Chapter 127: Playing Dirty With Me?

Upon hearing this, Lu Kuan raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for the rest of what Eternal Gloom in Heaven had to say.

"You must be familiar with the Sword of the Flame Demon; they are effectively our competitors. I casually sent two people to tail them, and discovered that members of the Sword of the Flame Demon’s second squadron have been scouting the terrain of Clear Water Village lately."

Eternal Gloom in Heaven stopped there, looking at Lu Kuan with a smile.

Lu Kuan’s brain whirred at high speed, recalling the mission flow from his previous life. Having not participated in the core plotline back then, he had never been clear about the details of the final battle.

One thing he could be certain of, however, was that during the battle, Tao Bo was constantly in a weakened state. His combat effectiveness was nothing like that of a humanoid boss at his peak—whether it was due to the loss of his beloved pet, Lightning, or some other reason, he remained unsure.

At this thought, a spark ignited in Lu Kuan’s mind. He looked at Eternal Gloom in Heaven and asked, "Are you suggesting they intend to carry out an assassination?"

Eternal Gloom in Heaven shrugged and laughed, "Just a guess."

The more Lu Kuan thought about it, the more plausible the possibility seemed. Since the player base on the Murloc side was naturally small, they would have to rely on the power of NPCs and underhanded tactics to win.

"I think that’s quite credible."

Lu Kuan pondered for a moment and thanked the other party, "Thanks, Guild Master. This intelligence might prove to be a massive help."

Eternal Gloom in Heaven waved a hand and stood up straight, "Compared to the generous gift you gave me, this is nothing. My guild members have been busy hunting wild bosses and haven't paid much attention to Clear Water Village; otherwise, we would have discovered their little tricks sooner."

Lu Kuan laughed, "Indeed, they can only be called little tricks."

Currently, the missions in Clear Water Village were in full swing. Lightning was recovering well, and Tao Bo’s condition was exceptionally high; this was a completely different scenario from the mission in his previous life.

*If we can still capsize in these waters,* Lu Kuan thought, *I might as well just find a tree and hang myself.*

Eternal Gloom in Heaven soon took his leave, but before he departed, Lu Kuan requested a screenshot of the stats for the Flame Flying Lizard pet.

"Flame Flying Lizard (A+, Mutant)"
Level: 1
Semi-flying
Attribute: Fire
Strength 4, Agility 8, Constitution 8, Intuition 4, Intelligence 4, Charisma 3
Growth Rate: 0.807 + 0.1 (Mutation Bonus)
Resistance: Fire 50, Frost -10, Poison 30
Innate Skills:
Flame Bloodline (Passive, non-upgradable, Fire damage dealt +40%, Fire damage received reduced by an additional 20%)
Flame Breath (Active AoE attack, Level 1)
Ancient Species (Passive, non-upgradable, HP recovery speed increased by 100%; when affected by related negative status effects, HP recovery speed will not drop below 100% of normal speed)
Wind Rider (Mutation bonus, Aura effect, increases movement speed of all friendly units within 20 meters by 5%, Level 1)

Seeing a growth rate exceeding 0.9, Lu Kuan broke into a smile. No wonder Eternal Gloom in Heaven was in such a good mood. According to the standard guide provided on the official website, more than half of all A+ grade pets did not reach this level.

Growth rate was paramount, as it influenced fixed attribute points, skill points, and resistances gained during a pet’s level-up. The most significant factors determining a pet’s tier were its innate skills and its growth rate.

Lu Kuan made a rough estimate and concluded that the price he had sold the pet egg for was quite appropriate.

"Next, it’s time to deal with the business at Clear Water Village," Lu Kuan muttered to himself with a smile.

...

At night, 11:30 PM game time.

The residents of Clear Water Village had long since fallen asleep. Standing on the road, one could clearly hear the "splash" of lake water hitting the shore in the distance, peaceful and serene.

At this hour, players usually returned to the towns to log off, so Clear Water Village was exceptionally quiet, a stark contrast to the bustle of the day.

In the darkness, several black shadows crept toward the walls of Clear Water Village. The leader, a tall figure, stood at the corner of the wall and gestured with one hand, tossing a rope onto the wall with a soft "thud."

The leader tested the sturdiness of the rope and climbed the wall first, followed quickly by the others. The entire process was silent and clean.

Once inside, the shadows moved rapidly through the alleys, stopping occasionally to hide in the darkness and avoid the patrolling guards; they were clearly very familiar with the village layout.

Soon, they reached the eastern part of the village, an intersection of several paths. In the middle of the junction stood a well over two meters in diameter, the village’s primary source of drinking water.

The shadows observed their surroundings before crouching and scurrying to the edge of the well, where the leader pulled something from his waist.

"Whoosh!"

At that very moment, a white light suddenly streaked through the dark night, heading straight for the leader's right hand. Caught off guard, the figure's palm was pierced through by a feathered arrow. He let out a muffled groan, and the item in his hand dropped to the ground.

It was Lu Kuan, who had been standing on a rooftop, with Dai Guang and the others right behind him.

"Light it up!"

Lu Kuan stowed his hunting bow and shouted.

The next moment, the area was flooded with brilliance!

The heavy-armored guards hidden in the dark poured out instantly. The shields they held shimmered with light—the result of light spells cast by player mages—illuminating the scene as brightly as day. The remaining guards stood on the outer perimeter, holding aloft blazing torches.

Now, everyone could clearly see the intruders.

The most conspicuous was the Murloc near the well. Its sturdy body was similar in build to an average human, with long, powerful limbs. A black cloth was tied around its massive fish head, revealing only a pair of stark, dead-white fish eyes.

The other three were players, and without exception, they were all agility-based classes. Among them was an old acquaintance: the Gnome Rogue from the Sword of the Flame Demon, Grasshopper.

"Long time no see, friend." Lu Kuan waved at Grasshopper with a smile. Grasshopper’s expression darkened, and he glared at Lu Kuan without a word.

"The Lord has arrived!"

Following a high-pitched announcement, the heavy-armored guards parted to create a path. The short-statured Tao Bo stepped out, followed by Old Blind Eye, who leaned on a cane, and the majestic-looking Lightning. The saber-toothed tiger’s bright yellow eyes stared fixedly at the intruders, letting out a low, continuous growl.

Tao Bo patted Lightning’s head to calm the tiger, then squinted at the figures in the center. "Murlocs? What tribe is this, to be so strong?"

"They are like me, common Murlocs, *cough, cough*..."

Old Blind Eye looked at his kin not far away with a cold expression. "They have simply been modified by Yuka with demonic energy. They are called 'Murloc Death-Soldiers.' Yuka's progress is truly rapid... when I left ten years ago, this project had only just begun."

The tall Murloc in the center laughed with a grating, sinister sound. "Traitor to the Murloc race! Tao Bo, hand over that Murloc, and our army will spare your village!"