Volume 3 Containment Operation Chapter 18: Man's Death for Profit
Although it was a virtual game, and although I had heard Afeng talk about some fierce scenes of fighting monsters and grabbing treasures before, and although death in "Tianxia" was just a forced moment of loneliness and no substantial punishment, I never thought that the players would be so fanatical, or it would be more appropriate to describe it as crazy. Facing the sacred beast Phoenix that was impossible to defeat, one after another, they were willing to sacrifice their lives and shed their blood just to get a feather. Although the number of humans occupied an absolute advantage and they were also actively attacking, this could definitely be described as a massacre, a massacre of the Phoenix against the players. The masters who should be very calm at ordinary times seemed to be under a sorcery. As long as they were a little closer to the Phoenix and stayed a little longer, they would suddenly become impulsive, as if they were no longer facing the powerful sacred beast Phoenix, but an extremely ordinary pheasant. They waved their weapons and launched an attack fearlessly. Even some shooters and magicians adopted a completely disregarding their own style of play, rushing forward without knowing how to retreat, like moths flying into the fire, actively throwing themselves into destruction.
"Something is not right. The emotions of those players close to the Phoenix seem to be out of control suddenly. They all become fanatical involuntarily. Maybe the Phoenix will cast a 'bewitching' magic." Long Xingtianxia, who had been paying close attention to the situation, noticed something unusual. Although we did not participate in the battle, we also moved our position forward to better observe the Phoenix.
"That should be the case. It is said that the four sacred beasts each possess a special skill. With the phoenix's beautiful and unique appearance, plus the chaotic situation, they can use 'bewitchment' to hurt people without them knowing. Even experienced masters may be caught off guard and fall into it unknowingly and unable to extricate themselves." I didn't expect Afeng to have this insight. It seems that his efforts were not in vain and he remembered a lot of things in his mind.
"What is 'bewitchment'? Is it very powerful?" After all, I will be facing the Phoenix soon. Seeing it so majestic, I can't help but feel a little nervous. Upon hearing that it has such a powerful skill, I naturally want to find out more about it.
"'Bewitch' is a high-level fire magic. It itself will not cause any harm to the player, but it will stimulate the victim's mind, causing him to lose his rationality, unable to make calm analysis and judgment, and blindly attack the enemy. Generally, players can only attack a single target when using it, and there is a gap between the hit and the effect. If the victim is experienced and aware of it, he can concentrate on restraining himself and will not cause too serious harm. However, he will definitely not be able to display such power like the sacred beast Phoenix." Afeng explained to me.
"Observe carefully the players who are close to the Phoenix and see if they are covered with a layer of faint red light. That is the sign of being bewitched," Long Xingtianxia added.
I looked carefully, because the phoenix itself exudes a red glow, and it uses fire magic, so it is difficult to see clearly whether the red light flashing on the player's body is reflected or "bewitched". My eyes are sore from staring at it, and then I noticed something strange. The faint red light seems to be stuck on the player's body and does not change as it moves back and forth. It seems that he has been "bewitched" by the phoenix.
"Remember that the Phoenix can cast the magic of . Everyone must be aware of this and don't approach it easily. If the situation requires you to engage in close combat with it, it is very important to control your emotions and suppress the murderous thoughts in your heart. Don't attack blindly. A faint red light will flash on the body of the person who is hit. Once you find it, you must remind each other. If you can't hold on, quickly withdraw from the battle circle and wait until the effect of 'bewitching' disappears before going forward to join the battle. Don't hold on and cause unnecessary sacrifices." Long Xingtianxia issued a warning to the knights gathered around, and then contacted Tianya Langzi and Xue Wuxia on the periphery, informed them of the situation, and reminded them to be careful.
The attack continued, but the Phoenix's counterattack was more fierce and effective. The screams continued without a break. Some players who participated in the attack seemed to have noticed that something was wrong, and gradually slowed down their offensive and began to withdraw from the battle circle. Suddenly, after enduring another round of crazy attacks, a fiery red feather slowly fell from the Phoenix, exuding endless temptation to every player.
The Phoenix feather was finally knocked off. Facing the feather that was falling calmly, the players, who had been somewhat depressed by the Phoenix's bloody slaughter, suddenly became more emotional than ever before, uttering countless wild roars and rushing towards the feather that was still flying in the air with red eyes. Even the archers and magicians responsible for long-range attacks were no exception. They completely forgot that the owner of the feather, the Phoenix, was standing next to them in a rage. They completely ignored the exploding fireballs, the blazing walls of fire, and the beams of penetrating rays around them. It seemed that only the feather that was still falling existed in their eyes. People die for the sake of profit. In the face of huge temptations, not many people can suppress their greedy nature, not to mention when the price they paid was not so painful.
I am no exception. The moment I saw the Phoenix feather falling, I almost had the urge to rush forward and snatch it. This is the purpose of our trip and the source of endless temptation. Getting it means huge benefits, and owning it is a desire from the bottom of my heart.
"Exploding Fireball", "Flame Wall" and "Flame Ray" were used alternately, and the area around the Phoenix suddenly became a sea of fire. Many players struggled in it and turned into charcoal, but the falling feather drove more players to throw themselves into the sea of fire. They didn't care about attacking at all, and stretched out their arms one by one, eager to touch it first.
Finally, a knight riding a unicorn successfully crossed a "flame wall" without dying. The phoenix feather was just in front of him, but unfortunately, he could no longer cross this last bit of distance. He turned into white light and dissipated with a roar of unwillingness and anger. The fatal blow did not come from the common enemy, the sacred beast phoenix, but from the conspiracy of his own kind behind him - an archer who followed closely behind him launched a "double shot" at him. The knight, who was already at the end of his strength, could no longer "enjoy it" and his great joy turned into great sorrow. The archer who successfully plotted did not feel happy for too long. An axe warrior next to him raised his axe and chopped him to the ground fiercely. Then a "fireball" exploded beside him, and the two of them joined hands to "resurrect the corridor".
The powerful and invincible enemy is still threatening the lives of the players, but the fallen feather has attracted everyone's attention. In order to take it into their own pocket and prevent it from falling into the hands of other players, everyone who attempts to approach it needs to withstand attacks from the Phoenix and other players around. No one can withstand such multiple attacks. Therefore, although moths to the fire are flying one after another, the Phoenix feather exuding infinite charm is still lying quietly on the ground and has not fallen into the hands of any player.
The phoenix in the field was still extremely brave, and there were fewer and fewer players around. Yamato Jingsheng and Hua Mantian finally couldn't hold back anymore and began to lead their teams to slowly approach the battle circle. Blue Falun and Goryeo warriors also took action. It seemed that the ownership of the phoenix feather had not been determined for a long time, and finally aroused their greed.
"What about us? Should we rush up as well?" As Hua Mantian moved, Afeng immediately became eager to try.
Long Xing Tianxia observed for a while and said, "Get ready. We will also slowly move forward. Be careful to control the speed and don't get ahead of their three teams. The situation is extremely chaotic right now. If we intervene rashly, the losses will be too great. Let's wait until they act first."
I don't know if it was a coincidence or intentional, but the four major forces each occupied one side, vaguely surrounding the Phoenix in the center. Perhaps they noticed our unusual movement, or perhaps they saw that the players who were trying to grab the treasure were still so crazy. Hua Mantian and his team approached for a distance, but then stopped, organized the team, and did not immediately join in. The four major forces restrained each other. The Blue Falun and the Korean warriors were slightly weaker and did not dare to advance rashly. We would not be the first to stand out, so we also stopped our pace.
After a fierce battle, more than half of the tens of thousands of players have been killed, especially after the phoenix feather fell, many players died at the hands of their own kind. The companions who had previously been united against the enemy suddenly became villains who plotted against them from behind. At first, they only attacked players close to the feather, but later they developed to the point where they could plot against them at any time to reduce potential competitors. As a result, everyone was in danger. Not only did they have to be careful of attacks from the phoenix, but they had to be alert to every player who approached them. In addition, some players who were "bewitched" by the phoenix aggravated the psychological impact and attacked others indiscriminately, making the situation even more chaotic. Many players even killed each other and started internal fights, people killed people, pets fought pets, and people and pets fought in a melee, without any regard for the sacred beast phoenix that was still committing crimes and attacking wantonly. The feather, the culprit, was still flashing a hazy red light, lying on the ground witnessing this ridiculous scene.
When the phoenix launched another round of violent attacks, cleared out the players around it, and raised its head to let out a clear long cry, the situation suddenly became quiet. Everyone stopped attacking, as if they had suddenly come to their senses. They stopped killing each other and scrambled for treasure. They all carefully distanced themselves from the phoenix and the feather. That place had become a death trap that had swallowed up countless lives.
There were two thousand players who did not participate in the battle and preserved their strength. After the slaughter and cannibalism of the sacred beast Phoenix, only about two thousand people were left. The Phoenix did not take the initiative to attack again. Everyone on the field looked at each other. No one dared to act rashly, fearing that the Phoenix and other players would attack together. Although the feather was something they wanted, they had to survive to get it.
Suddenly, the young phoenix let out another long cry and flapped its beautiful and colorful wings. The surrounding players became alert and were ready to dodge at any time - "Exploding Fireball" and "Flame Wall" were both launched by its wings. Every flap would reap the lives of some players. However, this time the phoenix did not release any terrifying magic. Instead, it danced vigorously and tried to jump high into the sky, as if trying to spread its wings and fly. However, it seemed that the time had not yet come. The current strength was not enough for it to soar into the sky. Like a pheasant, it would rise several meters off the ground each time, but would helplessly fall back to the ground. Its posture was so clumsy and its movements were so ugly that it was impossible to associate it with the noble sacred beast, the phoenix, the king of all birds.
Perhaps it was fed up with this kind of killing game, so the newly born phoenix began to try to master flying to get rid of our entanglement. While jumping, it actually left the place where its feather was and rushed straight towards the direction of the Blue Falun Mercenaries.
This sudden action instantly broke the delicate balance. Without a threat, greed immediately took over. Faced with the Phoenix Feather that seemed to be within reach, countless players rushed forward recklessly. Those who fell behind tried their best to catch up while desperately attacking the figure in front; while those in the front sped up and sprinted frantically, hacking and killing the players around them who had the same goal. Although there was no threat from the Phoenix, everyone in the front still had to withstand the combined attacks of players and pets from multiple directions. The feather was so close yet so far away that no one could reach out and touch the tempting feather. The situation fell into extreme chaos again.
Long Xing Tianxia responded quickly. The Knights launched a charge to grab the Phoenix Feathers on the field. The other melee classes were led by Ba Jiu Gao Ge to protect the Archers and Magicians to chase the Phoenix. The Yamato Spirit, Hua Man Tian Coalition, and the Korean Warriors seemed to have made the same decision as us. They all sent Knights to the center of the field, and it seemed that they were also going to compete for the Phoenix Feathers. Only the Blue Falun was unlucky and faced the Phoenix directly, and could not split up to look around.
Forty-six knights on our side launched a charge, but the one running in the front was not me, nor Long Xingtianxia and Afeng riding rhinoceros, but Yue Linglong, a little girl. Her white dragon horse is indeed a level 5 magic beast. Apart from other abilities, few can match its speed. It is probably comparable to the five-color zebra of the golden sunflower. Long Xingtianxia and Afeng, who were panicking, shouted repeatedly, and finally stopped her charge. They slowed down and returned to the team. They embarrassedly stuck out their tongues at everyone. They were probably either excited or nervous. When they heard the order to charge, they started to sprint at full speed, completely forgetting the speed that the little white dragon could not reach.
As we approached the battlefield, Hua Mantian led nearly two hundred knights and rushed over rapidly. On the other side, Golden Sunflower and Han Chao Zhengtong also led eighty or ninety knights and approached rapidly. In the center of the field, more than a thousand players were fighting desperately for the phoenix feather lying on the ground. Everyone was determined to win it, and it was still unknown who would win in the end.
