owlsbooks Chapter 40 Bolton is up to something again.
Chapter 40 Bolton is up to something again.
Lynn's brilliant record of soloing the Green Mother still made Night Owl somewhat wary of him.
He stopped three steps in front of Night Owl.
For a top assassin, this is a dangerous yet perfectly timed distance.
Lynn's right hand remained firmly tucked into his coat pocket, even though it was trembling slightly from the intense nerve pain. On the surface, however, he maintained an air of impeccable composure.
The agent standing next to him immediately nudged the little snail with his elbow and whispered, "Don't make a sound, the cutscene is about to start. Don't skip this part, let's see how the GM subdues the hidden mentor."
Lynn ignored the players' whispers and did not adopt any defensive posture.
He simply and calmly observed the tense beast before him.
"You clearly had a hundred chances just now to easily snap my subordinate's neck."
Lynn's tone was confident; the person in front of him was clearly not on the same level as the group of lowly players under his command.
"But you not only let him go, you even stayed here and didn't leave."
Night Cat loosened his grip on the dagger slightly. So far, the leader in black seemed friendly to him, but he didn't respond.
"This proves two things." Lynn stared into his eyes and saw through his predicament: "First, Bolton's orders no longer work with you."
Secondly, you stayed because you saw the toxic water being purified. You saw our capabilities, and you're assessing whether we're qualified to be your next meal ticket.
As soon as he finished speaking, Night Owl's eyelids twitched involuntarily.
He looked at Lynn, and a deep-seated sense of dread made him have to carefully examine the person in front of him.
There was no forced interrogation, no magical investigation. The man before me, relying solely on a few remaining details from the scene, was dissected like a scalpel, revealing his true psychological intentions completely.
Dealing with madmen is certainly terrifying, but being on the same side as such a smart person who can see right through people is also quite chilling.
"Bolton poisoned civilians; she's gone mad."
Now that his hand had been completely exposed, Night Owl stood up straight and chose to lay his cards on the table.
"But I must say, while your ship has some strange methods, its foundation is too weak. With just this few people, it's not enough to make me risk my life for you."
"I don't need you to risk your life for me now."
Lynn smiled and replied, then opportunely threw out a wager: "You can stay in this camp and see for yourself. If I can't even handle a piece of trash like Bolton, you're free to leave anytime and go back to where you belong. But if I'm here and build a new, ideal city..."
Lynn paused, his eyes suddenly filled with aggression: "At that time, your dagger, and you yourself, will all belong to me."
This condition, which allows for both offense and defense, perfectly aligns with the survival logic of the rats in the abandoned city.
There is no blind loyalty that can be forced; there is only a gamble between interests and strength.
Night Cat took a deep breath and sheathed the dagger back into its leather sheath at his waist.
He nodded solemnly and gave a respectful salute, one that was of equal rank.
"Deal," Night Owl said in a deep voice. "It's agreed that I'll only be an observer until the outcome is decided."
"Very good." Lynn nodded. "Well then, Mr. Observer, as a token of our greetings, shouldn't you share something?"
Having reached an agreement on appointing him as a guest agent, Night Cat, as a professional covert agent, immediately demonstrated his tactical value. He raised his head, his tone turning serious, and directly poured cold water on Lynn's enthusiasm.
"Don't think that everything will be fine once you're cured of the poison. Bolton's revenge won't be that simple."
Night Cat gave a cold glance to the agents and others who were eavesdropping nearby. "You did cripple the local law enforcement team in Bolton, but she broke into the underground vault tonight and spent a lot of money to hire an extremely vicious dog from outside."
"Regardless of whether today's poisoning attempt succeeds or not, the Blood Axe mercenary group she hired will inflict heavy damage on you."
Upon hearing this name, Old John, who had just recovered from the Resident Evil incident, nearly collapsed to his knees again.
The local laborers around them were ashen-faced, and some even couldn't help but sob in despair.
Those were truly notorious thugs who lived on the edge of the Forest City!
According to rumors, these mercenaries routinely train by fighting against thorn mushrooms and zombie mushrooms, making them incredibly powerful.
"That was a proper killing machine equipped with heavy armor and muskets."
Night Owl offered a pessimistic warning: "With these few rookies under your command who can't even get their form right, that number of people won't be enough to fill their teeth. They should arrive at Pearl Harbor in three days, or at the fastest, two days."
However, just when Night Owl thought Lynn would immediately frown and set up emergency defenses or organize refugee evacuation tactics, the demeanor of Lynn's subordinates, who had been watching the show, suddenly changed.
The agent, the little snail, the bucket carrier, the goose, and the raindrops exchanged glances. Instead of showing any fear of impending doom, their eyes gradually lit up with anticipation.
"Holy crap! Did you hear that, brothers?! External mercenaries! Regular troops are coming to attack the city!" The agent's voice trembled with excitement.
"A massive expansion for defensive fortifications! This update is guaranteed to drop top-tier heavy armor and muskets!" The little snail gripped the rusty steel pipe tightly. "I've had enough of these crappy melee weapons!"
"There are firearms in this world? Does that mean pirate professions are coming? Oh my god, I want to play a gunner!"
"Forget about job changes for now, the most important thing right now isn't this Blood Axe Legion."
"Damn it, Blood Axe, huh? Just the name sounds like they're rolling in money." Big Goose rubbed his hands together viciously. "Once I've saved up some resurrection coins, I'll rip their pants off the day after tomorrow!"
Night Owl: "...?"
Watching this group of outsiders yelling and preparing to rip off the mercenary's underwear, this top-tier stealth master once again fell into deep confusion and isolation.
Do these idiots even know what war is?! It kills people; a musket shot will turn you into mangled flesh!
Night Owl was questioning his existence, but Lynn, standing in the middle, was thinking at lightning speed.
On the surface, he remained calm and collected, letting the players go crazy, but in his heart, he agreed with Night Owl's warning.
If players had already completed their first job advancement, that would be great, but unfortunately, it's not the right time yet.
In the last two days, he checked the system panel and found that the job change guide option was available, but unfortunately, it was always unclickable.
The system message indicates a lack of legitimate regional control and a main city node beacon... As long as Bolton remains in Pearl Harbor, she controls the teleportation array, preventing professional mentors from entering and players from leaving.
Changing jobs seems unrealistic for now, unless Bolton is completely brought down.
Now that the whole roasted lamb is dead, five players plus a dog that's still somewhat capable are going to fill the trenches of the regular army?
This isn't war, this is suicide missions. Even if these five people could respawn indefinitely, a few volleys of enemy musket fire would tear the defense line to shreds.
Even more fatally, Lynn glanced out of the corner of his eye at the hundreds of trembling indigenous laborers behind him.
In peacetime, as long as their food and drink are guaranteed, this is a huge and valuable labor asset.
However, in a war situation where regular troops are pressing in, this easily panicked mob is a deadly bomb that could explode at any moment.
Once the muskets fire and the shells fall from the front lines, these hundreds of people will definitely panic, and it could even cause serious riots and stampedes.
Defense lines need human shields, but the rear areas need stability even more.
We must use the best steel where it is most needed.
The goose, who understood chemical engineering, had to stay behind to prepare explosives and supplies.
Xiaoyu is physically strong and needs to stay behind as a supervisor. She can lead and organize these hundreds of laborers to build fortifications overnight.
The agent is quick-witted and can learn a few tricks from the night owls to figure out the enemy's marching routes.
These core veterans must be used to stabilize the rear; they absolutely cannot be thrown into the meat grinder as cannon fodder.
In that case, the frontal trench defense line would need to be built purely with "consumables".
Lynn turned around, ignoring the commotion behind him, and walked straight into the depths of the underground command post. At the same time, he decisively brought up the system panel in his mind.
[The second batch of 20 beta testers has been granted summoning privileges.]
Lynn thought to himself: I can't wait until Bolton is finished before recruiting new people. I have to get some cannon fodder now... no, I mean, hot-blooded defensive warriors to fill the gaps.