Chapter 130: Counter-Ambush

At Liu Zong’s words, the three members of Xu Ying’s group reacted differently. Yuan Ying looked utterly disbelieving; she could never have imagined that Liu Gu and the others would arrive so soon.

Reina needed only a moment to understand. In silence, she put on her equipment, opened the book in her hands, and began summoning various creatures in preparation for battle.

As for Xu Ying, he had already merged with the Bone Lion. Before covering his face with the mask, he looked at Liu Zong and said, “I’m very pleased that you made Lu Shang withdraw. Last time, you left him to face danger alone; this time, you’ve given him a safe escape. That’s only fair. But I still don’t understand how you knew the enemy was about to arrive. Even I haven’t detected anything yet.”

Liu Zong glanced at the mark Yuan Ying had pointed out earlier. “That mark was clearly carved just now. Whoever made it can’t be far from us. They left us this information to tell us who the enemy is and roughly where they’ll gather.”

“Then shouldn’t we simply run away now?” Yuan Ying asked, puzzled.

“But don’t forget—we didn’t ride our flying mounts all the way there. We dismounted halfway and even retraced our steps for a while. What do you think Liu Gu will do after hearing the news? Wait until everyone has gathered before turning back to pursue us, or…”

“He’ll probably bring whoever is already with him and come after us immediately.” Xu Ying interrupted Liu Zong. “I understand your idea now. This is the best moment to strike back. Are you planning to use this opportunity to kill Liu Gu instead?”

Liu Zong shook his head. “That isn’t my plan. Even if Liu Gu has no one else around him, he can certainly gather several Level Ones. We can’t afford to fight them head-on. My idea is to create a temporary vacuum in the area, giving us a chance to escape.”

“A vacuum in the area?” Xu Ying and the others were all elite students. Even if they had never studied strategy formally, they had some understanding of the concept.

A localized vacuum meant eliminating the enemy’s nearby scouts and informants, then turning back or changing direction toward a place the enemy would never expect, using the disappearance of their eyes and ears to escape.

Of course, most people understood the principle. Carrying it out was another matter entirely. In the game, there were far too many tracking and search abilities. Even if one vanished for a time, leaving behind the slightest clue was enough to be discovered again.

For that reason, Xu Ying and the others did not believe Liu Zong could truly get them away.

Yet Liu Zong spoke with complete confidence. “On this map, there is only one kind of mount: the giant locust. Apart from those that fly along fixed routes, there are also some players who can rent mounts as transportation because of their status.

“These mounts fly lower than ordinary flying mounts, but they aren’t slow. Once the enemy realizes we haven’t arrived, the first people to hurry over will certainly be players riding mounts.

“That is where our opportunity lies.”

By then, Liu Zong had explained nearly the whole plan. Xu Ying and the others exchanged glances and nodded. In truth, there was no comparison between running on foot and riding giant locusts.

They also knew that, at this stage, only a minority of players possessed mounts. If they could seize some, their chances of survival would increase considerably.

After exchanging another glance, they quickly headed back the way they had come. Since they now had a clear objective, they did not have to go far before finding the enemies they were looking for.

Three players were riding giant locusts toward them. It was obvious that all three possessed Level One strength. None wore equipment, but their faces had clearly been coated with something that made them glow red. They paid no attention to their appearance, chatting as they rode.

When Yuan Ying saw them from a distance, she quietly introduced them. “They’re members of the Student Committee Autonomous Council. It looks like they’ve come to hunt us down. The stuff on their faces is Agony Furnace Ash, a material used for killing members of the same faction. Once it’s applied, even allies become enemies. What do we do now?”

“They intend to kill us, so we can’t let them off either. Take them out. Xu Ying and I will each take one giant locust. You and Reina can share the third. Then we leave immediately.”

Liu Zong made his decision swiftly, assigning the battle at the same time. He would handle one enemy, Xu Ying another, and Yuan Ying and Reina would deal with the last.

Their group had fought together for many days, and they had a fairly good understanding of one another’s abilities. Everyone accepted Liu Zong’s arrangement. Reina even patted her trembling chest and said, “Don’t worry. Once I’ve killed my enemy, I’ll come help you.”

Liu Zong said nothing more. He began studying the equipment worn by the three approaching players from a distance, using it to determine their classes.

Although the three newcomers belonged to the same group, there was no obvious division into warrior, mage, and healer. Clearly, they were not a well-coordinated party.

That made the battle plan somewhat more difficult. Since they were not fighting according to party tactics, each of the three would likely have a specialty of his own. If they could not kill them immediately, the enemies’ counterattacks would drag the battle out for a long time.

After dividing the opponents among themselves, Liu Zong fixed his eyes on the one he had chosen: a man clad in white armor.

The man carried himself well. His armor was full-body heavy plate, equipment commonly used by heavily armored classes such as paladins and knights. A long sword was strapped to his back, and from a distance, it appeared nearly taller than he was.

From that, Liu Zong could tell that the man wielded a two-handed sword and focused on offense. Without a shield, his defense would not be especially high; without a warhammer, healing was unlikely to be his specialty. If Liu Zong could inflict a serious wound immediately and then restrain him with a control skill, victory was still possible.

Having reached his conclusion, Liu Zong did not interfere with Xu Ying and the others as they prepared. He merely drew his spear and readied himself for battle.

At the same time, the demon Lolan, summoned long before, had already gathered Big Bear into her arms and was waiting for Liu Zong’s command.

Xu Ying, Yuan Ying, and Reina had likewise assessed their respective opponents. They had even made minor adjustments based on what they had observed. The weapon in Xu Ying’s hand, for instance, had changed from an ordinary hammer into a magical artifact covered in spikes. Several butterflies no larger than thumbs had also appeared among the creatures surrounding Reina.