Chapter 71: The Easter Egg of Jiamu City

Outside Jiamu City.

Several Dark Guards, including 【Crazy Man】, 【Bitter Melon Vine】, and 【Silver】, returned from Xishan carrying spoils such as Fierce Beast furs and fangs. Just as they stepped onto the main road, several players led by 【Gugao Laoren】 blocked their path.

"Want to PK?" 【Crazy Man】 threw the furs on his shoulder to the ground, drew his waist saber, and glared.

He couldn't help but be vigilant.

When players acted recklessly, these Dark Guards had thrown many of them into prison, forcing many to delete their accounts and start over. Now that everyone's levels had risen, it was normal for them to want revenge.

"Players in Jiamu City are one family; our own people don't fight our own people." 【Gugao Laoren】 chuckled. "Brother Feng, we're looking for you today to discuss something."

"Speak," 【Crazy Man】 asked, not putting away his saber.

"Before we talk business, I want to ask you all a question!" 【Gugao Laoren】 smiled slightly. "Do you plan to keep working as Dark Guards forever?"

"What are you trying to say?" 【Crazy Man】 frowned.

"Brother Feng," 【Gugao Laoren】 said, "the third batch of accounts has been released, and the volume this time is huge."

"Hmm." 【Crazy Man】 nodded.

"The big shot Gelige from Binghuo City has joined an organization called 'Stab Star' and learned a stealth and concealment assassination Skill. He is already level twenty-eight now," 【Gugao Laoren】 continued.

"Huangye Lang in Yimu City is level twenty-six and is currently the deputy leader of the Kuangfeng Gang. His next step is to go to Qian City to open up territory. He doesn't want to work for others and is recruiting players into the Kuangfeng Gang in large numbers on the forums, plotting to kill the gang leader and seize power. If there are no accidents, he will be the first player to establish a gang," 【Kanmu No. 1】 said.

"Boss, Lao Mi is the first one," 【Kanmu No. 2】 reminded him. "He is currently the leader of the Beggar Sect in Jiamu City."

"Don't mention that loser," 【Kanmu No. 1】 glared at him. "A guy playing house with a bunch of beggars isn't playing the same game as us."

"What exactly do you want to do?" 【Crazy Man】 frowned.

"Brother Feng, you're level eighteen now, right?" 【Gugao Laoren】 asked.

【Crazy Man】 glanced at him without speaking.

【Gugao Laoren】 smiled: "The highest-level players in Jiamu City should be you Dark Guards. But you, the first batch to participate in the internal test, are only barely on par with the second batch of Pioneers in other novice villages. You're a whole stage behind others. Do you think that's normal?"

"Even if it's not normal, it's still a higher level than you," 【Silver】 said.

"I don't mean to mock you," 【Gugao Laoren】 smiled and said. "In the third internal test, very few players are willing to choose Jiamu City. If this continues, we will likely be left further and further behind by others."

"Nowadays, Jiamu City players are becoming a joke on the forums," 【Kanmu No. 1】 said. "You must know the two most widely circulated phrases. Spending the most money to play the hardest game; for others, it's a game, but for us, we are being played by the game. Do you think this is reasonable?"

Watching the two people singing in harmony, 【Crazy Man】 frowned.

"To change the current situation, Jiamu City players must unite," 【Gugao Laoren】 said. "We have fallen to this point precisely because we fight on our own. Brother Feng, this game is different from others; fighting alone won't get you anywhere. Only by banding together can we possibly reap the greatest benefits."

"Banding together?" 【Bitter Melon Vine】 repeated.

【Gugao Laoren】's gaze swept over the group of Dark Guards, and he said, "Brother Feng, have you ever thought about why the officials specifically chose Jiamu City to increase the difficulty..."

"Isn't it just because the officials are letting Lin Bai mess around..." 【Silver】 said.

"Exactly, it's because of Lin Bai," 【Gugao Laoren】 clapped his hands and laughed. "Actually, our way out has been right in front of us all along. Currently, it is known that Lin Bai has mastered the Dragon Subduing Palm, Palm Thunder, a short-range burst movement technique, and a grappling art specifically targeting the hands. To support his use of these Martial Arts, he must also have a powerful Inner Gong. His knife skills are also very good, and recently he seems to be tinkering with Pill Refinement at the City Lord's Mansion..."

"He also has a Haunted House restaurant with ghosts inside," 【Kanmu No. 1】 reminded him.

"Right," 【Gugao Laoren】 nodded and said, "which means Lin Bai is a multi-talented NPC. His Skill tree is different from any NPC in any novice village. The planners wouldn't design an NPC like Lin Bai for no reason. Therefore, he is the Easter egg of Jiamu City. If we take him down, we can hold our heads high."

"You plan to kill Lin Bai?" 【Crazy Man】 quickly understood their intention.

"Yes," 【Gugao Laoren】 said.

"Killing him will definitely result in a huge drop," 【Kanmu No. 1】 said excitedly. "Throughout history, in what game do players not kill NPCs? Compared to others, we've almost turned this game into a life simulation game..."

"With just us, we can't kill Lin Bai!" 【Bitter Melon Vine】 said. "The level difference is too great."

"When do players look at levels when taking down a BOSS?" 【Gugao Laoren】 laughed. "No matter how hard it is, we have to take him down. If we don't, players from other cities will come to do it. By then, we won't even get a scrap."

"Do you have a plan?" 【Crazy Man】 asked.

"The 【Weapon Refinement Master】 brothers at the Blacksmith Shop made a batch of crossbows," 【Gugao Laoren】 said. "The 【Huayishen】 who studies medicine has concocted a colorless and odorless poison; anyone under level ten who takes a sip will last at most one minute. Lin Bai has high Internal Energy, so he might be able to hold on for a while longer, but if we increase the dosage, it should be enough to weaken him once he consumes it."

"How could it be that easy to poison him?" 【Crazy Man】 asked.

"It wouldn't be easy for us, but what if it's his precious apprentice?" 【Gugao Laoren】 laughed.

"Deng Li Buduo?" 【Silver】 said.

"No player is willing to endure the torture of an NPC," 【Gugao Laoren】 had a smile on his lips. "To tell you the truth, before we came, we had already persuaded Deng Li Buduo to participate in this plan."

"What if he isn't poisoned?" 【Crazy Man】 asked.

"Fight him head-on," 【Gugao Laoren】 said. "The crossbow bolts and your waist sabers will all be poisoned by the brothers at the Blacksmith Shop. I have already contacted a batch of third-batch internal test players who obtained accounts offline. After they enter the game, they will be responsible for using crossbows to harass Lin Bai and consume his Internal Energy; novices aren't afraid of losing levels anyway. We few, who are higher level, will observe his flaws from the side, and then strike at the end to take him down in one go."

"What about the location?" 【Crazy Man】 asked.

"Chef God Restaurant," 【Gugao Laoren】 said. "Lin Bai is too shrewd; there's no way to trick him out of the city. His restaurant is in a remote location, and there's basically no one there in the second half of the night, which is perfect for an ambush."

"Find a few people to log off on the spot near the Chef God Restaurant," 【Crazy Man】 said. "When we act, logging on suddenly can have an unexpected effect."

"Brother Feng agrees?" 【Gugao Laoren】 laughed.

"How will the spoils be divided?" 【Crazy Man】 asked.

"The old rules: choose spoils according to Contribution Points," 【Gugao Laoren】 looked at 【Crazy Man】 and said. "As long as we take down Lin Bai, we can take down a second NPC. Will we have to worry about not having gains in the future?"

"Have you considered the aftermath?" 【Bitter Melon Vine】 said. "Killing someone in the city will lead to being wanted by the Government. Even if we grab the items, it might eventually lead to being hunted by all NPCs. Once wanted, we won't even be able to enter higher-level cities. In the end, the novice village is just a transition; to learn higher-level Skills, we still have to go to the cities above."

"If it were like other games, a red name would indeed be a trouble. But in a game that pursues realism, getting a new identity is too easy," 【Gugao Laoren】 said. "Do you really think NPCs don't kill people? When we act, we'll be wearing black and masks. Once we take down Lin Bai, you Dark Guards can just grab a few novices and send them to prison as scapegoats."

"If the City Lord insists on investigating, we'll pay money, and the Kuangfeng Gang can help us settle it. Why did Huangye Lang dare to move against the Kuangfeng Gang leader? It's because he figured out these rules. Everyone, we are players, not transmigrators; we have never been law-abiding citizens. Only by being strong ourselves can we gradually gain the right to speak..."

【Crazy Man】, 【Bitter Melon Vine】, and the others looked at each other and nodded at the same time.

【Crazy Man】 said: "Fine, it's settled. We'll discuss the details later and strive for success on the first attempt."

【Gugao Laoren】 nodded with a smile: "I'll leave it to Brother Feng to contact the Dark Guards. Remember to find people you can trust; NPCs are too shrewd and might detect clues from our every move. Before we act, it's best to be the same as usual. If there's any plan, come outside the city to discuss it. The most critical point: before killing Lin Bai, no one is allowed to live-stream, to prevent brainless fans from tipping off Lin Bai."

(End of chapter)