Chapter 29

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Players have a personal inventory that allows them to carry a large amount of supplies, no matter where they go, they will never run out of resources. NPCs, on the other hand, don't have this luxury. Even if they do have an inventory, it's extremely limited... This makes traveling in the wild very inconvenient. If they are being pursued and have to fight on multiple fronts, it becomes even more tragic!

If they carry too little, they might encounter some minor obstacles or illnesses and be unable to overcome them. If they carry too much, the weight of bottles and containers will slow them down, and they might not be able to escape when they could have.

This balance becomes a profound art.

After battling players day after day, month after month, and year after year, NPCs gradually developed their unique combat strategies. No one understands these tactics better than Dugu Fu!

He used two main strategies here.

The first is called "pre-set battlefield." This involves constantly assessing the surrounding terrain and, once a battle starts, quickly luring the player to a terrain that is advantageous to the NPC. The second time Dugu Fu dealt with the "Ride and Slash" player, he used this strategy.

What kind of terrain is considered advantageous? The "dig a pit" strategy for "Ride and Slash" is hard to replicate. If it's a random encounter in the wild, the terrain should have ditches, caves, and various complex features...

Why?

Because players have a map and an auto-pathfinding function. If they lock onto a target, they can always choose the best path to chase and corner you, unless...

The surrounding area is filled with special terrains that the auto-pathfinding system deems impassable but can actually be crossed with some small tricks. This forces players to abandon the auto-pathfinding system and track based on their own judgment.

One side is new to the area, while the other has already scouted it. The home-field advantage is instantly reversed.

The second strategy is called "people's war."

Of course, it's not about gathering innocent civilian NPCs to fight the players, which would be a waste of lives. The role of civilian NPCs is to deliver supplies to NPCs at designated locations. Food, water, intact weapons, medicine, and supplies... just like what the boss couple had in their inventory.

When combat NPCs pass by, they can take out these supplies, eat, wear, and equip them, and regain their strength. Although it's not as convenient as a player's inventory, it's enough to make up for some of the disadvantages...

From the contents of the inventory, Dugu Fu deduced the NPCs' combat strategies; and from the couple's refusal to divulge information even at the cost of their lives... it wasn't hard to piece together the truth.

Truly, great minds think alike!

Dugu Fu studied the map, gathered information, and personally scouted the area, choosing this mountain for his seclusion. He never expected that the unnamed strongman had also pre-set this mountain as a battlefield and entrusted the boss couple to deliver supplies.

This is interesting... Dugu Fu smiled lightly. The regret of the last encounter, when the mud fell into his pants and he had to pass by, can finally be resolved! That's a master-level expert. Even a few leaked secrets or some insights would be enough for his current stage.

==========

That night, the moon was bright, the stars were sparse, and the magpies flew south.

"Murder under the cover of darkness, arson in dry weather. This isn't a good night for muddling through!" Lying on a large rock, Dugu Fu looked up at the sky, twirling a pebble and sighing. Suddenly, his ears perked up, and he sat up straight.

They're here! The sound of weapons clashing came from the distance.

"Ugh... ugh..." The boss couple struggled fiercely, but with their hands and feet bound and their mouths gagged, they could do nothing. Dugu Fu thought about releasing them but worried they might betray him and alert the strongman, ruining his carefully laid plans!

The sound of weapons clashing grew closer and louder. Lying on the cliff, Dugu Fu easily found the target in the moonlight.

His brows furrowed...

That seemed to be... the strongman, being chased by a dozen players.

Under the moonlight, the bright flashes of swords and the shadows of spears and staffs danced, and the sound of weapons clashing was continuous. The strongman wielded a long spear, blocking and parrying, roaring like a tiger. Suddenly, he thrust his spear forward, and the player frantically swung his sword to block.

The long spear retracted and then thrust out again, like a lightning bolt bending, instantly avoiding the sword and aiming for the player's heart. Although players don't have real vital points, even if their heads are blown off, they won't die as long as their health isn't depleted. However, being hit in a vital point still increases the damage.

The player shouted and dodged sideways, avoiding a direct hit to the chest but being pierced through the left shoulder, stumbling backward.

But he didn't die. As he retreated, he took medicine and sat behind a tree, apparently meditating to recover.

He didn't die?

This was Dugu Fu's first question.

He knew the strongman's attack power best. Back in the tavern, he was already unstoppable without any weapons. Now, with a weapon that he seemed to wield skillfully, he couldn't take down the player in one hit?

These players must be quite strong!

Another question was, how did this master-level expert, whom he hadn't seen for just two days, end up like this?

His clothes were tattered, and he was covered in wounds, but more alarmingly, his back was hunched, and from a distance, it was clear that one of his legs was broken, making his movements very difficult...

How, how could this be? A master-level expert is enough to dominate a region. If his memory served him right, most master-level players were in major cities like Beiping, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Hong Kong... They rarely ventured into the countryside, which lacked both comfort and opportunities.

This was an era of cultural exchange between the East and West, where the opulent cities and the rural areas were almost two different worlds. In such a remote and poor area, a master-level expert should be able to dominate, so how...

Dugu Fu hesitated, unsure whether to intervene.

The pursuers were so formidable, forcing the strongman to this extent. If he intervened rashly, he might not get any benefits and instead end up with a broken mouth! He only had one life now!

While he was hesitating, the two sides fought their way to the cliff. The strongman made the same choice as Dugu Fu and the tavern boss, heading straight for the easiest part of the rock face to climb.

Great minds think alike!

As he got closer, Dugu Fu suddenly realized that the strongman wasn't hunched; he was carrying someone. A little girl, lying on his broad back, looked like a hump from a distance.

Although the strongman was covered in blood, the little girl on his back was unharmed, not even a scratch.

As Dugu Fu watched, the little girl was almost hit by a player's sword. The strongman roared, pushing back the enemy in front of him, and desperately twisted his body, using his arm to block the sword. Blood splattered instantly, and the wound was deep to the bone, almost making him lose his grip on the spear.

But the little girl remained unharmed.

Damn! At this point, Dugu Fu had already guessed the truth.

But the surge of righteous blood in his heart made him make an instant decision: save him! No matter what the consequences, such a good man must be saved!