Before he had time to process it, Qin Fen saw that the last message had been sent only thirty-five seconds ago. Employing the Luohan Bu Yun technique, underpinned by the Dragon-Elephant Prajna Skill, he sprinted toward the barracks.

Rounding two corners, a familiar figure blocked his path ahead.

Gang Benwu, standing over 1.8 meters tall and weighing 280 kilograms, was a mountain of flesh blocking the center of the path.

Not far from him stood a young Sumo wrestler, whose weight seemed to hover around 250 kilograms.

The moment Qin Fen appeared, these two mountains, who had been sitting cross-legged, sprang up instantly. Their movements were as agile as monkeys, betraying none of the sluggishness one would expect from such bulk.

"Qin Fen, it's time we finished our unfinished fight..."

Gang Benwu planted his feet, his palms, large as cattail fans, slowly moving into a guard stance, radiating an aura as imposing as a celestial pillar.

Qin Fen didn't spare Gang Benwu a glance. With his money-making tool about to be lost, how could he possibly have the mood for a duel?

Reaching Gang Benwu, he executed two swift Dragon Concealment moves, flashing behind him, his feet never stopping as he rushed toward the barracks.

Gang Benwu's look of excitement froze. He turned to watch Qin Fen's figure rapidly shrinking, the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably with rage.

The fat on Gang Benwu's body trembled incessantly; no one had ever treated him with such utter disregard.

"Senior Brother, there's no need to be so angry," said the slightly leaner Sumo wrestler beside him. "Our initial goal this time was just to deliver the challenge. Since he's so rude, next time we'll just fight."

Gang Benwu's trembling gradually ceased. He sighed, "Ida, you are right. There's no need to lose one's temper over someone with no martial honor."

Qin Fen rushed back to the room. Only one new recruit was seated on a bed; everyone else was lying down with helmets on.

Seeing Qin Fen, the new recruit quickly exclaimed, "Old Qin, bad news! Li Mo from Jiangshan Meise yesterday, in league with people from the Bìshèng Sect, plus some local factions who dislike the Dragon Hall, are launching a total annihilation war against us."

"Annihilation war?" Qin Fen reached the room but wasn't in a rush to enter the Sky Combat Net immediately. "Explain clearly."

"Simply put, annihilation war isn't just about challenging a dojo," the recruit said with disgust. "It’s like a war between sects. In this situation, you can deploy not just martial arts, but also firearms! If funds are sufficient, people can even purchase mechs, aircraft, or even warships for combat."

Qin Fen's brow furrowed. The Dragon Hall had just made a name for itself and started making money, only to run into this. This was truly terrible luck.

"If I destroy their sects, what benefits do I gain?" Qin Fen asked directly. "Actual benefits."

"You gain control over their sect bases. You can deal with them as you wish—sell them to the system or to other factions. If they have any remaining supplies, half go to the victor, and the other half goes to the system."

"What counts as annihilation?"

"Wipe them out three times, or if they die and don't choose to revive for two hours, they are kicked out until none are left..."

Qin Fen understood the rules and immediately connected his helmet.

The Dragon Hall was a tool for quickly accumulating funds, and also a tool for challenging masters from various sects.

After the intense battle last time, Qin Fen had fully grasped the true advantage of the Sky Combat Net: in this world with almost no boundaries, one could witness a myriad of martial arts and clash with masters from different schools.

In reality, fighting a master required signing a life-or-death waiver; otherwise, killing someone was a crime! But in the Sky Combat Net, one didn't have to worry about anything, unleashing their full power to bring the opponent down.

A fight that isn't a life-or-death struggle teaches far less than one where lives are on the line. Qin Fen knew that if he wanted to improve, he needed continuous, brutal battles, to witness styles he had never encountered, and learn their strengths to elevate himself.

For a poor kid, challenging various masters in real life was completely unrealistic. Only the Sky Combat Net could make this possible.

The loading screen distorted, and Qin Fen reappeared on the street where he had logged off. From the direction of the Dragon Hall, dense gunfire could be heard.

"Old Qin!" Zhang Xiangyang immediately activated his communicator. "That Jiangshan Meise is truly vile. They're stirring up the 'Dragon Hall Threat Theory,' claiming that if they don't eliminate us now, we'll dominate the entire street later. As a result, quite a few factions believed them and gathered over seven hundred people to launch an annihilation war against us."

Seven hundred people?

Hearing that number, Qin Fen's eyes blurred momentarily.

With such a large number, even if they hadn't fired guns before, the simultaneous discharge of seven hundred weapons would still pack a significant punch. If they managed to deploy even a few cannons, even the most ancient mortars, the destructive power would be astonishing.

"Old Qin, are you worried they'll use artillery?" Zhang Xiangyang's voice, which seemed to read his mind, came through the communicator again. "Artillery in the Sky Combat Net is extremely expensive. This time, the opponents are exclusively using guns."

"How is the situation?"

"Not optimistic. Half of our brothers have already been killed once," Zhang Xiangyang grimaced. "Many of those seven hundred people have prior military service; they might be more familiar with guns than our guys."

Qin Fen's expression grew heavier. His comrades had only just started handling guns a few days ago; being able to aim and fire was already good enough. Facing retired veterans meant they weren't gaining an advantage—they were actually at a disadvantage.

"Take down that sniper! Hear me! Take him down!"

Several enraged members of Jiangshan Meise, after resurrecting, rushed toward the Dragon Hall, roaring loudly, completely failing to notice Qin Fen's presence.

A sniper? Qin Fen was slightly surprised. Squad Leader Hao hadn't mentioned any new recruits having exceptional sniping talent.

"Old Qin, the sniper they were yelling about is Du Peng."

Zhang Xiangyang’s voice came through the communicator again.

Despite the distance separating them, Qin Fen realized the other party could accurately guess what he was thinking—something no ordinary person could achieve.

"Du Peng?"

Qin Fen was even more surprised by this name. This person, who had always regarded the founding of the Dragon Hall with detachment, was here helping out.

"It's all thanks to Old Du," Zhang Xiangyang sounded immensely relieved. "Without him, it would have been much harder."

"Are you directing the defense inside?"

"Sort of."

"Good, I trust your ability. You continue commanding the Dragon Hall. We'll talk properly after I'm done fighting," Qin Fen watched a few more resurrected members of Jiangshan Meise head out with guns. "Wait for me to get a gun; I'll fight from the outside."

"OK! No problem." A sound of snapping fingers came from Zhang Xiangyang's end. "Old Qin, if the Dragon Hall is still standing after this battle, you should buy a good gun in the city too. The Dragon Hall is famous now; even if you don't want to engage in annihilation wars later, you might not have a choice."

"Sigh!" Qin Fen sighed. "More investment required."

The resurrected members of Jiangshan Meise had dropped their firearms on the battlefield. Qin Fen found it impossible to shoot those who had just appeared, drop by drop.

There were opportunities to snatch guns on the battlefield, but if he was exposed, facing a volley from seven hundred guns, Qin Fen didn't consider himself a superhuman.

Dying once and reviving right under their muzzles would lead only to continuous death.

Assessing the situation, Qin Fen set off running outside the street. He hailed a taxi at the intersection and was driven directly to the nearest weapon shop.

"Hello, what would you like to purchase?"

The sales assistant, entirely manufactured by the system, always maintained a perfect smile.

"AK74, give me six hundred rounds of ammunition, and one magazine pouch," Qin Fen stated plainly. "How much?"

"Sir, we have more advanced firearms available for your selection, such as the M19 electronic pulse type, which eliminates the weight of ammunition..."

"AK74! Six hundred rounds, one pouch," Qin Fen interrupted the sales assistant. As a disciple of the Gun King, knowing which weapon to choose under what circumstances was fundamental skill; just because a weapon was advanced didn't mean it was the one to use.

Soon, the antique AK74 and six hundred rounds of ammunition were placed before Qin Fen, and a sum of money that made his heart ache was instantly deducted.

"This time! I must sell the Jiangshan Meise territory!" Qin Fen clutched the gun and left the weapon shop radiating killing intent. After a moment of thought, he turned back. "Give me a few more things..."

When Qin Fen walked out of the shop, his face grim, besides the AK74 in his hand and a nearly man-sized ammunition backpack strapped to his back, he also carried another backpack about the size of a ten-year-old child.

Passersby on the street saw Qin Fen's expression and quickly moved aside. Even though the weapon in his hand was outdated technology, the human body still couldn't withstand a single hit from it.

He took another taxi back to the street where the Dragon Hall was located. Qin Fen walked straight into the Jiangshan Meise headquarters—usually heavily guarded, but today wide open.

For convenience in combat, all Jiangshan Meise members had set their resurrection points within their sect's main base.

Holding the gun, Qin Fen stood at the Jiangshan Meise respawn point and pulled the trigger the instant anyone appeared.

Those who had just resurrected and hadn't grasped what happened were immediately plunged into darkness and died again.

After guarding for only a short while, Qin Fen used seventy-two rounds to kill seventy-two disciples of Jiangshan Meise, completely cutting off the battlefield reinforcements.

A flurry of hurried footsteps approached from outside the door. Two disciples of Jiangshan Meise rushed into the courtyard, carrying T96 submachine guns.

As they entered, they were shouting, "Where is everyone? Why aren't you reinforcing? The other factions are already complaining."

"Huh? Why haven't they revived yet? What are they doing?" the other member wondered aloud.