Wild Butterfly Plain, sunset.
The entire group of people just stood there, despite the fact that it was already ten oâclock at night.
âIs that all [Heroâs Mound] is going to do?â asked one of [Blood Contract]âs vice leaders, Whoâs Blue.
Han Bei Song grimaces, âNot necessarilyâ¦â
I sheathed my Emperor Qinâs Sword and smiled: âDoesnât matter; Ba Huang City, Fan Shu City and Jiu Li City were fated to be the three chaotic war zones. Where there are men, there are wars, and this saying holds true especially in this cold virtual reality game, where a lack of battle actually makes the game boring. I donât know if [Heroâs Mound] will give up like that, but I do know that Wang Ze Cheng definitely wonât give up so easily.â
Matcha blinked a few times, âFurthermore⦠Q-Swordâs attitude was very ambiguous; he didnât say how he was going to deal with the First Division. On top of that, [Heroâs Mound]âs First Division has already settled down. Theyâd be unwilling to return to Fan Shu City even if we wanted them to. There will be battles in the future; todayâs was definitely not the last.â
Wan Er stood by my side as she lightly smiled, âIâll go back to Fan Shu City to ask Q-Sword and find out exactly what his thoughts are on these events. If heâs truly trying to provoke [Zhan Long], Dong Cheng and I will leave [Heroâs Mound] in a heartbeat, bringing along with us the players loyal to us back to Ba Huang City. If not, then Dong Cheng and I will stay in [Heroâs Mound] for the remaining 24 daysâ¦â
â24 days, so longâ¦â I murmured.
Wan Er couldnât help but smile, âOkay okay, it really isnât that long. Iâve been counting down the daysâ¦â
Dong Cheng Yue smiled at us, then tilted her head at me: âBoss, if Wan Er and I join [Zhan Long], what kind of positions would you give us?â
I mused aloud, âWan Er and Yue Qing Qian can be my Vice Guild Masters, Dong Cheng can be an elder; though I apologize, you went from a boss at [Heroâs Mound] to only an elder at [Zhan Long]â¦â
Dong Cheng Yue blushed, and said with a mischievous smile, âAlright, seems like itâs even harder to succeed in [Zhan Long] than in [Heroâs Mound]. At least in [Heroâs Mound] I could pass off as a Vice Guild Master. Wuwu, Boss has to look after me more, and spoil me a bitâ¦â¦â
Old Kâs face turned green, âWhatâ¦what kind of attitude is that? âSpoil her moreâ, what does that mean? Why canât I understand that?â
Wan Er was also speechless, âAlright alright, Dong Cheng, stop messing around. Look, you even made Xiao Yaoâs face redâ¦â
I lifted my head, âOh, no thatâs from being in the sun for far too longâ¦â¦â
On the side, Matcha cautioned, âHey, we should stop talking about these meaningless things. One hour ago, it was officially announced that tomorrow morning from 9-12, they will be conducting maintenance. At the same time, every major city will have a new cityâ¦â¦â
âA new city?â I was shocked, âWhat does that even mean?â
Matcha chuckled, âActually, it doesnât exactly count as a city; itâs a âCity of the Ancientsâ. At least thatâs what this version is called. Every month, every major city will create a new City of the Ancients, and within each of these, there will be many different monsters to engage the players in siege battles. There will be a total of 10 different monster mobs, and players will compete to be the first to get within the city walls, as well as kill the strongest boss, for the chance to get the best reward. Also, thereâs 100% chance that that player will get a City of the Ancients âGod of Commerce Badgeââ¦â¦â
âGod of Commerce Badge?â Wan Er was also surprised: âSister Matcha, what is a God of Commerce Badge?â
Matcha waved her hand and smiled: âItâs really simple. People with God of Commerce Badges can apply for a piece of land from the cityâs ruler. This piece of land can then be used to open up a booth. These are the rumored player booths, where the popularity of a seller is dependent on the fortuity of the city. Looks like⦠the first player to open a store in Ba Huang City will definitely be successful. At the moment, Ba Huang City has close to 2,500,000 players⦠Everyday everyone is spending 1RMB, which means a player can earn 2,500,000 RMB in profitâ¦â
âTomorrow at 12?â I asked.
âYup!â Matcha firmly nodded, âTherefore, our [Zhan Long] has to defeat this City of the Ancients. We donât have any other options, hehe, Boss, do you agree?â
I strongly agreed, âWe have to defeat it!â
Dong Cheng Yue was puzzled, âWhy?â
Tears flowed down Wolfâs cheek as he said, âBecause weâre too poor. Excluding [Blood Contract], [Zhan Long] the only guild in Ba Huang City that doesnât give a monthly income to its main guild members. Our treasury is basically empty, and our playersâ resources and equipment budget is practically 0. Every time our guild goes out of the city, the potions come out of the playersâ pockets and not from the guild. If we continue this way, Iâm afraid many of the players will revoltâ¦â¦â
General Li Mu stood at one side and said, âSpeaking of being poor, our Valiant Bravery is the poorest group in [Zhan Long]. Many of our brothers are bare butt naked, waiting to buy pants to wear. Even the monthly credit card bills are hard to pay! Letâs not talk about others, but [Prague], [Vanguard], [Flying Dragon], and [Wrath of the Heroes], all give their top 1000 players expense cards to use!â
Wan Er was expressionless, and she slowly said, âLooks like⦠[Zhan Long]âs victory over the City of the Ancients really is necessary. Well, all I can do is wish you guys a victory tomorrow. Get the God of Commerce Badge from the hands of [Prague], [Flying Dragon], and [Vanguard]â¦â
Dong Cheng Yue patted my shoulder: âYoung man, rest early, and start preparing early tomorrow morningâ¦â
I nodded, and turned around to talk to the crowd of people, âQing Qian, Li Mu, you two separately command the Zhan Long group and Valiant Bravery group to restock on potions, and repair all equipments before logging off. Get online tomorrow at 12pm tomorrow; [Zhan Long] will be the first to find the City of the Ancients and get that God of Commerce Badge. Even if we donât get the badge, at least for this City of the Ancients event, weâll be the ones that reap the most benefits!â
Yue Qing Qian smiled and nodded: âGot it, Brother Xiao Yao!â
Li Mu made a fist: âLeave the logistics of Valiant Bravery group to me, donât worry about it Boss!â
âOk, then lets all rest up early!â
âOkay!â
â¦â¦
Wan Er and Dong Cheng Yue both took out a [City Return Scroll] and ripped it to shreds. Originally, I probably should have been worried about Wan Erâs plight with [Heroâs Mound]; after all, as its Vice Guild Master, she had actually helped [Zhan Long], she even organized a restraining team against the First Division. To an average person, this was a very serious situation, however, Wan Er, with that Fan Shu City girlâs personality, was very strong, and she did not buy Q-Swordâs story. Thus, I did not have to worry about her at all.
I took out a [City Return Scroll], activate!
âShua!â
Returning to Ba Huang City, I repaired my equipment, and for the last time, I replenished my Lv 7 red potions and pills. With my red and blue pills fully replenished, all I had left to do was to wait for the event to start tomorrow. The God of Commerce Badge was another new concept; it looked like Ba Huang Cityâs resource and power struggles would reach intensify to the climax. Before, [Vanguard], [Prague], and [Flying Dragon] were at the top of the competition. However, now that a wildcard like the God of Commerceâs Badge had appeared, the victor could not be predicted, and who called the shots in Ba Huang City was dependent on who could fight all different kinds of battles and rise to the top!
For [Zhan Long] this battle represented our guildâs future; whether we are able to rise as the Kings of [Destiny] or whether we would fall into the depths of history. This was our chance, maybe our only chance. Thinking about this, my blood started to pump, as I began to feel my youthful impulsiveness. Who has never dreamed of dominating the world?
I have had such a dream before, except that it was defeatedâ¦â¦
â¦â¦n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
After getting offline, it was 11 at night. Looking at my phone, I saw that I got a message from Wang Xin: âLi Xiao Yao, if you arenât busy tonight, can you come to the office? I have something for you to see!â
The message came from half an hour ago, mm, I could go out!
Spreading my Yi Hai out, I made sure there wasnât any suspicious qi nearby. I put on the suave outfit that Wan Er had purchased for me, and went out. Passing by the bottom of the girls dormitory, everything was calm. There were a few relatively stronger qiâs near the bathhouse and gym, all of which were familiar, as they were from the hidden bodyguards sent by Lin Tian Nan. As for the 40 year old bodyguard downstairs, he was a retired veteran that I recognized. His skills were pretty good, and dealing with anyone that was Royal Air level was not a problem.
Heading straight out of the campus, I lifted my qi as my boots rhythmically hit the ground. My body was light as I maintained an even breath, and jogged through the night onto the street. Not even 10 minutes later, I reached the Special Operations Unit of the Police. The sentry recognized me and nodded, âYouâve arrived!â
âYup!â
In a flash, I entered the deep building, and stopped in front of a lit up conference room. Opening the door, I saw Wang Xin and a few other leaders surrounding a table. On top of the table was a map.
â¦â¦
âLeader Wang!â I said as I walked up.
Wang Xin smiled, âLi Xiao Yao has arrived; you should recognize the people here, they are all fundamental players in Hangzhou Provinceâs Special Crimes unit. This is Li Xiao Yao, the face of our special operations unit.â
A team leader who looked around 50 years old turned his head over to look at me, and smiled: âHello Face, we have heard about you before, but weâve never had the chance to actually meet you. You are indeed young and handsome, itâs no wonder that so many of the police forceâs young women have pined over you for many yearsâ¦â¦â
Embarrassed, I said: âYouâre over-exaggerating. Whatâs the situation?â
Wang Xin pointed at the materials on the table, and said: âCome see for yourself. Lately, weâve confirmed a few cases committed by the Blood Scythe. Also, the mastermind of Blood Scythe has finally appearedâ¦â
I scanned over the gory pictures of the crime scene. Soon after, I spotted an evidence folder, and took it out to look at itââ
Blood Scytheâs Boss: Kui Fan, Han Zhou Province, 34 years old, Used to be a mercenary on the China-Myanmar border, After 4 years of hard work, he finally returned to the Mainland, and on Hangzhouâs Feng Yue Street and Blue Water Street, he battled out his own territory. He opened 5 bars and 3 nightclubs with his hands clean of any blood or crimes, as he was very close to an unknown high official.
â¦â¦
âKui Fanâ¦â I furrowed my brows and said: âWhy havenât I heard of this name beforeâ¦â¦â
âYup, thatâs the tricky part, none of us have any idea as to how we should investigate him.â Wang Xin said.
âThen what should we do?â
âWe can only wait for him to trip up.â
âIsnât that too passive?â
âWe donât have a choiceâ¦â Wang Xin grudgingly smiled, âFrom yesterday until today, I took 7 phone calls telling me to stop looking into Blood Scythe Gangâs recent activities. Hmph, thank goodness Sun Xiang is in the military to support me, otherwise I wouldâve already lost my position as the head of Hangzhouâs Special Operations Unitâ¦â¦â
I grunted, âThose bastardsâ¦â¦ Blood Scytheâs people have harmed so many innocents; arenât those lives as well?â