Evolution - Chapter 8
Chapter 8
After taking stock of the items the other party had left behind, Pencil couldn’t help but click his tongue. Being a bandit was apparently quite a lucrative profession; they had made more in one go than the two of them had in a whole month of grueling work. Now they had more than enough to make a mad dash straight for the city, far exceeding the mission requirements. As long as the natives didn’t come looking for trouble, they certainly wouldn’t provoke them. Perhaps in another month, they could cross the forest.
Unfortunately, the natives were unlikely to be so cooperative. It was just a nice thought.
Ji Changqing fell straight to sleep. Finally, she could get a good, long rest. Pencil, cradling a bundle of self-made arrows and holding his bow, stood guard silently on the stone wall, a quiet and powerful presence. Judging by the combat prowess of the group that had just attacked, if not for the game’s mechanic of weakening players who killed others, he could say without exaggeration that as long as there were fewer than twenty of them, they all would have fallen before the stone house.
It was precisely because of this restriction that they had to avoid vital points. Inflicting a serious injury to neutralize an opponent was far more difficult than simply putting an arrow through their heart.
When Ji Changqing woke up, she found that Pencil had already prepared lunch.
She yawned as she went to wash up, mumbling, “Do you want to sleep for a bit later?”
They had three days of game time, and more than two had already passed. They could find a random spot to log off, and their characters would automatically be hidden. However, it was uncertain what they might encounter when they logged back in. Therefore, they always found a secluded location and made some preparations, at the very least to avoid logging in and walking straight into the mouth of a wild beast or being ambushed and killed.
After all, whether you were there or not, the world kept turning.
Pencil shook his head. After their recent windfall, he had been mulling over whether to ask his comrades in the real world if anyone was nearby—within a day or two’s journey. They could rendezvous, and then decide whether to cross the forest directly or go out and acquire some more ill-gotten gains.
A person’s fall from grace could be so swift and intense.
He thought with righteous indignation, Gathering a group of comrades to crack down on bandits is such a noble and just cause. As a soldier, I must protect the lives and property of the people, even in a game!
Ji Changqing had no objections. For someone who had been ordinary for over forty years, regardless of gender, being with a group of soldiers—whether in a game or in reality—brought an overwhelming sense of security. It gave rise to the illusion that she could just lie back and be carried to victory.
Thus, after meeting up with Pencil’s “Pen Family” brothers one by one, Ji Changqing was introduced to Fountain Pen, Paintbrush, and Colored Pencil, along with their assorted teammates. The small two-person team quickly expanded to thirteen.
In the process of growing from two to thirteen, Ji Changqing and her group had already pulled off another counter-robbery.
Just after the thirteen-person squad had assembled, Ji Changqing scratched her face, feeling that the number was terribly unlucky. If only we could get rid of a few people, she lamented internally. But this was a package deal; even useless teammates couldn’t be abandoned. She would just have to endure it.
Pencil shrugged. “Don’t even think about it. They said the most ridiculously foolish teammates already managed to get themselves killed and sent back to the novice village on the way here.”
Wow, so these were the premium-version useless teammates. Ji Changqing cracked her knuckles. “Don’t you suddenly feel that your teammate is exceptionally brilliant and reliable?”
Pencil nodded in profound agreement. The three “Pen” brothers, who had wandered over and overheard them, also nodded with blank expressions.
Yes, it seemed that teammates who dragged everyone down managing to get themselves killed and sent back to the novice village was the most satisfying thing they could do. Since their travel orders were still valid, the surviving teammates could just continue onward. Generally, in a forest where there was safety in numbers, you wouldn’t be abandoned unless you were truly courting death.
But on second thought, she felt it was wrong to discriminate against them. Behind every useless teammate was a set of values completely at odds with everyone else’s. Who knew, maybe one day their twisted worldview would suddenly normalize?
After a long internal pep talk, silently reciting “Prosperity, democracy, civility, harmony, freedom, equality, justice, rule of law, patriotism, dedication, integrity, and friendliness” several times, she finally convinced herself to be more tolerant of the teammates she had desperately wanted to kick out of the group.
After the grand rendezvous, they actually remained stationed in separate groups for their anti-banditry operations. Today, Colored Pencil’s team of five had just arrived. Four of them were sent to the stone house to rest and act as bait, posing as newcomers. The other nine hid in a spot not too far away. As the newcomers who had come to maintain communication with their teammates, they were sent off to rest. The watch was originally done in pairs, and Ji Changqing sighed with regret that even as the team grew, her humble dream of gathering enough people for a game of Fight the Landlord during her shift remained out of reach.
She and Pencil were, of course, in the same pair. The sun had not yet set, and their shift also included making dinner. After they ate, around seven o’clock, they would hand over the watch and could go lie down to sleep.
The night passed peacefully. But that was fine; a two-day rest was warranted. To synchronize everyone’s game time, if nothing happened on the second night, they would all log off on the third morning and log back in at an agreed-upon time.
On the second night, just before eleven, they heard the distant sound of chaotic footsteps. The person on watch looked toward the source of the sound. In the faint moonlight, scattered figures soon appeared, stumbling along. A moment later, Paintbrush’s face changed drastically. Holy crap! It was a wolf pack!
“Crap, crap, crap! Get up, it’s a wolf pack!”
Everyone scrambled out of their tents. Pencil pointed to several positions, ordering people with bows and arrows to get into place quickly. As soon as the wolf pack entered range, he commanded, “Fire!”
After several volleys, about ten wolves from the pack of forty or fifty fell. The pack was briefly thrown into chaos. A few scattered wolves continued to chase the people ahead, while the remaining thirty or so turned and charged toward them.
As they loosed their arrows, another group lying in ambush on the other side drew a sharp breath. Thank heavens someone had stirred things up tonight. If their team had gone out to rob them, they would have been encircled by the wolves from behind. How damn insidious!
The wolves were fast. The five archers rapidly changed positions, trying to find the best firing angles. The other four people also took their positions, waiting to engage.
By the time the wolves closed in, their numbers had been cut by more than half. The pack of nearly fifty was now down to just over twenty. But on average, that was still at least two or three wolves per person. At this close range, bows were practically useless. Everyone drew their weapons and charged at the pack.
Pencil and Ji Changqing had often fought beasts together and needed no verbal cues. Ji Changqing brandished her spear, using it like a long staff, felling one wolf with each swing. Pencil lunged forward, his military dagger flashing out, stabbing deep before flinging the wolf aside with clean, decisive movements. The two of them cut a path straight through the pack and then turned back to kill again. In a single pass, they had taken down at least eight or nine wolves.
Everyone was stunned. They suddenly felt that in their previous anti-banditry efforts, these two had just been playing house. If they were this ferocious in a direct confrontation, why bother toying with bandits?
As she fought, Ji Changqing sighed, “Something’s not right. There’s only one wolf pack around here, right? It should have at least two hundred.” Only about fifty had appeared. Where were the other hundred-plus? Surely they hadn’t gotten lost in the forest?
Now was not the time to investigate where the rest of the pack had gone. The priority was to finish off this wave and then pack up and run for their lives!
The two of them were so incredibly effective, wiping out half the remaining wolves in an instant, that the pressure on the others was greatly reduced. The battle ended quickly. They hastily packed their things and sprinted toward the stone house. Given the wolves’ vengeful, relentless nature, the main pack would arrive in an hour or two at most. The best place to defend against them was the stone house, which had a large open area in front, perfect for thinning their numbers from a distance.
They were less than half an hour from the stone house. Along the way, they saw a few wolf carcasses, apparently killed by the team that had been chased all over. Two had been killed by a single, fatal blow, their heads smashed in a particularly bloody and brutal fashion.
The small team that had been planning the robbery had already slipped away while they were fighting for their lives against the wolves. They weren’t stupid. Why would they stick around in that situation? To join forces and fight the wolf pack?
The nine of them arrived quickly. On the way, they even managed to pick out a few spots suitable for ranged ambushes and for cutting into the pack to divide and conquer them in smaller skirmishes.
Naturally, they headed for the house that still had lights on. The people who had just escaped the wolves’ jaws had to be there—surely they wouldn’t lead the disaster here without at least explaining the situation first?
Just as Ji Changqing was discussing tactics with Pencil, someone burst out of the house, stumbled toward her, and let out a tragic cry:
“Your Majesty!”
Ji Changqing froze on the spot.
Everyone else was dumbfounded. The Qing Dynasty fell a long time ago!
“Your Majesty! I can’t believe I ran into you here. I had such a miserable time, I almost didn’t get to see you again!”
The delivery was exceptionally dramatic, as if death in the game were real.
She had always thought her online name was the epitome of low-key luxury with profound meaning. But in this time and place, being addressed like this felt mortifyingly cringe-worthy.
“Alright, stop wailing. Give us some useful information. The wolves’ revenge story is about to begin.”
Only then did Zhong Lan drop the theatrics, her face instantly turning serious. “Did you guys intercept and kill that last group?”
Ji Changqing nodded calmly.
Zhong Lan’s team had truly terrible luck. They were in the second batch to set out, a group of eight. Two died on the way. Today, as dusk fell, they were still nearly two hours away. After some discussion, they decided that traveling at night was too dangerous. Plus, with rumors flying on the forums about a group specifically hunting and ambushing teams here, they decided to wait until the next day to proceed.
But after they made camp, around nine o’clock, a hunting pack of wolves stormed their position. With only six of them, what was there to fight? The moment the person on watch saw all those pairs of glowing green eyes, they frantically woke everyone up to flee. It was a stroke of luck that during their escape, they passed the resting place of two tigers. The wolf pack split in two, with the larger half going after the tigers.
They fought as they fled, and fled as they fought. Of the six, only three remained.
After hearing Zhong Lan’s story, everyone fell silent for a moment. Eight people had set out, and five were gone before they were even halfway. It was truly… indescribable.
Upon further questioning, it turned out her team had come from the mining area and had no ranged fighters. Well, with no ranged capabilities and only close-quarters combatants, plus being the only team without a soldier in the lead, perhaps such a high attrition rate was… normal?
It was not.
“Your luck is truly terrible!” Ji Changqing exclaimed with genuine feeling. Even though she had used the wolf pack to scare off bandits, she never imagined they would actually show up so conveniently.
If they hadn’t first been distracted by the two tigers, and then intercepted by her group, Zhong Lan’s team would likely have been wiped out.
“Alright, in that case, even if the entire pack comes out, it’ll only be a little over a hundred,” Fountain Pen summarized.
Everyone was stunned. Wait, there are only sixteen of us! What do you mean, ‘only’ a little over a hundred? Not all of us have the combat skills and synergy of Her Majesty and Pencil! Thinking about it, the fact that Her Majesty and Pencil had made it this far as a duo was clearly not without reason.
Facing everyone’s intense stares, Ji Changqing awkwardly dragged Zhong Lan and her two remaining teammates into another room. “Uh, I’ll help them set up a tent and treat their wounds. You guys continue the discussion.”
Zhong Lan finally came to her senses and provided a crucial piece of information. “It took us about an hour and a half of running and fighting to get here from when we first saw the wolves. Given their speed, I don’t think we have much time.”
A sense of urgency immediately fell over the group. They began discussing arrangements in a flurry of voices.
Ji Changqing’s focus was rather unique. “Huh, you ran for nearly an hour and a half? Wow, so everyone’s stamina is that good now?”
Her words left everyone speechless. Dude, your friend just barely escaped with her life. Is that really what you should be focusing on?
Ji Changqing thought her focus was excellent. Before the game, she would have been gasping for breath after jogging for two or three minutes. Even if her life were in danger, a burst of adrenaline might let her run for half an hour at most. But now, they could run for over an hour.
Didn’t that mean everyone’s physical fitness had taken a qualitative leap?
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