Chapter 355 A Knife Hanging Overhead

The news of the assassinations of the two guild leaders spread quickly. The eight hundred or so guilds in Cloudreach City were all on edge, feeling as if a knife was hanging over their heads. Previously, they had secretly enjoyed watching Qianli Yizui turn several large guilds upside down. Now, recalling that situation, they felt as if they were experiencing it firsthand, as if it would soon happen to them.

Even more terrifying was that bad news continued to arrive. While everyone was still discussing the murders of Guild Leaders Yuntian and Black Night, three more guild leaders of level-five guilds were killed one after another. As before, the assassins quickly disappeared after succeeding, and no one had a chance to catch a glimpse of them. The only good news from these three assassinations was that the three guild leaders were not declared completely dead like Black Night.

The city war quickly came to a halt. The guilds, which had been fighting to the death on the battlefield, retreated from the front lines. No one wanted to be assassinated in such a chaotic situation without knowing why. In fact, everyone realized that the target was only the guild leaders, so some guilds simply had their leaders withdraw from the front lines while the members continued to fight. Others felt that it was too embarrassing for the leader to hide, so they simply led the entire guild to retreat. The player legions, which already had no advantage, suddenly had fewer troops, were beaten back a thousand *li* by the system guards, and the battlefield quickly became desolate. Only the system guards flaunted their power, and the players who rushed out of the resurrection camp hesitated, seeing the pitiful manpower around them.

"We can't fight like this!!" Many players smashed cheap items to express their anger.

"Qianli Yizui must be eliminated!" A person with insight said.

"The city war will never have peace until Qianli Yizui is eliminated." As he was saying this, more news came: the fifth guild leader had fallen. But this one was even luckier than Black Finger; he wasn't honor-killed, only died once. So, he didn't suffer the harsh penalty of fifteen deaths and was currently thanking heaven for its favor in the resurrection camp.

Gu Fei was only human; he made mistakes. Especially since the other party was already in combat, it was hard to be precise about how much life they had left. This time, his damage control wasn't accurate, and he accidentally killed the person. Now, his and Huo Qiu's duo operation was temporarily suspended. Huo Qiu still had the person's quest, and to complete it, he'd have to chase him to the resurrection camp. But now, the city war had once again come to a standstill, and a large number of players had withdrawn from the battlefield and gathered outside. Gu Fei and Huo Qiu took advantage of the guild's withdrawal, but now the two of them stood out on the battlefield plain, as there were almost no players left.

"I didn't expect it to have such an impact so quickly," You Ge and the others said, staring at the empty battlefield in astonishment. They had completed a wave of tasks and were searching for new targets, but the world was so desolate that they were the only ones left.

"I thought we could play like this for a while!" Yu Tian Shen Ming said regretfully. He had finally teamed up with a few girls for a quest, but they had only completed one before the enemies all retreated.

"Each group killed one, not bad," Jian Gui praised.

"Where is that bastard Shen Zhi Bu Qing!!!" The wails of Xi Yao Wu still echoed in the channel of Fei Chang Ni Tian. She still hadn't found her target.

"Should we go back to the city first? We seem a bit conspicuous right now…" You Ge suggested. With no chaotic battle on the battlefield, their group of players stood out in the middle.

"Well, everyone go back to the city first," Jian Gui ordered. Everyone returned to the city, except for Xi Yao Wu and Liu Xia, who were still wandering outside.

At the east gate, everyone gathered to discuss what to do next.

Outside the east gate, in the resurrection camp, a large number of guild leaders also gathered to discuss how to deal with Qianli Yizui and the others. Before, when Qianli Yizui was only causing trouble for Zongheng Sihai, no one wanted to get involved. But now that they realized that Qianli Yizui would come to them even if they didn't provoke him, no one wanted to sit around and wait to die.

"Honor kills, that's what they are…" The four major guilds seized the opportunity and immediately launched a propaganda campaign. Suddenly, long lines formed in front of the guard captains in each camp, as all the players came to receive the quest to kill Qianli Yizui and Jian Gui.

But after receiving the quests, everyone didn't know what to do. The quest didn't provide coordinates, and many people didn't even recognize Qianli Yizui and Jian Gui. The enemy was in the dark, and they were in the light; this feeling was really annoying. Everyone could only stare wide-eyed at the city gates, becoming nervous and alert whenever someone came out. After a long time, everyone had a lot of complaints.

"Who is that guy? He's always carrying a basket and picking up stones, pretending to be relaxed as if he's mocking us!"

"Who knows who he is? Maybe it's Qianli Yizui in disguise!"

"It's annoying. Have you ever seen Qianli Yizui?"

"No, have you?"

"No, I heard he wears black and has a purple sword."

"What if he changed his equipment?"

"Then I don't know, we'll just have to point and shoot when the time comes!"

Discussions were everywhere, but there was no concrete plan. The leaders of the four major guilds saw that this wasn't going anywhere. Everyone stopped attacking the city, but Qianli Yizui and the others didn't show up. Were they just going to guard outside the city and run these disgusting quests? Eight hundred-plus guilds, hundreds of thousands of people, scared by a few dozen people into not daring to attack the city? If this got out, wouldn't Cloudreach City be seen as the most worthless and garbage main city?

Players had a strong sense of honor for their main city, and no one could tolerate such an outcome. Nilu Ershang, the leader of Dui Jiu Dang Ge, one of the four major guilds, finally spoke, hoping that the guilds would unite and continue to attack the city. As for the task of protecting the guild leaders, it could be entrusted to the four hundred legions of their four major guilds. Nilu Ershang promised the guild leaders that these four hundred people were definitely the most elite team in Cloudreach City, all composed of elites from their four major guilds.

Some of the leaders of the smaller guilds thought that if the thousands of people in the big guilds couldn't do anything to Qianli Yizui, their entire guild wouldn't be a match if they were unlucky enough to run into him. They could only try their luck and play hide-and-seek. When Nilu Ershang released this news, many guild leaders were very supportive and came to report and accept protection.

Nilu Ershang further expanded the propaganda, emphasizing that collective protection could save a lot of manpower. This was naturally very reasonable. In the end, about ninety-five percent of the eight hundred-plus guilds in Cloudreach City participating in the city war decided to accept Nilu Ershang's suggestion. More than seven hundred guild leaders flocked to where Nilu Ershang and the others were stationed. As a result, there were a total of 764 guild leaders, but only four hundred people were responsible for protecting them.

Of course, these four hundred people were absolute elites, and among the 764 guild leaders, there were many experts, but there were also many noobs. Some level-30 trash guild leaders were mixed in, and Nilu Ershang treated everyone equally, but in their hearts, everyone felt that these guild leaders were taking themselves too seriously by coming to seek refuge. Qianli Yizui never targeted low-level players.

Guild leader gatherings weren't new, but this one was much more complete than the first. At this time, the Cloudreach Farmlands were full of guild leaders, which was extremely spectacular.

"Ahem, we have so many guild leaders, gathering together is also a force. Do you think it's still necessary to keep four hundred people for protection?" Wu Shi Zhi Jian said.

"Of course it's necessary," Nilu Ershang said. "These people are used to commanding others, and I doubt they can coordinate well if they're all piled together and have to listen to someone else's orders. Besides, this is all based on guild leaders, not on class, so there's not much balance. I roughly scanned around just now, and there are very few priests among the guild leaders, but a lot of warriors…"

"Hmm…" Veteran online gamers understood this phenomenon. There was a classic trinity of roles that had been used in the online gaming world for many years. Even in today's parallel world, these patterns and systems are sometimes used to fight enemies. In this tank, healer, and damage dealer combination, the warrior who serves as the tank is the foundation of the team's survival. This core role can easily and rightfully become the leader of a team, and when a guild is formed, they naturally become the guild leader.

"But four hundred people can't take care of seven hundred people, I think it's a bit too much. The guild leaders still have to organize themselves and become a fighting force if something happens," Nilu Ershang continued.

Everyone nodded and then very democratically made this suggestion to the guild leaders. In fact, after gathering, the guild leaders discovered that there were so many of them, and they became very brave. At this time, many people proposed that the four major guilds withdraw their four hundred people and they would protect themselves. As a result, Nilu Ershang had to explain again that the guild leaders didn't have class balance. As for everyone being a boss and possibly having difficulty coordinating, Nilu Ershang naturally couldn't say such unpleasant words publicly.

So, the guild leaders began to form teams in full swing. At the same time, the guild members under the guild leaders had already begun to act again, continuing the attrition warfare of attacking the city. After fighting for so long, the players also realized that the system guards had a limited number of reinforcements after being killed, so as long as they continued to wear them down, they could still win the city war by brute force. However, Qianli Yizui and his troublemaking gang had to be eliminated. At this time, the drawbacks of those guilds with "no leader" attributes were revealed. Their guild channels were actually shut down after entering this state. Without guild channels, they had to form teams to fight, and the lack of communication led to poor coordination and assistance.

Gu Fei and the others hadn't left the city during this time, but they had a clear grasp of the situation outside the city. Seven hundred-plus guild leaders gathered together, so it was easy to gather intelligence on such a big event. And Xi Yao Wu and Liu Xia were visiting to observe the situation. And in such a scene, Xi Yao Wu verbally refused, but in her heart, she gave up the initial idea of "taking advantage of the chaos to sneak in and kill Shen Zhi Bu Qing." At this time, the Cloudreach Farmlands were heavily guarded, and four hundred players completely blocked off the area, while the guild leaders were all holed up inside the circle, and no one went out. And anyone who wanted to enter the circle would be subjected to extremely strict scrutiny. Xi Yao Wu and Liu Xia didn't know what the scrutiny entailed, but they were stopped and questioned, so it was obvious that they couldn't sneak in. If they had to give their names and guilds, and then have the guild leaders verify them, they would be exposed.

"It's very convenient to do quests now, because all the guild leaders are in this one place," Xi Yao Wu and Liu Xia reported to the organization, disguised as two scouts.

"But it's very difficult to complete the quests, because the guild leaders are all herded together, and there are checks for entry and exit. It's more troublesome than going to the moon," Xi Yao Wu said.

"Have you been to the moon?" You Ge asked.

"I went once when I was a kid, it was very boring. I don't recommend it," Xi Yao Wu said.

Everyone was silent. Xi Yao Wu was indeed super rich. She had even experienced such a luxurious tourist activity as going to the moon.

"This is a chance to wipe them all out in one fell swoop!" Gu Fei said.

No one paid attention to him. A normal player's brain would never call this situation an "opportunity."

"Let's all think together, what can we use in this situation?" Jian Gui called on everyone to brainstorm.

"I think it's impossible to continue the quest to assassinate the guild leaders for the time being," You Ge said.

"Of course."

"Why don't we look for some big quests in the city?" You Ge suggested.

"Okay, okay!!" Liu Yue De Yu strongly supported.

"Well, that's all we can do. Qianli, what do you think?" Jian Gui said.

"Wipe them all out in one fell swoop…"

"Meeting adjourned," Jian Gui announced.

"Damn it!" Gu Fei said dejectedly.

"You can also go and study your quest," Jian Gui said.

"Cloudreach Lakeside…" As soon as Gu Fei muttered this, he saw Gui Tong leave very quickly.

"This quest has been going on for a long time, and it's bidirectional. I think it will be a major breakthrough for the city war," Jian Gui said.

"Okay, I'll go take a look. Anyone want to go with me?" Gu Fei called out.

Because everyone strongly suspected that Gu Fei was abducting people to kill, no one responded. In the end, only Huo Qiu was steadfast: "Drunk Bro, I'll go with you."

"Okay!" Gu Fei reluctantly accepted this choice.

"Should we meet up with Xi Yao Wu and the others when we leave the city?" Huo Qiu asked.

"Why?"

"Cloudreach Lakeside, Drunk Bro. If we bring girls, the two of us will cause misunderstandings. It's disgusting!" Huo Qiu said.

"Don't worry, I'll kill you if there's a misunderstanding, then there won't be any misunderstanding, right?" Gu Fei said.

"Drunk Bro, I was wrong," Huo Qiu said, tears streaming down his face.

The melee outside the city started again. The two of them changed their equipment and snuck out of the city again. The others had scattered to find quests. Jian Gui was about to do the same when he saw Xiao Lei carrying a large basket and walking back from outside the city, looking exhausted.

"Xiao Lei!" Jian Gui called out.

"They're fighting again," Xiao Lei said helplessly. His task of cleaning up the battlefield naturally couldn't be carried out as long as the battle broke out, but as soon as it stopped, it would be assigned again. Xiao Lei felt that he wasn't from the merchant guild, but from the sanitation brigade.

"You should look for other quests too!" Jian Gui said.

"Yeah, I'll look. I'll rest for a while and then look. You're busy," Xiao Lei said goodbye to Jian Gui.

After submitting the quest, he climbed back to his tavern, poured himself a glass of wine, and drank it all in one gulp. After smacking his lips a few times, he felt it wasn't enough, so he went to the wine cabinet to rummage for wine to mix himself. Suddenly, he heard the door next to him creak open.

"Who is it?" Xiao Lei didn't turn around. The only customers who could come to his tavern at this time were that previous bunch. He had roughly introduced their names.

"Me, refill," the person said.

Xiao Lei was startled. What a familiar voice and words! He quickly turned around and saw a person walking in from the door. He randomly found a table and sat down, took out a pile of empty bottles and threw them on the table, tapping the table and saying, "Hurry up, I'm in a hurry."

"You… how did you get here?" Xiao Lei asked in surprise.

"Why can't I come?" Han Jia Gongzi asked.

"The city war!" Xiao Lei widened his eyes.

"Hmph, neutral players can freely enter and exit the main city. I should have noticed this a long time ago," Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Are you a neutral player?" Xiao Lei asked.

"How else could I be sitting here?" Han Jia Gongzi said. "Hurry up and bring me wine!!!"

Xiao Lei's eyes lit up when he heard that there was new wine. He quickly brought out a large bucket and poured a glass for Han Jia Gongzi in a large cup. "Try this first."

Han Jia Gongzi's eyes lit up when he heard that there was new wine. He quickly leaned over, and as soon as Xiao Lei poured it, he picked up the glass, sniffed it, and found that it was very different from the usual wine in the game. Then, he took a deep sip.

"How is it?" Xiao Lei asked nervously.

"Very strong…" Han Jia Gongzi frowned. "There's actually such strong wine in the game. If that idiot Shui Shen came, he could get drunk for a day just from smelling it."

"Haha, exciting, right!" Xiao Lei said.

"Exciting. But let's have the usual for now! I need to keep a clear head right now," Han Jia Gongzi said.

"A clear head?" Xiao Lei asked in confusion.

"The city war, bro," Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Aren't you a neutral player?" Xiao Lei said.

"That's just the identity given by the system," Han Jia Gongzi said.

"Then… which side are you on?" Xiao Lei said.

"My side," Han Jia Gongzi said.

Xiao Lei became more and more confused. He still brought a pile of wine to Han Jia Gongzi and asked, "Do you need me to keep your entry into the city a secret from Qianli and Jian Gui?"

"Whatever," Han Jia Gongzi threw down the money for the wine and left.

"How was it? Did you find out anything?" As soon as Han Jia Gongzi left the tavern, someone immediately came up to him and asked.

"Find out? Find out what?" Han Jia Gongzi asked in confusion.

"Aren't you here to gather intelligence?"

"Who said that? I'm here to buy wine."

"Damn it, you said you were going to an important place to do something very important as soon as you entered the main city," the other person said angrily.

"That's right, buy wine!"

"Buy wine… there's a tavern right at the entrance of the city gate."

"It's a habit," Han Jia Gongzi said nonchalantly.

"You…" The other person obviously wanted to strangle Han Jia Gongzi.

"Relax, Brother Wuyue. Didn't we successfully enter the city?" Han Jia Gongzi said.

"So, what do we do next? Find Qianli Yizui and kill them?" Wuyue asked. His full ID was Shui Wuyue, and he was a core member of the high-level management of Caiyun Jian. This time, he was ordered to lead a group of guild players to temporarily withdraw from the guild and sneak into Cloudreach City with Han Jia Gongzi as neutral players.

＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

The counterattack from Han Jia Gongzi is about to begin… Please vote for him with monthly tickets if you support him, and if you don't support him… that means you support the protagonist's side, right? Please also vote with monthly tickets…