Chapter 91: A Tuft Plucked from the Lion King's Mane

One year earlier, after the third great battle between the two legions, on some day after the two marshals fell into the black-hole tunnel, a man covered in blood and grievously wounded came to Bello Village.

He claimed his name was Silva Napples.

Napples stayed in Bello Village for a month to recover, but in the end his wounds proved fatal. Before he died, he told the villagers a secret, left them a prophecy, and made one request.

The secret: one day, Fan Kiln Basin would become a gathering place and a source of strange creatures; vast numbers of beings that threatened the Jialin Continent would spread out from there.

The prophecy: one day, the Urs Corps would come here in search of him. Bello Village would either be utterly destroyed, or saved to survive.

The request: bury him in a cave three hundred meters west of the village, and if, in the future, rescuers ever appeared, lead them there.

Then Napples breathed his last. The villagers were all advanced in years, and none of them believed him. It sounded like nothing but a baseless tale. Fortunately, the villagers lived together in harmony, so they still buried him in the cave.

It was only a month ago that an old man from the village took his mongrel out for a nighttime walk, and just after he stepped out of the village gate, he was swallowed whole by an unknown creature. The incident shocked the mountain village, and in their fear, the old men finally believed the secret Napples had spoken.

Now, with reverence and dread, the arrival of the Urs Corps, and the arrival of the Thorn Rose women’s squad, matched his prophecy perfectly.

The villagers were utterly certain now that all of it was true.

The Thorn Rose women’s squad was the divine light sent to save them.

That was everything the villagers knew. They knew nothing of Napples’ origins or identity, nor the true nature of the unknown creatures. They only knew that by day all was peaceful, and by night those strange beings would appear.

Carrying a multitude of questions, the Thorn Rose women’s squad set up camp beside the ruins on the eastern edge of the village.

The damage there was severe; it was very likely to become a breach through which the unknown creatures could force their way in.

Night deepened and deepened, until the silence itself became frightening.

Only the occasional cry of a passing bird, or the roar of a beast from the distant mountains and forests, offered a little relief.

In the village, household by household, the lights were extinguished. Though darkness cloaked everything and nothing could be seen at all, the villagers believed this was a way to confuse the unknown creatures.

Inside the tent, eight girls sat in a circle, discussing and debating what to do next. Outside the tent, one person remained hidden in the shadows, keeping watch.

Game rule: after using two revivals, the third death would send them back to their place of birth.

In other words, if this mission failed, they would have to return to the tank corps at Huifeng Ridge. Coming all the way back from there would waste even more precious time.

...

Following all the way behind him, the four of them watched with their own eyes as Li Xin slipped into the territory of Black Lion Ridge, each of them astonished beyond words.

"Damn, that Chinese punk is way too bold. He actually dared to go into Lion Mountain," Letche said, sniffing hard, for he himself did not have that kind of courage.

Those were a pride of lions, ferocious beyond measure, and their numbers far exceeded theirs by several times. Let alone the few of them here; even if four or eight more came along, none could guarantee they would make it out safely.

In their eyes, the Chinese player’s actions were no different from throwing himself into a grave.

"Ha... why think so much?" Simon sneered, a sharp glint flashing in the corner of his eye. "We’re just here to pick up the leftovers and rob him anyway."

Unlike Letche, who feared the lions, Simon instead believed the Chinese player was a fat sheep waiting to be slaughtered.

Who would knowingly walk to their own death only to come and throw themselves in?

The night was hazy, the moon dim. On Black Lion Ridge, the pride moved back and forth on patrol. Even though Simon and the others were holding high-definition infrared binoculars, they still could not catch sight of Li Xin’s shadow.

But the pride had not stirred in alarm, which meant they still had not discovered him.

Before long, half the night had passed, and the four of them had remained hidden beside a pile of rubble. The view here was wide; if any other danger appeared, they would spot it at a glance.

"Boss, could this guy already be dead? Why hasn’t there been any movement?" Letche muttered, looking puzzled.

"Damn it, fuck! This is unbearable. Why don’t we go over and take a look?" David growled in a low voice. He preferred direct robbery and slaughter; lying in wait to snatch a chance did not suit his taste.

"Letche, David, wait a little longer. Dawn is getting closer, and the pride is moving around much more frequently. Something should happen soon." Mozak’s eyes narrowed, as steady and seasoned as ever.

Simon nodded in approval. Among the four brothers, Mozak had always been the strategist.

Suddenly, from Black Lion Ridge came the lion king’s roar, overflowing with fury.

"There it is!" David shouted excitedly.

The words had barely fallen when dozens of black lions on Black Lion Ridge rose at once and let out a simultaneous roar. The sound was vast and deafening, as if answering the king’s bellow from the hilltop.

In an instant, within a radius of a thousand meters, countless birds were startled into the air and innumerable beasts were roused. Black lions were the fiercest and most domineering species in the Sandra Reserve, their steel claws and fangs enough to tear apart the flesh and blood of any enemy.

"Damn it! Boss, the pride’s gone mad! We, we should run!" Letche cried out in panic, his heart filled with fear and unease.

Even hotheaded David went weak at the knees. He truly did not have the courage to stand against the pride.

"Run?" Simon was deeply unwilling to give up and still wanted to wait.

Roar!

The lion king roared again, and the pride immediately understood. They all surged into motion and raced down the mountain, raising a blinding storm of dust in an instant. Under the dim night sky, everything became a blur of chaos.

"Withdraw! Retreat now!" Simon’s face changed drastically. The direction the pride was descending from was straight toward the four of them!

All four broke into a desperate run, without the slightest thought of fighting back. At a time like this, all they could do was evade as best they could, avoid triggering the pride’s rage, and prevent themselves from being locked as targets.

Little did they know that in the darkness of night, a phantom figure was following them at an easy pace, running as he went and grinning at the thing in his hand. All night long, he had remained hidden near the lion king, and only after it had fallen into a deep sleep did he pluck a tuft of mane and burst out at full speed.

Black Lion King Mane: 25 strands

Effect: primary material for forging the hidden weapon Thousand-Mane Rend

Rank: Gold

"Thousand-Mane Rend? What the hell is that?" Li Xin frowned. Crafted from Gold-rank materials, it was surely no ordinary thing.

He remembered that among the gear revealed on the forum, the strongest so far was Gold. There had been no Dark-Gold items yet.

Of course, that excluded Li Xin’s Epic-tier sniper rifle, Heavenly Dragon.

Putting away the mane, Li Xin murmured a single word to himself, and a longbow appeared in his hand.

Its shape and style were modeled entirely after the bow of Li Guang, the famed Flying General, as described in the historical records. Plain in overall design, it was half a foot longer than an ordinary bow, with the carved heads of two strange beasts at its upper and lower ends.

That beast was Taotie, one of the ancient ferocious creatures, symbolizing Li Guang’s invincibility wherever he went.

"Let me try and see whether I can truly hit the mark with every shot," Li Xin whispered. Then he remembered that his current skill was only Ten-Paces Pinpoint Shot.

With a self-mocking smile, he suddenly turned around, drew the bowstring to full tension, and fitted a black arrow to the string with all his strength. When his right hand loosened its grip, the arrow shot out with a sharp whistle, transforming into a streak of black light as it vanished into the night.