Chapter 249 - 248: Pre-Battle Variable

Chapter 249: Chapter 248: Pre-Battle Variable

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’Something’s wrong.’

A thought flashed through Gu Su’s mind.

’Didn’t Jin Chang say the buildings in this town were no longer operational?’

’What’s going on here?’

’Could someone have entered the town ahead of us?’

Gu Su’s gaze was fixed on the southeastern part of Trebot Town, his heart sinking.

Jin Chang had repeatedly stressed that the abandoned town was completely deserted. All its buildings had ceased to function, leaving only crumbling ruins and a pervasive, eerie atmosphere.

But he had just seen it clearly. A faint light had flickered from one of the buildings, and he could vaguely sense the traces of flowing energy. It was obviously operational.

’What in the world is going on?’

’Was Jin Chang’s reconnaissance wrong? Or had some other faction snuck into Trebot Town ahead of schedule and activated the buildings inside?’

A series of questions swirled in Gu Su’s mind. Not daring to delay for a second, he leaped nimbly from the thick tree branch.

The moment his feet were about to touch the ground, a dense mass of Black Fog suddenly billowed and coalesced a short distance in front of him. The all-black, bone-patterned off-road vehicle shot out like an arrow loosed from a bow, stopping securely beneath him and catching him perfectly as he landed.

Gu Su vaulted into the driver’s seat and, without a moment’s hesitation, issued a command to the vehicle.

The off-roader immediately let out a low roar and executed a sharp turn. Its tires screeched against the gravel, and shrouded in a faint Black Fog, it sped toward the temporary camp, disappearing into the dense woods in the blink of an eye.

A few moments later, the vehicle came to a steady halt outside the temporary camp’s fence. Gu Su pushed the door open and strode into the camp. He immediately spotted Jin Chang talking in low tones with Winter near a large boulder. He hurried over and said urgently, "Jin Chang, something’s wrong with the town. A building in the southeast seems to have been activated."

Jin Chang, who had been discussing the details of the siege with Winter, stiffened the moment he heard Gu Su’s words. His expression turned grave, and without even a word of farewell to Winter, he leaped to his feet.

The plan to take Trebot was his most important mission at the moment. It was the key to allowing subsequent waves of players to enter the game. If any unexpected incident occurred in the town, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Jin Chang clenched his fists and turned to rush out of the camp, intending to check the situation in the town himself.

But just as he took a step, Winter, who had been standing by with a relatively calm expression, suddenly shuddered and collapsed to the ground, his body convulsing violently.

He clawed madly at his own skin, his nails digging deep into the sallow flesh. Each scratch tore a gruesome gash, and blood slowly seeped from the wounds, staining his clothes red.

Even more bizarrely, strands of withered yellow straw, like living things, began to emerge from the torn gashes. They wound around his arms and torso, attempting to corrode and possess his body bit by bit.

Seeing this, the nearby Grass Thorn Deceivers panicked. They rushed forward, anxiously calling Winter’s name while forcefully pushing aside Jin Chang, who had been about to charge out, afraid he would disturb the spiraling Winter.

Immediately after, several tall Deceivers rushed out of a tent with pre-prepared, red-hot Iron Rings. The rings glowed with intense heat and gave off the acrid smell of rust and scorched air.

They carefully held down the struggling Winter, precisely aligned a searing Iron Ring with a gash on his skin, and pressed it down hard.

TSSSS! White smoke instantly billowed up with the pungent smell of burnt flesh. The Iron Ring was seared firmly onto Winter’s wound, halting the further spread of the straw strands.

Then, other Deceivers quickly produced several red-hot pieces of charcoal and, ignoring Winter’s violent struggles, forced them into his mouth.

Winter’s body trembled violently. Pained, muffled groans escaped his throat. His forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and his face was ashen, a truly horrifying sight.

Time ticked by. After about seven or eight minutes, Winter’s struggles gradually subsided, and his convulsions stopped.

He slowly raised his head and sat up. His face was still pale, but clarity had returned to his eyes. His breathing was weak, however, and his body was covered in a fine sheen of cold sweat.

He grabbed the hand of Jin Chang, who was about to step forward to check on him, and said in a weak but exceptionally firm voice, "Wait a little longer. It’s not time to move out yet."

Jin Chang looked at Winter’s weakened state and, remembering what Gu Su had said about the anomaly in the town, retorted urgently, "Winter, didn’t you hear me?

A building inside Trebot is already operational! We can’t wait any longer. Besides, in your current condition, I’m afraid you can’t hold on for much longer. Delaying will only make things more dangerous."

Winter shook his head gently. He took a deep breath, managing to steady himself, and said gravely, "I’m fine. I can hold on for a while longer. As for the building in town, I know what that’s about. It’s supplies for the patrol team.

If you don’t believe me, send someone to check right now. I guarantee you’ll find that supplies from those active buildings are being continuously sent to the train station platform."

His eyes were dead serious, with no hint of a joke. He was clearly already familiar with this situation.

Seeing Winter’s resolute expression, Jin Chang’s urgency gradually gave way to resignation.

He heaved a heavy sigh, and his tense body relaxed. He abandoned the idea of rushing out to investigate immediately.

Just then, Gu Su slowly walked over to Jin Chang. His gaze swept over the still-panting Winter as he asked with a probing tone, "What’s the situation?

Chief Winter is..."

Jin Chang turned to Gu Su, his face showing a mix of gravity and worry. He lowered his voice and explained, "Winter’s body can’t hold out for much longer.

His original plan was to use his own body as the power source for Trebot Town. After we successfully capture the town, he would then fully activate its core functions.

Until then, he has to force himself to hold on until we break through the town’s Defense. But looking at his current state, I’m really worried he won’t make it."

Hearing this, Gu Su’s brow furrowed slightly. After a moment of thought, he looked at Jin Chang and asked, "Should we launch the siege ahead of schedule? That way, we can take the town sooner and lessen Chief Winter’s suffering."

Jin Chang shook his head decisively. "No," he said firmly. "Winter is right. We absolutely cannot attack early.

If we move now, we’ll most likely run into the Deceiver patrol at a critical moment in the siege. Not only will our attack be hindered and our losses heavy, but the Deceiver forces from the Inverted Tower will also notice something is wrong immediately and dispatch a large number of elite troops to encircle and destroy us."

He paused, then continued, "But if we wait for the patrol to leave completely, we’ll have a full three days to leisurely prepare for the siege—reinforce our defenses, and deploy our troops.

By the time the Inverted Tower notices something is wrong and mobilizes their forces, our new players will have already entered the game in droves through the train station. At that point, no matter how many enemies there are, we’ll have enough strength to deal with them.

So, for now, no matter how many minor problems pop up in Trebot, we cannot launch the siege ahead of schedule."

Gu Su understood, but he was still worried. "But the anomaly in Trebot is undeniable. That building is operational. What if another faction really has snuck in, or if there’s some other variable? Won’t we be caught in a Passive position?"

Jin Chang took a deep breath, his eyes hardening with resolve. He clapped Gu Su on the shoulder and said, "I know your concerns. That’s why I’m going to take a look myself. I need to confirm if those active buildings are really just sending patrol supplies to the platform, like Winter said.

If there really is another variable, it won’t be too late to adjust our plan then."