A series of clashes echoed as the Ranger player was forced to retreat under the relentless assault from the Eastern Yi Shadow Assassin. The assassin wielded a saber—a weapon designed for powerful strikes—with both hands, launching a storm of attacks right from the start. Coupled with his initial ambush, the Shadow Assassin gained the upper hand immediately.
Fortunately, the Ranger player had cleared the trial, and under the support of the Unstoppable Spirit skill, he dodged and weaved, using his sword to deflect the blows. He barely held his ground, though he found himself in a dangerous position multiple times, with the saber blade nearly grazing his clothes—just a few inches more, and he'd be covered in blood.
The other players weren't faring much better. Though they had prepared a formation before the fight, once the battle began, it quickly fell into chaos. In contrast, the Eastern Yi raiders displayed a high level of coordination. Their general would charge forward with his cross-shaped spear, tearing a hole in the players' formation. Meanwhile, the Shadow Assassins targeted the weaker spots on the flanks, while the raiders followed through, creating a situation where the battle looked as though it was tipping towards collapse.
Only a few players, like Zhao Haiping, adapted quickly and put up a firm resistance. The rest were overwhelmed by the sudden intensity.
Outside the field, Du Gang anxiously reached for his gun. Even from this distance, he could still feel the powerful aura of the Eastern Yi general—a true menace honed through countless bloody battles, radiating extreme danger.
If the players hadn't gone through countless battles in the trial instances, they might have already broken down and fled in panic. Additionally, these players had no experience fighting as a coordinated unit. It was normal that they fell into a disjointed melee, each fighting independently.
Another key factor was the spiritual suppression the demon-possession brought to these Eastern Yi raiders. The players, believing this was a game and protected by the power of the Orderer, felt less of the suppression; but for people like Du Gang, who lacked that protection, fear crept in like an encroaching shadow, and only strong willpower kept them from turning and running.
Now Du Gang understood why Beichen insisted that the players, with their Orderer abilities, should be the ones to handle these demons. It was indeed challenging to rely solely on firearms.
This time, guns could be used to eliminate the demons, but what about next time? And the time after that? Those carrying out these missions would continually face mental erosion, and once gunfire rang out, the secrecy of the operation would be hard to maintain. If word spread, it could spark widespread panic, not only across the country but around the world. Moreover, if the secret was revealed, using players to combat the demons would no longer be an option.
In short, if the players could resolve this problem, it was the best solution. That is, provided they could pull themselves together and turn the tide.
Outside the park, a few pedestrians passed by, curious about the commotion. They were blocked by staff as they tried to look in, having heard faint shouts and sounds of combat.
"Excuse me, what kind of event is going on here? I heard shouting and fighting sounds," a passerby asked, curious.
The staff member explained, "This is Dark Sands' offline event, in mixed-reality game mode. You can think of it as similar to a movie set."
The passerby looked surprised. "Oh? That intense? Can I go in and take a look?"
The staff member shook his head. "Sorry, the MR game mode is still in closed testing. It's a commercial secret and isn't open to the public—only qualified players can participate."
The passerby sighed, disappointed. "Too bad I didn't get a testing slot. But, wouldn't allowing spectators build even more hype?"
The staff member smiled politely. "Do you think our company needs more hype?"
The passerby was momentarily speechless. It seemed… they didn't need it. After one last attempt to peek in, he reluctantly walked away, unable to see anything from outside.
Inside the park, the battle was becoming critical. The players' initial line of defense was failing; with several charges, the Eastern Yi general had scattered their formation, forcing them to fight individually. Yet the players, tempered by the trial instances, managed to stabilize their footing.
A Warrior player launched a fierce counterattack against the Eastern Yi Shadow Assassin, temporarily saving the Ranger who'd been wounded in the shoulder. But then he noticed the Eastern Yi general turning his horse and charging at Zhao Haiping, who was entangled with two raiders. The general seemed to have singled out Zhao Haiping as the most formidable Warrior, with the strongest resolve. Now that the formation had scattered, he planned to take Zhao out first to make the rest of the battle easier.
Nearby players saw this and shouted warnings, but there was little they could do. The general's charge, amplified by the horse's momentum, was unstoppable—none of them could withstand his cross spear.
Zhao heard the warning, but engaged with two raiders, he couldn't turn to defend himself. The general's attack was too swift, leaving him no time to react. All he could do was parry the closest saber and roll to the side as quickly as possible.
The cross spear barely grazed Zhao's armor, coming within a hair's breadth of hitting him directly. The heavily armored general moved with surprising agility, maneuvering his spear to strike Zhao. The attack landed squarely, sending Zhao flying, tumbling across the ground.
In that instant, Zhao felt a jolt of fear. Though he wore Warrior armor, he knew its protection was limited. From what he'd seen of the general's strength, this strike wouldn't kill him, but it would incapacitate him.
As the spear was about to hit, Zhao suddenly heard a powerful shout from a distance.
"How can I be without armor, when you are by my side!"
At the moment the spear connected, Zhao felt an inexplicable sensation—a glow seemed to emanate from his armor, as if something intangible had changed.
With a heavy thud, Zhao was sent rolling. Everyone expected him to be out of the game, but to their astonishment, he got back up, looking dazed. Though blood trickled from his mouth and he seemed injured, he hadn't sustained a fatal blow.
The other players watched in disbelief as, at the same moment Zhao was hit, a Scholar in the back also staggered, mirroring his fall.
The other Scholars stared in shock as Chu Ge got up, wiping blood from his mouth.
Did that actually work?
Earlier, the Scholars had anxiously watched the Warriors, Assassins, and Rangers fighting the raiders but hadn't known how to help. When Zhao was cornered, Chu Ge finally put aside his reservations and shouted the line, "How can I be without armor, when you are by my side!"
It was a spontaneous shout, driven by the urgency of the moment. Yet it worked! The cross spear had struck Zhao, but the damage seemed to be mitigated and shared. Chu Ge, despite standing far away, also staggered from the impact.
This apparent damage-sharing effect even had a defensive mechanism. If the Eastern Yi general had hit the Scholars directly, they would likely have been defeated instantly. But thanks to the Righteous Aura effect, the damage was split and softened, allowing Chu Ge to withstand it.