Chapter Fifty-Four: The Passerby Who Went Fishing

The passerby angler revealed a deluxe model large swivel gun, boasting maximum firepower at a rating of 100, equivalent to a Maxim heavy machine gun, with an effective range of 300 meters. The players defending the church’s back door had constructed firing slits in the brick wall, their firepower covering the five-meter-wide approach to the rear entrance. At this stage, players’ shooting stats were generally low; for attackers, hitting defenders hidden behind the brick wall was impossible, yet the defenders could simply aim their muzzles at the five-meter zone before the door and lay down suppressive fire. When attackers charged, the defenders could hit them even with their eyes closed.

There were many ways to breach the church—digging trenches to approach the main door, for example—but that required tools and far too much time. With a large swivel gun, things became much simpler. The gun’s buckshot could cover the four key firing slits flanking the entrance. By opening fire unexpectedly, the defenders would be caught off guard; once the buckshot blinded them, the melee specialists could launch an immediate assault and turn the tide.

All the players participating in this regional event were experts. Following Chen Hao’s call, the twenty who stepped forward each had a combat stat of thirty or higher. Some wielded old rifles fitted with bayonets, others long spears and similar weapons, forming up into a charging formation.

The defenders, seeing Chen Hao’s group poised to attack, deliberately shouted, “Ha! Another bunch of fools coming to hand us free experience! Get the peanuts ready, brothers!”

“A suicide squad armed with broadswords and spears? Did I transmigrate to ancient times or something? The folks on the other side sure are creative.”

“Honestly, I feel like an imperialist fighting the decrepit Qing army...”

Some attackers lost their nerve amid the laughter, but regained their confidence when they saw Chen Hao directing things with perfect composure. His reputation preceded him—the first player to reach level ten dared to lead the charge. So what was there to fear?

The angler, now the center of attention, wore a sly grin, the classic look of a petty man suddenly favored by fortune. Standing before the swivel gun, he glanced at the players and said, “Hey! This gun packs a punch, but without a mount, it’s not going anywhere! Who’ll be my gun stand?”

Everyone turned their heads to the side, pretending not to have heard. The angler looked helplessly at Chen Hao. Chen Hao called out, “Brothers! This is a critical moment for leveling up. I’m sure no one wants to waste time here—who’ll step up and be the gun stand?”

“Brother Chen, everyone wants to level up quickly right now; no one wants to waste time being a gun mount!” said a tall, burly player.

Others chimed in their agreement. Chen Hao smiled faintly, “I think everyone’s misunderstood. The mission in ‘War’ isn’t judged by kill count, but by your impact on the task. If we take the church, the swivel gun is key. I guarantee the two who operate it won’t be shortchanged on rewards...”

“I’ll do it.”

“It’s just a gun stand, right? I’ll do it.”

Now that it was clear being the gun stand was safe and would earn substantial credit, everyone was eager. Chen Hao glanced at the angler. “You’ll be the gunner. Pick your own gun stand.”

The angler pointed at the tall player. “Jingang, you’ll be my gun stand!”

Jingang looked grateful. He’d mocked the angler as useless just moments before, yet here was the chance to earn some credit. He hurried over, hoisted the swivel gun onto his shoulder, and said, “You’re a good man, Angler. After this mission, I’ll help you level up.”

The angler grinned. “Thanks in advance! Let’s get through this first.”

Jingang felt the thick, heavy barrel. “This thing’s massive. The recoil and noise must be insane.”

The angler replied, “Of course. But don’t worry—I’ll count to three before firing. When I reach three, just block your ears.”

Only then did Jingang relax. He sank into a stable stance, ready to serve as the gun mount. After loading the gun, the angler called out to Chen Hao, “Brother Chen, when do I fire?”

Chen Hao stood at the front with twenty high-combat players, shielding Jingang and the angler. He turned and said, “Once those of us up front move aside, you fire.”

When all was ready, Chen Hao counted down. The twenty-man assault team split to the sides, giving the angler a clear firing lane. The defenders, seeing the attackers spreading out, were momentarily confused. The angler began his own count.

“One, two...”

“Bang!”

Just as Jingang waited for the count of three to block his ears, the angler pulled the trigger. Jingang felt a tremendous force slam into his shoulder, followed by a thunderous boom that left him dizzy and disoriented. Moments later, a system prompt appeared: “Player Jingang, due to noise exposure, your hearing is reduced by 50% for the next two hours.”

“Damn it!” Jingang, furious, dumped the gun on the ground. “Didn’t you say you’d fire on three?”

The angler looked innocent. “I got nervous! Brother Chen and the others had already moved aside. If I waited too long and the defenders realized, we’d lose the element of surprise. See how right I was? They’re caught off guard...”

His blast had sent buckshot spraying across the four critical firing slits. The defenders received system prompts: “Player XXX, you have been struck in the eyes by buckshot and are now blinded. You can no longer aim or shoot...”

With the defenders blinded, Chen Hao charged in at the head of the group, followed closely by his twenty melee specialists. Deprived of fire support from the firing slits, the assault team reached the back door with ease. Chen Hao smashed the latch with his broadsword and kicked the door open, leading his wolfish squad into the church.

The sudden blinding of their shooters caught the defenders off guard. In the confusion, they failed to immediately rotate in fresh players. By the time Chen Hao’s squad burst inside, the defenders were only just swapping in replacements, but it was too late—the firing slits were now useless.

Chen Hao’s saber flashed again and again. Any defender with a combat stat below twenty-five was felled in a single stroke. Four consecutive kills sent the attackers’ morale soaring. Although the twenty-five-man assault team was outnumbered, the defenders at the front were all high in shooting stats but poor at close combat, giving the attackers a decisive advantage.

Seeing the breakthrough, the rest of the attackers outside surged toward the church in a frenzy. Only the angler remained outside, grinning smugly. Having been mocked by Jingang earlier, he had now repaid the favor with a well-timed blast, leaving him thoroughly delighted.