Rhodok Sharpshooters.
The strongest Tier 5 Unit in terms of killing power in the Mount & Blade: Warband World, without question.
With the Sniper Crossbows in their hands, even Heavy Infantry clad head to toe in heavy armor would likely fall on the spot after two or three accurate shots if they had no shields to block them.
And now—
Directly above Shen Mu's head, the figures of ten Rhodok Sharpshooters silently appeared.
It was as if they stood atop a watchtower.
As though competing with one another, they began firing accurately at Shen Mu and everything within roughly fifty meters around him!
For example, right now.
Whoosh!
A finely crafted Steel Crossbow Bolt was launched from a Sniper Crossbow by terrifying elastic force.
It carried a shriek that tore through the air.
Before Shen Mu, holding a torch and a Germanic Sword, could react—
It swept past his ear.
Several strands of black hair fluttered away.
Thud!
Then it instantly embedded itself in the center of the skull of a ghoul lurking at the edge of the darkness, amid the swirling gray mist, glaring viciously at Shen Mu and the others!
The ghoul did not even have time to react. The ghostly blue Soul Fire in its eye sockets flickered.
Then it toppled backward and crashed heavily to the ground!
No, it should be said that it had fallen instantly.
Only afterward did the Soul Fire in its eye sockets flicker, then completely go out after the Steel Crossbow Bolt severed the Negative Energy Circuit in its skull.
This also meant that the ghoul had been shot dead on the spot!
"Long live!"
The new immigrants around them immediately burst into cheers.
Even the Lake Rats Recruits and the Swadian Soldiers who had come with them wore looks of delighted surprise.
Even such ferocious-looking ghouls could be killed with One-Hit Kill.
Since they could be killed—
With so many weapons and sharp blades in their hands, what did they have to fear?!
"Roar!" The ghoul's death immediately provoked the fury of the other ghouls in the darkness.
One ghoul after another broke through the gray mist and entered the range illuminated by the torch in Shen Mu's hand.
They raised their claws.
Filled with the hatred and killing intent Undead Monsters held toward the living, they wanted to close in and engage Shen Mu and the others in Melee Combat.
Undead had lost their intelligence, leaving only the most basic instincts for feeding and killing. For them, Melee Combat was their only option.
But for Rhodok Sharpshooters, who loved nothing more than holding their ground, forming a Defensive Formation, and calmly firing their Sniper Crossbows—
This situation—
Was precisely the ideal scenario they dreamed of: living targets willingly approaching them!
Thrum! Thrum! Thrum!
The sound of bowstrings vibrating rang out one after another above Shen Mu's head.
The Rhodok Sharpshooters, separated by time and space, stood coldly and mercilessly atop their guard towers, accurately firing at every enemy daring to approach Shen Mu.
The ten Rhodok Sharpshooters had even begun their shooting competition.
It was as if they were hunting prey.
Their preferred result was killing their targets on the spot.
And so, after the bowstring vibrations above Shen Mu's head ceased—
The ghouls lying face-down on the ground with bolts lodged in their skulls looked as ridiculous as drunken men.
They had no intimidation left at all!
"Let's go!" Shen Mu paid no attention to the ghouls dropping one after another to the sound of vibrating bowstrings.
Instead, he raised his Germanic Sword and seized the opportunity to lead the soldiers and immigrants toward the apartment building.
Shen Mu knew very well.
The shooting competition of those ten Rhodok Sharpshooters would only last ten minutes.
The time was short.
He needed to bring everyone back to his apartment on the seventh floor as quickly as possible.
Besides, although it seemed that Undead Monsters were emerging endlessly from the darkness and gray mist—
Within a limited area—
That was, within the twenty- to thirty-meter radius illuminated by Shen Mu's torch and the torches held by the immigrants behind him—
They were actually the ones with the numerical advantage!
Breaking through the ghouls' blockade—
Shen Mu personally led the Swadian Footmen at the rear, while the Lake Rats Recruits carrying Small Bladed Axes and Kite Shields—those thugs who usually loved extortion, the Tier 2 Unit of the Mount & Blade: Bannerlord World—took the lead and charged toward the stairs.
The ten Lake Rats Recruits cleared the way, hacking apart the Undead Monsters that reappeared on the stairwell amid the darkness and gray mist.
They led the new immigrants in a charge toward the top floor.
The compact yet devastatingly powerful and fairly heavy Small Bladed Axes were perfectly suited for such cramped, complicated terrain.
Besides, the stairwell was much like a ship's cabin.
In an environment where they were already used to fighting—and where even Sturgia dared not battle the Lake Rats thugs in the Great Lakes region—
The Lake Rats Recruits, the lowest-ranking members of the Lake Rats—
Were actually more efficient at slaughter than the Tier 3 Unit Swadian Footmen!
"We're moving too!"
Naturally, Shen Mu could not choose to remain entirely at the rear.
Staying entirely at the rear was no different from courting death.
Moreover, as the time above them was about to run out, the Rhodok Sharpshooters' firing rate had also slowed.
So Shen Mu led the ten Swadian Footmen, turned around, and entered the stairwell as well.
Before any new Undead Monsters descended—
They swiftly fought their way up the stairs.
They reached the seventh floor.
Pushing open the Fire Door, and with the Swadian Militia and Lake Rats Recruits receiving them, they rushed quickly toward Shen Mu's apartment.
After running downstairs, climbing back up, and fighting—
Shen Mu had begun gasping for breath.
The soldiers around him were the same.
They were living humans, not NPCs in games with no stamina limitations.
Of course they would get tired!
"With so much effective strength gained this time, my strength can increase by quite a bit again."
Shen Mu was exhausted, but excited.
Supported by two Swadian Footmen, he hurried toward the door of his apartment.
But before he entered—
From the corner of his eye, Shen Mu glanced toward the area across from the Elevator Room that was hidden behind a wall.
More precisely, it was the Spiritual Realm Scene that could be entered by pushing open a door.
"I heard that if you're lucky, you can obtain a Spiritual Realm Mark in a Spiritual Realm Scene."
"Some Spiritual Realm Marks can even grant the inheritance of a Spiritual Realm Professional, or simply give you the status of a Spiritual Realm Lord!"
"At worst, you can gain the loyalty and following of some Spiritual Realm Creatures."
Information surfaced in Shen Mu's mind at that moment.
A restless eagerness also flickered in his eyes.
From the memories of his former self, Shen Mu still clearly remembered that near the city, in this suburban area—
There was someone with the status of a Spiritual Realm Lord, served loyally by more than three hundred Wood Elves.
That person occupied a vast area.
He had even established an organization called the Green Leaf Group, gathering quite a few people with Spiritual Realm Marks.
And according to legend, that person's initial rise had begun when he obtained the status of a Spiritual Realm Lord from a Spiritual Realm Scene!
Bang! The apartment's Security Door was slammed shut.
Shen Mu had returned to the room.
The bonfire burned brightly.
Candles were lit.
The room was packed full of humans.
At this moment, they were all either gasping for breath, slumped in corners, or sitting on piles of clutter.
Yet every one of them looked extremely excited.
When they saw Shen Mu enter last because he had stayed behind to cover them, they struggled to rise and respectfully placed a hand over their chests before bowing.
"Greetings! We pay our respects to you, Lord Shen Mu!"
The new immigrants and new soldiers, whom he had personally received and covered from the rear, were sincerely grateful.
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