I Don't Agree to the Terms
Chapter 453 - 252: Three Thousand vs. Five Thousand, The Advantage is Mine!_2

Chapter 453: Chapter 252: Three Thousand vs. Five Thousand, The Advantage is Mine!_2

Nearly a quarter of the Ghost Pattern Daoist Soldiers died in one blow, causing even the ambushers to cringe.

The enemies ceased their assault, so naturally, their side ceased as well.

The soldiers were terrified, having to fight more with less, and even the strong with the weak, each bearing immense pressure.

This time, four players from the Purple Gold Club withstood the pressure, avoiding total annihilation but still suffering heavy losses.

A quick sweep with Spiritual Sense revealed nearly seventeen hundred casualties, including six of the ten veteran tricksters under Gu Shanhai’s command who didn’t return. It was only Gu Shanhai’s formidable strength that allowed for a successful "fishing" maneuver.

As for the enemy, apart from twenty-three Ghost Pattern Daoist Soldiers killed, at most eight hundred barbarians perished, largely because their advantage was too substantial.

The four players from the Purple Gold Club didn’t return to the camp with Gu Shanhai but were summoned by the higher-ups of Wulaoguan, evidently due for a promotion.

Gu Shanhai wasn’t particularly concerned about this, as his goal was simply to get by for three days.

It didn’t seem too difficult now, probably because they were in a minor pass and not facing the barbarian main force.

The main force wouldn’t have ordinary soldiers but Daoist Soldiers instead. Having a hundred Ghost Pattern Daoist Soldiers here already showed significant concern for this location.

Soon enough, the four players from the Purple Gold Club returned.

"We’re planning a night raid on their camp," announced Li Chen as soon as they met.

"How many people? Are you confident?" Gu Shanhai asked.

"Including the four of us, a hundred in total, not very confident, so we need a bit of help from you, Boss..." After today’s ordeal, Li Chen understood the strength of the Ghost Pattern Daoist Soldiers and knew it was only their coordinated efforts that allowed them to eliminate twenty-three enemies. If it weren’t for their teamwork, today’s first battle would have resulted in mission failure.

He realized they couldn’t keep wearing down the opposition like this. If they were attacked again tomorrow, Wulaoguan would undoubtedly fall.

That’s why he suggested this risky plan. The raid was not for a surprise attack but rather to find a way to kill the enemy commander, leaving them leaderless.

"Help, huh? What do you need?" Gu Shanhai was willing to assist, previously revealing that his items were effectively assembly line products that Azure Dragon could continuously produce with the right materials.

Li Chen smiled at the response before requesting, "Boss, you’re generous. I need..."

He listed a litany of items he needed without reservation, including enhancement and recovery items.

In fact, he preferred having Gu Shanhai join them, for his profession was Master of Aura and specialized in healing. Accompanying them would be far more beneficial than just providing props.

However, in Li Chen’s eyes, Gu Shanhai wasn’t adept at combat, surviving through his healing arts and props. It was thus uncomfortable to ask the boss to risk his life. Of course, if Gu Shanhai refused, they would have to settle for the next best thing.

Fortunately, Gu Shanhai was generous.

"No problem, they’re all trivial items. I’ll give you three times as much. Just make sure I get through the instance, and you don’t have to return what’s left," said Gu Shanhai, nonchalantly producing a large number of disposable props, none of which were particularly valuable.

Seeing Gu Shanhai’s opulence, the four exchanged subtly greedy glances.

Greedy? They were not fools.

A Life-Skills magnate who could offer so many resources evidently had significant connections. Wondering why he would come alone to an instance was not their business, as he might be pretending weakness.

It was best not to offend such a valued client, as players are not NPCs who could be manipulated at will.

Most players who reached the top tier were intelligent and not short-sighted.

"Thank you, Boss. You’re truly generous. If there are enough spoils, you get first pick," said Li Chen, grinning as he accepted the items.

He indeed hadn’t expected Gu Shanhai to give triple the initial estimate. With these props and consumables, their chances of success increased by at least thirty percent.

"That’s on you," said Gu Shanhai. "If possible, bring back a Ghost Pattern Daoist Soldier’s body for me. I have a use for it."

"Of course, the mission is the priority."

Given the other party’s confidence, Gu Shanhai didn’t feel obliged to refuse.

He was indeed eager to study the Daoist Soldier.

"We’ll do our best," Li Chen replied, not daring to guarantee success since there was a real danger. The spoils he was referring to were usually items dropped or found in treasure chests. To the likes of Gu Shanhai, corpses didn’t hold much value, unless they served a purpose for roles like the Undead Mage or the Puppet Master.

But since none of them belonged to such professions, they would just have to do their utmost.

After all, their duty this time was to ensure Gu Shanhai completed the main quest and passed the instance, not to work for him.

After discussing their plans further, the group finally rose to leave.

Raiding the camp would definitely take place at night; they couldn’t very well go raiding in broad daylight. Approaching with a hundred riders now would not be raiding but a suicide mission.

The intention wasn’t to attack directly but rather to wear the enemy down with exhaustion tactics. Of course, it was also possible they might just end up guarding all night, but that would be even better—by the next day, the barbarians would be too drained to exert much pressure.

Ordinary soldiers might have the physical constitution of the Foundation Establishment Stage, but without mana, they would be comparably fatigued and needed their rest.

As for the Ghost Pattern Daoist Soldiers, they were not someone ordinary soldiers could confront.

But this was a desperate measure, likely to end in the four members of the Purple Gold Club losing their lives, and Wulaoguan probably wouldn’t hold past the third day.

It was akin to drinking poison to quench thirst.

Conversely, should it succeed, there might be a chance of victory.

There was no chance Gu Shanhai would take action. He intended to keep a low profile, even hoping for Wulaoguan’s fall so no one would know of his presence.

"Boss, what are we going to do tomorrow?" asked one of Gu Shanhai’s soldiers with worry.

This small group had arrived after the four players had left.

"We’ll make one last stand. There’s nothing else I can do at this stage," Gu Shanhai sighed deeply.

Tonight’s raid was top secret and couldn’t be revealed. A leak would mean all their efforts were in vain.

"Otherwise, let’s... escape," another soldier suggested.

Clearly, these men were not just there to share their concerns but to convince Gu Shanhai to flee with them.

Their reluctance to flee alone was simple: they needed someone as a decoy, and seeing Gu Shanhai’s formidable strength, they felt assured in taking him along should they turn to banditry.

"Escape?" Gu Shanhai scoffed, "Where can you possibly escape to? I’ll let it pass this time, but if there’s a next, I’ll be taking you to see our superiors!"

They really thought escaping was easy, but Wulaoguan’s passes were already sealed, and the city gates were guarded. Any suspicious move could result in immediate execution without trial.

The four soldiers shivered upon hearing Gu Shanhai’s words.

Gu Shanhai softened his expression somewhat as he admonished them, "Out there you’re dead, the barbarians won’t spare you. It’s impossible to head back—should you encounter reinforcements, you know what awaits you. And don’t think of hiding in the deep forests and mountains to become bandits; that path will eventually lead to disaster."

That’s what he said, but whether those four soldiers listened was not Gu Shanhai’s concern.

He didn’t worry about being implicated. Gu Shanhai’s current face was a disguise; he would just change it once the task was complete.

In the instance, there was even less chance of execution for a Ten-man Captain like him. Right now, Wulaoguan was sorely in need of men—one soldier less meant one shred less hope.

As long as Gu Shanhai didn’t desert, at most they would punish his four subordinates.

If Wulaoguan held, the defenses would be credited—if not, there’d be no one left to stand trial.