Chapter 90: Art is Explosion!

11:00 PM.

The heavy snow had momentarily paused.

In the pitch-black darkness, players armed with weapons spread out in an arc in the forest, digging foxholes and simple trenches with shovels, working swiftly.

"Exciting! We've had two team battles in no time after entering the game!"

"Nobody better try to outdo me; I'm going to kill ten!"

"Damn, I better stay away from you. Don't count me in when the time comes."

"Am I that kind of person?"

"Who knows."

No one was panicked; they were all excited as if on adrenaline.

This game was so realistic, the atmosphere was perfectly set.

It felt just like a real battle!

The rustling of the forest covered the players' hushed whispers.

Chu Guang, fully armed, stood holding a hammer, his hands overlapping at the end of the handle, his dark eyes fixed on the north.

He was taking a gamble.

He was betting that Hain had chosen the side of profit and successfully convinced the leader of the Blood Hand Clan to launch an attack under the cover of night, and to send part of the troops to the small river in the northwest.

Of course, Chu Guang had also prepared for the worst, which was that Hain had chosen the side of righteousness and decided to help their former trading partner. In that case, he would have to face the main force of the Blood Hand Clan head-on.

It would be a hard-fought battle.

But he wasn't worried.

Even if it was a one-for-one exchange, his side would still come out ahead.

At this moment, a perception-type player ran over from a distance, stopped in front of Chu Guang, and reported excitedly.

"Respected Administrator, the Blood Hand Clan has left their camp and is advancing in our direction!"

Chu Guang felt a surge of joy.

However, he didn't show it on his face and instead maintained a stern expression.

"Are the props set up?"

"Already done!"

"Good, pass my order: each squad, proceed according to the plan!"

"Yes!"

The player stood at attention, his right fist pressed to his chest, and excitedly left.

Thinking about the "props" prepared nearby, he couldn't help but feel excited.

This was too thrilling!

...

North gate of the Wetland Park.

A large group of people stood there.

Most of them wore fur coats, with makeshift metal, wood, or leather armor on their vital parts. They had blood-red patterns tattooed on their arms, necks, and faces, and carried a variety of weapons.

Although their appearance and demeanor made them look like a ragtag group of thugs, in reality, their combat capabilities were not as weak as they appeared.

Each one of them was a seasoned veteran, and they were the elite of the Blood Hand Clan!

A bear in heavy armor rode on a rhinoceros with a ring through its nose, carrying a double-barreled shotgun in his hand. He squinted at the dark forest.

At the entrance to the forest, a sign with a skull was planted, with a hastily written message:

Private Territory, No Trespassing. Any Violation Will Be Dealt With.

A hint of amusement played on the bear's lips, and he gave a nod to the thug beside him.

The raider understood and immediately stepped forward, lifting his axe and splitting the sign in half.

"Let us bring destruction upon their heads!"

"Everyone, advance!"

The bear laughed heartily, his large hand waving forward, and he kicked his mutated rhinoceros, leading the charge.

The rhinoceros began to move forward, and the fifty-five raiders following him, led by five decurions, pressed forward as well.

At this moment, the bear felt a sudden urge and called out to his trusted subordinate.

The man's name was "Ma," with a horse-like face, standing at 1.9 meters, towering over the other thugs. He was the bravest decurion under the bear.

The bear looked down at him and ordered.

"Lead your men west to the brick kiln by the river. Capture any prisoners you can, and if you can't, drive them south. We'll wait for you there."

Ma saluted with both hands.

"Yes!"

With that, the decurion didn't hesitate, immediately leading his ten men westward.

Eleven men.

More than enough to launch a surprise attack on a camp at night.

Then, the bear turned to the remaining subordinates, a cruel smile spreading across his face.

"We go south."

"Wait for them ahead!"

...

Although the snow had paused, the cold in the forest had not dissipated. The rustling of the wind through the trees always made people tense.

Ma, who had been given a direct order by the leader, did not dare to be careless. He moved quickly toward the river to the west, while being cautious of any threats in the forest.

Fortunately.

There was no ambush.

Perhaps, as the merchant had said, these savage survivors were holding an open-air meeting in their camp and had not noticed the approaching death.

At the edge of the forest, the flickering campfires were already visible.

The raiders quickened their pace, moving rapidly toward the light.

Soon, they found a row of shacks built along the riverbank.

The doors of the shacks were covered with plastic sheets, making it impossible to see inside, but there were axes and shovels, tools for clearing land, placed at the entrances.

In the center of the shacks was a stone fire pit, surrounded by bones that had been recently gnawed on.

Seeing the camp, a cruel smile spread across Ma's face. He loaded his iron-barreled rifle and attached a bayonet to the underside of the barrel.

"We'll sneak in quietly. No one makes a sound."

"Try not to use guns if you can."

"If anyone resists, stab them to death!"

Following the leader's orders, the raiders either attached bayonets to their rifles or pulled out close-combat weapons like nail hammers and short spears, preparing to slaughter the enemies in their sleep.

They quietly approached, silently entering the camp, and two men each took control of a shack, one on each side of the door.

Seeing that all the shacks were under control, Ma raised his right fist and gave a signal. The group moved together, using bayonets to lift the curtains of the shacks.

Then.

Everyone froze.

There was nothing inside.

No, not exactly.

Almost every shack contained a bucket of wood tar.

"Quick, scatter!"

Ma's face changed drastically, and he shouted first.

However, it was already too late.

About ten flaming arrows flew from the opposite side of the river, landing in the camp one after another.

The plastic sheets on the shacks were ignited, instantly shrinking into burning oil droplets that fell and set the tar-coated buckets and the gunpowder inside them on fire.

Boom!!

The chain reaction of explosions ravaged the camp, and the raiders who had scattered to escape were engulfed by the smoke and flying shrapnel.

Two raiders were killed instantly!

The remaining nine were injured!

One unfortunate soul was set on fire by the splashing oil, rolling on the ground and screaming in agony.

The screams grew weaker and soon stopped.

Seeing his subordinates in such a miserable state, Ma's eyes turned bloodshot, and he roared in anger.

"You cowards! What kind of skill is a sneak attack!"

"Come out and fight like a man!"

"Cough"

The smoke choked his throat.

Ignoring the blood and flesh on his back, he lowered his head and emerged from the thick smoke, firing his rifle at the opposite side of the river.

Bang!

Flashes of fire and gunshots filled the air.

The other raiders also fired back at the direction of the arrows, but after firing several shots, they saw no one, only arrows whizzing by overhead.

Morale began to waver.

Not only was Ma panicked, but his subordinates were also in a state of panic, retreating while fighting.

At this moment, the players ambushed on their western side were rubbing their hands in excitement, waiting for the right moment to attack.

"They're panicking! They're panicking! Hahaha, they're panicking!"

"Elite enemy, suspected decurion!"

"Damn, a decurion! Charge! Brothers, capture him alive!"

"Charge with determination!"

"Fight to the death!"

"Long live Demacia!"

"For Yaya's mushroom soup!"

The players shouted excitedly as they emerged from the bushes, each with a unique battle cry.

Meanwhile, the players on the opposite side of the river stopped shooting arrows and pulled out shovels, axes, and scythes, wading through the ankle-deep water to join the battle, surrounding the raiders.

People were everywhere!

Gunshots, footsteps, and battle cries echoed through the night, making it impossible to tell how many people there were or where they came from.

The raiders, who had just emerged from the flames and entered the forest, felt as if their eyes were covered in ink, unable to see anything.

Ma, with his jammed rifle, struggled to eject the stuck shell and shouted at his subordinates.

"Retreat! Retreat south!"

A sliver of rationality told Ma that their only chance of survival was to join the main force to the south.

However.

If he could think of it, could someone else not?

The defensive line against the main force was to the south. If they fled north through the burning camp, they might have a chance, but running south would be like charging into a trench with their faces!

Just as Ma and his subordinates were hit head-on, the elite Blood Hand Clan advancing toward the forward base also heard the explosions from the northwest.

"What's happening?"

"It seems to be coming from the brick kiln by the river..."

"Could it be that Ma and his men are in trouble?!"

"No way, that's Ma... I saw him tear apart a zombie with my own eyes!"

The raiders looked at each other, whispering quietly.

Their intuition told them that these five consecutive explosions were not normal.

The bear frowned, looking northwest, his expression uncertain.

Ma was his trusted subordinate, and he knew that none of his subordinates' equipment could produce such a sound.

Therefore, there was only one possibility!

"Damn it! Everyone, advance northwest!" The bear, both angry and anxious, kicked his mutated rhinoceros and roared.

"Run!"

"Quick!"

The deaths of the badger and the rat were not enough to make him feel the pain, but if Ma died, the Blood Hand Clan would suffer a heavy blow, and his prestige in the tribe would plummet.

At this moment, there was no time for formation. The raiders never formed ranks, and as they ran, the line stretched out.

The other four decurions felt uneasy but dared not voice their concerns, only urging the stragglers to catch up.

The distance was less than 600 meters, and support would arrive in minutes. Even though the forest terrain was not conducive to running, it was still better than the obstacles in the city.

The fire ahead grew closer.

The blazing flames, even from a distance, radiated a scorching heat.

"Damn! Are you all not eating? Run faster!"

Still not seeing any sign of Ma, only the rising flames, the bear was furious, cursing and urging his subordinates to speed up.

The subordinates were dissatisfied but had no choice. Even though they couldn't see the enemy, they still charged forward with their weapons.

The bear, with his double-barreled shotgun, led the charge.

However, just then, he suddenly saw faces peeking out from the mud in the firelight.

Their eyes seemed to glow green, causing even the fearless bear to feel a moment of panic.

"Fire!"

A harsh command rang out.

Although he didn't understand the meaning of the two syllables, his combat instincts made him dismount and take cover behind a thick tree root.

The sound of gunfire erupted like thunder, the flashes of fire surrounding them from all sides, like lightning in the air.

The bear was terrified.

For a moment, he couldn't tell how many guns were firing, only seeing his subordinates being caught off guard, one after another falling.

He couldn't tell if they were lying down or shot down.

"Damn! We've been ambushed!"

"I'll be the first to chop Hain into pieces when I get back!"

"Let's, let's retreat first..."

"Damn! How many guns are there?"

"I feel like at least two machine guns!"

"Ah!"

Hearing the terrified voices of his subordinates, the bear was also in a panic.

The mounted rhinoceros had been shot down, its body lying motionless by a tree, the bullet holes indistinguishable.

The bear didn't dare to look, not willing to risk his head to test the enemy's marksmanship.

However, as he caught his breath and listened to the whistling sounds overhead, he felt something was off.

How to put it.

The thunder and lightning didn't match!

In an instant, he realized and shouted in anger.

"No! This isn't gunfire! This... this is!"

The bear wanted to say something but couldn't think of the word.

In fact, he was right. It wasn't gunfire but homemade fireworks made from paper, gunpowder, and brick dust.

In this era, where even food was scarce, it was normal not to recognize fireworks.

However, in the dark, the fireworks, interspersed with rifle shots, had a deceptive effect.

The raiders, already out of breath from running, were caught off guard by the sudden attack and were too stunned to realize they were being tricked.

From their vantage point, it seemed like two machine guns were firing at them, and with their comrades falling one after another, they were too scared to even raise their heads, let alone counterattack.

Moreover, they were fighting against the light...

Just as the four raider squads were completely disoriented, the players in the trenches on both sides had left their cover and flanked the raiders from the east and west, using the gunfire as cover.

Seeing the figures moving toward their flanks, the bear roared in anger.

"They're spreading out!"

"Everyone, charge!"

"Don't just lie there, that's not gunfire! Follow me, charge into their trenches and bash their skulls with the butts of our guns!"

After shouting for a while, he realized no one was listening.

The continuous ambushes had pushed the raiders to the brink of collapse.

The bear felt a sudden sense of despair.

Perhaps...

Leaving the city and entering the enemy's territory was a mistake from the start.

"Leader... The enemy's firepower is too strong. Charging now would be suicide!"

"Damn the firepower! Can't you tell it's fake?" The anger burned in his heart, almost making him bite through his gums.

But he knew that no matter how loud he shouted, few would hear or listen.

Realizing the situation was hopeless, he looked to the east, steeled his resolve, and ordered his trusted subordinates.

"We'll only die here. We'll break through to the east!"

The subordinates nodded nervously.

However, just as the bear was about to explain his plan, a series of piercing whistles came from the western flank.

The bear looked up and saw tongues of fire cutting through the darkness, launching fist-sized fireworks from the night sky.

A wild laugh echoed from the distance.

Although he couldn't understand the words, he vaguely heard a hoarse male voice.

"Ha ha ha ha ha."

"Art is explosion!"