Chapter 133: A Variety of Information (Bonus Chapter for 20,000)

Two hours later, Liu Zong and his group were steadily closing in on the palace district of the Yadala insect people. Along the way, some pedestrians began to appear, forcing them to slow down considerably.

At that moment, a jewel-crafted spider appeared before Liu Zong. Calm and collected, he caught it and extracted a note from within.

It was a message sent by Lü Shang. Lü Shang was no fool; shortly after departing, he had pieced together Liu Zong’s intentions from various sources. He didn’t try to seek out Liu Zong, knowing well that his own strength was too limited to offer meaningful assistance.

Taking advantage of everyone’s focus on Liu Zong’s party, Lü Shang slipped away to a hotel to gather intelligence. Every half hour, he sent updates directly to Liu Zong.

Thanks to Lü Shang’s intelligence, Liu Zong learned that besides Liu Gu and his nearly hundred-strong personal guard, there were two other formidable adversaries ahead.

One was a notorious troublemaker at the school—a player named Le Congyang. Though his strength was only at Level 0, his fearsome reputation was well-known. Le Congyang never stuck to tasks obediently; his favorite pastime was challenging other players to all manner of PvP battles—whether it was capturing flags at the city gate, ambushing enemy faction players guarding corpses, or launching surprise attacks on allies from behind.

This time, he came armed with an especially twisted tool: the Torment Incense Burner.

Among some players, this item was considered a PvP artifact on par with the War Shackles. Legend had it that by smearing the painful ashes from the burner onto one’s face, a player could activate a same-faction kill mode, allowing them to freely engage in PvP against their own faction players for 24 hours. Of course, this put them squarely in the crosshairs of their faction’s guards and players.

But the burner’s power didn’t end there. If one was willing to sacrifice the burner itself by burying it somewhere, it would emanate a 10-mile radius aura, forcing everyone within that range into PvP mode for over eight hours.

Anyone killed under this effect, even in self-defense, would not be spared—the faction guards would strike down the killer without question.

Rumor had it that Liu Gu had promised Le Congyang that no matter how large a mess he made this time, Liu Gu would bear the consequences. This assurance was what finally convinced the PvP maniac to unleash the power of the Torment Incense Burner against Liu Zong’s group.

Upon learning this, Lü Shang immediately relayed the warning to Liu Zong and kept a close watch on Le Congyang’s movements, hoping Liu Zong would avoid stepping into the burner’s deadly range.

The other formidable figure at Liu Gu’s side was a high-caliber player named Lou Shuwen. While Liu Gu generally looked down on ordinary players, he still needed help completing tasks, which was why he maintained a personal guard of nearly a hundred.

Lou Shuwen, however, was different. Though he came from the Student Autonomous Committee, he disliked its atmosphere and preferred mingling with ordinary players, recruiting suitable allies under his own vision.

After years of effort, he had assembled a loyal following whose members were roughly equal in strength. During the school’s territorial battles, some of them had even leveled up to Level 1.

In fact, Lou Shuwen’s faction—known as the Brotherhood—was regarded as the strongest private armed force within the school.

Compared to Le Congyang, Lou Shuwen’s team was more dangerous because of their seamless coordination. Once they locked onto a target, escape or counterattack was nearly impossible.

By contrast, Liu Gu’s personal guard was composed mostly of ordinary players who had merely come to complete tasks; their combat prowess was relatively weak.

Although they were still traveling, Liu Zong used the information from Lü Shang to analyze the enemies they faced alongside Xu Ying and the others.

As a member of the Student Autonomous Committee, Yuan Ying was aware of the Brotherhood’s strength and Le Congyang’s twisted tactics. She hoped to avoid contact with these two factions altogether.

But Liu Zong understood that if he thought that way, the enemy surely would, too. According to Lü Shang’s latest report, Le Congyang’s men were already nearing the palace district. It was clear that with Liu Gu’s backing, Le Congyang felt free to go all out.

Both Liu Zong and Lü Shang believed Le Congyang was a reckless madman willing to risk everything. If he intended to make a big move, the palace district would likely fall within the Torment Incense Burner’s deadly aura.

“He will definitely do it,” Liu Zong said confidently after finishing the analysis. “We only have one chance: before eliminating the enemies, we must rush into the palace grounds. There, they will be the primary targets of the guards, and only afterward will the guards turn their attention to us for accidentally killing a few enemies.

“Of course, if we fail to reach the palace quickly, once those PvP experts latch onto us, we’re as good as dead.”

Liu Zong sounded unconcerned as he continued, “Actually, death isn’t the worst outcome. What’s terrifying is that we plan to leave the map to rest briefly. Once we die outside, the penalty timer starts immediately. To return, we’d have to wait three months—and I can’t guarantee we’ll even be able to regroup then.”

“Can we approach the Torment Incense Burner’s range without entering it? After all, it’s a one-time-use item. Once activated, it expires after 24 hours,” Yuan Ying suddenly suggested.

Liu Zong shook his head. “No use. That’s exactly why Liu Gu agreed to Le Congyang’s plan. If we trigger the burner but don’t enter its range, Liu Gu will have 24 hours to surround and easily eliminate us.”

“Then let’s just break through it directly. It’s PvP, after all,” Xu Ying said coldly. “I believe our strength is enough to take some of them down with us.”

Liu Zong shook his head again. At that moment, Reina asked, “If we activate the Torment Incense Burner and then retreat, how long will it take for the enemy to locate us?”

Liu Zong paused, then considered a possibility. “If that happens, Le Congyang’s men should appear immediately. I don’t know how many will come, but following them will be Liu Gu’s personal guard—they’re not far behind. As for the Brotherhood, I’m not sure.”

“Is it possible to draw Le Congyang’s men out first, then rush into the burner’s aura?” Reina asked. “I know a method: sacrificing a mount’s life to boost its speed by 300%. We know the palace terrain; five miles is just a few minutes’ ride. If we can withstand their attacks, breaking into the palace zone would be a victory.”

Liu Zong’s expression shifted repeatedly. “Then we’ll need a plan to counter their control skills.”