Nie Yan glanced at these passionate guild members. They were all elites of the Cow Tribe, wearing the best equipment the guild currently had, and were in no way inferior to the most elite members of the Triumph Empire.
Moreover, their skills were top-notch in Carol City!
With such a group, it would be more than enough!
Looking at these enthusiastic team members, Nie Yan said to Guo Huai, “Besides the anti-petrification potions, ask Bird Not Leaving Egg to bring over anything good he has—intermediate instant healing potions, intermediate instant mana potions, intermediate invisibility potions… We’re going all out today!”
Guo Huai nodded. “Alright, I’ll let the others know.”
“What exactly is your plan?” Zhao Li and others asked Nie Yan.
“If too many people go, it will drag the Cow Tribe into a quagmire. We can just send a few people to make a point,” Nie Yan replied. Sending fewer people had its advantages—it allowed for greater mobility and the opportunity to really mess with Zongheng Tianxia.
“Just you few?” Zhao Li looked at Nie Yan in surprise.
“Just these few people will be enough,” Nie Yan said. Too many people would only draw too much attention.
“There are still many guild members leveling outside. Should we call them back?” Guo Huai asked, slightly worried about Nie Yan and the others.
Nie Yan shook his head. “No, let them keep leveling.”
Seeing that Nie Yan had already made his decision and that persuasion was futile, Guo Huai and others said, “Then be careful. It’s already risky with so few people.”
Nie Yan looked at the people in the guild and said, “This operation will involve few people and will be very dangerous. Anyone who doesn’t want to participate doesn’t have to. Those who want to join, please report your names.”
“Me, Xia Chong Yubing!”
“Me, Daotou Dage Qizai!”
“Me, Bad Guy You Can’t Kill!”
“Me, Ya Zi!”
“Me, Bi Lü Sha!”
…
Nie Yan scanned the group. Not a single one of them hesitated. He nodded and said, “Good! There’s not a single coward in our Cow Tribe!”
“Boss, what should we do first?” Bad Guy You Can’t Kill asked.
“You all prepare first. There will be a batch of potions coming soon. Get those first. Also, make sure to buy all necessary supplies. This battle will consume a lot!” Nie Yan said. He also needed to go buy some intermediate flash dust and similar items.
Moreover, Nie Yan could now wear the golden set he had obtained from Dry Leaf Studio. Once he wore this golden equipment, he would be able to equip the Ring of Crimson Toxin.
“Ya Zi, you don’t have to come on this mission,” Nie Yan turned to Tang Yao.
“Why not?” Tang Yao asked, clearly displeased.
“If you lose levels, it will have too much impact,” Nie Yan explained. As a rogue, he generally would never die, but for other classes in the team, especially mages, it was a different story. If others died, they could just replace their gear and grind their levels back. However, if Tang Yao died, it would send shockwaves throughout the entire Cow Tribe.
After careful consideration, Tang Yao reluctantly said, “Fine.”
Nie Yan counted the people present: Cui Can Daoguang, Daotou Dage Qizai, Bad Guy You Can’t Kill, Hei Bai, Bi Lü Sha, Xia Chong Yubing, Wu Dong Qiji, Wu Feng, and himself. In total, nine people. Cui Can Daoguang was a shield warrior, Daotou Dage Qizai was a priest, Bad Guy You Can’t Kill was an elemental mage, Bi Lü Sha was a paladin, Xia Chong Yubing was an arcane mage, Wu Dong Qiji was a holy mage, Hei Bai and Wu Feng were berserkers.
Guo Huai, Zhao Li, and others absolutely wouldn’t go—they were too low-level and would only be walking into their deaths.
Nine people were already enough.
All of them were people who had obtained ultimate class titles in their past lives!
Just as Nie Yan finalized the list, someone hurriedly approached the guild headquarters.
“Brother Nie Yan, I heard that the Cow Tribe is going to confront Zongheng Tianxia,” Sun panted.
“We’re going to give Zongheng Tianxia some trouble!” Nie Yan smiled slightly.
“Trouble? Are all the members of the Cow Tribe going?” Sun was taken aback.
“Just us few.”
“I want to go too! I won’t be a burden, I promise!” Sun insisted upon hearing Nie Yan’s plan.
Nie Yan thought for a moment. Although Sun wasn’t as strong as he had been in his past life, he had shown remarkable talent. With Nie Yan’s guidance over the past few days, his skills had improved significantly. Previously, he had been able to defeat three members of the Triumph Empire of the same level, and now he would be even better. Plus, being a rogue, he could at least defend himself. Nodding, Nie Yan said, “Alright, you can come too.”
“Anything else that needs to be arranged?” Guo Huai asked Nie Yan. The Cow Tribe had always been on the defensive, and this time they were forced to go on a dangerous mission. It was frustrating for the players of the Cow Tribe.
Nie Yan’s eyes flashed coldly. Originally, he had wanted to avoid direct confrontation with the Triumph Empire, preferring to develop first before delivering a heavy blow. However, since the Triumph Empire kept making moves, he wouldn’t hold back anymore. Otherwise, they would truly think the Cow Tribe was easy to bully. To Guo Huai, he said, “Closely monitor the movements of Zongheng Tianxia and the Triumph Empire. Immediately report any sightings of their members. Also, select one hundred thieves from the guild—absolutely reliable and technically the best. Equip them with the best gear. We’re going to give the Triumph a hard time!”
Nie Yan had a plan for forming a hundred-man rogue squad. As rogues, they had absolute advantages in ambushes and could move freely. If organized into a hundred-man group, even with a large number, their mobility would still be strong. They could either scatter and act separately or gather together to strike a heavy blow against large groups from Zongheng Tianxia and the Triumph Empire. If they could find the elite groups of the Triumph, even better. Often times, eliminating an opponent’s elite group didn’t require thousands of people—just a hundred rogues would be enough!
Guo Huai’s eyes lit up upon hearing Nie Yan’s suggestion. “We can build this hundred-man rogue squad into the ultimate force of the Cow Tribe. We’ll provide them with the best skills, equipment, and benefits, making joining this squad a matter of honor!” As a businessman, Guo Huai immediately had a clear and comprehensive plan in mind after Nie Yan’s hint.
“You handle this matter. From now on, all rogue equipment in the guild will be prioritized for them. If they die while on missions, we must handle it properly and provide sufficient compensation,” Nie Yan said. He had full confidence in Guo Huai’s ability to get things done.
“Don’t worry, I know exactly what to do. I’ll make sure that other guilds will tremble at the mention of the Cow Tribe’s hundred-man rogue squad,” Guo Huai said confidently. Although the Cow Tribe had fewer ordinary players, it certainly had no shortage of high-level players compared to any major guild. Even if other guilds later followed suit and formed rogue squads, he would ensure that the Cow Tribe’s hundred-man rogue squad would leave the deepest impression.
Nie Yan made up his mind. In the future, the Cow Tribe would definitely not be the largest guild in terms of numbers, but it would absolutely be the one with the most elite members. Thus, he had always been actively recruiting elite talents. At present, the Cow Tribe had more than enough strength to form a powerful hundred-man rogue squad.
After assigning the tasks, Nie Yan and others prepared themselves. Nie Yan went to Tessoy Town and bought several sets of flash dust, giving each person at least five. Additionally, the potions from the Starlight Pharmacy had already been delivered.
There were as many as six or seven hundred bottles of potions, including intermediate instant healing potions, intermediate mana potions, low-level mana enhancement potions, anti-petrification potions, and more, creating a dizzying array. Nie Yan distributed these potions among each team member, giving each around sixty to seventy bottles.
The team members had already stocked up on consumables. In addition, Nie Yan had Guo Huai provide them with some skills, especially for the two mages, as having additional area spells would definitely be useful.
Nie Yan also wore his golden set, which included gloves, leggings, a cape, and a leather tunic—a dexterity-focused set that significantly increased speed. It provided a total of 37 dexterity points, allowing him to equip the Ring of Crimson Toxin. His attack power soared to 502, which was already frighteningly high. Against cloth-wearing classes, he could deal nearly 400 damage, and even against heavily armored warriors, he could still deal 200 to 300 damage.
The golden set’s attributes included +10% stealth, +20% movement speed, and +12% critical hit chance. It was a very strong set of attributes.
Even the players of the Cow Tribe were unaware that Nie Yan and the team had quietly set out. They split up and twenty minutes later regrouped outside Link Town.
The group avoided all sightlines and quietly made their way toward the Magma Fire Forest.
At this moment, the Magma Fire Forest was bustling with activity. Over 8,000 players from Zongheng Tianxia had taken over the area, driving out other players. Everywhere, their groups could be seen leveling—some in groups of fifty to sixty, others in groups of a hundred.
At this time, players throughout Carol City were all watching the Magma Fire Forest closely. Zongheng Tianxia was clearly provoking the Cow Tribe, currently the hottest guild!
Were they daring enough to take the bait?
Everyone was waiting with bated breath, but there was still no movement from the Cow Tribe. Rumor had it that many of its players were still leveling in various locations and had not been recalled to headquarters.
If the Cow Tribe really backed down, its members would likely face ridicule from the entire player base, and no one would want to join the Cow Tribe anymore.
Outside the Magma Fire Forest, at the entrance to the lava cave, the dark cave’s depths were unknown, giving off a sinister vibe.
Previously, players had dared not enter this cave, which was known among players as the “Dark Death Zone,” because anyone who entered to level up never came back alive.
A group of ten people entered the lava cave and walked deeper inside. Strange, eerie sounds echoed from the cave’s depths.
“Boss, are you sure we can reach the Magma Fire Forest from here?” a slightly nervous voice asked.
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