Chapter 120: The Counter-Thrust

Huang Jiaxin sighed softly and said, “I originally thought you were an exception, but now I realize all you eldest sons are cut from the same cloth. Are you really that infatuated with her?”

“She’s very attractive to me,” Liu Shuo admitted without hesitation. “You know I’m not the type to mess around. Right now, you’re the only woman in my life. She falls short of you in many ways, but she’s the one who makes my heart race.”

Huang Jiaxin shook her head. “She wants to be a star, but I don’t know if she’s willing to pay the price. All I can do is create opportunities for you to get close to her. Whether you, Eldest Master Liu, can win her over is beyond my control.”

Liu Shuo smiled confidently. “Thanks! Don’t worry, I won’t force her. I want her to truly fall for me.”

Huang Jiaxin gave a bitter smile. “Since you’ve set your sights on her, even if I don’t bet with you, you’d still find ways to get close to her, right? I know I lose every bet with you. Now I really want to know why you think they can escape.”

Liu Shuo laughed. “It’s simple. Anyone clever enough to exploit system loopholes and use cavalry mobility to penetrate deep behind enemy lines is definitely no fool. So they won’t make the rookie mistake of dawdling and getting surrounded. Although the five teams encircling them have many players, their coordination is poor, and the encirclement is stretched thin. Those twelve can definitely break through the junction point.”

Huang Jiaxin studied the situation carefully and suddenly understood. “That’s right. Looks like I’ll lose this bet again. Those twelve riders will probably be doomed by you, Eldest Master Liu.”

Liu Shuo shook his head. “Before, I might have been confident reading their psychology. Judging by this cavalry team’s style, their next target would definitely be a large village where players gather to resupply or receive quests. But now, I’m not so sure. The player leading this cavalry is really formidable.”

After feeding the horses, Chen Hao took the cavalry and galloped east along the mountain foot. From the summit, he had already observed three large teams in that direction. Perhaps because many players had gathered there, the three large teams moved slowly toward the village, keeping clear boundaries between them with over a hundred meters of space.

Chen Hao charged the cavalry toward the gap between two teams. The players moving ahead shouted loudly but dared not fire. The cavalry’s position was too clever—right at the junction between the two teams, eighty meters from each side. Shooting at the charging horses was difficult, and if a shot missed, it might hit the opposing team instead.

The captains of the two teams were both frustrated. They absolutely dared not order their players to fire. Missing the cavalry and hitting their own comrades would trigger a chaotic firefight.

The hundred-meter gap between the two teams seemed insignificant; they believed an enemy breaking through there would be caught in a pincer attack. But due to poor coordination during the march, the two teams advanced in parallel lines. The cavalry’s charge struck exactly at this weak point, forcing them to hesitate and fear firing.

Both teams had been hastily assembled. Any accidental friendly fire would lead to full-blown chaos, so no one was willing to give the order to shoot.

In that moment of hesitation, Chen Hao led the cavalry like a storm through the junction, killing a few scattered players before breaking out of the encirclement.

Beyond the junction stretched boundless plains. The cavalry pushed their speed to the limit and soon distanced themselves from the surrounding enemies. Chen Hao didn’t rush to flee further. Many players, having read on the forum about the excitement at Shangzhai, were rushing there. These scattered players in the open plains were no match for cavalry—such easy experience was too good to pass up.

After killing more than fifty players along the way, Chen Hao reached level 19, and everyone else rose to at least level 17. By then, their satiety had dropped below 70. Chen Hao decided not to proceed to the next village but found a secluded valley to rest.

Lin Xiaofeng took out ingredients and began cooking. Bai Huyi and Chen Feng tended to the horses, while the others lay on the ground to recover their energy. Xia Weiwei, thrilled at leveling up twice, pulled out a small map and asked, “Brother Chen, where’s our next target? You always go after large villages. This time you won’t miss Maojiatian three kilometers away, right?”

In the game, one could buy regional mini-maps for money, but these were merely rough administrative maps lacking detail. Maojiatian was also a large village and one of the Boxer Rebellion quest hubs, but Chen Hao had no intention of going there. He remembered one rule clearly: in psychological warfare with the enemy, one must never be predictable, or else the opponent will find a loophole.

After crossing the railway to launch their assault, his first target was Zhongming Village, a player supply point; the second was Shangzhai Village, a quest hub. Both were large player gatherings. Careful observers might have noticed this pattern and guessed that the next target could be Maojiatian three kilometers away.

Since the team approached Maojiatian’s direction when breaking through, the enemy likely expected an ambush there. Chen Hao wouldn’t risk leading his team into a trap.

He smiled faintly. “The players in the large villages must be on high alert now. We won’t go to Maojiatian. After eating, we’ll circle back northwest to attack several villages around Zhongming.”

The team replenished their hunger to full and watered the horses before galloping northwest. Near Zhongming Village were four or five smaller villages. Chen Hao had passed by earlier without attacking but had swiftly taken Shangzhai Village to the south. Circling back to these villages would surely catch the enemy off guard.

The villages had few players, none with more than ten in their squads. Chen Hao led the cavalry and easily swept through them. Soon, some players posted the cavalry’s new position on the forum, prompting elite players to rush there—almost all cavalry this time.

Two kilometers from Maojiatian, Liu Shuo fired a shot into the sky. Over a hundred players hidden on the mountain emerged from their cover. This was the only route to Maojiatian. Liu Shuo had seen on the forum that the cavalry team had attacked two large villages in succession and guessed their next target would be Maojiatian. He laid an ambush with his team but to no avail.

“Boss Altair, should we head northwest?” one subordinate asked.

Liu Shuo, known as Altair in the game, shook his head. “This cavalry team is tough. No need to waste time on them. Let those with horses handle it.”

After returning with his team to Maojiatian, Liu Shuo logged out and called Guan Ning.

“Guan, what have you been busy with in the game lately?” Liu Shuo asked.

Guan Ning chuckled. “It was boring at first, but then I saw things heating up in Jibei Province. That twelve-man cavalry team has stirred up a mess, so I’m ready to bring my team over and see what’s going on.”

Liu Shuo laughed heartily. “No need for sarcasm, Guan. That cavalry team is really tough. Without forming my own cavalry, it’s hard to deal with them. I’ll be waiting for you to bring the might. But you’d better bring more people. It’d be a costly mistake to flip the boat in a gutter.”

Guan Ning replied coolly, “I know my limits. No need for you to worry.”