Chapter 189 – Leadership Is Hard (Part 3)

Fang Zheng had been silently watching Birdy out of the corner of his eye for five minutes. Although his boyfriend was usually expressionless in daily life, that “expressionlessness” still counted as a form of expression. But now, Meng Chudong didn’t even have that—his silent profile resembled a lifeless sculpture.

Fang Zheng didn’t know how to comfort him. After racking his brain, all he could come up with was the useless phrase: “Forget it, don’t take it to heart.”

Meng Chudong finally moved. He turned his head and stared at Fang Zheng for a long moment before calmly replying with two words: “Not possible.”

The tone was Birdy’s trademark calmness, and the look in his eyes was Birdy’s trademark determination. But this time, Fang Zheng unexpectedly sensed anger beneath that calmness and resolve.

He hadn’t been angry when the entire Huaxia Dominion server hunted him down—if it weren’t for the other side pushing him to the point where he had to defend himself, he might have just brushed it off and retired to a peaceful life.

He hadn’t been angry when Thousand Mountains took the top spot on the Summit server either—if it weren’t for his own need for the endgame dungeon strategy, he might never have stepped forward in the end.

But now, he was angry over a level 70 purple-tier material? Fang Zheng didn’t believe it. Even if it was an item that might take a lifetime of luck to obtain, something that was snatched away before he could even savor it, most people might rage, howl at the sky, or even bang their heads against the wall. But Meng Chudong wouldn’t.

A man who could spend half his life fighting monkeys on Mount Emei, a man who wouldn’t rush to put out a fire even if his eyebrows were burning—just like Thousand Mountains, who wouldn’t hesitate to take his own max-level purple-tier weapon for a 40% success rate secondary forging, Meng Chudong wouldn’t let himself be affected by such external things.

So his anger wasn’t about “losing the material,” but about “being robbed,” especially when it was a “one-shot robbery.”

Fang Zheng suddenly felt like slapping himself. “Don’t take it to heart”? How could he not take it to heart?

For someone who considered PK the ultimate essence of the game, being instantly killed without even a chance to fight back—what kind of humiliation was that?

“Sorry.”

The apology was abrupt, but Fang Zheng believed Birdy understood. However, after apologizing, he felt there were some things he had to say. Because this was Birdy, the person closest to him. He didn’t want him to spiral into extremes.

He still preferred the indifferent, expressionless zombie he knew.

“I know you’re not angry about losing the material, but about being one-shot. But I remember you said when you PK’d Thousand Mountains that you weren’t confident in winning—at best, it was fifty-fifty. And Don’t Stop the Meds is Thousand Mountains’ Legion Commander.

If someone as proud as Thousand Mountains is willing to follow his lead, that speaks volumes about his skill.

The world is vast, and there will always be someone better. Even if you hadn’t lost to Don’t Stop the Meds today, there’d be Don’t Stop Tomorrow or Meds Meds Meds the day after tomorrow waiting for you.”

Birdy listened silently, but the fire in his eyes gradually dimmed, replaced by an unreadable emotion.

Fang Zheng knew that emotion—it was “relief,” the kind that came from being understood…

“You really have no talent for naming IDs.”

…Was that really the response he was supposed to give?! After that long speech, all you picked up on were the last few words?!

“But you got one thing right.”

See, there was still wisdom in there.

“Sorry.”

This relationship is impossible!!!

Suppressing the urge to flip the table, Fang Zheng gritted his teeth and humbly asked, “So, if you ignore the beginning and the end, the entire middle section was just nonsense? Then tell me, what are you actually angry about?!”

Meng Chudong smiled. “The material was stolen.”

The Ghost Server Legion Leader finally flipped the table: “Isn’t that exactly what I just said!!!”

The Deputy shook his head. “No, I’m not angry about being one-shot. Don’t Stop the Meds’ skills are indeed better than mine. But he shouldn’t have touched my material.”

Ghost Server Legion Leader: “…”

Deputy: “So the look in my eyes wasn’t relief from being understood—it was exasperation at being misunderstood… Hey, no need to rush to pick up the table, I’m not done yet…”

No need to continue. With his intelligence, he wasn’t qualified to hear the rest. =_=

Damn, the inner world of an expressionless zombie is harder to navigate than an endgame dungeon! Crossplayer! 438! Your Uncle! Sister Blood Bull! 2B! Mad… actually, never mind that one, I miss you guys!! TAT

For the rest of the time, the Ghost Server Legion Leader temporarily forgot about his zombie boyfriend, who was a black hole of complexity, and instead went to bother his adorable teammates. However, the teammates, immersed in the game, didn’t immediately notice the group whisper the Legion Leader had sent in YY: “What’s everyone up to? Is the new zone fun?” So it wasn’t until an hour later that the Ghost Server Legion Leader began receiving responses from his teammates—

2B Fighter Jet: “It’s okay. The pros are all in the Guild War zone. I haven’t run into any yet.”

Crossplayer’s Blessing: “It’s so fun! You can’t see names here—it feels like a masquerade ball, hahaha!”

Refined Into a Demon 715: “I’ve gathered a lot of materials and was about to sell them. Legion Leader, let me know if you want any—I’ll give you priority!”

Drink Your Sister 3X: “I’m currently in a party with another man. I don’t feel like answering whether it’s fun or not. =_=”

Little Lucky Charm: “It’s not fun at all! I’m so mad right now!!!”

Sister Blood Bull and Mad Lad didn’t reply because they were offline.

The Ghost Server Legion Leader first encouraged 2B that good things come to those who wait, then wished Crossplayer a fun time. After looking at the material screenshots 438 sent, he decisively suggested selling them all in bulk and gave Your Sister a virtual head pat. Finally, he consoled Your Uncle, telling him to vent his anger where it mattered while silently lighting a candle for Las Vegas in his heart.

By then, it was already 10 PM. Fang Zheng had given himself a two-hour break—not just because of the emotional toll of Birdy’s sharp tongue, but also to soothe the pain of losing the material (that was a top-tier purple material, damn it, Don’t Stop the Meds, I hate you! TAT).

As for what Birdy had been doing during this time, he had no idea. The Sailor Zone didn’t allow partying, and after falling into a trap, only the involved players could PK each other. Whether they were together or not didn’t matter. Besides, it was clear Birdy was determined to reclaim the material, so they had long since gone their separate ways, each with their own plans.

Fang Zheng had also considered going after Don’t Stop the Meds—maybe setting a trap or something. But first, he genuinely didn’t have confidence in winning. Forget winning—he didn’t even have a 50% chance. The thought that the outcome might just be a losing battle made him hesitate. Second, since Birdy was determined to reclaim the material, this was “Birdy’s war.” He trusted Birdy, so he wouldn’t advise, question, or interfere.

But silently keeping an eye on things wasn’t against the rules—

[Flagship Total Score Leaderboard]

No.1—[Dutch Chamber of Commerce] Don’t Stop the Meds — 860 points

No.2—[Windmill Faction] X — 710 points

No.3—[Iceborn] ice Iceborn — 710 points

No.4—[War Banner] War-Snow Wolf — 690 points

No.5—……

……

No.22—[Ghost Server Legion] Milk is Mom — 600 points

No.22—[Meteor] Big H — 600 points

No.22—[Galloping Through the Yellow Sands] March to Liangzhou — 600 points

……

No.222—[Ghost Server Legion] Polly — 300 points

……

When they had sheathed their blades in the Pirate Zone, most players were already at 600 points or higher. Now, two hours later, Don’t Stop the Meds had unsurprisingly taken the top spot on the leaderboard. Even though the Perfect Storm had docked much later than the other ships, this point system—where you could gain or lose points—objectively reflected player skill. As for players like him, Big H, and March, whose points hadn’t changed at all, they had clearly done nothing in those two hours—either AFK doing other things or outright logged off. But here was the question: What the hell had Meng Chudong been doing in those two hours?! Did you take your points to Las Vegas to find Your Uncle?! He’s in a bad mood—don’t provoke him!!!

[Whisper] Polly: “Go to the Item Mall and buy some stamps.”

Huh? Why is he talking now? If you’re gonna play the aloof card, commit to it—don’t mind the sound of ten thousand alpacas galloping through my heart… Wait, what stamps? That’s such an abrupt topic change. =_=

Griping aside, faced with his boyfriend’s resolute, firm, and dashing profile, the spineless Milk Mom obediently minimized the game and entered the Item Mall to buy five stamps.

The moment the payment went through, Milk is Mom received a gift package from the mall. Double-clicking to open it and selecting “Receive,” the five stamps remained stubbornly in a stack rather than entering his inventory. Fang Zheng only then realized his inventory was full.

The Ghost Server Legion Leader’s inventory had always been a general store. Aside from a barely passable set of DPS gear (the Legion Leader mainly focused on healing, so DPS gear was just an afterthought), the bulk of his inventory consisted of potions and materials picked up from mobs—the former inferior to those sold in shops, the latter barely worth a couple of Huaxia Coins when sold to a general store. The key issue was that the Ghost Server Legion Leader was too lazy to sell them, so whenever his inventory filled up, he’d just discard the useless stuff.

But this time was different. Right in front of him was a general store. Even if everything was junk, why throw it away when he could sell it with a single click? So the healer happily hopped inside, sold the junk, and even bought ten Immortal-Binding Ropes before merrily skipping out—

[System] Scholar Lu used Immortal-Binding Rope on Milk is Mom.

Damn, setting up a trap right outside the store is just evil! Can’t we shop in peace?!

The social critique didn’t stop Milk is Mom from casting Trickling Stream on himself. In a PK where victory was determined by remaining HP, a skill that continuously restored HP was like soft armor. After Trickling Stream, Milk is Mom immediately began chanting Crimson Lotus Holy Fire—soft armor could only ensure he didn’t lose, but to win, he needed offensive skills!

But at that moment, the Spirit Master’s fire dragon arrived!

Crimson Lotus Holy Fire was interrupted, and Fang Zheng’s HP dropped by a third—no, more than a third! And because of the skill’s damage-over-time effect, the HP restored by Trickling Stream was immediately negated, rendering it useless!

The fire dragon was the Spirit Master’s most basic insta-cast skill, and its damage-over-time nature meant its initial damage was negligible. But now, ignoring the subsequent damage, the first hit alone had taken out a third of his HP—that wasn’t right! He was a healer, not a squishy magic class!

Yet the battle left no room for overthinking. Fang Zheng instantly cast Silent Nourishment on himself, seamlessly followed by a double combo—Willow Leaf Blade + Five Animals Play! Scholar Lu’s HP dropped from full to two-thirds in an instant!

Fang Zheng’s eyes widened. He was a Wandering Physician, a healer. Even if he’d allocated some skill points to offense, he was still primarily a support class. How could two minor skills take out 30% of a fully geared Spirit Master’s HP? Sure, Spirit Masters were squishy, but they shouldn’t be this fragile!

Unless…

Scenes of the Pirate Zone’s gang-up battles flashed through Fang Zheng’s mind. Finally, in the midst of those flashes, he caught a glimpse of Scholar Lu. Two skills to take down one player—like slicing melons and chopping vegetables. But sometimes, he’d also get one-shot by a big skill. Offense terrifyingly strong, defense heartbreakingly weak. There was only one explanation: Scholar Lu had dumped all his skill points into offense, with zero consideration for defense. This was a damage-dealing maniac!

Just as Fang Zheng was labeling the guy’s build, the berserk Spirit Master began chanting the class’s single-target nuke—Blizzard Gale.

This was bad!

Trickling Stream and the fire dragon’s HP adjustments had mostly canceled each other out, so after Silent Nourishment, Fang Zheng was at 75% HP. Taking a Blizzard Gale at this HP would definitely drop him below 50%, so he had to heal—and it had to be an insta-heal! Meanwhile, Scholar Lu, either confident in his victory or completely unconcerned with anything but offense, hadn’t used any potions and was still at two-thirds HP. So while healing himself, Fang Zheng could also attack! Although timing-wise, there was an 80% chance Crimson Lotus Holy Fire would be interrupted by Blizzard Gale, the only insta-cast skill without a cooldown was unaffected!

[Combat] Milk is Mom used Ten Thousand Blossoms.

[Combat] Milk is Mom used Zephyr Jinx.

The Ghost Server Legion Leader’s HP instantly maxed out, while the Spirit Master’s HP teetered near the 50% mark!

At the same time, Blizzard Gale landed, dropping Fang Zheng’s HP to around 55%!

All insta-cast offensive skills were on cooldown. Without hesitation, Milk is Mom began chanting Crimson Lotus Holy Fire! If Scholar Lu wanted to interrupt him, he’d have to use one of his two insta-cast minor attacks—Ice Shatter or Thunderclap—because his big skills required chanting and wouldn’t land before Crimson Lotus Holy Fire finished. But unlike the fire dragon, which inflicted damage over time, the purely offensive Ice Shatter and Thunderclap had a low chance of interrupting Crimson Lotus Holy Fire! And Crimson Lotus Holy Fire would definitely drop the enemy’s HP below the danger line! Fang Zheng was betting everything on this move!

[Combat] Scholar Lu used Sleep.

Using a crowd-control skill in such a heated PK is cheating!!!

[Combat] Scholar Lu used Cactusfication.

And you’re using two in a row—am I really that hard to lock down?!

[Combat] Scholar Lu used Phoenix Rebirth.

Dude, you only need to take out 5% more of my HP to win—no need for such a big move…

[Combat] Milk is Mom has died.

Death wasn’t humiliating. What was humiliating was being corpse-looted afterward—and not being allowed to leave until something valuable was found. TAT

[Megaphone] Milk is Mom: “Handsome, even though my body is full of treasures, there’s no need to be so thorough, right? You’ve been picking for almost ten minutes—I still need to respawn~~~”

The Spirit Master, who had been standing still for ten minutes, finally moved—jumping up and down on the healer’s corpse!

[Local] Scholar Lu: “T-r-e-a-s-u-r-e-s?! You mean potions and stamps?!!”

[Megaphone] Milk is Mom: “That’s not my fault! You showed up at the wrong time—I just sold everything at the store. Geez, with so many lists, why fixate on my inventory?~~~~ There’s also the Legion Warehouse~~~~”

[Local] Scholar Lu: “T-r-e-a-s-u-r-e-s?! You mean camouflage outfits or crocs?!!”

[Megaphone] Milk is Mom: “That’s not my fault! You showed up at the wrong time—I just cleared out the Legion Warehouse for one of our whale teammates to use as a closet. Geez, with so many lists, why fixate on the Legion Warehouse?~~~~ There’s also the zone rewards~~~~”

[Local] Scholar Lu: “You only got twenty Legion Honor points! And it took eighteen separate instances!!!”

—The theft system’s rewards were calculated based on each system reward the player received as a separate entry.

[Megaphone] Milk is Mom: “Geez, gaming is all about having fun—why so serious?~\(≧▽≦)/~”

To say there wasn’t a single valuable item would be unfair to Scholar Lu. There was at least the Golden Hoop. Sure, it was only level 55, but that 3% chance to resurrect upon death still outclassed 99% of accessories. If he could refine it someday with better materials and level it up, it’d be a top-tier item among top-tier items. But this sole valuable item was currently on his head—neither part of his inventory nor the Legion Warehouse, nor was it obtained after entering the zone, so no one could steal it… Ah, thinking about it like this really fills me with security. >_<

Scholar Lu couldn’t perceive the healer’s inner monologue because his own emotions were in turmoil—apparently, even thieves need standards when picking targets, or else the total loot won’t even cover the cost of an Immortal-Binding Rope!!!

After a difficult decision, Scholar Lu ultimately left with 10 points and a single Huaxia Stamp, sulking all the way.

Fang Zheng was finally allowed to respawn at the revival point.

The weakened little healer had just barely rematerialized when he received a summons from his boyfriend—

[Whisper] Polly: “Mail me the Golden Hoop.”

The purpose of the stamps was now clear, but another question arose. While the Golden Hoop could increase max HP, compared to a level 70 accessory, it offered almost no equipment advantages. Its sole standout feature—the chance to resurrect—was meaningless in the Sailor Zone’s half-HP PKs. Of course, Birdy might have other plans for it and not necessarily equip it himself. But if he didn’t equip it and just carried it in his inventory… Going from 300 points to 290 in the blink of an eye, the danger level of his male god seemed alarmingly high. =_=

[System] Milk is Mom used Stamp.