Chapter 14 A Bountiful Harvest
As the last kobold's silhouette disappeared into the depths of the Misty Forest, the clamor in the temple square gradually subsided, replaced by an even more frenzied restlessness.
Standing in the square at this moment were all members of the newly resurrected "first wave of suicide squads," that is, the fresh force mainly composed of new players.
Most of them were only wearing the shorts given to them by the system, and they were holding blood-stained stones or wooden sticks. Their eyes were gleaming green, like wolves that hadn't eaten for three days and had suddenly fallen into a sheep pen.
"We won! Holy crap, we really won!" "That boss ran faster than a rabbit! Did anyone see what it dropped?" "Stop talking nonsense! Grab it! All the equipment on the ground is unclaimed!"
Although they couldn't catch up with the main force of the fleeing kobolds, Gru and his men abandoned their armor and weapons along the way in their escape. Rusty iron axes, tattered wooden shields, and even a few spears that they hadn't had time to take were now scattered across the wasteland outside the temple.
On the high platform, Li Wei looked down at the group of players below who were excited to the point of madness, and then at the mess on the ground.
The hour-long tug-of-war that had just taken place, though brief, was exceptionally brutal. Dark red bloodstains were everywhere on the ground, along with the corpses of several kobolds who, too badly wounded to escape, had been crushed to death by falling rocks. Severed limbs mixed with mud emitted a nauseating stench.
"This kind of scene is still too stimulating for people living in peacetime."
Li Wei frowned slightly. While he needed the players to maintain their wildness, he didn't want to scare these newbies into a psychological state or cause them to log off immediately.
Li Wei twitched his fingers slightly, activating the portion of his divine authority related to [mental interference], which covered the entire temple area.
[System Prompt: The current scene may cause severe physical discomfort. "Post-War Sensory Blurring Mode" has been automatically activated for you.] [Note: In this mode, visual realism is preserved, but 90% of the smell of blood and physiological fear reactions will be blocked. Please feel free to touch the corpse.]
Buzz—!
The players felt a cool sensation in their minds.
The pungent, nauseating stench of blood instantly faded, transforming into a faint smell reminiscent of a mixture of rust and earth. Although the corpses and blood before them remained realistic and gruesome, strangely, they felt no fear or nausea as they looked at them. Instead, they experienced a detached feeling, as if they were admiring exquisite movie props.
"Holy crap! This game is amazing!" "Hakimi North and South Green Bean" squatted next to a pool of blood, reached out and wiped it. "It's warm! The consistency is perfect! But I don't feel like throwing up at all, I even want to taste how salty it is!"
"Stop being a pervert! Come help!" "Ashigahayekunailong" shouted from not far away, "There's a survivor here! His leg is broken but he didn't run away!"
The new players immediately swarmed around.
It was a badly wounded kobold minion, huddled at the bottom of the trap pit, trembling. Seeing a group of naked men approaching, it let out a desperate, mournful howl.
"Should we kill it? Isn't that considered a monster?" "Don't kill it! The mission said there's a reward for prisoners!" "Does anyone have rope? Bring over the belt... oh no, the vines that Brother Gangzi left behind!"
The new players hurriedly tied the unfortunate few up like dumplings and dragged them to the center of the temple square like dead dogs.
This "battlefield cleanup" yielded results that were simply beyond imagination.
Besides the most precious rusty iron axe (which Hakimi snatched immediately and treasured), they also found seven or eight broken but still usable wooden shields, a dozen spears, and some miscellaneous items such as teeth and bone fragments that had fallen from the kobolds.
Li Wei watched as the faith power surged wildly in the background, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a crazy smile.
This new wave of players' initial experience was absolutely perfect. From the fear of being slaughtered, to the counterattack after resurrection, and now to the harvest, this emotional rollercoaster provided him with extremely pure spiritual energy.
...
Fifty minutes later.
The teleportation slab in the center of the temple lit up again.
This time, the resurrected players are the old players who died in the last battle, such as "What Canned Food I Said", "Dangdang, Be Careful", and "I'm Not a Husky", and who were stuck in the dark room for almost an hour.
The light faded.
More than twenty veteran players opened their eyes with blank expressions.
"How's it going? Was your house robbed?" "Where's my stone slab? Where's my equipment?"
Gangzi immediately reached for his back, only to find nothing.
Before they could even react, the new players who had been waiting around them burst into thunderous applause and cheers.
"Wow! Awesome!" "Canned Food Bro! That killer look you gave at the end was so cool! Even though you died, you really nailed it!" "Gangzi Bro! We want to have your babies! That scene where you single-handedly took on three monsters has been recorded and posted on the forum!"
New players swarmed around, and although they were carrying the best loot, their eyes were full of admiration when they looked at the group of veteran players who were "empty-handed".
After all, if it weren't for these veteran players risking their lives to fill the gaps, holding back the Kobolds' main force, and devising that insane "resurrection rush" tactic, these newbies would have been driven to quit the game long ago.
"Cough cough..."
"What canned food?" He pushed up his non-existent glasses, and looking at the admiring gazes around him, his vanity was greatly satisfied.
He cleared his throat, adopting a nonchalant, boss-like demeanor:
"Basic procedures, don't be reckless. These are all part of the tactics."
He glanced at the spoils scattered on the ground and nodded with satisfaction: "Looks like you did a great job. The battlefield is very clean."
"Absolutely!" Hakimi scurried over, presenting the rusty iron axe still stained with blood with both hands, his face full of flattery: "Commander! This was dropped by that big dog! We retrieved it for you! This is the first piece of ironware in the entire server, you must distribute it!"
This display of emotional intelligence is off the charts.
Canned Food took the iron axe, feeling its heavy weight, and secretly praised the newcomer for being sensible.
"very good."
Canned Food looked around at the fifty players, who, despite being filthy and some still wearing only underwear, were full of energy.
"Brothers!"
He raised his iron axe high, his voice blazing: "Today, we taught these natives a lesson! We showed them what the 'Fourth Calamity' truly means!" "Although we died once, we gained equipment, contribution points, and most importantly, dignity!"
"The land forsaken by God is ours!"
"Hurrah—!!!" "For the black bread!" "Ha—!!!"
The cheers of both new and veteran players merged together, resounding through the sky.
At this moment, the group of new and old players, who were initially somewhat unfamiliar with each other, quickly established a deep revolutionary friendship through this battle where they fought side by side (although they took turns dying).
Veteran players enjoy the admiration of newcomers, while newcomers enjoy the experience and guidance of veteran players.
A nascent "player guild" consciousness is quietly awakening on these ruins.
Li Wei sat on his high throne, looking down at the idyllic "leek field" below, and felt quite pleased.
"Enjoy this other world, my fellow countrymen