57 Chapter 57 - Escape (2/2)

They turned and watched the Traversing Four Seas' reinforcement march under Oathless Sword's command up the mountain path toward them.

”Oh, yeah! I still have to lead those guys to where the trapped Youthful Reflection and company are and save them,” Royal God Call suddenly remembered.

”Do you have the key?” Brother Assist asked.

”Nope,” Royal God Call answered.

”Then, where's the key?” everyone asked.

”It's in the secret passageway,” Royal God Call replied.

”In the secret passageway?” They were all puzzled.

”Yeah... Miles said he had thrown it in there,” Royal God Call said.

”So how are you going to get them out?” Only the honest Sword Demon was thinking about this problem.

”I don't know… I am only going in there once more because I am kind of obliged to do so. Come to think of it, I think I might have forgotten the way to the secret passageway already,” Royal God Call said as he waved to the four men, ”I'm going there now.”

He then rushed down the mountain path after saying goodbye to them. As he ran down the path, he shouted, ”Guild Leader! Bad news! Reflection and the rest are trapped in an underground tunnel!”

”Let's leave, too,” The four began to make their way down as well.

”I wonder where that road leads?” Brother Assist asked inquisitively, referring to the path Gu Fei had just taken.

”You can ask that to Miles when he returns,” Young Master Han said lightly.

”Can Miles bear to stay online for thirty hours? He usually plays Parallel World for three or four hours at most,” Brother Assist asked.

”That's his problem,” Young Master Han replied.

”Hope there won't be any issue…” Brother Assist said.

”There won't be!” Sword Demon was confident.

”Mhmm!” War Without Wounds nodded.

”Our group won't be accepting any requests until Miles returns. Take a vacation, everyone. You're on your own for the time being!” Young Master Han said.

Gu Fei was running quickly along the Oolong Mountain Range at the moment. The mountain road was rough and wide, with the mountain sheer on the left and a cliff on the right. A cloud-like mist hung in the air on the road in front and behind him. No monsters for Gu Fei to kill could be seen on this road, making the entire trip rather boring. Gu Fei decided to increase his pace in the hope of immediately reaching a new map where he could grind in.

News spread in Yunduan City an hour later, stating that the various players, groups, and guilds had returned to the city one after another. They all declared their intention to abandon the 'Bounty Mission'. A lot of these players suffered from short-term trauma as a result of their recent experience. Whenever they heard positions being called out with numbers, they would immediately go catatonic. Some even suffered a more severe case of trauma, where they would snap easily whenever people in the taverns called certain table numbers aloud.

Traversing Four Seas had it the worst. They did not even catch a glimpse of the Masked Slayer after searching all over Oolong Cave and were rather helpless regarding that rusted padlock. Youthful Reflection and the four players with Agility-based physiques, who had been trapped in that cramped tunnel for quite a while, decided to make their way to the other end of the passageway in the hope of finding an alternate exit. What they discovered there was the Mountain Bandit Leader Sooto's lair, and what happened afterward was more or less expected.

This nightmarish experience was made even more unbearable by the series of events that followed. Just as Youthful Reflection and the four were sent back to the spawn point, Oathless Sword announced on the guild channel: The Henchman guarding the passageway had respawned and was successfully beaten. They now had the key and could free Youthful Reflection and the rest who were trapped inside... Meanwhile, the other guild members searching for the Masked Slayer deep within Oolong Cave were all wiped out by the bandits that Sooto had summoned over upon getting into a fight with Youthful Reflection and company. By the time the players of Traversing Four Seas left Oolong Cave, they were all physically and mentally worn down.

Gu Fei carefully read the news that the other mercenary group members had sent him, while making his lonely way through the mountain range. Suddenly, Gu Fei spotted the blurry outline of a humanoid figure in the fog just ahead.

”Finally! A monster has appeared after walking for so long!” Gu Fei felt excited. He limbered up his body and pulled out Flames of Baptism from his dimensional pocket as he charged forward.

Gu Fei began to see the silhouette more clearly as he drew nearer. He had yet to recognize the figure, but the sack that the person was carrying looked surprisingly familiar.

Gu Fei deduced the person's identity after getting close enough, and he took the piece of black cloth off his face.

”Xiaoyu?” Gu Fei probed by calling out her name.

The Warrior with the sack turned around. Who else could it be but Xiaoyu?

”Miles!” Xiaoyu was equally shocked,” What are you doing here? Are you on a quest?”

”Uhh... Yes, quest! I'm definitely on a quest!” Gu Fei nodded with relief. He was thinking of how he should answer Xiaoyu's question, yet she had actually given him the answer to it.

”Oh, are you headed to Yeguang Village?” Xiaoyu asked.

”Yup!” Gu Fei casually replied, all the while wondering inside where in the world that place was.

That's wonderful! So am I!” Xiaoyu said.

”Is that so? That's great…” Gu Fei said.

”Shall we go there, together?” Xiaoyu asked.

”Let's,” Gu Fei answered.

”What quest are you doing?” Xiaoyu asked.

”Oh, 'Eddie's Mission',” Gu Fei replied offhandedly.

”What sort of quest is that?” Xiaoyu felt curious.

”Um, it's a chain quest,” Gu Fei replied.

”CHAIN QUEST?!” Xiaoyu exclaimed, ”You got a chain quest?!”

”Uhhh… I got it by chance,” Gu Fei did not know how to explain properly how he had acquired the quest.

”I'll help you!” Xiaoyu declared.

”Eh, well… I'm still not sure how to proceed with it, so I'm just trying things out by going to Yeguang Village,” Gu Fei said.

”Of course chain quest won't be easy to accomplish! But now that I'm here to help you, there's nothing to worry about! I am a quest expert, after all!” Xiaoyu thumped her chest as she said this.