"You're thinking of luring him out?" Xu Hong's eyes brightened, and the worry left his face. "But I heard that General Yang is a powerful fighter. His guards also have outstanding abilities. They are at Life and Death Realm, so they won't be easy to deal with."
"What about General Yang?" Happy asked.
"Peak of Life and Death Realm!"
When he heard Xu Hong's answer, Happy instantly felt at ease. "Then there's no problem."
In his eyes, fighting against a group of fighters in Life and Death Realm was not too hard.
When they traveled a few dozen miles forward, the river suddenly became narrower, and a large group of common reeds appeared in front of the ship fleet. The width of the river was less than two sh.i.p.s.
*****
"Move! Hurry up and move!"
At the entrance of Common Reed Town was a group of soldiers in armor. They came with an aggressive momentum and scattered the players at the town gate, then spread a piece of rice paper and stuck it at the most eye-catching spot on the gate!
[Recruiting Militia
[Below are the details:
[Hundreds of cunning pirates have apprehended an entire salt ship fleet, and they are about to pass by our town! I, General Yang, solemnly recruit the martial artists who have the heart to get rid of evil as militia. We will march to Common Reed Bank to subdue those pirates!
[All can join this operation!
[If the mission is successful, I will use a ship's salt worth of money as a reward, which will be worth one million taels of silver. The money will be given to all the martial artists who managed to kill a pirate. Once we split up the rewards, each person should be rewarded three thousand taels of silver per head.]
All the players in the towns in a circular area of around a dozen miles also received a system notification.
"Will you respond to General Yang's call to become militia and head to Common Reed Bank to subdue the pirates? With each pirate you kill, you will obtain three thousand taels of silver crumbs! If you kill a Life and Death Realm player, you will obtain ten thousand taels of silver crumbs."
The towns burst into commotion!
Chapter 305 - The Acc.u.mulated Strength in the Aristocratic Family!
Around ten miles away from Common Reed Bank, the wind was blowing at the surface of the river, which caused it to look like a huge and soft grass cushion. The water rose and fell, and it was a very magnificent and beautiful sight.
The large fleet entered deep into the waters, and they slowly sailed into the depths of Common Reed Bank in a uniform manner. Rustling sounds were heard, and it sounded as if they were notes that harmonized with the pleasant song of the river. It served as a lullaby that gently lulled the listeners to sleep.
A dashing man in blue robes holding a sword stood proudly at the bow of the leading ship!
Xu Hong and his group treated those who were injured while they stared at the young man at the bow of the ship with calm expressions. Even though Happy's qi cultivation was beneath theirs, his strength and his methods once he entered the battlefield had shocked even them, who were veterans that frequently wandered the lands.
"It's no wonder the lady places so much trust in him even though he's so young. It explains why she made the arrangements for him to be on the ship to handle the disaster this time…" Xu Hong sighed while he mumbled under his breath. Then, his ears suddenly twitched.
At the same time, the armed escort on the bowsprit shouted a warning, "Enemy ambush!"
Xu Hong's expression changed. "Which pirate group do they belong to?"
The armed escort who alerted the crew from the bowsprit had surprise and fear on his face.
"This is bad! Boss Xu, they aren't pirates, but armored soldiers! They're from General Yang!"
"What?!"
Xu Hong's expression instantly turned unpleasant. Once he cried out in surprise, he summoned his qi and jumped. Then, he landed like an agile monkey on the top of the bowsprit to stare into the distance from above. His gaze immediately turned solemn, because he saw a large number of figures using lightness skills. The armor they wore shone brilliantly under the sun, and it was very easy to identify them. Judging by the direction from which they came, it was clear that they were headed for the fleet on the river.
"Those aren't normal soldiers. They're all martial artists recruited from the common people on short notice!"
Xu Hong's expression turned red with rage!
"Damn you, Yang Jikun. You actually did something so vile…"
"Send my orders!" Xu Hong's eyes were full of murderous intent, and his loud voice echoed in the air. "Lift the deck! Equip yourselves! Prepare the bolts! Get ready for battle!"
His voice was incredibly loud, rhythmic, and firm! He sounded very domineering!
"Yes, sir!"
The armed escorts on the ship responded loudly!
The operations on the sh.i.p.s were swiftly carried out, as if the people there were war machines.
One armed escort stood at the highest part of the mast. He had grabbed two brilliant red flags at some point in time, and he displayed them in the direction of the wind. He had them intersect each other in the air swiftly to send all sorts of flag signals.
The armed escorts swiftly ran about the sides of the deck. They flipped open the metal deck that was placed inside and lifted it. The bridge wings that were originally half a man tall were also lifted until they were more than two feet tall.
Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
The metal decks were raised continuously, and only a few holes were left. The armed escorts swiftly turned the large cargo ship into a metallic battleship.
The tips of the bolts let out a chilling and intimidating light. It caused the originally defenseless cargo ship to instantly turn into a ferocious and mighty battleship that had claws and a terrifying presence!
The eleven cargo sh.i.p.s behind the lead ship also changed just as drastically. Once the flag signals were sent, the powerless cargo ship fleet that was as weak as a sheep transformed into a fleet of murderous steel battlesh.i.p.s. Thousands of bolts coldly aimed at the militia that was getting closer to them from both sides of Common Reed Bank.
Happy had been watching the transformation of the cargo sh.i.p.s from close up, and he was amazed by it. At the same time, he also came to vaguely understand the real reason behind why the Murong Clan's fleet had been able to run wild in Changjiang for so many years!
The Murong Clan had power that ordinary aristocratic families did not possess!
However… Happy suddenly frowned.
There were quite a lot of enemies rushing at them!
When the armed escort released the warning about an enemy ambush, Happy received a notification from the system.
[General Yang enticed many martial artists to attack the Murong Clan's fleet. Please ensure that you ensure the fleet's safety and that Xu Hong does not die. Also, do not let anyone kill the important witness—Water Rascal.]
There was a large discrepancy between what was happening and how Happy had expected the quest to play out.
Happy had to admit that it was a vicious plan!
He had to ensure two important people's safety as well as protect the fleet while he faced numerous enemies. For the first time ever, he felt great pressure on his shoulders.
It was not going to be easy!
*****
However, the situation was not heavily tilted to one side.
The martial artists who came charging over from the towns nearby once they accepted the quest were pleased to have received such a large-scale group quest. They rushed to Common Reed Bank and executed their perfected lightness skills while full of excitement and exhilarations. They even took the time to compare their strength.
After all, it was a quest in which each person would be rewarded based on their number of kills.
They would receive three thousand taels of silver crumbs if they killed a nobody, and they could receive ten thousand taels of silver crumbs for
killing someone in Life and Death Realm. Whoever reached the sh.i.p.s first would gain the greatest benefits!
When the players saw the cargo sh.i.p.s cruising in Common Reed Bank, all of them instantly became even more excited. Regardless of whether they were men or women, they increased their speed.
The sounds of the cargo sh.i.p.s lifting their decks rang clearly through Common Reed Bank, and in almost no time, they transformed into mysterious steel monsters. The transformation of the weak sheep into aggressive steel monsters caused the people charging in front to slow down, and they could not help but suck in sharp breaths.
They were not idiots.
When they saw the sight before them, they realized that the mission was not as easy as they had thought, and it was not going to be a simple harvest! By the looks of it, if they made the slightest mistake, the possibility of them losing their lives to the steel ship fleet's counterattack would be quite large!
Many people came to a swift halt. They stopped right outside the shooting range of the bows.
The players who caught up to them from behind also did not dare to become the first to strike when they saw the repeating crossbows that extended out of the holes on the steel sh.i.p.s.
Hence, a large crowd gathered.
Soon, thousands of armored martial artists stood on both sides of Common Reed Bank. Men and women stared at the large fleep slowly advancing down the river with eyes shining. They were all eager for action!
Six men and women with good equipment and aura stopped among the crowd.
One of them frowned and pointed at the flag that fluttered high in the air in the direction of the wind. The flag was right in front of the fleet. "Look. That's the Murong Clan's flag. It's no wonder then why they managed to turn normal cargo sh.i.p.s into steel battlesh.i.p.s."
"Something's off." The man in the lead shook his green jade fan. The crease between his eyebrows became even more prominent.
"According to facts, the Murong Clan is considered an aristocratic family in the game. They have great power, and their strength does not lose to that of great sects and clans. With these steel battlesh.i.p.s, how could they have possibly lost to the pirates?"
"That's the public announcement from the imperial court. We just need to do our job and take our money. Why should we care so much? Even if that was the fleet from Shaolin Temple or Wudang Sect, I would still rob them, much less the Murong Clan."
A man with two hatchets came to the front of the crowd from behind with a cold sneer on his lips.
"Coincidentally, this light armor can conceal the abnormality of my equipment. Today… I can fight to my heart's content!"
Once he finished speaking, he charged to the steel battleship in the middle with a loud whoosh.
With someone taking the lead, the thousands of players at Common Reed Bank were instantly affected! They began to move forward in a uniform black line.
Chapter 306 - Metal Armored Battlesh.i.p.s, Round Formation
Happy could not avoid what was bound to come!
He remained on the bow of the ship while observing the actions of the martial artists through the holes. More and more people were coming at an insane rate, and he knew that the Murong Clan's battlesh.i.p.s and their mere hundreds of people would definitely not be able to intimidate them. Yet he circulated his qi, and his blue robes fluttered even though there was no wind. He was prepared to attack.
In all honesty though, Happy had no confidence in winning the fight.
If it was just a small-scale battle, it would have been better, but it was a large group quest, and he even had to fight on a river. In such surroundings, he could only protect himself. There was absolutely no way for him to protect Xu Hong and the fleet, unless there was a sudden change and a miracle popped out of the blue.
Boom!
The more than ten thousand martial artists on both sides of the river were finally unable to keep waiting, and black figures charged toward the sh.i.p.s at the back of the fleet. Many people screamed and created booming sounds that came from their qi. Those sounds were similar to the sound of an avalanche.
The players on the closest salt ship to them and elbowed each other out of the way so that they could be the first to land on the deck.
"Kill them!"
"Kill!"
"Shoot the bolts!"
Xu Hon did not hesitate, and an armed escort on the ship swiftly made a flag signal.
Thud! Thud!
The sound of bolts slicing through the air could be heard, and a thick wave of black bolts shot out from the sh.i.p.s! The bolts were like locusts that instantly rushed at the martial artists who led the charge.
Pained screams rose all over the place!
Blood gushed into the air!
The reckless men and women who had been filled with boundless enthusiasm were instantly punished for engaging the Murong Clan with a head-on assault. Even though there were not many Murong Clan members in the area, each of them was armed with two repeating crossbows. Their might did not lose out to a thousand-man archer squad, and their damage was even above normal bows and arrows. In just a moment, they defeated the martial artists on both sides in a direct fight.
Nearly one hundred people died, and hundreds of people were injured!
However, their sacrifice was not pointless, because the people behind them had advanced one hundred and sixty-four feet forward without suffering any damage.
With the fleet's manpower and shooting speed, they could at most kill or injure hundreds of people. Soon, he was sure to witness the sight of the armed escorts being slaughtered!
When Happy saw that the players were gradually getting closer and would soon board the sh.i.p.s, he decided to give up on the quest and break through the encirclement with force.
At that moment, Xu Hong snorted coldly while facing Common Reed Bank.
"You're just asking for death!"
Happy was stunned by his words.
He cast his gaze over, and he was just in time to see Xu Hong raising his index finger at the armed escort on the mast. The killing intent in his eyes was incredibly fierce.
The armed escort on the mast seemed to have been waiting for that signal for a long time. When he saw Xu Hong's gesture, his spirit lifted, and he quickly waved his flags to release a secret flag signal.
The next second, a strange voice rose from beyond the fleet.
Happy did not dare to be inattentive, and he quickly went up high to look over the entire area.
The metal bridge wings on the sides of the sh.i.p.s suddenly released cracking sounds and opened up hundreds of densely packed black holes on their bodies. Upon seeing that, Happy's eyes lit up with understanding.
Even though it was the first time he was seeing it, at the instant he saw the mechanism being revealed, he sensed great danger.
If even Happy, who was part of the fleet could sense the great danger, it was even more so for the martial artists who had drawn close to the river.
When they saw the dense mass of black holes that looked like bullet holes suddenly appear on the metal bridge wings, a cold chill that made them feel as if their souls were about to escape from their bodies filled their hearts. That feeling seized their minds.
"This is bad!"
"Damn it! Is this a friggin' troll or what?!"
"Dodge!"
All sorts of surprised shouts rose and fell.
Everyone began circulating their qi madly to strengthen their body fortification technique without caring for anything else. While doing so, they also retreated blindly. Some jumped into the river, some activated the Thousand Pound Drop and rushed to the ground to escape from the disaster.
But unfortunately for them, they were too slow.
A swarm of flying needles that had no space between them rushed out in a circular area of one hundred and sixty-four feet. The players' body fortifications, true qi, and qi were all destroyed.
In the twinkling of an eye, countless players felt numerous pinpricks spread throu
gh their bodies. In an instant, a feeling of weakness surged through them, and they collapsed to the ground while covered in blood.
There were not many who died. Only less than two hundred unfortunate souls were hit in the head and died. The others had various vital spots struck, but they did not die. Hence, they were only injured with varying degrees of danger.
However, once they landed, they noticed something terrifying!
Their qi actually flowed out of their bodies.
Not only were they unable to activate their body fortification techniques, even their qi fell straight to zero. They had to circulate their qi cultivation techniques to replenish it.
That discovery made the people near the river break out into cold sweat. They stopped moving and did not dare advance!
Even the powerful martial artists in the crowd were filled with indignation. If they did not have qi, they could not even get on the sh.i.p.s. So if they continued rushing forward, they would just be fools.
"What the heck?! Damn it!"
The man with the two hatchets was the most gloomy of the lot. He had an extraordinary body fortification technique and equally outstanding equipment. Because of it, he had safely got through a few rounds of the bolts and even led the charge. He thus did not expect that once the flying needles came at him, his true qi would be completely drained and he would fall into the water.
As the mysterious, unfathomable, and dense flying needles came from the steel ship fleet, the sortie between the two parties instantly calmed down, and the sh.i.p.s remained undamaged.
Happy was stunned speechless and pleasantly surprised by the sight. He did not expect that the fleet would have such a powerful defensive tool, but it instantly left him at ease.
'As expected, the system would not release a quest that guarantees certain death. There's still a balance in this quest. If that's the case, I still have a chance!'
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