A "Speedrun" Method for the Mission

"Don't get worked up." Noticing the shift in the group's expressions, the officer named Luo Feihui grew even more certain of his suspicions and quickly chuckled to smooth things over. "I mean no harm. In fact, I'd like nothing more than to make friends with you all... It's freezing out here. Let's head inside to talk." With that, he gave Fang Chang's arm a light pat and offered him a meaningful look before turning and leading the way indoors. Fang Chang exchanged a glance with Ye Shi, then motioned for the other eight players behind them to follow the NPC inside. Since a cutscene had triggered, there was no harm in seeing where it went. The group stepped into the restaurant. The interior mirrored the outside—opulent yet cavernous. Aside from waitstaff, there were no other patrons in sight. The officer led them straight to a private dining room in the very back. Once they were seated, seeing that none of the players had spoken, he smiled and took the initiative to break the ice. "No need to be so tense. While this establishment technically belongs to Master Zhao, everyone working here is related to my subordinates." Fang Chang studied him with mild interest. "When did you figure it out?" He was certain this fellow had not deduced their identities merely from the lack of calluses on their hands or their facial features. Luo Feihui smiled faintly, a trace of smugness crossing his face. "I noticed the moment you walked through the door." "Oh?" "Aside from what I mentioned earlier, the main reason was a call from my informant in Hope Town. He told me mutants had attacked, and a bunch of folks from the Alliance drove those green-skinned monsters away." "I see," Fang Chang said, rubbing his chin. "I figured word might reach here eventually, but I didn't expect news to travel faster than us." *Now this is tricky.* Watching Fang Chang sink into thought, Luo Feihui seemed to read his mind and smiled as he continued, "No need to worry. Our master doesn't know who you are yet. He thinks you're just mercenaries taking coin to do someone's bidding. He told me to treat you to good food and drink while sounding you out—to see if that fellow Yang He hired you to overstep your bounds." "Such as?" "Such as... usurping his power." Observing the hint of surprise that surfaced on Fang Chang's face, Luo Feihui gave a subtle smile and hinted, "To be honest, I was quite surprised. I thought Brother Yang was merely doing bigger business these days. I never imagined he'd actually throw in his lot with the Alliance... Tsk, tsk. Color me impressed." Hearing that, Fang Chang wore a rather peculiar look beneath his surprise. Truth be told, he had never even heard of this Yang He fellow; the man was probably just the client who gave Brother Luo Yu the quest. The whole "throwing in his lot with the Alliance" bit was entirely this officer's own headcanon. Then again, one could hardly blame his wild imagination. No one in this world could have anticipated that within the Alliance, placing an order at a Mercenary Guild terminal and passing a mission review could actually enlist the assistance of "regular military forces." Seeing the "astonishment" on Fang Chang's face, Luo Feihui assumed he had struck gold once more, and a swell of self-satisfaction welled up inside him. Emboldened by that very satisfaction, he smiled slightly and pressed on at an unhurried pace. "Seems my guess was right. Boss Yang betrayed his master, allied with the Alliance that made him rich, and then helped Alliance soldiers infiltrate Pinecone Farm. Let me guess again... 'Flame Mercenary Corps'... you wouldn't happen to be the Burning Corps, would you?" At those words, not only Fang Chang, but nearly every player present showed open astonishment. *Holy crap...* *If this NPC isn't running cheats, his imagination is off the charts!* Yet that wasn't even the craziest part. The craziest part was that by pure coincidence, he had actually guessed their exact corps correctly! "You caught us." Because the line of reasoning was so eerily perfect, Fang Chang didn't have the heart to lie to him and simply grinned in admission. "That's right. That's us." Luo Feihui clearly hadn't expected his own brilliance to hold up so completely. Delighted, he sat up straight in his chair. "It really is you! What an honor! To tell you the truth, I'm a faithful reader of *Survivor Daily*. I listen to your broadcast channel all the time and have long admired your great renown! I just never imagined we'd meet under these circumstances." "I didn't expect a modest settlement of fifty thousand people to harbor such hidden dragons and crouching tigers... or someone as brilliant as you," Fang Chang chuckled, leaning back in his chair to observe him at ease. "So? What do you plan to do?" His expression betrayed not the slightest concern about blowing their cover. Luo Feihui was not in the least surprised by his calm reaction. He had heard of this corps' battle record—they were the ruthless badasses who had breached Falcon City's defenses and captured its king alive. By comparison, what was his daydreaming master worth? On that point, he possessed plenty of self-awareness. "Like I said, I bear no ill will. If I had any hostile intentions, I would have reported you to the master before you even arrived here." "So I should thank you?" "No need," Luo Feihui said, waving his hand with a laugh. "Didn't I say right from the start? I'd like nothing more than to make friends with you." With that, he rose from his chair, strolled leisurely over to the window, and peered through the blinds at the nearby manor mansion. "What do you think of this settlement?" Caught off guard by the abrupt question, Fang Chang couldn't read his intentions and countered casually, "Does this place even count as a settlement?" Luo Feihui smiled and continued, "Indeed. In the eyes of you shelter residents—or even other wastelanders passing through—this place isn't a settlement at all, but a massive farm. Everyone here is the private property of the Zhao family, no different from cattle in a pen... That's why he can do whatever he pleases without caring what we think." Hearing this, Fang Chang cast another surprised glance his way. He had not expected this fellow to have such awareness, possessing so lucid an understanding of his own situation. Seeing that Fang Chang remained quiet, Luo Feihui lowered his voice. "Most farms around here are like this, and the reason traces back a long time... so long that most folks have completely forgotten." "Once upon a time, Jinhe City had a true settlement, with prosperity no less grand than Boulder City to the north. But because a pack of idiots who thought with their toes decided to take in a bunch of green-skinned bastards, the entire settlement tore itself apart." "A portion of the people were lucky enough to flee to the farms outside. Driven by their fear of those green-skinned monsters, they decided to band together and fight back, trading the grain they grew with Boulder City in the north for weapons to defend themselves. Many things happened afterward. Eventually, smaller farms were swallowed by larger ones, and survivors who lost their land became slaves... That is the history of most farms here, and the past of Pinecone Farm." "Do you think I'm complaining? If so, you misunderstand me. I believe that was a necessary price. To defeat an impossible enemy, we had to make far greater sacrifices than our foes..." At this point, Luo Feihui abruptly shifted his tone, his voice growing agitated. "But haven't you noticed? The people here seem to have completely forgotten why we put nooses around our own necks in the first place... It was to drive out those mutants! To purge every last one of those green-skinned monsters, and take back our honor and prosperity!" "Yet now, as you can see, we've begun planting that Na fruit. We listen to the lies spun by those religious frauds, basking in the pipe dreams they invent. We fantasize about allying with the mutants, and we sell those poor wretches drowned in Na fruit to them, turning them into their food and breeding tools... If my grandfather were still alive, he would be thoroughly ashamed of today's master." "We are slipping the noose around our own necks with our own hands, turning into slaves for the mutants! Yet that fool still obstinately insists on being a dog for the Church! And he wants to drag everyone here down with him! Even after Hope Town proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that those mutants won't treat us differently just because of what we believe, he's still consoling himself that it was merely an isolated exception." "I don't know what Yang He promised you, but I dare say I'm a far more suitable partner than him. A good number of my trusted men in this settlement stand on my side. At best, he could only get you into the settlement, whereas I have a way to slip you straight inside the Zhao Manor... In exchange for my help, I have only one demand!" "What demand?" Fang Chang asked, eyeing the increasingly impassioned officer inquiringly. He had no idea whether this man was trustworthy. Yet if these were indeed his genuine thoughts, cooperation was entirely feasible. Luo Feihui locked eyes with him and spoke each word deliberately: "Make me the master of this farm!" *** The night deepened. Near midnight, the thoroughly drunken mercenaries were escorted back to the main gate of Pinecone Farm by settlement guards. Just as Fang Chang had guessed, the paranoid farm owner had no intention of letting them stay the night inside the farm grounds; their accommodations had been arranged outside the perimeter walls. Yet the master had evidently failed to account for something else. These drunken sots were not the mercenaries from before, but household servants of Officer Luo, dressed in the civilian clothes the players had worn upon entering. Though their appearances differed entirely, no one noticed in the pitch-black darkness. The group made it all the way to the gate without anyone spotting a discrepancy. The only person who caught on was Wu Wenzhou. Having vaguely guessed what had happened, yet feeling the watchful eyes of Luo Feihui's subordinates upon him, he didn't dare make a peep. He could only go through the motions and guide the men into the inn Master Zhao had prepared for them. At the very same time, wooden crates were carried to the back entrance of Xinglong Restaurant. Arriving alongside them were Luo Yu and his clones. Slipping into the backyard storeroom behind several servants, Luo Yu grabbed Fang Chang, who was standing inside inspecting weapons, and asked, "What's the situation? Didn't we agree I'd launch an attack from the perimeter to help you tie down the settlement's troops?" Indeed. Before arriving at the settlement, they had already agreed they wouldn't bother with stealth or other gentle methods to complete the quest. Instead, they intended to cut off the snake's head and take down the farm owner directly. In a settlement of merely fifty thousand people, power structures were rarely complicated. Controlling the one giving the orders effectively placed the entire settlement in their hands. They could shape the situation however they pleased, let alone releasing a few hostages or gathering leads on the Church of the Torch. When Luo Yu first heard Brother Fang Chang's idea, he had been stunned, not expecting the man to be so reckless. Yet on second thought, it was undeniably the most efficient approach. Taking down the farm directly would resolve all quest objectives in one fell swoop, wouldn't it? Yet just as he was gearing up to make a move, the man had messaged him saying the original plan was scrapped. "Change of plans. We have a better way now... You tell him." Having finished checking his weapon, Fang Chang looked at Luo Feihui standing nearby. The officer gave a light cough and reiterated his plan. "The restaurant's cooks are servants from Master Zhao's kitchen. Once the banquet ends, they return to the manor estate by carriage." "My men have detained them. You can take their carriages straight through the estate's checkpoint and arrive at the central residence. The coachman is one of mine; he'll handle the inspections along the way... The rest is up to you." Luo Yu blinked, sounding somewhat incredulous. "Just like that?" "You'd best not lower your guard," Luo Feihui said, giving him a stern look as he continued. "Zhao Tiangan keeps several Awakened as enforcers. If gunshots ring out inside the manor, the nearby regiment of a thousand men can be there in ten minutes at most... And I don't directly command many troops, so I won't be able to offer much more help." "Understood," Fang Chang replied offhandedly, without the slightest hesitation. "You just handle the aftermath. Leave the rest to us." Luo Feihui gave a slight nod. "I've staked my life and fortune on you. I hope all goes smoothly." With that, he slipped out the door. Watching the wooden door shut, Luo Yu looked at Fang Chang suspiciously and whispered in Mandarin, "Is this guy... for real? Helping us like this right after meeting for the first time?" He found it hard to believe. The plan sounded a bit too smooth, almost as if the fellow had known they were coming and had even anticipated what they intended to do. "I don't trust him completely either. It's possible he's hiding something from us or harboring other motives. But since we've already been made, the original script is out the window anyway. In that case, why not see what script he's prepared for us first?" Saying so, Fang Chang pulled out his VM and tapped the screen. Soon, a black-and-white thermal aerial video feed projected onto the display. A closer look revealed that right at the center of the screen was Pinecone Farm! Bright white dots marked heat signatures in the dark. Anyone wandering the streets at this hour was bound to be farm patrol squads. Recognizing the familiar interface, Luo Yu's eyes widened. "Holy crap... A Seagull?!" The Seagull fixed-wing drone! Capable of carrying eight R-36 Sanction air-to-ground missiles, it had previously seen action in the Alliance's operations across Sunset Province and had shone brightly on the battlefield! He had not expected them to deploy such hardware here. Seeing the shock on Luo Yu's face, Fang Chang explained succinctly, "We reported this operation to the Alliance Army Command beforehand, and it received the Administrator's approval. If we let this settlement cultivate Na fruit unchecked, it will pose a grave threat to the southern River Valley Province and Sunset Province... He wants us to clean house and excise this tumor at minimal cost." "I remember an R-36 costs around a hundred thousand Cr a pop," Luo Yu said enviously. His entire quest was only worth a hundred thousand silver coins! Fire support this expensive was something he wouldn't dare dream of! Fang Chang cleared his throat. "What's mounted on the drone aren't actually R-36s, but Pigeon-type missiles from Boulder Armaments... They're not quite that extravagant." Saying so, he tapped the VM screen and switched the comm channel over to Lao Bai. "Audio recording sent. That's the gist of it... We've got help from an insider and are planning to seize the Zhao Manor in the center of Pinecone Farm directly." After a burst of static, Lao Bai's voice came through the earpiece. "Copy that. Do you still need backup from us?" Fang Chang: "...Stand by nearby. If things go well, there's no need. The best outcome is securing the entire settlement without the Church of the Torch noticing a thing... That way, we won't waste a single bullet and can catch them completely off guard when the time comes." Lao Bai: "Sounds like a plan, but isn't that being a bit too optimistic?" Fang Chang said seriously, "It's worth a shot." Lao Bai replied readily, "Alright, your call!" Their tacit understanding required little discussion, and after brief coordination, they quickly reached an accord. Before long, Luo Feihui returned to the doorway to inform everyone the carriages were ready. The group boarded the wagons with their gear. There were three carriages in total, resembling covered freight wagons. Each could squeeze in seven or eight people without feeling particularly cramped. The journey was quiet. Gripping his rifle, Luo Yu felt his heart hammering in his chest as he sat inside the carriage. Any rustle outside tightened his nerves. Though he was no stranger to battlefields, this was his first time conducting such a high-stakes infiltration mission. "Relax," Ye Shi chuckled quietly from beside him. "No killing intent detected so far... At least within five hundred meters, nobody's got their eyes on us." "You've got nerves of steel," Luo Yu said, glancing at him in surprise. "Pfft, this is nothing," Ye Shi dismissed casually. "Back in Xizhou City, things were way crazier than this. Besides, it's just a game. Dying only means a three-day cooldown." "True enough." Reflecting on it, Luo Yu realized that was indeed the case; failing just meant waiting out a three-day respawn timer. He had immersed himself so deeply that the game was playing him... *Wait, hold on, that's not right!* It suddenly struck him that unlike these guys who could respawn whenever they liked, he had a quest worth a hundred thousand silver coins on the line. If they botched this, the mission was practically down the drain! The moment that crossed his mind, his anxiety surged right back... Fortunately, the journey passed without incident. The sentries on duty really didn't bother with a thorough inspection. A single glance at the man on horseback was enough for them to yawn and wave the carriages through. A distance of six hundred meters vanished in no time. They passed smoothly through the estate's main gates, rolled past two checkpoints manned by machine guns, and soon spotted the opulent villa standing not far ahead. Its exterior walls were crafted entirely of marble and adorned with intricate reliefs, standing seven stories tall like a work of art. From a distance, it resembled a castle perched in a garden, reminding one of the Old Leech on Bet Street. Yet this luxury manor was far more lavish than that patched-up "amusement park castle"; their levels of wealth were simply incomparable. "Holy crap... How does he even live in so many rooms?" Ye Shi muttered, secretly counting the windows through the slats of the carriage cover. Kuang Feng chimed in over the comm channel to tease him. "Did you think he lives alone?" "Uh, fair point..." Thinking it over, Ye Shi figured that made sense. If he were the petty tyrant here, running a harem of seventy or eighty women would be the bare minimum to match his status. Poverty truly limited his imagination. Passing by a decorative fountain, the driver noticed the patrol squad moving away and gave two measured coughs. Receiving the signal, the players immediately grabbed their weapons, hopped down from the carriage, switched off their safeties, and chambered their rifles. Lowering his voice, Fang Chang gave orders over the comm channel: "...Team A, swing around to the rear to cut off the target's escape route. Team B, stand by in the courtyard garden and breach the building once fighting starts!" "Team C on the front entrance, Team D through that window at the end of the left corridor!" "Move!" A unified response echoed through the channel. "Copy!" The advance routes for each team had already been mapped on the drone's aerial feed. Everyone reached their combat positions swiftly. As planned, they split into four squads and crossed the dense garden foliage. Ten Yu clones were distributed across the four squads, wearing K-10 Iron Wall exoskeletons to serve as the vanguard. Bringing Team C close to the front entrance, Fang Chang shot a look at Luo Yu, who was pressed against the opposite side of the doorway. Luo Yu caught the cue and barked over the comms, "Yu!" "*Ee-woo!*" An energetic cry came through the comm channel. A clone clad in an Iron Wall exoskeleton took a running stance, then slammed its shoulder fiercely into the door like a football player. *Bam—!* The heavy door was blasted open with ease. The quiet night was ripped to shreds by the jarring crash. Yet at this stage, stealth was no longer necessary. The drone loaded with missiles circled overhead, four squads had completely surrounded the building, and the remaining task was merely cornering the quarry. Team C breached the pitch-black hall immediately, and Team D went into motion at the same time. Yet the moment he entered the hall, Fang Chang sensed something amiss as a faint smell of blood drifted into his nostrils. Immediately after, he saw a corpse, dead for who knew how long, hanging beneath the hall's chandelier. The person's belly had been sliced open, his intestines wrapped around his neck, and his blood-streaked face was twisted in agonizing torment—a gruesome sight. The moment he saw the body, Fang Chang's pupils constricted. He snapped on his flashlight and shone the beam over. That officer's uniform, and that face... It was the officer named Luo Feihui! There was no mistaking it! They had met just an hour ago! A chill ran down Fang Chang's spine. He couldn't comprehend how this man had ended up dead here. Or had he been dead all along, and the one who had contacted them earlier was someone else entirely? Just then, a wet crunching sound came from the side. He snapped the flashlight toward the noise, only to find a colossal creature seated on the floor, stuffing something into its mouth and chewing voraciously without paying them any mind. Its skin was dark green, yet it looked less like a mutant and more like a slime mold fruiting body—a Butcher. Rolls of excess flesh gathered thickly on its body! Sitting there, it resembled an artificial hill! Several mangled corpses lay scattered around it. Men, women, the elderly, children... and detached body parts. These victims were likely the officer's family. "Fuck..." Standing nearby, Luo Yu felt his stomach churn violently. He raised his muzzle and aimed at the monster that was feasting away in utter disregard of their presence. Right then, a dry, raspy voice drifted down from the top of the staircase. The voice carried a faint trace of mockery. "I hear..." "Someone is looking for me?"