Boss Dao Has Manifested (2)

The mindset of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it, didn't seem to hold much currency here. Historically, only one firm rule had been established for contesting wild ships: whoever delivered the final blow claimed the craft's dead iron and metal blocks. If two Great Spikes were slain by two different bands, the spoils were split evenly. Thus, no one could guarantee that if an oriole lagged even a step behind, it would still get so much as a taste of the cicada. After all, for bands like these, killing a black-armored Great Spike wasn't particularly difficult. As for specific tactics... the fighters who had come over from the three bands had explained a few: how to charge an enemy formation, how to cut off an opponent's retreat at a critical juncture, and how to steal their command signals to shout them at random during battle and sow chaos. "From what I'm hearing, why does it sound like a pure contest of who can be more underhanded and shameless?!" He Tangtang muttered. "Is that so? Then we're golden!" Zhu Jiaming chimed in with a grin. "Yeah." Wen Jifei nodded, his eyes darting to the Young Prince before shifting to Han Qingyu. Han Qingyu was looking at them too. Only Wu Xu stood there with a blank expression. "Another thing to keep in mind: once you get the goods, getting ambushed on your way out is a separate matter," Liu Lang added, reiterating the bloody cruelty behind the City of Iniquity's customs. He had to work hard to prove his worth right now so he wouldn't be hounded by debt collectors every day. "Isn't that obvious? And as far as I know, getting butchered before you even get in is also a separate matter," a voice called out from the darkness. Not far off, a unit marched past. Their leader, a one-eyed bald man, offered that sinister remark with a provocative smirk. "Ah, Boss Gu Zhazha." Filio offered a tense greeting, his mouth tight. In the past, he would have had to bow... Just now, his back had almost bent, but fortunately, he caught himself and stood tall. At the same time, the scenario Gu Zhazha described genuinely existed; it was just rarely seen among top-tier bands. Rare, however, didn't mean impossible. "Yeah." The one-eyed bald Gu Zhazha swept his gaze over the crowd. "Where's Boss Dao? Didn't your Boss Dao come?! Where's Dao Dali?" "Our Boss Dao had surgery." Filio hesitated inwardly before deciding to answer truthfully. That was the explanation the band had made public anyway; truth and deceit were so thoroughly mixed that whatever he said, no one was bound to believe it. "Oh, so you're here to die?!" The combat saber on Gu Zhazha's back clattered in its clasps. As if joking, he said, "You're gonna die, you know... Ten bands are lying in ambush for you at the bottom of the slope ahead. Including mine." "Boss Gu Zhazha must be joking," Filio said with a sheepish laugh. "Who the fuck is joking with you? You think you're worthy?! ...I'm just kidding, heh-heh-heh-heh." Shifting from grave disdain to sudden, deranged laughter, Gu Zhazha's expression flipped once again. "Actually, it's true. They reached out to me, and I'm taking part." "..." Filio was clearly not used to this sort of atmosphere and banter; he immediately wilted, his eyes darting about in helpless confusion. "Think about it. The collapse of the Three-Band Alliance was supposed to be a great thing for us, right? But now, your Boss Dao actually went and swallowed them up, which might make you guys even stronger... So shouldn't we desperately want you dead?! Right?" His voice remained unhinged as Gu Zhazha leaned in close, staring Filio down. Filio: "..." That actually sounded distressingly reasonable. "Remember not to come over. Just stand here and be grateful for my benevolence." Gu Zhazha turned, gestured toward the downhill slope ahead, and led his men down into the gloom of the dirt slope. Mocking laughter trailed back from his unit. And so the group halted right there. "Why did they stop?" Rusty Sister wondered aloud. At that moment, she and Zhe Qiuhong were lying prone in a sand pit about three hundred meters off to the flank. The iron suit had five wooden cases strapped across its back, the longest over two and a half meters and the shortest over a meter long. They had been brought along in case of major emergencies. Five wooden boxes were hardly something she would find heavy, but just looking at them gave an impression of pure clutter, and lying flat made her feel as though she were buried alive... Rusty Sister's helmet knocked against a long case; she quickly steadied it to keep from making more noise, then furrowed her brow in grievance and complained: "I'm so annoyed! Am I a moving cargo truck or what?!" "Trucks are supposed to move," Zhe Qiuhong said, stifling a laugh as she counted the lizards and snakes in her bag, alongside the minerals and flora she had gathered to make dye. "Doctor Zhe!" Rusty Sister turned, puffing her cheeks in annoyance. Zhe Qiuhong turned back with an affectionate smile. "Speaking of which, Niu, you really ought to call me Big Sis. You could, couldn't you?" "I can't do that. I can't share a title with someone like your brother. I've thought about this carefully," Rusty Sister said. "Oh." Zhe Qiuhong hesitated, then nodded. Looking up, she said, "Look, the Great Spikes are coming." ………… Across the distant sky, a shuttle-shaped craft was growing larger as it descended... Judging by its trajectory, it would land to the right of where most bands were ambushing. "Two of them!" someone muttered, looking up. Sure enough, there was another, smaller black speck descending as well, seemingly bound for an area farther off. "Aren't we heading over? They're looking right at us—see, someone's even waving. They're definitely laughing at us," one of the men from the three bands finally couldn't resist asking Filio. "We..." Filio hesitated. With Boss Dao gone, he realized he was utterly incapable of making such a major decision. "Since it's our first time, how about we just watch from here? Form two formations in case of surprises. I'm going to take a leak," Han Qingyu said, walking off. Wu Xu and Wen Jifei followed along, going to take a leak together. Before the original members of Boss Dao's band could recover their wits, Filio was surprised to find that the men from the three bands had already begun forming ranks. At the same time—CRASH! The Great Spike craft slammed into the ground. "Holy crap, that's dirty as hell," He Tangtang remarked loudly after watching for a moment. In their line of sight, Old Hugh's band was closest to the craft. The instant their vanguard met the Great Spikes, two bands behind them abruptly cut in diagonally, blocking their second formation. Casualties appeared immediately. Coded command signals rose and fell throughout the night. Some whistled, while others bellowed in ways that clearly belonged to no human tongue. The battle began in utter chaos... Screams, clashing dead iron... a hodgepodge of languages traded threats and curses, with "Fuck your mother," "Fuck," and "Shit" ringing out with exceptional clarity. The band engaged with the Great Spikes lured them away, desperately striving for a swift kill while working even harder to prevent rival ambushes from snatching the fruits of their victory. "How does it look?" Han Qingyu asked from behind a rise. "Honestly, they're all pretty brave." Wen Jifei paused. In truth, he had wanted to say that it also felt a little pitiful and pathetic. After a moment's thought, he kept it to himself. Elsewhere, Filio's heels touched the ground after standing on tiptoe for so long. He let out a glum sigh. "It's Gu Zhazha's." Any other band would have been fine, but why did it have to be him?! He had just mocked them like that; once he won and looked back, who knew what he would say. Yet no matter how dejected Filio felt, that shuttle-shaped craft belonged to Gu Zhazha now. Under the ferocious assault of his formation, the two black-armored Great Spikes were already riddled with wounds, awaiting only the finishing blow. "Wait, what's going on?" Filio suddenly froze. "Fuck! What the hell?!" In the distance, Gu Zhazha roared at the same time. In the scene before them, the two dying Great Spikes suddenly disengaged. In Gu Zhazha's eyes, they broke toward the outer rim of the battlefield... while in Filio's eyes, they were barreling straight toward their side, deviating by less than thirty degrees. Behind the Great Spikes, Gu Zhazha's men gave chase in a thundering rush... "Wh-what do we do?!" Filio asked nervously. "Hack them! A free bargain dropped right into our laps—are we supposed to say no?" Zhu Jiaming drew his blade. Though the battle formation behind him was bewildered, they immediately drew their blades as well. They quickly cut across to confront the Great Spikes head-on. "Fine, hack them! Hack them!" Facing them head-on, Filio dutifully took the front line. Holding twin sabers, he watched the Great Spikes charge madly toward him, closer and closer, as if they adored him so much they were determined to die in his arms. Gu Zhazha and his men were still in hot pursuit behind the Great Spikes, his combat saber thrust forward. "Just you try laying a finger on them!" At the same time, almost everyone on the battlefield looked back to witness this bizarre sight. A chaotic flurry of discussion erupted. "What? What are they saying?" Suddenly receiving such enthusiasm from the Great Spikes, suddenly thrust into the center of attention, Filio felt his mind and vision blur. He couldn't even hear clearly. In total bewilderment, he asked, "Can someone tell me what's going on?! Why...?" "Boss Dao has manifested!" He Tangtang raised his blade and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Brothers, Boss Dao has manifested! Charge!"