Chapter 131: Where Did That Siege Engine Come From?

These players were of decent level, but their only disadvantage was the lack of support classes. Consequently, with the Murlocs outnumbering them two to one and the presence of two Murloc Priests on the enemy side, they were momentarily locked in a grueling battle.

"Swish! Swish! Swish!"

Just then, three Bone-Splitting Arrows flew like lightning, instantly felling the two Murloc Priests. Without this potent support, the tide of battle turned immediately.

The few players who had been surrounded seized the opportunity to break through the encirclement, regrouped with another group of players, and sent the Murlocs on the street reeling.

"Thanks, expert!"

Several players waved vigorously toward the rooftops. The person standing there was none other than Lu Kuan, who had just returned from behind the Qingshui Village.

Lu Kuan waved back, turned, and leaped to an adjacent roof. After a few bounds, his figure vanished into the night.

Similar battles were taking place in every corner of the village. Although the fighting was intense, the situation was clearly tilting in the players' favor.

"That should be about enough..."

Standing on the wall, Lu Kuan wiped the blood from his face and looked at the faint white glow appearing on the eastern horizon, whispering to himself.

He had just scattered four waves of Murlocs attempting to sneak into Qingshui Village. Finally, he had captured one that was willing to talk. From what the creature revealed, Lu Kuan hadn't gained any unexpected intelligence.

For the current situation, having no news was the best news. As long as the mission didn't suffer any major variables, Lu Kuan believed that completing the task wouldn't be much of a problem.

"Pfft!"

Lu Kuan shot an arrow through a Murloc's head. The corpse fell straight off the wall, knocking over another Murloc hunter attempting to climb up.

At some point, a group of particularly tall, black-armored Murlocs had appeared at the rear of the Murloc army. These creatures possessed a disciplined aura, silently watching the battlefield.

Lu Kuan was all too familiar with these black-armored Murlocs.

In his previous life, it was they who shattered the final morale of the Qingshui Village guards and besieged Old Man Tao until his death.

In some respects, these black-armored Murlocs were no longer just Murlocs; they were "monsters" transformed by Yuka's dark magic, a group of death squads that knew only how to obey orders and kill.

"Fatty, go notify all the teams. Tell them to recover as much as they can after this wave; a tough battle is coming," Lu Kuan said, turning back to Dai Guang.

"You got it!"

Dai Guang agreed and turned away excitedly. He had thoroughly enjoyed the slaughter today and was feeling exceptionally energized.

At this moment, only Qingyi remained by Lu Kuan’s side to guard him. Bai Keke and A'kui, due to their classes, had gone to participate in the group battles where the monsters were concentrated.

"You should recover a bit too. There's a nasty fight ahead," Lu Kuan said to Qingyi.

Qingyi shook her head gently. "It's... it's fine. My constitution is high."

Lu Kuan suddenly remembered that Qingyi had invested all her free attribute points into Constitution. Her health and stamina were terrifyingly high, so this level of combat was nothing to her.

Lu Kuan smiled, took out some food, and began to eat while observing the scene in the distance.

"Um..." Qingyi, standing nearby, tilted her head slightly, her dark eyes fixed on Lu Kuan’s profile as she whispered.

"Hmm? What is it?" Lu Kuan turned his head, sensing her hesitation.

Qingyi’s gaze met his for a brief moment before she quickly looked away, lowering her head. "Nothing..."

Lu Kuan smiled and didn't mind, turning his attention back to the battlefield.

After a night of brutal fighting, the players' stamina had become a major issue. While health could be quickly restored by support classes, stamina could only be recovered slowly through food and rest. The enemy was clearly playing a war of attrition.

"But it doesn't matter. The players' main task is to hold off the Murlocs' first wave; the rest depends on the old man," Lu Kuan thought with relief.

As Lu Kuan had predicted, it wasn't long before the group of black-armored Murlocs in the distance finally took action, slowly pressing forward.

An invisible pressure radiated from them. The Rogue players responsible for reconnaissance all sent back the same message: after several probing attacks, the enemies appeared to be around level 16.

"Damn, how are we supposed to fight this?"

"With such a high level, are we going to have to use human-wave tactics ourselves?"

...

"Don't fight them head-on," Lu Kuan said in the team channel. "All support classes, do your best to protect the NPCs, especially Old Man Tao. As long as he doesn't die, these enemies are a piece of cake."

Lu Kuan's words gave everyone a sense of reassurance, and their enthusiasm was reignited.

In truth, many had already recognized Lu Kuan. Although Lu Kuan himself didn't think much of it, the players of Lava Fortress had long regarded him as the representative of Ranger players. The incredible archery skills shown in that video had left an indelible impression on everyone.

Following the strong was a common human instinct, so in this war, whenever difficulties arose, as long as Lu Kuan stepped up, the situation always stabilized at the fastest possible speed.

Ten minutes later, the enemy finally reached the village wall. Seeing what was being pushed by the Murlocs, everyone gasped.

It was a giant, cylindrical object covered in coral and seaweed, mounted on a four-wheeled cart. With a harsh, screeching friction sound, it was pushed to the edge of the wall.

It was a siege ram!

"Are you kidding me!"

Lu Kuan couldn't help but curse. This wasn't in the mission from his previous life! Although it was only a small version, the walls of Qingshui Village were made of wood; there was no way they could hold...

Could it be that, just as he suspected, the mission's completion rate had increased significantly, leading to these variables? Or was it created by players in the Murloc faction?

"Everyone, focus all your attacks on the Murlocs next to the ram! Don't let them breach the wall!"

The players in charge of the front line reacted quickly, immediately giving the order. A flurry of spells and arrows erupted, bombarding the slowly approaching ram.

"Crack!" "Boom!"

Dust and fire filled the air. When the various spell effects dissipated, everyone realized the siege ram was completely unharmed. The black-armored Murlocs had huddled tightly together, holding their shields high, blocking the players' attacks completely.

"Thud!"

The siege ram slammed into the wall, emitting a chilling, bone-shaking groan. The players on the wall immediately swayed, and a few unlucky ones fell over, plunging into the pile of Murlocs, turning into white light in the blink of an eye.

Seeing that it was hopeless, Lu Kuan grabbed Qingyi and ran, not forgetting to shout to the others on the wall: "Get out of here! The wall won't hold, prepare for street fighting!"

Everyone retreated in a rush, scrambling down from the wall. Less than a minute later, with a deafening crash, the tall wall the players had painstakingly built was smashed open by the siege ram.