Where Did All These People Come From?

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Gangya never would have believed it. Gunfire crackled like popping beans from the snowy ridge across from them. Bullets whistled through the air, pelting the ground all around like raindrops. The two snow-covered ridges were separated by at least six to seven hundred meters. Hitting anyone without a proper optic was difficult, but the sheer volume of fire compensated for accuracy. Over a hundred rifles opened fire almost simultaneously, catching them completely off guard. In just a few breaths, four marauders were struck, tumbling down the snowy slope. The rest scrambled to return fire in haste. Frustratingly, their positioning was terrible. Half the unit was caught midway down the slope, leaving only half holding the crest. To make matters worse, they were fighting against the glare. Looking west, a heavy blob of setting sun hung at the edge of the sky, coating the entire snowy ridge in gold. The higher one looked up the slope, the harder it was to see anything clearly. Gangya couldn't even make out how many enemies there were. In the gathering dusk, he could only tell that at least two hundred-man units were rushing his position. The vast expanse of white was teeming with figures. "Boss! There are so many people ahead!" "They're advancing on us!" "Great Horned Deer God above, grant me the strength of a monster and the swiftness of the divine stag..." "Damn it, how many of them are there?!" "Did the entire northern suburbs show up?!" Chaos erupted all around him. Knowing it was suicide to prolong the fight, Gangya made a split-second decision and roared at the top of his lungs. "Retreat north!" "Get into the woods!" Cutting straight through the forest was a risky move. The snow inside the woods would be thicker than out on the plains, and there was always the risk of running into carnivores like mutated brown bears or snow wolves. According to his original march plan, they were supposed to move west along the forest's edge, cross through the ruins of northern Qingquan City, skirt the old school grounds, and head north toward Yuanxi Town. Who could have guessed that the moment they touched the edge of the forest, they would run headfirst into so many people! At this moment, Gangya felt thoroughly screwed. Receiving their orders, the decurions immediately shouted for their men to run north. From a distance, across the stark white snow, over two hundred figures were chasing a hundred and twenty or thirty marauders. The spectacle looked like someone herding ducks. Only the nonstop crackle of gunfire made it far more terrifying than any duck hunt. "Stop right there!" "Don't run!" "Scoundrels ahead, dare you stop and face me in battle?!" "My blade is already thirsty!" "Fuck! Damn it, these dogs run fast!" The pursuers behind shouted in a flurry of bizarre cries, while the fleeing men in front shrieked back, neither side understanding a word the other was saying. Keeping pace behind the centurion, Beaver glanced back in terror, catching the bright glint of bayonets flashing against the snow. They were still four hundred meters apart! And these madmen had already fixed bayonets. Were they insane?! "What kind of enemy are we even fighting..." Iron Knee wheezed, utterly out of breath. "Hell if I know! If I can help it, I'm never coming back. Damn it, we should've gone east and left this tough bone for Lion Fang's bunch to chew!" "Hey, did you guys hear those explosions earlier? Felt like they had at least ten artillery pieces..." "There's at least a thousand-man regiment to the northeast, and now two hundred-man units are chasing our asses! Do the northern suburbs even have this many people?!" "Madness! Pure madness!" Listening to his subordinates' frantic ramblings, Gangya had no time to spare them a word. Only when they finally reached the tree line did he let out a breath of relief. Looking back at the dozen-odd corpses left behind on the snow, his heart twinged with bitter loss. He clenched his teeth and wrenched his gaze away. "Head due north!" "We rally at Yuanxi Town!" Plenty of men would likely fall behind along the way. Still, compared to being taken prisoner by those survivors, escaping was already a mercy... *** "Darn it, the bad guys got away!" Watching the ten squads vanish into the woods, Tail reached the forest edge, jammed her rifle butt into the snow, and leaned against the barrel, panting heavily. They had been so close to catching them! Unfortunately, the snow was simply too deep. In some spots it reached mid-calf, while in others it buried them to the knees or even thighs, making it impossible to sprint. Tail couldn't help but miss Rourou. If only her bear were here! After a brief wait, Sisi and several other players caught up from behind. "Ah-Wei, you okay?" "Tail is OK, just a shame we missed them by that much!" Looking at the crestfallen Tail, Sisi glanced ahead at the forest and sighed helplessly. "Umm... to be fair, they didn't even bother going through the motions and just started sprinting." When the enemy retreated so shamelessly, failing to catch them was only natural. Even that NPC in the exoskeleton ahead hadn't caught up, had he? The guard team's deputy captain had halted at the edge of the woods, fired a few shots into the trees, and then pulled back. By the looks of it, he had no intention of pursuing them inside. Sisi offered an encouraging smile. "Still, Ah-Wei did great today." At the compliment, the gloom vanished from Tail's face, the corners of her mouth curling into a proud grin. "You kidding? Tail is super brave, okay!" Sisi chuckled softly. "...Am I supposed to say, 'Let me see for myself' now?" "??? Something is very wrong with you!" *** After pressing through the forest for a while, Gangya only slowed the retreat and regrouped his subordinates once the sky had turned pitch-black. Looking at the straggling group of fifty men, his heart sank. While stragglers were expected, he hadn't anticipated losing so many. Panting, Beaver stepped forward and made a suggestion to the centurion. "...The brothers are exhausted. If we keep pushing, even more will fall behind. The pursuers didn't follow us into the woods. I suggest we make camp here, rest until dawn, and then resume our march. That'll give the stragglers a chance to catch up, too." Another decurion, Iron Knee, chimed in. "I agree... The nighttime temperature is too brutal. Marching in this cold is suicide!" You couldn't see a thing in the dark, and ghost knew what lurked beneath the snow. If they kept moving, hardly any of them would make it out of this forest alive. Finding the reasoning sound, Gangya nodded. "Make camp." At those words, everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief and leaned limply against the nearby trunks. Every single man was worn to the bone. Some even began dozing off on their feet. Rubbing his numb hands together, one marauder said with a shiver, "I really wish we could light a fire..." Bitter expressions spread across the men's faces. Light a fire? Here? Were they crazy? Although the survivors didn't seem to have chased them into the forest, none of them believed those people would simply let them go. Hunters might well be prowling nearby, waiting for a single lapse in vigilance to slit their throats. Even while resting, many kept their nerves pulled taut, clutching rifles as cold as ice, not daring to let their guard down for an instant. The night deepened, moonlight filtering through the branches over the quiet woods. A few separated brothers trickled in one by one, but they were the minority. Most remained missing without a trace. All they could do now was pray those men were still alive, that they could walk out of this forest and safely reach Yuanxi Town to rendezvous. A shadow of gloom crept across Gangya's face. For the first time since following Black Snake south, he felt completely lost about the future. Just then, the sound of wading through snow drifted out from the darkness. Gangya instantly raised his muzzle and aimed in that direction. "Who is it?" he barked in a low growl. Around him, rifles were raised in unison. "It's me! Don't shoot!" A figure emerged with both hands raised high, his weathered face filled with tension. Recognizing the man, Gangya relaxed and lowered his barrel. "One of ours." Yu. A former subordinate of his. Though narrowly defeated in the battle at Winter Willow Camp, Yu was exceptionally skilled and an Awakened to boot. After retreating from Qingquan City earlier, Yu had been reassigned by Black Snake, who kept him close to groom him as a centurion. Gangya had never imagined they would meet again under such circumstances. Holstering his weapon, Gangya looked at him. "Weren't you with Black Snake? How did things go over there?" Though he knew the odds were grim, a shred of wishful thinking prompted the question. A bitter look washed over Yu's face. "It's completely finished." "Except for a handful who managed to run, everyone else is done for." Before Gangya could speak, Beaver interjected frantically, "Completely finished?! How could that be... There were over six hundred men! Even if they were rounding up animals, it would take some time!" Utter disbelief was plastered across Beaver's face. Gangya wore the same expression, unable to accept the claim. No matter how bad the luck, even if they had abandoned all their supplies, surely at least two hundred-man units could have escaped, right? Once they reached Yuanxi Town, they could regroup and rally once more beneath Black Snake's banner. Yet hearing Beaver's words, the bitterness on Yu's face only deepened. After a moment of silence, Yu recalled the horrors of hours ago and spoke slowly. "Fire was burning everywhere. At least ten shells... maybe twenty, slammed right onto our lines. Then they began charging. Whistles were blowing from every direction. We had no choice but to pull back north, but things only worsened." "Their vehicles moved across the snow like lightning, skimming like sleds. Our armored pickups got completely bogged down in the drifts and were blown to pieces one after another." "Automatic rifles, machine guns... and a kind of long rifle that could punch right through armor plate. Their firepower was ferocious. The moment the fighting started, we took catastrophic casualties." "It wasn't even just their firepower. When they closed in with axes and bayonets for hand-to-hand combat, we weren't their match either." Fear slowly crept across the listeners' faces. Usually, it was the marauders who initiated close-quarters fighting, using Molotov cocktails and thrown explosives to flush defenders out of cover before charging in with bayonets. It was a tactic meant to conserve ammunition. This was the first time they had ever encountered opponents who fought even more viciously than they did. Still unable to believe it, Beaver asked anxiously, "What about the big guy? Didn't we have that... that tank thing?" Even if they could destroy armored pickups, they couldn't possibly blow up a tank, could they? Yu shook his head. "Blown up." Those two words froze the air around them solid. The surrounding men held their breath instinctively. Blown up? That multi-ton steel beast? Gangya's expression shifted drastically. Memory flashed back to their raids in the central region. Back then, they had run into trouble trying to take a stubborn survivor settlement. The locals had somehow acquired an artillery piece, inflicting heavy casualties on their siege forces. It wasn't until Chiliarch Black Snake procured a tank from the chief that the stalemate broke. Artillery shells bouncing off that tank had felt like tickles. The defensive fortifications that had once driven them to despair crumpled like paper before its steel tracks. They had punched through with ease, butchering every last defender. And now, someone was telling him that the invincible iron monster had been destroyed? What kind of monster weapon could have blown it up?! "...There were at least two thousand-man regiments besieging us. These survivors likely received backing from Boulder City." "We're no match for them, and neither is Lion Fang." "Targeting them was a mistake from the very start. An even worse mistake was believing we could end this war before winter was out." Two thousand-man regiments! Murmurs broke out among the men, their expressions shifting from apprehension to naked terror. Gangya's face was equally grave. Aside from fear, he couldn't comprehend it. If these people were truly that formidable, why had they fought him to a standstill barely a month ago? Gangya remembered clearly that when he rushed to reinforce the vanguard under attack, he had brought only a single hundred-man unit. Although a full day of bitter fighting yielded no advantage, he had at least wiped out one of their elite squads. Back then, he hadn't rated the local survivors highly, figuring they could muster two hundred men at most. Given just a few more troops, he wouldn't even have needed Lord Black Snake to intervene; he could have taken the place himself. Yet now, a survivor fleeing from the front was claiming that the force besieging them numbered a staggering two thousand! In just one winter, their combat strength had added an entire zero. How on earth had they done it?! Didn't having babies take time? This rate of expansion was downright absurd! After a long pause, Gangya said solemnly, "...We must reach Yuanxi Town as quickly as possible and deliver this intelligence to our allies." He and Lion Fang shared the same roots, both hailing from the Fang Clan. Lion Fang shouldn't make things difficult for him. Beaver, Iron Knee, and the other decurions exchanged glances, none of them daring to speak. Truth be told, after hearing Yu's description, they had zero desire to go anywhere near Yuanxi Town. All they wanted was to get out of here, escape from the southern part of River Valley Province, and put as much distance between themselves and this nightmare as possible... *** At the entrance to the interprovincial highway. The convoy laden with supplies had already been moved up onto the relatively elevated highway. Despite a skirmish along the way, the reinforcements led by Liu Ding had reached the front line before nightfall. The battle here was long over. Players had even gathered stones and firewood to light blazes, clearing an open patch of ground on the highway to boil potatoes. Many players were registered as both combat and production classes. Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes was one of them. As a veteran player who had joined during the early version, he was not only a cook, but also a Constitution-type Awakened. Leaning his rifle against a nearby post, he scooped up some snow to wash his hands, then picked up a pot and spatula to start cooking. The appetizing aroma of food drifted through the temporary camp. Players, incapable of sitting still, chatted and bustled about, making the scene as lively as a festival. Tied up nearby, the prisoners swallowed hard, their eyes glued to the food, though none dared ask for a bite. Soon, two players walked over, holding their noses, and dropped a bucket full of nutrient paste onto the ground. "Eat up." Though the nutrient paste was frozen solid like ice, the prisoners didn't mind in the slightest, nearly brawling over mouthfuls of food. A few players watched from the side, chatting idly. "By the way, where do our prisoners usually get sent?" "I think Changjiu Farm has a prison, and there's one at the outpost base too." "Can such tiny prisons hold this many people?" "No way they're all staying indoors. I heard a labor reform camp is being built north of Ling Lake. They'll probably get shipped there to clear wasteland." "Digging potatoes? Sounds intense." On the other side. The liberated slaves had also been given rations, along with branches and firewood for warmth. Liu Ding selected a few among them who knew how to cook, setting up large iron pots in an open space to boil porridge. As bowls of steaming porridge filled their bellies, relief washed over the people's faces. Their new masters didn't seem cruel. They hadn't eaten them, and they had even provided hot food. Hope began to spark in many hearts for what the future might hold. Trotting over to Liu Ding, Lü Bei snapped to attention and delivered a crisp military salute. "Reporting! The count is complete: four hundred and eighty-eight liberated slaves! Two hundred and fifty-seven prisoners of war!" Nearly seven hundred people altogether. Liu Ding nodded, pressed a button on his earpiece, and reported the situation on the front line back to headquarters. Momentarily, instructions came down from command: rest on-site for half an hour, then depart immediately, transporting all supplies and prisoners to Changjiu Farm while moving the liberated survivors to a temporary shelter. "Go inform our soldiers that we head out in thirty minutes." Lü Bei replied briskly, "Sir!" With that, the young soldier jogged off toward the players. Having relayed the Administrator's orders, Liu Ding turned his gaze toward the freed slaves nearby. Four hundred and eighty-eight people. The vast majority were young adults—seventy percent men, thirty percent women. There were almost no elderly individuals, and not a single child. This was by no means a normal demographic structure. The reason behind it was painfully obvious. "...Fucking animals." Glancing at the prisoners scrambling over frozen nutrient paste in the distance, Liu Ding cursed under his breath, turned, and headed toward the trucks. He needed to post a mission recruiting players who could drive to haul the captured trucks back. Everyone else would have to walk. Himself included. *** "It's okay now. We've chased the bad guys away." With the cat ears atop her head twitching gently, Sesame Paste squatted in the snow, comforting a weeping young girl. Not far away. Ye Shi, carrying a sniper rifle on his back, finally returned from the north alongside Kuang Feng. "Damn it, how come I feel like I was just along for the ride again this entire battle?" Glancing at the grumbling Ye Shi, Fang Chang casually peeled a potato and replied, "You weren't. Your recon was crucial, and what you did fit a scout's role perfectly." Ye Shi sighed. "Yeah, easy for you to say, but I waited two whole days and didn't fire a single shot from start to finish! Is that fair?!" Even those total noobs had gotten into a fight! Fang Chang laughed. "Isn't that great? The ammo you saved is all yours to keep." Under the current version, during faction wars, ammunition was distributed before the mission, and any left over could be retained. That was one reason so many players loved bayonet charges. Shooting risked missing, and wasting two rounds was a pure loss. It was far more economical to charge in and brawl hand-to-hand, where ordinary marauders stood no chance. Lately, however, the habit had waned somewhat. Mission rewards had risen repeatedly, while ammo prices remained steady, with a ten percent discount for soldier classes. Supplies were no longer so scarce. Saving ammo had become more of an ingrained habit than strict stinginess. Rolling his eyes, Ye Shi squatted beside him, picked up a potato, and started peeling along. He had finished his trail rations and was starving, longing for a hot meal as soon as possible. "Where's Lao Bai?" Fang Chang answered casually, "He had some business in the real world. Logged off as soon as the war score settled. He's lying in the truck bed right now. Later, I'll have to carry him to the save point—you two are coming to help me." Ye Shi grinned mischievously. "Oh ho... Lao Bai trusts me that much?" Kuang Feng shot him a look. "What are you scheming?" Ye Shi smirked. "Heh, nothing much. Just debating whether to draw a mustache on his face or something." Fang Chang rolled his eyes. "Can you show a shred of maturity?" Kuang Feng cleared his throat. "Are you sure you want to destroy basic human trust? We all have to deal with stuff during the day sooner or later." At those words, Ye Shi instantly deflated, offering an awkward chuckle. "Uh, I was just kidding."