Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Even through the video feed, everyone could feel the chilling, sinister aura emanating from Jiang Xubai.
Murderous intent surged around him. “Our guild is taking this job for free. The other guilds don’t need to follow our lead.”
Despite his terrifying appearance, Jiang Xubai was an honest man. He was worried that after what he had said, the other guilds would feel too embarrassed to demand payment.
“Oh, screw you! Who are you looking down on?” Shen Ye, the Guild Leader of the Wanderers Guild, had a notoriously explosive temper. Most of his members came from the bottom rungs of society. Many were street thugs in the real world, and some even had criminal records. “Both my Vice Guild Leaders were… because of those bastards…”
At the mention of them, Shen Ye’s eyes turned red. “They were my brothers!”
The Wanderers Guild had a poor reputation in Hua Nation’s Horror Game community. It was not because of its members’ backgrounds, but because despite having the largest membership, it also had the highest death rate in instances.
Shen Ye clenched his fists. “If they’d died because they weren’t good enough to clear an instance, then we could only blame ourselves for being weak. But they died because those bastards surrounded them and left them with no way out.”
The Wanderers Guild had only two S-rank players in total. One was Shen Ye, but his abilities were primarily suited to assassination. The other was one of the Vice Guild Leaders, whose abilities specialized in group combat.
The other Vice Guild Leader who had died was an A-rank player. His Exclusive Skill was Fight to the Death Without Retreat. Although it was only a Normal Skill, it was still extraordinarily powerful, allowing him to unleash several times his usual strength when driven into a desperate situation.
But no matter how strong he was, one man could not fend off an entire mob. He fought to the bitter end, and not even a single intact piece of his body remained.
Shen Ye ground his teeth. “I’m going to chop every last one of them into pieces and dump them in a cesspit! And Chief Commander, why did you assign the Spirit Suppression Guild one more A-rank player than us? Are you looking down on us? I’ll pay you in Game Coins, so give us two more A-rank players!”
Jiang Xubai was so exasperated he laughed. “At a time like this, you’re still keeping score over that?”
Before the two could start arguing, Feiying, the Guild Leader of the Thorns Guild, spoke. “They killed my twin sister, my cousin, and my closest friend.”
The Thorns Guild accepted only female players. Its previous leaders had been the twin sisters Xuanying and Feiying.
Once Feiying spoke, Jiang Xubai and Shen Ye both fell silent. They were suffering and grieving too, but Feiying had lost her twin sister. No matter how much friction there had usually been among their three guilds, neither man could bring himself to say anything harsh to her now.
Feiying had never been separated from her sister since the day they were born. It was only after both of them reached S-rank that they began leading separate teams into instances. This time, however, she had lost her sister forever. “Chief Commander, I’ll accept the commission. I don’t want any payment.”
Even without Wen Ling, Feiying would never have let the matter rest.
Now that Wen Ling had provided all this intelligence, the people on the list were also the most suitable targets for the Thorns Guild’s revenge. It had saved them a great deal of trouble.
“Tch.” Fu Ye of the Lightseekers Guild spoke up. “I’m not as noble as the rest of you. If you want our guild to act, you’ll have to pay us.”
The Lightseekers Guild was an A-rank guild composed mainly of healers and support players.
In the real world, Guild Leader Fu Ye worked in forensic medicine. After entering a Horror Game Instance, he had chosen this name for himself: Fu Ye sounded just like the word for “side job,” making it obvious that he still regarded forensic medicine as his true career.
The members of his guild were highly sought after in the Horror Game. After all, anyone entering an instance would want a healer or support specialist at their side.
The Lightseekers Guild had also lost its strongest healer during the Grand Slaughter.
Fu Ye’s refined, handsome face was filled with hostility. “Nine cents. Chief Commander, you have to send me nine cents before I’ll agree to act. That pack of garbage isn’t worth a dime, so I can only charge nine.”
The Guild Leader of the A-rank Hidden Night Guild looked like a dainty little girl. Judging by her appearance alone, it was difficult to associate her with an assassin.
Lu Liuliu wasted no words. “A nine-way split. The Qianye Guild accepts.”
The Shiyi Guild specialized in supernatural abilities. Its former Guild Leader, Ruan An, had died in battle in the Grand Slaughter Instance. Its current Guild Leader, Xia Zhi, said, “A nine-way split. The Shiyi Guild accepts.”
The Xianyu Guild was also known as the Retirement Guild. It had the fewest members of any guild, but its strength was formidable. Its members were all players who wanted to clear a Horror Game Instance as quickly as possible so they could return to normal life sooner. Its former Guild Leader, Gui Tu, had died in battle in the Grand Slaughter Instance. Its current Guild Leader, Xu Guijia, said, “A nine-way split. The Xianyu Guild accepts.”
Most members of the Nuozhua Guild had supernatural pets. Its former Guild Leader, Soft Candy, and Tongtong, the Bone Cat anomaly, had both died in battle. Its current Guild Leader, Yu Yuan, said, “A nine-way split. The Nuozhua Guild accepts.”
Wen Ling looked at the eight speakers. Everyone was still grieving, but some things had to be discussed regardless.
“With the exception of several special categories, the Grand Slaughter rewards can be redeemed directly. Redeeming anything from those special categories will require an application stating the reason for the request.”
These were rewards their companions had paid for with their lives.
Wen Ling slowly let out a breath. “Each guild’s quota has already been calculated and made available. You… can choose what you want for yourselves.”
Whatever remained after the guilds finished choosing would belong to the Special Department.
Wen Ling wanted to make every detail clear. “For each Solo Player, we’ll provide compensation to the beneficiary named in their will.”
At the mention of those who had sacrificed themselves, no one was in the mood to speak again.
After exchanging farewells, they ended the video conference.
The eight guilds went to review the dossiers and plan their targeted assassinations, but Wen Ling and the others were not finished yet.
Wen Ling said in a grave voice, “Have Special Department Squads 3, 7, 15, 23, and 26 eliminate the people on these five lists.”
The young man in the baseball cap was in charge of the player squads under the Special Department. “Yes.”
But going no higher than A-rank players was nowhere near enough.
Wen Ling took out two more lists. Each contained only three names, all of them S-rank players from various countries. “Notify Bone Umbrella and Physician. Tell them to kill these six S-rank players.”
“Yes.”
No one had expected Wen Ling to send Bone Umbrella and Physician, but on second thought, the two of them were the best people for the job.
Although they were affiliated with the Special Department, they did not belong to the Special Department.
Enlisting their help would not only require an enormous price, but also force headquarters to call in the favors it had built up with them.
Even so, no one raised an objection.
Finally, Wen Ling displayed one long list. “Issue a public bounty.”
“A public bounty? Players from other countries can accept it too?”
“Yes.” Wen Ling’s voice seethed with killing intent. “If they won’t focus on building their own strength in peace, then no one gets to live in peace.”
If only Hua Nation players were allowed to accept the bounty, the other countries could easily join forces. That would make things difficult for Hua Nation players as well.
But with no restrictions on nationality, the people on the list would even have to guard against players from their own countries.
Money was a powerful temptation.
Wen Ling rose and planted both hands on the table. “Since they dared strike at Hua Nation, we’ll make them repay us tenfold – a hundredfold! Anyone who dares reach a hand toward us will have that hand chopped off!”
“Let everyone know that Hua Nation will exact revenge at any cost!”
Everyone’s eyes turned resolute and ruthless. “Revenge!”
Wen Ling swept her gaze across everyone present, then softened her tone. “Spending some resources to buy time for our new generation of players to grow will be worth it.”