Chapter 66 – Old and New Merged

Fang Zheng’s roar sent shockwaves through the entire Ghost Server. Except for Your Sister, who was a newbie and had no idea what was going on, the rest of the team shuddered. Jiang Yang had been recovering his HP and MP at the respawn point, waiting for his Resurrection Sickness to wear off before charging back into battle. Upon hearing the shout, he immediately stood up. Without letting the little Assassin fully recover, he set off into the main city with half his HP, claiming, “I’ll go buy potions first…”

[Your Uncle’s Mysterious World]

Passive Skill: Triggers unconditionally at any time.

AoE Damage with a wide range, affecting both allies and enemies.

75% chance of insta-kill.

Countermeasure: Try not to be on the same map as the skill holder.

The chaotic battle ended with the Ghost Server Legion being wiped out—after all, they were hopelessly outnumbered. But Madhouse didn’t fare much better either, with only two members remaining in the end, one of whom had already fled mid-battle. 438 had died the least but achieved the most glorious results—he directly looted Omen’s weapon. Omen had probably never encountered such an infuriating incident since dominating the Huaxia Summit server. After returning to the main city, he started cursing in World Chat, only for the world to instantly turn into a sea of laughter. Omen was showered with “offerings” from onlookers—some sent virtual chrysanthemums, some mock condolences, and some even directly messaged the Ghost Server Legion, asking them to “loot another 50 bucks’ worth.” In the end, Omen had no choice but to shut up, and the insults he had spammed were quickly drowned in a flood of chrysanthemum emojis.

Later, a player wrote a vivid account of the night’s spectacle and posted it on the Huaxia Forum. The thread quickly became popular. When the moderators pinned it, they felt that a plain title like “The Siege of Huaxia Summit’s Omen” was eye-catching but lacked artistic flair, so they took the liberty of adding a subtitle—”Chrysanthemums Wilted, Sorrow Strewn Across the Land.”

At the time, the Ghost Server Legion had no idea they had just added another log to the already blazing fire of their notoriety. But even if they had known, what could they have done?

If you want fame—dungeon first clears, boss first kills, or being a trash player everyone avoids in PvP—go ahead.

If you want to live—there’s only one path from ancient times to the present: treat Your Uncle’s return with the utmost seriousness. Maybe the heavens will take pity and spare you.

“Why didn’t you say anything when you came back? Sneaking off to another legion—what, you got a problem with me as your Commander?”

In the YY voice chat, the Ghost Server comrades lined up to criticize Your Uncle, who had just returned to the legion.

“He didn’t just come back—he came to this server right after leaving Mirage.”

“Uh…” Your Uncle’s voice was low, his tone dripping with guilt, not daring to act up—yet even then, he still found time to flatter, “Deputy Commander, you’re truly a god…”

Fang Zheng facepalmed. “Get to the point.”

“Ahem.” Your Uncle cleared his throat and laid it all out. “After leaving you guys, I came straight here. At the time, I thought this server had more players. Who knew that just a month after I maxed my level, they announced the server merge? Of course, I was happy you guys were coming over, but how could I have the nerve to come find you again? I was the one who ran away first—on the battlefield, that makes me a deserter. Later, you guys were doing so well, so I couldn’t possibly return. Otherwise, you’d think, ‘He left when the legion was struggling, and now that it’s thriving, he’s back’—what a shameless guy.”

Your Uncle’s explanation had a clear beginning and end, with cause and effect logically linked. But still…

“Since when did a grown-ass man become so emotionally delicate, like some agony aunt columnist?!!”

Just thinking about how this guy had crossed paths with them countless times in World Chat and on the map, yet deliberately avoided the legion every single time, Fang Zheng’s hard-earned confidence as the Ghost Server Legion Leader took a serious hit.

“Commander, don’t be mad, don’t be mad,” Your Uncle was quick to pledge his loyalty. “Now that I’ve torn off the disguise, even if you try to kick me out, I’ll shamelessly cling to our legion!”

Tore… off… the… disguise?

The entire Ghost Server team sighed in unison. That level of disguise couldn’t possibly conceal your brilliance, okay?!

Once the past grievances were aired and the old comrade was properly welcomed back, Fang Zheng led the entire legion to the Guild Hall to hold a welcome ceremony for Your Uncle. It consisted of two main parts:

1. A tour of the Legion Warehouse—This allowed the members to boost their confidence and sense of belonging by marveling at the abundant stockpile of materials. In short: showing off. Full name: shameless showing off.

2. Introducing the old and new members to each other—Which basically meant Your Sister and Your Uncle. But honestly, it was hard to tell who was the “new” one and who was the “old” one here.

Drink Your Sister: “Hi.”

Your Uncle: “Uh, hi.”

Drink Your Sister: “You’ve known them for a long time?”

Your Uncle: “Yeah, I was part of the Ghost Server before the merge. Heh.”

Drink Your Sister: “But why do they always curse at you?”

Your Uncle: “Curse at me?”

Drink Your Sister: “‘Your Uncle this, your uncle that.'”

Your Uncle: “Oh, that. Haha, that was my old ID.”

Drink Your Sister: “Ohhh, I see~~~”

Fang Zheng had prepared a whole speech, but was an introduction even necessary now? Absolutely not. The shared naming convention had instantly brought these two kindred spirits together!

Drink Your Sister: “So why did you change your name?”

Your Uncle: “I had some bad luck before, heh. Thought changing my name might turn things around.”

Drink Your Sister: “Did it work?”

Ghost Server’s Your Uncle Victims Association: “Not at all!”

Strangely enough, Your Sister and Your Uncle hit it off. Even after Jiang Yang left to ambush Omen for revenge, Blood Bulls Don’t Graze and 2B Fighter Jet seemingly went on a date, and Birdy disappeared somewhere, the two of them were still sitting in the Guild Hall, chatting away like old friends.

As the Commander, Fang Zheng naturally had to keep an eye on his members’ mental states. But just observing wasn’t enough—he also had to discuss things with the Deputy Commander.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “They’re still talking. So weird.”

[Whisper] Polly: “Not weird.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Huh?”

[Whisper] Polly: “Your Uncle still feels guilty. Your Sister also feels guilty after standing us up and then needing our help. Two guilty people happen to meet someone they don’t need to feel guilty around, so they chat freely.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Birdy, how old are you?”

[Whisper] Polly: “28. Why?”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Have you spent all 28 years of your life in Spectator Mode…?”

[Whisper] Polly: “Pretty much. It’s fun.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “So your inner monologue every day is just, ‘These foolish earthlings’ =_=”

[Whisper] Polly: “Heh. Some are adorably foolish.”

This guy’s existence is even less scientific than Your Uncle’s, damn it!!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “By the way, do you also dislike Your Sister?”

[Whisper] Polly: “It’s not about liking or disliking. If we can play together, great. If not, then we go our separate ways.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “So those things you said—were you serious? Did you really want to drive her away?”

[Whisper] Polly: “Do you want her gone?”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Of course not! I promised Drink I’d take good care of her! If she leaves because of me, how am I supposed to face Drink?”

[Whisper] Polly: “That promise from when you sold the weapon?”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Yeah.”

[Whisper] Polly: “Anything else?”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Huh?”

[Whisper] Polly: “Any other agreements you haven’t shared with the legion? Now’s the time to come clean.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “There really isn’t anything else. I’m here to game, not film a soap opera. How many agreements do you think I have? =_=”

[Whisper] Polly: “Don’t worry. With someone like her, the more you push, the less she’ll leave.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Someone like her…”

What a cold way to refer to her… TAT

[Whisper] Polly: “Stubborn, willful, can’t handle criticism. Unless it’s someone really important, she rarely considers things from others’ perspectives. In short—immature.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Not a single redeeming quality?”

[Whisper] Polly: “If I had to pick one… well, she’s not too much of a drama queen.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “That’s it?”

[Whisper] Polly: “Her APM is decent. If she improves her game sense, she might become a skilled player.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Can’t you focus on something outside the game?!”

[Whisper] Polly: “She’s a woman with a boyfriend. What’s there for me to focus on?”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Alright, you win. =_=”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Suddenly, I’m worried about Drink’s future…”

[Whisper] Polly: “They’re two of a kind. No need for you to worry.”

Is Birdy actually a Spirit Master?! Every sentence is like an “Ice Shatter” to the soul—Fang Zheng felt like he was being frozen to death!

No, he had to counterattack!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “So, after all that, you still wanted to keep Your Sister, right? You were just using reverse psychology.”

[Whisper] Polly: “Yep.”

Admitting it so easily really kills the satisfaction, dude. TAT

Tears streaming down his face, the Ghost Server Legion Leader wanted to grab some water. He lifted his arm halfway, then suddenly seemed to remember something and pulled it back to type instead—

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Then what about me? If I ever wanted to quit the game one day, how would you convince me to stay?”

[Whisper] Polly: “Why would I convince you?”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “You’d convince Your Sister but not me?!”

[Whisper] Polly: “If you really want to leave, it means you don’t find the game fun anymore. Forced reunions aren’t sweet.”

Sometimes forced things can be sweet too, you know? TAT

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “What if I was just pretending to leave? Being tsundere?”

[Whisper] Polly: “If it’s just a momentary brain fart, then sure, that’s possible…”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Exactly! With you roasting me every day, who knows when my fragile heart might shatter into pieces? And when that happens, even if you grovel, I won’t spare you a glance!”

[Whisper] Polly: “Then I won’t grovel.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Excuse me?”

[Whisper] Polly: “I’ll PK you to level zero.”

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “Actually, a shattered heart isn’t a big deal. I’ll just pick up the pieces and glue them back together. [smiling face]”

[Whisper] Polly: “^_^”

A demon! This guy is absolutely a demon!!

Originally, Fang Zheng had wanted to ask what the other was up to, but now there was no need. He whispered Mad Lad right away and went off with him to hunt down Omen for revenge. Mad Lad was thrilled to have another ally and spammed affectionate emotes. Fang Zheng couldn’t be bothered to respond, but his fragile heart was somewhat soothed.

Your Sister and Your Uncle hit it off immediately and chatted away happily. Part of it was their natural chemistry, but it was also tied to Your Sister’s earlier emotions. When Birdy had asked, “Did you feel any satisfaction at all?” she hadn’t answered. Originally, she had been about to say no, but at the last second, she hesitated. From the moment she entered the game to being repeatedly PK’d by Omen, all she had felt in Huaxia Online was disorientation and helplessness. Her tears weren’t from being bullied—she was furious at herself. It was so frustrating to have all this energy but no way to channel it! But just now, watching Omen get ganked by the legion members who came to help, she had felt a tiny thrill. And when the chaotic battle started, it got even better—copying Milk is Mom’s positioning and skill combos, and even accidentally killing someone in the middle of it all… It felt like playing Audition Online on speed 240, hitting dozens of Perfects in a row, and then capping it off with a Fever!

Your Uncle, his initial excitement fading, finally noticed that Your Sister was missing some gear. “Damn, how many pieces did you lose? Ugh, tragic.”

Your Sister opened her Equipment Slots and carefully examined the three empty slots. “One accessory, one shoulder, one wrist.”

“That’s called Shoulderpads and Bracers. The way you said it makes it sound like your account got dismembered.”

“Same difference.”

“Not Legendary Gear, right? You don’t seem too upset.”

“Dunno. They came with the account.”

“You bought the account?”

“Yep.”

“No spare gear?”

“Nope.”

“Ugh, then you gotta get some ASAP. Let me tell you, bad gear drags the whole team down. Once or twice is fine, but if it happens too often, your teammates will start resenting you!”

Fang Zheng overheard this snippet of Your Uncle’s “wise advice.” While he was touched by the guy’s self-awareness, the word “resent” somehow stung.

For some reason, it felt a little… heartbreaking.

Just as he was lost in melancholy, a familiar announcement appeared in World Chat—

[System] Wild Ferry Adrift has obtained Etwell’s Sword of Light.