Chương 40: You're My Big Bro

For Xiao Chen, finding Lin Jue was harder than killing him. Tiannan City was massive -- tens of millions of people. Tracking one person down in that crowd was next to impossible. But Xiao Chen believed one thing: the other side was looking for him too. Give them a little nudge, and they'd run into each other soon enough. Xiao Chen sent a message in the Storm Squad's team channel:"Bro Bao, can you guys leave the city for a bit?" Fang Chengbao had no idea what Xiao Chen was planning.

"Cap, what for?"

"To avenge Wang Zhen and the others. Might need your help."

"Then we're in."

"It'll be dangerous. Think it over."

"Still in." Not a moment's hesitation. Fang Chengbao agreed on the spot. Guys who'd clawed their way up from the bottom like them -- they understood loyalty. They understood honor. Fang Chenglin and the others joined the group chat.

"Seriously, what isn't dangerous these days? Cap, just say the word and we'll do it."

"Captain, tell us what to do and we'll handle it. We've fought alongside Old Wang for so long. If we can do something for him, we will."

"Yeah, Captain. You're avenging Wang Zhen now, and if Bro Bao ever goes down, you'd avenge him too. That's why I trust you."

"Fang Chenghu, you can shut your damn mouth right now and wait for orders. You think just because I'm the tank, I can't beat your ass?"

"I'm just speaking the truth."

"Stop arguing, everyone listen to the Captain."

"The Captain's a guy who's made the Planar Announcement. He's busy. He doesn't have time to avenge everyone." Reading their chat, Xiao Chen felt like he was right back there grinding mobs with them. These guys could derail any conversation within three sentences.

"Alright, all of you stop talking and listen!" Xiao Chen was exasperated. If he didn't step in, these people would argue all day.

"I'm sending each of you one million gold. Buy some defensive gear. Stock up on Gold-Grade Constitution potions too -- you need to survive at least two hits from a high-level Assassin."

"Yeah. You might be facing some very strong Assassins."

"Holy crap, Cap, you really did get rich! Handing out a million just like that?" Fang Chenghu's priorities were as baffling as ever. Wasn't this the part where you focused on the Assassins? 【Fang Chenghu has been muted in team chat. 】"Bro Bao, remember to keep your defensive buffs on the team. Chenglin, watch everyone's HP and keep them topped off. Reaction time under one second, ideally."

"Hang out at the guild territory for one hour. Max out every buff you can get. Then head out the west gate."

"I'll give you coordinates. Just head to the destination like you always do."

"There might be a few Assassins tailing you, but their target is me. They won't attack you unless they have to."

"Beyond that, don't worry about anything. If you're in danger, call for me and I'll be there fast." Xiao Chen didn't have many friends. The closest ones were the members of Storm Squad. At least, that's how it looked to outsiders. If Lin Jue had targeted Wang Zhen, he could just as easily target Fang Chengbao and the others. The Fang siblings were actually a level or two higher than Xiao Chen. Fang Chenglin's team buffs added HP and defense. With a gear upgrade and Constitution potions, they wouldn't get one-shot.

The Storm Squad crew were genuine, straightforward people. They were way more high-profile than Xiao Chen. Especially after he hit the Planar Announcement -- they couldn't wait to tell everyone they met:"Xiao Chen is our Captain!" Xiao Chen did have some pull in the Tianxing Guild. He'd power-leveled a ton of people and scored some serious benefits for the guild on several occasions. When people ran into Fang Chengbao, they'd greet him respectfully as "Bro Bao."

When the siblings arrived at the guild territory, even more people came up to say hello.

"Bro Bao, why aren't you guys running dungeons?"

"Bro Hu, don't forget about pulling me into Storm Squad like you promised!"

"You guys heading out to the wilds to grind? Take me with you?" Fang Chengbao smiled and waved at everyone passing by. Felt pretty good. He was enjoying the clout. Fang Chenghu went a step further and summoned all five of his contracted beasts, standing right there beside him. Like he was terrified someone might not know he'd tamed five monsters.

"Now I get why the Captain told us to wait here for an hour. He's making sure everyone knows we're heading to the wilds."

"It's called 'Luring the Snake from Its Hole.' One of the Thirty-Six Stratagems."

"Is that actually one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems?"

"I say it is, so it is. Keep your mouths shut. If anyone asks, we're going out to hunt a Level 100 Boss."

"Bro Bao, isn't that one called 'Decoying the Tiger Away from the Mountain'?"

"Weren't you muted?"

"I can still talk normally, right?" Fang Chengbao suddenly felt a flicker of worry. If their own squad could see through the plan, wouldn't the Crimson Guild see through it too? The group waited at the guild territory for exactly one hour. Not a minute more, not a minute less.

"Alright, we're heading to the wilds. Catch you all later."

"Sure, let's run a dungeon together sometime."

"Oh, this summon of mine? It's number five, still only Silver-Grade." This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The Fang siblings left the guild territory. If anyone was paying close attention, they would've been impossible to miss. The Fang siblings had always been wilds grinders. They had loads of experience out there and moved with excellent teamwork. At first they were a little tense, but the familiar surroundings put them at ease quickly.

Just like the Captain said -- act like nothing's going on. Play it completely normal.

"Whoa, there's a Level 80 Boss over there."

"Since we ran into it, might as well take it down."

"Won't take long."

"Remember the first time we met the Captain? He was soloing a Level 80 Boss." These guys could never walk past a Boss. Honestly, it was understandable. Xiao Chen was the same way.

"If we're doing this like usual, then of course we kill it first and ask questions later." High-level Bosses required luck to find. When the heavens dropped gold in your lap, you picked it up. Meanwhile, several miles away, Xiao Chen sat atop a small hill. Little Qiang and his pack of skeleton minions held a massive swarm of monsters at bay. An Earth Bear swatted a Level 100 spider with one paw, crushing it instantly. Beside Xiao Chen, a chubby kid gnawed on a chicken leg.

"Xiao Chen, don't just stand there looking dumb. Have a leg."

"Fresh, straight from Zuixian Pavilion. I got takeout today. Come on, it's just killing a few people. You're way too tense." Xiao Chen sat down, grabbed a drumstick, and took a bite. It was his first time eating something from Zuixian Pavilion. He'd dreamed about eating there. Now that he finally had the chance, he could barely taste it.

"Fan-ge, I'm not tense about killing people."

"I'm tense about them not showing up."

"Relax, they'll come. The Crimson Guild guys are arrogant as hell. They look down on everyone. You soloed a Level 200 Boss and they still wrote it off as luck. They're not just stupid -- they're stupid and arrogant."

"I'm an F-Rank class. Of course they look down on me." The more they underestimated him, the happier Xiao Chen was.

"Who says low-rank classes can't be strong? I'm D-Rank and I still wreck those guys. Let me tell you, I hate people who think their high-tier talent makes them better than everyone else." Hearing that, Xiao Chen picked up on something.

"Fan-ge, did someone look down on you?" No one got this fired up without some kind of trigger.

"Bullshit!"

"My strength ranks near the top in Tiannan City. Get this done already, I still have dungeons to run."

"Damn, getting my summons to Epic Grade costs way too much gold." At that, Xiao Chen glanced at Little Qiang. Better not show off. If Fan-ge got mad and walked, he'd be in trouble.

"Timing's about right anyway. Fan-ge, I need to borrow your Black Eagle." Today Xiao Chen was here to kill people. Not just one. High-level Assassins had ridiculous survivability -- fast movement speed, Blink abilities. Without a flying summon, there was no way to catch them all. The Level 138 Great Black Eagle was terrifyingly huge. Its wingspan stretched over a dozen meters. Xiao Chen and Zhang Fan stood on the eagle's back, concealed from anyone below.

With the bird blocking the view, people on the ground couldn't see them at all. To anyone looking up, it probably looked like a high-level Boss.

"Now THIS is what flying feels like!" Standing atop the eagle, gazing at the rolling mountains in the distance, feeling the wind whip against his face, Xiao Chen made himself a promise:"One day, I'll have the ability to fly on my own." Xiao Chen checked the price of a flying skill book. Over three million gold!

"... Okay, I was getting ahead of myself." The Black Eagle was blazing fast. Several miles were covered in moments.

"Fan-ge, let's swing around and approach from behind." First he needed to confirm how many Assassins were coming. Then he'd take them out one by one.

"Should we fly lower?"

"No need. I can see clearly." After awakening True Sight, Xiao Chen could see for thousands of meters.

"This high up? You sure?"

"I just learned True Sight."

"Holy crap, you went all out for this revenge. That's some serious investment. A man this loyal? That's my brother right there."

"Of course, you still gotta pay me." Having a friend who only cared about money wasn't such a bad thing.

"I owe them. This debt has to be settled." From high in the air, Xiao Chen watched Fang Chengbao's group finish off the Level 80 Boss. The drops looked decent. The squad was celebrating, cheering. They were following orders perfectly, completely ignoring the possibility of high-level Assassins lurking nearby. Xiao Chen scanned the area around them.

"Weird. No Assassins tailing them?" His heart sank. All that waiting for nothing? A complete waste of time? Xiao Chen expanded his search radius. Not a single stealthed unit anywhere.

"Wait..." He spotted something. Five hundred meters ahead, there was another group. Ten people, all of them with their info hidden. That was rare. Xiao Chen had spent enough time in the wilds to know how unusual that was.

"They can one-shot Level 100 mobs. Their levels have to be high." High-level players running out to this area to kill Bosses? That didn't add up.

"Damn. They're not following from behind -- they're lying in wait up ahead?" Xiao Chen wasn't entirely sure. If he was wrong, he might kill innocent people.

"Wait... why is there a crimson tint over their heads?" It was faint, but Xiao Chen could see it clearly. He checked Fang Chenghu's group. Their heads were clean. Nothing.

"Fan-ge, do you see anything over those people's heads?"

"Over their heads? That's blue sky, my dude."

"I'm serious."

"Isn't it?"

"You don't see the crimson color?"

"Hell no." Xiao Chen understood. It was because of True Sight. He glanced at Zhang Fan beside him. Nothing above his head either.

"Let's watch a bit longer. Maybe we'll spot something." After looting the Boss, Bro Bao's squad kept moving. At the same time, the group up ahead started moving too, maintaining a few hundred meters of distance. In the dense forest, the squad couldn't see the other group ahead of them. Even if they did, they wouldn't think much of it. Adventuring parties in the wilds were common.

"I was so focused on invisible Assassins that I forgot the Crimson Guild has plenty of other class types too."

"So they're trying a different assassination tactic this time?" Good thing they were flying high with a clear view. Otherwise he never would've noticed.

"Either way, I need to force them to reveal their identities." As Xiao Chen was figuring out his next move, he spotted a dark speck in the distant sky.

"What is that?"

"Watch out -- a giant vulture incoming from Tiannan City!" The vulture was flying high too, and looked to be around Level 130. The moment he saw it, Xiao Chen flattened himself against the eagle's back.

"Dude, it's just a summon. No need to freak out. Who's showing off this much, letting their summon fly around randomly?" Xiao Chen seemed deaf to Zhang Fan's words. He was staring at the vulture. Or rather -- at the people standing on its back. Every single one of them was stealthed. Every single one had their info hidden. And every single one had that same crimson tint above their head.

"What the hell!" These bastards were planning a pincer attack from the air and ground. They were dead set on putting Xiao Chen in the dirt.

"Zhang Fan, there are people on that vulture. Ten stealthed Assassins. Keep your distance -- stay about three hundred meters out. They're sitting ducks up there." Xiao Chen felt a surge of relief. Good thing he'd awakened True Sight. If he hadn't spotted them first from this range, he'd be letting a lot of enemies escape today.

"Damn, these guys are creative. They want to do an airdrop?"

"If you ever get an invisible summon and pack it with invisible Assassins, now THAT would be OP." In aerial combat, Xiao Chen held an absolute advantage. This was going to be a massacre.

"I wonder if Lin Jue is among them!"

"Wang Zhen, watch closely. Your brother's starting to settle the score today."

"Ten Assassins. Perfect." Xiao Chen aimed his bow at all ten of them, then said to Zhang Fan:"Fan-ge, fly in close. But not too close."

"Today, we kill together!" To make absolutely sure, Xiao Chen popped a Berserk Potion.

"Need me to help?"

"No need!" Tenfold Shot. Ten kills. Zero wasted. High-level Assassins only had around two hundred thousand HP. Two or three arrows each would do the job. If he had to estimate the time? About half a second. A group of powerful Assassins probably never imagined they'd be taken out like this. Swoosh. Swoosh. Swoosh. Exactly three volleys. Not one more, not one less. The moment the arrows left his bow, Xiao Chen stood up. While the arrows were still sailing through the air, he clapped Zhang Fan on the shoulder.

"Fan-ge, done!"

"Holy crap, you're THAT confident in your aim? The arrows are still in the air and you're already clocking out?"

"Who knew an Archer could flex this hard." Xiao Chen was speechless. He wasn't flexing. Three volleys really was enough. As Zhang Fan spoke, he saw a flash of light wash over Xiao Chen. Level up. At the same time, a wall of kill notifications flooded the guild channel. Xiao Chen had killed again. 【You killed Sun Ming. EXP +250, 000. Gold +90, 000. Glory War Armor +1. AGI +10】 【You received bounty reward. Gold +6, 000. Guild Contribution Points +10, 000】 【You killed Zhou Wu. EXP +260, 000. Gold +120, 000.

Glory Helmet +1. STR +10】 Xiao Chen already knew that killing high-level players was incredibly profitable, but the flood of notifications still stunned him.

"All of them were Level 120+ Assassins!" Otherwise the EXP rewards wouldn't be this generous. Seeing Xiao Chen's excited expression, Zhang Fan grew more curious:"Be real with me. How much did you make?"

"One Epic Grade gear drop per person. About a million gold profit."

"Holy hell, why am I even running dungeons anymore?!"

"These guys were all loaded. The gold drops alone were over a million."

"Add in the bounty rewards, total haul's around two point five million." Zhang Fan's eyes turned red.

"Split the loot. Now."

"It's not 'splitting loot,' it's 'distributing earnings.'" The money had to be shared. Otherwise Zhang Fan would genuinely kick him off the eagle.

"Fan-ge, without your Black Eagle this wouldn't have worked. You get a million."

"Holy crap, don't call me Fan-ge."

"From now on, YOU'RE my big bro. Chen-ge."

"A million gold!" The money came too easy. Zhang Fan was half-tempted to team up with Xiao Chen and become a full-time bounty hunter.

"Too bad Lin Jue wasn't among them!" Lin Jue wasn't in the air. He was on the ground. A top-tier Assassin, but he wasn't stealthed. He wasn't wielding daggers either. He held a longsword in his hand, cutting down mobs around him. Posing as a lone Swordsman, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Who could've predicted that one by one, the names of his teammates would suddenly vanish.

"Wait -- did their plane crash?"