Cole suggested, "Instead of wasting ti in this deadlock, why don't we cooperate? You take us into the mining area, and in return, I'll allow you to collect resources there and offer you protection. How about that?"
Zaka and his two companions exchanged glances.
What a joke!
They were the ones who discovered the mining area in the first place—what did they need protection for?
If they couldn't even handle the tasks Fang Heng had assigned, how could they ever hope to cling to his coattails in the future?
Zaka stared coldly at Cole's group and asked, "And what if we refuse?"
"Hahaha, refuse? Do you think we're giving you a choice?" Wu Xiao took a step forward, grinning viciously at the group. "Then none of you are leaving!"
As he spoke, a ring of people closed in, surrounding Wu Xiao's group tightly.
Zaka and his two companions exchanged anxious glances.
What now?
They hadn't expected that the Western District Federation rcenaries would resort to violence, relying on sheer numbers to make their move.
"Hmph! Everyone, move out! Let's see what kind of goods are loaded onto their war machines!"
Zaka's face slightly changed, ready to take action, but Zate reached out and gently stopped him.
Zate shook his head lightly.
Wu Xiao noticed Zaka and his group weren't resisting, and a mocking grin appeared on his face as he snapped his fingers.
More than twenty players imdiately lunged at the transport drones with the ferocity of wolves.
"Be careful when dismantling them."
Wu Xiao casually wiped the short blade in his hand, "Don't damage my loot."
The players were curious.
What was packed inside those materials crates on the drones?
One player, at the front, climbed up behind a transport drone and reached out to touch the surface of one of the crates. Suddenly, he felt a subtle vibration from beneath the drone.
"Beep—beep—beep—"
The player heard a faint electronic sound.
What?!
Not good!
Cole, hearing the sound, suddenly realized what was happening and was about to warn everyone.
"Boom! Boom boom boom boom!!!"
In the next instant, the self-destruct devices inside twenty transport drones were triggered simultaneously!
A violent explosion!
Twenty clouds of smoke burst out, and within the smoke, tal wreckage shot out like a rainstorm. The nearby players were instantly blasted away by the imnse shockwave of the explosion.
When the smoke cleared, twenty shallow circular craters appeared on the ground.
"Ahem... d*mn!"
Wu Xiao was also sent flying, landing on the ground and coughing up sand and gravel.
The energy shield he had automatically activated had shattered into powder in the explosion. Looking around, he saw the surviving players struggling to get up, many with tal fragnts embedded in their bodies.
Looking back, Zaka and his group had used the explosion as cover to enter the desert region.
"Idiot! What will you chase them with now?"
Cole walked up and kicked Wu Xiao, who was lying on the ground, venting his wrath.
There were over twenty of them, yet they couldn't even capture three people and ended up covered in dirt and dust.
The injured players struggled to get up and began helping their teammates.
Thankfully, everyone was wearing tactical energy protection gear.
The equipnt absorbed a significant amount of the impact damage. While many players were seriously wounded by tal fragnts piercing their bodies, at least their lives were spared.
Looking back toward the desert, Zaka and his group had already entered deeper into the desert, fleeing quickly into the distance.
"Sorry, boss..."
Wu Xiao struggled to get up, letting blood trickle down his face as he stared venomously at Zaka's group disappearing into the desert.
He hadn't expected Zaka's team to be so ruthless, directly triggering the self-destruct on their expensive transport drones, not even caring about the materials inside.
"Boss, give one more chance. I'll make sure to kill them."
Cole's gaze was also cold as he said, "Cut out this bandit attitude. This isn't the North District. Right now, we're rcenaries for the Western District Federation. Acting impulsively would make it hard to explain to the Western District Federation."
"Sorry."
"I don't want to hear that nonsense."
Cole's eyes remained focused on Zaka's group as they continued to move deeper into the desert.
As Zaka's group ventured further in, a look of suspicion appeared on Cole's face.
Sothing was strange.
There were clearly nurous mutant worms hidden in the desert.
Why, then, did the mutant worms not appear when Zaka's group entered the desert?
"Boss?"
"What is it?"
"The stuff those people left in the material crates, we've checked..." Wu Xiao scratched his head, his expression sowhat unnatural. "It's all multi-functional combat shovels."
"Huh?"
Cole was slightly confused, turning back to Wu Xiao for confirmation, "What did you say? Combat shovels?"
Wu Xiao grimaced, cursing Zaka and his group internally a dozen tis.
What the hell? They'd gone through all that trouble, and all they got were combat shovels?
What the hell was wrong with these people? Why go through so much effort to deliver so many combat shovels?
Cole turned back to his subordinates, who were now handling the combat shovels, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.
Strange...
Combat shovels?
"Boss, should we...?" one of his subordinates cautiously asked. "That group is getting far. Should we follow them?"
"Idiot, what are you chasing now!"
Cole cursed, "Tell your people to get back to full strength first!"
"Understood."
anwhile, in the central desert forest.
Fang Heng had been timing things, preparing a batch of zombie clones to receive the materials. However, he only saw Zaka and his team return, covered in dirt and looking dejected.
"What happened? Where are the materials?"
"We ran into a group of players on our way back from the desert, and they stole the goods."
Zaka knew he had ssed up, his face grim as he recounted the encounter with Cole's team in detail.
"Mr. Fang, we're sorry. We should've been more careful."
"No, it's not your fault. The transport drones were large and easy to target, it was expected soone would notice them. I just didn't expect the players to arrive so quickly."
Fang Heng waved his hand, though there was a hint of frustration in his heart.
It's common to get wet when walking by the river.
He had always been the one to steal from others, but now it was his turn to be robbed.
Su Guantong spoke up, "Although we triggered the war machines' self-destruct mode, the crates containing the combat shovels were specially made. The explosion wouldn't affect the shovels' functionality. I think the players who took them won't be able to use them for anything useful. We can still catch up with them."
"Alright, thanks for your hard work. Rest here for now, I'll figure out how to get the stuff back."
Zaka looked at Fang Heng, who spoke casually yet ominously, and swallowed nervously.
Great.
These idiots had stolen from the World Lord, Fang Heng.
This was bad.
The thought of Fang Heng coming after them made Zaka feel a surge of energy, and he imdiately stood up, "Mr. Fang, I'm fine. I'll go with you."
Fang Heng glanced at Zaka.
"Hmm, that's fine too."
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