7: Chapter 7 Pre-Battle Mobilization

The night wind of East Hill, carrying a scent of blood and rust, swept through the treetops with a whistling sound, like the whispers of the dead.

Three dark figures were crawling through a patch of shrubs halfway up the mountain in an extremely eerie posture.

The leader was none other than "Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet."

At this moment, she was holding a hollowed-out bamboo tube, carefully poking it out of the bushes to use as a periscope to observe the brightly lit stockade below.

Beside her, two members of the "Sharp Knife Reconnaissance Squad" were hard at work; one held his breath, quickly sketching something with charcoal on a piece of stripped bark.

The other stared intently at the two sentries at the stockade entrance, muttering under his breath.

"The one on the left, estimated height 1.75 meters, weight 70 kilograms, carrying a standard single-edged saber, unsteady steps, Vitality... uh, pale face, probably from overindulgence. The one on the right, 1.7 meters, more solid muscles, and more alert eyes—definitely an Elite Mob!"

"Little Trumpet" lowered her voice and commanded with the tone of a professional intelligence analyst, "Forget the Elite Mob, draw the terrain! Mark the firepower points, patrol routes, and that tallest building—it's definitely the spawn point for the Stockade Lord, Wang Two Tiger! Note it all down. When we get back, find 'Infrastructure Maniac' and have him make a sand table so we can do a perfect simulation!"

Just then, the stockade gates suddenly swung open, and a group of over ten bandits walked out, cursing.

Leading them was a man with a sharp chin and monkey-like features, his face wearing a hint of arrogance and impatience. He was the Third Master of Black Wind Stockade, Third Li.

"Damn it, Big Brother is being too cautious. Dealing with a bunch of has-beens, and he still wants me to deliver an ultimatum first? We should've just brought the boys and flattened them already!" Third Li spat a thick glob of phlegm onto the ground.

A nearby lackey chuckled sycophantically, "Third Master is right! Those Lu family brats probably haven't even seen a blade before. They'll likely be kneeling and begging for mercy after a little scare."

Third Li chuckled, a lewd glint flashing in his eyes. "I heard there are a few decent-looking babes in the Lu family... Once we flatten them, Big Brother gets the meat, and we brothers can at least have some soup!"

Little Trumpet's eyes instantly lit up.

[Ding! You have triggered Dialogue Eavesdropping. Obtained key intelligence: Black Wind Stockade is about to send a vanguard to the Lu family residence. Leader: Third Li (Third Master of Black Wind Stockade). Mission Objective: Deliver the final ultimatum.]

[Hidden Information: Third Li has ill intentions toward the female members of the Lu family.]

"Holy crap!" Little Trumpet was ecstatic. "I recorded it! I recorded it! When I play this back, it'll be the strongest war mobilization order on the whole server! The hatred level will be maxed out instantly!"

She signaled to the two beside her, and the three of them began to retreat like geckos, silently clinging to the shadows of the cliff wall.

...

Meanwhile, the Lu family residence was no longer in its previous state of disrepair.

Even the night could not hide the soaring enthusiasm here.

Amidst the roars of "Infrastructure Maniac," over a hundred players worked like worker ants on steroids, transforming the entire outer perimeter of the residence into a massive death trap filled with primitive, violent aesthetics.

Pitfalls were nested within pitfalls, dubbed "Mother-and-Son Life-Taking Pits."

Beside the rolling logs were piles of stones smeared with "Forgive-Me Green" sap, euphemistically called "Poison-Coated Falling Rocks."

A few imaginative players had even caught poisonous wasps from the back mountain, stuffed them into hemp bags, and hung them on the walls, ready to give the enemy a "Swarm Baptism."

In the side hall of the ancestral shrine, "Skillful Hands Mending's" assembly line had already produced over fifty sets of simple leather armor.

Although these leather armors were dismissed by "Appearance is Justice" as "lard-smeared rags," their solid defensive stats gave every player wearing them a massive sense of security.

Meanwhile, "Appearance is Justice" herself had finally completed her peerless masterpiece—the Lu Family Battle Flag.

It was a large flag stitched together from several animal hides. Its base color was a "Tycoon Gold" she had painstakingly created by mixing yellow clay with lard.

In the center of the flag was a large, crooked yet spirited character painted with "Forgive-Me Green" sap—"Filial Piety"!

Around the character for "Filial Piety" were several colorful feathers plucked from some unknown wild pheasants.

When "Demolition Office Director" planted this great flag at the entrance of the ancestral shrine, all the players fell silent.

"Isn't this... a bit too flashy?" a player whispered.

"Appearance is Justice" immediately retorted with hands on her hips, "What do you know! This is a spiritual totem! This is deterrence! Once the enemy sees this flag, they'll know we're fighting for 'Filial Piety'! They'll be so awestruck by our spirit that they'll surrender without a fight!"

"I have a feeling they'll die of laughter on their way to the charge..."

While everyone was discussing it, "Gossip Reporter Little Trumpet" and her two companions finally burst back out of the night, covered in dust and exhaustion.

"Emergency intel! Emergency intel!"

Little Trumpet rushed to the shrine entrance, slammed the bark covered in scribbles onto the ground, and spoke as fast as a machine gun: "Black Wind Stockade is moving! A vanguard of over ten people, led by Third Master Third Li, is heading our way! Their goal is to deliver a final ultimatum!"

She cleared her throat and, mimicking Third Li's shrill and mean tone, vividly recounted the eavesdropped conversation, placing special emphasis on the phrase "have some soup."

Boom!

The entire player base instantly exploded.

"Fuck! These son-of-a-bitch NPCs dare to target our female players?!"

"Outrageous! Simply outrageous! Brothers, can we stand for this?"

"No way! Kill him! We have to make sure he dies with rhythm!"

With bloodshot eyes, "Demolition Office Director" grabbed the "Filial Piety" battle flag and raised it high, shouting, "Brothers! The enemy is at our door! Our ancestors are watching us, and the family's honor is waiting for us to defend it! Prepare for battle!"

"Battle! Battle!"

The players' fury was completely ignited.

All previous exhaustion and arguments transformed at this moment into a shared murderous intent against their common enemy.

They viewed the NPCs, especially Grandpa Li and the female NPCs in charge of logistics, as their "exclusive property"—the most precious interactive resources in this "game."

Now, someone wanted to touch their "resources," which made them angrier than being killed themselves.

Just then, messy footsteps and arrogant shouting drifted from a distance.

Third Li led over a dozen bandits, swaggering to the entrance of the Lu family residence.

When he saw the newly renovated residence, especially the obvious signs of fresh digging and the high-flying "Filial Piety" flag, he was momentarily stunned before bursting into a piercing laugh.

"Hahahaha! I thought the Lu family had changed their ways, but it turns out they just hired a bunch of beggars to fix the house? What's this? Knowing that we grandpas were coming, you set up the mourning hall in advance?"

He pointed at the "Filial Piety" flag, laughing so hard he doubled over. "What the hell is this written here? Filial Piety? Haha, once we grandpas flatten this place, we'll hang you all one by one from this flagpole so you can show your filial piety properly!"

Inside the residence, the players were already standing by.

"Infrastructure Maniac" hid in the shadows, continuously issuing orders through the "Team Channel."

"Don't be impulsive! Let them in! Wait until they pass the first line of defense before acting! Ranged throwing team, get ready! Melee team, ambush behind the second courtyard wall!"

At this moment, the long-silent Grandpa Li emerged from the shrine, leaning on his cane and trembling.

He was the only elder left alive in the family, and he felt it was his responsibility to step forward.

"Good sirs, our Lu family has no old grudges or recent enmity with Black Wind Stockade. Why must you press us so hard?" Grandpa Li's voice was old and raspy.

Third Li glanced at him sideways with disdain. "Old man, do you think you have a say here? Get lost! Call your person in charge out to talk! Either choose to kneel and surrender all your property, or choose to let us grandpas break your bones one by one!"

"You... you are acting like bandits!" Grandpa Li was shaking with rage.

"Bandits?" Third Li acted as if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world. He stepped closer to Grandpa Li, his smile turning hideous. "That's right! I am a bandit! What can you do about it?"

With that, he suddenly delivered a heavy kick straight to Grandpa Li's chest.

With a dull thud, Grandpa Li's frail body flew backward like a broken kite, slamming hard onto the ground. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the front of his clothes.

In that instant, the whole world seemed to go silent.

The pupils of every player contracted sharply at the same time.

If the previous preparations had carried a hint of game-like banter and playfulness...

Then at the moment Grandpa Li was struck down and spat blood, a very real emotion called "protection," mixed with the rage of having their territory violated, completely snapped the final string in their minds.

[System Notification: NPC "Grandpa Li" has been severely injured and has entered a "Near-Death" state.]

[Family Mission Updated: Defend the Home!]

[Mission Objective 1: Repel the Black Wind Stockade vanguard!]

[Mission Objective 2 (Activated): Avenge Grandpa Li! Target for Kill: Third Li!]

[Mission Rewards: Massive contribution points, Ancestor's Commendation, Mysterious Treasure Chest.]

"Kill them!!!"

No one knew who let out the first heart-wrenching roar.

In the next second, the flood of war burst through the dam!

"Melee team! Charge with me! Avenge Grandpa Li!" Demolition Office Director roared, charging out first with the "Filial Piety" flag. Behind him, War God Number One and the others were like tigers out of their cages, their eyes fixed only on the arrogant Third Li.

"Throwing team! Throw every damn stone we have! Crush those sons of bitches!"

"Trap team! Initiate Plan One! Close the gates! Release the dogs... no, release the wasps!"

Before Third Li could even recover from the pleasure of kicking the old man away, he was startled by this group of suddenly frenzied "beggars."

These people, each with bloodshot eyes, looked like demons. They shouted slogans he didn't understand and charged forward, fearless of death.

What terrified him even more was that behind him, the already dilapidated residence gates were slammed shut with immense force!

Immediately after, dozens, even hundreds of figures popped up from the surrounding bushes, behind ruins, and on top of walls!

A sky full of stones, sharpened wooden spears, and even smelly simple leather armor... came raining down on them!

Above their heads, several hemp bags were sliced open, and a buzzing swarm of wasps descended like a black cloud!

Beneath their feet, the ground suddenly collapsed, and several of his men fell into punji pits filled with spikes, screaming!

"It's an ambush! Retreat! Quickly—"

Third Li's roar was cut short by a "Forgive-Me Green" stone flying straight at him, smashing into his face and causing blood to gush from his nose.

Above the ancestral tablets in the shrine, Lu Bei took it all in.

He could feel the fire and murderous intent ignited in every player's heart. It was condensing into the purest, most scalding Incense Faith Power with unprecedented efficiency, flooding into his soul body.

He slowly "raised his head," his cold gaze piercing through the crowd and locking onto Third Li, who was in a wretched state amidst the traps and the mob.

"Welcome to..."

The corner of Lu Bei's mouth curled into a grim arc.

"The Novice Village."