Chapter 1 Gu Fei Leaves the City

Gu Fei left the city. No sneaking around, no cosplay. He strode out of Cloudy City's gates, robe flowing, long sword shouldered. To Gu Fei, bullying players amidst the chaotic city battles with the help of the formidable system guards was a piece of cake. He hadn't done it before, partly because it was too easy, and partly because it felt pointless. Gu Fei wasn't the naive newbie he once was, easily thrilled by a chance to flex his skills. People are always wanting more. Now, when Gu Fei bullied others, he wanted it to be challenging and meaningful.

When the city war first broke out, Gu Fei didn't really understand his role as a defender; he was just going through the motions. He took on a masterpiece quest and diligently tried to complete it. But now, after he and Jian Gui raised the banner and gathered a crowd, with the girls following behind, calling him Guild Leader this and Guild Leader that, he suddenly felt a sense of belonging. Gu Fei felt that even bullying ordinary players in the chaos was a meaningful thing to do.

"Someone's coming out!!!" Many players watching the city gate amidst the chaos were on high alert the moment they saw a player appear.

"Confirm their identity, confirm their identity!" a chorus of voices shouted.

Wiping out the defending players was no longer just the business of the Colored Clouds guild. The four major guilds had learned of Colored Clouds' actions, and they also knew that Qian Li Zui and the others were now confined within the main city. When this news spread, the guild leaders felt there was no need to stay holed up with those noobs. They quickly regained their former vigor, organized their forces, and launched a frenzied attack on the city, especially focusing on piling people up at the city gate.

"Are they your people? Are they your people?" Players from each guild pointed at the Colored Clouds members, asking. Everyone now knew about Colored Clouds' actions, so killing people now required distinguishing friend from foe, which was a bit of a hassle.

"No," the Colored Clouds members calmly replied. They didn't need to identify them; if it was one of their people coming out, they would have been notified in advance.

"Get ready!!" countless teams shouted.

The figure gradually became clearer, and everyone became even more excited: "It's Qian Li Zui!!"

"Qian Li Zui is coming out! Qian Li Zui is coming out!!" The players were as excited as if they had found a Boss about to spawn, and everyone desperately挤挤over.

"Kill him! If he dies a few more times, he'll be kicked out!" The players were highly motivated.

Instantaneous Movement!!

Gu Fei suddenly flashed from behind the soldiers into the battlefield, and with a flick of his wrist, he unleashed a Twin Flames Burst, instantly killing three players around him.

"Charge!!" A pile of players roared as they squeezed forward. Gu Fei used the system guards as obstacles and cover, weaving, dodging, and striking. Before long, seventeen players had fallen by Gu Fei's hand. The players calmed down. They realized they had gotten a little too excited. This was Qian Li Zui, the top-tier Boss who single-handedly took on one thousand members of Against the Flow! To think that players would want to fight him when he was surrounded by a bunch of system guards was just plain foolish.

Gu Fei didn't think so much. He was just killing anyone he saw, unstoppable, more efficient than the NPC guards. In terms of damage output alone, the guards couldn't even compare to him.

"Stop him!" The players were in chaos. The team leaders shouted orders, and the team members rolled their eyes. In the area they were currently fighting, the players didn't have that much freedom. So many system guards were not just for show. If the players could move so freely and unrestrictedly here, wouldn't they have already stormed through the city gate right in front of them?

Gu Fei's appearance had a huge impact on the battle. Although the system guards were strong, they were still just system entities. The players had gradually mastered the way to wear them down, coordinating their classes, with the dead teleporting back and the living replacing them, creating a good cycle. With Gu Fei's appearance, many people dropped what they were doing to deal with Gu Fei, which only accelerated their downfall.

Gu Fei's efficiency in killing people was far greater than the rigid system soldiers. Now concentrating on the front line, he quickly carved a gap in the player ranks. The system guards were stiff in combat, but they were good at exploiting opportunities, and they quickly cut through the gap, so Gu Fei seemed like a general leading his troops, leading this group of guards directly in a bloody path, unstoppable.

However, the further they got from the city gate, the weaker the system's power became. The players regained the initiative and surrounded this isolated force. They shouted slogans like "Slaughter Qian Li Zui a hundred times over" while realizing: Qian Li Zui was no longer with this isolated force.

"Damn, he ran away, the coward!!!" someone cursed.

Everyone rolled their eyes. No one with any sense would believe that Qian Li Zui was a coward. If he ran, it could only mean that he had something else to do. If he wanted to stay on the battlefield and kill people, he would definitely be a score-farming machine. Everyone understood this.

Gu Fei left the battlefield and quickly changed course, heading towards the leveling area. He planned to deal with the priest matter later and get the legendary scroll first. Gu Fei had already added the studio's contact as a friend, called Ling Gu Feng, and the two had agreed on a meeting place.

There were indeed many players in the leveling area. In the agreed-upon coordinate area, Gu Fei saw a player who wasn't leveling or fighting monsters, just standing there blankly as if waiting for someone.

"Ling Gu Feng?" Gu Fei took the initiative to step forward.

"Oh?" The person heard someone call out and immediately turned around. When he saw Gu Fei, he quickly reached out his hand: "The famous Qian Li Zui? I've heard so much about you."

"You're too kind," Gu Fei said. "Did you bring the scroll?"

"Of course." The other party quickly reached into his pocket. Thirty scrolls was a lot, and it was impossible to take them all out at once. The game was realistic; it wouldn't just mark a scroll with a "x30" to represent thirty scrolls. Ling Gu Feng from the studio carefully took out ten at a time, then collected a ten-thousand gold coin pouch from Gu Fei. Each time, both hands acted at the same time, tightly grasping the coin pouch on one side before reluctantly releasing the scrolls on the other side, as if Gu Fei would kill and steal.

After two transactions were completed, Gu Fei only handed over the money for the third transaction, without taking the scrolls: "Send these ten to Brother Yu by mail. We need the coordinates, and then help me get some more."

"Oh, is that so? No problem!" Ling Gu Feng nodded. Suddenly, a rogue player who had been fighting monsters nearby jumped over, and Ling Gu Feng handed the scrolls to him, saying, "Send it to Brother Yu. He'll mark the coordinates and send it back, then bring it back here."

"Okay." The rogue grabbed the coordinates and ran off.

"You even have a bodyguard?" Gu Fei asked in surprise.

"Not at all. Does the boss need anything else?" Ling Gu Feng asked.

"That's all. I'll wait for the scrolls!" Gu Fei said, but Ling Gu Feng continued to ask: "Don't you also need priests?"

"Uh? You sell those too?" Gu Fei asked in surprise.

Ling Gu Feng smiled: "Of course we have some people, full-time, part-time, etc. If you need..."

"What's the price?" Gu Fei asked.

"A qualified level 40 Light Priest, 50 gold coins per hour." Ling Gu Feng said.

"50 gold coins per hour?" Gu Fei asked.

"Yes." Ling Gu Feng nodded.

Gu Fei was puzzled. He didn't know it was so expensive to hire by the hour. He quickly contacted the old-timers in the city. Brother Yu exclaimed, "Who did you find?"

"This guy from the studio said they can provide priests," Gu Fei said.

"Oh, no wonder, they're professionals! But given our current situation, it's better to find some wild ones. We don't know how long we'll need them!" Brother Yu said.

"What did you negotiate before?" Gu Fei asked.

"One hundred and fifty gold coins each. At their price, it's three hours. Can we wipe out everyone in the city in three hours?" Brother Yu said.

"Maybe?" Gu Fei always thought of battles as being relatively easy.

"No one can say for sure! But using the studio's people is really good; at least they're professional when they work," Brother Yu said.

"Then let's go with them!" Gu Fei also wanted to make things as easy as possible, so he immediately turned to Ling Gu Feng and asked: "How long will it take to gather the people?"

"Oh, how many do you need?" Ling Gu Feng asked.

"Forty people!" Gu Fei said.

"How many hours?"

"That's not set. How do you settle the bill?"

"Not set? Then I don't recommend you hire hourly workers. You can contract a task," Ling Gu Feng said.

"Contract a task?"

"Yes. Look, this is the promotional package we're offering during the city war." Ling Gu Feng began to take out a brochure. Seeing Gu Fei staring at him dumbfounded, he explained, "But the city war has only been out for a day, so the package isn't complete. It's possible that the task you need isn't on it. Especially... you're the defending side, right? We really don't have much information on that."

"However, if you need a large number of priests, we can tailor a special service for you. It's all very flexible. You want forty people, right?"

"Yes. How much for forty people?" Gu Fei asked.

"Three hundred gold coins per person, twelve thousand gold coins. How's that?" Ling Gu Feng asked.

"Ten thousand!" Gu Fei said.

"You're cutting it too deep," Ling Gu Feng said in distress.

"Twelve thousand is fine, but you have to give me forty hourly packages," Gu Fei said.

"Isn't that the same thing?" Ling Gu Feng said in distress.

"Otherwise, just forty hourly packages. You choose!" Gu Fei said.

"Option A earns twelve thousand gold coins, Option C earns two thousand gold coins. It seems like I can only choose A or B," Ling Gu Feng said.

"Choose B!" Gu Fei said, "Even if you choose A, I'll still buy forty hourly packages."

"Alright!" Ling Gu Feng finally agreed.

"When can the people be ready?" Gu Fei asked.

"I'll gather them right away. Is it convenient here?" Ling Gu Feng asked.

"Let's find a place with no one around!" Gu Fei was still worried that there might be informants here or something. He didn't want to create any more complications.

There were still many deserted areas outside the city. Ling Gu Feng quickly thought of one, and while notifying the people who were supposed to go there, he and Gu Fei headed towards that area together.

"Are there many people hiring during the city war?" Gu Fei asked on the way.

"Not many," Ling Gu Feng said.

"Wait, are the priests you're giving me the ones who have died the most times?" Gu Fei suddenly asked.

"Don't worry, I guarantee they all have at least 20 deaths left. Actually, generally, if the task is more dangerous and likely to result in death, the fee will be higher, and it will also require compensation. But there's no loss for dying during the city war, so forget it," Ling Gu Feng said.

"Alright."

With the basic terms of the deal settled, they arrived at the agreed-upon location. After waiting for a moment, the rogue errand boy who had gone to send the scrolls was the first to return, handing the scrolls to Gu Fei. Gu Fei looked through them, and all ten scrolls had been marked with the same coordinates. Jian Gui also sent a message: "Give us a shout before the priests teleport."

"How long before the priests arrive?"

"All eighty of them are on their way," Ling Gu Feng said.

"The first forty will be hired by the task, and the last forty will be hired by the hour. Is that okay?" Gu Fei said.

"This... I'm afraid it's not very convenient. I've already told everyone who is hired by the task and who is hired by the hour. It mainly depends on whether they volunteered..." Ling Gu Feng said.

"Oh, then that's how it will be. Tell everyone to hurry up," Gu Fei said.

"Priests have short legs, you know!" Ling Gu Feng said.

While waiting for the priests, things weren't going well in the city. Without priests, Exceptionally Defiant and Rebirth Amethyst didn't dare to fight Colored Clouds head-on, and they were hiding and dodging in the city, but everyone had received the news that the priest legion would arrive soon, so they all endured. Brother Yu marked the coordinates at the city gate's mailbox. Jian Gui had already told everyone to try to stay around this area as much as possible, and as soon as teleportation began, immediately rush to the mailbox area to gather the team.

"Jian Gui, get ready to receive people!" At this moment, Gu Fei's message arrived. Jian Gui perked up and immediately passed the word down. Both guilds began to prepare towards the agreed-upon place, and on Gu Fei's side, four scrolls each had been distributed, and they were waiting for a signal from the city.

"Okay!" Before long, Jian Gui's message arrived. Gu Fei received it and greeted the priests. Everyone activated the scrolls, and a large number of teleportation arrays appeared. Forty priests quickly entered Cloudy City.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, forty people teleporting together is truly spectacular. This is the first time I've seen it!" Ling Gu Feng said.

"It's nothing. It's no different from dying with forty people," Gu Fei said, true to his background of having seen big scenes.

"What are you planning to do with these forty people?" The other forty priests had also arrived.

"Hehe, I have my own plans. Speaking of which, how many priests do you still have on hand?" Gu Fei asked.

"You want more?" Ling Gu Feng was stunned.

"I think forty is probably enough. I'm just asking in advance. If it's not enough, I'll find you again," Gu Fei said.

"Wait a minute, what are you going to do with our priests? You're not going to make them die 25 times in an hour, are you?" Ling Gu Feng said.

"Probably not, right?" Gu Fei said.

"Probably not???" Ling Gu Feng emphasized the "probably" again.

"Or give me another forty," Gu Fei said.

"What exactly are you trying to do?" Ling Gu Feng could see that Gu Fei didn't plan to send these forty people into the city. He seemed to have other uses for them.

"Does your studio need to ask so clearly? It's not like I'm not paying you," Gu Fei said.

"We have to be responsible for the interests of our employees! I originally only hired them for an hour, so I didn't think there would be a need to discuss the issue of compensation, but now you're making me feel uneasy! If they die twenty-five times in an hour and are kicked out of the city war, then this priest of mine is basically useless during the city war, and I've lost a lot by letting you buy them out for 50 gold coins," Ling Gu Feng said.

"How much to buy them out?" Gu Fei asked.

"One thousand," Ling Gu Feng said.

"Finally caught up with the price of the scrolls," Gu Fei said with emotion.

"You want to buy them all out?" Ling Gu Feng was clearly excited. He knew about Qian Li Zui's efficiency-based leveling method. This was a big deal. Buying out eighty people would cost eighty thousand gold coins, and this wealthy man could afford it.

"Give me eighty, and if someone really dies 25 times, I'll pay the buyout fee," Gu Fei said.

"You have to pay first," Ling Gu Feng said.

"It's not certain whether they'll die," Gu Fei said.

"I'll refund you if they don't die," Ling Gu Feng said.

"I'll give it to you if they do," Gu Fei said.

Ling Gu Feng felt that this stalemate wasn't going anywhere, so he changed his tone: "How about this, you tell me what you're going to do, and I'll evaluate it."

"Call the people here first. These priest's short legs are really unbearable," Gu Fei said.

"I'm calling them, you say, you say."

Gu Fei explained it this way and that, and Ling Gu Feng opened his mouth wide: "You're crazy..."

"I'm confident," Gu Fei said.

"If that's the case, maybe you don't need all priests. A little more firepower would be more efficient," Ling Gu Feng suggested.

"You have those too?"

"As long as you have money, we have everything," Ling Gu Feng said.

"Great, give me a few of the best ones," Gu Fei said.

"How many?" Ling Gu Feng asked.

Gu Fei thought for a moment: "Five, two melee, three ranged, the higher the damage, the better."

"Those are elites, and the price is different,"

"You're so long-winded! Hurry up and call them!" Gu Fei was getting annoyed with haggling with this guy.

"Two rogues, three mages, how's that?" Ling Gu Feng asked.

"Hmm, how much damage?" Gu Fei said. Ling Gu Feng reported the numbers. Gu Fei finally knew something about these two classes, and after listening to Ling Gu Feng's proud report, he asked in surprise: "Is that the best you have?"

"Yeah!" Ling Gu Feng was really proud. These were quite outstanding damage dealers under his command.

"The rogues are far worse than Jian Gui and Xiaoyao Wu, and the mages can't compare to Drifting," Gu Fei said.

Ling Gu Feng spat out a mouthful of blood: "Those are all god-level figures, we don't have those."

"Then let's just make do with these few! How much?" Gu Fei said.

Ling Gu Feng had been quite proud, but now that he knew that Gu Fei didn't seem to know much about priests, but had a very high standard for damage-dealing classes, he suddenly felt that he hadn't met the customer's requirements and felt a little ashamed. He was embarrassed to say the original price, and after a long pause, he said: "One hundred gold coins per hour, per person." It wasn't that the damage-dealing classes were more expensive than the priests, but the key was that these few were Ling Gu Feng's strongest damage dealers, and the priests he had provided weren't elites.

"Alright, let's still call for eighty priests, and gather them quickly," Gu Fei said.

The studio's efficiency was quite high. Before long, the speed-based rogue class had arrived. They were a little excited when they saw that the buyer was Qian Li Zui. He was the number one damage dealer in Parallel World. Ling Gu Feng had thought about it while waiting for people. If Qian Li Zui was under his command, how much would it be appropriate to charge for sending him out?

After that, the short-legged priests gradually gathered. After a bunch of people arrived, they found that this was a team of eighty priests and a total of only six damage dealers, and they couldn't figure out what they were going to do.

"What we're going to do is very simple," Gu Fei said. "There's currently a resurrection camp. There are only a few NPC guards. Our goal is to kill these guards and abandon this resurrection camp!"

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Last three days, asking for monthly votes～