Chapter 251: Let you cause trouble, you dance on the players' berserk point

"Enough!"

With a roar, An De Lu hurled the ink bottle in his hand hard, letting it smash against Xieerdun's face.

The black ink splattered everywhere, making Xieerdun's expression look ridiculous and laughable.

If anyone dared to treat him like that on a normal day, he would have already chopped off their head.

But now Xieerdun didn't even dare to breathe, nor dare to wipe the ink that had already flowed onto his eyelids, for fear of provoking the man before him.

An De Lu usually conducted himself like a noble, speaking and eating slowly and deliberately, rarely showing extreme emotional swings.

But now he looked furious and exasperated, his visage twisted and ferocious, his meticulously groomed goatee trembling slightly with his body.

Anger, anger to the extreme.

If it weren't for the little squad leader coming over today to tattle, saying his equipment had been lost in several crates.

While he launched a full-camp investigation, he also sent people to carefully examine his own supplies, yet they found no problem here.

When others lose things, it's because a few habitual thieves brought their bad habits to the Underground Plain.

But when we lose things, it's mysteriously been cleaned out several times in a row, and afterward we can't even catch a shadow of the thief.

Yet despite such a major and terrifying situation, Xieerdun, as the overall chief of the Underground Plain, has never once brought it up to me.

This really is……

"Sir, I just didn't want you to worry, and those things really were thrown away; I've already plugged the gap through other means!"

Thrown away?

Of course they were thrown away!

You think I trust you so much that I didn't send people to watch you?

Moreover, there's not a single living person within dozens of miles around, so you couldn't possibly have swallowed those things.

But is that the point?

The point is that you could hide this from me; then how many other things are you hiding from me?

As a true rebel, An De Lu deeply knows the importance of his subordinates.

If he had suitable subordinates to help, things would get done with twice the efficiency, just like his former self.

But if not, he'd end up like their alliance leader, living each day like a foolish blind man with eyes open!

But now, the most capable person under his command, the one he trusts most, has experienced something this important without even informing him.

Excessive—does he still see me as his squad leader in his eyes!?

An De Lu felt more and more wronged, feeling so aggrieved he was about to spill golden beans.

Meanwhile, Xieerdun, back drenched in cold sweat, stared at the squad leader whose expression shifted between sunny and overcast, unable to utter a word.

Thus, mutually silent, the atmosphere in the temporary office grew ever heavier.

But anger doesn't solve the problem; even rooting out the mole can only happen afterward.

An De Lu thought it over and decided to move some later arrangements forward, to avoid any further trouble.

"Xieerdun, immediately gather people to form an envoy squad; I must personally go to the Demonic Spirit Tribe to meet Chief Bartiste—this absolutely cannot be delayed!"

Thus, after quickly counting a few subordinates, An De Lu led them toward the Magic Forest.

But before even getting close, he sensed an extremely raw aura, imbued with a cold, rejecting feeling.

Xieerdun's expression stalled.

"Squad Leader Sir, when I first came to visit the Demonic Spirit Tribe, I felt exactly that they do not welcome outsiders."

"What? We had already reached the intention to become allies; they must have mistaken us for someone else."

An De Lu didn't believe it, still deciding to wave his hand.

"Hey, someone go notify them, tell them we are friends of the Cyclops—Mountain Mercenaries!"

But when his subordinates tried to enter the forest, they were directly blocked by a pale green magical formation, from which came a distant sound.

"The Demonic Spirit Tribe has resolved to lay down arms and walk the path of cooperation with the Underground City; outsider friends, please return."

"This……"

Another unexpected incident made An De Lu widen his eyes and grind his teeth.

Even the way they address me has changed—could it be that those Underground City humans have pried away my corner?

... Subordinates went missing, supplies were lost, and even the two 'blades' that had clearly been agreed upon were taken away one after another in just two days.

What was once a sure-win situation was thus ruined, letting everything revert to square one.

An De Lu's face turned livid; with no choice, he could only bring his subordinates back to the camp.

After Xieerdun closed the door, he slumped beside his desk like a puppet with its strings cut, anxiously grabbing at his own hair.

"Damn it, I……"

Like a spring's flowing water, his mouth spewed out a string of extremely vulgar profanity.

He couldn't believe those words were coming from his own mouth; knowing he usually is the most despicable, yet these are the kinds of dirty talk that casually involve others' relatives and certain organs.

But saying them now also feels really great……

"Yes, yes, exactly like that, keep cursing, it feels good!"

As he cursed, his eyebrows danced with joy, his mouth unable to hold back a smile; unfortunately his reserve of profanity was so scarce that just as he got into the swing, he couldn't think of any new words.

Helpless rage, he could only cover his head with his coat.

"Ah!!!"

Having vented the pent-up frustration in his chest, An De Lu finally regained his composure.

Think about An De Lu! Since he keeps losing, the Pioneers naturally keep winning.

Put yourself in the winner's shoes—if it were me who was winning, what would I do next?

——Naturally, it would be to rally the superior forces in one push and drive out that last enemy, the Mountain Mercenaries.

So if I haven't guessed wrong, the earliest tomorrow, the latest the day after tomorrow, they will launch a total attack that threatens first and then attacks.

Even if dozens of mercenary bands join forces, they absolutely cannot resist the entire Underground Plain joining hands, but that doesn't mean I am unable to act.

After all, according to many mercenaries' reports, for some reason, when outside time is daytime, the Pioneers wandering outside the Underground City sharply decrease, which is clearly an opportunity.

So he decided to draw out all the elite forces currently in the camp, split them into several teams to go loot the Pioneers' market and the merchant caravans and horses dispatched by the Underground City.

Under the pretense of selling supplies, he led people away and conducted the withdrawal in batches.

Then he used the wealth of the Inverted Castle as bait, letting these extremely foolish little squad leaders stay behind to cover his retreat.

This way, not only can he make a killing, but any promises made can be voided because the other party is already dead.

He can also absorb the influence of those small mercenary bands in Sunlight City, possibly even recouping principal and interest, forcibly turning defeat into victory.

An De Lu almost wanted to cheer at his own cleverness—being able to find a way out of this slump, he was practically a born Northern Border Marquis!

But after a bout of self-satisfaction, he again became depressed and listless.

A failed plan can be salvaged, but what about the lost hearts of people?

Jia La Mi died from betrayal, Ba Er Si lacks adaptability, Yuehansun has only loyalty but no ability, and the only reliable Xie Er Dun is still like this……

Closing his eyes and thinking carefully, he actually now has not even a single person who can help him.

He took out a pen to start writing names on the squad list, he let out a long sigh, but suddenly Ji Ming's face appeared in his mind.

"Ah, it's hard—if only everyone could be as pure as Ji Ming's divine selection."

"Who are you calling an idiot!"

"Huh?"

An De Lu let out a startled cry and looked around in fear, but the surroundings were still exactly as before, with no change at all.

"Weird."

He could only suspiciously touch the back of his neck and flick the pen tip.

"Ah, maybe I've been hit too hard these days and am hallucinating—I actually heard Ji Ming's voice out of nowhere……"

Ji Ming, standing aside watching him write the ambush plan: "Yeah, what's going on?"

As a soul magic created by the Angel Clan, the application prospects of the Suggestion Technique are quite broad.

Besides the not-so-important functions like mental control, time stop, sensory block, and moral degradation, it can also be used for some espionage activities.

For example, just like now, after seeing An De Lu return to the camp in a flustered state with his people, he mixed in with the troops following behind and then watched him bully Xie Er Dun.

Perhaps this is exactly why criminals like to return to the scene of the crime afterward—watching the person they screwed over suffer badly is extremely satisfying.

But……

An De Lu's emotional management skills are not bad, so how did he come up with such a suicidal plan!

You dare even this…… you want to cause trouble, yet you insist on repeatedly jumping on the players' reverse scale, right?

Forget it, let the suicidal plan go ahead—occasionally giving the players some intensity isn't bad, letting them get a early feel for how treacherous people's hearts are outside, so they won't overturn later.

And at the end of the plan, when An De Lu hesitated about whether to directly bring the goods back to Sunlight City or stay nearby to provide support, Ji Ming offered some small help.

"Right, can't just leave directly—if this bunch of mercenaries runs back, I'm afraid I'll suffer!"

"Kill them, we must intercept them outside and slaughter them!"

"Ah ah ah, this isn't my suggestion at all—I just increased the weight of the 'stay outside' option!"

But just as Ji Ming worried whether he would lose virtue for actively harming others, he surprisingly discovered that it had actually increased again.

After all, these mercenaries are nothing but iron beasts—no matter whose hands they die in, it's thoroughly satisfying.

Ji Ming also discussed with An De Lu where his external garrison should be set up, and after obtaining the detailed coordinates, he left the mercenary camp satisfied.

At this moment it is still "night," the Underground Plain remains the players' main stage, watching them obliviously to the approaching danger while they busily develop.

"After nearly two months of hard work, it's finally your turn to help me—don't let me down."

Early the next morning, Ji Ming came to the materials shop across from his home.

Buluowa was still hearing for the first time that he actively requested training, and could hardly believe his own ears.

He stared at him for a long time before raising his voice.

"Young man, have you encountered difficulties in life? Why are you so desperate?"

As it turns out, you also know that daily training is essentially a sustainable beating……

But tonight is a big day he has long planned for—no amount of preparation for such an important occasion is excessive.

So Ji Ming still insisted on going to the church with Buluowa for tactical training, counting as sharpening the sword before battle.

Although the free attribute points are pretty much used up, because he harmed mercenaries and opened a clinic, the almost continuously growing merit has become a new strengthening aid.

In sparring he performed exceptionally well—him, who should have long been lying on the ground feigning death, astonishingly maintained a standing, not-fallen posture after training ended.

All of this, as seen by Buluowa, became a question.

"You look very excited today—what are you looking forward to?"

After drinking half a bottle of SpiritGathering Liquid, to ensure the plan's absolute success, Ji Ming decided to be the riddler this time.

"Teacher, remember not to sleep too soundly tonight—the big thing is coming…… Grandma I say! Put your gun down!"

Only after seeing Buluowa put the broken-half training gun back into its storage bag did he lower his voice.

"God gave me a revelation, saying that what I've long been expecting will happen tonight, telling me to limber up my muscles in advance and wait for the moment."

Holy Light God: Huh?

Hearing Ji Ming's lies, Buluowa pondered and suddenly thought of something.

With his mouth open, he hesitated for a moment, then took out a pink small medicine bottle from his bracelet with a complex expression.

"Although you're still young, remember to take care of your body."

……

"No, not that!"

Buluowa frowned and spoke sternly.

AdaiEr is okay, but that one is absolutely impossible—her relations are too complex for you to handle!

No… uh, it's not that kind of matter, it's a big deal!

Since the undead army seized the Adventurers Association building last time, with everyone's tacit approval, the intelligence network of Sheng Guang Jiao Tang has surged considerably.

Of course, while monitoring the possible occurrence of strange events throughout the city, they, like a bat-themed hero, are also guarding against something even more dangerous.

For Ji Ming, this is a big deal, enough to make him excited to the point of saying 'Don't sleep too soundly'…

Mercenaries!

An De Lu has led several mercenary corps out of Sunlight City to start an expedition several days ago—could this be their doing?

Holy cow, what a famous detective you are—you guessed that right away!

Ji Ming hastily put on a look of sudden realization.

Actually, I don't know exactly what good thing it is, but hearing you say that, it seems that's the only possibility!

Hmm…

Buluowa pondered for a moment.

If the mercenaries heading out on the expedition run into trouble, they'll surely send someone back to Sunlight City for help; although we certainly can't oppose them directly, I could station people around Sunlight City to intercept them under the guise of catching weird investigators—how does that sound?

Excellent!

Now even the slightest mishap is covered by the teacher; at least Ji Ming can't think of any possible failure.

Walking out of the church's doors, he had countless times gazed up at Sunlight City's gloomy, overcast sky, but today's sunset seemed especially bright.

The pretend play ends here; since you all, born unwilling to exit gracefully, I can only offer a little help.