Who Exactly Is Launching the Night Raid?

Less than two hundred meters from the perimeter wall. A man with knife scars tattooed across his chest crouched in the grass, his eyes inspecting the ring of huddled slaves as he lowered his voice to rally them for the charge. "Do you see the firelight ahead?" "Living over there is a bunch of folks in blue coats, with perky chests and tight asses. They don't have the strength to truss a chicken—they can't even beat the rats and roaches in the sewers! All you have to do is rush in, blow open their gates with explosives, bash their skulls in with clubs, seize everything they own, and do whatever you damn well please!" "Now pass the needles down. Inject a third of a vial each, not a drop more... Good, you're doing great." "Go! Start running, charge forward! Fling the firebombs over their walls and plunge them into an abyss of terror!" "This is the chieftain's test of your courage." A pair of dull pupils after another lit up with a bloodthirsty craving. Though their bodies were emaciated, their movements were nimble. Clenching battered weapons in their hands, they raced through the forest like phantom shadows. Watching their retreating backs, the scarred man raised his gun overhead and pulled the trigger. *Bang!* The gunshot completely unleashed the savagery simmering in the slaves' hearts. Howling like ravenous beasts, they launched into their final charge. Eighty meters! Fifty meters! Watching from behind to oversee the battle, the scarred man felt a surge of wild delight. The slave soldiers were practically in the defenders' faces, yet the other side hadn't shown the slightest reaction. They were probably still asleep under their covers. Yet just as the thought crossed his mind, heads suddenly popped up from behind a pitted dirt berm less than ten meters from the perimeter wall. Mounted alongside them were countless bows, crossbows, and gun barrels! Before the scarred man could even process what was happening, a resounding, forceful roar echoed from the opposing side— "Fire!" *Bang—!* A flash of muzzle flares lit up the dark as bullets, arrows, and crossbow bolts erupted in a volley, whistling through the night and tearing into the gloom of the woods. The cannon fodder that had just burst from the trees had no time to react, let alone dodge. A full third of them dropped instantly. The momentum of their charge ground to a violent halt. Before they could recover their wits, another dense barrage of gunfire rattled out. As their companions fell one after another, even wild beasts would feel terror, let alone human beings. The cannon fodder pumped full of stimulants could momentarily forget their fear of death, but the scarred man standing at the rear could not. Beads of cold sweat trickled down his forehead. He couldn't fathom how the defenders had predicted their ambush. What baffled him even more was where those trenches had come from. When they scouted the place yesterday, hadn't there been only a single wall? *** On the other side. Cha, who had circled around to ambush the flank, felt a surge of glee upon hearing the gunfire from the north gate. He immediately signaled to the brothers beside him and crept quietly toward the west gate with his gun at the ready. The west side bordered Ling Lake. Under normal circumstances, it ought to be the weakest flank defensively. Now that the enemy's firepower had been drawn toward the north gate, all he had to do was lead his men right under the wall, light the explosive satchel, and blow open the west gate. When that happened, chaos would erupt on the other side, and their morale would instantly shatter! "Boss, something feels off," whispered the hunchbacked man trailing beside Cha. "What feels off?" Though he asked, Cha didn't take it seriously. The hunchbacked man glanced left and right, keeping his voice down as he continued, "The first volley of gunfire was too dense. Judging by the sound, it didn't seem like a flustered response at all. It sounded like they were lying in ambush all along." Hearing that, Cha knitted his brows. "Are you saying our movements were exposed?" Before the hunchbacked man could answer, a comrade beside them cut in. "Don't fucking jinx it!" "I'm not jinxing anything, it's just—" "Enough, stop bickering," Cha interrupted, his voice hushed but commanding. "No matter what, we've already come this far. There's no turning back!" "Besides, our cannon fodder has already drawn off part of their fire. From the sound of the guns, there are at least ten or so up north. Even if there's an ambush, there's nothing to fear—" The moment the words left his mouth, Cha, having crept to the forest's edge, suddenly spotted a trench that had appeared out of nowhere just ten meters in front of the perimeter wall. The trench meandered in a zigzag like a centipede, cutting across the ground between them and the wall. When was that trench dug? It definitely wasn't there last night... A trace of foreboding welled up within him. Acting on pure instinct, Cha raised his right fist, signaling his subordinates to halt. "Stop... no, retreat!" "Everyone fall back!" Hearing their boss's call, the marauders who had been rubbing their palms in eager anticipation of charging were completely dumbfounded. The cannon fodder had already pushed forward, and they had practically crept up to the enemy's doorstep. And they were leaving just like that? Though ten thousand objections ran through their minds, their boss's orders were absolute. However, before they could even take two steps back, several flaming arrows shot from the perimeter wall, soaring over their heads and scattering loosely near their group. Before the marauders could figure out how their position had been compromised, a piercing whistle sounded from the trench ahead. "Charge!" "Don't let them get away!" "Awoooo!" Cha whipped his head back, his eyes bulging wide and his face pale with horror. In all his years running rampant across the northern outskirts of Qingquan City, this was the first time he had ever witnessed such a terrifying, absurd spectacle. The bluecoats who should have been huddled inside their fortifications, shivering in fright, seemed to shed all fear of death the moment that whistle blew. One after another, they scrambled out of the trenches. Some wielded guns; others brandished bows, crossbows, javelins, daggers, and battle axes. Some didn't even carry proper weapons at all, gripping shovels, bricks, or even stools as they let out ecstatic yells and threw themselves forward. The atmosphere was electric. With everyone howling and screaming, each player felt they'd be missing out if they didn't shout something of their own. "Demacia!" "For the Horde!" "Oligei!" Attacker and defender instantly traded places. The retreating marauders were caught completely flat-footed. Stopping to return fire was suicide, yet running away only meant getting gunned down from behind, plunging the scene into absolute chaos. A distance of fifty meters offered hardly enough time to fire more than a few shots. After merely a couple of exchanges on the run, the two sides collided in brutal close-quarters combat. The enemy didn't seem interested in wasting bullets at all, eager only to bash their heads in with whatever they held. Once close, they engaged in duels that quickly devolved into gang beatings. Cha had never seen such savage bluecoats, much less such a barbaric style of fighting. His head buzzed in a daze, and he lost track of who was even ambushing whom. "Fuck! Are these people insane?!" "Get off me! Ah!" "What the hell is that?! Why do I see a lizard?! Hanging out with humans?!" "Aaaargh!" "Retreat! Retreat! Don't stop to fight them! Everyone fall back to the rally point!" One had to admit, these marauders were seasoned experts at trimming their sails to the wind. The instant the tide turned against them, they spun on their heels and ran without looking back. The brothers trapped in melee on the perimeter were abandoned without hesitation. Although Cha had been the last to turn tail, he soon sprinted to the very front. The battle no longer mattered. All he needed to do now was report the situation to the chieftain. The strength of these bluecoats had wildly exceeded their expectations. Before they could develop any further, this latent threat had to be eradicated once and for all! As the pursuers gradually fell behind, Cha secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Yet before he could finish that breath, he suddenly noticed a figure standing directly ahead. The person wore a bizarre contraption that looked like piecemeal armor slapped together from scraps. Clutched in his hands was an absurdly oversized hammer, its head pointing straight in Cha's direction. Cha sneered inwardly, thinking how utterly moronic such a weapon was. Without a word, he drew the Skorpion submachine gun from his waist and squeezed the trigger, unleashing an entire magazine. "Die, you bastard!" *Rat-tat-tat-tat—* The trigger was mashed to the bottom, instantly spitting out twenty rounds of 5mm ammunition. Even a bear standing there would have been perforated into a sieve, let alone a human being. Yet in the next second, his sneer twisted into utter despair. The hail of bullets seemed like blanks. Far from riddling the man before him into a bloody pulp, they failed to produce so much as a spark on the hammer. "What the hell?!" "Sigh, what a waste." Chu Guang felt a twinge of pity for the bullets in the man's pocket. A high-velocity blast of airflow blew the surrounding dead leaves into the air. Before Cha could even register what the man had said, he saw the hammer thrust right in front of his face at an unbelievable speed. Could a human move that fast? There was no time to ponder the question. Pure combat instinct made him discard the empty submachine gun and draw the dagger strapped to his shoulder. Yet the hammer was moving far too fast. Before his suspended arm could even fully straighten, a colossal blast of air slammed directly into his face. "Mode B—" The wind froze in an instant. Cha felt the tip of his nose slam into a solid wall. Yet before he could even register the pain, the roaring airflow tore his consciousness away. The violent recoil of that split-second burst gave Chu Guang's hammer-wielding arm a sudden jolt. He stared blankly at the headless marauder before him, momentarily stunned. "Holy crap... is it really that powerful?" He had merely intended to test his new weapon's output, never expecting a single swing to completely vaporize the marauder's head. The superheated, high-pressure airflow had even scorched the bowl-sized wound shut, stifling the geyser of blood that should have erupted. Chu Guang lowered the hammer, staring blankly at the corpse toppling backward. This bloody thing is an anti-light-armor weapon?! Might as well call it an anti-tank hammer! The players flanking the Administrator were equally struck dumb. They had assumed the hammer in the Administrator's grip was just an ordinary hammer, never imagining it harbored such an overpowered hidden skill. "Holy shit?! What just happened?" "A shield! An explosion! Those were the only two skills I saw." "The boss is awesome!!" Witnessing their leader's horrific demise, the surviving marauders' knees went weak. Casting aside their weapons, they surrendered on the spot. The battle cries from the distance converged on their position. The players beside Chu Guang snapped out of their daze, rushing forward to tie the captives up tightly with sturdy ropes. The post-battle tally recorded a total of 67 participating players, with 5 lightly wounded and 0 dead. Twenty-one marauders had taken part in the fight: 14 dead and 7 surrendered. The spoils yielded 12 firearms, 21 melee weapons of various lengths, 21 sets of leather armor and clothing, as well as 27 white chips and miscellaneous personal belongings. A resounding victory!