Chapter 126: The Annihilation of the Remaining Foes

Sukhar took the token from Chen Hao’s hand. Through it, he could see the order issued by Nie Shicheng to suppress the Boxer rebels. Li Ergou of Sanyuan Village was a member of the Boxers, and his status was not low. Since the local magistrate had requested assistance from the Green Standard Army, Sukhar had brought his troops; he knew exactly what to do in such a situation.

Sukhar handed the token back to Chen Hao and said, "Since this is the order of the Admiral, I will not make things difficult for you. You may handle this as you see fit."

Chen Hao tucked the token away and said with an anxious expression, "My Lord, the Boxer rebels in Langfang are extremely rampant. There are currently over eighty of them chasing us. We hope for your assistance."

Sukhar frowned and replied, "I have received no orders from my superiors and have no authority to kill these 'Outlanders' without cause. You must handle it yourselves."

Chen Hao smiled apologetically, "We would never dream of causing you trouble, My Lord. I only hope you can protect us for a moment; there is no need for you to take action."

Sukhar hesitated. Just then, White-y the Monster stepped forward and said, "If you see us safely through this, we will never forget your kindness. When we return to report to the Admiral, we shall certainly speak of your virtues."

As he spoke, White-y the Monster utilized his "Lotus-Tongued" skill. It was far more persuasive than Chen Hao’s words. Swayed by him, the Green Standard soldiers on horseback stepped forward, forming a defensive line and nocking arrows in their bows, aiming them at the charging Guanning Iron Cavalry.

Smiling Maitreya was nearly spitting blood. These NPCs were supposed to be tracking the Twelve Riders—how had they suddenly started protecting them? Just as he was about to urge his horse forward to demand an explanation, he heard a fair-skinned player opposite him laugh and say to the Green Standard officer, "My Lord, by suppressing these Boxer rebels today, you will surely receive a commendation from the Admiral..."

Smiling Maitreya’s face turned pale. If the remaining eighty-plus riders were wiped out by the Green Standard Army, Guanning would surely skin him alive. Seeing the Green Standard troops postured to defend the Twelve Riders, he realized that staying would likely result in the total annihilation of his force. He decisively ordered a retreat, and the Guanning Iron Cavalry players turned their horses and fled.

Chen Hao and his Twelve Riders did not care whether they could hit their targets; they raised their pistols and fired continuously, creating the impression that dozens of people were shooting. Sukhar stood his ground, while the Twelve Riders followed behind the Guanning Iron Cavalry, taking advantage of the chaos to cut them down as they fled.

Smiling Maitreya and Long Dahai whipped their horses frantically, not daring to look back. After running for over ten miles, they noticed the gunfire behind them had become sporadic. Only then did Smiling Maitreya rein in his horse to look back.

At the sight, he was absolutely furious. The Green Standard Army had not pursued them at all; it had only been the twelve of them all along. To be chased by twelve men when they had over eighty riders—could there be any greater humiliation? Smiling Maitreya felt like dying. Consumed by shame and anger, he shouted at the remaining players, trying to rally them for a counterattack.

Long Dahai shook his head and said, "Monk, don't waste your breath. We only have twenty riders left..."

The Guanning Iron Cavalry had been chased by Chen Hao’s group; most of the players had already been eliminated, and the remaining twenty-some were scattered along the road. It was impossible for Smiling Maitreya to regroup them. Even if he could, he had no confidence in defeating the notorious Twelve Riders with only twenty men.

Smiling Maitreya sneered, "Dahai, do you think we should just run away? You know how the Boss is. If we die alongside the others, he might call us losers, but at worst we'd just be sidelined for a while. But if the whole team is wiped out and we two return unscathed..."

Long Dahai understood immediately. He shouted to the retreating players, "Regroup! There are only twelve of them, what are you afraid of?"

After much shouting, Smiling Maitreya and Long Dahai managed to gather only eight men. Fearless of death, the two led a counter-charge. Chen Hao, trailing behind and firing potshots, was quite puzzled. These people were running like rabbits just a moment ago—why were they suddenly unafraid of death?

Not giving the enemy a chance to close in, he fired a shot, pulled his horse back to increase the distance, and aimed his rifle again from 150 meters away.

Rain Butterfly and the others, who had been picking off stragglers from the flank, saw the enemy counter-charge and began firing from the side. Ignoring the flankers, Smiling Maitreya and Long Dahai focused their sights on Chen Hao in the distance, pulling their triggers repeatedly. At such a distance, only rifles could land a hit. Their movements were sluggish, and by the time they raised their guns, Chen Hao had already spurred his Steed of Snow and Black to a distance of 200 meters.

Rain Butterfly and Liu Zixuan fired repeatedly. Long Dahai on the left was hit first and tumbled from his horse. Usually, players would choose to commit suicide after being hit, but Long Dahai did not; he lay on the ground and continued to aim and fire.

"Neigh!"

Liu Zixuan’s large black horse was blinded by a shot from Long Dahai. With a mournful cry, the horse reared up, throwing Liu Zixuan to the ground. She had originally ridden a chestnut horse, but it had been snatched by Smiling Maitreya and later destroyed by a landmine during the ambush. She had only recently gotten used to this black horse, and having it blinded made her furious.

Standing on a large rock, Liu Zixuan engaged in a shootout with Long Dahai from a higher vantage point. Due to his injuries and lowered stats, Long Dahai eventually died under her fire. Meanwhile, caught in a crossfire, Smiling Maitreya was struck by both Rain Butterfly and White-y the Monster, falling from his horse and perishing after a brief struggle.

With Smiling Maitreya and Long Dahai dead, the remaining Guanning Iron Cavalry lost their command and scattered blindly. Chen Hao’s group was well-experienced in dealing with such fragmented cavalry. They patiently kept their distance, picking them off one by one, and soon finished off the rest of the players.

There had been 300 riders in the Guanning Iron Cavalry heading to Northern Hebei. Aside from a dozen who got lost, over 280 had been wiped out by Chen Hao’s team. Every member of Chen Hao’s unit reached level 20 or higher. Chen Hao himself remained at level 20, as the experience gained from killing level 15 or 16 players was negligible once he hit level 20.

Because they were busy annihilating the enemy in one go, they didn't have time to gather the horses during the final battle. Cleaning up the battlefield only yielded sixteen horses. The horses left behind by players killed along the way had either been snatched by NPCs or picked up by passing players. Lin Xiaofeng complained about this for a long time, insisting she should have stayed behind to collect the horses.

With the Guanning Iron Cavalry wiped out and the team reaching level 20, there was no point in staying south of the railway. Chen Hao led the Twelve Riders to retrieve the horses from the NPCs along the way. By the time they reached the final village, they had seized 112 horses—enough to form a cavalry battalion, though he lacked the manpower.

Chen Hao hired a dozen NPCs to help drive the horses to Guhuai Town. They entered Xu Wenhuai’s estate through the back gate under the cover of night. After turning in the quest, White-y the Monster and the others were each rewarded with a fine horse.

In the game, warhorses did not have explicit level ratings, but their speed and stamina varied. For instance, Chen Hao’s Steed of Snow and Black could travel 800 miles a day, while the horses the others received could cover 600 miles. The horses they had previously seized could only manage 500 miles a day at best. For cavalry, having a good mount was crucial; their mobility had increased significantly.