Chapter Sixty-Two

Wang Gang, Wang Linlin, Irene, and Irene’s younger sister, Apple, chatted amiably for quite a while, sharing laughs and jokes. Backed by their formidable support network, the two humans quickly had the two elves roaring with laughter.

"Ha ha, that’s so hilarious! Tell us another one, Wang Gang," Apple giggled so hard tears were almost welling up in her eyes. She tugged at Irene’s arm, urging him on.

"Alright, alright, then I'll tell you another one," Wang Gang cleared his throat and narrated with vivid expression, "One day, after finishing up in the restroom, an elephant suddenly realized it had forgotten to bring any toilet paper. Spotting a little rabbit nearby, it asked, 'Hey, little rabbit, do you shed fur?' The little rabbit answered with a completely innocent look, 'I'm not afraid of shedding!' Without another word, the elephant picked up the little white rabbit and wiped its bottom with it. The next day, while eating, the elephant forgot toilet paper again. Seeing a little squirrel nearby, it asked, 'Hey, little squirrel, are you afraid of shedding fur?' The little squirrel also replied, 'Ah, nope, not afraid!' Then the elephant used the little squirrel to wipe its mouth. After wiping its mouth, the little squirrel said with utter resignation..." Wang Gang intentionally paused to build suspense.

"Quick, tell us, what did the little squirrel say?" Apple and Irene asked impatiently.

"The little squirrel said, 'Brother, I was the little white rabbit from yesterday!'" Wang Gang revealed the punchline.

The group froze for a moment before bursting into roaring laughter. Apple and Irene laughed until they were bent double, and Wang Linlin was laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up.

Just at that moment, Li Yang appeared before them, limping slightly. Clearly, he had already learned about the elves, but he simply stood quietly beside Wang Linlin without saying much.

Reading the situation, Wang Linlin smiled and asked the two elves, "Where are you two heading? Could we travel along with you?"

"Your combat strength leaves a bit to be desired, you know. Our mission this time is extremely dangerous," Irene said, looking at them with a hint of concern.

"It's fine, just let us tag along with you. We aren't afraid of danger; the only thing we're afraid of is a lack of excitement!" Wang Gang patted his chest with absolute confidence, thinking to himself that this was a prime opportunity to fish for some inside information about the game.

Irene and Apple exchanged glances and sighed helplessly. "Fine, you can come along, but if we run into danger, we won't be able to look after you. After all, we're off to hunt down the Insect Emperor, and that's no child's play."

Both Li Yang and Wang Linlin unhesitatingly declared that it would be no problem at all. And so, the group of five—two elves and three heavy gunners—ventured deeper into the boundless forest.

As they marched on, Wang Gang and Li Yang kept dropping hints and probing the two elves about the game's lore, background, and how to accept quests. The two elves were quite friendly and answered everything they were asked, though inwardly they found it rather strange. How could these humans be even less informed than ordinary mortals? Ordinary people knew more than the three of them combined.

"So you're saying all the various races are developing in peace now just because the City Lord built a Peace City, and there are embassies for all the races inside?" Wang Gang asked curiously.

"Yeah! To think you didn't even know that. The day the city was built was practically a miracle," Apple said excitedly. "A massive city was just flying through the sky, and then suddenly it broke apart into over a hundred smaller cities. Those little cities transformed into all sorts of shapes and danced all over the sky. I can still remember that sight vividly to this day!"

"Wow, that's amazing! Could this City Lord be an immortal being, or some kind of deity?" Wang Gang pressed on in wide-eyed wonder.

"Not quite. According to the elders in my tribe, he might be an ancient survivor who has lived for countless ages and mastered ancient alchemy. As for just how formidable his personal strength really is, no one has ever actually seen him make a move," Irene explained patiently.

Suddenly, a melodious ringtone chimed. Apple pulled out her smartphone, saw it was a call from her mother, let out a sigh, and answered.

"Mother dearest, what is it now? This is already your third call today," Apple said resignedly.

"So you still remember you have a mother! I heard you're going after the Insect Emperor. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Send me your location right now so I can send someone to go with you, or else you better march right back home this instant. You are simply impossible to worry about!" the Elf Queen said frantically on the other end of the line, feeling completely helpless against her mischievous daughter.

Wang Gang caught the hint instantly, thinking to himself, *If you're so amazing, why do you need me to guard you?* Still, he hurriedly played along by raising his rifle and unleashing a fierce burst of fire into a nearby large tree.

"Did you hear that? I do have an escort—heavy gunners! The City Lord personally assigned them to me because he was afraid I'd be in danger!" Apple boasted proudly.

Beside her, Irene covered her forehead in silent exasperation, thinking that this girl truly never spoke a single truthful word.

"Alright, fine. If you run into any trouble, hurry back immediately. Don't go charging too deep. I've heard that Insect Emperor is terribly mysterious," the Elf Queen admonished.

"Got it, don't worry. If I spot any trouble, I'll run. Alright, I'm hanging up now," Apple said, hastily cutting the connection.

"Ah, Lord Apple, you truly are brilliant beyond compare. I am utterly and thoroughly in awe," Li Yang seized the moment to flatter her.

"I happen to know that the City Lord's heavy gunners are always men of few words. To run into ones like you lot is really something else! Did the City Lord train all the chatterboxes into mutes?" Apple asked suspiciously.

"Of course not, we're all the same. It's just that everything was so novel when we first started out, so we talked a bit more. Now that the novelty has worn off, we talk less," Wang Gang explained with a smile.

Hearing this, Apple's expression abruptly turned serious. She pressed a finger to her lips and whispered, "Shh, there's trouble ahead."

The group instantly tensed up, looking around in all directions. A short while later, a heavy gunner came running toward them in a disheveled state, his powered armor bearing a massive, prominent scratch across the chest. Spotting people ahead, he sped up and shouted as he ran, "Run! The magical beasts are besieging the city, hurry back to defend!" As he sprinted past, the heavy gunner couldn't resist casting a few extra glances at the elves before vanishing into the distance in a flash.

"What's going on? How long has the game even been out, and there's already a city siege?" the three of them muttered in utter bewilderment.

"Seriously! Is the game planner out of their mind? We've only been in here for a couple of days and they're already triggering a siege event?" Li Yang said as he gazed in the direction the heavy gunner had come from.

"You've got to be kidding me. This is way too sudden," Wang Linlin chimed in.

Before the group could take any action, a few seconds later, a dense barrage of gunfire echoed from afar, drawing closer and growing clearer by the second.

"They're here!" Apple swiftly drew her staff and said with high vigilance.

Everyone immediately took up defensive stances. Li Yang agilely scrambled up a large tree to survey the distance. One look nearly frightened him enough to tumble straight back down: dense hordes of ferocious beasts were surging forward in massive waves, seemingly endless and stretching beyond the horizon.

A few heavy gunners who had lagged behind were instantly swallowed up by the beast tide, their fates sealed. The remaining five heavy gunners gave up firing altogether and simply ran for their lives at full speed.

Li Yang leaped down from the tree in a panic and said, "We need to fall back too! There's no way we can fight this head-on; there are just too many of them."

Wang Gang had originally wanted to show off his prowess, but upon hearing Li Yang's words, his courage began to falter as well.

In just that brief span of time, the remaining five heavy gunners were engulfed by the beast tide. Only a flurry of piercing screams echoed through the air before abruptly dying down, leaving behind nothing except the rhythmic, heavy vibrations of rampaging magical beasts.

"What do we do?" Wang Linlin stepped back in terror, her voice trembling.

"Elven lords, you should run first. There's no way we can outrun them," Wang Gang said helplessly.

Even as he spoke, the charging magical beasts came clearly into view, baring their fangs and looking utterly ferocious and menacing.

"It's the Zerg! Prepare for battle! We can't run, we won't outrun them now. Apple, set up the teleportation array immediately! Everyone, stall them!" Irene made a swift, decisive judgment.

Apple immediately began setting up the teleportation array, chanting incantations under her breath while weaving intricate hand gestures.

Irene was not to be outdone. Gripping her staff tightly in her left hand, she whipped ten paper talismans from her spatial ring with her right hand and flicked her wrist. The talismans hovered in mid-air around the five of them as she shouted, "Metal, wood, water, fire, earth—transform the Five Elements into a grand formation, rise!"

Five beams of light instantly shot up from the ground, enveloping the group in a protective barrier.

Wang Gang, Li Yang, and Wang Linlin were all dumbfounded. They had thought the sniper-wielding elf was already formidable, but this one was even more hardcore—she actually knew Taoist magic! They couldn't help marveling inwardly at how the game developers' minds even worked.

As the formation solidified, the raptors were already right before them. Roaring with gaping maws, they slammed themselves recklessly toward the group.

With a resounding crash, the first raptor was repelled by a wall of fire. Then came the drumbeat-like impacts echoing from all directions, accompanied by the ferocious roars of the raptors that chilled Wang Gang and the others to the bone!

The raptors quickly surrounded the five people trapped inside the barrier!

"These Zerg attacks are fierce. Apple, how much longer do you need?" Irene's face was deathly pale.

"Almost there! Just give me ten more seconds!" Fine beads of sweat dotted Apple's temples.

Right at this moment of extreme crisis, just as the raptors were about to pierce the defense, and just as Apple was on the verge of completing the teleportation array, the raptors abruptly halted their attack!