Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 72 - 67 Instance Cleared!

Chapter 72: Chapter 67 Instance Cleared!

In the county town, a nondescript residential house.

The gate was tightly closed, apparently unoccupied for a long time.

Thieves had entered the city, causing widespread panic, and the area was eerily silent. There were not many residents nearby, making it even more desolate at this moment.

However, a dark shadow silently dropped from the roof and leaped into the courtyard.

He threw down a weighty bundle.

The person in the courtyard caught it.

"You Eastern Barbarians are indeed trustworthy, it seems you understand the difference between a full meal and constant fullness,"

The speaker was none other than Households Commander Xu, who had fled the battlefield during the day!

He had undergone basic bandaging on his chest, but bloodstains were still faintly visible.

"It’s just that you strike too harshly—if I hadn’t been wearing armor, a few inches deeper and I would have been silenced by you."

Although Commander Xu spoke in the ancient Eastern Barbarian language awkwardly, the other party could understand him.

But when he opened the bundle, his face instantly turned sour, "Why is there only this much? Didn’t we agree? On the day the city falls, all looted goods will be divided equally?

"Don’t tell me this is all you looted!"

The shadow dressed in black spoke, "The General has decreed we rest tonight and start looting early tomorrow.

"Rest assured, gold and treasures will not be lacking for you, and those threatening you will be dealt with."

Reluctantly, Commander Xu snorted, "Seeing that you keep your word, I’ll remind you once more. Gao Ze isn’t dead, and if nothing goes wrong, he will surely rally the village militiamen to attack you tonight.

"Kill Gao Ze; otherwise, my identity might be exposed."

The shadow turned to leave, "No need for your reminder."

Commander Xu took a deep breath; in his view, the inevitable defeat of Gao Ze and his militiamen would eliminate all threats to him within the county, and wealth and position would be at his fingertips.

However, just as the shadow stepped out of the house, a cold gleam flashed!

Zhao Haiping leaped from a nearby rooftop, his long sword fiercely slashing at the shadow!

The shadow had quick reflexes and managed to roll to the side at the sound, narrowly avoiding the attack.

But Zhao Haiping showed no mercy, his rapid and relentless strikes left no chance for the shadow to draw his Eastern Barbarian sword in counterattack!

"If he were an assassin player, maybe that strike just now would have killed him.

"But no matter, having seized the initiative, I can kill him just the same!"

Zhao Haiping seemed like a fearsome demon, terrifying the shadow.

Because he couldn’t understand how a mere villager could appear so formidably!

The shadow was quite confident in his movement technique; he had always moved stealthily, and if anyone was trailing him, they should have outed themselves earlier—there was no way to be followed this undetected.

Moreover, the opponent’s attacks seemed precisely timed, each sword blow targeting his weakest spots; becoming passive from the start only worsened his situation, and he could not turn the tide!

"What is happening!"

Commander Xu also rushed out, dumbfounded, but only to see Zhao Haiping’s sword slicing through the shadow’s throat.

"You have killed me seventeen times, but no matter, I only need to kill you once!"

With a swing of his sword, Zhao Haiping flicked the blood from the blade and looked toward Commander Xu.

He had been able to appear undetected on this shadow’s inevitable path because he had attempted it numerous times before.

Each time he followed the shadow for a distance, he would be detected and they’d clash.

But by remembering the routes bit by bit, he eventually found Commander Xu’s hideout.

During this process, Zhao Haiping had continually clashed with the shadow, becoming thoroughly familiar with his techniques and habits.

This time, lying in wait on the shadow’s essential path, he finally succeeded!

Commander Xu was stunned too, evidently unable to comprehend how a mere militiaman could be so formidable!

He wanted to flee, but it was already too late—Zhao Haiping’s long sword was swinging down.

The blade’s light flashed, and the bag filled with riches burst open, scattering gold and silver treasures everywhere.

An incredulous expression crossed Commander Xu’s face, and then everything spun around him as he fell flat on his back.

This time, he was truly dead.

...

Inside the theater.

"The Southern Dynasty watches the ancient rivers and mountains, leafs through romantic old cases, in lantern-lit pavilions amid rain, his heart’s blood spilt boundlessly. Every day strumming zithers against the wall, appreciated by fellow aficionados, this performance..."

The beautiful lyrics flowed melodiously, lingering on.

Su Xianjun sang ethereally and mellifluously on stage, captivating even the bandits below.

The General and the scholar sipped their wine, oblivious to the looming danger.

Unbeknownst to them, the shadow guard responsible for keeping watch would never return.

As she sang, Su Xianjun’s tune suddenly shifted.

"... Personal vendettas may be forgiven, but national enmity remains indelible!"

In that instant, all other sounds ceased abruptly.

The scholar snapped to his senses, realizing something was amiss, but it was already too late.

Dense footsteps sounded from outside, and at the same time, the sharp scent of kerosene spread.

"Quick, fight our way out!"

The drunken bandits reacted then, chaotically trying to rush out through the theater’s main gate.

However, Gao Ze stood resolute at the door, blocking their path.

Accompanied by over three hundred local militia members carrying torches, they threw them around the theater.

Flames roared to life!

Against the pitch-black night, the bright flames rapidly devoured the theater’s wooden structure. Though the fire spread slowly, it was clear to all as a countdown to death.

The bandits, frenzied, surged outward, but the militia firmly blocked the main entrance, letting not a single bandit escape.

Gao Ze shouted, "If we do not kill the bandits, how can we avenge Lord Tang?

"Kill the bandits! Kill the bandits!"

Everyone was bloodshot; in the face of national and familial hatred, all words were superfluous—only a brutal struggle for survival mattered.

As the fire blazed, Su Xianjun continued to sing on the stage.

Then, amidst the fiercely fighting crowd, he saw Yang Xinyan.

"Wei troops have seized our lands, and from all sides, songs of Chu resound... The king’s spirit has waned, what life is left for his lowly consort..."

Across the roaring flames, Su Xianjun looked one last time toward Yang Xinyan.

Surrounded by blood and fire, they truly became Yu Ji and the Hegemon, Xiang Yu.

...

"Save me!

"Quick, save me!"

The scholar pleaded desperately, but the Wandering Warrior paid him no heed, instead forcibly leaping over the wall of fire and escaping the theater.

At the main entrance, the Eastern Barbarian General and the bandits still tried to break out, while Gao Ze and others, beyond defending fiercely, could not tend to the Wandering Warrior.

However, just as he thought he could escape, he saw a seemingly ordinary peasant step out from the shadow where the firelight did not reach.

"While fighting you might not affect whether this instance is cleared...

"I still want to fight you."

Zhao Haiping drew his long sword, grasping it with both hands.

The Wandering Warrior, not understanding his words, still looked puzzled, clearly not understanding why this peasant dared to challenge him alone.

He looked behind Zhao Haiping—there was clearly no one else.

Zhao Haiping smiled lightly, "Don’t misunderstand, I have no ulterior motive.

"I just want to kill you, or perhaps, be killed by you."

The flash of a blade!

...

As Zhao Haiping fell, visions of the events that had occurred in the instance flashed before him like lantern slides.

The County Magistrate of Tang who shouted "Loyal to the King and Country" and fought with his sword till the last moment; Su Xianjun, the beautiful and legendary actor on the stage; Yang Xinyan, who chose to be a hero at the last moment; Gao Ze, who rallied the local militia and died a heroic death...

And many others like him who, to fulfill their mission, shed their blood and laid down their lives, be they militia, peasants, or troupe members...

"Too bad, still couldn’t overcome this Wandering Warrior.

"No matter, if I come a few more times, I will inevitably defeat you without injury."

This time, Trial Illusion did not reset. Zhao Haiping’s perspective gradually lifted, offering a birds-eye view.

The fire at the theater still blazed fiercely, the militia pursued the few bandits who had escaped, while many including the Eastern Barbarian General and the scholar perished in the inferno.

[Trial Illusion: The matter settles but awaits the closing of the coffin]

[Cleared!]

[Clearance Evaluation: The matter settles but awaits the closing of the coffin; though lowly in rank, one must not forget the troubles of the nation. For the common folk among the myriad of beings, being a hero or a coward might only be a matter of thought.]