I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 530 Escalating Conflict, the Beginning of Bloodshed

Ximen Da Guanren returned to his base, an abandoned warehouse located on the edge of the Treasure Island Wharf District, filled with the fishy smell of freshwater.

He pushed open the creaking wooden door. Even though it was late at night, there were still about a dozen people sitting or standing inside. They were his fellow players who had joined the Minisian Restoration Army with him.

Some of them were cleaning and maintaining their muskets, while others were preparing black powder themselves in rudimentary conditions, completely unafraid of the danger of a secondary explosion.

"Simon is back."

A tall, thin player spotted him first and greeted him softly.

"how is the situation?"

The others who were busy all turned their gazes toward Ximen, looking at him with questions.

Ximen Da Guanren closed the door behind him, shutting out the noise from the docks outside. He then walked to a few wooden crates piled up in the center of the warehouse, plopped down, and sighed heavily.

"So, did you meet Sir Doron? What did he say?"

Another burly player with a virtual scar on his face walked over, carrying a heavy flintlock pistol with its barrel clearly sawed off.

Ximen Da Guanren rubbed his temples, his face filled with exhaustion and helplessness.

"I saw it, but the situation wasn't good."

He recounted his conversation with Sir Doron and his own speculations to everyone in detail.

A brief silence fell over the warehouse when Sir Doron heard the words "preserve your useful body" and the story of the clearly suicidal assassination orchestrated by Earl Lawrence.

"Hold!"

The burly player was the first to curse, slamming his fist hard against the wooden crate next to him with a dull thud.

"Why are these stupid NPCs so complicated? Wouldn't it be better to keep it simple?"

"What we are doing is not simple in itself, so it is only natural to encounter trouble."

The tall, thin player remained calm and did not become discouraged by the predicament.

"Just get rid of the trouble."

"However, Chris will arrive at the dock tomorrow. What should we do?"

"Let's ignore any of that count's plans for now and do what we can do first."

Simon remained calm, and his words drew everyone's attention back to him.

What can they do?
Although there are few players here, there are so many things they can do, because everyone here is a very talented and capable person.

For example, Simon is very rich, the tall and thin guy is a gunpowder expert, and the burly player is a master of full-armor combat.

Perhaps it was because they were very capable that Simon and his group embarked on this path of rebellion... It can't really be called a rebellion, as these dozen or so players didn't consider themselves Bagnians, so how could they be considered rebels? They also had no hatred towards Chris.

They just wanted to change the PVE content of the game.

Rise of Empires is a hardcore yet free game. As long as you can adapt and have enough playtime, it's very fun.

Ximen Daguanren really liked the game's hardcore gameplay and freedom; however, there was one thing he was very dissatisfied with about the game... it didn't encourage PVP content.

Simon studied the game's plot, and in the process, he discovered that Chris was a key NPC.

He found it strange that in the storyline, Chris always inexplicably favored and relied on the players. Even when conflicts arose between player factions and things escalated to the point of war, he would send people to mediate and prevent the two sides from actually drawing blood.

This is really strange. In other games, operators would love for player-versus-player combat to be more intense, ideally with bloodshed. Only when players fight each other will hatred be generated, which will stimulate spending. Higher spending will make the game a lot of money.

However, Rise of Empires does the opposite.

The official stance seems to be deliberately suppressing direct conflicts between players, directing the conflict towards PVE content and confrontations with NPC factions.

This made players like Ximen Daguanren, who were enthusiastic about player-versus-player combat and enjoyed the thrill of faction battles, feel somewhat frustrated.

Because of his dissatisfaction with Chris, Simon came to Taiwan. He wanted to find an opportunity to kill Chris. Once this NPC died, the game's suppressor would be disabled, and then the opportunity would come.

Simon wanted to change the game content from PVE to PVP, even if the cost was being hunted down and antagonized by other players, he didn't care.

The world always has light and justice, and corresponding villains are indispensable. So why can't Ximen Da Guanren be the villain?
What are we going to do tomorrow?

The tall, thin player couldn't help but ask.

“Hexkin, we’re not going to assassinate Chris. Tomorrow’s opportunity isn’t an opportunity; it’s a trap.”

Simon pondered for a moment.

“We should move the soldiers we are training to a safe place first. The Treasure Island pier area is not safe anymore. Let them go to our rural outpost, which is only fifty kilometers away.”

What if there's an assassination attempt?

“I told you, let’s put the assassination aside for now. We need to build up our strength and manpower… Let’s take advantage of the time we have tonight and investigate.”

At this point, Simon couldn't help but sigh.

"The so-called Minisian Restoration Army is too numerous and too complicated, and its internal situation is too damn chaotic. To this day, I still can't figure out who the leader is or who the workers are. It's a complete mess."

We were nominally under Sir Doron's command, and we had about a hundred matchlock guns that we had purchased ourselves, more than fifty NPC recruits, and then that was it.

"With this level of strength, it would be strange if we could kill Chris."

What are we investigating?

“Investigate the internal situation of the Restoration Army and see who we can win over… In the name of Sir Doron, we will borrow his power to strengthen our forces first.”

"In the name of Sir Doron?"

The tall, thin player, Black King, raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Will this work? What if it gets exposed..."

"We can't worry about that now."

Ximen Da Guanren stood up, his eyes sharp.

"We must figure out as soon as possible who else, besides our few dozen people, is truly usable and which territories are relatively safe."

"Sir Dorron's name still has some influence, so let's use it. Kuishan, you take two men and stay behind to strengthen the defenses and guard the things here. Hexogen, you come with me, let's sort out the known strongholds and manpower..."

Before he finished speaking...

"boom!"

The warehouse's creaking wooden door was suddenly kicked open, and as the broken door hit the ground, several dark figures pounced in like ghosts, their movements swift and silent, the objects they held reflecting a faint, cold light.

The attackers were completely shrouded in dark cloaks or coarse cloth clothing, their faces covered, and they made no sound as they silently headed straight for the players in the center of the warehouse.

"Enemy attack!"

The burly player reacted the fastest. With a roar, almost the instant the door was kicked open, he reflexively raised the flintlock pistol with its barrel sawed off. Without even having time to aim carefully, he yanked the trigger on the dark figure charging at the front.

"boom!"

A deafening gunshot rang out in the closed warehouse, a flash of light followed, and the thick smell of gunpowder instantly overwhelmed the fishy odor. The attacker at the forefront was struck as if by a heavy hammer; a burst of blood erupted from his chest, and he collapsed limply to the ground. This shot shattered the silence of death and ignited the flames of war.

"Copy guy!"

"Master Ximen shouted sternly, and at the same time, he rolled to the side and back, hiding behind a pile of wooden boxes."

His movements were as swift as a rabbit's; with a flick of his right hand at his waist, two meticulously maintained muskets were already in his grasp.

The other players also snapped out of their shock instantly, demonstrating their seasoned adaptability.

No one panicked or screamed; there were only the sounds of hurried footsteps, the clash of weapons, the pulling of bolts, and the faint crack of fuses being lit.

"Boom! Boom!"

With his back against the wooden box, Ximen Da Guanren stretched out his arms and fired two shots almost instinctively toward the moving figure.

The muskets spewed flames and lead bullets, and even with poor accuracy, they were extremely intimidating at such close range. An attacker lunging at Hexogen was shot in the shoulder, let out a groan, and froze in mid-air.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Hexogen retreated rapidly. He didn't have any decent melee weapons, but he had just been preparing gunpowder. He grabbed a ceramic jar from the table next to him, which contained the granulated black powder he had just mixed. Without even looking at it, he splashed it at the charging attacker. At the same time, he quickly took out a tinderbox with his other hand and threw it forward.

A flash of light appeared, and the attacker screamed and retreated. The gunpowder that had just ignited had clearly burned his body, which was not protected by clothing.

"Protect the powder keg!"

Hexogen gave a shrill warning, while he himself moved with the agility of a monkey, dodging the slashes by using the cluttered obstacles in the warehouse.

Ximen Da Guanren's brothers used different methods to fight back.

Some, like Simon, rely on precise or violent marksmanship to kill from a distance, while others, such as Kuishan, discard their heavy flintlock pistols after the first shot, draw their double-edged battle axes from their backs, and roar as they face an attacker wielding a scimitar.

His axe blade brought a fierce wind as it slashed down. His opponent raised his sword to block, but he hadn't considered the vast difference in their strength. His axe cleaved the opponent's curved sword and half of his shoulder in two.

There were many players like Kuishan who were skilled in cold weapons. Several of them wielded longswords or machetes with great skill, engaging in fierce combat with the attackers, and the sound of metal clashing was deafening.

However, some players were clearly not good at fighting and did not have firearms. These two or three unlucky guys could only hastily use their short knives or even benches and sticks to block, and for a moment they were in danger.

The attackers clearly did not expect the enemy to react so quickly and resist so fiercely.

The deafening roar of the muskets and the horrific sight of their comrades falling instantly brought their offensive to a halt. The assassins remained silent, but their attacks became even more ferocious and cunning, attempting to quickly end the battle by relying on their numerical and close-range advantage.

The warehouse was instantly engulfed in a chaotic close-quarters battle.

The flashes of fire, the glint of blades, the splattering of blood, the roars and groans all mingled together, quickly creating a nauseating stench of fish, gunpowder, and blood.

With his back against the cover, Ximen Da Guanren quickly reloaded the empty musket, his eyes cold and his mind racing.

Who are these people?
Chris's secret agent?

Unlike the other side, the fact that they chose to use cold weapons for a silent attack clearly indicates that they wanted to avoid alerting the city's defense forces, which proves that they are not government officials.

At the same time, these people are quite capable in combat and can hold their own against the players. Although this is due to their numerical advantage, it also means that they are all elites, not just some random thugs or mercenaries fighting for money.

After much thought, and excluding official institutions, the only organization in Taiwan with such capabilities is clearly one of our own.

It's time to leave. No matter who it is, it's no longer safe here.

"Retreat! Use the emergency exit!"

"Master Ximen shouted sternly, his voice particularly clear in the chaotic warehouse."

The players immediately carried out the order.

Kuishan, skilled in close combat, roared and swung his battle axe, forcing back the two attackers in front of him. After creating breathing space for his companions behind him, he stood like a moving wall of flesh, fighting and retreating in front of them. Although he already had several bloody wounds on his body, his movements were still fierce.

Hexkin screamed, abandoning his attempt to create chaos with gunpowder. Instead, he picked up a sword that someone had dropped and, along with several other players wielding melee weapons, formed a fragile defensive line, using the cover to retreat.
Ximen Daguan and the other two players with muskets used this brief interval to continuously delay the attackers' pursuit with intimidating shots.

Each gunshot created a huge echo and smoke in the narrow space. Although it might not hit its target, it was enough to make the silent attackers more cautious.

"Pfft!"

With a dull thud as a blade pierced flesh, a player wielding a short sword, unable to parry in time, was stabbed through the chest by his opponent's curved blade. His eyes widened, and his body went limp as he collapsed.

"Oh shit!"

His companion, his eyes red, slashed back the attacker who had killed him with his sword, but was also slashed in the arm by a blade from the other side, leaving a deep gash that exposed bone.

Casualties were inevitable.

The attackers were clearly ordered to kill everyone in the warehouse at all costs. After discovering that Simon and the others intended to retreat, their offensive became even more frantic, attempting to intercept and kill all the enemies before they retreated deeper into the warehouse.

"Kuishan, cover the rear!"

After firing his last lead bullet, Ximen Da Guanren used his flintlock pistol as a projectile to smash it hard into the face of the nearest attacker. He then drew his sword and joined the hand-to-hand combat.

"understand!"

Upon hearing the order, Kuishan roared, no longer holding back his strength. He wielded his double-bladed battle axe in a death storm, hacking two enemies to death in succession amidst the attack, effectively deterring the attackers.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the other players immediately turned around and ran, retreating to the darkest corner of the warehouse.

There were some discarded fishing nets and rotten wooden barrels piled up there, looking quite unremarkable.

Hexogen and the other two quickly moved aside several obstructing empty barrels, revealing a low wooden door that was almost integrated into the wall.

The wooden door was covered with a thick layer of grime and mold, and no one would notice it if they didn't know beforehand.

"Let's go!"

Kuishan was still fighting behind him, but he couldn't hold on for long. He roared without turning his head.

Ximen was the first to rush over and forcefully pull open the heavy wooden door. A cool breeze carrying moisture and a fishy smell immediately rushed out from behind the door.

Behind the door was complete darkness, with the faint sound of flowing water that could be heard.

The players filed in, moving swiftly.

Hexogen stayed behind last. He glanced at the last of the mountain, then turned and closed the wooden door, bolting it shut from the inside with a thick bolt.

Almost the instant the bolt was pulled down, a heavy thud and the sound of knives and axes chopping at the wooden door came from the other side.

The wooden door shook violently, splintering debris everywhere; it clearly wouldn't last much longer.

Inside the door was a narrow, steep, downward-sloping stone staircase, damp and slippery, filled with a strong musty and fishy smell.

The remaining players helped each other up and staggered down the slope. They were silent as they walked, but you could feel a burning anger within them.

This was their most embarrassing moment.

Soon, they reached the end of the stone steps, where a dimly lit waterway connected. The murky water flowed almost level with the last few steps, and a fishing boat that looked somewhat dilapidated but large enough was quietly moored to a wooden stake beside it.

These waterways and fishing boats were Ximen Da Guanren's means of safe escape.

"Let's go, brothers, I swear, this isn't going to end here."

(End of this chapter)