Chapter Ninety-Three: The Role of the Earth Bomb

After the Flying Hawk retreated to the mountain stronghold, Chen Hao and the other six climbed up the dirt path toward the summit. Upon reaching the sentry post, he instructed Liu Zixuan and Yudie to scale the rocks on either side to observe the situation, while he himself took out four earthen jars from his satchel.

Item Name: Improvised Landmine
Item Type: Explosive
Item Quality: Standard
Item Description: Player-crafted improvised landmine
Item Attributes: Power 40, Blast Radius 2 meters

During the ambush in the wheat fields, Chen Hao had paid Liu Yishou to purchase a few homemade mines. Early on, player-made mines were limited in power, but at critical moments they could prove invaluable. The mountain bandits were not trained cavalry, nor were their horses true war steeds. The path from the sentry post to the summit was ideal for a cavalry charge; if they rushed down and the mines detonated...

Atop the mountain, the bandits were already forming ranks. If Chen Hao and his companions continued upward, they would trigger a charge. He returned the mines to his satchel. Bending down to bury mines would certainly draw the bandits’ attention, so instead, he planned to walk a bit further and simply place the mines on the ground.

Even unburied, the mines would explode. With the horses charging downhill, even if the bandits noticed the mines, they would not have time to evade. The mines would not inflict heavy casualties, but frightened horses would scatter wildly, creating the perfect opportunity to eliminate the bandits.

Chen Hao called Liu Zixuan and Yudie down, and the seven proceeded toward the summit. Two hundred meters from the top, One-Eyed Seven prepared to launch the charge. Flying Hawk, beside him, said, “Boss, the path isn’t wide. Twenty brothers charging on horseback is enough to deal with those outsiders. The rest should stay up here.”

One-Eyed Seven found the advice sound. Scholars often say, “You don’t need a butcher’s knife to kill a chicken.” If everyone charged together, it would turn into chaos. He nodded and adopted Flying Hawk’s suggestion: “The brothers behind stay in the stronghold. The rest, follow me.”

Twenty bandits spurred their horses, swinging their sabers as they thundered down the slope. Chen Hao gently placed four mines on the ground, spacing them about two meters apart, then turned and ran with Liu Zixuan and the others.

Reaching the sentry post, Liu Zixuan and Yudie climbed the rocks again. Chen Feng set up a gun rest, and the angler placed his rifle on his shoulder. Chen Hao, left hand gripping his premium Colt pistol, right hand wielding a Wild Goose Blade, stood before the rocks. Lin Xiaofeng also carried a broadsword.

As soon as the bandits’ horses panicked, Chen Hao would rush forward to engage them in close combat, while Yudie and Liu Zixuan would provide covering fire from above.

“Boom.”

“Boom, boom.”

One-Eyed Seven, riding a green-maned horse at the front, saw the earthen jars on the path. Before he could react, his horse stepped squarely atop one. The mine exploded, wounding the horse; in pain, it reared, flinging One-Eyed Seven to the ground.

“Whinny!”

The bandits behind also rode into the mines. Four consecutive explosions sent the untrained horses into a frenzy, some bolting wildly, others plunging off the cliff. A few bandits managed to control their steeds and pressed on. At that moment, the angler squeezed the trigger, and buckshot enveloped three bandits charging side by side.

Horses struck by buckshot scattered, breaking up the charge formation entirely. From the rocks above, Liu Zixuan and Yudie began firing. The bandits were only thirty or forty meters from the sentry post—close enough for the two women’s marksmanship to be effective. They quickly shot down two bandits.

Chen Hao and Lin Xiaofeng, swinging their broadswords, charged forward. The pale demon, after finishing the gun rest task, drew his Mauser and joined the attack. The bandits thrown to the ground had just risen, not yet able to retrieve their dropped sabers, when the three reached them.

Chen Hao fired two shots point-blank, killing two bandits, then holstered his pistol and slashed repeatedly with his blade, cutting down three more enemies. The pale demon, though less skilled with firearms, could hardly miss at a range of five meters; he, too, shot down two bandits.

Lin Xiaofeng followed close behind Chen Hao, dispatching any bandit that appeared at Chen Hao’s flank. These bandits were only level twelve, their combat stats barely thirty points. Without the advantage of mounted combat, they were no match at all.

“Brother Chen, look out!” Lin Xiaofeng suddenly shouted. Chen Hao swiftly drew his Colt from the satchel and fired blindly over his shoulder, emptying the remaining rounds.

He had noticed the bandit leader One-Eyed Seven on the ground earlier, but with four bandits clustered around him, he hadn’t approached. Lin Xiaofeng’s warning made him suspect One-Eyed Seven had a firearm, so he shot in that direction.

There was still a bandit in front of Chen Hao. After emptying his pistol, he swung the Wild Goose Blade and felled the bandit. Glancing back, he saw One-Eyed Seven collapsed on the ground, clutching a Mauser.

All twenty bandits were wiped out. Chen Hao did not continue charging; more than ten bandits remained atop the mountain, and players were commanding them. Any assault would be suicide.

One-Eyed Seven dropped his standard Mauser, while the other bandits yielded only junk. What caught Chen Hao’s interest were the two remaining horses, though now was not the time to deal with them. He walked to the base of the sentry post and called up, “Yudie, what’s the situation up top?”

Yudie replied, “While One-Eyed Seven led the charge, the bandits atop the mountain were fortifying their position. It’s not likely we can storm them.”

Chen Hao laughed, “No need to charge. You and Zixuan stay on the rocks and practice your marksmanship. We’ll wear them down slowly.”

On the summit, Flying Hawk’s expression was one of astonishment. The six attacking players had used range advantage to eliminate the sentries, a clever tactic. Seeing them advance halfway up the mountain, he instinctively thought such skilled players would recognize the path’s suitability for cavalry and must have a plan. The dozen bandits charging should be enough, so he advised One-Eyed Seven to leave some men behind. When he heard the mines explode, he realized their strategy: using mines to counter untrained cavalry—a simple and effective method, and a disaster for One-Eyed Seven’s bandits.

Even knowing the outcome, watching Chen Hao slice through bandits like chopping vegetables, Flying Hawk was truly shocked; Chen Hao’s combat prowess rivaled even Optimus Prime.

After One-Eyed Seven’s charge, Flying Hawk had the remaining bandits fortify the summit. At first, the bandits scoffed, but after witnessing the annihilation of their comrades, panic drove them to work feverishly on the defenses.

What puzzled Flying Hawk was that the enemy did not attack while the fortifications were incomplete, instead stopping at the sentry post.

Chen Hao climbed the rocks as well. Seeing the summit’s fortifications, he smiled. If players weren’t involved, the instance would already be over. The mission had become S-rank, so he had to find a way through this final challenge—one that mainly involved dealing with players.