Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 50 - 46: Start of the War!

Chapter 50: Chapter 46: Start of the War!

The four scholars present all nodded in agreement, feeling that Meng Yuan’s statement made a lot of sense and that the proposal was very constructive.

But no one opened their mouths.

Anyone who could clear a scholar instance surely had adequate historic knowledge, not to mention reciting one line, reciting a dozen poems was nothing to them.

Only... to loudly recite a line of poetry in such a place? And to do it in a righteous and serious manner, full of upright integrity?

Wasn’t that a bit too embarrassing?

What was stopping them was not the lack of knowledge but shame!

Meng Yuan couldn’t say much more anyway, he had already tried his best to lead them. If he pushed any further, it would be very easy to give himself away and let others realize that he was a shill in this game.

He could only hope that when the real fight started, these players would quickly get into character.

Meng Yuan looked at the players on-site, there were more than twenty people here, the most at all the event venues.

On paper, these people should be more than capable of dealing with the demons from the historical slice.

But whether these players could display their on-paper strength was another question.

At this time, all the players who had registered were already securing their gear and entering combat preparation. Du Gang had long since sealed off the entire venue, no longer allowing others to enter.

Afterward, like other "staff," he also came to the surrounding area of the venue to observe the players’ conditions.

They saw that the moment all the players put on their glasses, armor and weapons really appeared out of thin air on their bodies!

The players all thought the armor and weapons were just images after consciousness transference, but in reality, they were tangible.

Unlike the players, who were extremely relaxed, Du Gang and his colleagues were tense.

They each had a gun, ready to shoot immediately in the event of an uncontrollable situation, absolutely not allowing any demon to break through the encirclement.

However, they’ve been executing tasks for so long, yet this was their first time fighting so-called demons: moreover, having heard that the demons had some psychic attacks, they were inevitably anxious.

All they could do was hope everything went smoothly and that the players could easily take down the demons with the power of the Regulators.

Time passed.

Du Gang checked his watch. The time had finally reached 1:37, the moment Beichen had said when the historical slice would start to overlap with reality.

All the players were in full readiness, having formed specific formations.

There were more than twenty players here, with the largest number being warriors at the front line, their left hands all holding shields, and their right-handed weapons varied, some with swords, others with long spears.

The weapons were self-chosen, and shields were not mandatory, but warrior players unanimously agreed it was safer to have one.

Of course, there were those who favored long-range weapons and carried longbows.

Assassins roamed the flanks, ready to strike when the time was right.

Rangers were scattered throughout the venue, tasked with acting accordingly, quickly filling any gaps in the battle line, and swiftly taking down any demons that slipped through, ensuring they didn’t threaten the scholars in the rear.

As for the four scholars, they were still somewhat unclear about their actual roles. Meng Yuan, the Ranger, also stood with them.

In summary, the players had spontaneously formed a well-structured battle line and were just waiting for the demons to appear.

But after waiting for two minutes, nothing happened.

"Has the event started?"

"Didn’t they say the demons were invading, where are the demons?"

Some players in the front row were getting impatient, looking around and wondering if there was a bug in the game.

However, just at that moment, ripples appeared in the space at the center of the players’ encirclement and began to shake continuously!

Then, a squad of Eastern Barbarian raiders similar to those depicted on the "Dark Sand" official website posters appeared before everyone!

At the center was an Eastern Barbarian General, mounted on a warhorse, wielding a cross spear, with a long Yi saber hanging from his waist, his armor made of iron and bamboo plates, and his face covered with a red-painted demonic mask, looking ferocious.

Around this general were Eastern Barbarian raid soldiers wearing cheap leather or bamboo armor, as well as Eastern Barbarian Shadow Servants clad entirely in black.

One general, two shadow servants, and six raid soldiers, a total of just nine people, but the murderous aura they exuded was almost tangible, hitting the players head-on!

Zhao Haiping stood at the forefront, and when his eyes met with the Eastern Barbarian General’s, he even felt his breath catch in his throat.

What an oppressive feeling!

Previously, in the foot soldier trial, he had also slain many Beidi barbarians, thinking he had become battle-hardened with a heart of stone. But now, he felt a sense of helplessness and vulnerability, just like when he had first entered the foot soldier instance.

Before the players could mentally prepare themselves, the Eastern Barbarian General had already raised his great cross-spear, his lips hidden beneath the mask coldly forming one word, "Kill!"

In reality, it was an ancient Eastern Barbarian language, but the players could all clearly understand the meaning of this word.

Several thieves immediately yelled loudly, hoisting their barbarian swords or long spears, and charged at the players!

Zhao Haiping was quick to react, swiftly raising his shield to block. The strength of the barbarian sword striking the shield was so immense that it even made Zhao Haiping’s form waver.

"This offline event, the monsters are so strong!"

Zhao Haiping subconsciously compared the fighting prowess of these Eastern Barbarian thieves with the Beidi barbarians in the instance and found the former to be significantly stronger.

This difference wasn’t just in strength but also in fighting spirit or, rather, killing intent, an aspect that was more elusive.

The yell of the thieves as they charged over even caused a moment of bewilderment in Zhao Haiping, involuntarily giving rise to a sense of fear, even though by logic, he should have overcome this emotion in the foot soldier instance.

The players outnumbered these Eastern Barbarian thieves by three to one, yet under such an onslaught, there was a faint sign they might break ranks and flee.

"We can’t retreat! It’s just a game, take them down!"

Zhao Haiping was the first to snap out of it. After blocking the barbarian sword with his shield, he immediately swung his sword back at the enemy.

They were all battle-hardened hardcore players. Were they going to be scared off by monsters in a game at an offline event? How absurd would that be?

It was just a bunch of virtual data, after all. If they chickened out, wouldn’t the story of their cowardice be laughed at if it got out?

They had to take them out!

His combat experience from the foot soldier trial instantly kicked in, and Zhao Haiping, while using his shield to fend off the attacks of an Eastern Barbarian thief, swung his longsword without yielding a single step.

However, it was at this moment that he heard a cry of alarm not far from him.

"Ah!"

Turning his head, he saw the heavily armored Eastern Barbarian General riding his warhorse plowing into a foot soldier player. The general’s great cross-spear had struck the player’s shield with such force that it was knocked out of his hands!

The momentum was still unrelenting, and the player was sent flying, rolling a great distance on the ground.

Zhao Haiping and the other players were all baffled.

This game was just too damn realistic!

How on earth did the MR game simulate the effect of a person flying through the sky?

The only guess was that what everyone saw was the image after VR consciousness transmission, including vision, hearing, sensory perception, and so on. In actuality, in the real world, the players didn’t fly out; they probably just stepped back a few steps.

But the players no longer had the luxury to ponder the principles behind this cutting-edge MR technology because the Eastern Barbarian thieves, bristling with murderous intent, were charging over again. If they hesitated, the gleaming blades would land on their necks!

Even if it was a game, one couldn’t just stand there like a wooden stake, waiting to be chopped down!

Seeing the foot soldier player on the ground about to be finished off by the Eastern Barbarian General, a Ranger player immediately rushed forward to help.

The next second, though, he heard something whizzing through the air.

His repeated deaths in the Ranger trial instance alerted him that something was amiss, prompting a swift turn to avoid it; still, his left shoulder was solidly struck.

"Thwack," he clearly felt something embedded in the muscle of his left shoulder, followed by a tingling sensation.

"Damn, there are hidden weapons too!"

The Ranger player saw clearly, it was an Eastern Barbarian Shadow Servant by the side of the general who had thrown a cross-shaped flying sword at him, a characteristic hidden weapon of the servants, glinting with a green light.

Before he had time to respond, a chillingly gleaming barbarian sword was already swinging his way!

So-called hidden weapons were often not used to kill directly but rather to ambush, distract the enemy’s attention, and create an opportunity for a close-range finishing blow.

Just like in many wuxia novels where people shout "Watch for the hidden weapon!" before throwing, it was not purely about upholding the chivalry of the martial world. A significant reason was that the lethality of some hidden weapons was small. If the throw was too covert, the opponent might not feel the pain because of adrenaline, making it ineffective. Instead, shouting out loud made it easier to provoke an opening in the opponent, creating favorable conditions for the blade’s attack.

And the Eastern Barbarian Shadow Servant clearly took advantage of the moment the Ranger player moved to attack the Eastern Barbarian General to suddenly launch a stealthy attack, aiming for a fatal blow!