CHAPTER 78: 078 LIN BAI IS SET TO LOSE (EXTRA FOR S-SHAPED UNCLE, THE ALLIANCE HIERARCH)

An explosion of saber qi in the sky briefly illuminated the entire area around Chef’s Divine Food Stall.

The black-clad, masked players were all exposed to Lin Bai’s sight. All the players looked up at the fireworks in unison.

Curve Body Single Shadow.

Using the brilliant light of the saber qi, Lin Bai identified the crossbowmen’s positions. He flashed out of the inn, unleashing Shock Hundreds of Armor, followed by Wounded Dragon Fly Chaotically, and took out a dozen low-level players who were looking up at the sky.

Then he turned, delivered another Shock Hundreds of Armor, and sent another dozen flying...

Lin Bai’s max-level Dragonfall Palm effects were far more spectacular than Dumbelldore’s, and his mob-clearing speed was also much more efficient...

In the blink of an eye, only a few crossbowmen remained.

Afterward, Lin Bai picked up two crossbows from the ground, employed Curve Body Single Shadow again, and slipped back into the inn.

In a flash, by the time the Lonely Old Man reacted, Lin Bai had vanished from his sight. More than thirty names had disappeared from his view, and he couldn’t help but curse, "Damn!"

Moreover, Lin Bai moved so fast that the high-level players who had logged off didn’t have time to log back on...

「...」

PUFF!

"Lin Bai: Look, fireworks!"

"What a thief!"

"He distracts with fireworks, then sneak attacks and runs! I’ve never seen such a despicable BOSS!"

"To be precise, he should be called an intelligent NPC."

"He clearly has the absolute strength to crush them, yet he insists on sneak attacks. It’s too much!"

"Shopkeeper Lin’s martial arts are truly beautiful! I want to become his disciple and learn that Firework Chopper skill to impress girls in the game..."

"Shopkeeper Lin is revealing more and more martial arts. I’m starting to suspect the Righteous Door actually exists."

"The fireworks didn’t just distract; Shopkeeper Lin also used their light to pinpoint the crossbowmen. He only targeted the crossbowmen, which shows that crossbow arrows can indeed harm him."

"Nonsense! If it has a health bar, no BOSS is unkillable. Of course, he’s afraid."

"Correction: this game doesn’t have health bars..."

"Speaking of which, isn’t anyone in the game researching gunpowder?"

"+1. The Cultivation World being crushed by technology... I really want to see Shopkeeper Lin riddled with bullets from an automatic rifle!"

"It’s too soon. They’ll appear eventually. Don’t underestimate the players’ ingenuity."

"An automatic rifle would be challenging, but a Fire Gun could probably be made. However, its lethality is no better than a crossbow arrow."

"Shopkeeper Lin’s tactics are good, but unfortunately, he overlooks the fact that players can respawn. Faced with infinite respawns, everything he does is futile. Once his Inner Strength runs out, that’s when he’ll be overwhelmed."

"Agreed."

"Disagree. What if he just holes up in Chef’s Divine Food Stall to recover his Inner Strength and doesn’t come out?"

"Repeatedly burning the building to lure him out... The players’ coordination will only improve with experience. As long as they can take down the BOSS, players don’t care what methods they use."

"Lin Bai is an Alchemist. Do you think he wouldn’t have Pill Medicines to restore Inner Strength?"

"Stop mentioning him being an Alchemist! They say when Lin Bai is doing his alchemy, the Pill Room smells like roasted meat, hahaha..."

「...」

"Presumed Revitalizing Pill (for external use), slightly spicy, mildly salty, accidental ingestion can cause incessant diarrhea..."

Inside the City Lord’s mansion, Xu Longyun was recording the effects of the Revitalizing Pill on a sheet of paper. When she wrote the words "incessant diarrhea," her pen paused involuntarily, and a hint of displeasure flashed across her face. She placed the pen on its rack and gritted her teeth. "This bastard is getting bolder and bolder, even daring to prank me..."

KNOCK, KNOCK! There was a knock from outside.

"Come in." Xu Longyun pulled a blank sheet of paper over what she had just written.

The Hidden Guard Li Jin entered and saluted Xu Longyun. "City Lord, a large number of Skyfall people have gathered outside Chef’s Divine Food Stall and trapped Shopkeeper Lin inside..."

Xu Longyun looked up at her Hidden Guard and said lightly, "You don’t have to hold back. You can smile while you say it."

Realizing his thoughts had been seen through, Li Jin scratched his head awkwardly, trying hard to maintain his composure before the City Lord. "They brought dozens of crossbows and seem to want to kill Shopkeeper Lin. Before I returned, some Skyfall people had already begun to assault Chef’s Divine Food Stall. Rumor has it that Hidden Guards from the City Lord’s Mansion are participating..."

The assault on Chef’s Divine Food Stall had already started, and you only reported now? You did it on purpose, didn’t you?

A just cause enjoys abundant support, while an unjust cause finds little.

Lin Bai, just keep courting death!

Xu Longyun sighed inwardly and asked, "Crossbows are contraband. Where did they get them?"

The City Lord isn’t asking about Lin Bai, only about the crossbows?

It seems their relationship isn’t as close as the rumors suggest.

Li Jin’s heart completely relaxed. He said, "Some Skyfall people paid a high price to have them custom-made at various Blacksmith Shops. They’re crudely made, have a short range, and can’t compare to the military-issue ones..."

"This cannot be allowed to set a precedent," Xu Longyun said. "Post a public notice. Inform the patrol officers and Government Officials that anyone found carrying a crossbow on the streets will be imprisoned for ten days. Any Blacksmith Shop caught secretly manufacturing crossbows will be fined one thousand taels."

"Yes." Li Jin cupped his fist in salute, then asked, "Tonight, at Shopkeeper Lin’s place... should we dispatch the City Guard Army to maintain order? The Skyfall people are immortal. If Shopkeeper Lin can’t handle it..."

"Inform the City Guard Army to be on standby." Xu Longyun fell silent for a moment, recalling Lin Bai’s various peculiarities since his arrival in Jiamucheng. She shook her head and said, "We’ll observe for now. Lin Bai is not as weak as you imagine. I don’t believe he lacks a countermeasure for this."

"Yes," Li Jin responded.

Before his voice faded, colorful bursts of saber qi blossomed in the sky. Xu Longyun and Li Jin simultaneously looked towards the fireworks.

"City Lord, it’s in the direction of Chef’s Divine Food Stall," Li Jin said.

"Hmm, you may go now," Xu Longyun nodded. "Continue monitoring the movements of the Skyfall people."

Li Jin bowed to Xu Longyun and withdrew.

After Li Jin departed, Xu Longyun slipped out through the window. Her lithe figure made several nimble leaps, disappearing into the night.

「...」

"Find some people to retrieve the crossbows scattered on the ground and reform the Crossbow Team," Solitary Worker ordered. "Lin Bai’s attacks are highly lethal. There’s little difference in defense between a Level 1 and a Level 10 character. Crossbows can inflict effective damage on him. Everyone abandon defense, pick up crossbows, and go all-out against Lin Bai."

"Yes."

"Yes."

Scattered responses sounded as people began to pick up undamaged crossbows from among the corpses...

「...」

The commanding Solitary Worker used the team’s internal voice chat exclusively. To an outsider, the Skyfall people ambushing Lin Bai appeared completely silent, yet they coordinated with uncanny understanding. No matter how many died, none retreated or fled; they were like a suicide squad.

While people offline analyzed the game BOSS’s weaknesses via live stream, the Hidden Guards concealed in the night were also observing the players’ condition. Compared to the players with their screen-filling comments, these observers were much quieter. However, the intelligence gathered on the Skyfall people over several days had made these natives increasingly apprehensive. No one wished to face such an enemy!

「...」

Actually, from Lin Bai’s perspective, the players’ strategic discussions were as good as shouting their plans aloud. To him, these players were as transparent as ice cubes in a glass. The players’ so-called ’logout bug’ abuse was useless against him.

Although the darkness prevented him from clearly seeing their attire or weapon details, names would disappear, and his memory was sharp enough... In his earlier sneak attack, he had perfectly avoided all the logout traps.

Compared to the players who threw caution to the wind, Lin Bai was the one truly walking a tightrope, desperately cherishing his single life.

"Repeating crossbows?"

Lin Bai examined the crossbows he had retrieved. They were relatively crudely made crossbows, each equipped with an arrow magazine. Firing was as simple as pulling the trigger. The magazine held ten arrows. Their only flaw was perhaps an occasional protrusion or a small imperfection on the crossbow’s body.

Goodness!

They even make defective weapons for themselves? Doesn’t that affect game balance?

Lin Bai pulled a trigger, and a crossbow arrow flew out, embedding itself in the wall with a THUD.

Seriously, the operation was incredibly simple. He couldn’t help but sigh, "Indeed, science and technology are the primary productive forces. One shouldn’t fear mischievous players, but educated ones!"

"What is science and technology?" Song Ling, having already gathered all the crossbow arrows from the ground and neatly arranged them on the table, looked at Lin Bai and asked curiously.

"This is science and technology..." Lin Bai smiled, twirling the crossbow in his hand. He glanced at the arrows on the table and said, "Old Song, when you have time, you two should practice using these."

Jimmy Navada nodded. "Boss, I will."

Outwardly, Lin Bai appeared relaxed, but inwardly he was exceptionally cautious. The appearance of repeating crossbows made him acutely aware of how troublesome the Fourth Calamity players would be.

This was no longer just a matter of levels. Not everyone was like Crispy Rice or Dumbelldore; the player base concealed many more brilliant minds!

Currently, he could stabilize the situation in Jiamucheng, but there were many more Novice Villages beyond his reach. Moreover, the sheer number of players worried him most.

Therefore, even if he was a bug, the game company had no need to deal with him directly; the players were sufficient. Besides, he also provided entertainment for them...

Too slow!

Far too slow!

My growth is still far too slow!

「...」

"Shopkeeper Lin, surely you’re aware of our unique nature. We don’t fear death. You don’t stand a chance tonight, do you?" Lonely Old Man looked at the lit Chef’s Divine Food Stall and shouted. "Shopkeeper Lin, you’re also a quest objective in Jiamucheng. Why not come out and fight honorably? Preserve some dignity for yourself."

"Idiot," Lin Bai snorted.

"Brother Lin, why do they want to attack us?" Song Ling asked with a puzzled frown.

"Because they are greedy and foolish," Lin Bai said. "They have no idea who they’re up against."

As they spoke, the area outside suddenly lit up.

Song Ling looked out.

Torches flared to life in the darkness, illuminating the surroundings as if it were day. The torchbearers wore the attire of the Zhang Family Punch Palace, Mo’s Sword Gym, and Wu Family Blade Gym. They had completely encircled Chef’s Divine Food Stall, trapping the players within their cordon.

Standing amidst corpses that hadn’t yet despawned, the black-clad, masked players looked somewhat bewildered, instinctively grouping together.