This Game Is Too Real
Chapter 330: Decapitation Strike!

Chapter 330: Chapter 330: Decapitation Strike!

West State City, Fourth New Zone.

Inside a low-lying ruin submerged in water sat a bomb shelter reinforced with concrete.

Rock Tooth read the crumpled piece of paper from start to finish and then looked up at his trusted confidant standing before him.

"Did someone from the New Alliance give you this letter? Are you sure it wasn’t someone from the Guerrilla Team?"

"I can swear on my life, Lord."

The confidant, standing before Rock Tooth, continued with conviction.

"The director of the Alliance’s Hope Town Office personally handed this letter to me... Before he left, he even repeated the contents of the letter to me twice, saying that it was the will of the Alliance Managers and if you couldn’t read, I had to make sure to read it out to you."

"...You’ve done well."

Rock Tooth finally let his guard down, carefully folded the note, and slipped it into his pocket.

After pondering for a long time, he looked at his confidant and commanded,

"Go and call all my Centurions, no matter what mission they are on, tell them to come see me immediately!"

The confidant nodded earnestly.

"Yes!"

After the confidant left, Rock Tooth sat down in his chair and waited in silence.

Soon after,

Footsteps could be heard faintly at the door.

One by one, burly men covered in beast skin cloaks and muscular torsos walked in.

They wore teeth necklaces symbolizing their rank, their faces ugly like demons, their bodies reeking.

Standing firmly before Rock Tooth, the men bowed with their hands clasped.

"Lord."

"You called for us?"

Rock Tooth scanned his most loyal subordinates and slowly asked.

"Do you trust me?"

The men exchanged glances, unsure of what their leader was getting at today.

But since he’d asked such a question, they couldn’t exactly say they didn’t trust him, so they professed their loyalty.

"Of course!"

"You’re our leader, who else would we trust?"

"That’s right! I don’t know much about higher principles, but my loyalty to you is as clear as day and night!"

Seeing the men swear their loyalty so fervently, Rock Tooth continued,

"What if I asked you to die?"

Since it wasn’t really about dying, the men didn’t hesitate and assured him.

"Boss, what are you saying? My life is already yours!"

"Yes, not to mention dying—if you told me to jump into a pot of boiling oil, I’d do it without a frown!"

"Exactly! Not just jumping into a pot of oil, but even if it meant using my life to clog the guns of the Blue Ground Mice, I wouldn’t flinch!"

Very good.

All brave and loyal men, truly worthy of being my chosen subordinates.

Watching the men eagerly swearing oaths, Rock Tooth nodded with satisfaction.

"Your hearts are in the right place, and that’s enough for me. If you truly recognize me as your leader, naturally I cannot let you down. You won’t die; I will lead us to survive."

With that, he turned to his confidant.

"Go close the door and stand guard at it. No one is allowed near, violators will be killed."

The confidant nodded, accepting the order.

"Yes!"

The people in the room looked at each other, their instincts telling them that today was somehow different. Their leader suddenly asking for their loyalty—it probably wasn’t just for his entertainment.

The door closed with a heavy thud.

Rock Tooth rose from his chair, his gaze sweeping over the men, his expression growing increasingly stern.

"The forces of the New Alliance have already arrived on our doorstep, and yet our chief is lashing out, slaughtering his most loyal followers."

"He has gone completely mad. If we do not do something, we will all die!"

With these words, the men finally understood what their leader was planning to discuss with them.

What a situation.

"They want to drag us into a rebellion!"

Glancing around at the various expressions of the centurions, Rock Tooth continued to speak.

"I’m not afraid of death, for death is but a return to the embrace of Mother Earth, but if you see me as your big brother, naturally I cannot watch you throw away your lives for a foolish madman."

"Of course, if anyone doesn’t want to follow me, I won’t force them. There’s the door. Pretend as if today I said nothing, and you heard nothing."

As if they hadn’t heard anything.

If someone said ’no,’ and actually made it out of that door, that would be a miracle!

The centurions hurried to declare their positions, one after another.

"Boss, just tell us what to do."

"No matter what you plan, we’re with you!"

"Exactly! Worse comes to worst, we’ll just leave and start fresh. Claiming a mountain is surely better than staying here!"

Rock Tooth nodded.

"Then I’ll speak."

He paused, then continued.

"I plan to lead you all to surrender to the New Alliance!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the room fell silent in an instant, as if one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone’s faces were marked with surprise.

Surrender to the New Alliance?!

Had Golden Tooth gone mad, or had their own leader lost his mind?

The war had progressed to such an extent that countless had died on both sides. Take the paratroopers in the city, for instance; in this past month alone, at least five to six hundred had died at their hands.

Although the broadcasts from the New Alliance said they would treat those who surrendered willingly well, who could guarantee they wouldn’t turn their backs on them after the war ended?

No one would stand up for them then.

Hearing of their execution, the survivors would only clap in excitement.

"Boss, I believe you... but, why surrender to the New Alliance?"

"Can they really spare us?"

"Maybe we should just run... Head north, follow the Tianshui east or west; we’ll always find a place to go."

Rock Tooth had anticipated such reactions from his subordinates and smiled nonchalantly.

"Run? With over a thousand men, what will we eat on the road? Flee with those slaves? Or perhaps ask our dear leader for some supplies before we set off?"

Everyone fell silent.

Rock Tooth didn’t stop, looking at them he continued.

"Unless you plan to leave those thousand brothers behind and let them fend for themselves."

They didn’t care about the lives of the small fry, but if they abandoned their brothers, wouldn’t they become a naked commander?

Then, forget about finding a mountain to live freely; encountering just a couple of Variants on the road could cost them their lives.

The group’s expressions became hesitant. Running away indeed wasn’t a good idea, at least not for those who wore shoes.

But surrender...

Would their end really be better than if they ran away?

A centurion cautiously asked.

"But boss, even if we surrender to the New Alliance... the best outcome would still be as their slaves, which is no better than running away."

Rock Tooth looked at him and said,

"The New Alliance needs manpower to guard prisoners. As long as we are willing to cooperate with them and end this war, which is already determined, they will entrust this task to us, who know the times."

"Afterward, although we may not be as carefree as now, we could still be in charge of a hundred or a thousand men. That’s far better than running to the woods where there’s no village in front or shop behind."

Hearing this, those who had been worried finally let go of their concerns.

At least to the New Alliance, they were of value.

This was far more reassuring than any so-called promises.

"Boss, just tell us what to do."

"We’ll follow you!"

Rock Tooth nodded.

"Don’t speak of today’s conversation with anyone. Each of you go down and prepare as I instructed."

"In three days, at midnight, take action! At that time, the New Alliance’s planes will work with the ground troops to launch a feint attack on the Southern Urban District. And we, located in the west, will be responsible for opening a gap in the western defensive area to let the New Alliance’s men in."

A hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes as Rock Tooth said coldly,

"After meeting up with the New Alliance’s troops, we’ll head straight for Golden Tooth’s lair!"

"Catch that stupid pig alive!"

...

Three days had flashed by in an instant.

The relentless bombardment and propaganda leaflet offensives had plunged the entire morale of the Ya clan into a nadir.

There were continuous deserters abandoning their positions to flee north, or taking leaflets over to the east to surrender to the guerrillas.

No matter how furiously Jin Ya ordered the search for those who privately hoarded "surrender coupons," he couldn’t stop more runners from emerging.

Especially those "renowned" Looters.

As collateral branches at best, not even considered part of the main family, they were distrusted from the start.

Ever since the emergence of a traitor, their superiors would rather search them twice a day, and check their rooms three times daily.

Anyone found secretly holding onto "surrender coupons," whether on their person or hidden in their room, was executed without mercy, hung from the window.

A series of nearly insane crackdowns led to a growing number of deserters.

The most extreme incident was the disappearance of an entire hundred-member team after they set out...

Faced with this dire situation, even the most loyal and resolute warriors in the tribe couldn’t help but feel a sense of despair deep within.

Perhaps...

They truly had no way out.

In the dim concrete bunker, Jin Ya stared at the map with a gloomy expression.

This was the temporary headquarters of the Ya clan, and at the moment, there were only two people standing in it.

One was Jin Ya himself, and the other was one of his trusted lieutenants—"Fox Tooth."

As a direct descendant of the Ya clan, this seemingly fragile man lacked physical prowess, but he more than compensated with his intellect.

Ever since Dylon’s defeat, Jin Ya could no longer trust those strategists.

The Chief Guard Fox Tooth, standing aside, spoke softly.

"Why don’t we ask other clans for help... Even if they could send some weapons over, it would be helpful; the brothers don’t even have the materials to repair their guns."

Listening to his subordinate’s suggestion, Jin Ya remained silent.

Ask for help?

Who could they ask?

The Snake Tribe advancing eastward was already deeply mired in the quagmire of Red River Town, unable to lift a finger to help.

The Bear Tribe advancing westward had reached Luo Xia Province, hundreds of kilometers away, with countless mountains and rivers in between.

Jin Ya was fully aware that although his clan led the tribe and he was the king, there was no hierarchical relationship between clans, and he had no authority to command those that were not affiliated with his own.

"How much ammunition do we have left?"

Fox Tooth asked in a low voice.

"Considering our current rate of consumption... I’m afraid it will only last two months."

Jin Ya fell into a lengthy silence.

Just as he was about to say something, a barrage of artillery fire came from outside.

He had become nearly accustomed to the New Alliance’s bombardment over the past few days, so he wasn’t panic-stricken.

However, unlike before when the New Alliance bombarded with artillery, pausing between shots, this time there were more than a dozen guns firing together, clearly a more intense level of firepower.

"Listening to the direction and distance of the sound, they’re probably bombarding the southern urban district..." Fox Tooth’s face changed slightly as he spoke softly, "The New Alliance must be planning to assault the city under cover of darkness!"

Jin Ya placed his fist on the map, a cruel smile curling at the corners of his mouth.

"They finally couldn’t hold back anymore!"

Street fighting!

That’s what his people were best at!

Looking at Fox Tooth, Jin Ya immediately issued an order.

"Take your men to the city’s south immediately! You must hold back the New Alliance there!"

Fox Tooth acknowledged the command.

"Yes!"

After leaving the headquarters, Fox Tooth immediately gathered his brothers.

Over a thousand fully armed elites streamed through the streets flooded with lake waters, marching toward the thundering southern district of the city to reinforce the thousand team stationed there.

However, at this moment, what the two of them didn’t know was that while the New Alliance was pounding the southern district, rafts were making their way through the marshes on the eastern shore of West State Lake, drifting toward the submerged western side of the Four New District...

Crouched on a raft, gazing toward the silent darkness ahead, Night Ten turned his head and whispered,

"Do you think we can trust those Looters?"

"I don’t know," Fang Chang shook his head.

"What if they suddenly change their mind?" Night Ten couldn’t help but ask again.

"How else to deal with it, just wait for three days," Old White patted his shoulder and grinned, "Keep a close watch in a bit, we’re counting on your killing intent perception!"

Night Ten: "Damn, really playing with our lives."

Fang Chang: "Don’t worry about it, the chances of them turning on us are slim. At this point, anyone can tell that there’s little suspense left in this war. It’s just a matter of losing sooner or later. If they keep on fighting, at most, they’ll last another week or two."

"Exactly," Wild Wind nodded and said calmly, "From the moment they hesitated, they were already losing."

While they were talking, a light appeared in the reeds ahead.

Old White waved his hand to signal the player rowing the boat to speed up, and a line of rafts moved towards the light.

Twenty rafts carrying 140 players from the Burning Corps, equivalent to the force of an enhanced company.

Each of these players was a veteran who had entered the game in the Alpha round. At the very least, they had experienced the Tide of Beasts, and they were all Awakeners, the core force of the New Alliance!

The marshland in front of them was teeming with poisonous insects and wild animals, even extremely dangerous Variants such as Crack Claw Crabs and Battleship Shrimp. Scattered ruins on the water surface concealed 7mm machine guns.

To break through here, they would have to face fire from all sides and the besieged Variants that were disturbed.

But now.

This west gate, usually easy to defend and hard to attack, was completely unguarded, open to the New Alliance...

Waiting to meet the Burning Corps was a Centurion.

He brought along a dozen of his confidants; each of them had a white cloth wrapped around their arm.

"I’m here to lead you in... I hope you’ll keep your word and give us a way out when it’s all over," the Centurion said, keeping his eyes fixed on the guns in the players’ hands.

Even as an Awakener, he had to admit that these people were very strong!

So strong that any one of them could match him in combat.

As for the man in charge, his strength was inscrutable!

Old White didn’t say a word; instead, he looked to Fang Chang, the best with Union language on their side.

Fang Chang got the hint and initiated the plot.

"We’ve always been like this."

Hearing this promise, the Centurion nodded and without wasting any time, waved his hand to signal his men to row the rafts and lead the way.

The entire fourth section was submerged in water, with even the shallow parts deep enough to reach the waist; the raft was the most reliable means of transportation.

Most Variants wouldn’t take an interest in wood floating on the water. Unless we provoked them, we didn’t have to worry about suddenly losing our legs while walking through the water.

Looking at a Crack Claw Crab floating on the water’s surface, Night Ten whispered,

"...The Crack Claw Crabs here seem different from the ones in our place; they’re smaller and have pointier shells."

Scrambled Eggs and Tomato was quite interested, snapping several photos.

"I’ve heard there are quite a few mutant lobsters here; I’ll have to study them once the new map is unlocked."

Quit smoking murmured excitedly.

"Looks like we’re in for a treat!"

The Raiders leading the way naturally didn’t know what these players were discussing.

If they understood Chinese, they would indeed be surprised.

A treat?

Who’s the treat for, really.

Not getting dragged into the water by the Crack Claw Crabs and Battleship Shrimp and gnawed on would be lucky enough, who would provoke these things willingly.

The meat of the Crack Claw Crab was indeed tender and juicy, and the crab roe was top-notch delicious, but you have to be alive to enjoy it.

Regular rifle bullets couldn’t penetrate the shell at all, but only provoked the monsters. As for using rocket launchers against crabs, it’s always strictly prohibited in the tribes...

After taking photos, Scrambled Eggs and Tomato had already started discussing quietly with Quit smoking how best to cook them.

In such a serious situation, having the mood to discuss whether to steam or braise only proves they’re gamers...

The group continued to forge ahead.

More rafts joined them along the way, and soon they had gathered over forty rafts, nearly four hundred people.

Rock Tooth’s forces would also join the battle to help the Burning Corps disarm Jin Ya’s Personal Body Guard.

This was both to prove his loyalty to the New Alliance and to ensure the rebellion was foolproof.

After all, if it failed, the New Alliance would merely lose a hundred-man team, but his fate would be miserable.

Without even thinking about it, with Jin Ya’s brutal methods, he would surely torture him and his men with the most cruel means possible.

The Ya Clan’s command center was located in the central part of the fourth section, hidden inside a reinforced concrete ruin.

From the western defense line to the central area, the path was clear.

Rock Tooth’s own defense zone didn’t need to be mentioned; he had already arranged it in advance, and the shift that day was all his confidants, who let them pass without a word.

And as for the inner defense zones, those lackeys seeing it was Rock Tooth’s Centurion, didn’t bother to question much, nor did they bother to count how many people were on the rafts and how many guns were hidden.

In fact, there was no way to do a check.

Because of the threat posed by the New Alliance’s planes, all outposts dared not light lamps, leaving the entire Four New District pitch-black.

Standing on the roof of the three-story building and looking down, one could only see the pitch-black water surface and the wooden rafts.

As for what was on the rafts, one would have to go downstairs and walk up to see clearly.

"Damn, this is thrilling..."

Watching those gun barrels so close at hand, Garbage Jun, draped in a cloak, felt his palms start to sweat slightly.

It wasn’t because he was scared.

But because of the excitement.

He felt the bloodthirst and the instincts of a wild beast coursing through his veins, and in his amber-colored pupils, excitement burned.

The DNA was triggered!

The last 200 meters to the command center were all that was left, and that building marked on the VM map had come into everyone’s view.

Even facing the sequential bombardment of heavy artillery and missiles, the building, with its layers of reinforced concrete fortifications, remained steadfast. The nearby ruins had been transformed into a series of gun towers, which could be used for anti-aircraft defense as well as mutual support.

And at that moment, the Burning Corps group was separated from the command center by nothing more than a wooden fence gate.

"Assaulting from the front doesn’t look easy, the layout here seems simple, but every street has at least three points of fire, it would be hard to advance without armored vehicles... Whoever planned these defenses is a master," Old White remarked, silently amazed after looking at the surroundings.

This game company really does have a wealth of talent.

Such attention to detail on even small levels, not to mention the larger battles.

The planning team must include many insiders!

Stopping in front of the fence gate, the Centurion stepped onto the front of the raft and shouted toward the sentry post situated on the right-side ruins.

"Open the gate!"

A head peeked out beside the mounted machine gun on the sentry post.

"Who are you!"

The Centurion continued to shout.

"We are members of Lord Rock Tooth’s team, sent by the leader to switch guard duty!"

Suspicion arose in the eyes of the man on sentry duty: "Switching guard? I hadn’t heard anything about that."

The guards here were Golden Tooth’s personal bodyguards, unlike the small fry they’d encountered before; these folks were not so easily fooled.

Noticing something off about the rafts floating on the water, the raider sentry’s expression grew more sour, and his 7mm machine gun was now pointed at the surface of the water.

"Stand still there, I’m going to check with Lord Jin Ya!"

The atmosphere grew tense.

The complexion of the Centurion standing at the head of the raft changed subtly, sensing that they were about to be discovered.

Feeling the gradually approaching killing intent, Night Ten became instantly alert and made eye contact with Fang Chang.

’Make your move!’

Accustomed to working in silent agreement, Fang Chang instantly understood Night Ten’s look, knowing that they might have been found out.

The corner of his black cloak lifted slightly, and the cold gleam hidden in the shadow aimed at the machine gunner on the gun tower.

The bowstring trembled, and with a "whoosh" sound of piercing the air, an arrow instantly struck the sentry’s head beside the machine gun, toppling him backward.

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone, both the loyal followers of Rock Tooth and the raider sentries on the surrounding buildings...

Except for the players on the rafts.

Seeing Fang Chang had moved, Old White no longer bothered to hide, immediately lifted the black cloth covering the raft, and grabbing the LD-47 that was hidden underneath, he swept a salvo towards the buildings.

"Open fire!"

Gunshots erupted over the water’s surface; the players standing on the rafts picked up their weapons, some of them jumped into the water immediately, pushing the rafts towards the fence gate.

"RPG—!"

Quit Smoking, carrying the rocket launcher, yelled excitedly and aimed at the fence gate in front, pulling the trigger.

A trail of white smoke shot out, and the fence gate blocking the street was instantly blown to smithereens.

Gunfire filled the street.

Forty rafts accelerated forward, passing the floating wooden debris, and charged toward the Ya Clan’s command center at full speed.

"Brothers, follow me upstream! The Boss is up ahead!"

Bullets whooshed chaotically around him; Old White, pushing the raft forward, shouted loudly.

"Whether we can take the MVP depends on this team fight!"

"Roar, roar, roar!" Garbage Jun, who couldn’t contain himself any longer, threw off his cloak, revealing the claws hidden in the darkness, and let out a liberating roar to the sky.

Seeing the approach of the Claw of Death like a shell heading their way, a look of horror crossed the faces of the raiders guarding the gun towers.

The Claw of Death!

How can the New Alliance possess a Mind Interference Device?!

"Caim for the collar on its neck!" The Looter Centurion, crouching behind the cover, shouted in horror.

A Looter next to him, trembling as he supported the machine gun, cried out.

"Big brother, that Lizard doesn’t have a collar around its neck..."

The Centurion’s eyes widened instantly.

"What?!"

Not only was there no collar, but the Lizard also had a heavy steel plate hanging on its chest and steel claws tied to its hands.

It charged through the ruins like a tank capable of climbing walls, and the Looter standing in its way, one after another, were like paper mache blood bags, completely unable to stop it.

In less than half a minute, a gun tower had already fallen. Not to mention the sound of gunfire and flashing muzzles, even screams and wails couldn’t be heard anymore.

Night Ten couldn’t help but click his tongue.

"Damn... Playing this character wouldn’t give you psychological trauma?"

"Do you think he looks like he has any psychological trauma," Old White slapped his shoulder, "stop dawdling, remember your mission, and keep up."

Night Ten nodded, no longer hesitating, and with his sniper rifle strapped on, he jogged towards the gun tower.

Then Old White turned to look at the players behind him.

"All teams, pay attention!"

"Proceed as planned!"

With eyes gleaming with excitement, the team leaders answered in unison over the communication channel.

"Yes!"

Two Strength-type players, under the cover of eight team members, pushed a raft loaded with a whopping 200 kilograms of Dynamite towards the outer wall of the headquarters.

Meanwhile, the remaining one hundred and thirty players, in teams of ten, with three to four teams grouped together, spread out in multiple directions to clear the Looters in the headquarters and to surround the building.

Rock Tooth’s subordinates followed the players in storming the headquarters, quickly taking control of the nearby gun towers, and preventing reinforcements from the thousand teams in the other defense sectors.

Simultaneously, an H-1 Air Gunboat, modified with a twin 37mm cannon, arrived over the four new districts and entered a hovering state.

Coordinated with the Burning Corps’s thrown red smoke grenades and reported coordinates, the suspended cannon barrels immediately unleashed furious fire upon the Looters hiding in the ruins.

The interior of the headquarters flickered with fire, and relentless explosion sounds echoed, like firecrackers during new year’s celebration.

As the sound of gunfire approached, Golden Tooth, crouching in the headquarters, finally showed a hint of panic on his face.

Just then, the door was pushed open.

He grabbed the Chief Guard who ran in from outside and shouted at him.

"What’s going on outside?"

Faced with that dark greenish face, panic was written all over the Chief Guard’s face as he stammered.

"The, the people of the New Alliance... they’ve broken in!"

Broken in?!

Golden Tooth was frantic and angry.

"How is that possible! I’ve just sent Fox Tooth to reinforce the front lines, how could it be so fast—"

"No, not from the south, those people came in from the Western Gate, by the sound of gunfire, I’m afraid there’s a thousand!" The Chief Guard, whose collar was being grasped, said in panic, "Lord, now’s not the time to discuss this, this place is no longer safe, you must retreat quickly!"

The west?

If he remembered correctly that was Rock Tooth’s defense sector.

Golden Tooth was momentarily stunned, his facial muscles instantly squeezed into a knot due to anger.

A thousand nearly approaching undetected was impossible unless someone betrayed him!

But he never expected that it would be his own direct subordinate, Rock Tooth, whom he had placed in the western line.

"This cutthroat bastard! A coward without guts!"

His teeth gritted with a cracking sound, Golden Tooth squeezed out half a sentence through his teeth and angrily let go of the Chief Guard’s collar.

"Retreat! Take me to the north side!"

The Chief Guard immediately nodded and signaled to the guards nearby, escorting Golden Tooth out of the headquarters.

The enemy had already made it to his headquarters.

If he didn’t leave now, he was afraid he’d be finished right here. The flares had already shot up into the sky, and other Centurions were leading people to reinforce this place. As long as he could survive tonight, there was still hope...

Golden Tooth swore in his heart that once he caught Rock Tooth, he would skin the traitor’s scalp to make into insoles.

Some people went through the hallway, retreating toward the back door of the headquarters.

However, at that moment, a deafening explosion suddenly erupted from one side of the corridor; flying debris and billowing smoke rolled in from outside.

Caught completely off guard, the four guards staggered to regain their stance, only to be riddled into sieves by the bullets coming straight at them.

Looking at the soldiers filing in from the smoke and dust, terror covered the Chief Guard’s face; he had forgotten to shoot.

They blasted open the outer wall of the command center!

"Surrender!"

"You’re surrounded!"

Faced with those dark gun barrels, Golden Tooth’s eyes flashed with a hint of panic, but that panic was quickly replaced by ferocity and madness.

"Never! You won’t catch me!"

"That’s not up to you!" Fang Chang smirked, pulled back the bowstring, and aimed at his leg.

However, before the bowstring was fully drawn, a sudden burst of gunfire erupted from the other end of the corridor.

Caught off guard, three players fell to the ground instantly, and Fang Chang, who had been shot in the arm, rolled quickly to take cover behind a partially collapsed wall.

Seeing the three fallen bodies, Wu Lun, clad in exoskeleton armor, curved his lips into a cold smile.

And Golden Tooth, upon seeing Wu Lun, a twisted joy suddenly spread across his face.

"Apostle... Lord Apostle save me!"

Lord Apostle?

No one had ever seen such a devoted expression on this man’s face.

"What a waste... We gave you so much help, and you’ve turned this sure win into such a mess," Wu Lun coldly looked at him. He bit his teeth and signaled to the three men by his side, "Bring him over."

Despite a million reluctances, despite a million scornful thoughts, this man before him was an ally of The Church.

He was just an Apostle and had no right to question the Saint Heir’s decision.

The Ya Clan was still barely holding the frontline. If Golden Tooth died or was captured, not only would the city’s Looters crumble into disarray, but the Chewing Bone Tribe and its clans would also split.

By then, not only would the mission to retrieve the Black Box be jeopardized, but The Church’s plans in River Valley Province would also fall apart!

He had to get this fool out no matter what!

Intense gunfire broke out inside the command center.

With the aid of exoskeleton equipment as well as tactical helmet’s built-in assisted aiming and night vision, The Church’s Apostle managed to repel the players who had breached the command center.

Since it was an infiltration mission, players didn’t carry expensive equipment such as light or heavy cavalry exoskeletons, and in just two minutes, they had left behind more than a dozen bodies.

"Damn... Are those guys cheating?!" Corner Old Six, with two holes in his leg and crouching in a corner, cursed as he changed magazines.

"Where’s the RPG?! Bring out the RPG!" the Lost Rookie bellowed.

Sniper Bai was shocked, "What the fuck, weren’t we supposed to capture them alive?!"

"If they’re going to run, what’s the point of capturing them alive? Just take the body and settle it! It won’t make much of a difference in points anyway!" the Item Carrier took down the RPG flying on his back, shouldered it, and was about to fire, but a hand grenade was indeed thrown behind their cover.

What the fuck?!

The four little players were stunned for a moment, not having time to curse, and were instantly engulfed by the explosion’s shrapnel and flames.

Four more players killed in action.

At this point, Old White’s voice came over the communication channel.

"Fang Chang, what’s your situation there?"

"Fuck..."

Looking at the blood gushing from his shoulder, Fang Chang bandaged himself with a tourniquet and cursed.

"There’s an expert on the other side! I think I saw an exoskeleton... It could be the guys we ran into in East District, Qingquan City!"

Why bother?

The entire command center was surrounded by them, and an aerial gunboat was circling overhead, with two 37mm cannons at the ready.

Any resistance was nothing but a last-ditch struggle.

But hearing about the exoskeleton, Old White’s face changed instantly, and he remembered the previous encounter in East District, Qingquan City.

If it were those guys...

With the current way of fighting, it really might be difficult to wrap things up!

Not daring to be careless, Old White immediately connected the communication channel to the aerial gunboat and requested air support.

"...This is Burning Corps, we’ve run into some trouble, requesting a Spring Knife for clean-up."

After a brief pause, a succinct and clear reply came through the channel.

"...H-1 Air Gunboat received, the Spring Knife is en route, watch your heads."

"Roger that!"

Ending the communication, Old White gestured to Wild Wind and pointed at a nearby entrance.

The latter immediately understood, taking out a headset-shaped neural connection device from his backpack and putting it on his head.

At the same time, the H-1 Air Gunboat circling in the sky released an inconspicuous black spot from its cabin.

Under the cover of night, the black dot hurtled toward the ground and sprang open six rotors like a Spring Knife just before reaching the target area.

The roar of the propellers sounded, and the high-speed gliding drone, like an arrow released from the string, drilled into the concrete wall blasted open by explosives.

At this very moment, Wu Lun was leading three squad members in a fierce battle with the invading Burning Corps, covering Golden Tooth while retreating towards the back door of headquarters. He was completely unaware that danger was approaching.

"**How much longer until your reinforcements arrive? You expect me to hold off a division with just three people?"** Wu Lun shouted, grabbing Golden Tooth by the collar.

"They’re already on their way here, should be quick!" Feeling equally desperate, Golden Tooth overlooked the rudeness and spoke with a shaken voice.

Wu Lun let go of his collar and continued firing down the hallway behind them.

After suffering over a dozen casualties, the assault from the New Alliance suddenly decreased significantly, easing the pressure quite a bit.

It seems they don’t have many people either...

Thinking so, Wu Lun let out a slight sigh of relief.

However, at that very moment, a buzzing noise resembling a swarm of bees emerged from the darkness, and a sudden premonition of crisis overwhelmed Wu Lun’s heart.

Being an experienced man, he quickly realized the danger and frantically issued an order.

"Drones!"

"Shoot them down!"

Four rifles opened fire at once, creating an orange-yellow net in the pitch-black hallway.

Six rotors were instantly ruined, but the drone, speeding close to the ground, continued on its momentum and crashed right in front of their cover.

Wu Lun’s face changed dramatically, shouting loudly.

"Get down—"

In the narrow corridor, a fiery explosion burst forth.

kilograms of high explosives not only blew the concrete wall away but even melted the steel with its scorching blast wave.

The heat made the floor scorching hot.

Fang Chang, who had injured his shoulder, walked in with Quit Smoking and a bunch of players through the broken wall.

"Damn... that’s some serious firepower." Quit Smoking poked at the helmet fragments on the ground, unable to help but click his tongue in amazement.

"Too bad we didn’t capture anyone alive."

Digging through the rubble, Fang Chang uncovered half of a body that was blown to pieces. After searching for a while, he finally found a head connected to a shoulder under the concrete debris.

Turning back towards the Centurion who had come in with them, Fang Chang spoke in the not quite standard language of the United Human.

"Is this the guy?"

Looking at the unrecognizably disfigured Golden Tooth, the Centurion involuntarily held his breath, stiffly nodding his head.

"It’s him."

Even if there was nothing left but a shoulder and a head or even if he was burned to ashes, he could still identify the man.

However, he never imagined that the once invincible Looter King, the leader of the Chewing Bone Tribe, would meet such a tragic end.

Looking at the unflinching man in front of him, the Centurion’s Adam’s apple moved, and a deep-seated fear was etched into his eyes.

These guys...

Are downright devils!

Thankfully, the war had ended, and he didn’t have to face them on the battlefield...

Ignoring the NPC’s changing expression, Quit Smoking, who was holding a submachine gun, stepped forward and looked over the half-body for a moment.

"Ts, if we want to hang this guy up, we’re gonna need to fix him up a body."

"There’s no need for us to worry about that."

Receiving a sack from a teammate, Fang Chang shoved all the recyclable parts into it.

If this were in the real world, the stuff in his hands would probably have scared him pissless.

However, Wasteland OL is based on the principle of dream-based virtual reality technology. The brain’s defense mechanism and the game’s sensory filter settings significantly block out excessive stimuli.

It’s much like how seeing a zombie in a dream wouldn’t necessarily wake you up immediately, unless the zombie caught up and bit you.

Some braver souls might even need to be bitten for a while before waking up.

Having collected the mission materials, Fang Chang dusted off his hands and lightly tapped on the VM twice.

"Golden Tooth has been killed... requesting further instructions."

After a brief wait, that familiar voice came through the communication channel.

"You’ve done well."

There was a tone of satisfaction and a hint of relief in the Manager’s voice as he continued.

"Your bravery and loyalty have left a profound impression; this moment will go down in the history of the Alliance."

At the same time, a series of announcements popped up on the VM screen.

[Worldwide Announcement: Expansion pack BOSS "Skull Breaker·Golden Tooth" has been killed by the "Burning Corps"!]

[Worldwide Announcement: The expansion pack "Blades Unsheathed" will enter the reward settlement phase in 24 hours, where points earned will be available to exchange for expansion-limited rewards, titles, and lottery entries. Players with unfinished tasks should make use of the remaining time...]

[Worldwide Announcement: Since the leader of the "Burning Corps" has chosen to disclose the achievement, it will be recorded in the Hall of Fame!]

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