Chapter 151: Art Is Explosion

In an instant, tendons were torn, bones snapped, and flesh flew everywhere.

Carrying the objects on the bridge, the powerful crossbow bolts pierced more than ten goblins in succession before stopping.

The raging goblins are stupid, but whether it's a bow, crossbow, or catapult, at least they are things their limited wits can comprehend.

Even if the losses are severe, die clearly, at least we can keep fighting.

But the violence and brutality before us have completely exceeded their dull imagination.

Consequently, a retreating heart surged like a flood.

Gua! Gua!

The goblins in the front row let out frog‑like panicked cries, trembling their skinny bodies as they tried to retreat.

The mad king huddled at the rear of the line was also startled by the sheer power of the Three‑Bow Bed Crossbow, and a few traces of fear rose in his heart.

With such momentum, if this thing hits me…

No!

But as a leader, he quickly suppressed the negative emotions inside, clearing his thoughts.

Regardless, the squad has already come this far; retreating now would render all the price paid in vain!

Moreover, lingering here and hesitating also wastes time, becoming a live target getting beaten for nothing.

So the only choice now is a single path!

Wooah, Hala!

The mad king raised his tone, forcing the goblins to keep advancing.

Seeing some tribe members hesitating, he immediately ordered the warriors ahead to raise shields, forming a wall that pushed forward.

Brute force is ruthless; in the crush, weak or already injured goblins inevitably fall, even being trampled to death on the spot.

Overall, however, the goblin formation kept inching forward, the vanguard drawing ever nearer to the bridge's edge.

Moreover, the mad king noticed that the humans' strange machines also have a major drawback.

Perhaps its power is indeed great, but the time required to activate it once is unreasonably long.

In fact, that's true; historically, when using bed crossbows and other large devices, they were usually deployed in groups of several to form a formation.

If there's only one, both fault tolerance and deterrence are rather pitiful.

Therefore…

"Qiangzi, stop hitting the little trash, aim at the big monster and blast it for me!"

"No problem!"

Under Fu Le's guidance, the Three‑Bow Bed Crossbow gradually shifted its aim, firing at the goblin warrior who stood out like a crane among the little green skins.

Even though under the mad king's direction their massive shields had upgraded from simple stone slabs to cast‑iron‑capped slabs, they were still too fragile against such a terrifying weapon.

As iron slag and stone chunks flew sideways, the bolt snapped the wooden shaft while also driving its sharp head into the warrior's chest.

How could a mortal eye withstand such damage? The massive body immediately wailed and collapsed.

The goblins behind couldn't dodge in time and were crushed by several.

For a moment the vanguard screamed in panic, green blood gushing wildly.

People tend to sympathize with those similar to themselves; no matter how many ordinary goblins die, it hardly shakes the hearts of these elite monsters.

But watching a goblin warrior get instantly killed on the spot, the breathing, the tense anxiety began to spread wildly again.

And this also served as motivation for the player side; the previously sagging morale surged back in an instant.

Qiangzi whistled loudly, and while turning the winch, led the others to redirect the bed crossbow's target toward another goblin warrior.

Clack!

Who knew this goblin warrior was a coward, immediately letting out a mournful scream, flailing and retreating repeatedly.

Its retreat didn't matter; the raging goblins behind were all hit, several unlucky ones were directly stepped on to death, green entrails squeezed out of their mouths like toothpaste.

The mad king, seeing this, roared in anger, wrapped a rag over his mouth and nose, lifted his war hammer and charged forward.

"Coward, you want to be a deserter?!"

"Gua?"

Without giving the opponent a chance to explain, his muscular arm swung up and smashed directly onto its head.

With a crisp, quiet sound, in an instant blood mixed with brain matter, shredded flesh with bone fragments, a splatter burst like fireworks.

It splattered onto the mad king's face and into every goblin's core.

"Hala!"

With his saliva‑splattering roar, the surrounding goblins not only felt no fear but began to echo him.

The chief's ferocity and the orderly hierarchy hidden in their blood instantly suppressed the retreat and fear rising in their hearts.

"Hala!!!"

Amid the earth‑shaking roar, their marching speed even increased.

Hundreds of red‑eyed little green skins surged like a horde of corpses, the impact still quite intense.

【When I played L4D2, a wave of zombies of a few dozen felt overwhelming; this is over a thousand little green skins, too scary!】

【This isn't charging, it's rolling, like 'Zombie World War'】

【Looks like this wave of players will all die, everyone quickly clean up and prepare incense】

In theory that's indeed the case; even if the players again choose to cut off the source, unleashing yesterday's burning fire bridge also takes time.

However the enemy rolls in, and by the time the bridge is burnt, they'll have already landed on the island and started slaughter.

Thus the viewers in the barrage are warm‑hearted, genuinely starting the lighting ceremony on their own.

【R·I·P】

【Accidentally clicked, may the departed rest in peace】

Like meow~ like meow~

If the main package falls into the goblins' hands, it'll be a disaster, right? Better let me act while it's hot…

You don't call me "Open Silver Party", do you? You Nanton folks are really sly.

Wuwuwu~ Little Wangshu, better just run; it's too sad for a beauty to die at the goblins' hands.

"Run? Why run?"

Unlike the pessimistic comments in the bullet screen, the players were actually calm.

Putting all upgrade points into HP is rather reckless; Xi He glanced at the bullet screen in confusion, then lifted a large bundle of already processed weeds.

"We already have a plan in advance; just follow it step by step."

She replaced the stone‑ball projectile with a cloth sack in the catapult, grabbed both sides and pulled back hard.

When she let go, the bundle of weeds flew straight toward the goblins.

And she wasn't the only one doing this; all catapults stopped launching stone projectiles, replaced by bundles of weeds.

At first the goblins thought it was some massive weapon, terrified and tried to avoid it at all costs.

But when they hit the ground, they realized it was just a bundle of weeds.

It doesn't explode, doesn't burn, and has no toxicity—completely safe.

"Sss… what is this thing?"

Although the Mad King felt the battle was becoming increasingly incomprehensible, being repeatedly outmatched only heightened his vigilance twelvefold,

"Never mind, whatever these players toss over, it can't be anything good!"

He immediately used his war hammer to push the nearby weed pile, intending to toss it into the water.

But it was already too late; in the darkness, tiny sparks ignited on the archers' arrowheads.

Depriving the goblins of any reaction time, rockets shot up into the sky one after another.

Some goblins tried to dodge, others tried to block.

But when the arrows hit the ground, they were surprised to find the target was none other than the previously thrown weed piles.

Although the Mad King, quick‑eyed and swift‑handed, had already tossed the bundle beside him into the water, the others were hit by rockets.

The Mad King swore that these cunning humans had poured oil on top again, and the blazing flames spread instantly.

But what rose instead of a continuous blaze was a dense smoke that, in an instant, enveloped half the bridge.

In the confusion, the tribe's roars and screams were forced back into throats, replaced by violent coughing filling the ears.

【Awesome, directly sealed the middle gate with smoke】

【Powerful, no need to say more, this is the strength of our traditional style】

【But what's the use like this? Having only a Smoker is meaningless; you also need a Spiter to spray acid.】

Then the livestream audience saw Death God emerge solemnly from the crowd of players, wearing two layers of leather armor and carrying a bundle of firewood on his back.

【Reversed, let's quickly burn incense for the goblins】

【Little Green Skin, I won't forget our countless battles together in games (crying)】

【Wuwu, humans are too cunning, this hero may as well not be, let's go home!】

As the bullet screen shifted to offense, Qiu Yi's plump yet desolate figure also vanished into the thick smoke.

A moment later, a flash of fire lit up from within, followed by a deafening explosion.

The smoke was split, a human silhouette torn, and a ruthless shockwave swept across the entire bridge, rippling the dark lake water.

It was soul‑shaking; it was Qiu Yi's resolve in the face of death.

The players' eyes reddened involuntarily, and then…

"D Zone~"

They all gagged, collapsed onto the ground, and vomited out arcs of rainbow.

But in this long‑dormant dungeon, fierce explosions continued elsewhere.

Heavy footsteps pounded; it was a large group of charging ogres.

Dodging collapsed buildings and leaping over broken trenches, Ji Ming led the team while glancing at the map.

He glanced back briefly, then was the first to rush up the crooked steps, luring the raging ogres onto the suspicious platform.

Looking around, several small blue dots on the map turned into excited players hidden among the ruins.

He pivoted his foot, evading a stone hurled by the ogre chieftain, then vaulted over a low wall.

"Ugh ahhh!"

The massive Tribe was being toyed with like a monkey by a single human.

The towering ogre chieftain let out an angry roar, lifting his leg to kick the nearby weed pile away.

But the next moment, a flaming arrow suddenly appeared there.

In an instant, thick smoke rose, obscuring everything before the eyes.

Among chieftains, there are also differences.

Unlike the Mad King, he also hunched over, coughing incessantly.

But when his itchy throat finally eased a bit, he realized he had already lost his sense of direction.

On the other side beyond the smoke, another angry goblin squad chased toward the platform.

Players running ahead had to stop occasionally to wait, or make provocative moves to hold aggro, far from Ji Ming's relaxed ease.

Fortunately, without disgrace, they still managed to bring the goblins to the smoke area.

Finally, they hurled a piece of rubble onto a goblin warrior's head and rushed in without looking back.

The dungeon was already dim, and visibility near the smoke zone was extremely low.

The goblins could only vaguely see the human breach the smoke zone, instinctively assuming it was their presumed escape point.

The leading warrior has already been bullied by the players into a bruised head, his heart full of fury—how could he possibly forgive them?

"Gua, Hala!"

It immediately issued an attack order, leading the goblins to charge straight into the Smoke Zone.

However, after only a few steps inside, it collided chest‑to‑chest with a towering creature.

Hehe! Human, got you now!

It didn't think twice; it swung its stone axe and smashed.

The chieftain was still pondering which direction to lead his tribe when his spirit suddenly trembled, as if a threat were descending.

Unbeknownst to him, he instinctively raised his war axe, and a great force seemed to emanate from the blade.

Seeing the vague, low‑standing human silhouette before him, the chieftain gritted his teeth.

Human? Got you now!

Although the smoke can obscure the monsters' sight, players holding a map are partially immune to it.

So the few players tasked with pulling mobs sprinted out from the opposite side of the Smoke Zone, while the goblins behind them got lost and started fighting the ogres.

"Brilliant!"

"Beat him up!"

【No wonder it's the ogre chieftain, he's crushing the goblin warrior.】

Fight electronic crickets, become cyber princes.

The players, with the livestream audience watching on the side, ate popcorn and watched the show, while bullet comments and gifts flew everywhere.

If you ask what's more exhilarating than watching monsters beat each other up, it's obviously…

For twenty‑or‑thirty ogres, fewer than two hundred goblins are far too few—hardly enough to play with.

Fortunately, the players were considerate; a second wave of goblins arrived on the battlefield quickly.

The smoke isn't sound‑proof, so even from far above the ground they could hear the continuous roars and clashing.

When they saw humans in front of the Smoke Zone calling friends and rushing in excitedly as if returning home, the leading warrior seemed to understand everything.

"Gua, Hala!"

—Our comrades have already charged in; follow me!

It let out a fierce war cry and, bearing a shield, charged forward.

Next came the orderly pulling and baiting; soon the remaining three goblin squads, all brimming with fury, joined the fray.

Fearing it would hinder the goblin‑ogre smoke duel, the players kept tossing bundles of weeds into it to maintain the Smoke Zone's density.

The livestream audience seized the opportunity and started their favorite cyber casino (1/1) again.

【Opening the match, folks—one thousand goblins versus thirty ogres, who will win?】

【My grandma ogre, goblins can only hit the knee, can't pierce the defense.】

【If you jump, isn't that a direct flaw strike? Bro, my grandma goblin!】

"Wai Shu, what do you think the final outcome will be?"

Behind the Low Wall, Bai Yesheng, crouched side by side, turned his head and asked.

Ji Ming fell silent, calculating.

"I think the goblins will win in the end."

"After all, the ogres here are in poor condition and even have families to support; how could they beat goblins whose combat power rose considerably after a single military drill?"

Bai Yesheng also lowered his head, thought for a moment, then clenched his fist.

"Indeed, that won't do; it would just give them an advantage."

She pulled an iron‑wrapped jar from her backpack and placed it before Ji Ming.

"Take it. I order you to light it quickly and toss it into the Smoke Zone!"

The faint, acrid smell in the air made Ji Ming hesitate to touch it.

"Let me guess, this isn't a homemade earthen bomb, is it?"

"It's just gunpowder, a very crude application."

Bai Yesheng gestured with his hand.

"If I had more resources, maybe I could make real explosives!"

"When that time comes, it won't be this ugly, stupid thing."

"My god, take it easy…"

Honestly, it's just a big firecracker, and Ji Ming hasn't set off a cannon in years—his hands are itching.

Carrying a gunpowder canister, he vaulted over the Low Wall, bent over, and charged straight ahead.

Using the Ignition Technique, he lit the fuse; after holding it briefly, he tossed it out just as it was about to explode.

The black can traced a graceful arc through the air and vanished into the Smoke Zone.

Three seconds later, a fierce explosion erupted.

Though no gore was visible, the sudden surge of screams indicated substantial damage.

"Fuck, who was that? They just rushed out!"

"Damn, that was so intense, how did the explosive even get made?"

【Why is the streamer so surprised? Isn't this a mechanic in your game?】

【I was just falling asleep to ASMR, you scared me to death, I'm really going to call the police!】

【It's probably Black gunpowder, right? After all you even made the 'Eight Ox Crossbow'; how could you miss this essential farming big killer?】

"Black gunpowder?"

Immediately, several players traced Ji Ming's departing direction and pursued.

Bro, that's awesome—did you make this gunpowder can?

Ji Ming isn't that kind of incapable leader who spends all day thinking about stealing others' credit.

Just as he was about to explain that Bai Yesheng made it, she jabbed his nose with her finger.

"Yeah, he made it!"

"I..."

Immediately, a more polite player spoke up.

"Hey, may I ask who this is..."

"I'm her second granduncle/I'm his great-grandma."

"?"

How can you say something like that so calmly and confidently?

Several players exchanged glances, but no one knew why, no one dared to ask, so they hurriedly whispered.

"Hey bro, do you have more of those explosive cans? We also want..."

Bai Yesheng flung out a few cans from her backpack, her face grim as if summoned to the principal's office.

"Here, take it and go—we still have things to discuss."

"Uh... ah, thanks, thanks!"

Other people's business is none of my concern—let's just set off a big firecracker, that's the real deal!

"Whoa, still packing a punch, folks—this weight is really reassuring."

"Brothers, I'll light a firework—can you light one for me too?"

"No more talk—let's use this shot to wish everyone a prosperous year!"

Amidst the cheering in the chat, the high platform was like a gala.

The sounds of battle accompanied the holiday blessings, and the explosion waves echoed the crowd's jubilation.

"Brothers and sisters, uncles and aunts, grandpas and grandmas, we're here to pay New Year's respects!"

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—several cans were thrown into the smoke.

Although there were some duds, the continuous crackling of explosions was truly exhilarating.

But on the Mad King's side, the earth-shaking roar brought only a chill that surged from his feet to his crown.

That poison gas bomb was incredibly fierce; the goblin army, shrouded in stench, naturally fell into disarray.

Moreover, the players' coordination was exceptionally tight; they didn't even pause to mourn Qiu Yi's death, immediately launching a rain of arrows and stones onto the battlefield.

The smoke had already blurred the goblins' vision and sense of direction; now the threat came from a single direction, so they naturally fled in the opposite direction.

In their panic, some even leapt into the water one after another.

The commotion on the bridge had already startled all the fish in the lake; now it was truly a feast, as unlucky souls were dragged into the water and turned into pools of green blood that drifted away.

But these were only a minority; most goblins simply chose the opposite direction of the arrow rain.

The Mad King, stunned and enraged, couldn't dodge in time and was knocked down by a fleeing goblin warrior.

If not for a loyal warrior quickly pulling him up, his dignity would have been utterly ruined today.

Nevertheless, seeing his clansmen completely incapacitated, he could only stare wide-eyed and emit a sharp whistle signaling retreat.

With the chieftain's voice as guidance, the frenzied goblins were no longer headless flies.

Even so, when he led his people back to the lakeshore, over a thousand goblins still suffered heavy casualties.

Clearly, they hadn't even engaged the players, nor forced them to burn the bridge, yet their side had already lost nearly half its forces...

This was absolutely the lowest point of the Mad King's career; in grief, he crouched on the ground, heart full of disillusionment.

Seeing the warrior beside him with a broken arm, he let out a long sigh.

"Wait for the five battalions to send people back, then we'll withdraw the whole army..."

He wiped the grime from his face, and the Mad King's eyes widened sharply.

Because he suddenly realized that, since the lakeside battle began, the outposted goblins had sent no word back.

Could it be...?

"Pfft!"

Consumed by rage, the Mad King actually slumped onto his throne and spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

"Wait."

"Right, the last battalion to send me a message was..."

His eyes grew ever redder, his trembling finger pointing into the darkness.

"Follow me, follow me, follow me!"

Roaring repeatedly, he urged the warriors to start pulling the carts, leading the goblins nonstop toward the direction from which the last message had come.

And that direction...

On the other side, the players hadn't even had time to exult in victory when their hearts were lifted again.

Because the Mad King was heading straight for Dog Dog Village!

Could it be that, amid the chaos, some slippery fish remained, letting him discover the existence of Dog Dog Village?

The players quickly disengaged, preparing to teleport to Dog Dog Village for a final effort.

But just then, a dull bell suddenly rang in everyone's ears.

Fu Le lowered his gaze to look at the time on the panel.

One night passed, and dawn arrived.