Chapter 56 – Stealing a Chicken Only to Lose the Rice

In Huaxia Online, a party could have a maximum of six players. For larger groups, multiple parties had to merge into a joint team. During the Hanging Gardens raid, both the Ghost Server Legion and Five Peaks Pavilion had full six-player parties, so they formed a joint team to enter the dungeon together. This time, the Ghost Server had four players while War Banner had six, but they still formed a joint team.

Could they take on the world boss without forming a joint team? Of course. However, only the party with higher DPS would be able to loot the boss when it fell. Four versus six—which side would have higher DPS? Anyone with an IQ above 2 could do the math.

That said, joint teams weren’t a flawless solution—

Refined Into a Demon: “Commander, why do we always team up with others?”

For example, it could shake the members’ confidence in their own organization.

But as the Ghost Server Legion Leader, Milk is Mom didn’t earn his reputation for nothing—

“The legion has to grow step by step. In the early stages, pooling resources is nothing but beneficial. Think about the Communist Party—didn’t they initially rush to ally with Chiang Kai-shek to fight the Japanese? After the Japanese were defeated and they’d built up their own strength, well… hehehehe~~”

The Demon Refiner was reassured: “Hehehehe~~”

Jiang Yang facepalmed.

Birdy gazed into the distance.

Having half the team’s IQ running on empty was truly a tragic sight.

[Team] Meng Chudong: What’s your YY channel?

[Team] War-Snow Wolf: No need. We can each command our own teams.

Snow Wolf’s words weren’t unreasonable. Dungeons required lengthy, meticulous coordination—one misstep could lead to disaster. But world bosses, true to their name, were fought in a much cruder manner. With only one boss to focus on, the strategy was simply to swarm it while the leader occasionally reminded everyone of key mechanics. After thinking about it for two seconds, Birdy agreed.

Jiang Yang, however, wasn’t having it. He grumbled, “They’re pretty cocky, huh.”

438, ever the empathizer, tried to see things from the other side: “You can’t say that. Maybe they really do have the skills to back it up—like their techniques or gear. Kinda like you.”

Why did those last words sting so much? =_=

Before Jiang Yang could fully process the burn, Birdy spoke up: “Everyone, get ready. We’re pulling.”

The Ghost Server team lacked a tank, while War Banner had Bodhi Patriarch as their Blood Warrior and Six Souls as their Berserker. Thus, Bodhi initiated the fight with a heavy-hitting skill, followed by rapid taunts and Taunt spam. By the time Zhurong’s fireball landed on him, aggro was firmly secured.

The fireball took out two-thirds of Bodhi’s HP—proof of not only the Blood Warrior’s naturally high HP and defense but also his top-tier gear.

Fang Zheng mused as he maneuvered his healer forward, but War Banner’s healer, Sister Liuli, was even faster. She instantly cast Silent Nourishment, then immediately began channeling Revival of the Withered!

Fang Zheng’s heart sank. Damn, her reaction speed is insane.

Jiang Yang noticed too, his tone laced with excitement: “Shit, they really are a pro team!”

Once again, 438 spoke the truth—War Banner did indeed have the right to be cocky.

“They’re good,” Birdy rarely agreed with the group, but after a pause, he added, “So be careful.”

Fang Zheng didn’t understand the logic behind that statement. Was he worried about being shown up and humiliated? Since when did the Ghost Server care about losing face? =_=

Despite the confusion, Fang Zheng’s performance didn’t falter. No matter how fast Sister Liuli was, her spells still had cast times, so he seamlessly weaved in his own instant heals to keep Bodhi’s HP hovering around 70%.

Once aggro was stable, the rest of the team joined the fight. Fang Zheng and Sister Liuli positioned themselves on opposite sides of the boss, both able to heal Bodhi while the DPS focused on their respective targets. Gradually, the battle formation took shape—with Zhurong at the center and the two healers as the anchors.

Zhurong packed both high damage and massive HP. Even after a prolonged fight, the boss had only lost about 10% of its health. Still, the joint team had settled into a rhythm, and the initial tension had eased.

[Local] War-Black Gold: Healers, keep an eye on MP. This is gonna be a long fight.

[Local] War-Sister Liuli: No shit. [eye roll]

[Local] War-Black Gold: Wasn’t talking to you.

Fang Zheng was pissed. Typing mid-cast, he fired back—

[Local] Fang Zheng: Oh, so that was directed at me?

[Local] War-Black Gold: Just a reminder.

Fuck this guy. If he wasn’t busy keeping Bodhi alive, he’d absolutely tear into this bastard…

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Worry about your own team!

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Our Commander doesn’t need your reminders!

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: Commander, don’t get mad! He’s not worth it!

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: You’ll always be the healer I admire most! The strongest in the universe!

Poor God’s Follower, War Banner’s sole Demon Refiner, was AFK, leaving 438 free to spam the chat uncontested.

[War Banner YY]

Black Gold: Fuck, I can’t type right now! Someone reply to that idiot for me!

Snow Wolf: You reminding him was idiotic in the first place.

Black Gold: I didn’t want them dragging us down!

Sister Liuli: Are you blind? Can’t you see how skilled that healer is? They needed your reminder?

Black Gold: …

Six Souls: Girl, with that attitude, you’ll never find a boyfriend.

Sister Liuli: If all men were like you, I’d rather stay single.

Six Souls: No need to be so harsh, I—

Bodhi Patriarch: FUCK YOUR MOMS, CAN YOU SHUT THE HELL UP AND FINISH THE BOSS FIRST?!

—Never piss off the tank mid-fight.

[Ghost Server YY]

Fang Zheng: “438, I haven’t spoiled you for nothing!”

Jiang Yang: “When did you spoil him? I don’t recall that.”

Fang Zheng: “I had Shaxian for lunch today. Did you know that? What, are you the Jade Emperor?”

438: “Even though the Commander isn’t as understanding as the Deputy Commander, as decisive as Sister Blood Bull, as witty as Fighter Jet, as rich as Mad Lad, as—”

Fang Zheng: “I—WANT—TO—HEAR—A—’BUT’!”

438: “But you’re the Commander, so I still admire you the most!”

That’s the least convincing ‘but’ ever. TAT

Perhaps feeling neglected, Zhurong unleashed a massive AoE attack once its HP dropped to half, instantly wiping out the squishy Snow Wolf (Spirit Master) and Refined Into a Demon 715 (Demon Refiner)!

[Local] Fang Zheng: On it

Fang Zheng didn’t even have time for punctuation. After typing those two words, he immediately resurrected 438, topped up his HP, then moved slightly to the side to revive Snow Wolf. Meanwhile, Sister Liuli remained calm and collected, steadily healing Bodhi without a hint of panic.

The AoE seemed to mark a turning point—from then on, Zhurong began spamming AoEs at irregular intervals, sometimes targeting Ghost Server, sometimes War Banner, and sometimes simply blasting everything in a wide radius. Fang Zheng was run ragged, barely keeping up. Fortunately, Sorrel, the Blesscaller who’d been focusing on DPS, finally remembered his secondary healer role and pitched in occasionally, preventing a total disaster.

Birdy’s prediction had been correct. The further they progressed, the more Fang Zheng realized that if they’d only brought six people, they might not have even made it to the 50% mark—and if they had, that AoE would’ve wiped them for sure. Sure, they could’ve brought two or more healers, but then their DPS would’ve been too low. Even with constant MP replenishment, the rate of consumption would’ve outstripped recovery because potions had cooldowns. Fang Zheng was certain they wouldn’t have lasted until the boss fell—and if the boss didn’t fall, the party would.

Honestly, even ten players was pushing it. To comfortably take down this boss, they’d need at least fifteen for a straightforward steamroll.

After a grueling battle, the boss’s HP finally dipped below 5%.

“Be careful.” Meng Chudong’s voice dropped, tension seeping in.

No one responded in YY, but they all knew—the boss was about to go berserk.

Sure enough, Zhurong erupted into flames—not attacking the players, but burning itself, its body swelling into a colossal fireball. Before the ten players could react, it exploded, sending fiery shards flying everywhere!

The melee fighters were relatively safe, but the ranged classes—Spirit Master, Demon Refiner, Healer, and Blesscaller—were in trouble. Just two or three shards grazing them was enough to send their HP plummeting!

Fang Zheng, Sister Liuli, and Sorrel could no longer spare attention for anyone else, focusing solely on healing themselves. If the main and secondary healers went down, it’d be a full wipe. Fortunately, Zhurong’s main body had shattered, leaving no threat to Bodhi, so the tank—who’d held out the entire fight—finally caught a breather. The relentless shard storm kept the healers busy, and soon enough, poor Snow Wolf and 438 were down again.

High DPS, high risk—such was the price of playing a squishy caster. ╮(╯_╰)╭

Just as they weathered the shard storm, the fragments on the ground suddenly surged back together, reforming into a smaller version of Zhurong—like a Russian nesting doll, the big one breaking open to reveal a smaller one inside. This mini Zhurong had weaker attacks and defenses, losing 10% HP after just a few hits. Fang Zheng estimated that their current group could whittle it down without issue.

He let out a long breath, noticing that Snow Wolf had already been revived by Sister Liuli. He hurried to resurrect 438, but the kid had barely gotten back on his feet when he suddenly vanished!

Fang Zheng: “438, why’d you Town Portal?”

438: “Commander, all three of my pets died! I’m grabbing new ones from the guild warehouse!”

Though entirely unnecessary, his dedication was commendable. After some deliberation, Fang Zheng decided encouragement was the way to go: “Hurry back. The boss is almost dead.”

That said, Fang Zheng didn’t actually expect 438 to return in time. The boss was as good as dead—once it fell, any party member could roll for loot, regardless of whether they were present. Besides, given 438’s track record, making it back in one piece was far from guaranteed.

Amidst the chaotic battle effects, War Banner didn’t notice the drop in Ghost Server’s numbers—and Ghost Server wasn’t paying much attention to War Banner either. Both sides were pouring everything into DPS, racing to empty the boss’s HP bar. But then the mini Zhurong activated Fire God’s Armor at 50% HP, boosting its defense and slowing their progress.

Time ticked by.

Jiang Yang yawned: “My fingers are numb. Is this thing a walking blood bag or what…”

“Quit whining,” Fang Zheng rolled his eyes. “Deal more damage. Maybe the system will favor us when we roll for loot.”

Jiang Yang: “Four versus six—our odds aren’t great.”

Fang Zheng was about to scold him for undermining their morale before the roll even happened when he suddenly noticed something odd. The ten-player team status bar on the left side of his screen now only showed the four Ghost Server Legion members!

Even if a teammate died, their status would simply gray out—they’d only disappear if they left the party.

Instinctively, Fang Zheng wanted to call for the Deputy, but Birdy was faster: “War Banner left the party. They’re trying to kill us. Be careful!”

The words had barely left his mouth when Fang Zheng saw a blur of motion—and then a quarter of his HP was gone!

In group fights, healers were always priority targets. So while Fang Zheng was being ambushed, Birdy quickly flanked Sister Liuli and slashed at her!

“Those bastards!”

Jiang Yang cursed furiously in YY—clearly, he hadn’t been spared either.

The situation was now crystal clear: You couldn’t attack teammates in a party. Seeing the boss near death, War Banner had disbanded the joint team to wipe out Ghost Server while finishing off Zhurong, ensuring they’d claim all the loot.

No wonder they hadn’t joined YY—if they had, they couldn’t have coordinated this sneak attack.

[They’re good, so be careful.]

Birdy’s earlier words had indeed carried the foresight of a detective. =_=

But Fang Zheng had no time to dwell on that now. War Banner’s six-to-four advantage was overwhelming. Bodhi continued attacking the boss, Sister Liuli was tied up with Birdy, so Sorrel took over healing. Black Gold abandoned DPS to assist Sister Liuli, Six Souls went after Mad Lad, and Snow Wolf targeted Fang Zheng.

Fang Zheng couldn’t afford to worry about his teammates. Snow Wolf was a Spirit Master, yet he was engaging in melee combat—and his gear somehow made him even faster, making it impossible to shake him off. Though a healer could self-sustain, a Spirit Master’s melee DPS was nothing to scoff at. At this rate, Fang Zheng would inevitably be worn down.

[Say] War-Snow Wolf: Stop struggling. Just accept your fate.

This guy even has time to type!

Fang Zheng refused to admit his envy, but comparatively, his own APM couldn’t compete.

Jiang Yang wasn’t faring much better. His one-on-one clash with Six Souls resulted in both of them hemorrhaging HP. Fang Zheng tried to heal himself while moving toward Mad Lad, hoping to turn the duel into a two-on-two—but before he could close the distance, Mad Lad and Six Souls took each other out!

Fang Zheng was close enough to resurrect Jiang Yang, but before he could cast, he was hit by Cactusfication, turning him into a motionless, harmless cactus!

With no way to move or attack, Fang Zheng could only watch as Snow Wolf stood just out of reach, beginning a long cast.

This bastard’s charging his ultimate. Fang Zheng didn’t need a brain to figure that out—but damn it, he couldn’t dodge!

Sighing, Fang Zheng resigned himself to fate. You live by the cheese, you die by the cheese. Karma’s a bitch. >_<

Setting his mouse aside, he picked up his water bottle and took a few leisurely sips, his movements tinged with tragic dignity.

On-screen, his healer predictably collapsed—but so did Black Gold and Sister Liuli!

After dealing with those two, Birdy rushed to save Fang Zheng but arrived too late, leaving him no choice but to engage Snow Wolf. Their skills were evenly matched—one trying to kite, the other relentlessly pursuing, their HP dropping in tandem, even their potion usage nearly identical. As the fight intensified, their attacks grew faster, outpacing their potion cooldowns until both of their HP bars were almost empty.

Fang Zheng held his breath, barely daring to speak in YY, swallowing nervously with each exchange.

Then, at the critical moment, Birdy’s HP suddenly refilled to full as if blessed by the gods! Snow Wolf, caught off guard, hesitated for half a second—just long enough for Birdy to finish him off!

[Local] War-Snow Wolf: Fuck!

With that final cry, Snow Wolf fell.

Already dead, Fang Zheng leisurely checked the combat log to uncover the mystery.

[Combat] Meng Chudong used Soul Gathering Pill.

—Soul Gathering Pill, available in the Item Mall. A zombie-exclusive consumable that instantly refilled HP and MP. Only 9.98 RMB per pill.

Truly, real money was the greatest cheat code in gaming.

Polly had no time to discuss tactics with his Commander. The moment Snow Wolf fell, he lunged at Sorrel!

Sorrel, never expecting his team would lose a four-on-three, was caught off guard as Birdy charged at him. Now forced to both fight and heal, he was truly between a rock and a hard place! But War Banner’s overall skill was undeniable—not just in mechanics, but in game sense. Case in point: Bodhi Patriarch immediately abandoned the boss to attack Birdy!

Zhurong, oblivious to the players’ complicated grudges, fixated on Bodhi—his current aggro target. But since the mini version’s attacks were weaker, Sorrel cautiously retreated to a safe distance, healing Bodhi while occasionally tossing an attack skill at Birdy.

War Banner’s plan was clear: Tank Zhurong while finishing off Birdy, then revive their teammates and claim the spoils.

Taking down Sister Liuli, Black Gold, and Snow Wolf had already pushed Birdy to his limit. He was human, not a god. Under Bodhi and Sorrel’s combined assault, his HP steadily dwindled…

“LET GO OF OUR DEPUTY COMMANDER—”

A deafening roar erupted in YY.

Fang Zheng facepalmed: “WHO THE HELL ARE YOU YELLING AT HERE?!”

The Demon Refiner quickly apologized. Two seconds later—

[Local] Refined Into a Demon 715: LET GO OF OUR DEPUTY COMMANDER!

Fang Zheng collapsed in despair!

Birdy, too, could endure no more of this torment and finally fell.

Almost simultaneously, Sorrel and Bodhi were both knocked into the air—Bell Maiden 502 made her entrance!

Airborne status prevented skill usage, so Bodhi quickly succumbed under Zhurong and 502’s combined assault.

Aggro then shifted to Sorrel, who’d been healing Bodhi. The poor guy had barely touched the ground when a fireball from mini Zhurong blasted him to zero HP, leaving him sprawled atop his fallen comrade.

With only one living player left on the map, Zhurong wasted no time turning on 502. The girl held her own, exchanging blows for a few rounds before finally falling.

438 quickly summoned his Fire Sprite!

A few exchanges later, the Fire Sprite also met a heroic end.

Undeterred, 438 sent out his final pet—110—ready to fight to the death. But mini Zhurong, already at its limit, finally collapsed under the Ghost Enforcer’s relentless strikes.

[Huaxia] Refined Into a Demon 715, Fang Zheng, Mad Lad, Meng Chudong have successfully defeated Fire God Zhurong!