Lin Fei's plan was as follows.
If his memory served him correctly, the current captain of the Butch guard should be the renowned old veteran—Madden. He was a veteran who, like Charlotte's grandfather, had experienced the November War.
Lin Fei knew that this NPC in the game would teach travelers the skill of 'Scouting.' However, Madden was truly famous because of a massive blunder he made during the First Black Rose War. As the local captain of Butch's defense forces, he misjudged the intentions of the Madara army.
He believed that they were merely continuing their usual border incursions. Therefore, he began evacuating the villagers of Butch right from the start. He had an opportunity to counterattack and repel the vanguard of the undead army, and then withdraw safely.
Unfortunately, he missed this chance.
He was supposed to be a hero of the kingdom, but instead, he walked a much darker path. Lin Fei felt both pity and curiosity about such a person. He pitied the circumstances of his later life, but was curious about how he managed to detect the Madara undead army so early. After all, this was the only variable in the entire Goran-Elsen region.
"Could it be because of me?" A sudden, unlikely thought crossed Lin Fei's mind.
But he quickly dismissed this absurd notion.
Right now, he needed to change history. He had to find a way to warn him. In military terminology, fire symbolized a warning and invasion. Lin Fei could only hope Madden would be alert enough—
The door outside was banging loudly, and every second seemed to drag in a tense atmosphere.
"Charlotte, they're coming in!" Roman gripped her stone hammer tightly, her brow furrowed as she anxiously watched the kitchen door, fearing it might be accidentally smashed open.
Lin Fei had no time to ponder this. If the skeletal soldiers burst in, they would be doomed. But hearing the merchant girl's shout, he couldn't help but glance back at the door:
The door to the kitchen was making creaking sounds as blades were thrust in and pulled out repeatedly. The Madara swords gleamed like wild beasts' fangs. Something outside suddenly slammed into the door with a loud crash, and dust rained down from the ceiling.
The wooden door creaked and groaned, the cracks widening significantly—
"Calm down, calm down. Just treat this as a game. Lin Fei, remember the tasks you've completed; this isn't anything out of the ordinary…"
He took a deep breath to steady his nerves, wrapping a cloth soaked in oil around a bundle of straw and kindling, securing it with a rubber band. He was quite experienced at this. Crafting a torch was a basic skill in the game, though it barely counted as a fundamental craft.
This was a relatively well-prepared setup. He also knew how to make torches that burned for only five minutes; he had tried this with dry lichen and shrubs in the Nocan and Haine tunnels before.
But time was running short. The door shook violently again, the frame cracking with a loud snap, plaster flying everywhere and then settling down.
"Charlotte—!" Roman felt her heart leap into her throat, her bright eyes blinking rapidly.
"I'm here, don't worry, just hold on for a moment." Lin Fei was sweating profusely, struggling to strike sparks from a flint with an iron rod. The sparks flew erratically, but the torch wouldn't catch—
After all, reality and the game were still quite different.
The skeletal soldiers' immense force finally snapped the door's bar with a crack, causing the wooden door to tilt, though it hadn't yet fully opened.
A bare-boned skeletal hand reached through from the outside, trying to break the bar from within.
The young merchant girl was startled and immediately swung her hammer at it. But the hammer only made a crack in the bone; Madara's skeleton soldiers felt no pain and simply paused momentarily before continuing to pull at the bar.
Roman was momentarily stunned by the sight, even forgetting to wield her hammer.
"Charlotte, Charlotte, what do we do…" she asked nervously.
At this moment, the flame finally ignited.
Simultaneously, the bar fell with a loud clatter.
The door swung open, and a skeletal soldier with a sword in hand stepped inside. It turned its head, its dark eye sockets locking onto the two pale-faced youths with fiery red flames.
What was the young man doing?
Before it could react, a black object grew larger in its dim, gray vision, and with a sharp clatter, a hatchet embedded itself in its forehead.
"...This is your final move. When throwing the sword, remember to keep your hand steady, your center of gravity low, and don't hesitate. You and your target should be as aligned as possible…"
"If your enemy is a skeleton, your best targets are the shoulder joints, the thigh base, or the spine. Unless you're sure of a headshot, the skull is not its greatest weakness…"
"Damn it—!"
Lin Fei cursed inwardly as he watched the skeletal soldier fall backward. He couldn't help but be frustrated—the 'throwing' technique in military swordsmanship was an advanced skill, but for an experienced warrior like him, it shouldn't be a problem. However, as soon as he threw the hatchet, Lin Fei suddenly realized he was no longer the seasoned fighter he once was.
In the game, with his strength, this hatchet would likely have split the skull in two. But now, as Charlotte had learned in militia training, the skeleton was only slightly impeded—the hatchet lodged in its forehead caused no significant damage to the skeletal structure.
"Miss Roman, be careful!" Seeing the skeleton soldier about to rise again, Lin Fei quickly pulled the merchant girl behind him.
"Charlotte…" The merchant girl was terrified.
"Don't worry, I'm here." Lin Fei reassured her, though he was unsure himself, especially with a horde of skeletal soldiers pressing in from behind.
In this dire situation, he had no time to hesitate. He scanned the surroundings, finding nothing useful. The skeleton was almost back on its feet—what to do? Should he just give up?
Lin Fei shook his head. He vowed never to be so indifferent to life and death as he was now—of course, not counting those experiences in the game. He felt a blankness in his mind, knowing there was only one chance: succeed or perish!
He charged forward, gritting his teeth, grabbed the skeleton's sword-wielding arm, and instinctively flipped the skeletal frame backward.
In moments of extreme tension, people often use all their strength instinctively. The skeletal frame, unable to resist while losing its balance, fell with a rattling sound, causing the following skeletal soldiers to stagger backward.
The momentum of the Madara undead's invasion into the room was momentarily halted, if only for an instant—but it was enough.
The young man felt a bewildering sense of disbelief. Could he really have succeeded? This was reality, wasn't he just a useless game geek?
He instinctively threw the remaining torch into a corner, where the dry straw, leather, and kindling had already been piled.
The flames flared up—
"Let's run, Charlotte!" The merchant girl rushed up from behind, grabbing his hand.
She felt she had never been so anxious before. She remembered meeting the young man from next door more than a year ago, thinking he seemed shy and easy to talk to.
But today, that ordinary young man displayed extraordinary calmness and bravery. Was this what her aunt described as a 'reliable man'?
What a strange feeling—
The girl couldn't help but have some vague thoughts. She noticed her heart pounding as she grasped his wrist.
"Charlotte?"
Smoke was already filling the room, and the kitchen was thick with choking fumes.
Lin Fei suddenly snapped back to reality. By Mars, he had just set his grandfather's old home on fire. Charlotte was surely going to be in trouble—though now he was Charlotte himself.
His mind was a mess, but amidst the chaos, Charlotte's memories took over.
However, a dry, deep voice soon came from the smoke: "Move quickly, undead soldiers. Put out the fire and find that pest. We only have one minute—"
This voice reminded the young man that they were still in danger and needed to find a way to escape. But Lin Fei knew that lower-level undead, driven by the Soul Flame, instinctively feared fire. It would be difficult for the corpse mage to make his skeletal minions overcome this fear in such a short time. Therefore, this was his chance.
But fire was a double-edged sword; he had to act quickly.
"Miss Roman, follow me." Lin Fei grabbed a roll of sausages from the ceiling and led the merchant girl toward the back door. This wasn't because he was hungry; preparing basic food supplies before escaping had become second nature for players in "Amber Sword."
The fire was spreading, the surroundings turning into a sea of flames, smoke filling the air, and the temperature rising rapidly. But Lin Fei soon found the small door used for delivering food from his memory—he pushed it and found it locked.
He coughed, and the merchant girl behind him was coughing heavily. He calmed himself and continued to search below, soon finding the metal latch. Just as he was about to open it, he hesitated.
He remembered something else.
...
"Freya!"
For the residents of the Elson-Goran mountain region, the April stars and May nights might seem similar. But from late May, temperatures gradually rose, and from the gentle slopes of the Yusong Mountains, a sea of red and white flowers had covered the area since early summer. In peaceful times, this would be a beautiful and pleasing sight.
However, the skeletal soldiers patrolling the road were creating a horrifying atmosphere. The flowers were wilted, and the shadow of an evil spirit loomed over them.
The entire valley seemed silent, only the occasional scream could be heard.
Yet, Lin Fei and Charlotte's escape plan had taken shape.
Their destination was the western side of Butch, where Lin Fei planned to reach the castle, contact Madden, and prepare for the battle against the Madara army.
But as they tried to pass through the western streets of Butch, they were blocked by a crowd of undead soldiers, their leader—a dark figure in tattered robes, commanding the skeletal soldiers to spread out and search.
The flames in the kitchen had attracted the undead soldiers' attention, so the young man and merchant girl had been able to slip away. However, the danger was far from over.
Their situation was dire, and Lin Fei knew they had no time to waste.
"You must stay focused and act swiftly, Lin Fei…" he murmured.
As they made their way through the shadowy streets, the skeletal soldiers loomed like grim sentinels, and every corner seemed like a potential trap.
But with Charlotte's courage and Lin Fei's quick thinking, they were able to navigate through the darkness, determined to reach their destination and fulfill their mission.