Absolute Death Game

Chapter 142 - 130 The Black Forest

Early next morning, on the main streets of Nine Dragons City, Xiao Buli was riding his travel horse slowly towards the East City Gate. He hadn’t gone far when he saw a familiar figure ahead—it was Wu Tao, also riding a travel horse.

"Morning, Old Xiao," Wu Tao typed out a greeting. Although they shared the same room, most of the time they still preferred to communicate in the game.

"Morning, Wu Tao," Xiao Buli responded, and the two of them rode side by side. They hadn’t gone far before Zhang Yaoyang emerged from an inn and smoothly took over the lead of the group.

One by one, the members of the Green Dragon Group emerged from their respective log-off points and gathered together on the street, joining the team. They all had the same destination in mind—the East City Gate of Nine Dragons City.

Seeing that the group had almost fully assembled, Zhang Yaoyang called out in the headset, "Has everyone got their supplies and equipment ready? If you’re prepared, type 1."

Everyone typed out a ’1’ in the game, and seeing this, Zhang Yaoyang nodded in approval, turned back to look at his well-equipped teammates, and said with a hint of excitement, "Then let’s set out. Keep your spirits up when we come across the White Tiger Group guys. Don’t let them look down on our Green Dragon Group’s prestige."

"Cut it out, boss. What’s with this talk of prestige? We’re just a bunch of workers here, and our group already has the highest income. Even if our prestige were higher, would that increase our salary or what?" Wu Tao’s remark significantly dampened Zhang Yaoyang’s grand ambitions. "Damn, if you keep quiet, no one would think you’re mute," Zhang Yaoyang retorted.

In the middle of their light-hearted banter, they were soon within sight of the city gate.

By the time the group arrived outside the city, the White Tiger Group was already waiting there, with ten knights lined up neatly, all dressed in Qilin Hall guild robes, looking formidable in their gear. Although the members of the White Tiger Group were generally weaker, they had carefully chosen ten from a group of more than twenty.

These individuals were no slouches, especially the core members beside Li Jian; they matched up well against the Green Dragon Group’s people.

The Green Dragon Group positioned themselves opposite the White Tiger Group, looking much more disorganized because they weren’t used to wearing guild robes, which gave them the appearance of a ragtag bunch. This made Zhang Yaoyang quite annoyed as both sides faced off, sizing up their future teammates as well as their competition.

Xiao Buli didn’t see Li Baocheng among the opposing team’s lineup and thought that not everyone could progress as rapidly as he had.

"Good morning, Leader Zhang, so these are the experts from the Green Dragon Group that will be fighting alongside us in the future? I’m looking forward to learning from all of you," Li Jian said with a big smile.

"Experts, I dare not claim to be, and as for learning from us, there’s no such thing. We’re just working together to make a living, helping each other through tough times, so let’s not stand on ceremony," Zhang Yaoyang was just as capable of keeping the conversation light. Both men exchanged niceties, leaving their subordinates speechless.

Hua couldn’t stand it and spoke up, "Come on, you two, quit the whole ’heroes admiring each other’ act. All this male bonding... let’s get to the real business at hand."

Amid a barrage of teasing, Zhang Yaoyang and Li Jian didn’t know how to respond for a while, until Li Jian managed to speak first, "Naturally." Li Jian then broke away from the line and, turning to the White Tiger Group, said, "You’ve all heard Leader Zhang’s flowery speech. Let’s pull together in times of trouble; don’t be a weak link."

"Got it, Li!"

"No worries, Li."

"We won’t let you down, Li," echoed the members of the White Tiger Group, deliberately leaving out Zhang Yaoyang to make a statement. Zhang Yaoyang, however, remained cool,

"Since we’ve reached a consensus, let’s set out."

And so, the two teams of knights set off, galloping along the main road towards the east, racing side by side.

Even though it was just a game, the sight of a twenty-person troop charging down the road against the morning sun had quite the heroic flair, and Bai Yunfei played an interlude from "The Golden Trio" just in time to add to the exhilarating feel.

But half an hour later, that majestic feeling had gradually worn off, replaced by sheer boredom.

There was no helping it, the map in this game was so large that even riding a horse couldn’t get one quickly to the destination. Moreover, without the miraculous ’auto-walk’ function, one had to operate manually throughout the journey. After half an hour, boredom was truly kicking in.

Fortunately, everyone was a professional, so this task of running through the map wasn’t too difficult.

Along the way, one could occasionally see patrols on horseback, supply convoys delivering provisions to the frontline of the Dark Forest, and occasionally convoys returning to Nine Dragons City, mostly filled with wounded soldiers. This indicated that the operations of the Golden Dragon Legion in the Dark Forest were not going smoothly.

Finally, the cavalry stopped in an open space outside a military post. This was one of the Golden Dragon Legion’s outposts, where a garrison troop of one hundred men and a squad of patrolling cavalry were stationed.

Zhang Yaoyang said, "Rest for ten minutes. Those who need to go to the bathroom should hurry, and those who have exhausted their Stamina Points should replenish their physical strength. We’re about to enter the area of the Dark Forest soon. It’s not like the place we were before; it’s a much more dangerous area of the Barbarian Wilderness. Make sure everyone is fully prepared."

Hearing this, the team didn’t dare to slack off; it wasn’t a joking matter. They busied themselves eating, drinking, or using the restroom as needed. Even the White Tiger group did the same. It didn’t take long before the team was reorganized, everyone’s Stamina Points were restored, and they mounted their horses. Zhang Yaoyang didn’t immediately announce the departure, instead, he began to speak.

"Now let me mention some points to pay attention to. First, let’s talk about our destination. We’re headed to Thousand Pines Town on the edge of the Dark Forest. This little town is currently the only human settlement in the Dark Forest. Most of the other villages have fallen."

"Right next to Thousand Pines Town is the forward position of the Golden Dragon Legion, where we can take on many daily quests. Since our Guild’s Prestige in Nine Dragons City has reached a respected level, we can hire some NPC guides there to lead us.

Furthermore, we can take on some daily quests in Thousand Pines Town, and we can resupply and repair equipment both at the military outpost and in the town."

"Next are the monsters. There are mainly two types in the Dark Forest. The first type consists of the invading Demon Clan, with very formidable combat capabilities. On average, their power is a level higher than the monsters we encounter outside, and even a regular Minor Monster should be treated like an elite. A common-faced elite should be treated as a rare elite, and a rare elite as a miniboss.

If you encounter a miniboss, don’t even think about it; unless there is a large group nearby, otherwise, it’s time to run without discussions. All units of the Demon Clan belong to one system, so they often appear in groups. A lone unit is likely to be a Scout, so everyone should take note of this."

"The second type of monster consists of local creatures that have undergone Demonization, including both beasts and humans. Their combat capabilities are higher than normal, but comparable to monsters with a similar color name tag. Also, all Demonized units are hostile and will attack on sight—there are basically no neutral monsters."

"The difficulty level, density, and organization of the monsters in the Dark Forest are all far greater than those outside. Moreover, all the monsters have the ability to call for their comrades, so it’s essential to form teams for expeditions in this place. I suggest a minimum of five people per team to more easily handle small enemy groups."

"However, the most important thing to be aware of isn’t the monsters. The third point, which I want to emphasize, is because the Dark Forest is somewhat of a semi-public exploration area, we may encounter adventure teams from other guilds. Everyone should be vigilant if we run into people from other guilds. On one hand, be on your guard to avoid being caught off guard.

Although there are some unwritten rules among players to avoid attacking each other, that doesn’t mean everyone will abide by them."

"Secondly, do not initiate conversation with members from other guilds. On one hand, it prevents misunderstandings and, on the other hand, the company has regulations on this. If breached, at best it’s a warning; at worst, a deduction from the bonus. In severe cases, it could even lead to character deletion or dismissal from the company. Understood? Press 1 if you understand."

Everyone pressed 1, including those from the White Tiger group.

Zhang Yaoyang nodded with satisfaction: "Very well, then let’s set off! Those with 280-speed battle horses, go ahead and scout for us—remember not to stray too far."

The team hit the road once again, but this time the journey was much harder. First, the terrain became rugged, requiring careful maneuvering to avoid damaging the horses. Then, the vegetation around the path became denser, with animals seen mingling amongst it, and occasionally some red-named wild beasts would appear. However, due to the size of the group, these creatures did not approach too close.

Typically, only generals would possess 280-speed battle horses. Zhao Yunlong and a general from the White Tiger group named Zhao Yixin took on the role of scouts, riding their swift horses ahead to continually survey the path and avoid becoming lost.

After about half an hour of travel, there was suddenly a commotion ahead. Zhao Yunlong, who was at the forefront, returned on his horse, saying, "It’s an ambush, a group of the Demon Clan is attacking a convoy! The Demon Clan has a slight advantage."

"Let’s go, we’ll help," Zhang Yaoyang called out, and the Green Dragon Group immediately started moving with him. After a couple of steps, he realized that the White Tiger group hadn’t moved.

"Team Leader Li, what’s going on with your men?" Li Jian then shouted, "Move out, lads, here’s our chance to earn Prestige!"

"Let’s GO!" the White Tiger group finally sprung into action, shouting as they moved.

Damn, they were not really in this together. Leading really isn’t easy nowadays. Zhang Yaoyang thought helplessly but also felt it was only natural. However, he had confidence that he would eventually win over this bunch. (To be continued. If you like this work, we welcome you to come to Qidian ) to vote for recommendation tickets, monthly tickets.

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