Chapter 94: Sold Yet Still Forced to Work

Tension lingered through the night, but no danger befell them. It seemed that the strange creature was wary of something within Bello Village, and did not appear. The morning light spilled in, and the members of the Thorn Rose women’s squad were exhausted. Though only a few dozen minutes had passed in the real world, this was a semi-immersive holographic game, where each player existed as an independent entity. Life, death, illness, rest, and work—all followed a rhythm akin to reality.

A night of vigilant guarding would drain even men, let alone women. Yet, despite their fatigue, the urgency of their mission left no room for hesitation. After a brief discussion, Wang Xiaoqian and her team decided to leave seven members behind to defend their position, while she and Liisa went to visit the village chief, Robby.

After greeting each other, they got straight to the point. The bravery of the Thorn Rose squad truly impressed Robby.

Ding!

“Do you wish to accept the legacy quest of Napules?”

Yes.

“Solo or team?”

Team.

Ding!

“You have obtained the key to the Napules underground palace. Please proceed there swiftly to seek his legacy.”

A key—Wang Xiaoqian couldn’t help but laugh. This game was stunningly realistic, especially with her diamond-grade helmet boasting ninety percent fluidity; the sensations were almost tangible.

“Brave young ladies, Napules awaits you in the cave. You are destined to become the backbone of Bello Village, defenders of human civilization,” the village chief declared, spittle flying as he spoke with fervor—a true character.

Wang Xiaoqian, sweating profusely, dragged the thoroughly entertained Liisa away. The Thorn Rose team was packing up, preparing to depart, when Chief Robby suddenly ran over, tugging along his mutt, Gray, panting and drenched in sweat.

“Chief, is there something else?”

“Brave... warriors... there’s something I... forgot to mention...”

Robby struggled to catch his breath, words stumbling. After downing the bottle of water handed to him by Rose, he gradually recovered.

“You’ve seen it yourselves—this eastern side of the village is already in ruins, and our ability to resist unknown creatures has been greatly diminished. The villagers need to repair this area as soon as possible. For the quest of Napules, you have only three days to complete it. Whether you live or die, you must return here on time after three days to help us build the fortress. Otherwise, the village will perish.”

At these words, the nine women’s expressions changed dramatically, astonished. Napules sounded like a formidable figure, and any quest he left behind would surely be difficult. Three days seemed far too short.

But this Bello Village...

A quick, whispered discussion followed, and Wang Xiaoqian nodded, saying, “Chief, rest assured, we will return within three days.”

The quest was important, but Bello Village was even more so. Given the current circumstances, it was clear that Bello Village was a major node, crucial to either the main storyline or a significant branch.

Bidding farewell to the villagers, the Thorn Rose squad drove swiftly toward the cave west of the village. Now, they switched into the earth-gray combat uniforms of the Black Storm Regiment, donned high-definition night vision goggles, and carried compact searchlights on their shoulders.

Entering the cave, they adopted a special forces assault formation: three in front, two on each side, three at the rear, and one in the center. Every other member extinguished their searchlight to conserve power.

The corridor was long, deep, and high. The rocks on the sides and ceiling were jagged and strange, seemingly formed by nature. The squad advanced cautiously, encountering no immediate danger. After about a kilometer, they suddenly heard the gentle sound of flowing water from the depths, drawing the women’s attention.

“There’s groundwater ahead—could there be something hidden inside?” Rose whispered.

“I still think the villagers of Bello are odd. They speak in riddles, as if afraid we might learn something,” Liisa remarked.

“Exactly. Like this cave—they never mentioned it. We’re left to grope our way blind,” added Green Grass.

A sense of heaviness pressed upon the squad. It felt as though they’d been sold out by the villagers, and now had to count their money and work for them.

Wang Xiaoqian exchanged a glance with the vice-captain, Wanqing, reaching a tacit agreement. Xiaoqian continued in front, while Wanqing swapped places with Rose and moved to the rear.

Just as they prepared to advance, a cacophony of shrill cries erupted.

Searchlights revealed a swarm of bats.

“Bats! Tighten formation, prepare for indiscriminate fire. Tina, Liisa, shield defense on the flanks. Alice, in the center, ready flashbangs and incendiaries,” Wang Xiaoqian commanded, and the nine women quickly clustered together.

Four on the sides snapped up shields, raising them high above the squad. These shields were made of high-strength bulletproof glass, standard for tank units against incendiary attacks. Now, facing these bats with unknown attributes, they could hold out for a while.

Wanqing and two others guarded the rear, while the front-line shooting was left to Wang Xiaoqian and two others.

Bang! The first shot rang out, revealing the bats’ attributes.

Rock Wall Hanging Bat: Level 8.

Type: Dark Bat.

HP: 830

Skills: Ultrasonic Tinnitus, Razor Claw Rend.

“Level 8—shouldn’t be weak, but their HP isn’t high,” Wang Xiaoqian shouted, reassuring the group.

Gunfire echoed through the shadowy corridor, bullets raining down, flashbangs blinding the bats with their already poor vision, and incendiaries snaking through the air. In three minutes, the bats were wiped out, their bodies carpeting the floor.

“Whew, lucky we brought enough ammo. These little bats aren’t tough, but their ultrasonic screeches really hurt the ears,” Rose sighed, flipping out a shovel to scrape the ground.

“Wow, plenty of silver coins dropped—must be thousands,” she said.

“There’s also some basic bronze equipment—not worth much, but at least it’s a little income.”

Silver coins were the most basic currency, equivalent to small change in reality; one gold equals a hundred silver coins.

The women laughed and quickly swept up their spoils. They’d slain 683 bats, all ordinary level 8s, with no higher-level ones yet. According to typical game logic, more waves would follow.

They pressed on, drawing closer to the underground water, but there was still no sign of Napules’ tomb.

As expected, a second wave of bats appeared, this time at level 12, their power nearly doubled.

They dealt with them quickly, earning over ten thousand silver coins, several bronze items, and a mediocre pair of silver bracers.

Onward they marched. The third wave arrived—level 18 bats, their strength up by 1.5 times. While a level 18 swarm wasn’t too daunting, their numbers had suddenly soared to over a thousand, filling the entire cave corridor in a dense, murky mass.

Amid the dark bat swarm, ten large bats stood out, their bodies bright red and twice the size of the level 18 bats.

A hundred meters ahead, the beams of their lights shimmered over the rippling surface—the underground water was within sight.