493 Chapter 493 - Coup de Gr?ce (1/2)
”Oi, quickly kill it already. What else are you waiting for?” The players within the encirclement began to experience hesitation when he saw how Giordano had let loose a bloodcurdling cry in response to the excruciating pain it was feeling, causing doubt to surface in Gu Fei's heart as well and he became motionless. Even Svelte Dancer looked at it with pity in her eyes. This left only Gu Xian not feeling moved by the entire scene as he called out to Gu Fei upon seeing them hesitate.
”It's so pitiful,” Svelte Dancer said.
”We're about to run out of time.” Gu Fei said this for his benefit. If he were going to do it, he had better make the decision soon. The fog was about to dissipate, and the horde of NPC guards would descend in no time. Even a celestial being would have difficulty escaping that.
”Go, go, go!” At this moment, someone from within the crowd shouted this. This was followed by Sword Demon showing his masked face from the crowd as he squeezed his way to them. It was not particularly weird to find someone wearing a mask in this day and age, and a mask was a common headgear for Assassins. Still, it was wise of Sword Demon not to reveal his particularly striking face right now. Apparently, he was aware of just how unforgettable his face was.
Sword Demon was naturally privy to where the agreed-on kill zone would be. Using the trick that Gu Fei had taught him to mix right into the crowd, he managed to make his way to the rendezvous point and catch the ending.
Sword Demon gazed at the anguish look Giordano was showing while kneeling on the ground, and while no one could see his face behind the mask, everybody could tell from that he was surprised from his tone. ”Success!”
”Yup!” Gu Fei nodded.
”Now what?” Sword Demon did not understand why Gu Fei and Svelte Dancer were just standing stationary on either side of Giordano, looking like bodyguards. Hey, isn't that Miles' elder cousin? Why is he back… Sword Demon at least observed polite etiquette even at such a crucial moment and did not forget to greet the other man.
”It's so pitiful…” Svelte Dancer said this to Sword Demon even as she gestured Giordano.
”Eh?” Sword Demon was perplexed. As a veteran MMO gamer, he was far more psychologically hardened regarding such matters. He did not regard Giordano as a human being, and in his eyes, it was nothing more than a treasure box that dropped loot, gold, and experience; he did not have a shred of sympathy toward system-created characters. Svelte Dancer was a woman, so Sword Demon sort of understood why she would have such a mentality toward this. She belonged to the fairer sex that was more empathetic when playing MMOs. As for Gu Fei… This man would not even bat an eyelid when killing players, yet he would hesitate when killing a NPC? Sword Demon suddenly felt that a person's character was truly far too complex to fathom…
”We don't have much time.” Sword Demon reminded Gu Fei of this.
”I'll leave it to you!” Gu Fei patted Sword Demon.
Sword Demon did not even pause as he immediately came forward. Anyone could tell that Giordano absolutely had no intention of retaliating, so if this was a cutscene in a normal game, the NPC would most likely have only a sliver of HP left. The scene would end once it uttered some parting words as the player casually dealt the coup de grâce.
This was precisely what Sword Demon did. With a stab right into Giordano's body, the NPC collapsed to the ground with a thud. He then emotionally turned his head over. ”I got it. There's indeed a quest; you are absolutely correct.”
”What did you get?” Gu Fei asked.
Sword Demon lifted a bloody package. 'Giordano's Head'. It looked exactly like the one they got when they slew the Mountain Bandit Leader Sooto and the body dropped to the ground. Back then, the system had also automatically severed the head and packaged it for the quest. After all, it would be far too violent and bloody to have the players saw it off themselves.
”Quick; let's skedaddle!” Sword Demon said. He found it strange that these people's faces did not reveal any sort of happiness despite completing the quest so successfully.
”We do gotta leave.” Gu Fei looked at the time before sweeping his gaze around them. The fog began to lift. It appeared that the dehumidifier was starting to work again. The players from Flowergazing in the Fog were tired as the fighting dragged on. They looked over when they found the chance, only to discover that their quest-giver Giordano, the key character that they had to protect, was already without a head on its shoulders, collapsed all alone on the yellow sand…
”AHHHHH!” These men from Flowergazing in the Fog believed that this was indubitably the sign of the most failed quest if they had ever seen one. Each of them became frantic in their anger; plenty of them threw caution to the wind and sought to forsake their lives just to kill the murderer, but their enemies soon got in their way. That murderer was a hero in their eyes – a knight that served as the savior to this guild battle.
”Oi, are you leaving? How long are you gonna continue digging your nose there?” Gu Fei and his two friends were about to leave, yet Gu Xian was still sitting on the ground, motionless.
”No need. I have to draw a line and sever my link with you now. Otherwise, I'll be in deep trouble,” Gu Xian replied.
Thus, Gu Fei no longer bothered with the man as he brought the other two with him to dive right into the battlefield.
The three were treated like heroes as they made their way out, and players from the various guilds worked hard to provide cover, which was an outcome that Gu Fei had not expected. However, they had already done their due diligence on the route they would take to leave the place. Ever since he began on this quest of his, Gu Fei only considered the NPC guards to be the biggest threat, so he had chosen a path that they could avoid getting near them as much as possible while they made their way out of the courtyard under the cover of the fog.
With the members from the various guilds' protection, a perfectly planned escape route, and the uncanny movement speed that the three possessed, they managed to slip away without much of a fuss, leaving by the front gates even as sounds of the massacre behind them reverberated in their wake.
”It's over…” Gu Fei turned his head back with a glance. He had wasted plenty of time and effort over these past few days on this quest, and now that he had finally made it to this end point and everything had come to pass, he could not help feeling a little despondent.
Sword Demon, on the other hand, was not in the least bit depressed. He was not at all disgusted with holding the severed head in the bloody package as a veteran MMO gamer like him considered the issuing of the reward as the highlight of the entire quest.
”Oh, is it over?” After taking no more than a few steps out of the gates, they saw a figure appear right before them through the fog, greeting the three the moment they met.
”Why are you here?” Young Master Han was actually right before them at this moment.
”Minus the series of arrangement yours truly had made on your behalf, would you people be able to complete this quest of yours without so much as a hitch?” Young Master Han asked.
”What did you arrange?” Gu Fei asked.
”Go and think about it on your own!”
Giordano might be dead, yet people remained the same. This detestable man was still as detestable as always. Gu Fei could feel the melancholy wane in his heart – most likely because it got replaced by the dislike he had for this person standing right before him.
”Let's take our leave first!” Sword Demon suggested. He was afraid that the people from Flowergazing in the Fog would catch up and surround them any time.