Resources and troops were both in crisis, and to make things worse, their leader wasn't around. Naturally, the Pillagers were all in a panic.
The Pillager Captain grew more anxious the longer he thought about it. He stood up and walked to Fat Cow, asking, "There's no point in waiting here any longer! This place isn't safe either!"
"Since you said the rainforest is safe, why can't we just go there directly? Seek refuge in the rainforest? The leader also went to the rainforest, and he's been gone for so long, we must go check on him!"
Although there were quite a few players in Fat Cow's base, to the Pillagers, this place didn't feel safe at all.
The enemy didn't even need to attack directly; they could simply deploy the troops from the barracks and guide them over here, easily surrounding and capturing every player in this base.
If it reached that point, there would be no saving the situation.
Fat Cow was just about to refute the Pillager Captain's words when a player came running in, panting heavily. "Boss!! …They're… they're back!!…"
Hearing this, Fat Cow let out a long breath of relief, and the heavy weight on his heart finally dropped. Without even having time to reassure the Pillagers, he left everyone behind and rushed straight outside the base.
The moment he ran out, he came face-to-face with Xu Yuan and the Pillager King, who were walking toward the base. Fat Cow froze in place at the sight.
"M-my… my king?!!…"
"Y-you… you actually came in person?!"
Fat Cow never imagined Xu Yuan would come here himself.
He glanced at the Pillager King beside him, then tilted his head to peek behind Xu Yuan. Immediately, he noticed that aside from the Pillager King, Xu Yuan hadn't brought any other players along.
Though surprised and confused, Fat Cow didn't have time to think much about it given how urgent the situation was. He quickly half-knelt before Xu Yuan and began reporting the current circumstances.
"I've already brought the Pillagers back to the base!"
"As for the meat field… I don't know if it's been discovered yet… I didn't dare to send anyone to guard it…"
"But the meat field should already be in grave danger. If it's discovered, our passageway will also be exposed…"
While Fat Cow was speaking, his players and the Pillagers had also run outside one after another.
Seeing Fat Cow kneeling before Xu Yuan, the players immediately recognized who he was.
"H-HI… m-my… my king!!"
"It's the King?!!! The King actually came in person?!!!!"
"Oh my god!! I'm so excited!! I never thought I'd see the real King in my lifetime!!!"
"He's clearly just like us, a player, yet his aura hasn't weakened at all… that's insane…"
"Yeah… I used to think his presence came from his looks… but it's not about looks at all…"
"Oh my god… so that's what the King really looks like!! He's so handsome!! (Wait, can I say that?)"
Fat Cow's players were being a bit over the top, but it was understandable. After all, they were just a bunch of casual players. Before this, they'd only ever seen Xu Yuan through gameplay recordings.
And even in those recordings, his appearance couldn't be seen clearly, it was always a blur of pixels.
Now that they were seeing him in person, it was no wonder they were so excited.
All of Fat Cow's players rushed to stand behind him, faces full of excitement, and then they all dropped to one knee in unison.
"My King! You've finally arrived!!"
"Thank goodness!! The King has come to save us!!"
"Huh… aside from the Pillager King, did the King not bring anyone else?"
"Yeah… but the situation here is, "
"Are you doubting the King?! Isn't his strength alone enough for you?!"
Seeing the players' reaction, the Pillagers were stunned.
They had never seen anything like this and didn't know how to respond for a moment.
But from the way the players addressed Xu Yuan, and their excited tone, they could tell who he was.
Though Xu Yuan and the Pillager King had come together, the Pillagers didn't understand the connection between the two of them.
Just as they were about to step forward and ask the Pillager King, he suddenly moved ahead quickly, came to stand in front of Xu Yuan, then turned around and dropped to one knee, his voice full of respect as he spoke loudly.
"My King."
"I will lead all Pillagers to follow your command!"
This sudden scene left the Pillagers completely shocked. They had thought the Pillager King would personally lead them, but they hadn't expected him to choose obedience instead.
His action made it clear what they were supposed to do next.
The Pillagers had always followed the Pillager King unconditionally. Now that he had firmly chosen to follow Xu Yuan, they had no reason to object.
They quickly stepped forward and knelt behind the Pillager King in unison.
"We await your command!"
"Skurisanu!"
"Skurisanu!"
Xu Yuan raised his hand, signaling everyone to stand, then turned to the Pillager King and said, "Send someone to the meat field to check the situation."
The Pillager King didn't hesitate upon hearing this and was about to pick someone when Fat Cow anxiously stopped him.
"My King…"
"We can't confirm the safety of the meat field right now… entering recklessly might not be wise!…"
Fat Cow had been worried all along that the meat field might be discovered, which was why he hadn't sent anyone there, afraid of alerting the enemy.
Now that Xu Yuan wanted to send someone to scout it out, Fat Cow couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Of course, his concern came from a good place, he was only thinking of the group's safety.
Even though Fat Cow voiced his objection, the Pillager King didn't take his advice. He scanned his subordinates, then selected one of the most agile Pillagers.
"You go."
The chosen Pillager didn't hesitate and immediately stepped forward.
Seeing that, Xu Yuan reminded him, "Don't use the passageway. Enter from the outer edge of the forest. Once you've observed the situation, report back right away. Remember to return the same way."
The Pillager nodded in response, then turned and sprinted toward the forest.
Watching him go, Fat Cow felt deeply conflicted.
He knew he should trust Xu Yuan's command, but he couldn't shake his worry.
He understood better than anyone how dangerous the meat field was, and he couldn't help but feel anxious about whether Xu Yuan and the Pillager King could handle things smoothly.
At that moment, Fat Cow realized that his earlier objection might have caused unnecessary trouble.
He had simply acted too hastily, but now that he'd calmed down, he realized his behavior might've been out of line.
Xu Yuan had personally come to handle this matter and only brought the Pillager King with him, that alone showed he had full confidence in what he was doing.
Fat Cow understood that if Xu Yuan thought it necessary to act this way, it was because he had already thought it through completely.
Even the Pillager King and the Pillagers, who were directly involved, had obeyed his order without hesitation.
So Fat Cow no longer needed to worry.
Thinking this, he felt a pang of guilt.
He realized that what he had done earlier showed a lack of trust in Xu Yuan.
With that thought, he looked at Xu Yuan apologetically and said, "My King… I…"
Fat Cow was about to explain himself when Xu Yuan interrupted.
"I would never send anyone into danger without absolute certainty."
"The chance of the meat field being discovered is less than 5%."
"Whether it's safe or not directly affects whether our next moves can proceed smoothly."
"That's why we must confirm its condition."
Xu Yuan actually didn't need to explain all that, but since everyone had to wait for the scout's report before moving forward, he used the time to clear up their doubts.
Although the Pillager King and the Pillagers carried out his orders without hesitation, they still had plenty of questions in their hearts.
After all, this was their first time meeting Xu Yuan; it was natural that they couldn't fully understand his methods yet.
Even if their faces showed no emotion, deep down they were all uneasy.
Upon hearing Xu Yuan's words, the Pillager King immediately grasped his meaning.
After thinking for a moment, he turned to the Pillagers and said, "We can't pinpoint the enemy's exact location, but on the way here, the King and I already simulated their approximate positions."
"The accuracy should be over 95%."
"At this point, the enemy has most likely found our barracks."
"You all know where the barracks are, spread out across the east, west, south, and north of the forest."
"The enemy's goal is to capture us alive."
"Since that's their goal, their best course of action is to wait for us at the barracks."
"So once they find the barracks, they won't keep digging further."
"The meat field is in the central area of the forest, away from all barracks and at a different elevation."
"That means the chance of it being discovered is very low."
After saying that, the Pillager King glanced at Xu Yuan and continued, "As the King just said, the chance of the meat field being found is 5%."
"In other words, Tulsac's chance of being spotted is only 5%. Considering his agility, and the fact that the King told him to enter from the forest's edge, that probability becomes even lower."
After he finished, the Pillager King looked to Xu Yuan again, as if seeking confirmation.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan nodded, affirming his reasoning.
It had to be said, after his recent conversations with Xu Yuan, the Pillager King had truly grown.
Xu Yuan hadn't explained any of this to him directly. All of this was his own deduction, drawn from understanding Xu Yuan's thinking.