Chapter 4: The Vanguard

Chapter 4: The Vanguard

Through a few brief introductions, Li Bin gained a certain understanding of the other players in his group.

He, of course, entered the battle with his magic hero San Nei and a small squad of Forest Pursuers, while the player known as Thunder Bull was fielding the sixth-tier Minotaur Guardians, advanced from the third-tier Minotaur Wardens, along with a combat hero.

The first to approach Li Bin was Excitement Gate, a seasoned player who had lingered long in the Bloodthirsty Wasteland. He brought with him six Satyr Monks and seven Wasp Riders into battle.

The mermaid player, Lightly Dancing Butterfly (name contributed by reader Passing Snow), led a force of ten sixth-tier Mermaid Enchantresses and four Devouring Krakens.

The wolf clan player, Winter Wolf Howl, commanded twenty sixth-tier Steel-plated Winter Wolves, while the elemental player, Giant War Machine (name contributed by reader Shanghai Wolf), seemed to have brought six Cyclops and five Orc Berserker Priests.

After a brief discussion, they ultimately chose Thunder Bull as the leader of this warband, temporarily entrusting him with the command of their actions.

Thunder Bull accepted the role without hesitation. Upon taking charge, he first inspected the equipment and morale of all the units.

Then, unexpectedly, he spent his own money to provide the warband with ample supplies. This gesture, however, did not sit well with Li Bin. Outwardly, Li Bin said nothing, but privately, he ordered the blacksmith at the Necropolis Magic Workshop to prepare the best gear for the Forest Pursuers and requisitioned a large stock of basic medicines and bandages from the medical studio.

Naturally, for the sake of team harmony, Li Bin also accepted the equipment Thunder Bull had purchased and, after the group quickly readied themselves, set out toward the mission location.

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Before they even reached the abandoned South Mountain Mine, as described in the mission, Li Bin sensed darkness overhead. A hail of Harpies swooped past, shrieking above them—a sure sign that the outermost line of cannon fodder squads had already clashed with the Harpy army.

At this point, Thunder Bull assembled everyone and said, “According to the intelligence from Old Centaur, there are at least two thousand Harpies nearby. Those expendable squads can only hold them off for half an hour. Our task is to break into the abandoned mine within that time. Of course, if any of you feel like dying, you’re welcome to challenge the Harpy nests near the mine.”

“Don’t be so ridiculous. We’re here to do the mission, not listen to your jokes,” Winter Wolf Howl retorted coldly.

Thunder Bull gave an awkward chuckle, then spread out the mission map before everyone and began his explanation.

After listening to Thunder Bull’s analysis, Li Bin finally felt some respect for their leader. Judging by Thunder Bull’s grasp of the map and mission, as well as his deployment of the troops, he had indeed given the matter careful thought.

According to the plan, pathfinding fell to Excitement Gate’s Wasp Riders—creatures no larger than a fist, boasting astonishing speed and exceptional vitality.

Next in line were Thunder Bull’s own Minotaur Guardians. The twenty Steel-plated Winter Wolves of Winter Wolf Howl were assigned as rear guard, while the rest of the troops and heroes gathered in the center, ready to respond to any change in battle.

Once the arrangements were complete, Thunder Bull clenched his fist and declared, “Success or failure hinges on this. For the sake of our future development, we must give this our utmost—to claim that set of magic books before anyone else!”

As soon as Thunder Bull finished speaking, the other players cheered together, clearly invigorated.

Curious, Li Bin glanced at the system log and saw that Thunder Bull had just triggered a Leadership skill, raising the party’s morale by two points. However, as an undead player, Li Bin was immune to morale effects.

With a wry smile, Li Bin mounted his Undead Scorpion and led the Forest Pursuers to follow the main force toward the mine.

Most of the Harpies near the abandoned mine had been drawn away by the cannon fodder players, so only a small group of fifth-tier Harpy Sorceresses stood in their way.

Under the devastating blows of the Minotaur Guardians’ giant axes, the Harpy Sorceresses had no chance to cast their signature Lightning Cyclone—they were hewn in half before they could react.

After collecting the stray souls on the battlefield, Li Bin ordered the Undead Scorpion to devour all the Harpy Sorceresses’ bodies—a new function he had recently added. The Undead Scorpion now contained an internal space capable of storing up to five hundred corpses.

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Seeing Thunder Bull reap the lion’s share of experience points and Li Bin claim every corpse on the field, the other players—who received only a few spoils—grew discontent. They demanded Thunder Bull rotate the vanguard position among them, or at least allow them to fight in the battles.

Surprisingly, Thunder Bull agreed to their demands and shuffled the order. Now, all players except Li Bin would take turns as the vanguard.

After several skirmishes with more Harpy Sorceresses, the party’s dissatisfaction with Thunder Bull shifted to Li Bin. They resented his lack of contribution in battle while he freely collected corpses.

Indifferent to their complaints, Li Bin replied, “If you want the corpses, I can share them with you.”

That single statement silenced all objections. Though no one challenged Li Bin further, they insisted he also take his turn as vanguard.

Li Bin, unconcerned, agreed. After all, the vanguard earned half the battle spoils—why not?

As Li Bin accepted, Winter Wolf Howl stepped down from the vanguard to rest, ceding the position to him.

With only a short distance left to the mine, Li Bin gathered the Forest Pursuers and moved to the front.

At that moment, the Wasp Riders scouting ahead darted back at top speed, each carrying a tiny pixie shouting urgently from its perch.

Li Bin strained to understand the pixie’s words—it was crying out, “Ahead… large numbers of… enemies…”

Startled, Li Bin looked up to see more than twenty Harpies with pale blue feathers encircling them, with one among them sporting golden plumage.

Judging by their ranks, Li Bin quickly realized the gravity of the situation: two squads of fifth-tier Harpy Sorceresses and one sixth-tier Harpy Queen. A single misstep here could cost him at least one Forest Pursuer.

Yet retreat without a fight was never Li Bin’s style. He sent the Ghost Crow to notify those behind while gathering the Forest Pursuers close, preparing to confront the Harpies head-on.

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