Even Pigs Could Fly

An hour later, Yu Xian stood atop the city wall, lazily letting out a yawn. He had dumped the defense duties straight onto Ximen Wangcai. Mainly, he had asked around to see who had experience defending a city, and to his surprise, classmate Wangcai had immediately declared that he had once led a team in successfully defending a small town. So, Yu Xian promptly appointed him commander of this defense. "Big Bro, can we really hold Fukang City?" Little Nora asked curiously, sitting on the battlements and hugging the Mengmeng Fortune Cat. Yu Xian leaned forward, propping his hands on the wall with a chuckle. "Of course we can. If we really can't hold out, you can just drop another giant Chinese mitten crab to plug the gate. We only need to survive today." "That's true!" Little Nora's eyes brightened as she finally realized how useful she could be. Yu Xian had actually thought of this trick early on. After all, he had noticed last night that the attacking monsters were remarkably polite—none of them climbed walls or took side paths, but charged straight through the main gate like true gentlemen, only to be cut down one after another. As Yu Xian saw it, aside from the final boss being a pain, defending the city really wasn't that hard. "Big Bro, why do you want to conquer everything this time?" Little Nora asked curiously, suddenly remembering a question she had nearly forgotten. Mainly, in her eyes, Yu Xian had always been lazy; whenever he could lie flat like a salted fish, he would never twitch. She could hardly imagine him pulling himself together and actually aiming to dominate the Zhen Realm. "Because this time, I have to grind to Level 250. There are too many variables in that process. Besides, your ability is just too strange, Little Nora—it actually still works in the Zhen Realm. Three different teams targeted you today alone, and more and more teams will come after you going forward. Unless you stop playing entirely, there will be no end to the trouble. "So, we need a stable base—a major power strong enough that no one dares mess with us," Yu Xian explained with a smile, looking out at the dense forest ahead. Fortunately, he had formed his troupe quickly today; otherwise, he and Little Nora would have had no choice but to fight Xia Yang's group. That would have been too dangerous. Although Little Nora could have repeated her old trick, summoning giant food to crush Xia Yang and his crew, Xia Yang and his people were not Fool Pandas. While Yu Xian and Little Nora attacked, if even one of them was a ranged class, Yu Xian and Little Nora might have been killed on the spot. After all, the other side was several levels higher than them. ... Another hour passed. Over three hundred class holders gathered by the city gate. Under Ximen Wangcai's arrangements, a portion of the ranged class holders ascended the walls, while Cheng Jian led the tanks to guard the gate, ready to hold the line the moment it was breached. Many uninvolved class holders watched from a distance, curious to see whether the Sparkle Troupe could hold the city. Ximen Wangcai walked up to Yu Xian's side on the wall and said, "I've done everything I can. Whether we can hold Fukang City comes down to luck now." "Relax. If we really can't hold it, I'll step in!" Yu Xian said with a smile. Ximen Wangcai was curious about what trump card Yu Xian had, but knowing Yu Xian wouldn't answer even if he asked, he kept his mouth shut. "They're here!" Little Nora called out from the wall. High in the distant sky, an enormous magic circle unfolded, followed by streaks of purple light raining down from the heavens. The next moment, dense swarms of ghouls burst from the woods, charging straight toward the walls. "Ghouls, all around Level 5 mobs. Looks like the first wave won't be too tough," Ximen Wangcai said with a relaxed smile, looking down at the ghouls below. With a wave of his hand, he gave the order, and the ranged class holders on the wall unleashed their attacks. Spikes of earth erupted from the ground, skewering the heads of ghouls, followed by volleys of fire arrows raining down to slaughter another wave of monsters. Wind blades, fireballs, ice crystals, arrows, and lightning crashed down. In the blink of an eye, the first wave of monsters dissolved into white light. Outside the city, the ground was littered with loot. The class holders on the walls broke into smiles. This defense was definitely worth it—several people leveled up on the spot. Evidently, these monsters were different from normal ones; even though their levels were lower than the class holders', they offered very generous experience. In fact, every member of the Sparkle Troupe received a cut of the experience. Yu Xian and Little Nora, who had been low-leveled to begin with, jumped up two levels at once. At this rate, once the siege defense was over, they'd likely reach at least Level 19, or perhaps even Level 20. Just then, the second wave arrived. The second wave consisted of Windfang Wolves—Level 7 monsters capable of firing wind blades from their fangs. Before even reaching the gates, they opened fire, unleashing a barrage of wind blades that battered the city gate. Seeing this, Ximen Wangcai hastily ordered the ranged damage dealers to attack. Yu Xian didn't slack off either. A piece of useless junk would appear in his hand every now and then, which he used to cast Chaos Curse on the Windfang Wolves. Through everyone's combined efforts, the second wave passed without serious incident. Another haul of loot covered the ground, though the gate was now heavily scuffed and scarred. "Little Nora, prepare food for everyone," Yu Xian said to her. Little Nora nodded and clapped her hands. A spread of food immediately appeared out of thin air. Yu Xian turned to Ximen Wangcai and instructed, "Have someone distribute the food. There are tough battles ahead, so make sure everyone restores their stamina in time." "Understood!" Ximen Wangcai stared at Little Nora in shock before collecting himself and nodding in agreement. He had wondered earlier why Xia Yang and the others had all wanted to seize Little Nora. Now, he had his answer, and he also understood why Yu Xian had decided to occupy Fukang City. Perhaps this time, they really could go all the way. Turning around, Ximen Wangcai couldn't help feeling a surge of anticipation. Thanks to the steady supply of rations, the morale of the class holders in the troupe was greatly restored, avoiding the typical weariness and slump of prolonged siege defense. Eating piping hot food and drinking warm beverages, everyone waited for the third wave. "Little Nora's ability is too extraordinary. Aren't you worried word will leak out?" After seeing to logistics, Ximen Wangcai returned to Yu Xian's side and asked in a low whisper. Yu Xian smiled. "That's why I need this city!" "I see." Ximen Wangcai understood at once. Fighting was prohibited inside the city; that rule was Little Nora's best protective talisman. The problem was that city administrators could expel specific class holders. For example, once Yu Xian and his troupe occupied Fukang City, if anyone displeased them, they could spend a certain amount of Fortune Gold Coins to directly expel them from the city and bar them from entering. If someone else set their sights on Little Nora while she stayed hiding in the city, that rival might decide to take over Fukang City themselves, and then expel her. What Yu Xian was doing now was preemptively patching that loophole: by occupying Fukang City first, no other troupe would be able to use that method to banish Little Nora. As long as Little Nora stayed inside the city, her safety was guaranteed. With Little Nora, an absolute deity of logistics, on their side, if the Sparkle Troupe still failed to take off, they would truly be worse than pigs.