by <unknown>
He was immediately deeply awed by the magnificence and dominance of 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie's camp.
The main body of the camp was an iron fortress almost a hundred meters tall. On the black shell of the fortress were complicated tubes, dense wastes holes, and countless attack rune arrays. A lot of spiritual energy circuits that had been connected to rune arrays were simply exposed to the air without having the protection of a defensive shell. Sparks were spluttering out every now and then.
There were also gears. Countless gears large and small bit each other, either revolving slowly or spinning fast. With steam popping out, they transmitted the overwhelming impetus to the bottom of the iron fortress.
The base of the iron fortress had adopted a track structure, too. Sixteen gargantuan track engine systems supported the almighty fortress to march slowly toward Liberty City, leaving deep marks behind. The deepest of the marks was almost five meters into the ground, enough to bury a hundred dead bodies.
The marks left by the iron fortress as it rolled on the earth extended over the horizon, showing their determination to not retreat.
It was more like a floating mountain that had been dragged to the ground and had sixteen simple and primitive tracks installed than an iron fortress!
What was most daunting was a black, glittering barrel that extended out of a gap that was as deep as a canyon at the center of the iron fortress. The barrel was almost thirty meters long and aimed directly at Liberty City.
More than a hundred thousand rune arrays had been carved on the barrel. Metal rings that could enhance or suppress the spiritual energy were slowly revolving on it, too.
Li Yao was uncertain what kind of weapon it was. However, judging from the scale, it was as impressive as the main guns of a heavy starship.
In contrast to the gargantuan main cannon, the other hundreds of lumpy turrets seemed rather insignificant.
Wu!
The iron fortress let out a peal of shrieks. From the ends of all the tubes, colorful waste gas spurted out and spread to a few kilometers away, further highlighting the magnificence of the fortress.
The one who had crafted such an unbelievable mobile battery was definitely a lunatic among lunatics.
"That is 'Great Iron City', the Fist King's mobile palace!"
Looking at the iron fortress from which dense smoke was popping out, Xin Xiaoqi declared with great excitement, "It is said that the Fist King himself strengthened and modified it. It is awesome, isn't it?"
Great Iron City was moving at a very slow speed. It was almost stationary and only kept the minimal functionality of the internal engine system, as if it were in some sort of 'on hold' state.
Around Great Iron City were countless tanks.
Almost all the tanks were embedded with iron plates and sharp thorns. Countless storm bolters and crystal cannons had been installed on them, too.
A lot of tents were established around the tanks, which were the temporary camps of the mobs.
Awed by the name of 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie, and drooling over the assets and profits in Liberty City as well as the opportunity to rise to the City in the Sky, the brutal bandits and experts everywhere had come to join him. They were all dispatched around Great Iron City and naturally formed a town.
The bizarre city was a great eye-opener for Li Yao.
It was needless to mention the chaos and lawlessness inside. Furthermore, a lot of the bandits in the city, because of the pollution and radiation in the Land of Sins, were a strange species with uncanny body shapes. Some of them had hair all over their bodies that felt like iron stings, some had been born with an additional arm on their chest, some had two heads on the same body, and some of them were half human, half animal. There were simply too many different kinds to be counted.
Li Yao could not help but compare the 'Land of Sins' with the 'Blood Demon Sector'.
A lot of demons in the Blood Demon Sector were also naturally hideous and frightening.
However, demons only had evolved into what they looked like today after tens of thousands of years of mutations. However hideous and terrifying they were, they at least looked rather natural, as if they were supposed to be like that.
The mutants in the Land of Sins, on the other hand, were the victims of the Immortal Cultivators' radical experiments. They had been utterly deformed in only several hundred years, if not decades. Their bodies had the obvious marks of artificial work and were clearly abnormal.
Also, the bandits in the Land of Sins seemed to be passionate about the biochemical and mechanical modifications on their bodies. All kinds of prosthetics were popular there.
A muscular man with tumors all over the head and sharp thorns on the body walked among the tents as if nobody were around with a mechanical arm that was even greater than his body and two strengthened power axles on his spine. Such a nightmare-like view could be seen everywhere.
Wiping the cold sweat on her forehead, Xin Xiaoqi said, "This is the temporary camp for the Fist King's army. In the past half month, the elites of almost a hundred gangs have gathered here. A lot of 'lone wolves' who make their living on their own in the Land of Sins have come, too. Of course, there are also many people… like you.
"Please wait a moment. Those guys there work for the 'Godly Fist Union' under the command of the Fist King. I'll go to them and register so that we have a place to park and camp."
Li Yao noticed that, although the entire temporary camp was lively and chaotic, nobody was floating in midair except for some muscular men who were wearing black armor with a mark of a white fist painted on the breastplate. It seemed that the Fist King had made a rule.
Xin Xiaoqi found a few members of the 'Godly Fist Union' very quickly. Perhaps she had already prepared an invitation card for the three 'players'. What she offered right now was the one that Li Yao retrieved from Double Dragons City. After communicating with the members of the 'Godly Fist Union' for a while, Xin Xiaoqi was given a crude and clumsy wrist crystal processor. She then returned to everywhere, sweating.
"As per your instructions, I have registered under the name 'Red Viper Squad'," Xin Xiaoqi said. "We have been allocated a location in the thirteenth zone to the east. If we do not apply for missions voluntarily, we will be launching an attack as the thirteenth team on the east flank during the battle to conquer the city."
There were a lot of hunters and adventurers in the Land of Sins who did not like working with other people. Instead of founding an enormous gang, they often took action as an elite squad with only ten or so members.
Although such adventure squads had few people, they were often very dangerous beings since they were confident about their survival in the Land of Sins. Even normal gangs did not dare mess with them easily.
If they were not given a special name, an adventure squad would be named after the captain.
'Red Viper', the woman who had a viper tattoo on her face and the highest Cultivation among the three players, shook her head and said, "You should know our mission clearly. Now that we have joined the Fist King's army, we are not here to work as common cannon fodder. We must meet the Fist King in private and have a deep communication with him."
"Ever since the news that the Fist King was going to attack Liberty City was out, too many men have been coming to join him from every direction," Xin Xiaoqi replied hesitantly. "Naturally, it is impossible for the Fist King to meet each of them alone. We only have a 'three-star invitation card' in our hands, but the highest level is nine-star. In other words, we are just a mediocre, insignificant force. There's no reason for the Fist King to meet us.
According to Xin Xiaoqi, on one hand, they did not have any reputation right now and had not proved their capability in public. The Fist King would not waste his time on them.
More importantly, their 'loyalty' could not be guaranteed right now. Things always happened too fast in the Land of Sins, and information often spread too slowly. Many forces were rising and falling every day. It was hard to tell a person's id
entity, whom they were loyal to, and whom they held grudges against.
Therefore, nobody was certain that the spies of the leader of Liberty City were not among the people who were coming to join the Fist King.
Even if they did reveal unbelievable strength, they would not win the Fist King's absolute trust or have the privilege to speak to him in private.
"Sounds reasonable. Then, how should the problem be fixed?" Red Viper asked with great interest.
"First of all, we will have to accomplish a lot of quests to slowly win the Fist King's fondness and trust," Xin Xiaoqi answered. "Loyalty can only be proved through actions. If we can deal a heavy blow to the leader of Liberty City and make him suffer tremendous losses, we will naturally win the Fist King's trust."
Chapter 1996: A Game of Life or Death! |
Xin Xiaoqi turned on the standard crystal processor that she had received from the 'Godly Fist Union' just now and logged into a local area network. Very soon, a list of quests and their conditions were displayed in the green, glittering light beam like a waterfall.
According to Xin Xiaoqi, the Fist King and the leader of Liberty City were still recruiting warriors and making preparations for the final battle. Both parties had sent countless invitation cards across the entire Land of Sins, hiring gangs and thugs to join their own camp with appealing rewards.
The Fist King had risen unstoppably in recent years, and his reputation was at its peak. Most of the gangs and thugs had more hope in him and were joining him incessantly from everywhere. Therefore, the Fist King's force was growing stronger after each day, and he was not in a hurry to attack the city immediately, instead simply blocking the main road between Liberty City and the Bloody Plateau with Great Iron City, his mobile fortress, while deploying an army to lay siege to Liberty City.
Ever since the day he started to make preparations to attack the city, the asset supplies from the Heavenly Rails to Liberty City had been cut off. Suspicions had obviously been raised about Xiahou Wuxin's qualification as the leader of Liberty City, and the asset supplies from the Heavenly Rails to this Elysian World would not be restored until the collision of the two giants was over.
Xiahou Wuxin had been strictly restrained to Liberty City. He had attempted to break the siege and reclaim the main road between Liberty City and the outside world many times, only to be stopped by the Fist King every time.
However, the Fist King could not wait indefinitely.
The resources consumed by the disobedient thugs and bandits every day because of daily needs and training were astronomical.
Besides, a lot of tough bandits had their own turf from which they earned a lot of money every day. It was impossible for them to besiege Liberty City with the Fist King for long.
Furthermore, the tough bandits often had unpleasant histories with each other. The more gangs were there, the fiercer their conflicts would be. They were unorganized in the first place, and once their number surpassed the limits of the commander, they would very likely become a tray of loose sand and collapse on their own before they attacked the city.
Therefore, Xin Xiaoqi estimated that the Fist King would definitely launch an attack on Liberty City after recruiting soldiers for one month at most.
During the one month, the conflicts between the two parties both openly and in secret naturally occurred every day. As a result, a myriad of different quests had been generated.
They could choose to become the guards of the Fist King's camp to resist the assaults from Liberty City.
Naturally, they could also participate in the scout squads or the assault squads to sneak into Liberty City for reconnaissance or sabotage.
They could also go to every part of the Bloody Plateau to search for the wavering gangs and coerce them into joining the Fist King's side.
They could even locate the gangs who were loyal to the leader of Liberty City and assassinate them as a warning for everybody else, exactly as Li Yao pretended to do in Double Dragons City.
All in all, the 'game' that the Immortal Cultivators had carefully designed was free of the restrictions of any rule. One could do whatever they wanted as long as they were strong enough.
As they accomplished their missions, their ratings would become higher and higher. After they had earned their reputation, they would be qualified from carrying out missions of a higher level. In the end, they might be picked by the Fist King to charge into Liberty City together with him!
After hearing Xin Xiaoqi's introduction, Red Viper scrolled down the list of quests on the light beam causally before she asked with a smile, "What about the weapons, ammunition, and other gear?"
"The Fist King will provide the most basic chainswords, storm bolters, and ancillary power armor," Xin Xiaoqi said. "However, the magical equipment of a higher level or tailor-made weapons must be purchased by ourselves. It is always a major event in the Land of Sins when an expert intends to attack an Elysian World. All the gangs everywhere will come to trade with their most exquisite equipment and rarest treasures. So, there is a very large black market here, where you can buy whatever you want as long as you have the money!
"It is alright even if you do not have the money. You can buy it in exchange for your own magical equipment, loot the logistical teams of Liberty City after taking pillage and assault quests, or participate in the games in the arena.
"Do not underestimate the arenas here. Although they are only temporary, their level is very high because the experts on the entire Land of Sins have gathered here. The competition is fierce. Many experts who are not known now want to gain their fame with this place as a start.
"In short, the rivalry between the Fist King and the leader of Liberty City is a great stage, on which every ambitious person can distinguish themself and leave their name on the boundless Land of Sins. As long as you are strong enough, everything will flow into your pocket!"
"Interesting." Red Viper smiled and nodded at the two little fellows, "Hey, hurry up and set up our tent. Then, we will visit the arenas. My teammates here are starving!"
"Hehehe." 'Black Spear', the muscular man who had a dark skin tone, rubbed his fists and grinned hideously. "I cannot wait to examine the quality of the so-called experts of the Land of Sins."
"It is indeed interesting." The mental devil also chuckled lazily next to Li Yao's soul, "What kind of 'war' is this? It is just a 'game' that is carefully planned for the players, who are Immortal Cultivators. It is rather hilarious that 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie and Xiahou Wuxin, the leader of Liberty City, cannot avoid their fate of being manipulated by the Immortal Cultivators, however ambitious and smart they may be. They are nothing more than a few 'props' in this large survival game. Tsk, tsk, tsk. How pathetic!"
"An interesting thought has just occurred to me," Li Yao said. "Do you think Lei Zonglie and Xiahou Wuxin are aware of the truth?"
The mental devil was slightly dazed. Then it said, "Since Xiahou Wuxin controls an Elysian World and allegedly has a lot of allies in the City in the Sky, it is possible that he knows part of the truth, isn't it? But 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie must know none of it. He is still dwelling in the fantasy that he is the hero of the 'war game'!"
"That's right," Li Yao said. "If we can find an opportunity to inform 'Fist King' Lei Zonglie and Xiahou Wuxin of all the truths, what will happen?"
The mental devil snorted and said, "Don't act rashly. Both the Fist King and the leader of Liberty City must be closely monitored by the Immortal Cultivators. Since the Immortal Cultivators are bold enough to arrange such a game, they must be very confident that everything is under their control. For them, everybody in the Land of Sins, including the experts in the Nascent Soul Stage, are nothing more than carefully-refined test subjects, no different from cockroaches and mice.
"Even if you can instigate the Fist King and leader of Liberty City to rebel, there will be little they can do about Manjusaka. You will only expose yourself."
"It does make sense."
After pondering for a moment
, Li Yao said, "However, I don't think that we are fighting alone. Don't forget that there is still the mysterious Starlight. If a secret resistance organization of Cultivators has indeed been active in the darkness of the Land of Sins for hundreds of years, I don't believe that they will not show up in an event as great as the Battle of Liberty City."
Li Yao smiled and looked at the three cocky and ignorant 'players'. He said casually, "Perhaps we will have a chance to present a great 'surprise' to those Immortal Cultivators.
"Since you have turned a land of milk and money into one of sins and transformed living human beings into test subjects and chess pieces in a game, just let me play the game of life or death with you!"
…
In the Fist King's camp, the enormous tents had been filled with the stink of blood and sweat. They were almost like hot-air balloons that were about to soar into the sky.
The iron chains with sharp thorns were bent into tiny sphere cages and hung in midair before they were connected to high-voltage electric arcs. Dazzling sparks were raised in the collision of chains now and then, turning into the most splendid waterfall that splashed onto the audience below. The stinging feeling further activated their most primitive, animalistic intuitions.
"Kill them all!"
"Go now, you loser!"
"Stand up. Stand up now, or I will kill you!"
Countless brawny, hideous men were waving their furry fists and roaring at the gladiators in the cage.
"Ohhh. 'Mad Ox' from the Black Flag Gang has killed his ninth opponent. His ninth! Is anybody here bold enough to challenge 'Mad Ox'? The prize pool has accumulated a hundred and twenty standard boxes of spiritual energy! Come on, you pussies! Come now! Great! At last, somebody with balls! What's your name? Black Spear? Black Spear of the Red Viper Squad!"
In the middle of boos, 'Black Spear', the dark, muscular Immortal Cultivators, slowly took off his shirt and grabbed the electrified chains with a face of mockery, not caring about them at all, before he crawled into the bloodstained cage.
