Chapter 202 – A Match Made in Heaven

Fang Zheng’s team arrived at the Emerald Kingdom’s royal palace right after Drink Till You Drop’s team. In fact, they had already encountered each other at the 56% progress mark. By then, the quest to find the wise man had been completed.

From the wise man, they learned that to restore the Stone Prince to human form, aside from the witch lifting the curse herself, they could also seek a gem capable of breaking any curse in the world—and this gem was set in the crown of the Emerald Kingdom’s king. Thus, they made their way to the outskirts of the Emerald Kingdom, where they ran into Drink.

At the time, Drink was already teamed up with War Banner and the others, and Fang Zheng naturally learned from Drink that there would soon be a quest requiring a twenty-player team. Drink advised Fang Zheng to plan ahead like he had and start forming alliances early, but Fang Zheng didn’t follow suit. He believed that fate had a way of working things out and that the heavens would surely arrange the perfect partners for a kind soul like him. He was a firm believer!

Filled with boundless hope for the future, Fang Zheng led his little group through quest after quest until they reached the Emerald Kingdom’s royal palace, where they saw the lonely Dutch Chamber of Commerce in the grand hall…

…and then… he became a staunch atheist.

Your Sister: “Commander, do we have any other options?”

Fang Zheng: “You don’t want to team up with them either?”

Crossplayer: “Why did you say ‘either’…”

Mad Lad: “Healer, are we teaming up or not? If not, I’m gonna attack. There were too many people in the last brawl, and I never got to settle things with that Denmark or Norway guy!”

Your Uncle: “You mean Dutch Souvenir, right? …Wait, I think I see someone familiar.”

Passing Master: “What a coincidence, I see someone too. Assassin, take a closer look—isn’t that No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains?”

438: “Commander, it looks like Don’t Stop the Meds has spotted us…”

[Local] Milk is Mom: Yao Yao, why are you still here? Could it be no one wants to play with you? Hahahaha~~~~~~

Beneath the endless tildes hid the Ghost Server Legion Leader’s sorrowful heart.

If Fang Zheng had to choose the team he least wanted to cooperate with in all of Huaxia Online, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce would rank second—only Outer Flame could possibly take the top spot.

On a broad level, Don’t Stop the Meds wanted to dominate all of Huaxia, an ideology Fang Zheng despised. Playing games was about fun—what was the point if everything was unified? If the entire game was just one big happy family, who would he even troll?

On a narrower level, during the Dimensional Rift event, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce had humiliated the Summit server like dogs. Though the number of times their city walls were flag-planted was fewer than other servers, they had still been flag-planted. It was like having someone spit in your face—the physical damage was minimal, but the humiliation was off the charts. What made it worse was that this grudge remained unavenged to this day.

On a personal level, Don’t Stop the Meds had repeatedly tried to recruit Birdy into his ranks. This act of digging under the wall (flirting with his BF) was something even an aunt couldn’t tolerate, let alone an uncle. Additionally, stealing Birdy’s materials on the Flagship and chasing Fang Zheng all over the PK arena were heavy marks on the ledger of sins.

In summary, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce would forever remain on the Ghost Server Legion’s blocklist!

As for the blocklist settings, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce’s leader and the Ghost Server Legion’s leader were of one mind.

Don’t Stop the Meds had long since gained a comprehensive understanding of the Ghost Server Legion’s strength while keeping tabs on Polly. Whether it was their behind-the-scenes heroics in endgame dungeons or their clashes during the Dimensional Rift, he knew that despite their small numbers, this legion was formidable.

Had it not been for the Flagship incident, Don’t Stop the Meds might not have rejected the idea of cooperation, even if he couldn’t recruit them. But the Flagship was an undeniable reality—no one could erase the “love-hate entanglement” between him and the legion’s deputy in the canyon or the “intimate exchanges” with their leader in the PK arena.

If he could bring them under the Dutch Chamber of Commerce as a branch, issuing orders while they executed them, everything would be perfect. They might even become his secret weapon in unifying Huaxia.

But if they were to stand as equals, forming a joint team as brotherly allies, then, whether logically or emotionally, it was far from an ideal choice.

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “How could that be? Plenty of teams want to ally with us—I just turned them all down.”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “Then why are Iceborn and Silent Fortress fighting together, Drink and War Banner’s Everything Breaks fighting together, while you’re left all alone?~~~~”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “We’re not alone—we just never planned to form a joint team.”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “Oh my~ We actually have a telepathic connection this time!”

[Team] X: “Boss Yao is bluffing again.”

[Team] Rain Ceases: “Being rejected is pretty embarrassing to admit.”

[Team] Mocha: “I’m only concerned about whether these Ghost Server guys can really clear it with ten people.”

[Team] Little Willow: “Don’t listen to their nonsense.”

[Team] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “Not necessarily.”

438: “No joint team? Is the commander bluffing?”

Mad Lad: “Definitely.”

Your Sister: “One hundred percent.”

Fang Zheng: “Is there any reason to doubt it?”

Everyone: “…You don’t need to chime in too!!!”

“But the bluff’s already out there,” Fang Zheng sighed. “You gotta finish the bluff you started, even if it hurts~~~”

All the male members of the team felt a subtle twinge in a certain sensitive area at the drawn-out lilt of their leader’s voice. =_=

The culprit remained oblivious, seriously considering the feasibility of a ten-man boss push: “We have three zombies. If we take turns using Solid as a Rock, we might just pull it off.”

Birdy, who had been observing the casualties of the two joint teams in the palace, finally spoke up: “Triggering Solid as a Rock isn’t hard, but the key is knowing when to trigger it. So we need to figure out the boss’s skill pattern.”

Your Sister: “Easy. Let me ask Drink.”

March: “They’re in the middle of a fierce battle right now—they won’t have time to reply. Ask after they’re done.”

Your Sister: “Who knows how much HP the boss has left? It could take forever.”

Your Uncle: “They might not even clear it. They could wipe any minute now. Just wait—”

[Local] Drink Till You Drop has died.

Your Uncle: “Now you can ask.”

Your Sister: “…Well done. =_=”

Soon after, Your Sister relayed the intel Drink had bought with his blood:

“The boss starts with an AoE attack, then a brief ST attack on the tank, followed by a cycle of one AoE and two ST attacks. There’s about four minutes of DPS time. After four minutes, the boss transforms and instantly hits the tank with a two-hit combo. No tank can survive that—it’s an instant kill. So the second tank has to step in, and then it’s just endless AoE after AoE.”

Fang Zheng: “That’s it?”

Your Sister: “That’s it.”

Fang Zheng: “Just AoE until it dies?”

Your Sister: “No idea if it keeps going until the boss dies, but it was enough to wipe Drink’s team.”

A boss that spams AoE is the most troublesome because it doesn’t just test the healer’s skills—it’s a brutal challenge for the entire team’s positioning and potion coordination.

“Birdy,” Fang Zheng turned to his deputy for help, “what do you think?”

Birdy: “Constant AoE isn’t the issue. As long as we can trigger Solid as a Rock, even if aggro gets messy and you all die, you can just respawn and keep DPSing. The real concern is whether the boss’s attack power is so high that the zombies can’t even survive one hit.”

The unspoken implication was clear. Zombies weren’t proper tanks—their HP and defense were leagues behind Blood Warriors. If the boss’s ST attack power exceeded a zombie’s max HP, there’d be no chance to trigger Solid as a Rock—they’d just be sent straight to the afterlife.

“Regardless, let’s give it a shot.” No practice, no authority—Birdy was a pragmatist. “Coffin Shop, you tank first.”

Coffin Shop: “Why me?”

Birdy: “You’re not proficient with Solid as a Rock.”

So shouldn’t that mean he was even less qualified?

Birdy: “We’re not gonna clear it on the first try anyway. This is just to gauge the boss’s attack power. Even if you do trigger Solid as a Rock, it’s fine if your skill goes on cooldown.”

……The explanation was thorough, but it didn’t make him feel any better!!!

As Coffin Shop reluctantly stepped up under the weight of undeniable skill disparity, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce members weren’t idling either. Though they sat cross-legged, seemingly lost in thought, their full attention was on the Ghost Server team.

Mocha: “Hey, hey, they’re going in, going in.”

Dutch Souvenir: “Why is a zombie charging in? Why isn’t their tank going? Saving strength?”

X: “Tell me, where is their tank?”

Dutch Souvenir: “…”

Little Willow: “…”

Scholar Lu: “…”

Rain Ceases: “Wandering Physician, Wandering Physician, Wandering Physician, Zombie, Zombie, Zombie… What a lineup. Quite glamorous…”

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop has died.

Don’t Stop the Meds: “Tch. Crumbled like paper.”

Mocha: “He respawned and went back in, hey!”

[Local] No. 4 Coffin Shop has died.

Five minutes later—

War of the Gods: “Are they secretly executing him? Did that Coffin Shop violate some team rule? He’s died like seven or eight times now. =_=”

Scholar Lu: “And every time he’s about to die, everyone else immediately backs off, clearly waiting for the boss to reset.”

Little Willow: “They switched! Polly’s up now!”

[Local] Polly has died.

Dutch Souvenir: “Doesn’t matter who they switch to. Using a zombie as a tank is pure fantasy.”

X: “Heh.”

Dutch Souvenir: “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Thousand Mountains: “XX is just being polite by not arguing with you. Otherwise, a zombie with Solid as a Rock is way more useful than you.”

Dutch Souvenir: “Can Solid as a Rock even hold aggro?”

Thousand Mountains: “Can stabilized aggro guarantee no wipes?”

Dutch Souvenir: “Alright, I admit the skill has its unique advantages. But it’s so rare I almost forgot about it. You’ve got a good memory, remembering stuff from other classes.”

Thousand Mountains: “…Are you really Dutch? Did some evil spirit possess you?”

Dutch Souvenir: “Huh?”

Thousand Mountains: “Such warm and friendly dialogue isn’t like you. Come on, insult me. Hit me.”

Since No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains rarely made requests of him, Dutch Souvenir decided to oblige!!!

Just as Dutch and Thousand Mountains were “lovingly sparring,” March, who had taken Polly’s place, finally succeeded in triggering Solid as a Rock!

At the time, the boss was in the one AoE + two ST phase. The motionless March avoided most of the boss’s attacks, calmly watching as his teammates randomly bit the dust under chaotic aggro, only to be randomly resurrected by ample heals.

Four minutes later, the boss began its transformation!

The transformed boss unleashed its deadly two-hit combo!

But for a zombie with Solid as a Rock, it was all meaningless. ╮(╯_╰)╭

X: “AoE phase now, right…”

Unable to see the boss, they could only deduce its actions based on the elapsed time and Fang Zheng’s team’s movements and deaths.

Little Willow: “Actually, we could use this strategy too, right X? Why didn’t you think of it earlier?”

Thousand Mountains: “He can’t. His defense is about the same as Polly’s—both would get one-shot. No chance to trigger Solid as a Rock.”

“Then why can March…” Little Willow stopped mid-sentence, realizing he’d asked a dumb question.

Why could March’s defense withstand a hit and trigger Solid as a Rock? Because he had the Purple Set!!!

The Dutch Chamber of Commerce members, engrossed in their heated discussion, failed to notice their leader had been silent for a long time…

Don’t Stop the Meds had sensed trouble the moment Coffin Shop charged in repeatedly. When March to Liangzhou stood there motionless, an indestructible monolith, his bad premonition became reality.

The boss’s AoE was terrifying—one blast even wiped out all nine members except March! Yet soon enough, they all respawned and rushed back to keep DPSing!

DPS!

DPS!

Still DPS!

Though his own team hadn’t made it to the end and didn’t know the boss’s exact HP, with this strategy, even the Pacific Ocean would dry up!

Don’t Stop the Meds subconsciously tightened his grip on the mouse, his heart in his throat. If they really cleared the boss with just ten people, it wouldn’t just be a slap in his face—it’d be pantsing him and spanking his bare ass. He might as well die!!!!!!

[Local] March to Liangzhou has died.

(⊙o⊙)！

[Local] Polly has died.

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715 has died.

[Local] Mad Lad has died.

[Local] …

[Local] Little Lucky Charm has died.

[Local] Milk is Mom has died.

The tank died, and the boss’s AoE wiped the rest. But why did the zombie tank die? Solid as a Rock should’ve… Wait, they’d been DPSing for over ten minutes…

So they hadn’t whittled the boss down—instead, the boss’s enormous HP pool had outlasted Solid as a Rock’s duration!

Who the hell designed this meat shield of a boss… Well done!!!

While Boss Yao was setting off fireworks in his heart, Fang Zheng was disheartened. The bloody truth was laid bare—a ten-man team’s DPS wasn’t enough to clear the boss. That left him with only one path forward.

No, he refused to believe it!

[Whisper] Milk is Mom: “You guys haven’t cleared it yet—want to switch and team up with us?~~~~ We’re pretty awesome~~~ [Flying Kiss]”

Copy-pasted and sent to five people!

Ten seconds later—

[Whisper] Drink Till You Drop: “No, we’ll keep trying.”

[Whisper] Everything Breaks: “We’re almost there.”

[Whisper] War-Snow Wolf: “No.”

[Whisper] Silent Hill: “Get lost!”

These were the replies from all the legion leaders present. As for ice Iceborn? They didn’t even bother replying. ╮(╯_╰)╭

Fang Zheng sighed. He’d thought he stood at fate’s crossroads, but fate had handed him a one-way street.

“Everyone saw the situation. Aside from those guys, we have no other options.”

“Honestly, those guys aren’t that bad,” Mad Lad was the first to chime in. “They’ve got the skills and the gear. We’re just teaming up for a boss—it’s not like we’re dating. Chemistry doesn’t matter as long as they’re useful.”

Passing Master agreed: “Seek common ground while reserving differences.”

Your Sister’s womanly intuition tingled: “Why are you two so eager?”

Before they could answer, Your Uncle delivered the final verdict: “I suggested teaming up with them from the start…”

Well, that settled it. No need to overthink—this was divine will.

With internal consensus reached, the only remaining issue was external—namely, saving face. Specifically, subtly retracting their earlier statements while deftly avoiding any chance of getting called out.

Nearby, the Dutch Chamber of Commerce’s leader harbored the same thoughts, though he hadn’t yet resolved his internal disputes.

Dutch Souvenir: “I disagree. I just don’t want to team up with them.”

Thousand Mountains: “You mean you don’t want to team up with Mad Lad and Passing Master, right? So petty.”

Dutch Souvenir: “Reverse psychology won’t work on me!”

Thousand Mountains: “Who’s using reverse psychology? I’m just stating facts. You got wrecked in the Arena and don’t want to face that humiliation. Totally understandable.”

Dutch Souvenir: “Dammit! Fine, team up! Boss Yao, hurry up and invite them!!!”

The rest of the team: “…Clearly, reverse psychology works wonders on him. =_=”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “Done. Yao Yao should be chatting up your leader soon.”

Copy-pasted and sent to two people!

Ten seconds later—

[Whisper] Passing Master: “Never thought we’d become teammates again. How nice ^_^”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “No need for him to chat—Milk Mom’s already been convinced by us. With his impatience, he’ll definitely initiate. But forget that—quick, tell me, how did Dutch and the others react when you guys got forcibly teleported away?”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “Furious. Still hold a grudge against you.”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “Hahahahaha”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “Wait, you’re the real culprit, aren’t you?”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “I’ve always been on his blocklist~~”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “Why?”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “Incompatible vibes.”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “With your flag-planting habits, does anyone have compatible vibes with you? [Doubt]”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “What did you say~~~~ Hello~~~~ Bad connection, can’t hear you~~~~~”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “=_=”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “How much did you spend to get the Goddess of Fortune Set?”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “Connection’s better now?”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “Yep!”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “…”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “Around 40-50K? Just pulled whenever I felt like it—didn’t keep exact track.”

[Whisper] No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains: “Not bad. Not too expensive.”

[Whisper] Mad Lad: “Right?! Totally worth it!!!”

While the covertly scheming team members chatted away, the two leaders quietly inched their hearts closer—

[Local] Milk is Mom: “Hi~ Yao Yao~~”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “Hi~ Ghost Leader~”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “We almost cleared it.”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “Yeah, saw that.”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “Weren’t you guys also trying to ten-man it? Why haven’t you started?”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “We got stuck at the same spot earlier, so we were observing you guys, learning from your experience.”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “Ah, sorry we didn’t perform better.”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “Nonsense. Ten people making it that far is unbelievable.”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “True, hehehehe~~~~~”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “Hahahaha~~~~~”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “Since we get along so well and our strategies align so perfectly, how about…”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “Giving it a try together?”

[Local] Milk is Mom: “Learn from each other in practice.”

[Local] Don’t Stop the Meds: “Makes sense, makes sense.”

What makes a leader isn’t charisma, broad-mindedness, godly skills, or razor-sharp awareness—it’s the ability to calmly help rebuild the stage after tearing it down.

What makes a perfect match isn’t shared backgrounds, hobbies, complementary personalities, or compatible temperaments—it’s that aside from each other, no one else in the world would ever want you.