Jue Tian had been training relentlessly for his revenge, frantically upgrading his equipment. Now that the moment had come, even if Night Edge didn't show up, he was going to make Zero Wing pay.
But the instant Jue Tian stepped out of the bar's entrance, he saw a magic circle materialize in the ashen gray sky, its glow enveloping all of Stream Town.
This magic circle had been conjured by the Subjugation Token, bringing about changes to every NPC in Stream Town.
The original level 50 guards instantly dropped to level 30, and the level 70 first-tier guard captains plummeted to level 50—exactly the same level as Shi Feng's ordinary guards.
Though their levels had fallen, the guards' movements remained nimble. Warning whistles pierced the air as waves of guards rushed out of buildings throughout the town. Before long, over two thousand NPCs had gathered at the town's perimeter. Every one of them was a guard of the Blood Hand Society, their disguises now shed. The ordinary guards had transformed into Blood Hand Society members clad in red leather armor, while the guard captains had become Blood Hand Society elites.
Blood Hand Society Member — Elite, Level 30, HP: 100,000.
Blood Hand Society Elite — First-Tier Elite, Level 50, HP: 300,000.
"Why did the guards get so much weaker?"
"Who cares? Even if they're weaker, can Zero Wing really handle this many NPCs? Besides, we're still here. If Zero Wing dares to attack, we'll make sure they regret it."
The players in Stream Town noticed the guards around them had suddenly become much weaker, and a flicker of worry crossed their minds—but they quickly brushed it aside. At its peak, Zero Wing had only eight thousand members, and after a recent wave of departures, their total had dropped to around five thousand.
Even if Zero Wing sent all five thousand, they'd be up against two thousand NPCs. Coming here would be suicide. Not a single player had reached level 30 yet, and no one had advanced to the first tier. How were they supposed to deal with level 30 and level 50 NPCs? In the Divine Realm, such a massive level gap was absolutely fatal.
"Move out!" Shi Feng commanded over the team chat.
Huowu and the others sprang into action at once. Each person directed a first-tier level 50 guard to charge toward the Blood Hand Society forces in Stream Town.
The guards they controlled were first-tier Rangers and Assassins, whose movement speed far outstripped the Blood Hand Society members and elites. Moreover, the first-tier Rangers possessed ultra-long-range attack capabilities spanning a full hundred yards—perfect for luring the enemy.
Before long, the red-named players in Stream Town spotted several figures hurtling toward them at blinding speed that no player could hope to match.
The Rangers drew their longbows, pulled back the strings, and fired.
With a sharp whistle, several Blood Hand Society members at level 30 were struck over ninety yards away. Each arrow dealt more than five thousand damage—enough to kill any ordinary player in a single hit.
The Rangers' attacks immediately drew the attention of the Blood Hand Society NPCs. Over a thousand of them drew their weapons without a second thought and charged forward.
The guard-Rangers turned and fled at once, quickly luring the Blood Hand Society NPCs away.
"Weren't Zero Wing's players supposed to be attacking? Why are first-tier level 50 NPCs charging at us instead?"
This scene left the red-named players in Stream Town thoroughly bewildered. They stood rooted in place, not following the Blood Hand Society NPCs to join the assault.
First-tier level 50 NPCs could practically one-shot today's players. Without some kind of survival skill, charging in meant certain death. As red-named players, dying even once would be devastating—they'd lose at least half their equipment and drop two or three levels. Naturally, they had to weigh the costs.
Besides, from the very beginning, they'd never intended to charge into the fray. They'd wanted the Blood Hand Society NPCs and Zero Wing to grind each other down so they could swoop in and reap the rewards. But now that the Blood Hand Society NPCs had all been lured away, everyone hesitated—should they push forward or hold their ground?
While these red-named players deliberated, the town-guarding Blood Hand Society NPCs had already been drawn more than several hundred yards away from town.
"This is bad—all the Blood Hand Society NPCs have been lured away!" one quick-witted red-named player exclaimed urgently. "We have to go help, or if Zero Wing starts kiting us, we're finished!"
These words snapped the group to attention. But since they weren't part of the same team and lacked any real coordination, everyone understood the simple truth: whoever moved first would be the first to die. Even though they recognized the danger, not a single person was willing to rush in. They all stayed put.
None of them noticed that Shi Feng had already commanded forty first-tier level 50 NPCs to charge at them from another direction.
Capturing a town was never mainly about dealing with the NPCs—it was the players inside that posed the real threat. If the players coordinated with the town's NPCs, no amount of strength would be enough to take it without overwhelming force.