Chapter 55 – Peach Garden Oath

The third member of the Ghost Server Legion to log in that day was Mad Lad—to be precise, it was shortly after the Commander and Deputy Commander changed their names, during a highly unscientific time frame.

Jiang Yang first logged into YY and, as expected, two small avatars were steadily online. Only then did he log into the game.

Jiang Yang: “I knew you two would be here.”

Polly: “Not hard to guess.”

Fang Zheng: “The question is, why are you here? Left work early?”

Jiang Yang: “Look at you two, tag-teaming me. Can’t I even take half a day off? Where are you guys? Found a dungeon yet?”

Polly: “Coords XX. This place might be promising.”

Jiang Yang didn’t say more. Once the game loaded, he immediately teleported to the target location. After running north for about a minute, he arrived at Peach Flower Lake.

A tiny, open area.

Picturesque scenery.

Not a soul in sight.

Jiang Yang frowned: “Damn, are you messing with me? There’s nothing here.”

Fang Zheng: “Is the thing on top of your neck just for show? If there’s nothing on the water, it’s gotta be underwater.”

Jiang Yang tilted his head, thinking. He couldn’t shake the feeling that ever since the Commander teamed up with the Deputy Commander, his arrogance had skyrocketed.

At this point, anyone who wasn’t a complete idiot like Fighter Jet would realize there must be something hidden underwater. So Jiang Yang steered his Assassin into the depths, where he soon spotted a stone tablet and a fissure. Going down further, he was immediately swept into the same hidden village as Fang Zheng and the others.

Polly and Milk is Mom were standing under an old locust tree at the village entrance, waving at him.

The cautious Assassin hesitated to approach.

Fang Zheng: “Why’d you stop? Lagging?”

Jiang Yang: “Is that really you two?”

Fang Zheng: “Duh. A Zombie this dashing and unique—could you find a second one in the entire server?”

Jiang Yang: “……”

How could someone brag about another person as if they were bragging about themselves? Comrade Jiang Yang was baffled.

But there was something even more baffling: “Did the game implement real-name IDs?”

Fang Zheng: “Got it from a quest. The effect only lasts six hours. Isn’t it fun?”

Jiang Yang honestly couldn’t see the fun in it. Changing IDs to go around griefing players would at least make sense—no fear of revenge later. But changing IDs just to stare at each other in this godforsaken place? Were they on a date?

The thought processes of these kids were truly incomprehensible. Jiang Yang sighed—this was the generation gap in action.

The village had already been scouted by Fang Zheng and Meng Chudong, yielding no rewards. But Jiang Yang also believed the mechanism at the bottom of the lake couldn’t have been designed just to provide players with a dating spot. So the three of them decided: they’d head up the mountain.

Behind the village lay rolling green hills. From afar, they looked lush and vibrant, but once inside, the dense foliage blocked out the sunlight, making the surroundings dim and unclear.

The trio split up to explore, forming a party so they could track each other’s positions on the minimap.

After about twenty minutes of searching, the faster Jiang Yang had already reached the mountaintop, while Fang Zheng finally made a discovery—he encountered a group of NPCs. After chatting with them, they revealed that a fierce beast had been preying on people in the mountains, so they had gathered the village’s strongest men to hunt it. They even asked Fang Zheng if he wanted to join.

Fang Zheng was more than happy to tag along. After about five minutes of winding through the terrain, he finally laid eyes on the monster.

There was no doubt—it was a world boss. You didn’t even need to fight it to know, just by its sheer size.

Fang Zheng hovered his cursor over the boss to check its name while carefully avoiding accidentally aggroing it—

Fire God Zhurong!

“Found it!” Fang Zheng couldn’t contain his excitement and immediately notified his comrades.

Jiang Yang: “Saying it out loud doesn’t tell us where you are…”

Polly: “Drop the coords.”

Birdy-kun was always the practical one. Fang Zheng pouted inwardly, griping about Jiang Yang while sending over the coordinates.

The two arrived quickly and took in the sight of the towering, flame-wreathed boss from a distance.

Since this was a new boss added in the recent update, its level had to be at least 55. But the exact level wasn’t displayed—players would have to figure it out themselves.

Jiang Yang: “How many people do we need to take it down?”

Fang Zheng: “Gotta test it to find out.”

What did “testing” entail? It meant sending in a lone, well-equipped player to poke the boss, receive a counterattack, and then estimate the boss’s level and lethality based on how much HP they lost.

Best-case scenario: die to the boss, lose XP.

Worst-case scenario: die to the boss, lose XP and gear.

Either way, escape was impossible.

Jiang Yang had a bad feeling: “Who’s doing the testing?”

Birdy made the executive decision for the team: “Little Bitch Fang seems pretty free.”

Three minutes later, Mad Lad logged off, and Little Bitch Fang made the long journey back, radiating an air of tragic heroism.

On YY, the original trio remained.

Jiang Yang swallowed nervously. Facing a boss alone was always a bit tense: “Alright, I’m going in?”

Fang Zheng: “Go forth boldly, little sister!”

Birdy: “Yeah, in your Desert Set.”

Jiang Yang facepalmed. He’d forgotten to change gear. =_=

While you couldn’t go in naked to accurately gauge the boss’s strength, wearing the Desert Set was overkill.

Soon, Little Bitch Fang swapped into a standard set of Lv. 50 Orange-tier gear right on the spot—so fast Fang Zheng didn’t even have time to roll his eyes before being roasted: “Look at the Deputy Commander, zeroing in on the key issue right away. Meanwhile, you’re over here with your ‘go forth boldly, little sister.’ If I lose the Desert Set, you paying for it?”

Fang Zheng: “Screw your sister. That thing’s practically worthless now thanks to you flooding the market. Just get on with it.”

Jiang Yang stopped wasting time. Little Bitch Fang circled around to the opposite side of the boss, putting distance between himself and Fang Zheng and Birdy, then pulled out his bow and loosed an arrow at Zhurong.

The arrow might as well have been tissue paper against Zhurong, but it was more than enough to draw aggro—perfect for a test run.

Zhurong turned toward Little Bitch Fang, let out a deafening roar, and in the next instant—

BOOM!

A massive fireball descended from the heavens, slamming into Little Bitch Fang!

The poor little Assassin didn’t even get a chance to struggle—he was instantly reduced to a wisp of ghostly vapor.

Little Bitch Fang wasn’t in the party, and Birdy and Fang Zheng were too far away, so after the kill, Zhurong dusted off its hands and resumed its leisurely stroll.

Jiang Yang left Little Bitch Fang lying there in tragic defeat, still reeling from shock: “Holy shit, is this a Lv. 70 boss?!”

Meng Chudong: “Doesn’t seem like it. A Blood Warrior should be able to survive one hit, but they’d need immediate healing, and one healer probably wouldn’t be enough.”

Fang Zheng: “Perfect timing, then. Didn’t we just recruit a new healer? Hahaha~~”

Meng Chudong: “You have her number?”

Fang Zheng: “No.”

……

Time waited for no one. Since they’d locked onto the boss, the sooner they could gather reinforcements, the better. Fortunately, after the PvP Tournament, the Ghost Server Legion had exchanged phone numbers—except for the newbie girl—to avoid not being able to reach each other in crucial moments or repeat the tragic account-stealing incident.

Fang Zheng: “Should I make the calls?”

Jiang Yang: “Obviously. You’re the Commander.”

Fang Zheng: “Have you ever seen a Commander blowing the muster call?”

Polly: “You’re also the Head of External Relations.”

Since when did that position exist? =_=

While Fang Zheng might be shamelessly smooth in-game, the moment real-life interactions came into play, he became awkward. Since exchanging numbers, he’d only sent a few formal messages like “What time are you logging in?” or “We’re running a dungeon” to select teammates. Making actual calls was uncharted territory. He knew there wasn’t much difference between YY and phone calls, but he just couldn’t shake the discomfort. After steeling himself for a while, he finally bit the bullet and picked the least intimidating option—

438’s voice, tinged with excitement: “Commander?”

Fang Zheng, clearing his throat and deepening his voice to sound authoritative: “Ahem. Found a new world boss. Can you get on?”

438, practically saluting through the phone: “On my way!”

Fang Zheng exhaled in relief, his heart just starting to settle when—

438, cheerfully adding: “Commander, you don’t have to be nervous. Hehe.”

DAMMIT WHO’S NERVOUS?! TAT

The first call was the hardest. By the time he dialed Sister Blood Bull, he was much smoother—only to hit another snag:

Sister Blood Bull: “Can’t. I’m in class.”

Fang Zheng, puzzled: “Isn’t it summer break? What class?”

Sister Blood Bull: “I’m teaching a summer tutoring program as a side gig.”

Oh, so she was the one teaching. =_=

After bidding farewell to the highly educated Sister Blood Bull, Fang Zheng called Crossplayer’s Blessing—

Crossplayer’s Blessing: “Can’t. I’m in class.”

IS YOUR TEACHER BLOOD BULLS DON’T GRAZE OR SOMETHING?!

Crossplayer’s Blessing: “Sorry, Commander. My advisor’s working on a research project, so we’re helping with the survey.”

Fang Zheng: “No worries. Studies come first. Good luck.”

Hanging up, Fang Zheng was almost moved by his own magnanimity.

Even though he only had a high school diploma, he was making an indelible contribution to the future of the motherland!

2B Fighter Jet was simpler—no need to call, since he was definitely at work.

Fang Zheng had saved everyone’s numbers in a “Comrades” group, so before putting his phone away, his gaze naturally landed on the one name he hadn’t dialed. He wondered how that guy was doing in the new server. Was he still as ridiculously OP? Did his new teammates like him? Fang Zheng sighed. All banquets must end, but that didn’t stop the faint melancholy.

By the time Fang Zheng reported back to the team, the Demon Refiner was already online—so fast he might as well have been The Flash.

[Legion] Fang Zheng: “That was lightning speed.”

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: “Just got back from shopping with my mom. Got your call right as I reached the hallway, hehe.”

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: “Wait, who are you?”

[Legion] Meng Chudong: “Our Commander.”

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: “And you are?”

[Legion] Fang Zheng: “Our Deputy Commander.”

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: “I’m so confused…”

[Legion] Mad Lad: “Can’t tell? Hiding in the middle of nowhere, changing names together—obviously dating~~”

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: “Really? Since when? The Deputy Commander’s gay too???”

[Legion] Fang Zheng: “……”

[Legion] Mad Lad: “Him believing that so easily makes this anticlimactic =_=”

[Legion] Fang Zheng: “Your boredom baffles me =_=”

[Legion] Refined Into a Demon 715: “Ahhh, you tricked me!!”

The fact that someone like 438 could peacefully make it to college proved that the world still had plenty of good people.

Even though the underwater entrance was a straight drop, 438 still took forever to navigate it. By the time he stumbled his way to the group, he’d dragged along two mobs and was down to a third of his HP—apparently, he’d barely clung to life by chugging potions.

But the moment he saw the boss, his eyes lit up: “Who found it?! That’s amazing! So cool!”

Fang Zheng puffed out his chest, ready to bask in admiration—only for 438 to excitedly interrupt: “Does it breathe fire too?! Ahhh, I can’t take it, it’s so cool!!”

DAMMIT HE WAS PRAISING THE BOSS!

At the time, it was 2:30 PM. Most of the Ghost Server Legion wouldn’t be online for at least another four hours, and the current four-man team was nowhere near strong enough to take on Zhurong.

Jiang Yang: “What now? Just wait?”

Fang Zheng: “Worried we’ll get rivals before we get reinforcements.”

Jiang Yang: “Doubt it. This place is so remote even ghosts don’t come here.”

Fang Zheng: “True.”

438: “But we came, didn’t we?”

Jiang Yang & Fang Zheng: “……”

As it turned out, 438 had inherited Your Uncle’s legacy. Barely three minutes after his words left his mouth, uninvited guests appeared on the map. At first, Fang Zheng didn’t notice, but the newcomers made no attempt at stealth, instead striding closer until a full party of six stood plainly in the Ghost Server Legion’s line of sight—

War Banner Legion!

With the boss right there, only an idiot wouldn’t try to steal it. Fang Zheng subconsciously tightened his grip on the mouse. Even if it was four against six, if it came to a fight…

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “What a coincidence.”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “Yeah. Here for sightseeing too?”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “Mhm. The scenery’s nice.”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “I thought the same.”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “Haven’t had the pleasure—who might you be?”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “Deputy Commander of the Ghost Server Legion.”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “Pleasure. I’m the Head of External Relations for War Banner.”

Wait, that’s actually a real position? =_=

[Local] Meng Chudong: “You found the path here?”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “Not me. Our Commander did.”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “Snow Wolf?”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “Commander, they’re calling for you~~~~~~”

[Local] War-Snow Wolf: “You’re having too much fun.”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “Gotta be polite before getting violent~~”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “If I were you, I’d skip the violence.”

[Local] War-Snow Wolf: “Reason?”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “Your six-man team can’t take this boss. The only way forward is for us to team up.”

[Local] War-Snow Wolf: “Why would I team up with you when I have my own squad?”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “Even if your whole legion came, you’d only have seven. Still not enough. To beat this boss, you need a full twelve-man party. Ten at the very least.”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “How do you know how many we have?”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “Aren’t you a close-knit group?”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “So? Anyone can tell from our names.”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “So I searched the entire server for players with ‘War-‘ in their names. Total of seven.”

[Local] War-Bodhi Patriarch: “……”

Birdy, you’re the modern-day Inspector Gadget!

[War Banner YY]

War-Sorrel: “Suddenly feeling kinda embarrassed. What do?”

War-Black Gold: “Quit the legion.”

War-Sorrel: “Nah. A little shame is good for the soul.”

War-Sister Liuli: “So… are we fighting or not?”

War-Snow Wolf: “Scout first. Black Gold, test it with God’s Follower.”

……

If the enemy doesn’t move, we don’t move.

Five minutes into the standoff, the Ghost Server Legion watched as War Banner’s seventh member, War-God’s Follower, arrived. He summoned his pet to taunt Brother Zhurong, only for both him and his pet to be flattened into apple pie by a single slap.

[Local] War-Snow Wolf: “Truce.”

[Local] Meng Chudong: “[Handshake]”

Under the harmonious breeze of newfound camaraderie, only Jiang Yang stared at the fallen God’s Follower on his screen, overcome with a melancholic sense of “why must we meet when we were never meant to know each other?”