Chapter 117: The Cavalry Charge

Haocema and his twelve riders charged forward like a bolt of lightning, rushing toward the village entrance where a hundred players stood. Chen Hao chose not to shoot from a distance; the hit rate would be too low from afar, and with their overwhelming numerical disadvantage, a firefight at range would spell trouble if the village players caught on. These players lacked any fixed teams or organization, so a cavalry charge would throw them into chaos, rendering them unable to mount an effective defense.

“Clatter, clatter, clatter.”

A player heard the thunderous hooves nearby, looked up, and saw the twelve riders charging at him. He hadn’t even noticed the red aura around their feet and was only puzzled why a cavalry unit would appear in Zhongming Village. With disdain, he flipped the bird and scoffed, “Damn, a full cavalry squad comes here to show off in Zhongming Village? Pathetic!”

“Boss, the cavalry has a red aura around their hooves; they’re ene—”

Before he could finish, Chen Hao, already within thirty meters of the village gate, pulled the trigger and knocked him to the ground. Others followed suit.

Nearly a hundred players crowded at the village entrance, so dense that even closing one’s eyes would guarantee a hit. After the first volley, over a dozen players were down. The cavalry burst into the crowd, catching the players off guard as they scrambled to form teams, bewildered by the enemy’s sudden appearance.

With no organized squads, these players immediately thought of self-preservation, scattering in all directions without anyone stepping up to fight back. The twelve riders crashed through the group, toppling player after player, wiping out more than thirty in the initial charge.

Chen Hao, Lin Xiaofeng, Shuanghui, and a few others with strong melee skills put away their pistols and swung their broadswords in wide arcs, cutting down foes around them. Meanwhile, Yudie and the others continued firing pistols, each shot felling a player.

Over a dozen players fled into the village, but most ran outward, knowing that hiding inside wasn’t necessarily safer. In just a minute, the nearly hundred-player force was shattered. Escape was a fantasy; how could their two legs outrun the cavalry’s four?

The twelve riders pursued fleeing players in three directions, killing over forty more. Some players steeled themselves to fight desperately, but Zhongming’s village entrance was surrounded by flat farmland with no cover. How could they stand against cavalry on their own?

“Player Chen Baxian, your team has killed an enemy player. You have earned 15,000 experience points.”

“Player Chen Baxian, your team has killed an enemy player. You have earned 14,500 experience points.”

“Player Chen Baxian, congratulations on reaching level 18. Your base attributes have increased.”

Soon Chen Hao received the system’s level-up notifications, filling him with exhilaration. Earning experience through dual quests was fast; this charge’s experience was equivalent to clearing multiple A-level dungeons. Since teammates like Yudie were lower level, they leveled up even sooner and, inspired by their new strength, hunted even more fiercely.

Players below level 20 could form teams of up to six. During regional quests, multiple teams could combine into larger groups, but experience was awarded only based on kills by players in the same team. Chen Hao’s twelve riders were essentially two teams; only kills by his own team granted him experience. The other team, led by Huluwa, earned no experience for him.

The players outside the village were soon wiped out. Those inside trembled with fear, trapped between fleeing and facing the cavalry’s relentless pursuit. They banded together, seeking shelter and preparing to resist.

After clearing the enemies outside, Chen Hao did not attack the village. He rode to the gate and shouted loudly, “Players inside, you may escape from the village’s rear exit. I guarantee my team will not pursue you. My main force will arrive soon. Do not resist. If anyone fires upon me within two minutes of my entering the village, you will forfeit this chance.”

Chen Hao had no intention of assaulting the village. Over ten players had fled inside, and with some resupplied players present, about twenty enemies remained within. His mission deep behind enemy lines was to kill players and level up. Though he might have had a good chance to take the village, doing so risked casualties in his team.

Risking an assault on the village for only twenty players’ experience was not worth it. He wanted these players to leave so he could loot the battlefield. Over eighty players had fallen, and many guns and bullets littered the ground. With limited carrying capacity, they selected only the best spoils; the rest would be sold cheaply to the village’s NPCs.

Though some players inside believed their numerical advantage meant they need not yield to the hated cavalry, most were terrified. After Chen Hao’s declaration, two players quickly emerged from cover and sprinted out the village’s back exit.

The cavalry remained motionless, showing no sign of pursuit, and seeing his word honored, more players gave up resistance. Once all had fled, the riders dismounted and began clearing the battlefield, recovering twenty-one rifles and 126 rounds of ammunition.

Among the rifles, Chen Hao’s only interest was a standard Mauser G98, which he swapped for his own standard Carcano. Most other rifles were Hanyang or Carcano models, none of the rare elite versions. He instructed the pale-faced trickster to sell all the unwanted rifles cheaply to the NPCs.

Every town had NPCs who bought items at low prices. Though selling to players could double the profit, Chen Hao couldn’t carry the loot far behind enemy lines, so this was the best option. The pale-faced trickster, skilled in persuasion and with high diplomacy, usually handled negotiations.

The twenty-one rifles sold for 540 silver coins. Chen Hao had the trickster secure the funds before leading the cavalry away from Zhongming Village, charging toward another village. Shortly after their departure, hundreds of players appeared outside Zhongming, surrounding the village in a tight ring.

A scout entering the village soon realized the cavalry had left and reported back to the plump leader organizing the siege. The leader frowned, “That cavalry unit is tough to handle. Our forces are infantry; catching them is difficult. Looks like we’ll have to rely on Guan Ning’s performance.”

Chen Hao certainly wouldn’t linger in one place. While players surrounded Zhongming Village, six kilometers away in Shangzhai, he had already begun a slaughter.

Around Zhongming lay five villages. Instead of attacking a nearby village, Chen Hao galloped six kilometers south to Shangzhai, aiming to confuse the enemy.

Shangzhai lay further south, housing an NPC from the Boxers who issued quests and a dozen or so Boxer NPCs. Though these Boxers were skilled fighters, they foolishly believed themselves impervious to blades and bullets. Chen Hao paid them no heed.

The cavalry circled Shangzhai, attacking any player who ventured out after accepting quests. One by one, over thirty players fell beneath their charge.