Chapter 2288 – Zero Wing's Team
You guys sure are fast!” s.h.i.+ Feng was a little surprised to see Gentle Snow's smile so soon.
He had only notified Gentle Snow and the others to travel to Dragonheart City a few hours ago. He hadn't expected them to reach the city so quickly.
The Tidal Vortex was located in the Sea of Death's core region. Even with a Flying Mount, it would take some time to return to Dragonheart City. Furthermore, there were 100 players in Zero Wing's main force. Gentle Snow would need several trips to fly everyone back to the city.
“It would've taken a few more hours to get everyone back to Dragonheart City, but the last Level 95 Mythic Boss we killed dropped a Twin-headed Flying Dragon. Cola won the bid for the Mount, and it substantially reduced our travel time,” Gentle Snow said excitedly.
She had already enjoyed the benefits of having a Flying Mount, and now that another Zero Wing main force member had one, the team's overall strength and leveling speed had significantly increased.
“A Twin-headed Flying Dragon? Aren't you guys a little too lucky? That thing only has a 1% drop-rate.” The news stunned s.h.i.+ Feng.
The Tidal Vortex's Mythic Bosses did have a chance of dropping Flying Mounts. Grinding these Bosses was one of the few ways players could obtain an Extraordinary Flying Mount, but the 1% drop-rate made it incredibly difficult. s.h.i.+ Feng had never thought that Gentle Snow and her team would acquire one on their first trip.
“We have to thank Blackie's luck to thank for it,” Gentle Snow said, smiling. “Guild Leader, I've heard that the War Blood adventurer team has declared war on Zero Wing. Should we prepare for an offensive?”
Dealing with the War Blood adventurer team would've likely given her a huge headache before they had explored the Tidal Vortex, but now, Cola had the Twin-headed Flying Dragon, bringing Zero Wing's total to three Flying Mounts.
Flying Mounts already had a ma.s.sive advantage at sea, and if three Flying Mounts worked together, their team could take on any fleet. Three Flying Mounts could carry up to 60 players, and with such a force, annihilating players on three Bronze Speedboats wouldn't be a problem.
Most fleets currently in the Sea of Death only had a few Bronze Speedboats. They could easily destroy any fleet's core combat power with a few rounds of attacks.
Zero Wing might not be able to establish itself in the Sea of Death, but they wouldn't give the War Blood adventurer team an easy time, either.
“No. Our current priority is to capture the Gravity Mountain Range's Northern Fortress,” s.h.i.+ Feng said, shaking his head. “Make your way to the World Tower's entrance for now. I'll meet you there.”
Although they could rely on the Flying Mounts' mobility to cause trouble for War Blood, doing so would slow their development speed. It wasn't a worthwhile trade.
The struggle between powers required resources and experts. Securing the Northern Fortress was the best way to defeat War Blood.
“We're capturing a fortress?” s.h.i.+ Feng's statement stunned Gentle Snow, but after a moment, a grin spread across her face. Everyone on the team, including her and Cola, were eager to show s.h.i.+ Feng how strong they had grown. “Alright, we'll head over immediately.”
s.h.i.+ Feng then disconnected the call and made his way to the World Tower.
…
World Tower's underground first floor:
Due to Phoenix Rain's summons, a large number of Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion experts had gathered near the first underground floor's entrance. Visiting players were shocked to see so many experts.
“Why are so many of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion's experts here?”
“Amazing! Even the lowest-leveled player among them is Level 86. Our adventurer team has several thousand members, but fewer than 10 have reached such a high level, yet the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion has more than 7,000 of them!”
“That's nothing. Look at their equipment. They're all wearing Level 85 equipment. Moreover, even the lowest-quality piece is Secret-Silver rank. Some of them even have Level 85 Dark-Gold Equipment. I thought I've been doing quite well in my Guild, but I only have a few pieces of Level 85 Secret-Silver Equipment, while the rest is Level 80 equipment.”
“I wonder why the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion has gathered so many experts? Are they planning to complete a quest, maybe?”
The various players nearby couldn't help but wonder why so many of the Pavilion's experts had gathered. They rarely saw so many in one place.
“Big Sis Rain, 9,000 people have arrived thus far. It'll take another two or three hours for the rest to get here,” Blue Phoenix reported as Phoenix Rain examined the supplies she had prepared for the operation. Worriedly, she continued, “However, Nine Dragons Emperor has found out about the operation.”
“So be it. How could such a large-scale operation escape the notice of Nine Dragons Emperor's men?” Phoenix Rain nodded. The news didn't affect her in the slightest. “We just need to take down the Northern Fortress before Nine Dragons Emperor can gather enough players to do anything about it.”
It was too easy for information about such large-scale operations to reach other powers. There was no way to ensure that there weren't any spies among their people. Now, they were in a race against time.
…
Meanwhile, a report stating that Zero Wing and Phoenix Rain intended to capture the Northern Fortress sat on the Guild Leader's desk in Thirteen Thrones' Dragonheart City Residence.
“Black Flame never ceases to surprise me,” Melancholy said, smiling at the report before him. He then turned to Happy Art and asked, “Art, what do you think of this matter?”
His favorable opinion of s.h.i.+ Feng was the reason he had invited Zero Wing to partic.i.p.ate in the mission to capture a Small Fortress. Unfortunately, he was forced to go back on his word.
“Zero Wing should have some confidence in succeeding,” Happy Art said, uncertain.
While capturing the Northern Fortress might be extremely challenging, she didn't think that s.h.i.+ Feng was foolhardy. Since he had decided to attempt the capture, he was confident of succeeding.
“Confidence? Do you think capturing a fortress is so easy?” the masked woman beside Elder Wu commented disdainfully. “In my opinion, this is simply the Guild's death throes. It's run out of moves. After all, Black Flame so foolishly provoked War Blood.”
Thirteen Thrones had gone all out, even cooperating with Starlink, to secure a Small Fortress. What, exactly, did Zero Wing have to rely on to capture the Northern Fortress, a Medium Fortress?
“Little Melancholy, are you planning to help this Zero Wing?” Elder Wu, who sat quietly in a corner, asked.
“I had considered it. Zero Wing has a lot of potential. It could become a formidable ally in the future,” Melancholy answered truthfully. He had no reason to hide his thoughts.
More major corporations continued to invest in G.o.d's Domain, and as a result, the compet.i.tion between the game's powers grew more intense. Even a Super Guild like Thirteen Thrones would have to consider alliances if it wished to continue its smooth development in G.o.d's Domain.
Meanwhile, Zero Wing's development speed had been quite impressive. It was an optimal candidate as an ally.
Moreover, if Thirteen Thrones lent aid during Zero Wing's time of need, the Guild would have a more friendly view of Thirteen Thrones.
“I understand what you're thinking. That kid certainly knows how to get things done, but you need to understand that War Blood isn't the only power Zero Wing has provoked. Starlink is h.e.l.l-bent to see the Guild destroyed. If you help Zero Wing, our relations.h.i.+p with Starlink will become complicated,” Elder Wu said calmly. “Moreover, we already have plans to capture another fortress with Starlink, and the Guild has something crucial for the siege. As Thirteen Thrones' Guild Leader, you need to consider the Guild's benefit carefully.”
With Elder Wu's warning, Melancholy had no choice but to dismiss the thought. Elder Wu was one of the Thirteen Thrones' founders, and the old man had immense influence in the Guild. He wasn't wrong, either, and Melancholy didn't have a good enough reason to move against the old man's advice.
…
While the various superpowers in Dragonheart City discussed the news, s.h.i.+ Feng and the rest of Zero Wing's main force arrived in the main hall of the World Tower's first underground floor.
The instant s.h.i.+ Feng appeared, a commotion erupted throughout the hall.
“Is Black Flame stupid? He actually dares to visit the Gravity Mountain Range. Doesn't he know how many experts want his head?”
“He's probably betting on the fact that no one will mess with him with so many of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion's members here.”
“I guess you're right, but the moment he wanders off from the Pavilion's group, he's dead.”
…
The players in the main hall watched s.h.i.+ Feng with admiration and ridicule. They all wondered what the Swordsman would do next. Once he left the main hall, he wouldn't have a safe zone to protect him. Many people would likely try to take his life to claim War Blood's bounty, and not even the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion could guarantee his safety.
“Guild Leader Black Flame, over 23,000 of the 30,000 players you've requested have arrived. The rest should be here in another hour or so. How are the preparations on your side coming along?” Phoenix Rain asked as s.h.i.+ Feng entered the main hall. “Based on the information I've received, several thousand players are camped outside the main hall, all aiming for your life. Although they won't dare attack with so many of the Dragon-Phoenix Pavilion's members around you, more people will gather as time pa.s.ses. Once there are enough players, I can't be sure that they won't make a move.”
Completing this mission as quickly as possible was crucial. The various major powers' experts were targeting s.h.i.+ Feng, and if the battle dragged on for too long, there was a high likelihood that other powers would try to interfere, and the operation would fail.
“All of my players have arrived already,” s.h.i.+ Feng said, smiling as he gestured to Gentle Snow and the others behind him.
“A 100-man team?” Phoenix Rain was stunned when she saw the cloaked figures of Gentle Snow and the rest of Zero Wing's main force.
Although she had known that Zero Wing couldn't dispatch a lot of players for this operation, she hadn't expected s.h.i.+ Feng to only bring a 100-man team to capture the Northern Fortress. This had to be a joke.
While Phoenix Rain was silent, Aqua Rose spoke up.
“These people dare to target you, Guild Leader. If we don't teach them a lesson, they'll likely think that Zero Wing is just a pushover,” Aqua Rose coldly stated as she glanced at the players outside the main hall.
“That's right! We might as well take care of these fools since we're still waiting on some of the others; it'll save us some trouble,” Cola insisted.
“Alright, let's take care of them first, then,” s.h.i.+ Feng agreed, nodding after giving the matter some thought.
He did not want to deal with unceasing stalkers, either. They'd constantly pose a problem.
“You guys shouldn't mess around. Those aren't ordinary players. There are quite a few Refinement Realm experts among the group, including some experts from Dragonheart Island's top adventurer teams,” Phoenix Rain interjected.
Phoenix thought that Aqua Rose and her companions were insane. Naturally, s.h.i.+ Feng was even more mad to agree to the suggestion…
Although Phoenix Rain was aware that Aqua Rose and the others were incredibly powerful. Even her forces would have a hard time taking down these experts. Even if her forces won the battle, they'd suffer grievously for it. Furthermore, there were only 100 of these experts.
As Phoenix Rain was about to continue, Aqua Rose and the other removed their Black Cloaks, revealing they every one of them had reached Level 95 and 96…
