LWGP - Chapter 122
Chapter 122: Killing the Boss
No one was bullshitting in the team channel for a moment. After all, Wang Jiu's ruthlessness needed no commentary.
On the other side, the team Xie Lu started quickly filled up with 28 people.
Wang Jiu was among them, but it was interesting to note that of the 28 strongest combatants, only Xie Lu and Wang Jiu were from 443.
But they were the two strongest; all the others came from the other two territories.
Even Qiao Xuejing hadn't made the cut… no, wait, she did, because she just joined.
28 became 29.
Qiao Xuejing had just absorbed her resources, part of which came from the two wars. Her strength wasn't top-tier initially, but she was a trap formation master and didn't need to fight head-on. By setting traps during the two battles, she had racked up contribution points, solidly placing her in the top five for the first war.
And for her last risky move of releasing the Mutated Dark Crystal's aura while invisible, even though she didn't directly participate in the second battle, Wang Jiu traded her a large amount of resources as payment.
Thus, Qiao Xuejing entered this elite team.
"The majority of the rats in the swarm are dull-witted, their intelligence not yet fully developed. But the Rat bosses should be getting suspicious by now. Once they realize they can't chew through my barrier, they'll most likely attack the territory."
"Take care of the bosses first."
Wang Jiu quickly perceived the movements of the frantically approaching rat swarm. The Mountain Ghost's Night March state on her had long since passed, but with the Demon's Eye and her high agility, she could still detect their tracks, not to mention she also had the Brand.
After reporting the bosses' data, Xie Lu and the others quickly formed four small teams based on their individual strengths. Following this team composition, they had Qiao Xuejing first set up invisible traps in four locations radiating out from her position. During the first rat swarm attack on Gobi Territory, the Lizard Rat and its kin hadn't seen through her concealment. It should be the same this time, as the concealment effect of her invisible traps was presumed to be superior to the personal stealth skills of the others.
Once each seven-person team was hidden, their strength was more than enough to easily deal with several bosses.
But how could they be sure these Rat bosses would hide in the shadows instead of launching a collective assault on Wang Jiu or the territory?
Wang Jiu did two things. First, she had the teams hide. Second, she invited two chatterboxes to bullshit a little.
These little beasts had some intelligence. After being led around by the nose by Wang Jiu twice, they were extremely annoyed, but also more cautious and cunning. They were afraid Wang Jiu would use that terrifying barrier again, which would mean all their effort was for nothing.
The Lizard Rat was very cunning. It led its army to a certain distance and then stopped. It first sent out a small scout rat to burrow underground, getting as close to Gobi Territory as possible without getting too close. After gauging the position, the little rat pricked up its ears.
Using its perception, it happened to hear a damn fatty and a pig bullshitting on the territory's wall.
Dao Dao: "Are those ugly, filthy rats really going to come?"
Wang Shu: "Master said they would, so they definitely will. She's been to the rat's nest in the sewers and knows how greedy they are for that Mutated Dark Crystal—their evolution depends on it."
Dao Dao: "But there are so many rats. Can we beat them? They could swarm and chew up our territory in an instant."
Wang Shu: "They won't. Master will act as a decoy on purpose, staying in front of the territory to attract the rat swarm so we can shoot them down from a distance."
Dao Dao: "Oh, so that's how it is? Right, she has that invincible, awesome barrier!"
After they finished, their conversation ended.
The scout rat quickly returned to its original spot and relayed what it had heard to the Lizard Rat.
The Lizard Rat wasn't pleased. It had detected a fatal flaw in the conversation between the human and the pig—that woman was indeed the bastard who had infiltrated and stolen the Mutated Dark Crystal! Then she must also possess powerful perception abilities and be incredibly cunning. Would she really tell the entire plan to this human and pig, who looked like useless trash at a glance?
And they were openly discussing such a confidential matter on the wall?
That woman was ruthless to the core. To win a war, she could send her own people to be torn to shreds in their mouths. She was also extremely cautious. To cut off the rat swarm's pursuit in the sewers, she had immediately finished off the perceptive sub-boss under its command.
All these things painted a clear picture.
Would such a degenerate of the human race make such a low-level mistake?
The most laughable part was that the little rat it sent over heard the conversation as soon as it arrived.
It must take me for an idiot!
The Lizard Rat sneered, its whiskers twitching. It personally burrowed into the ground, and—its ears were surprisingly similar to those of the perceptive sub-boss whose corpse it had devoured.
It had actually absorbed the latter's perception talent!
After reaching the vicinity of the territory, it began to listen silently. After a while, it heard the next part of the human and pig's conversation.
Dao Dao deliberately lowered her voice and said, "Can we talk now? That rat isn't still listening, is it?"
Wang Shu, chewing on a sweet potato: "It's gone. That little rat ran off. Master's agility is very high, she can perceive it. That's why she had us feed it false information just now. Hehe, that stupid rat would never guess that Master got a super-awesome territory bomb from the Lucky Wheel. As long as they all surround the territory, she can activate the bomb and blow them all to smithereens—as long as they think Master is the obvious bait, they'll definitely swarm to attack our territory."
Dao Dao: "I'm just afraid they won't believe it and will still attack the Lord."
Wang Shu: "It's fine if they attack her. Master's special barrier has no time limit. It's consumption-based and has a certain amount of damage exemption. As long as that amount isn't met, it will keep protecting her."
"But what if there are too many of them and their attack volume is too high? Wouldn't the Lord then…"
Dao Dao wanted to ask more, but Wang Shu interrupted her. "Don't say any more. Better safe than sorry. They should have fallen for it and are about to move! Let's talk in private chat."
The human and the pig ended their conversation. The Lizard Rat was so angry it could grind its teeth. This damn human scum really took their rat swarm for idiots to be played with in the palm of her hand. But she would never have guessed that it had gained the perceptive sub-boss's perception ability after devouring its body!
Heh! Trying to trick us into attacking the territory? Dream on!
It was going to have all the rats swarm her and exhaust that special barrier of hers!
Even though the human and pig hadn't said it outright, it guessed that Wang Jiu's barrier definitely couldn't last long. Otherwise, she wouldn't have specifically added the claim that the barrier was invincible.
A classic case of protesting too much!
The Lizard Rat, having mentally used a human idiom, silently returned the way it came.
Wang Jiu coldly watched one red Brand point return to where another Brand point was located.
Back in Frost Territory, she had already checked the data of these rat swarm bosses again. At that time, she discovered a change in the Lizard Rat's data—it had gained the perceptive sub-boss's ability. She was surprised at the time, made a note of it, and even specifically added a Brand.
She knew about its perception ability and the extent of its intelligence, so she didn't dare use the simplest trick on it. She could only bluff with a mix of truth and lies.
System: "Aren't you afraid its intelligence is too low, or too high, and it believes the first story?"
Wang Jiu: "It doesn't matter. If it believes the first story and doesn't have the swarm attack me, then my movements will be unrestricted. I can hunt down these bosses in the shortest amount of time. Once they lose the bosses' control, the remaining rat swarm will be unable to decide what to do and will only be drawn to besiege me by the Mutated Dark Crystal. In the end, all roads lead to Rome."
The System thought about it and realized it was true.
The logic was sound.
The rat swarm finally arrived, a vast tide burrowing through the underground network. The moment they burst out of the ground, Wang Jiu activated her barrier.
The Lizard Rat and the other 20 rat swarm bosses indeed surrounded her from several directions, just as Wang Jiu had predicted. However, they refused to get close, afraid of being killed by her—after all, she could still kill from within her barrier.
The Lizard Rat monitored the surroundings from the south, directing the other bosses to attack Wang Jiu from a distance. Rats didn't have bows and arrows, but they each had their own little skills…
The bosses' plan was excellent. Their attention was drawn to Wang Jiu, who was besieged by the rat swarm. They launched a fierce assault, clamoring loudly. The dark, pressing mass looked extremely bloody and brutal.
On the other side, Xie Lu's team made their move.
The four teams erupted simultaneously!
In an instant, 28 people shot out from the concealed traps, jointly locking onto the Lizard Rat and the other 20 bosses in a flash.
In truth, the average attributes of these rats were far lower than theirs, but they were difficult to kill for two reasons: one, they were protected by the swarm, and two, they could burrow.
Once they burrowed underground, not even Wang Jiu could kill them. And the Lizard Rat's perception was formidable; even Wang Jiu and those with stealth skills like Xie Lu couldn't evade its detection. Therefore, the assassination had two key elements.
1. Concealment.
2. Speed.
The first point relied on Qiao Xuejing. The second could only rely on everyone's full effort.
Fortunately, when it came to killing bosses, all players had a natural utilitarian mindset. Even if they didn't care about the territory's success or failure, they cared about the value of the loot the bosses themselves held. So, even those from the other two territories who held grudges against Gobi didn't hold back their strength at this moment.
In that instant, everyone's strongest abilities were displayed to the fullest, including the few whose highest average attributes exceeded a thousand.
Xie Lu's burst-damage swordsmanship, Leng Rong's phantom wolf summons, Mei Qingshu's domineering crossbow, Jiang Ming's refined flowing sword style, as well as Mei Qinghe and others' blade arts, arcane magic, mages, assassins, and so on, right down to Qiao Xuejing's trap formation mastery, and there were even some who followed a transformation path.
How effective was the burst assassination?
The 21 bosses let out ear-piercing shrieks. The Lizard Rat had actually detected Xie Lu and the others the moment they appeared. After shrieking a warning, it frantically tried to burrow into the ground, but an arcane mage, without a word, cast a wave of Solidify—the ground solidified.
Another mage chanted an ice spell, spreading frost across the ground and coating it in a layer of ice. The rats couldn't burrow in as usual. There was also an earth-type mage who cast a group immobilization spell, and a light-type mage who unleashed a wave of solar radiance, shining brightly and injuring these light-fearing rats.
Then, combat classes with terrifying burst power like Xie Lu seized the moment, unleashing a continuous stream of skills that formed a coherent chain of critical hits.
Xie Lu's longsword pierced through, revealing a new skill. Sword energy leaped like a wave, flashing like lightning. Two waves of sword energy refracted, instantly killing two bosses.
Buzz! A crossbow bolt was fired. It split mid-air, its parts overlapping, and instantly shot down a long-tailed armored rat with average attributes over five hundred.
After Mei Qingshu shot one down, a rat boss's poisonous tail lashed out at her feet. Bang!
A golden defensive light appeared behind her, blocking the blow. It was none other than Mei Qinghe. He held a golden shield in one hand and a weapon in the other as he charged…
In fact, when it came to combat, people in Gobi still had their familiar teammates. Just as Qiao Xuejing would rather entrust her back to the unfamiliar but at least trustworthy Xie Lu, she would never get close to Jiang Ming or Qi Shuanghan.
Jiang Ming, Leng Rong, and the others were already a team. Their coordination was seamless, and their lethality was even more astonishing. They immediately used their strongest skills to slaughter the rat bosses.
In the blink of an eye, 18 of the 21 bosses were slain!
Three remained. Xie Lu and Mei Qingshu went over, and two charges were enough to make their bodies explode. As for the very last one…
That big fat rat was already halfway into the ground, with just a sliver of health left. It was desperately burrowing downward, about to escape, when—swoosh! A fireball shot over.
Bang!!
The big fat rat was stunned as a fire spell hit its butt. The last drop of its health was depleted. Its body twitched and then went limp, its tail flopping softly to the ground.
Everyone was startled and turned to look at a certain fatty on the city wall.
Holding his staff, Wang Shu said sheepishly, "Uh, well, I didn't mean to steal the kill. I was just helping you guys."
Alright, he wasn't stealing a human kill, he was stealing a rat kill. Who could blame him when they hadn't finished off this big fat rat?
It wasn't his fault!
Most people hadn't expected Wang Shu, who usually survived by luck, to have such lethality and judgment. But more importantly, they noticed a small octopus floating beside the damn fatty.
"An arcane sprite?"
"Fuck!"
"This damn fatty!"
Under countless burning gazes, Wang Shu sheepishly tucked the little octopus into his pocket.
There are so many bad people in this world.
But why was Master's gaze so strange?
It must be full of gratification. This combat-inept weakling finally had some fighting power!
Thinking this, Wang Shu was instantly delighted.
Wang Jiu was a little annoyed. She had originally planned to use a pet aura to enslave this last rat boss, but she hadn't expected the damn fatty to be so quick.
I'll deal with him later!
Once the bosses were all killed, the rat swarms lost their command structure. The swarms were drawn to the Mutated Dark Crystal in Wang Jiu's hand, and even those near the territory ran over.
"Quick!"
"They're gathering!"
"Concentrate fire!"
Everyone on the wall began to focus on killing the rats.
But Xie Lu and the others were also in danger—the rat swarm was too vast. By killing the bosses in a short time, they had also exposed themselves to the swarm.
Thus, they were quickly engulfed, and all of them dropped some items.
Fortunately, they had a plan beforehand. Knowing they would certainly die this time, they had all put their valuable items in their homesteads or given them to friends and family within the territory in advance.
So the items they dropped weren't very important.
Wang Jiu glanced over and asked in the team channel, "Whose are the condoms, sanitary pads, dentures, and lace thong? Do you need me to collect them and trade them back to you?"
No one answered. It was the first time the team channel had been so quiet.
Wang Jiu collected them anyway and continued nonchalantly, "Xie Lu, Jiang Ming, Qi Shuanghan, Mei Qinghe, confirm the trade."
The four of them: "…"
Fuck, can't you act like a decent human being! Why did you have to call us out by name!
We're in the middle of a war!
All four had been named. Luckily, she hadn't specified which of the four items belonged to whom.
But they couldn't stop a simpleton like Wang Shu from running his mouth.
Wang Shu: "My god, little brother Xie Lu, you're one of them!"
Xie Lu: "The dentures were an accidental drop from a mob. Maybe an old person can use them later."
Even the most upright person would subtly clear their name of a false accusation, and in the process, inadvertently drag others down with them.
Qi Shuanghan was very cunning, copying him: "The sanitary pads were an accidental drop from a mob. Maybe a lady can use them later."
Jiang Ming and Mei Qinghe: "???"
Damn it, you dogs!
Jiang Ming quickly said, "The box of condoms was an accidental drop from a mob. Maybe some married couple can use them later."
4 - 3 = 1. Mei Qinghe, who had been backed into a corner with no other choice: "…"
"Uh, if I said I was going to give them to my sister for her birthday, would you believe me?"
Mei Qingshu: "Believe it or not, I could use it to cover your dog head."
Li Li: "To save our Short Winter Melon, alright, I'll sacrifice myself. That's right, they're for me. Sister, please don't hit him. He's not some pervert who likes to hide thongs!"
A classic case of 'no 300 taels of silver buried here.'
Mei Qinghe: "Fuck!"
The experts who had just died and returned were left covered in dust and dirt by Wang Jiu's antics, but they wasted no time in getting up on the wall as a group and switching to ranged attacks.
As strong players, their class paths were becoming distinct and were well worth emulating by others. The people attacking from the wall looked on with admiration.
However, as clear-headed observers, they could see that beyond raw power, in terms of skill and combat ability, three people were the strongest.
1. Xie Lu
2. Mei Qingshu
3. Jiang Ming
While everyone was frantically shooting at the rat swarms, they were also private messaging. Leng Rong was a summoner and didn't need exceptionally strong combat skills herself. Jiang Ming came from a gaming background, so that went without saying. But Xie Lu was very low-key and an outsider, so not many people knew that 443 had such a formidable figure. As for Mei Qingshu, the girl had a natural advantage in constitution and martial prowess, so it wasn't really surprising.
But…
"Actually, a lot of people think the game is a chance to overturn everything and start over. Many even say it's a great opportunity for underdogs to make a comeback, to suppress the so-called elites and capitalists. But I have to say, the top-tier capitalists are very cunning. They gathered resources and manpower to build factions right from the start. Suppressing small and medium-sized capitalists is more like it."
"But as for the elites… it's actually harder to turn the tables on them."
"Because the advantage of professional talents is too obvious. You can tell just by looking at Qiao Xuejing's rate of progress."
"Athletes, professional gamers, soldiers, police officers, architects… I think I heard there was even someone who specialized in agriculture and animal husbandry. Their professional talent gave them an advantage, granting them some planting-related skills and resources. After getting a homestead, their spirit power growth was terrifying."
"There are also fashion designers and tailors. Anyway, every trade and profession has its own professional talent, but undoubtedly, only those with solid skills have their talents awakened. Ordinary people… are still just ordinary people in the end."
"Someone must have started collecting recipes already."
"I'm so envious of people with professional talents."
Envy was useless. Those who fought hard could still win.
"Kill more rats and you can get a lot of spirit energy pebbles!"
"Hurry!"
"It's been fifteen minutes, and we've only killed over twenty thousand."
"At this rate, our stamina and spirit power won't keep up later on. We probably won't be able to take down all these rats even in an hour and a half."
"If only we had AoE skill books."
But where would they get so many AoE skill books? They had already witnessed three waves of intermediate-level, large-scale AoE skills today.
They could only fight head-on!
The successive battles between the three territories had caused too much of a commotion. At the very least, everyone in the Luoyang region knew about it.
"Nevernight and Frost actually teamed up? That Bian Moshu is so powerful."
"No matter how powerful, he still died. Did Gobi win in the end?"
"So who won between Gobi and Frost?"
"Gobi, but it's useless even though they won."
"Why?"
"A rat plague. Two hundred thousand of them. Someone from our side passed through that area and barely made it back alive. Now, people in the Novice Village 300-500 area don't dare go out, afraid of being devoured."
"Two hundred thousand? Holy shit! Gobi is doomed!"
In Luoyang's Novice Village 108, within a certain medium-sized territory, a man with a buzz cut wearing a black tank top was peeling a pear with a dagger. After closing the social channel, he ate the pear and asked the person beside him, "Xu Baiyan came from Frost's side?"
"Yes."
"Oh, then we should pay some attention to it."
He had his subordinate keep an eye on Gobi's situation.
The subordinate agreed, wondering to himself—could it be that the boss was going to make a move on Gobi?
If Wang Jiu were here, she would have recognized this person's name as someone also on the territory rankings for the ninth district, ranked one spot above her.
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