Chapter 177 – The Great (trash?) Ship Sets Sail (Part 3)

The uninvited guest’s party invitation and the sentimental reminiscing didn’t delay Fang Zheng and Birdy’s journey. As they talked, the two quickly arrived at the shore and finally understood why the previously lazy Hermit Island had suddenly been flooded with so many eager warriors looking to team up.

A short wooden bridge extended about twenty meters from the beach into the coast. Beneath the end of the bridge was tied the only small boat that could reach the Twenty-Three Crossings. The waves lapped rhythmically, causing the boat to sway gently as if beckoning to the people. On one side were the people, on the other, the boat, separated by the shallow coast and the wooden bridge—a scene as peaceful and harmonious as a computer wallpaper… if not for the densely packed, wriggling Skeleton Soldiers covering the beach.

Come to think of it, the dense wriggling wasn’t limited to just the Skeleton Soldiers. Between the skeletons and the Ghost Server leaders, there was also a dense crowd of Hermit Island “friends” who had been heard but never seen =_=

[Local] Milk is Mom: Uh, can I ask what you’re all gathered here to watch?

[Local] Yang Xiuyuan: Can’t you see for yourself? We’re waiting for more people to team up and fight these mobs.

[Local] Milk is Mom: Uh, based on my experience so far, these mobs don’t seem like the kind you need to wait for more people to fight.

[Local] Random: Then why don’t you go try one yourself.

Fang Zheng frowned. While he was impulsive, he wasn’t stupid, nor did he act out of spite. If so many people were standing here watching, it was definitely because someone had already tried and failed. Otherwise, they would’ve already fought their way through and boarded the boat to escape—why would a dozen people be squatting by the shore watching the waves?

“I’ll go.” Meng Chudong suddenly spoke up.

“Wait!” Fang Zheng hurriedly stopped him. “If even a whole group of people can’t get through, these mobs must be completely different from the ones before. You’ll just be throwing your life away if you go alone.”

“We’ll have to fight them sooner or later. If we don’t scout them out, we won’t be able to come up with a plan to break through. Or do you want to stay in Easy Mode for all three days?”

“Of course not!”

“Exactly. Otherwise, we won’t get to meet Deep Mountain Old Well and Trick or Kill.”

The Death Note isn’t the point here, okay?! =_=

Meng Chudong typed fast, but his actions were even faster. In the blink of an eye, he had already flipped over the crowd and landed on the beach. However, he didn’t attack recklessly—he deliberately chose the edge of the mob cluster to engage. Though he immediately drew aggro from six or seven mobs, his escape speed was even faster, so he didn’t end up surrounded by the mobs. Instead, he led the four or five closest mobs away from the main group, running toward the other end of the beach.

Only after putting a safe distance between himself and the main mob cluster did Birdy stop, turn around, and unleash Hellfire on the nearest Skeleton Soldier! The skeleton took the flames head-on—and immediately died!

Uh… huh?!

Fang Zheng blinked hard twice. No mistake, it was really dead—killed by the zombie’s single-target attack. What the hell was the difference between these mobs and the weaklings from before?!?!

The remaining four mobs didn’t slow the zombie down. After Hellfire came Netherworld Ghostly Claws!

Another Skeleton Soldier fell, but the other three skeletons’ attacks also landed. Birdy instinctively dodged one, but the other two struck him squarely. Fang Zheng watched as Birdy’s HP bar was wiped out in two hits—just two, one hit taking half his HP!

The satisfied Skeleton Soldiers strutted away, leaving the little zombie’s corpse lying pitifully on the distant beach.

Meng Chudong remained calm: “Low defense, high attack.”

Fang Zheng grumbled, “I saw. And they’ve got no sense of honor—they gang up on you. There’s no way a dozen people can break through.”

To win against greater numbers, you either needed terrain advantages to lure small groups for isolated takedowns or sheer combat prowess to take on a hundred at once. But this beach offered no terrain advantages, and in terms of combat power, even if all dozen people attacked at once with AoE skills, they’d only wipe out half of them at best. The remaining ones would still be enough to kill them all with physical attacks in the next second.

While Fang Zheng was talking, Milk is Mom wasn’t idle either, scurrying over to Birdy’s side and casting Resurrection.

The zombie had just revived when he received a party invite from Snow Wolf—except this wasn’t a party but a 14-player team. Looking around, the IDs of all the members were faintly visible on the beach =_=

[Wandering the Four Seas][No Entry] Yang Xiuyuan, Random

[Dragon Soars Tiger Roars][Fatty’s BBQ] Fatty Feng, Waiter Chen

[Return of the King][Imperial Observatory] Purple Star Lord, White Peony

[Illusory Peach Blossom Spring][Cretaceous] Trilobite, Silver-Tongued

[Fairy Dreamland][The Lord of the Rings] Elf King, Dobby

[Huaxia Summit][War Banner] War-Snow Wolf, War-Black Gold

[Team] Milk is Mom: Huh? War Banner, you guys are here too? Then why didn’t you respond when I was shouting in World Chat for so long~

[Team] War-Snow Wolf: ……

[Team] War-Black Gold: We were trying to keep a low profile.

[Team] Milk is Mom: Oh, right. Actually, I’m a pretty low-key person too.

As if!!

But now that they were teammates, they had to make the best of it. Overcoming the current crisis was the top priority—

[Team] War-Snow Wolf: It’s 2 a.m. now. I’m guessing Easy Mode only has us left. Let’s figure out what to do.

[Team] Fatty Feng: Hey, Polly, you just went to test it, right? I saw your moves—you’re clearly a pro gamer. Got any constructive suggestions?

[Team] Polly: Let’s hear your thoughts first. You guys got here earlier.

[Team] Trilobite: Well…

[Team] Dobby: If we had a plan, we wouldn’t still be here! [facepalm][facepalm]

Why the sudden cutesy act at a time like this? =_=

Fang Zheng swallowed hard, an inexplicable sense of foreboding creeping up on him.

[Team] White Peony: Let’s be blunt. Most of us small guilds are casual players. If we really wanted to PVP, we’d have joined the big guilds. So, fighting mobs and whatnot… isn’t really our forte.

[Team] Purple Star Lord: But you guys are different! I’ve seen your posts on the forums. You’re a legendary guild—you were amazing in cross-server PVP, and during the Huaxia Summit endgame dungeon interviews, several people involved said you were the key to success!

[Team] Milk is Mom: I’m happy you’re paying attention to us and all…

But why do I feel like the road ahead is gonna be rough? =_=

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Were they like this before we joined?

[Whisper] War-Snow Wolf: Yep. At first, it was just two or three, but since you guys took so long to arrive, the rest all turned into your fanboys through word of mouth.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: Hey, hey, what’s that supposed to mean? Just because they like me doesn’t mean they’re fanboys.

[Whisper] War-Snow Wolf: Fans they may be, but their combat awareness is brain-dead.

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: ……

Snow Wolf’s words were confirmed repeatedly over the next hour—up, down, left, right, A, B, start—in every possible way.

The trigger was Birdy coming up with a plan—since the goal was to board the boat, why bother clearing the mobs? Just lure them away, then get on the boat and sail off.

Following this logic, Birdy devised a meticulous strategy: he would lure the mobs, keeping them at a distance while constantly running. Once the mobs were far enough away, the rest of the team would rush onto the bridge and board the boat. Then, he would die, the team’s Blesscaller Elf King would cast Remote Resurrection, and Birdy would revive directly on the boat, allowing the group to sail away.

However, as soon as this plan was proposed, it was met with opposition. The reason? Snow Wolf had already thought of it before they arrived and had led the team in multiple attempoints—but each time, tragedy struck for different reasons. Thus, everyone concluded that the plan was unworkable.

Birdy ignored the others and messaged Snow Wolf directly—

[Whisper] Polly: Really doesn’t work?

[Whisper] War-Snow Wolf: It’s not the plan that’s the problem—it’s them! These guys are a bunch of freaks!!!

[Whisper] Polly: OK.

[Team] Polly: I wasn’t here for the earlier attempoints, so I don’t know exactly where the plan failed. But since this is Easy Mode, it shouldn’t be too unforgiving. Anyway, we don’t have a second plan, so let’s try this again.

What OK? Where was it OK? It was completely NOT OK!!!

The anguished cries of Snow Wolf couldn’t sway the stubborn Ghost Server Deputy Commander. Thus, the blood-and-tear path of mob-luring once tread by War Banner now bore the footprints of the Ghost Server leaders.

First attempt: Before Polly could successfully lure all the mobs to a safe distance, Trilobite recklessly ran for the boat, drawing the attention of the last two rows of mobs, who promptly swarmed and killed him on the spot. Silver-Tongued immediately resurrected his guild leader—only for that row of mobs to turn around and attack him. Since Silver-Tongued was still with the main group, a bloody battle ensued. Five people managed to escape, but only because they had healers and a Blesscaller to preserve the spark of revolution.

Second attempt: Polly successfully lured all the mobs away, and the main group excitedly rushed toward the bridge. Yang Xiuyuan accidentally pressed the Bloody Sandstorm hotkey, instantly wiping out a dozen Skeleton Soldiers—and causing the rest to retaliate en masse. This time, the group had learned their lesson: just run. They escaped without shedding a drop of blood… except for Yang Xiuyuan, who would forever rest in peace at the scene of his misclick. Thus, the second attempt failed.

Third attempt: Polly successfully lured the mobs away, and most of the team seized the opportunity to board the bridge. However, White Peony, the last in line, stood at the bridgehead and turned back to cheer, “Zombie, you’re amazing!” The problem? She wasn’t typing from the distant end of the bridge—she was still at the entrance. As soon as she sent the message, Birdy happened to circle back with the mob horde in tow, and the skeletons began boarding the bridge…

Fourth attempt…

Fifth attempt…

After the tenth attempt…

The Ghost Server Legion Leader began to miss his beloved teammates.

Meanwhile, the Ghost Server Deputy Commander reflected: “The true King of Screwing Up isn’t Your Uncle—we wronged him.”

[Team] Waiter Chen: No more, no more. We told you this wouldn’t work. Let’s stop.

[Team] Elf King: Too exhausting. Let’s take a break.

[Team] Purple Star Lord: Yeah, let’s think of something else.

Fang Zheng was awestruck. Birdy wasn’t even complaining about exhaustion, yet these guys were? These were casual players? The standard for casual players—Refined Into a Demon’s 715 work ethic—would weep if it heard this!!

[Team] Polly: One last time. If this fails, I’ll give up.

[Team] Elf King: After so many tries, you think one more will succeed?

[Team] Polly: Fine, don’t come. Then just you and Dobby team up with us. Honestly, I only need a Blesscaller.

[Team] Elf King: Let me get this straight—if Milk is Mom were a Blesscaller, you two would’ve used this strategy from the start and never teamed up with us?

[Team] Polly: Obviously.

[Team] White Peony: So you teamed up with us out of the goodness of your heart, to help everyone escape?

[Team] Polly: Ah, so our team does have someone with insight~

Red alarms blared in Fang Zheng’s head—Birdy was pissed. Poisonous Tongue Mode activated. High alert—TAT

[Team] Fatty Feng: Hey, no need to be like that. You might be good, but we’re not freeloaders either.

[Team] Polly: I know. Freeloaders would’ve been more useful.

[Team] Random: Can’t we just play nice?!

[Team] Polly: That’s a complicated question.

[Team] Silver-Tongued: Don’t stop me—I’m gonna punch him!

[Team] Polly: [screenshot] No one’s stopping you.

[Team] Dobby: We’re sorry, oh great one. Please spare us TAT

[Team] Polly: Fine. One last try, buddies~

This was a one-sided massacre. The outcome was never in doubt.

Birdy closed his eyes and meditated for two minutes—perhaps recalling past failures or simulating possible scenarios. Whatever the case, no one else was allowed to move, let alone use skills. Even if an opening appeared, no one was to rush for the boat. Everything hinged on Birdy’s command, with Fang Zheng and War Banner keeping watch to ensure compliance.

Two minutes later, Birdy dashed straight into the mob cluster!

The mobs swarmed him, but he dodged and weaved, likely having consumed some defense-boosting food. He didn’t attack, and soon his HP bar was nearly empty!

Everyone’s hearts leapt into their throats, but they knew Birdy must be saving some killer move for a last stand!

[Combat] Polly has died.

DAMN, THAT WAS FAST!!!!!!!!

[Team] Polly: Got it. Test OK. Elf King, resurrect me. Time for the real deal.

What OK? Where was it OK? It was completely NOT OK!!! Since when was this a test? Don’t bully me just because I didn’t go to school!!!!

[Team] Polly: Hm?

[Team] Elf King: If the test was OK, that’s great. I’ll resurrect you now. Hurry up and start for real (*^__^*)

[Team] Yang Xiuyuan: Suddenly feeling so tired…

[Team] War-Snow Wolf: That’s what WE should be saying!!!

The second time, Birdy didn’t meditate at all. At full HP, he leapt straight back into the mob cluster, exactly like before.

The entire team now understood Yang Xiuyuan’s “sudden exhaustion.” Even Fang Zheng couldn’t tell if Birdy actually had a plan or was just screwing with them =_=

Same flips.

Same dodges.

Same HP and defense buffs.

Same HP draining rapidly.

Same one more hit and he’d be done for… huh?

He was on his last drop of HP, and he did take another hit—but the zombie didn’t die!

Teammates were stunned. The mobs were stunned. Though more and more skeletons gathered to whale on the motionless zombie, that last drop of HP refused to budge.

Fang Zheng vaguely understood and checked the combat log—

[Combat] Polly uses Solid as a Rock!

He’d almost forgotten Birdy had this ace up his sleeve! The repeated deaths had helped him gauge the damage pattern, the earlier meditation was strategizing, and now, after two practice runs—success!

[Team] Silver-Tongued: Holy shit, that was godly.

[Team] Dobby: What just happened?

[Team] Trilobite: The zombie’s ultimate, Solid as a Rock. Definitely a pro move. Ah, never mind—you wouldn’t get it.

[Team] Polly: Can we board the boat before chatting? ^_^

Even if Polly had failed, that smile would’ve been lethal enough. The team fell silent and filed onto the bridge.

This time, with Birdy firmly holding aggro and positioned far from the bridge, the twelve liabilities and his beloved finally reached the bridgehead safely, boarding the long-awaited dinghy one by one.

After ten minutes of swaying on the boat, Solid as a Rock finally wore off, and Birdy bit the dust. Fang Zheng was about to tell Elf King to wait until aggro reset and the mobs returned to their positions before resurrecting—but he was too late. Fortunately, Birdy was yoinked—summoned directly onto the boat, and the mobs still had to run over from a distance. Team Leader Snow Wolf decisively grabbed the oars, and the boat leisurely sailed into the sea.

From Hermit Island to the Twenty-Three Crossings, not a word was spoken in the team.

First, everyone was exhausted—mentally, that is. Second, the journey from Hermit Island to the Twenty-Three Crossings took all of five seconds—just a loading screen, really. What’s there to delay? ╮(╯_╰)╭

As the convergence point for two player streams, the Twenty-Three Crossings was far grander than Hermit Island’s rickety bridge in terms of scale, scenery, and NPCs. Only here did one truly feel the grandeur of the Flagship.

Three colossal ships were moored at the port, their opulent, vintage designs shining like relics of the Age of Sail. Yet differences existed even among them: the first was the largest and most luxurious, the second slightly less so, and the third even more modest. Each had a gangplank lowered to the shore, where an old sailor stood waiting.

Fang Zheng approached the first sailor and clicked to interact—

[System] John: Welcome aboard the Perfect Storm (0/50). Will you begin your grand voyage here? Yes/No?

Fang Zheng didn’t choose yet. He moved to the second ship—

[System] Johnny: Welcome aboard The Prince (0/25). Will you begin your thrilling voyage here? Yes/No?

The third ship was no exception—

[System] Jim: Welcome aboard The Old Man and the Sea (0/5). Will you begin your voyage here? Yes/No?

Unlike the earlier assembly mode, this one didn’t restrict guild size—players could choose freely. Ships would depart once full, and new empty ones would spawn for the next batch. Judging by the current state, either no one from Hard Mode had reached the port yet, or they’d already boarded and sailed, necessitating fresh ships. Otherwise, there was no way all three ships would still be at zero passengers.

The game’s design was now clear: three ships, three tiers, requiring 50, 25, and 5 players respectively. Their corresponding difficulty levels and rewards also differed—the more players, the harder the challenge and the grander the voyage; the middle option was slightly easier, offering a “thrilling” voyage; the smallest was the simplest, with no descriptors beyond “voyage” =_=

For Fang Zheng and Birdy, the choice was obvious. The harder the game, the more fun. Besides, the big guilds from Skull Island—or rather, the entire Flagship’s first-tier players—would undoubtedly pick the 50-player option. Just thinking about it got them excited~\(≧▽≦)/~

Not all their teammates shared this enthusiasm, however—

[Team] Yang Xiuyuan: After some thought, the 25-player one seems best. Anyone joining me?

[Team] Trilobite: Let’s just do the 5-player one.

[Team] Elf King: I’m going for 5 too.

[Team] White Peony: 5 is too few. We’ll take 25. What about Dragon Soars Tiger Roars?

[Team] Fatty Feng: You guys go ahead. We’ll think about it.

[Team] Random: Guess this is where we part ways. Farewell, brothers.

[System] War-Snow Wolf has disbanded the team.

Fang Zheng sincerely wished these once-comrades well, but he had to admit—he wasn’t exactly heartbroken to see them go =_=

The former teammates scattered, leaving only the Ghost Server and War Banner members staring at each other.

[Local] War-Snow Wolf: Which one are you picking?

[Local] Milk is Mom: The 50-player one. You?

[Local] War-Snow Wolf: Still thinking.

[Local] Milk is Mom: What’s there to think about? More people means more fun, and the rewards are better.

[Local] War-Black Gold: Better rewards don’t mean you’ll get them. Holy Light Sanctuary, Flame of the Gods, Frostbite Canyon, Silent Fortress—they’re all running multiple sub-teams now. Their guild leaders and deputies alone could fill half the ship.

[Local] Milk is Mom: Aren’t you tired overthinking this? Whatever, suit yourself. I’m boarding first—can’t wait to see what’s up there~~~~~~~

[Skull Island, Coords (0,60)]

[Party] Deep Mountain Old Well: Damn, this ship is impossible to board! What kind of game design is this?!

[Party] Left Eye Sees Ghosts: Boarding isn’t the hard part—it’s clearing the mobs.

[Party] One Night Resurrection: Clearing mobs isn’t the hard part—it’s clearing the players!

[Party] Blue Skeleton: Shit, Outer Flame is relentless!

[Party] Trick or Kill: Dutch Chamber of Commerce is no pushover either!

[Party] Jigsaw: Insidious, you about to die??

[Flagship] Insidious: Five Peaks Pavilion’s Nicknamed White Dragon Horse, I’LL REMEMBER YOU!!!

[Flagship] ice Iceborn: Guys, fighting like this isn’t solving anything. What’s the point of racing to board first? Why don’t we just form a team, clear the mobs properly, and board at our leisure?

[Flagship] Carved in Bone: I think that’s a great idea.

[Flagship] Big H: But what if the first to board gets rewards~~

[Flagship] Little Willow: ……

[Flagship] Summit of Mount Tai: ……

[Flagship] Silent Hill: ……

[Flagship] Big H: Uh, just kidding! Surely the GMs aren’t as petty as me, valuing competition over teamwork, hahahaha~~~~~~

[System] Congratulations, Trilobite has become the first passenger of The Old Man and the Sea, earning 20 points!

[System] Congratulations, Yang Xiuyuan has become the first passenger of The Prince, earning 50 points!

[System] Congratulations, Milk is Mom has become the first passenger of Perfect Storm, earning 100 points!

Beijing Time 03:17:08

[Flagship Total Score Leaderboard]

No.1—[Ghost Server Legion] Milk is Mom 100 points

No.2—[No Entry] Yang Xiuyuan 50 points

No.3—[Cretaceous] Trilobite 20 points

No.4—[Silence] Silent Hill 0 points

No.4—[Silence] Insidious 0 points

No.4—[Alibaba] Money on Arrival 0 points

No.4—[Alibaba] Small Loan 0 points

No.4—[Peaceful Incense] Dream Creek 0 points

No.4—[Peaceful Incense] Fallen Blossoms 0 points

No.4—……

No.4—……

The Flagship’s strong guild reward mechanics had made the pro gamers forget one crucial detail: there was another type of points more important than guild XP, guild points, guild emblems, or guild warehouses—because only by reaching 500 of these points could they reunite with their teammates… or wait out the full three days.