Chaos Military Camp

"Name: Jian Shang

Merit: 685;

Fruition Rank: Junior Commandant, Subordinate Eighth Rank (overall ability increased by 15%);

Prestige: 730, beginning to make a name for himself;

Command: 29+2, Might: 47+2, Intelligence: 17+2, Politics: 21+2.

Total Internal Energy: 3360 (proficiency * grade of cultivated internal art = ?)

...

Special Unit: Black Wolf Cavalry, Human-Grade Red Tier, 514/10000 (Merit), number: 194;

Wealth: 7 Diamond Coins, 376 Gold Coins."

Feeling rather depressed, Jian Shang followed the soldier toward the military camp. On the way, he checked his attributes. Sure enough, every attribute had increased by 2, and his Fruition Rank had changed as well.

But looking at that pitiful amount of wealth, Jian Shang's head began to ache. With so little money, let alone equipping the Black Wolf Cavalry with cloaks, black armor, helmets, and the like, it would be hard even to fill the five-hundred-man establishment under a Junior Commandant—unless he recruited nothing but raw new recruits.

"You've arrived at your camp. According to the rules, your camp is the eighty-first of the low-tier camps. Whether you can live there will depend on yourselves. This is your token. Take care of yourselves!"

After leading Jian Shang and the others through twists and turns, the soldier stopped before an enormous military camp surrounded by walls nearly ten zhang high, with gates over ten zhang tall and several zhang wide. He handed Jian Shang a palm-sized black token as he spoke.

"What did that mean?"

Jian Shang asked doubtfully, though he still accepted it casually. The number was a nice one—exactly eighty-one, nine times nine.

"You'll know when you go in!"

The soldier replied with a smile, then turned and left immediately.

Jian Shang was speechless. He had not even ridden his horse and had walked so far alongside the man, only to be treated like this.

"No way, we have to find the camp ourselves too? This camp is so huge—where are we supposed to look?"

Standing at the entrance to the massive camp, Jian Shang gazed over the endless expanse of connected buildings and felt another headache coming on.

"Brother, may I ask where the eighty-first low-tier camp is?"

Just as he was worrying, Jian Shang spotted someone who looked like a player walking out of the camp. He hurried forward and asked politely.

"New here?" The player froze for a moment, then suddenly beamed at Jian Shang. Seeing him nod, the player held out his hand and said, "One gold coin, and I'll take you there myself. I'll also tell you some common knowledge! For example, this camp is called the Otherworlder Military Camp. It can house an army of one hundred thousand. It contains one Marshal's Camp, nine General's Camps, eighteen Tooth General Camps, thirty-six Deputy General Camps, 108 Commandant Camps, 216 Junior Commandant Camps, and more than a thousand hundred-man camps. Every level of camp is divided into six grades: super, giant, high-tier, medium-tier, low-tier, and miniature!"

The player's words greatly shocked Jian Shang. He had never expected this military camp to accommodate a hundred thousand soldiers, nor that it contained so many different types of camps, each divided into six grades.

Seeing Jian Shang stand there in astonished silence, the player waved a hand before him and asked, "So? Will you pay or not? If not, find it yourself!"

"I'll pay! I'll give it to you when we get there!"

Jian Shang answered with a smile. This was clearly extortion—one gold coin just for leading the way—but if he did not pay, how would he find the place in such a massive camp?

"Pay first! With so many of you here, are you afraid I'll go back on my word?"

Unfortunately, the player was no fool. He glanced at the fierce-looking Black Wolf Cavalry waiting at the entrance.

"Fine!"

Jian Shang had long seen what players were like. He nodded heavily and readily took out a gold coin, handing it over. At the same time, one hand rested on his saber as he glared warningly at the player, looking as though he would draw his blade and kill him if he tried to run.

"Don't worry! Take a man's money, solve a man's troubles. I still have that basic bit of Daode..."

The player said righteously as he grinned and tossed the gold coin in his hand.

Too lazy to say more, Jian Shang waved at the Black Wolf Cavalry, then looked at the player to signal him to lead the way.

"Oh, right! My name is Wei Zhenbei. Cool name, isn't it? What should I call you, brother? Impressive—you've only been here a few days, yet you've already pulled together such a large army. Looks like there are quite a few NPCs too!"

As they walked, the player spoke in a familiar, self-introducing manner.

"Wei Zhenbei, right? Tell me the common knowledge first. I trust the distance isn't far, and it won't take long to get there. Don't make that gold coin in your hand feel undeserved!"

Having arrived here with no idea of anything around him and then being slighted repeatedly, Jian Shang was already in a foul mood. How could he have the patience to chat idly with someone who had just extorted him? He reminded him bluntly.

"Fine! This place is called the Otherworlder Military Camp. As the name implies, it is a camp specifically for Otherworlders who enlist. Don't look at me like that, listen first. You know players aren't as obedient as NPCs, so this place is also called the Chaos Military Camp, meaning the situation here is chaotic. It is also called the Unregulated Military Camp—meaning the Central Plains army does not manage it, Central Plains decrees do not govern it, and there are not enough player factions to manage it either. That is what 'unregulated' means. Everything is decided by strength."

"More importantly, Central State City is a giant-city-level base. There are many people and little land, and how long has Forging the Sacred Court even been running? What faction has enough money to buy land and buildings for a base? Even if they do have the money, they would use it to recruit troops and buy horses! So many factions place their bases inside the military camp, hanging up a sheep's head while selling dog meat. Of course, they still frequently go out to suppress the barbarians, since killing barbarians is the best way to advance one's Fruition Rank, the best way to amass wealth, and the best way to increase strength..."

"The largest faction in this camp is the Hengxing Gang. They are said to be players from Hengxing City in the real world, led by Hengxing City's underworld boss. No one knows what he is called in reality, but in this world he is called Ren Woxing. Don't be surprised—it is the same name as Ren Woxing from The Smiling, Proud Wanderer. They say he has already reached the Deputy General Fruition Rank. He has gathered more than a thousand players under him, most of them members of his gang, and has recruited over ten thousand NPC soldiers. They are rich and powerful, and no one dares provoke them. They are also violent in their actions. Most people who see them take a detour, and their reputation is truly terrible;

"The second-ranked faction is called Yili Hall. You can tell from the name that it is made up of members of the real-world Yili Group. Its leader is the Yili Group's young master. No one knows what he is called in reality, but in this world he is called Jie Chen. They say he is already a Grand Commandant and will advance to Deputy General within the next few days. He has more than two thousand players under him and has recruited six or seven thousand NPC soldiers. Even the Hengxing Gang does not dare offend them lightly. The two sides have always stayed out of each other's business. This faction has a somewhat better reputation, but not by much—they are six of one and half a dozen of the other.

"The third-ranked faction is called the Bai Chen Association. It is made up of members of the real-world Bai Chen Automobile Holdings Co., Ltd. Its leader is the daughter of the Bai Chen Group. No one knows what she is called in reality, but in this world she is called Bai Chen, and most of her core members are also surnamed Bai. She is already a Grand Commandant. She has more than a thousand players under her and has recruited nearly two thousand NPC soldiers. Who doesn't know Bai Chen is an only daughter? Plenty of players are already sharpening their knives, eager to pursue her. If they win her over, they can struggle thirty years less! They say Jie Chen is pursuing Bai Chen right now. If he succeeds, the two major factions will merge, and the top-ranked Hengxing Gang will have to step aside!

..."

"Because every player faction has far more members than its establishment allows, and most players are unwilling to live with NPCs, what can they do? Naturally, they seize other camps. Therefore, most of the more comfortable, spacious, and well-located camps here have already been occupied by factions! As for you... you look imposing enough, but there are too few of you. A fierce tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves!"

All along the way, Wei Zhenbei had chattered nonstop. He seemed to be an old hand who had been around here for a long time, and he really did know quite a lot.

Jian Shang finally understood why the officer from before had worn that smile, and why the soldier leading him had acted the way he did.

What kind of camp was this? It was nowhere near a place of strict military discipline, a wall protecting the state!

One word: chaos!

Two words: utter chaos!

Three words: a complete mess!

"So? How about I ask a friend to find you an unoccupied camp, one large enough to accommodate all of you? But you know, favors cost money. You seem easy enough to get along with, brother. Just give me three to five gold coins!"

After introducing the current situation of the Otherworlder Military Camp and its various player factions, Wei Zhenbei suddenly weighed his hand and said with a smile.

"No need. Just do what you were paid to do!"

Being extorted for one gold coin had already pained Jian Shang greatly. How could he possibly give more—especially three to five gold coins? That was enough to recruit several elite soldiers. He replied irritably.

"Heh heh..."

Wei Zhenbei gave a crafty laugh and did not press the matter. After all, many people would not turn back until they crashed into the southern wall!

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