169: Chapter 169: The Treasury is Depleted, Players Turn Against Them! One Person is a Catastrophe

"Beep."

The notification from the private chat channel sounded especially piercing amidst the chaotic battlefield.

"Brother Hao, do you need us to step in? More and more players are showing up. I see a few elite guild squads from the major guilds moving in from the back."

Fatty Zhou's voice carried a hint of urgency. Although he had blind faith in Qin Ji, the sheer scale of the human-wave tactic unfolding before them was enough to make anyone's scalp tingle.

"It's fine."

Qin Ji's response was just two short words.

He casually dispersed the colossal ice sword condensed in his palm, the Soul-freezing chill instantly receding. In its place appeared a longbow, pitch-black and wreathed in ghostly, netherworldly energy.

This was not the Newbie Village with its many restrictions, nor was it the strictly regulated safe zone of a main city.

Here, he was no longer the Snow Emperor who had to meticulously manage his mana pool.

"Today, let's see what these ordinary players, bold enough to charge for just a few dozen gold coins, can do to me!"

With that thought, the Void Realm behind him suddenly distorted.

*Crack—!*

A pair of crystal-clear profound ice wings, with a wingspan exceeding five meters, tore through the air. With a powerful flap, they propelled his figure like a cannonball into the sky, a hundred meters high.

From this commanding height, the masses below looked like ants.

Qin Ji opened his stat panel, his gaze locking onto the four thousand seven hundred free attribute points he had just accumulated from clearing the dungeon and his recent slaughter.

Without the slightest hesitation, he went all in—attack speed!

In this game, attack speed not only affected attack frequency but also directly determined skill wind-up and recovery frames.

Previously, his attack speed was only 24.9, already enough to leave afterimages. Now, with the infusion of four thousand seven hundred points, that number skyrocketed, finally settling at a breathtaking value: 39.2!

This wasn't merely a stacking of numbers; it was a qualitative leap.

Qin Ji raised the longbow. The moment his fingers touched the bowstring, the air seemed to tear.

"Five Arrows at Once!"

"Split Arrows!"

*Twang twang twang twang twang—!!*

The sound of the vibrating bowstring was no longer a crisp single note but a continuous, shrill shriek, like the roar of a fighter jet skimming low.

At that moment, it began to rain from the sky.

A rain of black arrows.

Nearly two hundred arrows fell from the heavens every second. This wasn't an exaggerated figure of speech, but a cold, hard data stream.

The players who had been charging forward madly, trying to land control skills for a 'lucky hit', instantly faced utter annihilation.

"Ah—!!"

"Holy shit! What kind of fire rate is this? A gatling gun?!"

"Healers! Quick, plant healing totems! We can't hold... ugh!"

Screams were drowned out almost instantly by the sickening thuds of arrows piercing flesh. Tank players at the front raised their shields, only to find them riddled into sieves within fractions of a second. The next moment, their bodies were hurled back by the immense kinetic force, pinned to the scorched earth behind them.

Just a second ago, Qin Ji could only harvest a little over a thousand lives per second.

Now, that number doubled.

Two thousand per second!

In just one minute, one hundred and thirty thousand players turned into white light, returning to the city.

On the walls of Fuling City, Fu Ling Changyue, who had still held a sliver of hope, now stood frozen, the command flag in her hand stiff in mid-air. The color drained completely from her delicate face.

"This Snow Emperor... is he really a player?"

Watching the scene of slaughter below, like mowing grass, her fingers trembled uncontrollably, gripping the flag's handle until it groaned under the strain.

"How long until reinforcements arrive?" Her voice was parched.

The adjutant beside her swallowed hard, sweat beading on his forehead. "The fastest... still needs fifteen minutes."

Fifteen minutes?

Fu Ling Changyue looked at that figure hovering in the air like a demon god, a trace of bitterness curling at the corner of her mouth.

Forget fifteen minutes. At this rate of slaughter, in five minutes, Fuling City wouldn't even have a fly left.

"Report—!!"

An NPC who looked like a steward stumbled onto the city wall, clutching an account book, his face as pale as paper.

"Lord City Lord! Terrible news! The city treasury... it's empty!"

"What?!" Fu Ling Changyue whirled around.

"That 'Fallen Hero Compensation' mechanism is too costly! Thousands are dying every second, costing us hundreds of thousands in gold and equipment stock every second! Just now, our liquid funds hit zero!"

That statement was the final straw that broke the camel's back.

Fu Ling Changyue closed her eyes, took a deep breath, her chest heaving violently.

"Evacuate. Fuling City cannot be held."

"Lord City Lord!" The defending general drew his sword, eyes wide with fury. "This subordinate is willing to lead the personal guard to hold him off for five minutes!"

"You?"

Fu Ling Changyue opened her eyes. Her gaze held no mockery, only a despairing calm. "Five seconds, perhaps there's hope. Five minutes is enough time for him to finish a dance on your corpse."

"Pass down the order. Cancel the bounty."

...

The next second, a cold System-wide announcement exploded in the ears of all players.

[Server-wide Announcement: Fuling City treasury is depleted. The 'Fallen Hero Compensation' quest is canceled immediately! From this moment, players who die or successfully control the attacker will receive no rewards!]

[Server-wide Announcement: Fuling City treasury is depleted...]

This red announcement acted like a pause button.

The player army that had been charging forward to their deaths came to a uniform, synchronized halt.

"What? No money?"

"Damn it! I just took off my gear to go die and farm stats, and you're telling me there's no reward?"

"Then what the hell are we fighting for? I'm outta here!"

Without the driving force of profit, the so-called 'courage' instantly crumbled.

Players who had been fearless one second turned and fled the next, wishing they had two more legs. No one wanted to lose a level for free in front of that monstrous Archer.

Hovering in mid-air, Qin Ji watched the tide of people recede below, a playful curve lifting the corner of his mouth.

"Already out of money? I thought a main city's reserves would at least let me push my PK value to ten million."

He put away his longbow. His profound ice wings fluttered slightly as he plummeted like a black meteor, heading straight for the now-defenseless city.

The remaining City Guard, having lost their player meat shields, were as fragile as thin paper before Qin Ji's terrifying DPS.

*Boom!*

The city gates shattered.

Qin Ji stepped over the rubble, walking step by step towards the city lord's manor. Resistance along the way was negligible; all the NPCs were fleeing for their lives.

Pushing open the manor doors, he found it already deserted.

"So this is Fuling City's treasury?"

Qin Ji kicked open the door to the underground vault. Frowning slightly, he looked at the empty shelves inside.

Most of the gold and equipment had clearly been either transferred or exhausted, leaving only some large, immovable ornaments.

"Cheapskates."

Qin Ji curled his lip, about to turn and leave, when his gaze was suddenly drawn to an inconspicuous stone pedestal in the corner.

There was no gold on the pedestal, only a palm-sized chest that exuded an ancient aura.

Intricate magical patterns swirled across its surface, faintly emitting a heart-palpitating spatial fluctuation.

[mythic rank Treasure Chest (Sealed)]

A glint of sharp light flashed in Qin Ji's eyes.

"To think they were hiding something this good? No wonder Fu Ling Changyue left in such a hurry. Probably didn't have time to undo this Seal and take it with her."

He walked over. The moment his finger touched the chest, a prompt popped up:

[This chest requires a 'Spatial Magic Crystal' or a specific key to open.]

"I don't have a key."

Qin Ji drew his dagger with a backhand motion and struck the lock with a critical hit. "But I have violence."

*Clang—!*

Sparks flew.

It didn't open, but the chest's durability actually dropped by a sliver.

"If it can lose HP, it can be opened."

Qin Ji grinned, unleashing his full attack speed.

...

Five minutes later.

With a crisp *crack*, this mythic rank treasure chest that had stumped countless thieves was pried open by Qin Ji's unreasonable attack speed.

A dazzling, multi-colored radiance shot up, illuminating the entire dim basement.

Qin Ji reached in and grabbed the items inside.

It was a crystal emitting a strange fluctuation and an ancient-looking parchment scroll.

Before he could examine them closely, steady footsteps sounded from behind.

"Hahaha, Snow Emperor, you are truly remarkable. To breach Fuling City in less than five minutes."

The Black Robe Leader strode in with a squad of fully-armed elite Night Walkers, unable to hide the delight on his face.

Qin Ji calmly stowed the items into his inventory. Turning around, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared on his face.

"That was a minor issue. However, after this, the Star Kingdom royal family will likely be on guard."

The Black Robe Leader narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze sweeping over the empty vault before finally settling on Qin Ji.

"What do you want?"

Both were smart people; some things didn't need to be spelled out.

"free attribute points," Qin Ji stated directly.

"Oh?"

The Black Robe Leader looked surprised, sizing Qin Ji up. "At your level, ordinary free attribute points shouldn't be of much help, should they?"

"Indeed, not much. So, I'm asking for my companions."

Qin Ji casually opened his friend list and sent coordinates to Monkey and Fatty. "Breaking Fuling City this time, the royal family was careless, their defenses insufficient. The next city will be harder to take. I need stronger teammates."

"Your companions? I'd like to see who can be your companion."

A moment later.

Two figures ran into the vault, panting heavily.

Fatty Zhou was carrying a giant shield larger than himself, while Monkey held two daggers, his body stained with quite a bit of blood.

Seeing these two, the Black Robe Leader's brow furrowed slightly.

"These are your companions? They've killed quite a few of our Night Walkers before."

"That was before." Qin Ji walked over and patted Monkey's shoulder. "Now I've made a deal with them. They'll help you conquer territory."

"How much do you need?" the Black Robe Leader asked.

"The more, the better, of course."

"One thousand?" the Black Robe Leader tentatively offered a number.

"Three thousand."

Qin Ji held up three fingers, his tone brooking no argument. "Three thousand points worth of free attribute potions for each of them. I won't ask for any extra rewards from you until we attack Tianxing City."

"Three thousand..."

The Black Robe Leader's eye twitched. This was no small amount, equivalent to several months of the Night Walkers' stockpile.

He stared into Qin Ji's eyes, as if trying to detect any hint of concession in those amethyst-gold pupils.

But all he saw was calm, an abyssal stillness.

"We've cooperated several times now, always pleasantly. You should trust me," Qin Ji said lightly. "Besides, I captured Fuling City first before making demands. Isn't that sincerity enough?"

Three seconds of silence.

"Fine!"

The Black Robe Leader waved his hand sharply. Two chests brimming with dense energy fluctuations materialized out of thin air, landing heavily on the ground.

"As long as we can take down the Star Kingdom, I'll accept this investment!"

Monkey looked at the chests on the ground, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

Three thousand points!

For an Assassin with his special talent, this wasn't just three thousand attribute points. Enhanced by his talent's effect, this was equivalent to gaining tens of thousands of points in actual combat power!

Attack power would break eighty thousand, HP would surpass six hundred thousand. Attack speed and movement speed would reach levels that would leave players of the same level in despair.

"Brother Hao... I..." Monkey was so excited he couldn't form coherent words.

"Save it. Drink it."

Qin Ji turned and walked towards the vault exit, his black cloak tracing a sharp arc behind him.

"Alright, in that case, we'll take our leave. The next city is Gu Feng City. Be prepared to take over."

"We await your good news." The Black Robe Leader watched Qin Ji's retreating back, the wariness in his eyes deepening.

...

Exiting the Fuling City lord's manor.

The sunset was blood-red, dyeing the scarred ruins a deep crimson.

Monkey, feeling the explosive power within his body, jumped excitedly on the spot, his daggers leaving trails of afterimages in the air.

"Brother Hao, I freaking love you! I feel like even those so-called Divine-Grade talent players can't compare to my stats right now!"

"These free attribute points... if I had to rely on leveling, I wouldn't get this many even by level one thousand!"

Qin Ji didn't look back. Standing atop the shattered city wall, one foot resting on a massive stone beast head sculpture, he casually flicked off a drop of blood clinging to his longbow. Those amethyst-gold pupils shone brilliantly in the twilight, like an ancient Vicious Beast that had just feasted, coldly watching the approaching night in the distance.