Chapter 172
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Chapter 172: Variables
Both sides were weighing the pros and cons in their hearts.
With reinforcements involved for both players, if they continued fighting, the losing side would undoubtedly suffer heavy losses, that much was obvious.
However, the winning side probably wouldn’t fare well either.
Solely from a profit perspective, this was indeed a situation beneficial to neither party.
At the same time, Luo Ji couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy for the early game advantages of fierce general-type players.
Players like him, who were not fierce general-types, would definitely have to bring a fierce general with them when going on an expedition, just in case.
But as mentioned before, the military expenses for a fierce general were not a small sum for newcomers.
However, the advantage of a player being a free unit allowed fierce general-type players to save a significant amount of military expenses during their less affluent early stages.
Moreover, the smaller the scale of the battle, the greater the impact of individual strength.
Combining various factors, this gave fierce general-type players a significant early game advantage.
In comparison, players of the commander-type or strategist-type would have a tough time in the early game if they couldn’t recruit a fierce general under their command, as their period of advantage leaned more towards the mid and late stages.
Getting back to the point, a single spear thrust neutralized Liu Zheng’s offensive.
Although it was a surprise attack, it was enough to prove that the opponent was a fierce general-type player with a high bravery.
If a real fight broke out, he would have no advantage.
If the opponent was truly willing to simply retreat like this, it wouldn’t be an unacceptable outcome…
Seeing Luo Ji lost in thought, Yan Sheng knew he had a chance, so he immediately struck while the iron was hot, and stated.
“To be frank, brother, this junior behind me is the cousin of Liu Ye, the Vice-Alliance Master of the player alliance ‘Zongheng Tianxia.’ So, how about we both take a step back and pretend this never happened?”
“Zongheng Tianxia, huh?”
Hearing the alliance name, Luo Ji frowned.
He had indeed heard that name.
After a careful thought, he suddenly remembered.
“Right, wasn’t it Liu Ye who was spamming recruitment messages in the public chat window before?”
“That alliance seems to have a Silver rank player as its leader, and Liu Ye is just the Vice-Alliance Master, so does that mean the Alliance Master of Zongheng Tianxia is that Silver rank player?”
“And as a Vice-Alliance Master, Liu Ye’s own strength should at least be at the Iron rank…”
After this analysis, Luo Ji’s heart immediately sank.
As a no-rank newcomer, going up against a high-rank player alliance right from the start didn’t seem too good, did it?
Just as he was wondering whether to go with the flow and take a step back, Cao Peng, who had been terrified by Liu Zheng’s axe and was still shaken, also snapped back to his senses.
Upon hearing his cousin’s name, he immediately started shouting arrogantly.
“N-no, that’s right!”
“My cousin is Liu Ye, the Vice-Alliance Master of Zongheng Tianxia!”
“You dog, remember this isn’t over!”
“You’ve offended me, so just you wait, you’re dead!!”
After escaping death, a string of thoughtless words practically spilled out, causing Luo Ji’s face to sink, while Yan Sheng, as the reinforcement, felt his heart clench.
“Damn it, what a pig teammate!”
“Why is this idiot spouting threats now?”
Unaware that Yan Sheng was cursing him internally, Cao Peng continued to shout.
“Yan Sheng, kill him for me! Afterward, I’ll tell my cousin to promote you!”
“Promote…”
Hearing that word, Yan Sheng’s facial muscles twitched uncontrollably.
Indeed, Liu Ye was the Vice-Alliance Master of Zongheng Tianxia, and he was just an ordinary Bronze rank member within the alliance.
But this wasn’t a strict superior-subordinate relationship.
Although one would naturally be a bit more respectful when facing a higher-rank player stronger than themselves, ultimately, they gathered for mutual benefit.
For example, this time, Liu Ye himself, as an Iron rank player, certainly had no interest in getting involved in a no-rank player’s battle.
What good would it do him to defeat a no-rank primitive civilization?
Steal a few stone axes?
Seriously, don’t joke, okay?
So, in situations like this, he would find some Bronze rank players within the alliance and ask them to help look after his cousin.
Yan Sheng was one of them.
The reason they were willing to take care of Cao Peng’s trouble was that they wanted Cao Peng’s cousin, Liu Ye, to owe them a favor.
If they ever encountered trouble someday, that would be the time for Liu Ye to repay the favor.
So, there was no such thing as promotion; everyone was operating on mutual benefit.
Thus, Cao Peng’s self-righteous remarks clearly made Yan Sheng feel a bit annoyed.
If he had known it was such an idiot, he shouldn’t have taken on this troublesome matter!
Now, he would probably have to lose troops and generals.
Otherwise, it would be difficult for him to explain things to Liu Ye.
Yan Sheng, with a conflicted expression, raised the spear in his hand.
“It seems this matter can’t be resolved peacefully now…”
Hearing this, Luo Ji silently made a hand gesture.
Liu Zheng, holding his battle-axe, immediately understood.
Without needing any unnecessary words, his offensive suddenly burst forth, and he seized the initiative, charging forward!
The sound of the battle-axe and spear colliding reignited the briefly subsided battle.
The shield-axe soldiers in the front lines of both sides charged into each other right after, and a fierce battle immediately unfolded in this muddy and damp forest.
After the battle began, Cao Peng, whose forces had largely been wiped out, decisively found a place to hide.
Having little combat power himself, he had no intention of getting involved at this moment.
Ignoring him for now, the battle here was unusually fierce.
In terms of weaponry, equipment, and individual strength, Luo Ji’s shield-axe soldiers were definitely not much worse than the opponent’s.
However, the tricky part was the disparity in troop numbers.
The opponent had 10 spearmen and 20 shield-axe soldiers, while he only had 15 shield-axe soldiers.
Although he had 5 more archers, archers were basically ineffective in this kind of melee in a mountain forest area.
In this situation, it was too irrational to engage in a head-on fight with the opponent.
Realizing the unfavorable situation, Luo Ji immediately leveraged his advantage as a commander-type player, personally directing the battle from the rear.
“All shield-axe soldiers, switch to defensive formation!”
In any case, he would fight a defensive battle first.
While conserving stamina, he would see if he could find an opportunity to act.
At the same time, the battle between Liu Zheng and Yan Sheng was also key.
If Liu Zheng could defeat Yan Sheng, then his entire situation could be completely reversed in an instant!
With this thought in mind, Luo Ji decisively glanced at the other battlefield.
Not far away, in the mountain forest, two figures were fiercely attacking each other.
One was powerful and heavy, the other agile and versatile.
Two different styles, yet they were staging the same battle, with their relentless exchange of blows continuously escalating between them!
