"Have you heard? Old Hei, the loan shark, committed suicide with his lover last night!"
"Of course I know. He committed suicide by lighting a gas cylinder. The scene was burned and left a mess."
"How do you know? You're making it sound so true!"
"My great-aunt's eighth aunt's brother-in-law's sister's son works for the Public Security Bureau. He was there, so what?"
"Oh my, you old Zhou are really shameless. I didn't expect you to have this kind of connection."
"That's right, that's right."
"My relative got into some trouble. Could you see if you could help him out? You'll definitely get a good reward."
With the help of certain individuals, this matter gradually became a topic of conversation among civic members.
The death of a loan shark with no powerful backing was met with applause from many, and soon no one would remember that he had ever existed.
People on the streets and alleys are talking about what they've seen and heard. Does the truth even matter anymore?
They only need to know what others want them to know!
...
Unaware that he was terrified because of his own actions, Gao Hui killed everyone who knew the truth in an attempt to cover up the "evidence."
Liu Nian was patrolling towards the designated location at this time. He walked until noon but did not find any trace of the orcs. He only noticed some tails behind him.
These caravans, unwilling to pay the teleportation fee, were following behind Liu Nian, their destination naturally being City A.
Some of their guards were intelligence gatherers who told the merchants that none of the men in the group could be identified by their rank.
Who wouldn't want more free bodyguards?
That's why the scene described above happened.
Let them follow if they want; it's not like it's their own road. As long as it doesn't get in their way, it's fine.
During the midday break, a few quick-witted businessmen brought some small gifts, hoping to take the opportunity to build relationships.
Looking at the group of merchants trying to curry favor with her, Liu Nian refused their gifts and replaced them with a question.
They already have far more of what others have, so there's no need for them to collect more; information is what they need.
To resolve his doubts, he asked the merchants about the teleportation portal.
The information they possessed could also be used as leverage to curry favor, and the merchants were happy to share it with Liu Nian.
It turned out that they weren't greedy for small gains, but rather that the portal had delivery limitations.
It can only transport miscellaneous items weighing no more than 10kg. Goods weighing more than this cannot be delivered and will remain in place.
Of course, the armor worn and the weapons held are not included in this category.
This conclusion was drawn by someone who used the portal, so it is highly credible.
After all, if they could, who would risk losing their head to deliver goods in such an outdated way? Wouldn't it be better to just stay alive?
Sigh, it's all about survival; there's no right or wrong. Liu Nian expressed her understanding.
Since they had satisfied their thirst for knowledge, Liu Nian offered to take them to an abandoned camp as payment, and explicitly told them that the camp they knew had been massacred by the Greenskins a few days earlier.
Moreover, if the greens invade, I can only try my best to hold them off. If things get bad, I will retreat immediately, and you'll have to fend for yourselves.
Within her own capabilities, Liu Nian is still willing to help others.
As for things beyond one's capabilities?
Do I look like the Virgin Mary?
The reason is simple: if he were the only living person left in the world, he would most likely choose Zisha (purple clay) pottery.
Who would want to live in such a world?
While eating the dry rations provided by the army, the quartermaster, upon learning that Liu Nian had a three-day patrol mission, generously provided his troops with enough food for five days.
Yes, troops also need food. Liu Nian had always thought that AI did not need any material needs, which overturned his understanding.
His subordinates were sitting quietly by the roadside eating their meal. Since they only had a few days of patrol, they carried their own rations and luggage on their backs.
Only when there are enough troops will there be dedicated vehicles to transport food or other supplies.
They called it luggage, but it was really just bedding for sleeping. With the temperature so low at night, it's not impossible for someone to freeze to death without it.
Liu Nian also tried to interact with them, but they only had a few simple lines of dialogue and looked exactly like real NPCs.
Hopefully, their combat logic has been written; otherwise, they're just a bunch of powerful but stupid characters.
Unable to find a reason to complain, perhaps attracted by the aroma of food, a raven's warning came from the woods to the left!
A force is approaching this area. Be on guard!
Upon hearing the raven's warning, Liu Nian immediately ordered the halberd soldiers to form a battle formation.
As soon as Liu Nian gave the order, the soldiers who were resting quickly got up and lined up in two rows to block Liu Nian's way.
The merchants were somewhat alarmed when they saw Liu Nian suddenly form a line. They didn't know where the threat came from, so they could only retreat to their vehicles to take shelter.
Fortunately, the accompanying guard captain was an experienced man. They arranged the vehicles in a circle, leaving only one entrance for them to guard.
This prevents the flanks from being threatened unless the people on the other side climb onto the vehicle.
However, even after the assembly was complete, some people still wore dismissive smiles, thinking that Liu Nian was making a mountain out of a molehill.
Just as a group of green-skinned men burst out of the woods on the left, the unfortunate fellow with a contemptuous smile on his face was sent flying by a wooden stick before he could even wipe it off.
He crashed heavily onto his companion behind him, his chest caved in, and judging from his shallow breathing, he was about to die.
This group of greenskins were all orc infantry, except for the leader, who was a berserker, as could be seen from the patterns on their bodies.
It has to be said that the orcs are incredibly fast, considering that the raven was hundreds of meters away from them.
"Attack!" Seeing the green-skinned men who had sprung out of the woods and were locked in battle with the merchant's guards, Liu Nian decisively gave the order to attack.
The Zhen Dan soldiers advanced in an orderly fashion, cutting into the battlefield from the flanks. Outnumbered, the two orcs on the flanks were still fiercely attacking the human guards in front, and before they could dodge, they were pierced through the heart by five long halberds.
It has high health, so this attack didn't kill it outright. However, the halberd soldier's successful attack will inflict two debuffs: Bleeding and Tear. If the bleeding isn't stopped, it will quickly bleed to death.
Liu Nian seized the opportunity; how could he possibly give them a chance to stop the bleeding? The vampire army had already surrounded the green-skinned creatures.
Physical attacks are not very effective against vampires, and apart from lightning attacks, other elemental attacks do not do much damage to them either.
Like other undead units, they are also afraid of holy damage. After all, being attacked by holy forces will cause them to turn to dust, and no one has the ability to bring a pile of ashes back to life.
Similarly, if a vampire with a dent in her chest is given a mouthful of vampire blood by another vampire, the dent will slowly begin to heal. After a certain period of time, she will be able to return to the battlefield to fight again.
Being dragged into a war of attrition by the undead is a tragedy.
The orc berserker's berserk state was dispelled by Liu Nian's removal. Even though the orc berserker repeatedly knocked the vampire's head off, it couldn't withstand the vampire's infinite regeneration ability until it was pinned to the ground by a group of vampires and never got up again.
After the battle, Liu Nian closed the trunk with satisfaction, where twenty-four orc heads were neatly arranged.
Killing orcs earns merit points, and handing over their heads will grant another round of military merit rewards.
As for what the military merit reward would be, Liu Nian didn't know. He could exchange his merit points for many high-level skill books at the quartermaster's place. Liu Nian's goal was a necromancer's summoning skill book.
[Summon: Plague Lamassu] (Tier 4 Dark Magic/Summoning)
As a fourth-tier dark magic book, it requires as many as 5,000 merit points to exchange for, and Liu Nian doesn't even have half of that merit points yet.
But doesn't this give us even more motivation?
When it comes to liver strength? Da Tianlong claims to be second? I'd like to see who dares to claim first!
Filled with longing for the skill book, Liu Nian once again embarked on his patrol.
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