Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

  Happy could not avoid what was bound to come!

  He remained on the bow of the ship while observing the actions of the martial artists through the holes. More and more people were coming at an insane rate, and he knew that the Murong Clan’s battleships and their mere hundreds of people would definitely not be able to intimidate them. Yet he circulated his qi, and his blue robes fluttered even though there was no wind. He was prepared to attack.

  In all honesty though, Happy had no confidence in winning the fight.

  If it was just a small-scale battle, it would have been better, but it was a large group quest, and he even had to fight on a river. In such surroundings, he could only protect himself. There was absolutely no way for him to protect Xu Hong and the fleet, unless there was a sudden change and a miracle popped out of the blue.

  Boom!

  The more than ten thousand martial artists on both sides of the river were finally unable to keep waiting, and black figures charged toward the ships at the back of the fleet. Many people screamed and created booming sounds that came from their qi. Those sounds were similar to the sound of an avalanche.

  The players on the closest salt ship to them and elbowed each other out of the way so that they could be the first to land on the deck.

  “Kill them!”

  “Kill!”

  Loud voices rose into the air, and all of Common Reed Bank seemed to have begun boiling in excitement. Numerous martial artists surrounded the fleet like a swarm of locusts.

  “Shoot the bolts!”

  Xu Hon did not hesitate, and an armed escort on the ship swiftly made a flag signal.

  Thud! Thud!

  The sound of bolts slicing through the air could be heard, and a thick wave of black bolts shot out from the ships! The bolts were like locusts that instantly rushed at the martial artists who led the charge.

  Pained screams rose all over the place!

  Blood gushed into the air!

  The reckless men and women who had been filled with boundless enthusiasm were instantly punished for engaging the Murong Clan with a head-on assault. Even though there were not many Murong Clan members in the area, each of them was armed with two repeating crossbows. Their might did not lose out to a thousand-man archer squad, and their damage was even above normal bows and arrows. In just a moment, they defeated the martial artists on both sides in a direct fight.

  Nearly one hundred people died, and hundreds of people were injured!

  However, their sacrifice was not pointless, because the people behind them had advanced one hundred and sixty-four feet forward without suffering any damage.

  \r \r \r

  When Happy saw that, he frowned. The sight of the swarm of martial artists continuously charging over from Common Reed Bank made a sense of helplessness rise in his heart.

  With the fleet’s manpower and shooting speed, they could at most kill or injure hundreds of people. Soon, he was sure to witness the sight of the armed escorts being slaughtered!

  When Happy saw that the players were gradually getting closer and would soon board the ships, he decided to give up on the quest and break through the encirclement with force.

  At that moment, Xu Hong snorted coldly while facing Common Reed Bank.

  “You’re just asking for death!”

  Happy was stunned by his words.

  He cast his gaze over, and he was just in time to see Xu Hong raising his index finger at the armed escort on the mast. The killing intent in his eyes was incredibly fierce.

  The armed escort on the mast seemed to have been waiting for that signal for a long time. When he saw Xu Hong’s gesture, his spirit lifted, and he quickly waved his flags to release a secret flag signal.

  The next second, a strange voice rose from beyond the fleet.

  Happy did not dare to be inattentive, and he quickly went up high to look over the entire area.

  The metal bridge wings on the sides of the ships suddenly released cracking sounds and opened up hundreds of densely packed black holes on their bodies. Upon seeing that, Happy’s eyes lit up with understanding.

  Even though it was the first time he was seeing it, at the instant he saw the mechanism being revealed, he sensed great danger.

  If even Happy, who was part of the fleet could sense the great danger, it was even more so for the martial artists who had drawn close to the river.

  When they saw the dense mass of black holes that looked like bullet holes suddenly appear on the metal bridge wings, a cold chill that made them feel as if their souls were about to escape from their bodies filled their hearts. That feeling seized their minds.

  “This is bad!”

  “Damn it! Is this a friggin’ troll or what?!”

  “Dodge!”

  All sorts of surprised shouts rose and fell.

  Everyone began circulating their qi madly to strengthen their body fortification technique without caring for anything else. While doing so, they also retreated blindly. Some jumped into the river, some activated the Thousand Pound Drop and rushed to the ground to escape from the disaster.

  But unfortunately for them, they were too slow.

  A swarm of flying needles that had no space between them rushed out in a circular area of one hundred and sixty-four feet. The players’ body fortifications, true qi, and qi were all destroyed.

  In the twinkling of an eye, countless players felt numerous pinpricks spread through their bodies. In an instant, a feeling of weakness surged through them, and they collapsed to the ground while covered in blood.

  There were not many who died. Only less than two hundred unfortunate souls were hit in the head and died. The others had various vital spots struck, but they did not die. Hence, they were only injured with varying degrees of danger.

  However, once they landed, they noticed something terrifying!

  Their qi actually flowed out of their bodies.

  Not only were they unable to activate their body fortification techniques, even their qi fell straight to zero. They had to circulate their qi cultivation techniques to replenish it.

  That discovery made the people near the river break out into cold sweat. They stopped moving and did not dare advance!

  Even the powerful martial artists in the crowd were filled with indignation. If they did not have qi, they could not even get on the ships. So if they continued rushing forward, they would just be fools.

  “What the heck?! Damn it!”

  The man with the two hatchets was the most gloomy of the lot. He had an extraordinary body fortification technique and equally outstanding equipment. Because of it, he had safely got through a few rounds of the bolts and even led the charge. He thus did not expect that once the flying needles came at him, his true qi would be completely drained and he would fall into the water.

  With great effort, he climbed to the bank and returned to the group in a pathetic manner to sit cross-legged and circulate his qi.

  As the mysterious, unfathomable, and dense flying needles came from the steel ship fleet, the sortie between the two parties instantly calmed down, and the ships remained undamaged.

  Happy was stunned speechless and pleasantly surprised by the sight. He did not expect that the fleet would have such a powerful defensive tool, but it instantly left him at ease.

  ‘As expected, the system would not release a quest that guarantees certain death. There’s still a balance in this quest. If that’s the case, I still have a chance!’

  However, at that moment, Xu Hong walked to Happy with an unpleasant expression.

  “Officer Happy!”

  “Officer Xu, do you have any orders for me?”

  “Officer Happy, things are very bad right now. We have truly encountered an unprecedented problem, and I have to tell you something.”

  Xu Hong’s tone was very grave, and this caused Happy’s heart to tense. ‘Are you seriously telling me that this mechanism is a one-time thing?’

  “You can go on ahead and tell me.”

  Xu Hong sighed. “This is how it is. The Murong Clan’s mighty reputation has spread far and wide across the land, and we have never allowed anyone to blaspheme our prestige. For the safety of our cargo, we installed various powerful mechanisms in our fleet, but those mechanisms are all meant for normal pirates. We have never considered such a large-scale battle.”

  Happy did not say anything, but he had been expecting that.

  What Xu Hong said was only right. If they continued to strengthen their ships, they would be turning them into national-level weapons. Forget the imperial court, even the Western Depot and Eastern Depot would not let the Murong Clan off so easily if they did that.

  “The flying needles on the ship will only last us until we reach a rather wider area in front, but it’s not that much bigger. The further we go forward, the narrower the river will get. That’s why I’ve decided to head to the area in front of us and converge our fleet in a circle. We will work together and focus our firepower. Then, perhaps we will have a chance to destroy the enemies from Common Reed Bank! But this navy battle will be very dangerous! At that time, I might not be able to even protect myself.”

  When he heard Xu Hong’s arrangement, Happy’s eyes lit up.

  “Officer Xu, don’t worry, for the Murong Clan’s glory, I will definitely do my best to help everyone hold off the enemy.”

  ‘We’ll be facing the enemies with a circle formation in a wide area? If that’s the case, the situation might not be as bad as I thought,’ Happy thought.