Chapter Twenty-Seven: Conflict

These three girls: the swordswoman is Zhang Li, the rogue is Jiang Yue, and the divine caster is Li Meina. Before the catastrophe, they were all seniors in high school.

The swordswoman is level 4, the rogue is level 4, and the divine caster is level 3. Zhao Nan glanced casually; Xu Yang's level is 7. That was somewhat surprising—could a sage really train to such a degree? He looked at the other's equipment: a complete set of novice gear. The weapon was a book that emitted a faint green glow.

Green equipment… Though Zhao Nan had no staff, he was just one piece of novice clothing short of a full set, plus he wore one green and one blue ring. At his current level, a single fireball could almost empty a Chittering Cat's health bar. Then, any of the three female students, even without using skills, could finish off a Chittering Cat.

This spawn point would produce a Chittering Cat only once a minute, and it would die in less than three seconds, leaving nothing but idle waiting. Zhao Nan's powerful entry quickly made the three girls' eyes sparkle with admiration. Since becoming players, since the world had turned gamelike, all modern firearms were rendered useless. The only means of self-defense were weapons and skills. The strong would always be revered; it has always been so.

"Wow, it's so much easier now! It used to take more than ten seconds just to kill one!" the rogue Jiang Yue exclaimed excitedly. "Maybe we'll be able to return to the city and turn in our quest before noon!"

At that moment, Zhao Nan's own quest had already been completed. But since he was still in the party, it wouldn't be right to leave abruptly. His attitude had shifted; the urgency from the beginning was gone, so he chose not to leave.

"Clear the area! Everyone, get out of here!"

Suddenly, a cold voice rang out. From the safe zone, a burly berserker wielding a massive axe stepped into the monster area. "Get lost!"

He was followed by five other players.

"They're members of 'Diablo'! Damn it!" The swordswoman Zhang Li gritted her teeth in indignation. "They're so overbearing!"

"Shh, keep it down! If they hear us, it could be deadly!" Li Meina tugged at Zhang Li's sleeve, whispering. "We'd better leave quickly!"

Most players still lingering here bowed their heads, silently heading toward the safe zone. Zhao Nan followed the crowd, arriving in the safe area.

"What is 'Diablo'?" Zhao Nan asked Xu Yang.

"You don't know?" Xu Yang replied in surprise. "Everyone knows about them these days!"

"Hm, I've been busy; I haven't returned to the city lately."

"I see..." Xu Yang nodded, looking at those slaughtering Chittering Cats in the monster area, sighing. "They were originally a gang of street thugs. A few days ago, their boss got a hidden class, and they became arrogant. Not only do they snatch monsters everywhere, they even attack players to steal money. If anyone resists, they kill without hesitation... Over a hundred players have died at their hands already. Now, they've occupied an abandoned building as their headquarters in Dongyuan City, recruiting low-level players every day."

"These people are nothing but bandits!" Zhang Li said angrily.

Xu Yang gave a wry smile. "Compared to others, they're not the worst. I heard that in the Eastern District, there's an organization called 'Blood Shadow.' Whenever their members appear, they clear the area, killing both monsters and players indiscriminately."

Zhao Nan nodded. The situation in Dongyuan City seemed even worse than he'd imagined. Not only were large factions forming, but power struggles had already begun.

"Strange, why would such high-level people come here?"

"See the female mage among them? She’s the boss of 'Diablo's' woman. They're leveling her up!"

"How nice, to have someone power-level you."

"Hmph, what's nice about it? She's just a cheap whore selling herself!" The voice was a bit loud.

Suddenly, those around him quickly stepped aside. Before he could react, a huge shadow loomed over him.

It was the berserker. He reached out, grabbed the man's arm, and with a jerk, dragged him out of the safe zone.

"Kill him!"

The woman at the center of the group pointed fiercely at the player thrown to the ground.

"Don’t kill me, I didn’t mean it! I just talk too much, please forgive me… don’t!"

Terrified, the player crawled on the ground, but the berserker's axe did not hesitate, slashing a deep wound across his back. His health bar instantly dropped by more than seventy percent.

"We can't let someone die for nothing."

Xu Yang hurriedly said, about to rush out of the safe zone, but was pulled back.

"Zhao Nan, what are you doing?"

Zhao Nan shook his head, pointing ahead.

A tall swordsman suddenly leaped out from somewhere, blocking the berserker’s axe and rescuing the player.

"You again! Hmph, I didn’t notice you before, but this time I won’t let you escape!" The berserker narrowed his eyes, his voice vicious.

"Hey, brother, don't you think you're a bit too strong?" The tall swordsman laughed, and the sword in his hand suddenly flashed with intense light.

"Heavy Slash!"

The berserker was knocked back, retreating several steps, shaking his head forcefully. Taking advantage of the pause, the swordsman quickly helped the injured player, pushed him toward the safe zone, and darted into safety himself.

"It’s a stun effect—damn it!" The berserker recovered, saw both men safely inside, and ground his teeth in rage.

"Useless!" The woman approached with her people. "Drag him out for me!"

"Got it, sis!"

Several 'Diablo' members strode into the safe zone. One sneered, "Kid, you want to be a hero?"

"I just can't stand your methods," the tall swordsman replied with a grin.

At that moment, three others appeared at his side, forming a barrier against the enemy.

"Get out of the way!" the berserker roared.

But the three standing before the swordsman ignored him. One glanced back, rolled his eyes, and muttered, "Mingyang, you're such a troublemaker… honestly!"

"Sorry for dragging you guys into this!"

"What are you saying? Bros for life!"

"Get lost, you’re the one with a bromance!"

The four began laughing together. This completely enraged the 'Diablo' group, who rushed forward.

Gao Mingyang and his three friends met their attack head-on. The four seemed quite accustomed to fighting together. Their coordination was excellent. Within the safe zone, where skills couldn’t be used, they managed to suppress 'Diablo's' side.

In just over ten seconds, they drove their opponents out of the safe zone.

Everyone cheered.

"Good, good! If you’re so tough, then don’t leave this place!" The berserker gritted his teeth, suddenly activating his bracelet.

Ignoring the berserker’s threats, Gao Mingyang helped the wounded player up, fed him a healing potion, then stood and raised his middle finger at the berserker.

"Come in if you dare!"

The berserker sneered, sitting down on the spot, his axe planted beside him, eyes full of menace.

At that moment, a few figures crossed the Chittering Cat zone, approaching the berserker. In just over ten seconds, more arrived from another direction.

The berserker finally spoke, "Surround this place—don’t let anyone out!"

"Yes, boss!"

In less than half an hour, Gao Mingyang’s face grew increasingly grim. Because in that half hour, there were now two or three hundred people outside the safe zone.

They had completely surrounded the area.

The berserker then said, "I’ll give you a chance! Hand that guy over! If not, I’ll have my men guard this place—none of you will get out! Anyone who shelters them will starve to death! I’ll wait ten minutes! After ten minutes, whether you hand them over or not, none of you are leaving!"

Gao Mingyang and his friends looked increasingly uneasy.

Unfriendly gazes had begun to gather from all sides.

"Sorry, I don’t want to die…"

Suddenly, Gao Mingyang felt someone push him hard from behind. He stumbled forward, and when he came to his senses, he had stepped out of the safe zone… At the same time, his three companions were pushed out as well.

"This is… human nature."

Zhao Nan sighed, and in the chaos, quietly stepped out of the safe zone himself.