181: Chapter 181 Surrender grants a buff; rebels line up to deliver intelligence.

The wind in Black Wind Valley has completely changed.

The mineral veins couldn't be blown up, the seals are all gone, and the Dragon Flame Bombs have all been given away.

Qing Yan's last bit of ruthlessness hadn't even reached the valley entrance before a wave of panic spread out first.

Just as dawn broke, the patrolling players outside the Vanguard Army camp were stunned.

In the shadows of the valley entrance, a dark mass of people emerged.

It wasn't a sneak attack.

It was a surrender.

The first few Black Dragon Rebels threw down all their weapons and held their hands high. Behind them followed a string of elderly and weak family members, some clutching bundles, some carrying younglings on their backs, and some even carrying out grain bags, for fear that others wouldn't see they were truly running away.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!"

"We surrender!"

"We're not working for Qing Yan anymore!"

The players on duty were first dazed, then the channel directly exploded.

"Holy crap! Someone actually surrendered!"

"It's not just one or two, it's a whole crowd!"

"Quick, notify the higher-ups!"

In less than half an hour, over a thousand rebels were squatting outside the camp.

By noon, the numbers were still rising.

Batch after batch.

Some climbed over the mountains in the middle of the night, some felt their way out through abandoned mine tunnels, and some simply rolled down the side slopes dragging their belongings, not daring to stop even when bruised and battered.

The number of surrenders in a single day directly broke three thousand!

The front lines of Wanlong City were shocked.

Ao Ningshuang stood on high ground, looking at the rebels who had discarded their armor and weapons below the camp, her silver eyes slightly cold: "Qing Yan truly can't hold on anymore."

Lin Zhe's gaze was indifferent as he walked directly to the front of the camp.

The entire field fell silent instantly.

Those kneeling rebels lowered their heads one by one, not even daring to breathe loudly.

They knew very well.

Whether they could live now depended on a single word from Lin Zhe.

Lin Zhe scanned the crowd and spoke indifferently: "From now on, ordinary rebels of Black Wind Valley who voluntarily give up resistance will all be spared from death."

As soon as the words fell, many rebels in the front row turned red-eyed on the spot.

Lin Zhe continued: "Those willing to stay and assist in suppressing the rebellion will be issued suppression points after registration, which can be exchanged for Dragon Crystals, potions, and food."

"Those unwilling to stay, take your travel expenses and go home."

"For those who brought their families, old crimes will not be pursued."

"But there is one thing."

His voice turned cold.

"Whoever dares to fake surrender while hiding a blade, imagine the consequences for yourself."

Above the camp, the Power of Rules vibrated slightly.

All the surrendering rebels turned pale at the same time and hurriedly bowed their heads.

"Thank you, Mr. Lin Zhe, for sparing us!"

"We're truly surrendering! Truly surrendering!"

"Qing Yan stopped treating us like humans long ago; we don't want to follow him to our deaths anymore!"

Once the policy was out, the player channel was instantly flooded.

"Good heavens, you can even get points for surrendering?"

"The valley is probably going to be emptied out now!"

"Qing Yan is finished; even his own people won't play with him anymore!"

What was even more ruthless was that to survive and get rewards, these rebels sold out Qing Yan faster than anyone else.

At the registration desk, several players responsible for recording were already numb from listening.

"The outpost outside the main fortress on the east side changes every two hours. Recently, because of a lack of manpower, it's often delayed by half an hour."

"There's an old secret passage in the southwest corner, originally used for transporting ore. Now Qing Yan uses it to hide his confidants. The entrance is under the collapsed black stone tower."

"The granary only has seven days' worth of food left. Priority is given to the rations of the elite Black Dragon Guard. We ordinary rebels have only been able to drink thin soup since yesterday."

"There are pits buried behind the three wooden fences to the north, but there are two spots in the innermost row that haven't been patched. Stepping through there allows you to bypass directly into the rear camp."

"The stone hall where Qing Yan sleeps is at the very back of the main fortress, leaning against a cliff. There are now half as many guards outside as before."

Piece after piece of intelligence was poured out rapidly.

Outpost shift times, patrol routes, grain locations, secret passage entrances—even who lived in which tent was explained clearly by someone.

The players got more and more excited as they recorded.

"This is more detailed than our three days of scouting!"

"Update the map quickly!"

"Mark all the secret passages and granaries!"

"Holy crap, even Qing Yan's bedroom has been found out?"

Soon, a new internal defense map of the Black Wind Valley stronghold was spread out on the war table.

There were more red dots.

The black lines were clearer.

Even that stone hall deep within the main fortress was circled individually.

Beside it, a player had conveniently written eight characters.

[Qing Yan's Bedroom, Low Defense]

Qing Yu watched and fell silent for a moment: "These people... they've sold him out completely."

Ao Ningshuang sneered: "Qing Yan forced them to rebel himself."

After the news reached Black Wind Valley, the rebels there completely exploded.

"Surrender and not be killed?"

"Can even get points to exchange for Dragon Crystals?"

"Family members won't be pursued either?"

The ordinary rebels who were still waiting and watching could no longer sit still.

Especially those low-level Black Dragon soldiers who had long been cut off from food, forced to fill pits, and used as cannon fodder; their eyes went wide when they heard the Vanguard Army camp was truly giving out food, truly registering them, and truly not beheading anyone.

That night, another batch fled.

The next morning, another batch.

Some squads even slipped away as a whole, and even the sentry posts were left empty.

In less than two days, the remaining forces of Qing Yan's remnants visibly withered away.

When the statistics were reported, even the Dragon Race Commanders gasped.

"Sir, the rebels' current strength is already one-third less than it was three days ago."

"And the reductions are basically all low-level and peripheral miscellaneous soldiers."

"Now many outposts in Black Wind Valley have no one to fill them."

Lin Zhe looked at the updated defense map, his expression calm.

Outside, the surrendering rebels were still lining up.

Some held bundles, some carried broken blades, and some scrambled to provide supplementary intelligence while registering, for fear that if they spoke too slowly, they wouldn't get the rewards.

The world channel had long since gone crazy with joy.

"Qing Yan: I will defend to the death. Subordinates: We're leaving first."

"Surrender grants buffs—no, it grants points!"

"This wave isn't about being defeated in battle; it's a mental breakdown!"

In the direction of Black Wind Valley, the dragon qi became more and more chaotic.

Lin Zhe looked up at the location of the distant main fortress, his fingertip lightly landing on the circled stone hall marker on the defense map.

In the camp, more rebels were rushing over with their families.