilization, just like humans. Relying on their superior combat abilities, they rampaged unchecked.

They left no survivors—probably hunting for human Evolved Ones. They didn't consume corpses either, suggesting only the spiritual essence of Evolved Ones held value to them.

These Qixiao weren't Evolved Ones themselves—at least, the ones Liu Xiao killed weren't. Otherwise, he would've received Galactic Order Merit Points as a reward.

Speaking of rewards, Liu Xiao recalled the system message he'd ignored during the battle.

[Warzone Lifeform Kill Count Achieved. Obtained War Title: Ant·Ten Slashes.]

[Title: Ant·Ten Slashes]

[Acquisition: Eliminated ten Ant-tier lifeforms in a warzone.]

[Effect: Within warzones, all physical attributes +1, all spiritual attributes +1.]

Well, it seemed he still didn't fully understand Origin Point's rules. For the Qixiao, this war wasn't just about hunting Evolved Ones—earning war titles was another major incentive.

Still, the title was useful, even if it only applied in warzones.

[Category] Organic Intelligent Lifeform

[Origin] Galactic Order

[Species] Human

[Gender] Male

[Title] Ant·Ten Slashes

[Height] 1.76 meters (Planetary Measurement)

[Physique]

[Endurance] 8 (+1)

[Strength] 10 (+1)

[Agility] 20 (+1)

[Burst] 5 (+1)

[Spirit Energy]

[Spirit Core] (Hidden)

[Vitality] 1 (+1)

[Spirit Pool] 5 (+1)

[Senses]

[Vision] 3

[Proficiencies]

[Archery Proficiency] Novice

[Appraisal] Beginner

[Body Techniques]

[Basic Precision] (Passive) Slightly increases ranged attack accuracy.

Liu Xiao checked his status panel—the title's bonuses were real. But he was still annoyed that Origin Point refused to give him a proper name.

[Detected that Intelligent Lifeform 87242-82231-25241-2241 has questions regarding biological naming. Exchange 10 Galactic Order Merit Points for related knowledge. Origin Point approves this transaction. Proceed?]

Yes.

[Low-tier intelligent lifeforms are unworthy of names.]

Liu Xiao: "..."

Thanks, Origin Point. What a wonderfully malicious and shameless answer.

And what was with this title? "Ten Slashes" was fine, but why add "Ant" in front? Was he killing ants? Or was he the ant?

His gaze locked onto the Qixiao still lined up on the riverbank.

If Ten Slashes existed, then there must be Hundred Slashes, Thousand Slashes, even Ten Thousand Slashes. More reasons to kill them all.

The crowd gathered around Liu Xiao, keeping a clear path in front of him for shooting.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three arrows flew out. One Qixiao died instantly; two were wounded.

The Qixiao leader wasn't stupid—holding their position was suicide, and charging again was even worse. Its single eye trembled violently in its socket—apparently, that was how Qixiao expressed extreme rage.

Instead of turning around, it stepped backward into the river, its body still facing Liu Xiao.

Running away? Did I give you permission?

Liu Xiao burst into a sprint. By the time the crowd reacted, he was already 30 meters ahead, firing two more arrows mid-run. But his accuracy suffered—both missed.

"Charge! Kill these monsters!"

"Avenge the people on the south bank!"

Fresh from their small victory, the north bank fighters' morale soared as they followed Liu Xiao.

The remaining Qixiao abandoned three corpses and two severely wounded comrades, diving underwater. Those swimming from the south bank also turned back.

Liu Xiao retrieved his arrows from the corpses, shaking off the blood. He stood ten meters from the riverbank as the crowd reclaimed the shore.

But the grim battle on the south bank quickly dampened their excitement.

The north bank's victory came from open terrain, brave fighters, numerical superiority—and most importantly, Liu Xiao's deadly archery.

The south bank had only numbers.

Soldiers fixed bayonets, engaging in brutal melee combat. Like Liu Xiao's arrows, their initial ammunition was limited—once their magazines emptied, rifles became useless clubs.

The battle lines held only because more and more ordinary people forced themselves to fight. They couldn't conquer fear, but they could lie to themselves—pretend victory meant survival.

Trembling, weeping, they still clung to the Qixiao, even as their bodies were torn apart, just to give armed fighters a chance to strike.

The battlefield was chaos—small skirmishes everywhere, Qixiao too deep in the fray to escape.

"Should we go help?" someone tentatively asked Liu Xiao.

But in this mess, his archery would be useless. His melee skills weren't impressive either.

"We wouldn't make a difference," someone else answered before Liu Xiao could. "Our families are behind us. We hold the riverbank."

Suddenly, Liu Xiao fired.

A Qixiao that had just surfaced in the river took an arrow to the head and sank.

"Incredible! That aim!"

"A true master archer!"

"This guy must be an Olympic champion!"

The crowd showered him with praise, as if each compliment buffed his stats.

"Keep it up!" the arrow-fetching girl whispered.

Liu Xiao glanced at the bundles of arrows she carried—at least a hundred left. Apparently, everyone who'd chosen a bow as their initial reward had handed their arrows to her.

He hadn't risked shooting across the river earlier, worried about wasting arrows. Now, he had no such concerns.

The Qixiao were fast runners with agile arms, but their bulky, tripod-like torsos made them clumsy.

Those underwater didn't dare surface. The ones on the south bank weren't so lucky.

Liu Xiao drew his bowstring, took aim, and—

Twang!

An arrow pierced a Qixiao's skull mid-battle.

He decided not to count kills this time—many Qixiao, even after being shot, were finished off by surrounding humans. Whether he got credit depended on luck.

His maximum effective range was about 300 meters, limited by his Earth-made compound bow. But for now, it was enough.

One by one, Qixiao fell to his arrows.

The south bank fighters noticed the mysterious sniper on the north shore. Though they couldn't see him clearly, survivors waved in gratitude whenever an arrow saved them. Some even lured Qixiao to the riverbank, giving Liu Xiao a clear shot—though they probably feared his arrows as much as the monsters did.

The girl's arrow supply dwindled as Liu Xiao's firing speed increased. Each shot was met with cheers.

Finally, the submerged Qixiao couldn't hold their breath any longer. They surged out of the water.

About time. Couldn't hold it anymore, huh?

Among them, Liu Xiao spotted the leader—bulkier than the rest.

That's my target.

He drew, aimed—

Twang!

The arrow pierced straight through its skull, exiting through the front.

The once-arrogant beast collapsed into the shallows. It never expected Liu Xiao to hold a grudge—just for a few extra glares.

[Eliminated Ant·Hundred Slashes.]

[Galactic Order Intelligent Lifeform has eliminated a cross-stellar Evolved Lifeform. Galactic Order Merit +1.]

[Obtained 100 Galactic Order Merit Points.]

So, this Qixiao had been an Evolved One. A shame—its death meant one less chance for a human to evolve.

But at least it avenged the hundreds it had killed.

No more Qixiao remained within shooting range. Liu Xiao reluctantly lowered his bow and glanced at the arrow-fetching girl beside him. She still clutched bundles of arrows—where had she even gotten so many? Their eyes met briefly, her gaze burning with admiration. He quickly looked away, turning his attention to the southern battlefield.

Only scattered skirmishes persisted. Most of the Qixiao had been overwhelmed by sheer numbers, their corpses beaten into black pulp by vengeful humans.

Geneva Conventions? Those apply to humans. Do these things even count as people?

The military began taking stock of casualties and supplies. Losses were heavy, and ammunition reserves were uncertain.

They'd survived this wave. Liu Xiao wondered if he'd overreacted by sending Li Tianjia's group into the woods. With nearly ten million soldiers and civilians, they'd stood a chance against tens of thousands of extraterrestrial creatures.

Still, better safe than sorry. Without the Qixiao garrison's organized resistance, ordinary people might never have found the courage to fight. Who knew if they'd have held otherwise?

When the last Qixiao fell, a tsunami of cheers erupted from the south, sweeping across both riverbanks.

"We won! Humanity won!"

"We're the strongest!"

People embraced, riding the last waves of adrenaline. Liu Xiao halfheartedly joined the celebration, jumping as the ground trembled from millions leaping in unison. Strangers hugged him; the arrow girl shyly wrapped her arms around his waist. Soon, the crowd hoisted him into the air, tossing him repeatedly—he was the north bank's hero, after all.

Dangling midair with a deadpan expression, Liu Xiao spotted a soldier pushing through the crowd to salute him.

The crowd set him down.

"I'm Chen Suye, Second Battalion, 105th Division, Qiantang Garrison," the soldier introduced himself.

"Ren Pingsheng," Liu Xiao replied, using his alias, just as he had with the Hidden Dragons.

"We saw your performance from the south bank. On behalf of the 105th, I thank you. With command's approval, I'd like to recruit you for temporary service." Chen's tone was earnest.

"Sorry, I've already joined another national organization," Liu Xiao declined. The Hidden Dragons held far more appeal than a local garrison.

Chen simply nodded. "Then I wish you safety and success. Farewell."

With another salute, he turned and boarded a waiting raft.

"Damn, the military wanted you!"

"Bro Ren killed over a hundred monsters single-handedly! Even the soldiers with guns couldn't match that!"

"I heard they're out of ammo. Initial rewards only gave one magazine—30 rounds. They burned through it all."

As chatter shifted from Liu Xiao to the military's struggles, he tuned out. He needed to retrieve Li Tianjia's group before they ran into lizardmen.

Lizardmen were far deadlier than Qixiao. If an equal number had attacked today, humanity would've lost. The Qixiao's advantage lay in their combat-optimized physiology—offense over defense, enhanced physicality—allowing a few to slaughter many.

But lizardmen? Thick hides, balanced offense and defense. Liu Xiao doubted Earth's firearms could pierce their scales.

This had been a pyrrhic victory.

On the southern plains, people sifted through corpses for loved ones. Many carried dead relatives into the river, joining them in suicide—uncertain if their Earth bodies were safe, but too grief-stricken to care.

Southern casualties likely exceeded half. The melancholic aftermath dampened the celebratory mood. More had died from drowning, stampedes, and suicide than Qixiao kills. The loss ratio was roughly 100:1.

Done with the grim scene, Liu Xiao turned toward the woods.

The arrow girl and two archers—all college students from out of town—followed. They'd asked to join earlier, unable to fit into their apartment's homeowner-dominated group. The boys had archery experience; the girl came with arrows. Liu saw no reason to refuse.

"Everyone mocked me for picking a bow," one guy joked. "Who's laughing now?"

"Some uncle in my complex kept bragging about his foldable lounge chair," the other added. "Said it doubled as a weapon. Like, really?"

Their banter paused when one mentioned the earlier system warnings.

"That triple alert about the warzone—it scared me shitless."

"Yeah, but the battle's over. Shouldn't we get a notification?"

Liu Xiao froze.

Right. If the battle ended, the warzone status should lift. Why no message?

He turned south, unease coiling in his gut.

Unless... the war isn't over.

His gaze sharpened. In the distance, something dark writhed.

At first, it was a blur. But as he focused—

His face twisted.

"What's wrong?" the trio asked.

Liu Xiao closed his eyes, exhaled, then met their worried stares.

"Go. Now. Into the woods."

He handed the girl a guide-insect vial and took the remaining arrows.

"Follow this. You'll meet my team—Li Tianjia leads them. Tell him what's happening. If I'm right... humanity won't win this time."

"How?!" they gasped.

"No time. I don't know if the Qixiao will enter the woods. If I'm not back in two hours, follow Li Tianjia's orders."

Without another word, he strode back toward the riverbank, stuffing arrows into his storage.

The trio hesitated, then ran—glancing back just once.

What they saw froze their blood.

A black tide surged into the southern crowds, an unstoppable scythe through flesh.

"RUN!"

One boy yanked the sobbing girl along. "He told us what to do! Move!"

Alone on the north bank, Liu Xiao rolled his shoulders and swallowed a white pill. The ache in his arms faded as he glared at the approaching darkness.