CHAPTER 185: INFILTRATING THE BANDIT CAMP

There were other adventurers inside the room. As soon as they heard Gabriel’s bold claim, whispers broke out among them.

"He’s going for territorial control already? That’s insane!"

"If he succeeds, he’ll get recognized land rights... that’s the foundation of a guild headquarters!"

"Most guilds spend months preparing before even attempting that."

Despite hearing their whispers, Gabriel still stood by his decision.

The reward for the mission was territory. Since all the suitable places were already taken, the only way forward was to conquer the settlements around him and build his own base.

After taking the mission, he walked back to the training grounds where the players were sparring with NPCs.

As soon as they saw him, the four hurried over.

"Does Sir Broken need help?" Bunny asked eagerly.

"Yes. I need you four to help me take down a bandit settlement," he replied.

The eyes of the group sparkled, and the quest screen flashed across their retina. From completing the last quest, they had managed to advance even further.

Currently, Ragnarok99 the warrior was level 39, closely followed by SniperBowLegend at level 38. Bunny and BrawlerX were still at level 30.

With the promised amount of experience points, they were confident their rankings would soar through the roof if they completed this mission.

"We are at your service!" all four echoed at once.

Some time later, Gabriel, Anna, Ragnarok99, BrawlerX, and Bunny went to the car park of the Adventurer Guild. An armored truck was already waiting there.

They boarded quickly and set off.

It didn’t take long to leave the city behind and enter the dusty wilderness. Gabriel retrieved the map from his inventory and followed the route leading to the bandit encampments.

On the way, they didn’t encounter any monsters, as most had been wiped out during the Inter-Guild Display Event.

"If the map is accurate, we should arrive at the settlement in approximately five hours," Gabriel informed them as they drove further.

"Five hours?!" BrawlerX exclaimed.

Five hours was a lot, but Gabriel said it so casually, as if it was natural.

Exactly five hours of non-stop driving later, they arrived at the location. The vehicle was parked farther away from the settlement’s walls.

To make the journey faster, the players had logged off to handle things in the real world. By the time they logged back in, the armored truck had already arrived at the bandit encampments.

The settlement appeared much larger than they had anticipated. Hundreds of guards patrolled, and wooden walls surrounded the area.

Gabriel’s eyes narrowed, flickering to the gate where he saw refugees in miserable condition being herded inside.

"That’s our cue," he said, turning to the others.

"But we look nothing like homeless people," BrawlerX muttered.

If they showed up looking as they did now, it would be difficult to convince the guards. Worse, the bandits might even open fire on them, mistaking them for spies sent by enemies.

"That’s why we’ll look homeless," Gabriel replied as he ripped part of his clothes.

The others nodded, smearing dirt on their faces, tearing at their clothes, and rubbing ashes from the truck’s exhaust until they looked ragged. Anna knotted her hair into a messy tangle, completing the disguise.

When Gabriel looked them over, he gave a small nod. "Passable. Keep your heads down. Refugees don’t stand tall."

BrawlerX hunched his shoulders immediately. Bunny scuffed her boots against the dirt until they looked worn. Ragnarok99 still looked too hardened because of his build, and Gabriel shot him a glance.

"You’ll give us away if you keep standing like that."

The warrior grumbled but bent his back slightly.

The group shuffled into the long line of homeless men, women, and children waiting outside the gate. The air reeked of sweat and smoke from the torches. A few refugees coughed violently, while others clutched small bundles of belongings.

The line inched forward.

Gabriel kept his expression blank, but his eyes swept over the bandits at the gate. They weren’t just rabble—each wore mismatched armor scavenged from different Awakened. Swords, axes, even a few rusty muskets. What stood out most was their alertness. These weren’t lazy guards; they were scanning, measuring.

One of them, who seemed to be the leader, barked, "Next!"

A family stumbled forward, presenting a scrap of bread as a toll. The guards shoved them through with laughter.

Gabriel and his group calmly inched forward.

Finally, it was their turn.

A guard with a scar splitting his lip stopped them. His eyes narrowed, flickering over each of them. He lingered on Ragnarok99 first.

Ragnarok99 gulped, beads of sweat gathering on his forehead.

Fortunately, the guard looked past. Then his gaze shifted and paused on Gabriel.

"You." His voice was low and suspicious. "Where you from?"

Gabriel lowered his head, letting his hair fall forward, hiding the sharp glow of his hunter eyes. "From the east camp," he rasped. "Lost everything during the beast tide. Just looking for work."

The scar-lipped guard stepped closer. Gabriel caught his foul breath. The man stared hard, as though trying to pierce the disguise. "You don’t sound like the rest of these rats. You sound... trained."

Tension snapped through the group. Bunny’s hand twitched at her side. Anna stiffened. BrawlerX’s breathing quickened; among them, he was the only one struggling to control his emotions.

Gabriel forced a cough and hunched his shoulders further. "Trained at farming, maybe. Can swing a hoe, not much else."

For a long, agonizing second, the guard didn’t move. Then he suddenly grinned, revealing blackened teeth. He slapped Gabriel on the shoulder hard enough to rattle him. "Hah! You’ll fit right in. Boss loves new dogs willing to work."

The others laughed crudely, but the scar-lipped man’s eyes still held suspicion as he waved them through.

"Oof, that was close," BrawlerX exclaimed in relief.

"You almost pissed yourself back there." Ragnarok99 slapped him, nearly making the tank trip over in embarrassment.

"I wasn’t!" BrawlerX retorted.

While the two bickered back and forth, Gabriel’s calm gaze swept across the settlement.

Inside, the camp was worse than expected. Smoke rose from countless fires. Shabby tents mixed with stolen stone houses. Armed men lounged around barrels of ale, while half-starved refugees dragged supplies—beaten if they faltered.

"Get moving, twerp!" a large muscular guard roared as he kicked a frail old man.

The man was pushing a barrel filled with unknown contents. From his appearance alone, it was clear he wouldn’t last much longer.

Watching this, Bunny secretly turned on her livestream.

There had been no prior announcement, but as soon as it went live, all her followers across the globe received a notification.

When they tuned in, what they saw left them shocked. None had imagined the game had such a dark side.

Immediately, the comments poured in:

[Wait... are those NPCs actually abusing refugees? This game went full dark real quick.]

[Bro, I thought this was just about farming and leveling. What the hell is this camp??]

[Damn... this feels too real. That old man’s gonna collapse.]

[So the devs added slavery mechanics?? Yikes.]

[Omg... is Sir Broken actually infiltrating a bandit camp LIVE?! Poggers.]

[Yo, Bunny, are you seriously inside a bandit camp right now?]

[This feels too real... the NPCs scream like actual people].

[Holy crap. That kick looked painful. Are NPCs supposed to suffer like that?]

[Who cares, they’re just NPCs not real people, quite been dramatic]

[Look at that guard’s teeth lol—someone needs a dentist DLC.]

[Wait, are they gonna free the refugees or join the bandits?]

...

Bunny could only look at Serena, not daring to make her own commentary.

Meanwhile, Gabriel frowned as he took in the grim scene. The camp reeked of greasy smoke and unwashed bodies. Refugees huddled close to fires, while armed bandits stalked around.

Not far off, an undernourished man stumbled under the weight of a grain sack. His knees buckled, and he collapsed into the mud with a dull thud.

Before anyone could react, a guard stormed over and kicked him in the ribs.

"Get up, you lazy bitch!" the guard roared.

The man whimpered, tried to rise, but exhaustion crippled him. With a sickening crack, the guard slammed the butt of his rifle into the man’s back.

He collapsed again, curling into himself, only to be struck once more before the guard spat in his face.

"Anyone else feel like slacking?!" the guard roared, sweeping the crowd.

Although the players appeared calm, it took every shred of discipline not to strike back. BrawlerX cursed under his breath, body trembling with fury. Ragnarok99’s jaw tightened, muscles twitching as if ready to spring.

The only one who remained composed was Gabriel. The others glanced at him, expecting a reaction, but his attention was already shifting to the central tower like building.

...That had to be where the bandit leader stayed.

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