Chapter 166 Deception

The four looked at each other, unsure how to approach the NPC in this situation.

Fortunately, a mission is a mission after all, and the system couldn't freeze the scene forever in a perpetual "Loading" state, could it? So, after a moment of silence, Courtney finally turned around.

"Are you alright?" Gu Fei asked. He always felt somewhat comical and strange having such a conversation with an NPC. He and online games were fundamentally incompatible; he just couldn't immerse himself in the role.

Courtney seemed to understand the meaning of Gu Fei's concern. She nodded, stood up, and continued to hold Angus tightly in her arms.

"What are you going to do?" Gu Fei asked directly.

"Find a place to bury Angus," Courtney said softly.

"Where to?" Gu Fei asked.

"Yun Jiao Lake," Courtney said.

"You're going back there?" Gu Fei was startled.

Courtney clearly couldn't understand the meaning behind his words. She didn't say anything else and walked ahead, carrying Angus's body.

"What do we do if we run into a fight again?" Gu Fei said, annoyed. They had seen the opponent's background clearly. It was the Four Great Guilds, and Gu Fei couldn't underestimate their combined forces.

"We don't even need to go to Yun Jiao Lake. If they're chasing us, we'll run into them soon," Yu Tian Shen Ming said.

"I have a risky plan," Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Speak," Gu Fei said.

"Let Courtney go by herself," Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Oh?" Gu Fei seemed thoughtful.

"Wouldn't she be killed by the guilds? Although she's strong, I think she's still within the range that current players can kill. She's not as strong as the Mist Shadow Assassin," Yu Tian Shen Ming said.

"Indeed," Gu Fei nodded.

"If we go together and encounter the Four Great Guilds, they will definitely try everything possible to sabotage our mission. But if it's just the NPC herself, perhaps they'll think our mission isn't here anymore. What reason would they have to make things difficult for a powerful NPC?" Xi Xiao Tian said.

"I'm afraid they won't think that way, because of that guy," Gu Fei said, concerned about Ye Xiao Wu. "That guy works for the game company. He's very familiar with the game's mission plot. Like now, even we don't know if anything will happen with Courtney after she buries Angus, but he definitely knows."

"That's perfect," Xi Xiao Tian laughed. "Knowing too much isn't always a good thing. Self-righteous thinking can lead him astray."

"What do you mean?" Gu Fei asked.

"For example, right now, if we don't follow Courtney, we won't know what we can do next. But he will know: If there is a possibility of completing the mission without following Courtney, then he'll assume that we're taking that route. He'll think our mission has changed direction," Xi Xiao Tian said.

"What if there isn't such a route?" Gu Fei asked.

"Parallel world missions always have a high degree of freedom. Different approaches can trigger different mission routes. This has been proven by many players. Especially for such a complex mission, it's unlikely to be a single path. So I think it's entirely possible that there are some twists and turns after this part of the plot. Let's just act like that's what we're doing!" Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Have you two decided yet? Courtney's walking away!" Xi Yao Wu called out.

"There are people over there!" Yu Tian Shen Ming, looking around, had also made a discovery.

"Who?" Gu Fei asked.

"They've stopped moving. I can barely see them from this distance. I think it's a sharpshooter. They're the ones who chased us and are observing our movements from afar," Yu Tian Shen Ming said.

"Good opportunity," Xi Xiao Tian said.

After thinking for a moment, Gu Fei finally nodded, "Let's do it!"

So the four of them ignored Courtney's departure and pretended to be nonchalant as they walked in another direction. Their steps were firm, and no one looked back.

"What's going on!" Only the three guild leaders remained at Yun Jiao Lake. After Gu Fei and his group left, they didn't dare to chase too closely, but they couldn't just let them complete the mission. So the three of them sent sharpshooters to track their departure direction, observe their movements from a distance, and then act accordingly.

The sharpshooters were all observing at the limit of their vision. Other than being able to count that there were five people, they couldn't see anything else. The guild leaders kept asking if there was anything happening, and the scouts were getting annoyed. What could they see from such a distance? The guild leaders' instructions were always safety first, just observe from a distance. Now they were being questioned so closely. What could they scout out without running forward to their deaths?

There were still some brave and willing players. Just as a scout was preparing to get closer and find out what was happening, even if it meant dying, he suddenly noticed that they had split up.

Four on one side, one on the other.

The lone figure was heading in their direction, while the group of four was heading elsewhere. Among the four were a red-clothed figure and a black-robed figure. Of course, Qian Li Zui was among them.

"Guild Leader, latest situation, they've separated," the message was quickly sent.

"Separated? What does this mean?"

"One person separated from the four. The one person is heading in our direction and getting closer… uh, it seems to be the NPC. The NPC seems to be returning to Yun Jiao Lake. Qian Li Zui and the others aren't with the NPC."

"Has the mission been completed?" The three guild leaders were shocked. Ye Xiao Wu had said that once the mission was completed, the defending side would be in danger.

"Where did Qian Li Zui and the others go?" Wu Shi Zhi Jian asked his subordinate.

"I don't know… looking at the direction… it seems to be towards the resurrection camp!!!" The scout was startled after making this judgment.

"Damn it!!" Wu Shi Zhi Jian jumped up. "Which resurrection camp?"

"The one in the southwest corner!"

The defending players who had their two camps destroyed had too much psychological trauma. They panicked when they heard this. Wu Shi Zhi Jian knew that it was too late for his entire army to return, so he quickly contacted some other guild leaders, telling them that the offensive players were making moves again and seemed to be preparing to attack the resurrection camp again, so they should be careful and prepared.

The players were in an uproar. The two camps that had been destroyed were, in a sense, the defending players' own fault. Initially, Gu Fei and Jian Gui had simply provoked them, and they had treated the camp guards as spies and slaughtered them all. Everyone was ashamed to mention such a big joke. Because of these two camps, there was a large gap that allowed the offensive players to take advantage of. But the remaining five camps each had elite guards protecting them. The offensive players didn't have many people. How could they swallow these other camps?

Although they thought this was an exaggeration, no one dared to ignore the message jointly issued by the three guild leaders. So the guilds all dispatched manpower and concentrated them appropriately towards the southwest corner resurrection camp. The three guild leaders also continued to send sharpshooters to track Gu Fei and his group of four from a distance of hundreds of meters.

The three guild leaders were also clear that with the offensive players' current combat power, it was absolutely impossible to take down the remaining five resurrection camps by force, but Qian Li Zui and the others insisted on this intention. The three had to suspect that they had obtained some powerful reward in the recent mission. Almost simultaneously, the three thought of what the knowledgeable Hong Chen Yi Xiao had told them: that the players of Yue Ye City had completed a mission and received the help of the werewolf legion.

"Could it be that they have NPC combat power to help them?" The three guys looked at each other and shouted this almost in unison. Next, they quickly thought of Courtney's powerful combat power. Could it be that Qian Li Zui and the others had successfully obtained such a group of forest guardian troops? That would be a devastating blow to attacking players.

"Quick! Pay attention to the surroundings and see if there are any NPC teams gathering," the three guild leaders quickly started dispatching their subordinates again. Amidst so many chaotic messages, the three didn't forget to tell Ni Liu Er Shang. They heard that this guy had just been honorably killed and must be very painful, but there was no way they would let him escape the troubles. Half of the reason the three of them told Ni Liu Er Shang was to add insult to injury and make Ni Liu Er Shang even more annoyed.

"Did you guys add that guy as a friend?" Yun Zhong Mu Di asked.

"I'm contacting him," Wu Shi Zhi Jian said, knowing who Yun Zhong Mu Di was referring to.

Ye Xiao Wu, full of confidence, had come to stop Gu Fei again, but before he could do anything, Gu Fei had killed him with one sword. He was also very depressed. After leaving the resurrection camp, he was slowly returning to Yun Jiao Lake when he suddenly received a message from Wu Shi Zhi Jian, asking him about Qian Li Zui's next move.

"Next move? That depends on how they interact with the NPC. Didn't you send people to scout?" Ye Xiao Wu asked.

"Of course we did! Currently, Qian Li Zui and his group of four have separated from the NPC. The NPC is returning to Yun Jiao Lake, and Qian Li Zui and his group of four are heading towards the southwest resurrection camp," Wu Shi Zhi Jian said.

Ye Xiao Wu was stunned. Leaving the NPC and heading to the southwest camp, which plot had been triggered? Were they going to the southwest camp, or were they going somewhere along the way? Ye Xiao Wu thought carefully, not forgetting to ask, "Where did they go with the NPC?"

"They went to the Yun Duan Mine," Wu Shi Zhi Jian said quickly.

"Yun Duan Mine… Could it be…" Ye Xiao Wu was shocked when he heard this. Combining this with their movements towards the southwest camp, he immediately came to a conclusion: "Quick, gather towards the Yun Duan Mine."

"Why go there?" Wu Shi Zhi Jian was stunned. What kind of irrelevant place was that?

"Just listen to me, you won't be wrong!" Ye Xiao Wu said confidently.

Wu Shi Zhi Jian understood that this kid didn't want to reveal too much mission information. But now, Wu Shi Zhi Jian would no longer doubt Ye Xiao Wu's "knowledge". At Yun Jiao Lake, Ye Xiao Wu had told them Courtney's route and that Qian Li Zui and the others would definitely come to find this NPC, and he hadn't been wrong at all. Wu Shi Zhi Jian quickly relayed Ye Xiao Wu's meaning to Yun Zhong Mu Di and Hei Se Shi Zhi. The two of them had the same thoughts and didn't doubt it at all. The three guild leaders quickly led their troops to the Yun Duan Mine.

"Then what are the three of them doing at the southwest camp?" Wu Shi Zhi Jian asked.

"They're not doing anything. That's just the closest route for them to return to the city. They're going back to the city to transition through a plot, and then they'll go to the Yun Duan Mine," Ye Xiao Wu said.

"To do what?" Wu Shi Zhi Jian asked.

Ye Xiao Wu didn't reply.

"Would it kill you to say a few more words!" Wu Shi Zhi Jian said, annoyed.

"Sorry," Ye Xiao Wu was very secretive this time, unlike when he helped the other side complete the mission in Xia Wu City. Because he recognized that the two situations were different. In Xia Wu City, Qian Li Zui's sabotage was destroying the other guild's interests, so he felt he could reveal some information to help them make up for it. But at this moment, Ye Xiao Wu felt that Qian Li Zui was disrupting the balance of the siege guilds in Yun Duan City. If too much information was revealed and any guild profited from it in the city war, then it would be unfair to the other guilds. After thinking it over, he felt that he should say as little as possible this time. The current situation was good. As long as the other side realized the harm of Qian Li Zui, they could take it seriously and follow his instructions.

"If they're heading towards the southwest camp, then they're probably going through the west city gate, right? I'll arrange for people to ambush him," Wu Shi Zhi Jian said.

"That won't help much. His current mission is already in a completed state. Killing him will only make him run a few steps less. He'll receive the next instruction when he returns to the main city and still go to the Yun Duan Mine. I think you should save that time and hurry to the Yun Duan Mine to make arrangements!" Ye Xiao Wu suggested.

Wu Shi Zhi Jian accepted this suggestion and urged his subordinates to hurry. On the way, they would naturally encounter Courtney. At first, everyone was very frightened and prepared to defend and run away, but they quickly discovered that Courtney was not hostile at this time. She was just walking slowly, carrying a disgusting corpse.

Wu Shi Zhi Jian quickly asked Ye Xiao Wu about this situation. Ye Xiao Wu didn't care. "Mission plot, don't worry about them. She won't attack you anymore."

"Yu Tian, how is it? Are there still people watching us?" Gu Fei asked Yu Tian Shen Ming, who was walking on the road.

"They're still following us, they've been following us all along," Yu Tian Shen Ming said.

"Is it still those few people?"

"Yes."

"These tails are annoying!" Gu Fei said.

"How about we put on another show?" Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Oh?" Gu Fei looked at her.

Xi Xiao Tian walked to the leveling area beside the road, exchanged a few casual greetings with a leveling player, and returned to the three of them. "Let's use teleportation!"

"Huh? What were you just doing?" Gu Fei asked, puzzled.

"Just chatting casually, just to show those guys," Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Show what?" Gu Fei took out a scroll.

"Walking and walking, suddenly flying away, that's too strange. Now that there's such a process of contacting people, if I were them, I would think: Oh, they contacted someone to buy a scroll!" Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Too cunning!!" The three said in unison.

"Let's teleport!" Xi Xiao Tian said nonchalantly.

The four of them teleported away, and the scouts quickly reported what they had observed to the guild leader. Sure enough, after listening to their detailed description and combining it with Ye Xiao Wu's deduction, the guild leader concluded: They sped up their progress, contacted a seller to trade a teleport scroll, and teleported back to the city!

"We have to hurry!! Since they have this kind of thinking, they might even use teleport scrolls to buy time later," Ye Xiao Wu said.

Wu Shi Zhi Jian said annoyedly, "Can't you just tell us what the hell they're going to do at the Yun Duan Mine?"

"This… I really can't say. As long as you defend the Yun Duan Mine and eliminate them when they appear, then this line will be interrupted," Ye Xiao Wu said.

Wu Shi Zhi Jian had no choice but to follow the plan. But privately, he had already notified his guild confidants: When they got to the Yun Duan Mine, they had to dig three feet into the ground to study that place.

The group of four who had used the scroll reappeared in that barren place. From here to Yun Duan Lake, there was naturally no harassment at all.

"Are you sure they've left?" Gu Fei asked Xi Xiao Tian.

"I'm sure! There are so many people, it would be too conspicuous to leave. So many people can see it," Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Then how do you know?"

"If you happen to have some friends who are active in that area, you would know too," Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Then where did they go?" Gu Fei asked.

"How would I know? Judging from the direction described, it seems to be towards the direction we left," Xi Xiao Tian said.

"Could they be after Courtney?"

"Hopefully not…" At this time, Xi Xiao Tian couldn't have 100% confidence, she just hoped that her plan would work.

Her plan was, of course, quite effective. When the four returned to Yun Jiao Lake, the eagle-eyed Yu Tian Shen Ming immediately found Courtney's location. She was sitting quietly on the hillside, with Angus's body lying in her arms. The four hurried over.

"Look, Angus, the scenery you like most is about to appear!!"

When the four arrived at her side, they heard Courtney softly saying to Angus.

The four of them looked in the direction she was talking about, and they only saw the sky full of rosy clouds, reflecting the reeds by the lake in a golden hue. The lake water was shimmering with orange-red light. When the wind blew, the lake rippled and the sound of the reeds swaying in the wind entered their ears. Courtney had a smile on her face, and she stroked Angus's face and gently closed his eyes.

Xi Yao Wu's eyes were red, Xi Xiao Tian looked away, Yu Tian Shen Ming's expression… made Gu Fei want to kill him. This guy was obviously fantasizing about hugging a beautiful girl and sitting here to watch the scenery together.

In the reeds under the hillside, some players were lying motionless, sending messages anxiously: "Guild leader, Qian Li Zui and his four are back!! They are with the NPC now!!!!!!"

"What?" The four guild leaders were shocked! At this time, Ni Liu Er Shang had already run to the Yun Duan Mine and joined the people there. However, the four guild leaders were not so mindless. They all left people at Yun Duan Lake, because this place had become a battlefield several times in this mission, and the several of them felt that this area should be taken seriously, so they just left people to pay attention to the situation here. Of course, waiting for an opportunity to contact Courtney to see if there would be any missions was also a very important mission…

Who would have thought that in the end, Qian Li Zui would be waiting for them, and they would watch Qian Li Zui and the NPC reconnect.

"What's going on?" The four major guilds stared at Ye Xiao Wu together.

"Are you with Qian Li Zui?" Wu Shi Zhi Jian said.

"No wonder you know the mission so well. You communicate with Qian Li Zui, so you know everything you need to know," Ni Liu Er Shang said.

"A knowledgeable player? You're very good at making us imagine things!" Yun Zhong Mu Di said, suppressing his anger.

"What are you talking about?" Hei Se Shi Zhi shouted violently.

The four guild leaders took action, and Ye Xiao Wu didn't have a chance to explain…

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