Quarrel, Isolation

"So you're a Bureau of Management player? I was wondering why your tight-fitting outfit looked so familiar."

After the Long-Haired Black-Clothed Woman admitted that she was with the Bureau of Management, the Suit Youth—who had introduced himself as Huang Yunqiang—cried out in surprise again, saying that he had felt the female teammate's clothes looked familiar from the start.

"Alright, everyone's introduced themselves. Let Old Han add a few more words."

The Coat Man standing opposite the Suit Youth, the sniper who had introduced himself as Han Hao, waved his hand again and shut the young man up. Then he summarized, "Based on those introductions, our group of five has two Gunners, plus one Assassin, one Warrior, and one Priest. The team composition is fairly balanced. As long as we cooperate properly, clearing this Dungeon perfectly shouldn't be much of a problem. Now it depends on what exactly the enemy is like... Assassin Brother, we may need to trouble you with scouting later."

As he spoke, the Coat Man turned toward the Smiling Mask Assassin Player beside him with a highly infectious smile.

"Sure."

The Smiling Mask Assassin still spoke in that somewhat cold tone, but he gave the Coat Man some face and immediately nodded in response.

"Next, Warrior Brother, although your level is a bit low, your equipment looks pretty good. You should count as being on the same level as us. Otherwise, the Dungeon wouldn't have placed you with us."

The Coat Man looked at Wang Zhifan with a smile and offered his suggestion.

"When we fight the bandits later, we'll need you to charge ahead and draw their fire for the rest of us. The pressure on you will be greater, but Priestess Sister will definitely focus on healing you and giving you Buffs..."

He spoke unhurriedly, assigning tasks like an older brother. Nothing sounded wrong with it, but before he could finish, Wang Zhifan directly cut him off.

"Everyone, I need to make something clear in advance. Although I'm a Warrior, I don't like charging headfirst into a crowd of enemies. So I might not be at the very front later. I'd rather use the firearm in my hand to attack for a few rounds first."

As he spoke, Wang Zhifan shook the Silver-White Handgun in his hand, making it clear that he was not limited to close combat, nor was he particularly willing to fight at close range.

It had to be explained why Wang Zhifan had always been unwilling to charge into battle like a classic Warrior and had always wanted to stay in the rear. The reason was simple: he felt that kind of fighting style was far too risky, perfectly displaying the cannon-fodder nature of the Warrior class. He was a cautious person who valued his life, so unless he had no other choice, he would not put himself in such extreme danger. Even if his approach seemed to violate a Warrior's duty and placed greater pressure on his teammates.

At the end of the day, it was because Dungeon players only had one life. If they died in a Dungeon, they were truly dead. If players could keep reviving after dying in a Dungeon like video game characters, he could absolutely be the bravest of them all. But with only one life, he could not simply charge into an enemy horde because of some supposed Warrior duty, entrusting his life to luck and the performance of his teammates in the rear. That was deeply unfair to him, and he would not compromise.

"Come on, brother. As a Warrior, you have to charge at the front. You don't expect us Gunners to rush in, do you?"

The moment Wang Zhifan finished speaking, before the Coat Man could say anything, Huang Yunqiang, the Suit Youth beside him, spoke up with a complaint. He was clearly strongly opposed to Wang Zhifan's cowardly fighting style.

"No one needs to charge. We can all fight at range."

Wang Zhifan immediately retorted, making it clear that he was not trying to shift the burden onto his teammates, but wanted to use a safer method of combat.

"Warrior Brother, what you're doing is a bit wrong."

At this point, the Coat Man spoke to Wang Zhifan again with a smile.

"Leaving aside how much power a Warrior can bring out with a firearm, you're the only Warrior on the team. You have to step up and draw as much enemy fire as possible, giving the rest of us a better environment to deal damage. Otherwise, if you hang back, the enemies can easily rush right up to us ranged fighters. Then this Dungeon will be impossible to clear, and we might all be wiped out."

With his words, he began pressuring Wang Zhifan with talk of team responsibilities, the bigger picture, and clearing the Dungeon, hoping to make him change his mind.

But Wang Zhifan could only sneer inwardly. He immediately raised his voice and retorted:

"Heh, just because I'm a Warrior, I have to rush over and die? Do you think this is some video game? You're a sniper—can't you just pick off enemies from far away? Why do I have to charge in? Why hasn't anyone ever said that real-world wars need melee units to act as meat shields? Wars in the real world are all fought with ranged fire!"

Wang Zhifan had laid bare the trap in their words, pointing out that combat did not have only one fixed pattern, and that a Dungeon did not need to have the standard warrior-priest-gunner lineup of a video game. He insisted on using a combat plan that was safer for himself.

"Fine. I'm not going to argue with you."

When he realized that the team's only Warrior had made up his mind not to charge alone, Han Hao, the sniper in the coat, immediately turned cold.

"You refuse to take responsibility for the team, and you still spout all this twisted logic. What a disappointment! Do whatever you want later! Since you don't want to contribute to the team, don't expect the team to protect you when you're in danger!"

After sternly rebuking Wang Zhifan, the man who was basically regarded as the team leader waved to the other members, intending to lead them toward the side of the courtyard to continue their discussion—in other words, to isolate Wang Zhifan.

"Assassin Brother, A Qiang, and Priestess Sister, let's discuss our Dungeon strategy properly. Without a Warrior's cooperation, this Dungeon may be difficult to handle."

As he spoke, he walked toward one corner of the courtyard. Huang Yunqiang, dressed in a suit, was the first to follow him. After a brief hesitation, the assassin wearing the smiling mask followed second. The Priest woman with long hair and a black tight-fitting uniform simply shook her head and turned toward another corner of the courtyard, making it clear that she had no interest in this internal conflict and would rather be alone.

As a result, Wang Zhifan was the only one left where they had first arrived in the courtyard. He soon saw Han Hao, the Coat Man, Huang Yunqiang, the Suit Youth, and the masked assassin reach the other side of the courtyard and begin discussing things. He also noticed that they occasionally cast furtive glances in his direction. He did not know whether they were showing contempt for him or had some other purpose.