The city lord of Jinling gave a bitter smile. He had used up all the bitter smiles he had ever had in his life today.

"You adventurers can be resurrected after death, unlike us natives who are truly dead once we die. You have a huge advantage. However, so far, out of the 600 starting villages connected to Jinling City, you are the only adventurer who has come here through your own strength. That's why I noticed you."

"To be honest, I originally planned to personally escort a batch of grain and military equipment to Qiongfeng Pass today. I just happened to see your performance in the military forging area."

The word "performance" was emphasized, and Jiang Hao sensed the sarcasm in it.

Jiang Hao, without batting an eye, casually asked.

"Going to Qiongfeng Pass? What are you going there for, City Lord?"

Unexpectedly, the city lord of Jinling City shrugged.

"Of course we will stand with the warriors. If the Skeleton Legion breaks through Qiongfeng Pass, the destruction of Jinling City is only a matter of time."

"What would happen if Nanjing were destroyed?"

Jiang Hao felt that his question was a bit stupid, but he still blurted it out in his anxiety.

The city lord of Jinling sighed, his lips moved, and he finally responded.

"Just like the northern ice fields!"

Those seven short words sent a chill down Jiang Hao's spine.

If things really come to that, how can we even play games anymore?

How do I acquire equipment and make money?

No, this absolutely must be stopped!

"Lord, there's no time to lose. Quickly gather the troops and let us set off. The higher the combat strength, the better; the more people, the better."

"I know you're in a hurry, but don't rush."

The city lord of Jinling grabbed Jiang Hao.

"Some arrangements always need to be made before setting off."

Jiang Hao grabbed the hand of the city lord of Jinling City.

"Hurry up, it's too late."

......

In the end, the city lord of Jinling City assigned Jiang Hao nine people: eight level 30 gold-level personal guards, plus a level 50 dark gold-level city lord.

That makes a perfect 10-person team.

Yes, that's right! After handing over the suicide mission to Qiongfeng Pass to a deputy general of the personal guard, the esteemed city lord had nothing to do.

In his words.

Only by acquiring enough energy crystals can Nanjing be truly saved from disaster and its collapse prevented.

Such an important matter cannot be accomplished without him.

What else could Jiang Hao say?

He would be even happier if the other eight were also replaced by city lords.

There is a flight point at the Energy Crystal Mine. After the 10 people boarded the aerial dock in Jinling City, they took a small airship and arrived at the Energy Crystal Mine base in 2 minutes.

It's so convenient not having to navigate the map!

Taking the opportunity, the city lord of Jinling City introduced Jiang Hao to his energy crystal mine. Although called a mine, it was actually quite spacious inside. It could easily accommodate four small airships side by side. Moreover, the energy crystal mine was located within the city's garrison and was guarded by Jinling City's guards year-round.

Jiang Hao estimated that if an airship was 3 meters wide, then the mine tunnel must be nearly 12 meters wide.

As Jiang Hao and his group reached the entrance of the energy crystal mine, they saw groups of soldiers rushing out. Some had lost their helmets, some their weapons, and some were carrying a soldier who had already fainted. Without exception, they were all in a hurry, as if fleeing for their lives. Occasionally, the roars of beasts could be heard coming from inside the mine. The eight guards who had come with him exchanged glances, drew their broadswords in unison, and charged in against the flow of people.

"It must be a riot at the energy crystal mine."

The city lord of Jinling City spoke up and explained to Jiang Hao.

"Every ten days or so, the energy crystal beasts in the mine become extremely violent. They often attack our base. If the guards inside cannot retreat in time, the base will suffer heavy casualties."

Jiang Hao immediately understood the current situation, but even so, he had no choice but to rush in.

After all, time is not on their side.

After entering the mine and walking for about 1 kilometer, Jiang Hao finally saw the eight Gold-level guards already fighting against the Energy Crystal Beasts. Perhaps due to the sheer number of Energy Crystal Beasts, the eight guards, despite being all Gold-level, did not charge in too aggressively. Instead, they held shields in one hand and large swords in the other, forming a defensive formation, occasionally slashing down one or two Energy Crystal Beasts that got close.

This was Jiang Hao's first time encountering an energy crystal beast. If he had to describe it, it was like a large rock with several smaller stones growing out of it, barely forming the shape of a ferocious beast. However, it was entirely white, and its surface was covered with countless stones of varying sizes, protrusions seemingly caused by excess energy. Seeing the countless energy crystal beasts densely packed in the mine, Jiang Hao quickly cast a detection spell.

【Energy Crystal Beast】

Bronze-level elite

Level: 18

life:

Physical attack: 1800

Physical defense: 288

Speed: 184

Status: Due to the instability of energy crystals, the Energy Crystal Beast is currently in a berserk state, with its attack power and attack range increased by 40%.

Skill:

Energy Crystal Dart: The Energy Crystal Beast can spew out a small amount of energy crystal energy from its mouth. Like a dart, it quickly dashes in the designated direction, dealing 120% of its attack power as linear damage.

Jiang Hao finally understood the great defeat of the Jinling City Guards.

With their extremely high attack power, berserk state, and countless numbers, even if all the existing guards of Jinling City were to be brought here, it would probably only increase casualties.

Jiang Hao and the city lord of Jinling exchanged a glance and raised their staffs.

The city lord of Jinling drew the sword from his waist.

Jiang Hao waved his staff at a distant crystalline beast. The bronze-level crystalline beast that Jiang Hao was watching instantly appeared beneath his staff, and the dizzying stars above its head began to spin rapidly.

-

White damage numbers floated up from the Energy Crystal Beast's body, instantly depleting more than half of its health. The City Lord of Jinling City, standing nearby, narrowed his eyes, staring at Jiang Hao in disbelief.

"What are you standing there for? Finish him off!"

Jiang Hao put away his staff and urged the city lord of Jinling City to hurry up. His plan was to rely on his teammates' cooperation to generate enough energy crystals as quickly as possible, rather than being greedy for the damage increase from his talent.

"Huh? Huh! Huh!"

The city lord of Jinling City raised his sword and struck the energy crystal beast, which was still in a dazed state.

-

The white damage numbers floated up again from the Energy Crystal Beast. The City Lord of Jinling City saw it clearly, his eyes wide open.

"Huh? Why did my damage increase?"

The city lord of Jinling City had a physical attack power of 69,000, yet he dealt over 80,000 damage in one go, which puzzled him. At the same time, it also made him somewhat proud.

"Could it be that my swordsmanship has improved recently, giving me an advantage when fighting energy crystal beasts?"

Jiang Hao rolled his eyes at him, thinking to himself, "You're just a level 50 Dark Gold elite, and your damage isn't even as high as mine. What's there to be so smug about?"

"My teammates can benefit from my damage bonus."

Upon hearing Jiang Hao's explanation, the not-so-old city lord of Jinling blushed.

After summoning a guard to pick up the fallen energy crystal fragments, the City Lord of Jinling City sheathed his broadsword, quietly took half a step back, keeping a half-body distance from Jiang Hao, appearing every bit like Jiang Hao's underling.

Jiang Hao felt that dealing with bronze-level monsters one by one was a waste of time. So he turned to the city lord of Jinling City and said...

"How about we leave these bronze-level energy crystal beasts to you? They can't break through your defenses anyway."

Jiang Hao had already used a detection spell on the city lord of Jinling City. His stats are: 62.96 million HP, 69,000 physical attack, 500 physical defense, and 500 speed.

With these attributes, wouldn't they be able to easily slaughter bronze-level monsters?

Unexpectedly, the city lord of Jinling gave a rather stubborn reply.

"No, I'm afraid of pain!"

I'm fucking idiot!