Chapter 17: The Refugee Camp
Chapter 17: The Refugee Camp
September 25, 2017
In the end, despite his reluctance, Wang LaoTou had no choice but to hand over the goods that Lu HaiKong desired and pay him 2,500 copper coins. Lu HaiKong, ignoring the old man's piercing gaze that could kill, left with his three bandits.
Lu HaiKong had thought he'd covered all bases, but upon reaching the mess hall with Wang Fat and his men, he realized his oversight—the bandits he recruited also needed to eat.
FBI, who was watching from the sidelines, noticed Lu HaiKong's solo feast and informed him of this detail. Lu HaiKong quickly ordered meals for Wang Dynasty and Horseman, and as he watched them eagerly devour their food, he felt a sense of awakening.
For the first time, Lu HaiKong saw Wang Dynasty and Horseman as living individuals rather than foolish puppets.
Lu HaiKong learned from Wang Fat that these men required three meals a day. If they didn't eat, they would lose their combat effectiveness, and if they were hungry enough, they might even starve to death. Moreover, if they became smarter, they might even desert if left hungry.
Lu HaiKong then realized that the 500 copper coins he spent recruiting the bandits was just the tip of the iceberg. The real expense was their daily meals, which cost around 150 copper coins per person. If Lu HaiKong recruited all ten bandits, he would need to spend 1,500 copper coins daily on food.
This would be a significant burden, but Lu HaiKong was unconcerned. After the meal, he returned to the camp barracks to continue his recruitment efforts.
The camp barracks were indeed more crowded with bandits in the evening than during the day. There were at least several hundred bandits, and Lu HaiKong didn't bother checking each one's eyes. After the afternoon's experience, Wang Dynasty and Horseman didn't seem particularly smart or exceptional.
Lu HaiKong decided to check the bandits' attributes and quickly recruited his full team of ten subordinates: five training in 'Basic Gun Technique' and five in 'Basic Blade Technique'. Lu HaiKong then gave Wang Dynasty and Horseman his two spare copies of 'Basic Archery Technique' to study.
Lu HaiKong eagerly led his ten subordinates to the camp training ground for practice. Watching them diligently train in 'Basic Gun Technique' and 'Basic Sword Technique' according to his instructions filled Lu HaiKong with a sense of accomplishment.
Lu HaiKong continued training this small team until around 10 p.m., when he checked their skill proficiency and found that it had only increased by about one-twentieth. Dissatisfied, he led them back to the camp barracks to sleep.
The next morning, after eating at the mess hall with his ten subordinates, Lu HaiKong immediately set out with them.
The meal for eleven people cost Lu HaiKong 550 silver dollars, which was a bit painful. He needed to make money quickly, so he couldn't just sit at home and do nothing. Besides, Lu HaiKong had a task to complete, which required him to procure 100,000 pounds of food within ten days. Although the task seemed daunting, the reward was tempting, so he was determined to try his best.
Lu Hai Kong had only ventured outside once, and the only money-making method he knew was grinding monsters, specifically bandits. He decided that taking his underlings to hunt monsters was the more reliable option, as neither he nor his men were particularly strong. If they attempted to rob someone on the official highway and encountered a formidable opponent, they'd all be in trouble.
Fortunately, Yue Er had left him a monster map, making it much easier for Lu Hai Kong to locate and engage monsters.
Lu Hai Kong spread out the map and, after some searching, found a refugee camp about four to five miles away from their bandit camp. He decided to target this location.
Lu Hai Kong had his reasons for choosing this target instead of bandits.
He assessed his limited manpower and concluded that attacking a bandit camp would be futile. At most, they could clear out the outer bandits, but from his previous experience, it didn't seem profitable. So, he opted to cause trouble at the refugee camp instead.
Refugee camps were the smallest type of monster gathering. A camp typically had fifty to a few hundred refugees, and their attributes were similar to those of regular refugees, making them the weakest type of monster.
The chosen refugee camp was located a bit off the official highway, but not too far. In the middle of a plain, a few tattered tents formed the refugee camp.
This particular camp had a small population, appearing to have only forty to fifty people, the minimum size. Even against such a small group, Lu Hai Kong remained cautious.
Refugees differed from bandits in that bandits, especially those on the outskirts, wouldn't pay any attention unless you crossed their warning line. But with refugees, if you provoked one, the entire camp would swarm and fight you.
Lu Hai Kong estimated that with his strength, he could handle these refugees. However, he knew that after the fight, his underlings would likely be severely depleted, which was not an acceptable outcome for him.
He needed a better plan, and indeed, Lu Hai Kong demonstrated some cunning. His mind quickly devised a strategy.
He positioned ten bandits a hundred or so meters away from the refugee camp, forming a battle line with longsword bandits in front and longspear bandits behind. After they rehearsed their coordinated attack a few times, Lu Hai Kong, armed with a bow, sneaked to within a dozen or so meters of the camp, where he could accurately shoot arrows at the refugees.
Just as Lu Hai Kong released his first arrow, a system message appeared.
"Both sides have more than ten combatants, initiating the smallest-scale battle."
The timing of this message was unfortunate, as Lu Hai Kong was focused on his arrow and didn't notice the message.
Lu Hai Kong's Basic Archery Technique was already at level four, making him quite skilled. His first arrow precisely struck a refugee's head, causing it to explode.
The remaining refugees instantly locked onto Lu Hai Kong as their target. Seeing him readying his bow for a second shot, they charged towards him en masse.
(End of Chapter)
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