A Side Path?
Take a detour?
Liu Yuan opened his eyes, light shining in them as he stared at the chubby man before him.
"Ping City is heavily guarded. Even the Tang Kingdom's Li family army couldn't break through. You have a way in?"
Liu Yuan looked at the fat man with deep suspicion and kicked him aside.
The fat man nodded rapidly and said, "Don't worry, big bro. It's foolproof. My territory is in this area—I know Ping City like the back of my hand!"
Territory?
[Ding! Player [Liu Yuan] requests to view your player information. ]
[Do you allow it?]
A prompt appeared before the fat man.
Deny!
He stared intently at the word "Deny," about to press it, when he suddenly saw Liu Yuan lift the spear in his hand.
Allow!
[Player: I Want to Fly
Gender: Male
Level: Level 1 (87%)
Class: None
Weapon: Wooden Club
Power: 15
Construction Value: 10]
Liu Yuan: …
These stats are pathetic!
His mouth twitched.
Indeed, nothing highlights your superiority like a proper comparison!
Wait, this is what a real game should be!
No wonder—I've only played shady games until now!
So jealous…
"B-Big bro, are you done looking?"
Seeing Liu Yuan silent for a while, the fat man shrank his neck and asked in a low voice.
Liu Yuan snapped out of it, looked at him with disdain, and lifted his spear.
"Want it?"
The fat man nodded instinctively, then immediately shook his head violently.
Coveting the boss's beloved weapon?
You trying to die?
"If you want it, just say so. As long as you get me into Ping City, this spear is yours."
Liu Yuan was amused by his reaction. "Relax, I keep my word."
The fat man shivered, stared at Liu Yuan for a few moments suspiciously, then looked at the spear and gulped, nodding vigorously.
"Lead the way," Liu Yuan said.
The fat man nodded, looked around sneakily, then started walking ahead. Liu Yuan followed closely behind.
They moved through the forest, avoiding the Tang Kingdom's army encamped around Ping City, and finally arrived at the base of the city wall.
This journey made Liu Yuan marvel at how crafty the fat man was.
Although it was unclear how long the Tang army had besieged Ping City...
The game had only been live for just over a day.
From player spawning, territory building, information gathering, to data analysis—it all took a lot of time.
Yet this little fat guy had not only built his territory in such a short time but also completely mapped out the troop movements of the Tang forces outside Ping City.
"Fatty, not bad!"
Crouched at the foot of the city wall, Liu Yuan looked at him with approval.
"Hehe, being able to help big bro is little bro's honor," the fat man grinned, though his eyes never left Liu Yuan's spear.
"Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. Now take me into the city."
"Sure thing!" The smile on the fat man's face grew even wider.
He led Liu Yuan to a grassy, overgrown corner. Pulling away the weeds, a hole was revealed, with some black fur stuck in the surrounding soil.
Seeing the hole, Liu Yuan's face instantly darkened.
He turned, face cold, and glared at the fat man. "This is the path you spoke of?"
"You're making me crawl through a dog hole?!"
Seeing Liu Yuan's expression shift, the fat man gulped and hurriedly explained, "Big bro, no! This is a secret tunnel! A secret tunnel!"
"Right now, with the Tang army surrounding the city, the only way in is through this secret tunnel!"
"It took me a lot of effort to find this!"
After much pleading, Liu Yuan's expression finally softened.
Forget it. A dog hole…
No! It's a secret tunnel!
I'm walking through a secret tunnel, not a dog hole!
I, Liu Yuan, brandishing my blade, charge across thousands of miles, cut down enemies, braving countless perils—all just to deliver a message to Ping City.
Such determination, such bravery, such cunning—who can compare?
With that thought, his heart cleared, filled with lofty pride, he bent down and crawled into the tunnel.
Behind him, the fat man watched Liu Yuan enter, eyes gleaming and smiling brightly.
This time, he was going to hit it big!
Inside Ping City, just as Liu Yuan emerged from the dog—secret—tunnel, a flash of cold steel suddenly appeared before his eyes. A glistening steel blade was pointed right at his head.
"Brothers! Fatty's brought us another merit point delivery!"
A chuckle rang out. Liu Yuan looked up and saw several soldiers wearing yellow turbans and holding steel blades surrounding him.
Damn it, that fat bastard tricked me!
Liu Yuan cursed in his mind.
From their chatter, he quickly realized: this fat bastard and these people from Ping City were all in on it together.
Held at swordpoint, dragged from the secret tunnel, Liu Yuan soon saw the fat man grinning slyly at him.
"Sorry, bro. But hey, we're both players—we don't fear death! Lord Fat screwing you over isn't betrayal—it's a life lesson! Next time, remember it well!"
The fat man laughed loudly, then leaned toward the seven soldiers and said, "Guys, this one's special—just like me, he's from beyond this world. You kill him, he'll just respawn."
"If you want credit, best to lock him up—don't let him die so easily!"
As the fat man whispered his evil scheme, Liu Yuan realized—this guy definitely wasn't doing this for the first time.
He was working with NPCs to screw over other NPCs and players alike.
Damn, what a schemer!
"You dare betray me?" Liu Yuan looked at the fat man, expressionless.
"Betrayal? You silly child. This is just a game. What betrayal? It's a dark, slippery world out there, society's complicated. Lord Fat's just teaching you a lesson. Can't handle it? Go home and drink your mommy's milk!"
The fat man roared with laughter. With these Yellow Turban soldiers around, he was totally unfazed.
It was only Day 1 of the game—at most, even the top players would be around level six or seven.
But in Ping City, soldiers wearing yellow turbans were at least level ten.
Just like the ones standing before him—all level ten.
With these guys backing him, Fatty felt invincible.
Liu Yuan sneered but didn't speak.
Originally, he thought only NPCs were devious, but now it seemed players were just as treacherous.
They actually dared to trick me, Liu Yuan?
Well then, today Liu Yuan will show you—why flowers bloom so red!
He scoffed and swept his eyes past the fat man, then coldly stared at the seven soldiers. "Among you, who's in charge?"
His question made the soldiers burst into laughter, mocking.
"What's the matter, kid? Begging for mercy now?"
"Heard you off-worlders can't die? Want me to lend you a knife so you can off yourself?"
…
Liu Yuan listened coldly. Once they'd laughed enough, a smile bloomed on his otherwise serious face. In a soft voice, he said:
"I have something you all might be very interested in."
As he spoke, he raised his hand, revealing a token.
His palm opened, and the token fell into their view.
The laughter stopped abruptly. The seven soldiers' faces turned pale with fear.
Then, with a thud, they all dropped to their knees, voices trembling in unison:
"G-Greetings, my Lord!"