175: The dispersion of horror films = seeking death

The Team Leader and his men saw all the residents run inside and were wondering how to break through the door when they realized the base's main gate wasn't closed at all. It was as if it was saying, 'My door is always open, come on in,' almost as if a god playing a zither with a feather fan and silk scarf was sitting on the roof.

The Team Leader frowned, sensing a trap ahead.

Even the Raiderss on their side couldn't stand it: "Group Leader, they must have an ambush if they're acting like this!"

Although those two knew about the 'empty fort strategy,' it shouldn't be executed like this. After all, this was the enemy's main base, and they were a group of alchemy-wielding NPCs. No one would believe they hadn't set up any ambushes!

"Group Leader, the enemy base opening its gates like this is highly suspicious!" the two Raiderss urged.

"It does seem off…"

The Team Leader's words eased their minds, but his next sentence left them speechless: "This base is large, but it shouldn't be able to accommodate twenty thousand people activating an alchemy array simultaneously! Where did all the residents go?"

(Data reference from Cologne, Holy Roman Empire, in 1347: pre-plague population over 50,000, post-Black Death survivors around 20,000)

The two Raiderss: "..."

Is this about where people live?

I'm saying I kill without batting an eye, and you're asking if my eyes are dry?

This is clearly an ambush, big brother! Why are you talking about whether the house can fit so many people?!

Though speechless, the two endured their disdain for the sake of completing the mission and earnestly explained things to the Team Leader.

The Team Leader wasn't a fool and could also sense the strangeness on the other side. But the problem was, he needed to stop the other party's actions, so even if it was a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, he had to go in.

The NPCs were reckless and stubborn, leaving the Raiderss helpless. After all, if the NPCs all died, their mission would likely fail, so they had no choice but to follow.

Ge Chang and his two companions weren't foolish; they directly shielded the NPCs in front of them.

If there truly was an ambush, they'd let the NPCs take the brunt. The three of them were confident they could also deal with the enemy NPCs, so they weren't too worried about this dungeon mission.

They proceeded directly, stepping into Twitch's base.

The Team Leader scanned his surroundings and found some black specks in an inconspicuous corner of a wall.

The group was puzzled but quickly discovered the reason. What looked like an ordinary, unremarkable stain was actually painted on with alchemy. After being removed with a special technique, a line of small text was revealed underneath.

Twitch's internal affairs had long been leaked like a sieve by enemy moles, so it was reasonable for information to be passed around.

However, after reading the message, the Team Leader was so enraged that he punched the wall, giving it a 'battle-damaged' aesthetic.

"We've been tricked!"

He gritted his teeth and said, "The large alchemy array isn't inside the base at all, but somewhere else! They're putting on a show by opening the gates, simply to make us hesitate and waste time!"

"They've already passed through the base and left from the other side! Let's hurry and catch up!"

The Team Leader led his men forward quickly, but upon touching a hidden pattern on a floor tile, an invisible alchemy array was instantly triggered. The array lit up brightly, illuminating the entire room.

After the light faded, the environment they were in underwent a drastic change. The previously straight corridor suddenly split into several paths, and even the number of doors increased significantly.

At the same time, the door behind them suddenly closed, trapping the Team Leader and several Raiderss inside.

"Damn rats, as despicable and ugly as their appearance."

The Team Leader cursed and observed the alchemy array on the ground, "The effect has already been applied; destroying the array won't do any good."

"Hmph, it seems they intend to hinder our progress by using Fork in the Roads."

He analyzed the situation and then said something that almost made the Raiderss vomit blood: "Since that's the case, we'll split up and search for the correct route through this place!"

Several Raiderss: ?!

You dare to split up and advance on their home turf with branching traps?

Don't you know that splitting up in a horror movie equals certain death?

They were furious, desperately trying to stop the NPC's idiotic behavior. But the Team Leader was determined to do it, making several Raiderss' blood pressure spike, much like unfortunate contractors encountering a clueless client they couldn't refuse.

These people couldn't understand why the NPC would react this way; it felt like he was a machine blindly following the opponent's trap.

Cheng Zhen, secretly listening in, chuckled.

The personalities of the Team Leader and Twitch were not just similar; they were identical.

His own Group Leader was stubborn, and the other side must be too. As long as he deduced the opponent's thoughts based on his own Group Leader's likely actions, it basically came down to two words—'na nie' (having them in the palm of your hand)!

The Team Leader deployed his men, splitting them up, in a manner reminiscent of the Oirat student who led the Ming army to annihilation at Tumu Fortress.

Several Raiderss were utterly resigned.

Ge Chang and his two companions exchanged glances, a single thought shared between them:

This NPC is useless; we'll have to rely on ourselves.

After all, saving the city and innocent patients had nothing to do with the three of them; they were just simple assassins earning money for their lives.

If the NPCs were so eager to die, letting them create a big commotion to attract the enemy wasn't a bad idea; it would make things easier for them.

So, they outwardly said 'yes, yes, yes, you're right, you're right,' pretending to follow the NPC's arrangements, but in reality, they slipped away the moment he turned his back.

As for how to find Cheng Zhen...

Hmph, the three of them were professionals!

[Item: Marking Signal]

[Quality: Good]

[Effect: Marks a target, displaying its direction for 24 hours.]

[Note: Lava Behemoth: Wind Blade Master - Alive]

Before their last evacuation, they cleverly placed a signal on 'Cheng Zhen.' By following the marked direction, they would eventually find that guy.

Of course, in enemy territory, they couldn't just charge in blindly like that reckless Group Leader.

[Item: Camouflage Coating]

[Quality: Rare]

[Effect: When applied to the body, it synchronizes the body's surface to the environmental color. It becomes ineffective after being attacked. Duration: 3 hours.]

[Note: Synchronized transformation is a good thing, after all, we can't wear ghillie suits indoors, can we?]

It was another expensive item. Ge Chang felt a pang of heartache, then shared the coating with his teammates.

Three hours should be enough time for him to find Cheng Zhen and deliver a sniper shot.

"Let's go!"

They used their items and moved towards the target direction.

"Uh, boss, what's that?"

Ge Er stood up, his peripheral vision seemingly catching sight of something white.

He looked back and saw the full extent of the object.

A small snowman, wiggling its body, floated towards them.