Abandon the Chariot to Save the King

Blood, wreckage, broken blades, smoke and fire!

Jian Shang stood quietly behind Ye Caiyun, looking over the battlefield after the brutal fighting, at the players hurriedly clearing the field, and at batch after batch of players obeying military orders and heading for various buildings and strongholds to prepare for an ambush against the barbarians.

In the distance, plumes of black smoke curled into the sky, and faint roars and screams could be heard.

"We can't wait any longer. Move!"

Ye Caiyun appeared expressionless and calm, but her eyes kept anxiously scanning the distance before repeatedly turning toward the players busy clearing the battlefield. Suddenly, she gave a low shout and hurried south without waiting for anyone to react.

Though she appeared to be walking, she was practically jogging.

"Move! The barbarians are attacking!"

"Little Flower! Little Flower!"

"Leave your things! Run!"

"Don't go north! Go south!"

After leaving the Village Head's Office, the streets were already in complete chaos. All sorts of terrified cries filled the air as NPC civilians surged south along the streets in a desperate tide.

At the sight, Jian Shang's heart sank. Though these NPC civilians seemed ignorant, they had lived here for generations and were the true "locals," with their own unique sources of information. When the Golden Roc Faction had occupied the village earlier, Shizhuang's civilians had barely stirred. Now, however, they were flooding out and fleeing like refugees. The situation had to be dire!

"Everyone, rest assured! The guards and village head have already been killed by me. Mere barbarians are nothing to fear. Northern Di excel at cavalry combat and are ill-suited for alley warfare. As long as we use the buildings and strongholds to defend ourselves, driving them back will not be difficult!"

Amid the chaotic clamor, the leaders of the Golden Roc Faction players were still shouting loudly. Unfortunately, the NPC civilians did not listen to them. Only members of the Golden Roc Faction obeyed their commands.

Seriously? Ye Caiyun is clearly preparing to flee. Does she look even remotely like she's going to face the enemy? Yet they're still deceiving these players, intending to use the ones left in the dark as rearguard fodder to buy time for the Golden Roc elite players to escape!

Watching players in small groups rush into various buildings and occupy elevated positions, Jian Shang felt a surge of grief and an even deeper resentment toward player factions.

After surviving this disaster, I need to seriously consider whether to remain in the Golden Roc Faction.

As Jian Shang quietly made up his mind, he followed closely behind Ye Caiyun, afraid of falling behind.

What frustrated him was that the broad street was nearly blocked by the retreating NPC civilians, making their progress painfully slow.

"Bang! Bang! Bang..."

"Awoo! Awoo! Awoo! Awoo..."

"Clop! Clop! Clop..."

When they were still three to four hundred meters from the village entrance, a series of loud sounds suddenly came from afar.

The violent impacts of hard objects colliding, the resounding crash of something collapsing, dense wolf-like howls, and the echoing thunder of galloping hooves...

Ye Caiyun, Jian Shang, and the others all changed expression and looked north.

"This is bad! The barbarians have broken through the walls and entered the town!"

"Help! Don't kill me!"

"I'll fight you to the death!"

"Run!"

There was no need to confirm what had happened. The frenzied cries and screams of the NPC civilians drifting over already made it clear.

"Miss!"

Seeing the packed crowd, the chaotic situation, and the debris blocking their path, Captain Dong hesitated, then moved close to Ye Caiyun and muttered in a low voice.

Ye Caiyun, who had maintained an unruffled expression all this time, changed color. After hesitating for several breaths, she bit her lip and nodded.

"If we all leave together, we'll make too large a target and be easily pursued by barbarian cavalry! You, you, you... and you! Come with me and protect Miss as she leaves. The rest of you break out on your own. Your lives are in the hands of fate! We'll meet again in Yongjia City!"

Captain Dong swiftly selected over a dozen people and gave the order in a heavy tone.

Jian Shang's eyes narrowed. Unfortunately, he was not among those assigned to protect Ye Caiyun. The six captains were all included among the dozen or so, along with the strongest fighters.

"Yes!"

Even knowing they might have been abandoned and that whether they could break out afterward depended entirely on luck, the surrounding players still answered solemnly. Their discipline was indeed impressive.

"Hand over your gold coins, Diamond Coins, banknotes, cultivation manuals, secret manuals, divine weapons, and other valuable, practical items!"

Captain Dong waved his hand and issued another command. The people around him immediately got busy, gathering up valuable and practical items, wrapping them together, and having the expert players assigned to protect Ye Caiyun carry them.

"Hand over the spoils you obtained earlier!"

Jian Shang was silently watching everything when Captain Dong suddenly turned toward him and ordered him.

"You're going back on your word? Are you trying to rob me?"

Jian Shang quickly retreated several steps, widening the distance between himself and the others. His grip tightened around the Pear Blossom Wrought-Iron Spear as he stared directly at the silent Ye Caiyun and spoke coldly.

"You misunderstand! Once someone is killed, everything on them except Earth Artifact-grade treasures will drop. The enemy is overwhelmingly strong and the situation is critical. Your strength is not high, and you don't have much combat experience. There's a great chance you'll be killed and drop everything. Why waste it?"

Captain Dong's expression darkened as he explained solemnly. After a pause, he softened his tone and continued.

"Don't worry. We are fair in our dealings. We won't take what belongs to you; we simply don't want it wasted. Once everyone reunites, all your things will be returned to you!"

"There's no need. I'll take responsibility for my own affairs. Even if I waste them myself, I'll have no regrets. Besides... can you guarantee that you'll escape?"

Jian Shang sneered inwardly, but his reply remained firm and calm.

"You..." Captain Dong glared, anger rising within him.

"Uncle Dong! Forget it! He's right. We can't guarantee that we'll escape either. Since he doesn't appreciate it, there's no need to force him. It would only create misunderstandings!"

Ye Caiyun raised a hand to stop him. After a brief pause, she looked at Jian Shang with clear eyes and continued gently, "Plans can't keep up with changes. I think highly of you, and I hope we can meet again in Yongjia City. This is a map of Yongjia City. Remember to head there directly and don't wander around. This is the northern frontier; Northern Di Barbarian Cavalry are everywhere!"

As she spoke, she took out a piece of withered yellow sheepskin and handed it to Jian Shang.

Jian Shang frowned at the yellowed sheepskin. After thinking for a moment, he nodded and accepted it. At the same time, he untied Shi Rong's sword from his waist, handed it to Ye Caiyun, and said, "The only good thing about me... is that I distinguish clearly between gratitude and grudges! You gave me weapons and manuals, made me a Squad Leader, and taught me all sorts of common knowledge. That allowed me to kill several NPCs and the village head, gaining generous rewards. This sword is for you. From now on, we owe each other nothing!"

"Take care!"

Ye Caiyun froze for a moment, then accepted the sword. She looked at Jian Shang with considerable regret and sighed. She understood the implication behind his words and knew that saying more would be useless.

"Take care!"

Jian Shang casually tucked the sheepskin into his clothes, nodded in reply, then charged toward a house at the side of the street.

"Miss! He may be holding something back. It definitely isn't just money and equipment!"

Captain Dong watched Jian Shang dart toward the roadside house and shouted with a frown. From Jian Shang's words, it was clear that he had no intention of meeting them again, meaning he was no longer one of their own.

If necessary, Captain Dong would immediately have someone seize the money pouch, Golden-Silk Inner Armor, and other items from Jian Shang. This was still the early stage of the game, and those things were extremely valuable!

More importantly, Jian Shang had not immediately tried to break out. Instead, he had hidden in a civilian house, likely intending to put on the Golden-Silk Inner Armor to aid his escape. Perhaps he was even planning to do something else or hiding some major secret.

The greatest possibility was some kind of cultivation manual. The possibility of an Earth Artifact-grade treasure was practically zero.

After all, once a player died, every item on them would drop. Only memories and cultivation techniques that had become part of them would remain theirs after death. That was likely the main reason Jian Shang had immediately hidden inside the civilian house!

"Forget it! He's a smart man, and he's already been generous enough. There's no need to drive him into a corner! Leave some room in all things, and we may meet again someday! Move!"

Ye Caiyun stared deeply at Jian Shang's back as he kicked open the wooden door and rushed inside. Raising the sword in her hand, she replied.

As soon as she finished speaking, she took the lead in rushing into the alley on the right, followed quickly by the dozen or so expert players selected to guard her.

Out of an original force of over five hundred people, only a little more than a hundred had been selected by Ye Caiyun to break out with her. The rest had all been treated as cannon fodder and abandoned pawns, left behind to buy time for the Golden Roc main force to escape.

In the end, only a dozen or so experts followed Ye Caiyun. Everyone else was abandoned, their lives left to fate!

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