Chapter Thirty: At the End of Endurance

At this moment, Zhou Jian was rather flustered, with nearly a hundred goblins hot on his heels—all because he had discovered a goblin village. In the center of the village stood a Spiritfruit, remarkably similar to the one Wang Ziping had obtained earlier. As luck would have it, most of the goblins were out hunting, leaving behind only the elderly, infirm, and young within the village. This led Zhou Jian to mistakenly believe that these were the only inhabitants of the goblin settlement.

Unable to resist the temptation, he immediately led his men in an assault. Every goblin who stood in their way was cut down, and soon enough, Zhou Jian had the Spiritfruit in his grasp. Yet, at that very moment, the goblins who had gone out returned. In the instant their eyes met, rage blazed in one group, while the other was struck with the dreadful realization of imminent disaster.

Without a word, Zhou Jian led his men in a desperate flight. His squad of ten could not possibly stand against nearly a hundred goblins; if they stayed and were surrounded, death would be certain.

“Captain, I think that’s Squad Seven up ahead—they’re on patrol today,” someone in Zhou Jian’s squad called out, spotting Shi Jiu and his team in the distance.

Delighted, Zhou Jian exclaimed, “Good, let’s go and join up with them. I’ve already called another squad for backup. Now, we’ll hold out together until the three teams unite. Then we’ll slaughter all these goblins.”

...

Looking ahead, Wang An said, “Captain, they’re being chased by nearly a hundred goblins, and from the looks of it, they’re headed straight for us.”

Shi Jiu frowned, contemplating. “Wait and see. As a patrol team, we have a duty to help. If we ignore them when they’re in danger, and word gets to the leader, that won’t end well for us.”

The patrol squad had two tasks: first, to aid comrades in danger; second, to check for threats around the settlement. These were rules set by their leader.

Zhou Jian soon rushed over with his men. “Shi Jiu, let’s work together to stop these goblins. I’ve already called another squad for reinforcements.”

Shi Jiu said nothing, which made Zhou Jian uncomfortable—how dare this fellow ignore him? But since he needed Shi Jiu’s help, he had to swallow his displeasure for now.

“You’re on patrol right now, aren’t you? Surely you’re not just going to stand by and do nothing?”

Finally, Shi Jiu spoke. “Why so impatient? I never said I wouldn’t help. Form up! Prepare for battle!”

Seeing Shi Jiu take action at last, Zhou Jian breathed a sigh of relief. He had been truly afraid Shi Jiu might refuse.

Although he could have led the goblins to the settlement and let the guards deal with them, he would never risk his own life. However, the Spiritfruit would then be lost to him, and leading monsters to the settlement was a grave offense. What if the guards had been reassigned and a horde of monsters swarmed in? That was why Li Kuang had established the rule forbidding anyone from leading monsters toward the settlement—if you did, you’d be lucky to escape with your life.

Mu Kui grumbled, “Do we really have to help this guy? It’s so annoying.”

Shi Jiu explained, “We’re on duty, so let’s not get petty. Besides, Zhou Jian hasn’t done anything to us. The real issue is Lei Yan.”

Mu Kui pouted, “Fine, we’ll help them this once.”

The two squads, twenty men in all, now stood a fighting chance against the horde of goblins. Soon, the battle was joined.

To the members of Shi Jiu’s team, these goblins posed no threat at all. Even Wei Liang, the newest member, displayed remarkable fighting skill, and with the strength granted by the Mighty Ape, he dispatched goblins with ease.

After five minutes of combat, another squad arrived from a different direction. Shi Jiu noticed it was Squad Six. Knowing their reputation, he muttered inwardly, They’d better not try anything stupid, or I won’t go easy on them.

With the arrival of reinforcements, the goblin numbers quickly dwindled. The goblins were simply too weak; unless vastly outnumbered, they posed no real danger. In less than half an hour, the nearly one hundred goblins were slain to the last.

The battle ended, and Wei Liang was exhilarated. Wielding the power of his Life Card in battle was a wholly new experience. He was even lucky enough to obtain a Tier-One Source Pearl, which put him in high spirits.

Seeing that the fight was over, Shi Jiu began leading his squad away—but was blocked by Zhou Jian.

Zhou Jian spoke with a sinister edge, “Where do you think you’re going? Planning to take off with our spoils?”

Shi Jiu stared at him coldly. “What are you getting at?”

Zhou Jian chuckled. “What am I getting at? These goblins were drawn here by me—the loot should all be mine. I saw someone from your team pick up a drop just now.”

Before Shi Jiu could retort, Mu Kui could no longer contain himself. He had never seen anyone so shameless, and his rage erupted.

“You bastard! You really don’t know your place! Looks like you’re just asking for a beating!”

Zhou Jian snorted, “When did the dog get a say in the conversation between me and your captain?”

Tension instantly filled the air. Squad Six slowly formed a circle, surrounding Shi Jiu and his men.

Shi Jiu maintained his composure. “We’re all from the same settlement. Are you sure you want to do this?”

Mu Kui bellowed, “Captain, why waste time talking? Let’s just take them down!”

Shi Jiu shot Mu Kui a glare, and Mu Kui had no choice but to swallow his anger for now.

Zhou Jian spoke coldly, “I don’t care about the rest, but that man just picked up a skill card. These goblins were brought here by me. The skill card is mine.”

Zhou Jian chose to disregard Shi Jiu’s assistance. All he cared about was that skill card! So what if he offended Shi Jiu? Compared to a skill card, Shi Jiu was nothing. Besides, Squad Six and Squad Seven had never gotten along—last time, didn’t their captain Lei Yan snatch one from Shi Jiu’s team? Back then, Shi Jiu’s people hadn’t dared say a word. Now it was his turn to take one. With twenty men on his side, did Shi Jiu dare resist?

But he failed to realize that he was no Lei Yan, and Shi Jiu’s team was no longer what it had been.

Shi Jiu could hold back no longer. His voice was low and menacing. “A skill card again... Always about the skill card... Do you really think we’re easy prey?”

“Attack! Let these bastards know what we’re made of!”

Mu Kui immediately sprang forward like a beast set free, overjoyed. “It’s about time we taught them a lesson!”

The others showed no fear. Their strength had undergone a collective transformation that very morning; they needed some punching bags to test their skills.

As for trouble afterward... by tomorrow they’d all be at Tier Two—what need had they to fear Lei Yan? Besides, their captain was no pushover. If Squad Six tried to stir up trouble, it would only backfire on them.

Lu Sheng strode forward unconcerned, musing over how much force to use. These were people, not monsters; after all, they were still compatriots. Killing them with a single punch would hardly be appropriate.