Chapter 93: Zhou Offers His Aid to the Righteous!
The players were all very curious about this.
Chimera Wraith turned to a female warlock and said:
"Fox, you heard about this matter, tell everyone the details."
The Green-Robed Fox said, "Several elderly villagers claimed they had seen Zhou Cang with their own eyes."
Black-Eyed Rui Ge said, "What? They saw Zhou Cang? Was it before he fell into the Abyss, or after?"
The Green-Robed Fox said, "It was about ten or twenty years ago. By then, this region had already been polluted by the Abyss. Zhou Cang had also been severely demonized, but he could still maintain his clarity, and he helped many villages resist the Abyss's erosion."
After the Abyss had opened?
And already polluted?
This information was simply too important.
Chenxi said, "We feel that this matter doesn’t quite make sense, because if Zhou Cang had already turned into an Abyss-corrupted being, he would only focus on spreading the pollution, and could not have helped villagers resist the Abyss."
Chimera Wraith added, "Besides, if Zhou Cang were the core source of pollution in the Woniu Mountain area, according to what is known about the Abyss World, he would not be able to leave the core pollution zone easily, unless it was a special event like the Day of Ultimate Darkness."
Black-Eyed Rui Ge nodded and said, "If the information is accurate and reliable… the biggest possibility is that Zhou Cang is not the core pollution source of Woniu Mountain. Even if he was already severely polluted at that time, he still maintained his sanity and did not spread pollution. He might even have been resisting the Will of the Abyss, thus becoming what’s called an Abyss Walker."
Mad Blade Old Wang said, "That would be way too unexpected."
Midnight Pig Slayer could not help but say, "Impossible, right? I remember the Lord saying that, in a place shrouded by an Abyssal Nightmare, the core source of pollution is most likely the strongest or the most fortunate pollution entity."
"If Zhou Cang isn’t the core pollution source of Woniu Mountain, then who has the qualifications to be selected by the Will of the Abyss as the core?"
"Could it actually be Guan Yu or Zhao Yun?"
"Hahahahaha!"
Midnight Pig Slayer laughed a few times.
When he saw the others exchanging glances, he quickly shut up.
Though the possibility felt small, what if it was actually true?
Salted Fish Thrust said, "The pollution situation in this place is different from what we imagined. Although Zhou Cang may not be the core pollution source, I think the chance of it being my idol Zhao Zilong is also very low. Otherwise, how could the Dragon Lizard Lord have managed to hold his ground here?"
Black-Eyed Rui Ge said, "We only got a few words from the villagers, so the accuracy and reliability are doubtful. It's still too early for any conclusion. Let's first complete the current task and investigate carefully afterward."
"That’s right!"
"First, safely escort these villagers back to our territory."
"As long as we have these locals, aren’t we afraid we won’t get the intel we want?"
"By the way, where is Old Ye? Hurry up and ask him to rejoin us, we’re short on manpower!"
"……"
More than seven hundred native civilians.
Escorted by over forty players, they moved slowly forward.
Although the marching speed was not fast, barring any major problems, they would reach their destination in three to four hours.
The players roamed around the edges of the convoy, clearing out Abyss creatures that suddenly appeared, as these polluted beings were extremely dangerous to the natives.
Not just a threat to their lives.
After all, one of the main ways the Abyss spread pollution was through slaughter.
If a native was killed by an Abyss creature in this world, they were highly likely to fall into an Abyssal Nightmare and eventually become corrupted, turning into an Abyss Undead.
…………
Ye Li Meng and a dozen players who had died and been revived.
At this time, they had already passed through the Abyssal Fog Gate and were approaching the other players' location.
Ye Li Meng had already understood the latest situation of the rescue mission through messages sent via the friends' chat window. He nodded in satisfaction and said, "The villagers have been rescued? Not bad efficiency!"
"Everyone, hurry up!"
"This time, let’s try to bring all the NPCs back!"
"Our main base doesn’t have enough people. If we can move more NPCs back, it will definitely be much livelier."
"This game is really interesting. Even NPCs can be recruited for development by us players. I hope we can recruit a few Famous Generals later to make our territory and city even more fun!"
"……"
The players were still discussing.
Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound broke through the air.
Four or five short spears flew out from the forest ahead.
Ye Li Meng's expression changed dramatically. He immediately activated Iron Armor Technique: "Careful! It’s an ambush!"
The players were caught off guard or unable to react in time. The ranger player Zha Jiang Mian and the monk player Glorious Years beside him were instantly pierced and fatally wounded, dying on the spot.
Ye Li Meng was struck by two spears. Thanks to activating Iron Armor Technique in time and having high enough equipment defense, he was not fatally wounded, but his spirit horse was killed instantly by a hit.
"Ambush!"
"Who’s hiding there? Come out!"
The other players hurriedly prepared for battle.
Ye Li Meng quickly stood up and drew his Thousand-Skull Hammer.
These ambushers did not seem to intend to stay hidden. At least twenty figures walked out from the forest, and when the players saw their appearance clearly, they were shocked.
Each figure was tall and muscular, covered in scales, with sharp claws, strong tails, and a pair of cold snake-like eyes.
Every one of them was wearing armor and wielding weapons.
If they weren't Dragon Lizard Tribe members, then what were they?
More than twenty?
This was bad!
When Ye Li Meng saw the number of these Dragon Lizard warriors, his heart sank halfway.
At the current stage, among the Fourth Calamity Army players, when it came to individual combat power, aside from himself, Lone Boat, Rui Ge, and Old Wang — fewer than ten players — the others had little chance of winning against even one Dragon Lizard soldier in a one-on-one fight.
With twenty to thirty Dragon Lizards appearing at once, even if all the players who took part in this operation fought together, their chances of victory would be no more than thirty or forty percent, let alone his small squad.
And if that was all, it would still be manageable.
Ye Li Meng noticed that among these Dragon Lizard warriors, there was one figure that was obviously different.
This Dragon Lizard was much larger than the others. He wore pitch-black armor and held a huge black spear, and his presence and appearance were completely different from the common soldiers.
【Dragon Lizard General: Blacktooth】, Level 11... Description: A hero unit recruited by the Dragon Lizard Lord from the Stars Database territory, possessing stronger attributes and more powerful skills.
Level 11?
Ye Li Meng was completely dumbfounded.
What did it mean to be a territory hero unit?
He had never seen such a high-level monster or NPC!
Blacktooth's gaze was full of mockery and disdain: "You foolish and ridiculous humans, you actually dare to stir up trouble under our noses? Encountering me, Blacktooth, today is your greatest misfortune!"
He could actually speak.
The players exchanged glances and were all stunned.
It seemed that there was no language barrier between the Abyss World and different Stars species, or perhaps the Will of the Stars came with an automatic language translation feature, so no matter what language the big lizard used, the players heard standard Mandarin.
The current situation was extremely dire, with death almost certain.
However, players never admitted defeat in spirit.
Ye Li Meng raised his massive hammer arrogantly and said, "What the hell are you? Daring to act tough in front of the players, don’t you know the consequences of offending the Fourth Calamity Army?"
"Good!"
"Well said, Boss Ye!"
"Just a villain NPC!"
"How dare he act all high and mighty in front of us players!"
"This fool probably doesn’t even know how to spell 'death'!"
"Fight them! Anyone who chickens out is a coward! Worst case, we’ll be good men again after five minutes!"
"……"
Soldiers recruited by Stars Lords theoretically had no self-awareness and were like emotionless execution machines.
Blacktooth had never seen such noisy and annoying 'soldiers,' but he did not pay them much mind. After all, there were too many Stars Lords, and some of them walked unconventional paths, leading to their territories and citizens having very different styles from the mainstream.
Besides, there were also some Lords who possessed special talents, or special-function Abyssal relics, thus allowing their territories to add functions that others did not have, including customizing the personality and temper of each of their vassal citizens.
Blacktooth sneered and said, "You are not even qualified to be my opponents, and even your Lord is not qualified."
Ye Li Meng and the other players were furious.
It was one thing to look down on the players and the Fourth Calamity Army.
But to insult their Lord — that was simply unforgivable!
"Seeking death!"
"Do you even know what kind of person our Lord is?"
"A small fry like you wants to pick a fight?"
"Don’t even mention you — even if your Lord came personally, he wouldn’t be qualified to carry our Lord’s shoes!"
A trace of killing intent flashed through Blacktooth’s eyes. Although he didn’t know what methods this human Lord had used to make his subordinates so skilled at provocation, he had to admit he was already enraged.
Ye Li Meng laughed and said, "What, not convinced? Come 1v1 then!"
As soon as the words fell.
Blacktooth instantly turned into a black shadow and rushed forward.
Ye Li Meng’s expression changed dramatically; he was completely stunned, not expecting this guy’s speed to be so fast. He hurriedly raised his giant hammer and slammed a Shockwave Strike toward the opponent.
Boom!
A muffled sound echoed.
Ye Li Meng’s heavy hammer smashed onto the ground.
At the moment of impact, Blacktooth turned into a residual shadow and dodged.
Before Ye Li Meng could retrieve his weapon, a tail whipped toward him like a whip, bursting out tremendous force, breaking through his protective talisman instantly, and sending him flying on the spot.
"Too weak!"
Blacktooth sent Ye Li Meng flying with a swipe of his tail, then thrust his black spear forward fiercely. The spear light shot out over ten meters, piercing through three players standing on the same line.
The other players were shocked and rushed forward together.
Qi-Gathering Slash!
Flame Arrow Curse!
Several attacks hit Blacktooth.
They barely caused any damage to Blacktooth.
This Dragon Lizard General, relying solely on the energy immunity from his armor, canceled out the damage, and once again launched a fierce offensive. His spear turned into countless shadows, and no player could withstand even a single blow.
Too strong!
Simply no match!
When Ye Li Meng regained consciousness and struggled to stand up from the ground.
Blacktooth had already plunged his long spear into the chest of the last player.
Team wipe!
Not a single one left!
And that was without even the other Dragon Lizard soldiers taking action. The power gap between the two sides at this moment was like a massive chasm. Although only three levels apart, Blacktooth was not something the current players could possibly challenge.
"Is the human race’s power really this tiny?"
Ye Li Meng grabbed his weapon, trying to fight again.
Blacktooth’s spear was even faster, pinning him directly to the ground.
Ye Li Meng, dead.
【Player “Zha Jiang Mian” has died, Essence +1250!】
【Player “Glorious Years” has died, Essence +1250!】
【……】
【Player “Ye Li Meng” has died, Essence +2000!】
Hang Yu glanced at the log.
The real battle hadn’t even started yet.
So far, he had already gained nearly 25,000 Essence.
And if counting the reckless deaths of hundreds of low-level players at Luoshui main base, the total Essence gained today had already reached 30,000.
And this.
Was just the beginning.
After Ye Li Meng was killed, he immediately mass-sent a friends' message, conveying the enemy’s situation so that Black-Eyed Rui Ge and others could prepare for battle.
However.
If even Ye Li Meng was completely no match.
How could the other players deal with such an unbeatable enemy?
Although Hang Yu knew that the players were bound to lose this battle, player team wipes were quite a happy event after all — these were big, fat crops of leeks, enough to contribute a large stockpile of Essence for the territory.
Of course, it would still be best if the rescue mission could succeed.
After all, the population and labor force of the territory were extremely scarce.
For this reason, Hang Yu had already dispatched the personal guards represented by Zhang San and Li Si. If it really came down to a critical moment, this powerful NPC unit could secure the mission’s success. For now, he only needed to observe quietly.
When the message arrived.
All the players fell into panic.
"This is bad!"
"Old Ye died again!"
"Boss Ye was ambushed and killed!"
"The enemy is very close to us."
"The Dragon Lizard Lord really made a move, and we haven't even made it halfway through the journey."
"……"
Salted Fish Thrust said, "The situation is grim!"
Chimera Wraith said, "We must find a way!"
Black-Eyed Rui Ge hesitated slightly and said, "There’s only one option now: we go ahead to block the enemy, buy more time for the villagers to run, and others must speed up escorting the villagers, hoping to reach the Abyss Fog Gate in time."
But before they could make any arrangements.
A sharp murderous aura enveloped the field.
Dragon Lizard General Blacktooth appeared ahead with twenty or thirty strong Dragon Lizards.
"Not good!"
"Too late!"
All the players at the scene showed terrified expressions.
This Dragon Lizard General not only quickly wiped out Ye Li Meng’s team but also moved extremely efficiently — he found the main force so quickly.
Although there were four times more players here than before, including top professional experts like Black-Eyed Rui Ge, Lone Boat, Mad Blade Old Wang, and Artistic Faction Leader, dealing with a second-rank Lizard General was still extremely difficult.
Moreover.
The players were already at a disadvantage.
And now they had to protect seven or eight hundred ordinary people.
Blacktooth looked at the bloated convoy and sneered coldly, "You can no longer win. Why not surrender now? I might grant you a dignified death."
On the surface, these words were directed at the players present.
But in fact, it was meant to be passed on to their Lord through the players.
"What a joke!"
"The Fourth Calamity Army never backs down!"
"Fourth Calamity has weathered storms and waves!"
"We are afraid of everything, except death!"
"Come on, even if I die, I’ll bite off two chunks of your flesh first!"
"Today I’m saving these people no matter what. Even Jesus can't stop me, I swear!"
"……"
More than forty players immediately rushed forward, standing in front of the hundreds of villagers, setting up a defensive posture. This scene moved all the villagers present.
However.
At that very moment.
A loud, hearty laugh echoed through heaven and earth.
"Hahaha, good, very good, extremely well said!"
"Although I do not know your origins, you are all first-class heroes!"
The voice was so deep and vigorous that it made every player’s eardrums ache and even caused their blood to surge uncontrollably, showing just how strong the speaker was — definitely no ordinary person.
"Zhou shall lend the righteous warriors a hand!"