Chapter 307: The Mysterious Woman in White Gauze

The Murong family’s fleet continued to move slowly along the river. On the reed-covered banks, tens of thousands of players still refused to give up, chasing alongside the fleet, with their numbers gradually increasing—though the increase was minimal.

Midway along! Someone tried to incite the crowd to attack the fleet again, but they were quickly repelled by a barrage of flying needles, halting their assault and making them hesitant to advance.

It wasn’t until they entered a spacious area resembling a small lake that the river suddenly narrowed ahead.

“Haha!”
“An opportunity! The river ahead is narrow—the fleet can’t move fast! Let them come in!” Among the crowd, those familiar with river navigation urged others to hide ahead. “Let’s wait there in ambush!”

Many agreed and followed, moving around from the reed beds to take positions ahead.

Xing Kai watched carefully from the bow of the ship. A dense crowd, like a swarm of locusts, quickly appeared on both sides of the narrow river channel. Many even switched to bows and arrows, seemingly planning to wait and strike from afar to counter the Murong family’s fleet.

But…

Their plans clearly failed. As soon as the Murong family’s fleet entered the water, the lead ship quickly changed direction, guiding the fleet in a perfect arc. Under the astonished gazes of countless martial artists on the banks, they quickly formed a circular formation in the not-so-spacious channel.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Arm-thick chains were thrown from the ships and landed on the decks of nearby vessels, quickly secured by the waiting crew. The twelve ships were swiftly connected, almost filling the entire area, with sturdy platforms laid between them to create pathways.

…

The Murong family acted swiftly, quickly completing the formation and fortification, presenting a solid defense before the eyes of countless players.

Tens of thousands of players were stunned!

Further back, a group of players in uniform stood at a slightly elevated position, far from the crowd, watching from afar. Seeing the fleet form a dragon-like formation, ready and radiating an awe-inspiring aura of strength, they were deeply moved and showed expressions of astonishment:

“Indeed worthy of a million-dollar group task. The command of this fleet is truly remarkable… When did the Yangtze River region have such formidable pirates? Even the imperial navy might not be a match for them.”

“This mission has been strange from the start. After all, dealing with pirates is supposed to be the army’s duty, and the imperial navy doesn’t have any other tasks. So why offer a reward of a million just to have us militia handle it?” Among the crowd, a woman with a white veil over her face showed a hint of sarcasm. “What’s even more odd is that this fleet happens to bear the banner of the Murong family… If it were the Murong family’s goods that were stolen, even the imperial navy wouldn’t dare openly use those stolen goods as a reward—there are too many flaws in that.” “Shadow Sister, what do you mean…” A man beside her stroked his chin, staring in disbelief at the fleet in the distance. “This isn’t some pirates at all—it’s actually the genuine Murong family’s fleet?!” “Has the imperial court gone after the Murong family?” “It’s not the imperial court; that doesn’t make sense. If I’m not mistaken, it must be some high-ranking official in the navy who doesn’t want to mobilize the army and give others an excuse, so they’re recruiting people from the martial world…” “But the announcement is also evidence.” “It can be dismissed—just say the information was wrong. What can the Murong family do about it?” After a pause, the woman in the veil blinked calmly. “If this mission is successful and no one from the Murong family escapes, who can prove that the people on those salt ships are definitely from the Murong family and not pirates?” “Huh…” The crowd gasped in shock. “I never thought there would be so many complications among NPCs. The Murong family is after all a prestigious clan. It seems everyone here is being used by the imperial navy!” “Not exactly.” The woman in the veil regained her calm expression, glancing at the groups in the distance who hadn’t taken action yet. “There are definitely more than us who have noticed the oddities. Maybe many others have realized it too, but the grudges between the Murong family and the imperial navy have nothing to do with us. We just need to complete the mission and get what’s ours.” “Shadow Sister is right.” The crowd all wore smiles as if it were only natural, their gazes once again fixed on the circular formation of the Murong family’s ships, calm and composed, seemingly unbothered by the tens of thousands of players surrounding the water area who might snatch all the kills. In their eyes… the Murong family was also a clan with considerable heritage and strength. If they fought back with all their might, they could still carve out a significant portion from those tens of thousands of players. They certainly didn’t want to become stepping stones for others.

“Let them charge first. The circular formation hasn’t been broken, and the Murong family’s counterattack is also extremely terrifying. We’d better just watch what happens… If we can’t secure a spot, we can at least watch the excitement.”
“…”
The woman with a white veil over her face frowned slightly upon hearing the man beside her speak, seemingly holding a different opinion:
“Elder brother, we can’t be too definitive in our words. Don’t forget that the progression of the plot doesn’t rely solely on NPCs. This feud between the Murong family and the imperial navy wasn’t triggered by us; it might have been caused by some player within the fleet. Although everyone is focused on getting more kills, in reality, ‘that person’ is the key factor determining the outcome of this mission.”
“You mean the Murong family is hiding their strength?”
The man’s brows tightened, his expression turning serious.
The woman in the white veil nodded firmly: “Since the operation of ‘Jianghu’ began half a year ago, there have always been unique balancing measures for various missions. Each mission comes with its own dangers. This fleet may seem strong at first glance, but anyone with eyes can see that its destructive power is limited and its stamina is weak. Even the traps have been disabled, proving they can no longer be used. All that’s left are a few hundred people inside the circular formation of ships—there’s a huge disparity in strength! I don’t believe they have no hidden strength.”
“…”
The atmosphere among the group immediately became solemn.
What the veiled woman said was indeed observable—there were far too many recipients of these group missions, which was completely disproportionate.
“Does that mean it’s actually a good thing that we’re not approaching yet?”
“Nothing is absolutely good or bad. Let’s see. After all, it’s players playing the game, but it’s still us who truly control everything…”
The veiled woman answered the man’s questions with an almost obsessive rationality, yet her arguments left no room for rebuttal.
Just as the group turned their attention back to the circular formation of ships, the power accumulated by tens of thousands of players finally erupted!
Yet!
At that very moment, chaos arose ahead.
In sight,
a man dressed in yellow dragon-themed armor appeared somewhere high on the side of the ship, facing this direction.
His blue hero’s scarf fluttered in the wind. The mysterious man held a luxurious sword in one hand and a mysterious royal hat in the other, slowly putting it on his head…