"Where's the target?"
"I heard from that bitch Talulah that we're headed for the Noble District. No, seriously, why are we playing games with those Infected? I've got reliable intel that the remaining civilians and police are all holed up in the campus area. Why don't we go there and slaughter some NPCs for fun?"
"How many nobles could there be anyway? And it's not like the loot will be shared fairly. Boss, what do you say? Why not just charge straight into the campus and wipe out all the NPCs there?"
Under crimson name tags, hundreds of players dressed in black gathered together. After entering the city, they were recognized as the highest combat power among the adventurers and were ordered by Talulah to head to the Noble District to support the remaining Reunion forces. Their destructive capability was more than enough to earn Talulah's respect. Every single one of them fought like a madman. Those who charged forward with Originium explosives strapped to their bodies, launching suicidal attacks without regard for their own lives, were them. Those lunatics who traded their lives one for one with the police were also them.
With Originium Arts that granted them immortality, they were the most terrifying enemies to face. As allies, however, they were the most reliable.
Talulah valued them highly. Within Reunion, their status was second only to the Shieldguards. For a group that had joined later, this was already an extraordinary position. The rest of Reunion dared not voice any complaints. Though they too harbored hatred, they were fundamentally different from these people who, knowing they could not truly die, charged headlong into suicidal assaults without caring about pain or injury.
Their rank might have been slightly lower than that of the Shieldguards, but they believed that if they relied on suicide attacks, they could slaughter every Shieldguard without exception.
They were the infamous red-named guild Laughing Coffin, notorious throughout Ursus and the surrounding regions for committing every imaginable atrocity. Their guild leader's ID was Butcher. His weapon was a massive two-handed cleaver, forged by noble craftsmen he had coerced. Despite the name Butcher, which conjured images of a hulking brute, he was instead a pale, refined-looking young man. The corners of his lips curved faintly upward, his gaze fixed straight ahead, carrying a chilling, commanding presence.
"Of course we're going to slaughter NPCs."
Butcher said it as if it were the most natural thing in the world. He tapped the large Originium crystal embedded in his shoulder and turned his head with an excited smile. "We've killed plenty of nobles lately. It's about time we changed flavors. Besides, other than civilians, aren't there some pretty good toys too?"
"Boss, you mean?"
"The police."
Butcher's words were dangerously seductive. "They're standing on the front line to protect their families. Isn't that the perfect side dish?"
"Yeah, yeah! Killing their families right in front of them and savoring the look of despair on their faces. That really does sound tastier than nobles."
The black-clad players burst into laughter. Butcher grinned as he stoked the mood. "There's top-grade meat here, waiting for us to hunt. Let's go and devour them."
"Ohhhhh!"
Not far away, several Reunion players watched coldly. After Laughing Coffin departed, they exchanged glances and nodded before sending private messages to their friends.
Aside from Laughing Coffin, the remaining thousand orange- and red-named players moved as if they had coordinated beforehand, all rushing toward the campus.
Laughing Coffin ran on for some distance and found not a soul in sight. The residents in the buildings on either side seemed to have been evacuated long ago. Butcher's eyesight was sharp. From afar, he spotted the direction of the police. "Hongyan, Joe. Time to move."
Hongyan twirled his throwing knives and led his squad into the shadows, while Joe raised his crossbow and sprinted forward, lining up at the front.
He pulled the trigger. Bolts tore through the air. A few slammed into the defensive formations, while many more fell uselessly to the ground due to the poor quality of the crossbows. Only a handful struck a policeman, pinning him lifelessly to the ground.
"Enemy attack!"
A shout with a thick Ursus accent rang out. Hongyan cackled wildly. In the darkness, his crimson eyes gleamed as his dagger plunged mercilessly into the police ranks.
In an instant, four or five were wounded. Their hands trembled as they gripped their weapons, only to realize that their strength was utterly insufficient. What were these black-clad people?
"Welcome to becoming Infected! Hahahahaha!"
Hongyan licked the blood from his dagger, eagerly awaiting the moment the police would break down.
But he was disappointed.
Even as they bled, even as they were wounded, even knowing they would become Infected, the police still held the line. Their feet did not waver. Their eyes remained resolute, filled with conviction.
"Hah… I thought they'd collapse. Still, they're more fun than nobles."
"Hongyan, stop yapping. Wouldn't it be more satisfying to cripple them first and play with them slowly? Oh, and be careful not to get warned and logged off."
"Shut up, Joe. I know my limits."
The front line instantly descended into chaos. Butcher stood calmly at the rear, clapping his hands. He glanced at the dozen or so red-named players nearby. "You, break through and raid the camp. Target the students specifically. You know what to do."
"Hehehe, boss. Of course we do."
The police were thrown into panic. Their numbers were already thin, and now they were being battered by continuous charges from hundreds of red-named players. They quickly fell into a losing position. Hongyan walked up to a policeman lying on the ground, a glaring, deranged grin on his face, and drove his dagger down hard.
The policeman did not make a sound.
Hongyan clicked his tongue. "Boring."
"Let's go. Time to have some fun in the camp."
Just as Hongyan took a step forward, his shoulder was hit. His HP dropped instantly from green to red. His body lurched, and he rolled into cover, crouching down as he wrapped the wound and ate rations to recover his health.
"Enemy attack!"
This time, the shout came from the hundreds of Laughing Coffin members themselves. They heard the familiar yet alien roar of aircraft engines. Looking up, they saw dozens of transport planes tearing through the thick clouds. The planes swept over the campus, and dense clusters of small black figures leapt out. Many didn't even use parachutes, landing directly on rooftops before bounding down to the ground in a few jumps, completely unscathed.
Something like this could only be done in a game. After all, the physiques of Terra's people were terrifying.
Hundreds of those black figures landed in front of the defensive line. At the forefront stood a woman with a cold expression, metal-sheened mechanical gauntlets fitted over her hands holding war flag as spear. It was Kumori, the chief regiment leader of the Emperor's Children. Behind her, Cabus spat onto the ground, Huangtian Houtu wore a solemn expression, Cosmic clenched his fists with veins bulging, and Yanfei's beautiful eyes burned with fury.
Medics in the squad immediately began emergency treatment. Though their timely efforts saved the policemen's lives, Originium particles had already entered their bloodstreams. Their infection was inevitable. They had become Infected, exactly as Laughing Coffin had intended. Their lives were spared so they could suffer as Infected.
In truth, this had always been Reunion's style.
"Well, if it isn't the professionals," Butcher said, his voice brimming with excitement, like a fan meeting his idols. At his words, the Laughing Coffin members all bared their teeth in laughter, their tones dripping with sarcasm and mockery.
"Captain Cosmic, it's such an honor to meet you online. Your performance in tournaments, really, really makes us players proud."
"Shut up, trash," Cosmic replied coldly. "Scum like you can only get your kicks by slaughtering NPCs."
"Oh? But isn't this a real world?" Butcher suddenly raised his voice, spreading his arms like a seasoned orator. "NPCs don't respawn when they're killed. Kill a quest NPC and the quest disappears. You kill an NPC's child, and the parents will still ask you to help find their kid as a quest. Isn't that the most wonderful world imaginable?"
"In a world like this, who's going to punish me? The law? Justice? Or morality?"
Butcher laughed. "It's just a game. Don't take it so seriously."
"Attack."
Kumori had studied English and could more or less understand what the other side was saying. She had no intention of listening to a madman ramble and issued the order without hesitation.
Those among the Emperor's Children who understood were furious. Those who didn't could still tell that Butcher was asking for a beating. At Kumori's command, hundreds of professional players drew their weapons and lunged at Laughing Coffin like a pack of wolves.
Butcher drew his weapon. A sinister slash swept toward Kumori's lower body, then twisted halfway through its arc, redirecting toward her neck.
Clang!
Kumori's iron fist caught the blade, and her other fist slammed toward Butcher's chest. Butcher abandoned his weapon and retreated explosively. As he rolled back, several daggers flew toward Kumori and she immediately grabbing her war flag.
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
War flag knocked the daggers aside. Kumori advanced again with an impassive expression, crushing Butcher's blade in his grip.
"Tch, weapon advantage. That's really unfair,"
Butcher chuckled.
The remaining Laughing Coffin members collided with the Emperor's Children, and the fight collapsed almost instantly. Their weapons either snapped or shattered on impact. Under the coordinated encirclement of the Emperor's Children, every usable weapon was quickly destroyed, and the durability of their armor was nearly depleted.
"I'll cover the rear."
Several Laughing Coffin members laughed wildly as they charged straight at the Emperor's Children. With a deafening explosion, their bodies turned to smoke and vanished from the world. Originium bombs detonated violently, blasting every corner of the area. Only three scorched black marks were left on the ground.
"Tch."
Cabus spat in disgust. As the shields generated by Clever dissipated, the Emperor's Children stood unharmed, though the shockwaves had left them looking somewhat disheveled.
"These bastards…"
Huangtian Houtu clenched his teeth. "Not treating NPC lives as lives is one thing. But pulling this kind of suicide attack themselves too. I heard from the guide team that they were just outlaws. Turns out they're a bunch of lunatics."
"They are evil,"
Yanfei said calmly. "They deliberately left those policemen alive. They clearly had the ability to kill them, but instead chose to turn them into Infected, just to watch them break down."
"Fuck Reunion. Fuck Laughing Coffin!"
Cosmic cursed loudly. "They're a disgrace among players, no... among humanity, the scum of scum. I'll blow every last one of them to pieces!"
What truly enraged him was the fact that more than half of Laughing Coffin's members were North American players. As a leading figure among North American players, Cosmic hated this kind of rotten-apple behavior more than anything. If there were fewer of them, maybe he wouldn't be this furious. But reality was reality. Whether as an individual or as a professional player, his hatred for Laughing Coffin ran bone-deep.
"Kumori, where do we move next?"
"Other squads have also run into red-named players,"
Kumori replied after ending her communication with the other team leaders. "They were even weaker than Laughing Coffin and have already been driven off. The red-named players are retreating toward Noble Street."
Huangtian Houtu scratched his brow. "Those guys don't seriously think we're here to save the nobles, do they?"
"Have you forgotten this mission?"
[B-Rank Mission: Storm over Chernobog]
[Mission Details: You have received a commission from the King of Dawn. Together with your squad, you are to head to Chernobog. Upon arrival, you realize that the city is nothing like the reconnaissance reports described. What you thought would be a simple mission assisting Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical has instead drawn you into a far greater vortex.]
[Mission Requirements: Civilian survival rate 60 percent, Chernobog structural integrity 50 percent, Reunion forces defeated and driven out of Chernobog.]
[Rewards: 100,000 EXP]
[Special Reward: Title "Storm Guardian"]
"The civilian survival rate has already dropped below seventy percent," someone muttered. "It's at sixty-eight percent now. Those damn Reunion bastards, why did they have to make this mission so hard?"
The players immediately began complaining.
Uzi's face flushed again at the mention of protecting civilians, clearly reminded of something unpleasant, his temper visibly heating up.
"Don't pursue a cornered enemy. Reunion's main force,"
Kumori said firmly, "according to intel from our informants, is holding positions outside Noble Street. We'll go scout it."
"Reunion's past may be worthy of sympathy," she continued, her tone resolute, "but what they're doing now is no different from the enforcers they once opposed. Reunion has become a tumor among the Infected, shaming countless others who struggle and fight for their ideals."
"Claiming they represent the rights of the Infected?"
She gave a cold laugh. "They don't deserve it."