Chapter 557: Betrayal!!

The war in Moonlight City was raging fiercely. Nie Yan had exhausted various methods to accumulate wealth to sustain a war effort, knowing that without sufficient funding, it would be impossible to proceed.

Just as Nie Yan was preoccupied with financial matters, Guo Huai suddenly sent word that several players from Bull Tribe wanted to leave the guild and had submitted applications. Since resignation requests required Nie Yan’s approval to be finalized, Guo Huai had sent him a message.

“Who wants to leave the guild?” Nie Yan asked, startled. It was the first time in history that players from Bull Tribe had requested to leave, excluding the previous incident when Shui Se Yan Tou left.

“It’s Shao Bing and five others,” Guo Huai replied, his mood heavy. Shao Bing and the others were among the top players in Bull Tribe’s second-tier roster—players who had been nurtured by the guild over time. Their departure was a sharp blow to Guo Huai.

Nie Yan was quite familiar with Shao Bing, a veteran member of Bull Tribe, whom he had previously asked to help level up Zhai Hao and others.

“Where are they now?” Nie Yan asked. He had already guessed what had happened. Shao Bing and the others had likely received significantly better offers from Century Syndicate, and enticed by money, had begun considering leaving Bull Tribe.

If Nie Yan approved their resignations, they could leave without any burden, saving the guild a significant expense. If he refused, they would likely breach their contracts and leave anyway. With Century Syndicate backing them financially, they wouldn’t be too concerned about any penalties.

“They’re at the guild headquarters in Krips Fortress,” Guo Huai replied. He was already trying to persuade Shao Bing and the others to stay.

“I’ll come immediately,” Nie Yan said, dropping what he was doing and heading toward the guild headquarters.

About ten minutes later, Nie Yan arrived at the guild headquarters and made his way to the central hall. When he entered, he saw about thirty Bull Tribe players gathered inside. Guo Huai stood face-to-face with Shao Bing and the others.

“Shao Bing, we’ve worked hard to build Bull Tribe to what it is today. Have I ever treated you poorly? If I’ve done anything wrong, if you feel I’ve let you down, tell me, and I’ll fix it for you,” Guo Huai was still trying to convince them to stay.

Shao Bing replied with a mix of shame and determination, “Deputy Guild Leader, we’ve been with you and Leader Nie Yan for a long time, and you’ve never wronged us. But everyone has their own aspirations. We hope we can leave peacefully.”

“Big Brother Shao Bing, when I first joined Bull Tribe, it was you who helped me rise. Without you, I wouldn’t be where I am today. We all hope you’ll stay,” Zhai Hao chimed in.

Shao Bing sighed deeply. “Brother, we appreciate your kindness. We’re sorry, but we can’t stay in Bull Tribe any longer. All good things must come to an end. We’ll part ways amicably, and we’ll still be brothers if we meet again.” At this, Shao Bing’s expression darkened. He had his reasons—personal and painful. He had already signed a contract with Century Syndicate, which offered six times the previous salary. Though he didn’t want to leave Bull Tribe, he had to—for his family, for a better income. That money was crucial to him.

The other five players accompanying Shao Bing also looked ashamed. They couldn’t bear to look at their Bull Tribe brothers around them.

“Damn it, Lao Yu! How could you do this after everything Leader Nie and Dao Guang have done for you? Now that you’ve grown strong, you want to leave Bull Tribe? Do you even deserve to call yourself their brother?” A warrior player rushed forward, grabbing the collar of a rogue behind Shao Bing, but others pulled him back.

“Luofei, let it go. Everyone has their own path!” someone called out.

Lao Yu, the rogue, kept his head down, sighing, “I’m sorry to Leader Nie and Dao Guang.”

“If you come back, you’re still my brother. But if you leave Bull Tribe today, don’t blame me for hunting you down every time I see you,” Luofei spat.

Lao Yu remained silent, his head bowed. He felt guilty and lacked the courage to respond.

Seeing Lao Yu’s reaction, Luofei couldn’t help but curse again, “So you’ve made up your mind to leave Bull Tribe. Don’t expect me to be polite from now on.”

The guild hall grew noisy. Nie Yan understood that Shao Bing and the others were the first to leave Bull Tribe, but they wouldn’t be the last. If handled poorly, this could have serious repercussions.

“Leader Nie is here!” someone shouted.

“Leader Nie!”

Seeing Nie Yan enter, the Bull Tribe players parted to make a path for him. Nie Yan approached Shao Bing and the others.

Shao Bing lowered his head. He still held deep respect for Nie Yan and dared not show any disrespect. At that moment, he couldn’t even look Nie Yan in the eye—he was a traitor to Bull Tribe.

Shao Bing braced himself for a scolding, hoping that a verbal lashing would ease his conscience and make his departure easier. The other five shared similar thoughts—they all felt ashamed to face Nie Yan.

To their surprise, Nie Yan didn’t curse them as they had expected. Instead, he smiled warmly.

“Shao Bing, I remember when you first joined Bull Tribe, I scolded you a few times. Are you holding any grudges now that you’re leaving?” Nie Yan asked with a cheerful laugh.

Shao Bing quickly shook his head. “Of course not.”

“Lao Yu, you’re one of the few who’ve been with me since Bull Tribe’s founding. I remember how during the siege by Triumph Empire, you died over ten times but took out more than twenty of their players,” Nie Yan said nostalgically.

Lao Yu’s eyes reddened slightly and he nodded.

“And you guys—Guazi, Gang Beng, Lao Lin, Lao Liu—you’ve been with me for a long time. I’ve probably let you down. I don’t have much to give back to you,” Nie Yan said with a sigh, his tone sincere. He truly understood how hard it was for these players.

“Leader Nie, don’t say that. We’re the ones who’ve wronged you and Bull Tribe,” the group responded, their voices tinged with sadness.

“I understand that your reasons for leaving are personal. I won’t force you to stay. While you were in Bull Tribe, I always considered you my brothers. If you must go, I won’t hold you back. As a parting gift, you can choose some useful gear from the guild warehouse. From today on, we serve different masters and can no longer be brothers. Take care of yourselves,” Nie Yan said, patting Shao Bing and the others on the shoulder, his voice tinged with sorrow.

Hearing Nie Yan’s words, Shao Bing and the others were moved to tears.

“Boss, I’m sorry,” Shao Bing said, wiping his eyes and bowing deeply to Nie Yan.

“Shao Bing, Lao Yu, take care,” a Bull Tribe warrior called out from the side.

“Take care,” others followed, their voices rising and falling with a mix of resignation and sadness.

After all, they had fought together, shared dungeons, and battled side by side. Seeing Shao Bing and the others leave, their hearts ached.

Shao Bing bowed deeply to the others, his eyes now blurred with tears. At that moment, he truly felt the deep bond among the Bull Tribe brothers. He realized he had made a wrong decision—but there was no turning back. The other five were also overcome with emotion.

Nie Yan signed the resignation applications for Shao Bing and the others. They handed over their guild badges.

As they returned their worn and tattered guild badges—their constant companions since joining Bull Tribe—Shao Bing and the others looked deeply disheartened, as if a part of their soul had been ripped away, leaving a hollow void.

From this day on, they were no longer members of Bull Tribe.

Shao Bing and the others recalled Nie Yan’s words: “From today on, we serve different masters and can no longer be brothers.” The realization struck them painfully. They now understood what it meant to feel like a lost, homeless dog. Without Bull Tribe, they felt a profound sense of loss and uncertainty.

Bull Tribe was no longer their home. Shao Bing longed to find a place to cry his heart out, and the other five were equally overwhelmed with grief.

Nie Yan suppressed his sorrow and turned to Zhai Hao. “Zhai Hao, see them off. If they need anything, give them some good gear from the guild warehouse.”

“Alright,” Zhai Hao nodded and said to Shao Bing and the others, “Shao Bing, I’ll walk you out.”

“Brother, I…” Shao Bing wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words.

Zhai Hao shook his head and sighed, “Go. Don’t use that term anymore.”

A sharp pain pierced Shao Bing’s heart. From now on, the word “brother” itself had become a luxury. Thinking of the contract with Century Syndicate, he felt immense shame. He had been blinded by greed. Although Bull Tribe’s compensation wasn’t as high as Century Syndicate’s, it had been generous. Bull Tribe had never wronged them.

Everyone watched silently as Zhai Hao escorted Shao Bing and the others away, their moods somber.

Nie Yan turned to the nearby players and said, “Let those who want to leave go. Even though Shao Bing and the others have left, Bull Tribe still has many brothers. Let’s raise our spirits, crush Mage Alliance and Holy Guardians, and then defeat Angel Dominion and Century Syndicate! Our journey has just begun. Not one of us in Bull Tribe is a coward!”

“Leader Nie is right. We still have so many brothers!” The players finally regained their spirits.

Nie Yan turned to Guo Huai beside him and said, “We need to speed things up. Century Syndicate is no pushover.” The threat from Century Syndicate was imminent, and they needed to prepare for it.

Guo Huai nodded gravely. How many Bull Tribe players had already made contact with Century Syndicate?