Chapter 107: Killing with a Borrowed Knife

Guan Ning, a man of immense wealth, was hailed as one of the Four Young Masters of the capital. Yet, he knew that in China, money was not the ultimate power. Compared to the low-profile scions in the city of Beijing, his status was negligible; a single word from a truly influential figure could reduce him to a pauper. If possible, Guan Ning would rather convert his wealth into privilege and enter the most elite circles of society.

Humanity was planning to colonize the moon and Mars, and the massive distribution of benefits involved made game points highly prized by nations worldwide. To secure more points, many developed countries were purchasing them at exorbitant prices, which kept the value of game currency consistently high.

China’s acquisition price for game points was lower than that of developed nations. To prevent the outflow of points from domestic players, the government offered various forms of compensation to those who sold their points to the state. Those who donated enough points unconditionally were granted the status of "Honorary Citizen," which came with specific privileges.

Guan Ning did not lack money; what he lacked was a prestigious background. The game *War* provided him with the perfect opportunity to convert his fortune into privilege. As long as he could obtain a vast amount of game points and donate them to the authorities to become an Honorary Citizen, he would no longer have to carefully navigate the moods of others and could enjoy the benefits that came with such power.

Guan Ning had invested over one hundred million in the game, building the seemingly formidable "Guan Ning Iron Cavalry." His plan was to scatter these units across the Qilu region to establish his reputation. Once the blueprints for building command headquarters appeared in the game, he intended to purchase them at a high price to establish a stronghold in Qilu. By then, the scattered cavalry units would gather the players they had developed, and a powerful warlord would be born within the game.

When one of his cavalry squads was wiped out shortly after being deployed, Guan Ning did not take it to heart. The players who ambushed his men were skilled and their tactics perfect, but that was precisely why Guan Ning wasn't worried. If the opposition had real power, they wouldn't need to go to such lengths; they would simply have ambushed them with a hundred or two hundred men. The fact that they risked an ambush with only seven people against more than thirty proved that they were merely ordinary players.

Against such ordinary players without backing or influence, he would first suppress them and then try to recruit them; he might even end up gaining a capable subordinate. After "Smiling Maitreya" left, Guan Ning ordered cavalry squads from several nearby counties to converge on Penglai to find the players who dared to offend the might of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry and teach them a lesson.

Over a hundred cavalrymen set out for Penglai from different directions. In the county, Chen Hao received the news through Mo Yu. He understood the common flaw of these major factions: they would never allow ants to challenge their authority. Having led the effort to wipe out over thirty riders, he knew that Guan Ning, who was desperate to make a name for himself in Qilu, would never remain indifferent.

Chen Hao had been able to annihilate those thirty-plus riders by relying on precise calculations. With over a hundred cavalrymen coming, and now on high alert, he could not replicate that miracle. Upon learning that the Iron Cavalry was moving toward Penglai, he was not anxious. *War* was filled with ambitious players; the game had only been running for a few months, and Guan Ning was already laying out plans for the entire Qilu region. He did not believe other players would stand by and watch.

Chen Hao logged onto the game forum and posted a thread titled "The Arrogant Guan Ning Iron Cavalry," attaching a video of the ambush in the Thorns Mountains.

"The game has only been running for three months, and every player is struggling to level up, yet there is a seemingly powerful faction attempting to occupy an entire province. For the past two days, the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry has been galloping across Qilu, and they can be seen in every county. Yesterday, my teammates were unlucky enough to encounter thirty of them. The squad leader, Smiling Maitreya, tried to force a purchase of our horses, and when refused, he launched a sneak attack from behind, killing four of my teammates. What grand prestige the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry has!"

"However, the Great Man told us that seemingly powerful enemies are actually paper tigers. I am just an ordinary player, but I still intend to pull the whiskers of this Iron Cavalry. At the Thorns Mountains outside the west gate of Penglai, my teammates and I ambushed the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry and wiped out all 36 of them, proving they are indeed paper tigers. The video is proof."

"To all the ordinary players who have been bullied by the arrogance of the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, are you prepared to just swallow your pride? If one day foreign players coordinate with invaders to strike, and you face them armed to the teeth, will you remain silent then? One can see a player's backbone through small matters. Have the paper-tiger-like Guan Ning Iron Cavalry scared you that much?"

The ambush led by Chen Hao, a victory of few against many, combined with the fact that it involved the high-profile Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, quickly attracted widespread attention. Players who had been bullied by the Iron Cavalry began posting their own accounts of the faction's misdeeds, and some players even began organizing online to unite against them.

In a luxury villa in the capital, a slightly chubby young man leaned lazily in his chair. Standing beside him was a stunningly sexy beauty named Huang Jiaxin, a celebrity who worked in film, television, and music. She was currently fanning the young man.

She told the youth about the post she had seen on the forum. Hearing her recount it, the youth’s lips curled into a mocking sneer. "Guan Ning really is willing to spend a fortune. He’s invested hundreds of millions only months into the game."

Huang Jiaxin laughed, "Guan Ning has really lost face this time. A cavalry squad of thirty-plus people wiped out by seven ordinary players. Should our people stand on the side of justice and take out a few of his squads?"

The chubby youth shook his head. "No need. Just as that post said, cavalry squads only look mighty in the early stages; they are essentially paper tigers. After that post stirs things up, plenty of others will deal with his cavalry."

"I am quite interested in this player named Chen Baxian. He used precise calculations to take out over thirty people with seven, and now he’s using the forum to drive the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry to ruin. He’s a talent!"

Huang Jiaxin leaned over the youth’s back and said, "This person went to such great lengths to take out just one of Guan Ning’s squads; he probably has no backing. How about I make contact with him in the game?"

The youth pinched her ample chest and chuckled, "You have plenty of fans who are obsessed with you; perhaps this Chen Baxian is one of them. You can contact him, but don't get yourself dragged into it."

Huang Jiaxin smiled charmingly, "How could I? Besides you, Young Master Huang, there is no man in this world who could move me."

The chubby youth was named Huang Fei, also one of the Four Young Masters of the capital, in a position similar to Guan Ning’s. Huang Fei took the game *War* very seriously and had invested a significant amount of money, but he knew there were countless experts in the game and chose not to be as high-profile as Guan Ning.

Besides Huang Fei, the other two of the Four Young Masters were also watching the spectacle, choosing to stand by and watch. However, it was the players who wanted to put down roots in Qilu who were truly incited by Chen Hao’s post.

Many players who had formed cliques and entered the game had chosen a county as their base, and they certainly would not tolerate others encroaching on their territory. In terms of strength, these factions were inferior to the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, but dealing with a single cavalry squad stationed in their territory was an easy task.