Chapter 55

The sky was a deep blue, with seagulls soaring. The vast sea rippled with waves. The majestic but dilapidated Flying Ship stood quietly yet busily.

Scattered white sails gathered around the Flying Ship from all sides of the trade route. After all, organized fleets like the one led by Jingtian Cannon were rare; most players were scattered individuals. That's what made it good!

Yijian Xilai shouted from below the ship, "Newcomers, line up! Help Brother Fei load the cargo onto the ship!"

What is the herd mentality, the bandwagon effect? This is it! When Yijian Xilai obediently helped load the cargo below the ship, a second small boat approached with a fierce look, but was taken aback by the situation.

If the first one could be swayed, would the second one be far behind? Da Fei, standing on the high deck, shouted, "Newcomers, hand over the goods!"

The newcomer, of course, was not convinced: "Why should I?"

What are you here for, then? Da Fei said coldly, "Because he can get 10,000, and you can't even get 5,000!"

Yijian Xilai immediately chimed in, "Brother, we're all here to be killed anyway. The goods can't be saved, so just do Brother Fei a favor. We're businessmen, after all, and we're here for the benefits. No need to offend Brother Fei."

Da Fei, on the ship, patted his head and laughed, "Brother is right. Anyway, you won't be able to protect your troops later, so just give them to me."

Yijian Xilai laughed, "No problem!" But he was inwardly sneering, "When you make your move, it will be my time to take you down."

The newcomer thought about it and realized that with the big boss paying, it was a sure win, and there was no need to offend a red-named player. So he joined the ranks of the loaders.

With the second one, the third one was even easier: "What are you doing?"

The two replied, "Come help. Give away the troops and goods you don't need."

"Is this what the boss arranged?"

Da Fei scoffed, "Does it look like I'm the boss?"

Yijian Xilai continued, "Brother Fei is very busy, so get to work."

"Oh." It didn't matter as long as the big boss paid the reward.

Thus, the fourth one joined: "What is this?"

Everyone said, "Don't ask so many questions. Finish the job quickly."

"Oh..."

Then came the fifth, the sixth, and so on, until the scene became a bustling construction site. Brother Fei's crew of sailors grew like a snowball, gathering dozens of people. In the face of such a large and orderly force, the scattered players seemed to have forgotten their original purpose.

Do you know what you're doing? Actually, I don't know either.

This is the herd mentality, the bandwagon effect. People are unknowingly led by the nose. It's a common trait between humans and sheep: the subconscious tendency to follow the crowd, thinking that if so many people are doing it, it must be right. Da Fei had experience with pyramid schemes and knew this well.

But what's the next step? Looking at the continuous stream of small boats, Da Fei's gaze was deep and distant.

...

— "Hello, dear viewers, welcome to Hero News. We have received a live video from a热心玩家 in the game, and the much-anticipated Da Fei has finally appeared before the players, near the Elorin Port of the Elven Kingdom. This is his first landing after drifting for several days since leaving the Newbie Training Island. Just half an hour ago, Da Fei killed twenty merchant players who responded to the Blood Sea Rampage bounty, showcasing astonishing combat power. Now, Da Fei has reached an agreement with the merchants. According to the players, the merchants, in order not to offend either side, are 'giving up their lives' to continue responding to the Blood Sea Rampage bounty, while compensating Da Fei with goods to offset his reputation loss. The scene is now bustling and lively."

— "We are now showing another video sent by a group of players, which clearly captures the full view of Da Fei's Flying Ship. We are now connecting with Longya of the Dragon Slayer Guild, a well-known Chinese competitive player, Mr. Chang Liang, for a phone interview."

Host: "Hello, Mr. Chang Liang?"

A voice on the phone came excitedly, "Hello! Host! Hello, dear players, I am Chang Liang, Longya of the Dragon Slayer Guild, the largest guild in China. I am happy to meet everyone... um, over the phone."

The host laughed, "I heard that the newly established Blood Sea Rampage studio has joined the Dragon Slayer Guild. What are the players most concerned about, how will the Dragon Slayer Guild deal with Da Fei?"

Chang Liang laughed, "That is a personal matter between Blood Sea Rampage and the players, and does not represent the stance of the Dragon Slayer Guild. Our guild's goal is to make everyone have fun."

The host: "Now that Da Fei has returned with such a large ship, the size of the ship's hold is evident to the players on the scene. How will such a large ship affect the current players?"

Chang Liang sighed, "Personally, I think it's almost like cheating? I believe all the merchant players on the scene would have the same thought. However, from the video, the ship is full of cracks and patches, and the wood in the cracks is already rotten. The ship's lifespan is probably not long, and it might be a one-time item from the system. I hope so."

The host laughed, "There are already nearly 100 merchant ships in place, and according to the players on the scene, 60 players are level 10 or higher, and 30 are around level 20. If Da Fei were to kill all these players, how much gold would it take to wash away his red name? Would the value of the goods traded by these merchant players be enough to pay for his red name cleansing?"

Chang Liang chuckled, "The ratio of red name reputation to ransom is roughly 1:1, but the lower the reputation, the higher the cost of cleansing. It is said that on the island, he killed Blood Sea Rampage to a reputation of at least -3000, and just now, he killed a group of 20 level 20 merchants, reducing his reputation by another -4000. He will definitely need 10,000 gold. If his reputation drops below -10,000, his title will directly become a criminal, and he might not even have the chance to cleanse his red name. He could be arrested by NPC sea police and sent to the legendary Wicked Island for repentance and labor. To be honest, I would like to see what Wicked Island is like."

The host laughed, "It is said that it is a separate server where red-named players from all over the world are exiled."

Chang Liang laughed, "I guess he would be very lonely if he went there."

At this moment, there was a commotion in the background.

The host was surprised, "The order has been disrupted, there is a new situation!"

...

Indeed, there was a new situation! Just then, a strong wind suddenly blew, and the small boats around the Flying Ship swayed. This was the best moment for Da Fei to act!

What to do at the best moment? Of course, all the sailors immediately took their positions, raised the sails, and set sail! The large ship was slow in calm waters, and stopping to prevent robbery made it even slower. A strong wind was needed to help, and in the strong wind, the small boats were too unstable to chase. Why wait? Does anyone really think I would kill you? If I did, how could I continue to survive? I would rather offend all the players than the NPCs! Ha ha, hahaha!

Sure enough, the deceived players shouted in anger, "Scammer! Dirty scammers!"

"Everyone, chase him, smash his ship, don't let him escape!"

"I always felt something was off, so I recorded a video and uploaded it!"

"This Yijian Xilai is his accomplice, throw him into the sea to feed the turtles!"

Yijian Xilai cried out, "I am also a victim, I was also deceived!"

...

The fully crewed Flying Ship began to sail with the wind. A dozen small boats, bumping and swaying, chased the Flying Ship, angrily smashing its hull. Da Fei smiled calmly, "You keep smashing, I'll be on my way." He was also incredibly relieved; without the wind, a forced breakout would have cost him dearly and required a lot of killing.

Watching Yijian Xilai being thrown into the sea by the angry players, Da Fei sighed inwardly. Like a pyramid scheme, the scam is simple, but once the atmosphere and order are created, many people will still fall for it. Yijian Xilai's role was the most important part of the pyramid scheme, the leader!

I am not harming you, I am educating you. Being scammed in a game is better than being scammed in real life. This is called knowing the evil and guarding the good. Ha ha!

...

At this moment, in the Hero Live Stream, the host stared at the live screen behind him for a long time, speechless.

Finally, Chang Liang spoke, "Host, can I say a dirty word in front of the audience?"

(Seeking all kinds of votes!)

Page break AD starts

Page break AD ends