Absolute Death Game-Chapter 224 - 14: Return to Nine Dragons City
The sound of thunder murmured in the distance before sweeping over from above. He Suoju looked up in confusion. How could there be thunder on such a clear day?
He shook his head without paying much attention. This time, he had finally mastered the Art of the Sword Heart and had the chance to come out for a stroll. It just so happened that he heard the mysterious disappearance of Qilin Hall, which had taken over Nine Dragons City, making this region temporarily ownerless land. It was a great opportunity for solo players like him to gain some experience.
Whether it was dungeons or quests, he could take on and get going, so he needed to act fast.
Thinking this, He Suoju headed towards Nine Dragons City.
With a crack of thunder, Xiao Buli landed on the ground once again from the sky, maintaining a half-kneeling posture; the lightning around him slowly dissipated. As he stood up, several wild beasts nearby, startled and confused, scurried away.
Xiao Buli checked his status and nodded with satisfaction. This was his twenty-seventh use of Cloud Thunder Leap, and he had finally become adept with this skill.
Xiao Buli had often spent time leveling up skills back when he played Legendary, and it seemed that some habits die hard. Cloud Thunder Leap resembled the Instantaneous Movement from Legendary, and as his proficiency improved, the more smoothly he could utilize it. Although it seemed random, Xiao Buli had gradually mastered the skill’s techniques.
By quickly pressing the spacebar upon landing, he could touch down in a half-kneeling posture to reduce the impact, and the flatter and softer the ground, the less damage taken. Plus, the duration of the flight was quite flexible; he didn’t have to wait the full thirty seconds before landing, as he could land sooner or delay the fall, though delaying used up additional True Yuan Points.
System prompt: After prolonged use and mastery, Cloud Thunder Leap has been upgraded to LV2.
Xiao Buli was pleased, thinking it was about time for an upgrade. It reminded him that he had quite a few skills, but they were all only at LV1, and it was necessary to improve them.
Checking the effects of Cloud Thunder Leap LV2, not only was the flight time extended and the landing impact greater, but the damage he suffered decreased. It seemed that as the skill’s level improved, the side effects would eventually disappear.
He checked his True Yuan Points, which were already below half. However, it was not a concern; on several occasions, he had used up more than half of his True Yuan Points and quickly recovered by consuming food. Opening his bag, he ate some food, then utilizing the Yi Wood Xuan Yang Scripture, he converted the replenished Physical Strength into True Yuan Points.
As he watched his True Yuan Points nearly fully restored, a DEBUFF suddenly appeared above his head—Too Full.
Too Full: You’ve eaten too much and can’t consume any more food.
What the hell, even this was limited, Xiao Buli was speechless.
However, looking at the map, it seemed he wasn’t far from Nine Dragons City, so he didn’t need to fly anymore. Summoning his war horse, Xiao Buli mounted and sped towards Nine Dragons City.
In less than half an hour, he arrived outside the gates of Nine Dragons City. Compared to a few days ago, the city seemed to have undergone some changes. As he walked through the gates into the city, the changes became more evident: refugees and beggars everywhere, soldiers, and adventurers rushing about, a sense of pandemonium.
After asking an NPC, he quickly got the gist of the situation. Recently, the Demon Clan had begun advancing in this direction again. The Golden Dragon Legion had suffered consecutive defeats and had abandoned their outposts on Bull Rush Plain, retreating entirely back to Nine Dragons City.
NPCs from nearby villages had no choice but to evacuate, with some heading to villages to the south and others seeking a living within the city.
In addition to a massive influx of NPC refugees, there were also many more players. As Xiao Buli walked, he saw several players, some with guild names and others clearly solo players, each with decent equipment.
It seemed the collapse of Qilin Hall had created a power vacuum, and the potential for a large-scale event like a Demon Clan siege had attracted players from the surrounding areas to try their luck. Indeed, many were willing to risk their lives in pursuit of power.
As he pondered, a squadron of heavily armored cavalry approached, marching in tidy columns. Despite their small number, their well-equipped and disciplined presence was as imposing as an army of thousands.
"Look, it’s Lord Zhang’s personal guard cavalry; he’s going to launch an attack on the Demon Clan!"
Xiao Buli glanced at them. Leading the riders was none other than Lord Zhang of Nine Dragons City, with another person riding beside him, chatting casually. To his surprise, it was Wu Min’er. She and Lord Zhang seemed almost like a couple, followed by two player knights Xiao Buli had never seen before.
He had wanted to greet them, but hesitated for a moment and decided against it, feeling something was off about Wu Min’er’s presence here. He thought it best to observe her secretly for the time being.
His target was the location of the Qilin Hall guild. Qilin Hall’s base was next to the Golden Dragon Legion’s barracks, in a large estate—a testament to their wealth, as buying property in the city was not cheap.
The walls of the estate were high, the gates tightly shut, and guards stationed at the entrance, but none of this was a problem for Xiao Buli, who could come and go as he pleased. He found a secluded part of the wall and leapt onto it with an Invisible leap.
Stealthily making his way inside along the wall, he noted the tight security, with NPC guards holding hounds capable of detecting Invisibility and additional player guards. Reaching the backyard, he unexpectedly found the Xuanwu Group crafting equipment. This familiar scene almost gave him the illusion of still being a part of Qilin Workshop. Xiao Buli grew even more puzzled. Why were they still here?
Had they not left the company yet?
He didn’t dare to alert anyone by talking, he did not recognize anyone else anyway, when suddenly a shadow in a corner caught his attention—it was Han Baiqiang.
At the moment, Han Baiqiang was wielding a large hammer, desperately pounding on a suit of armor. Xiao Buli didn’t dare to show himself and used the Secret Sound Transmission Dharma Method to send a message to Han Baiqiang.
While Han Baiqiang was absorbed in his work, a line of text suddenly appeared on the screen.
Xiao Buli quietly says to you, "Hey, Old Han, what’s going on with you guys?"
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Han Baiqiang was startled. He looked around but saw no one, thinking to himself, had he seen a ghost? Did the game actually come with a secret communication feature?
Seeing that he probably still didn’t understand, Xiao Buli quickly sent another message.
Xiao Buli quietly says to you, "I’m using the Thousand-mile Sound Transmission to talk to you. You just need to click to reply."
Thousand-mile Sound Transmission! Han Baiqiang was shocked and thought Xiao has gotten really powerful! He hurriedly replied, "So you mean you’ve escaped!? That’s really lucky. Unlike us, who have been captured and work every day, and now we don’t even get paid anymore, and the food isn’t as good as before."
Xiao Buli asked in surprise, "You’ve been captured by the military?"
Han Baiqiang said, "I’m not sure who exactly they are, but they don’t seem to be military. We were taken away by those people and then knocked out. Now we’re locked up in an underground base, and I have no idea where this place is."
Xiao Buli thought to himself that it was indeed as he had suspected. He had had his doubts early on. "How are you holding up now?" he asked.
Han Baiqiang complained, "Holding up? I’m scared to death. If I had known, I would never have joined the Xuanwu Group. I thought joining Xuanwu Group would be safer, but we still ended up in this mess. I don’t even know how my family is doing or if they are searching for me everywhere."
Xiao Buli didn’t respond to Han Baiqiang’s complaints but instead asked, "So who exactly are they?"
Han Baiqiang said, "I don’t know, but there are quite a few foreigners here. Their leader seems to be called General Huo, an old man with a white beard. He seems to know the truth about this game, telling us to work hard because everything is for the good of humanity and the like. Officials love to play this card, but I don’t buy it."
Xiao Buli quietly says to you, "What about Wu Min’er? Did she not run either?"
Han Baiqiang said, "Yeah, she was captured too, and they found a big disc on her. Now those scientists are studying it. Moreover, it seems like she has joined them now and is already a captain. Those new guys are here too, getting trained every day, probably being groomed into special forces."
Xiao Buli thought to himself that it was good that he didn’t rashly contact her, or he might also be in danger. However, what exactly was this organization? Their actions suggested their plans were no small matter. It was indeed a twist of fate for him, as the leader of a gaming guild, to be caught up in such events.
After reflecting for a moment, Xiao Buli asked again, "Do you know where Gao Bainame is?"
"He’s inside. Those people seem to value him a lot."
Xiao Buli said, "I need to go now. Take care of yourself, and if there’s a chance in the future, I’ll try to find a way to get you out."
Han Baiqiang knew the other person was just saying it, but still, he couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved, "You be careful too."
As Xiao Buli walked in, Gao Bainame was actually fast asleep. He looked at the name above his head, Gao Bainame (Xiao Buli’s Follower), and was relieved that it hadn’t vanished. As long as he had this suffix, the other person had to obey his commands, so there was no fear of betrayal. Xiao Buli appeared behind him and said, "Hey, wake up."
(To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for it with recommendation tickets or monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
