Chapter 18: The Refugee Leader
Chapter 18: The Refugee Leader
September 25, 2017
Who was Lu HaiKong? There was nothing he hadn't seen in his life, and these mere forty to fifty refugees were no exception. Lu HaiKong remained calm, shooting an arrow and then taking off at a run. As he ran, he casually turned back to shoot a few more arrows, but it soon became evident that he had overestimated his archery skills.
With a mere Level 4 skill, hitting a stationary target was easy, but once he started running, his accuracy plummeted. He thought he was being stylish, letting loose four arrows in quick succession, but only one hit, and that was pure luck.
Fortunately, Lu HaiKong wasn't relying on his archery to take down enemies; he just needed to lure them out.
Lu HaiKong remembered his refugee days, when his attributes were so weak that he'd be out of breath after running a few dozen meters. Now, with forty to fifty refugees in pursuit, the group quickly began to lag. After running over a hundred meters, the fastest and slowest among them were separated by a good ten meters.
Lu HaiKong was far ahead, having reached the bandits' rear, while the refugees were still twenty meters behind. Lu HaiKong even had the leisure to turn back and shoot a couple of arrows, earning him some experience points.
When the first group of refugees reached the outskirts of Lu HaiKong's camp, there were only six or seven of them.
At Lu HaiKong's command, his bandits attacked simultaneously, their ten weapons striking the seven refugees, instantly taking them out.
After dealing with this group, Lu HaiKong and his bandits didn't linger. They retreated, and due to their superior attributes, they soon created a gap between themselves and the refugees. Lu HaiKong then ordered his men to halt and eliminate another group.
After two such encounters, Lu HaiKong saw that there were only a few refugees left, so he led his men in a direct charge, wiping out the remaining refugees.
The entire battle lasted nearly an hour, but it was a safe victory. None of Lu HaiKong's bandits were lost, and all the refugees were defeated.
"Winning a minor battle, Command Skill proficiency increased, gaining 100 experience! Your subordinates have gained some improvement."
As soon as Lu HaiKong finished, the system immediately sent him a message, indicating that it defined battles involving a certain number of combatants as campaigns.
Lu HaiKong noticed that his bandits had all gained experience, some more than others, and their skill proficiency had significantly increased. However, no one had broken through to the next skill or bandit level, except for Lu HaiKong himself, who was close to reaching Level 2 as a Bandit Chief. But since this type of occupational level-up didn't seem to offer any benefits, Lu HaiKong didn't bother paying attention to it.
After dealing with the refugees, Lu HaiKong ordered his bandits to collect the copper coins that had dropped from the refugees' bodies.
Perhaps because the system defined this battle as a campaign, or for some other reason, the refugees' bodies didn't disappear even after Lu HaiKong and his men finished. Although the sight of the corpses was eerie, it made collecting the loot much easier.
After spending about ten minutes cleaning up the battlefield, the fifty-plus refugees dropped less than a thousand copper coins. They also dropped some 'Steamed Buns' as dry rations, which Lu HaiKong found to be hard and not very tasty, so he generously distributed them among his men.
Only after taking care of all this did Lu HaiKong lead his bandits into the refugee camp, knowing that the real prize lay within.
Lu HaiKong lured out and defeated all the minor enemies in the refugee camp, leaving only the boss, who sat proudly in the center.
The Refugee Camp was much smaller in scale compared to the Bandit Camp, and as expected, the leader's level was nowhere near as freakish as that of Zhang San. Lu HaiKong, accompanied by his men, entered the camp and spotted the tattered yet robust leader of the refugees. Without hesitation, he checked the man's attributes.
Refugee Leader Level: 5
Strength: 5
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 3
Constitution: 4
Skills:
Basic Fist Technique Level: 3
Fundamental Inner Strength Level: 1
These stats were far more impressive than those of half the refugees, but they still fell short in comparison to Lu HaiKong.
Lu HaiKong wasn't a battle maniac like Moon, but he relished the opportunity to face weaker opponents. He eagerly swung his axe, bullying the unarmed refugee leader and defeating him in just a few moves.
Lu HaiKong was eager to see what the refugee leader had to offer. He hoped for another copy of the 'Fundamental Inner Strength' manual to aid in training his men, Dynasty and Horseman. Unfortunately, the leader only dropped one gold coin and an unwanted 'Basic Fist Technique' manual.
Lu HaiKong was disappointed. He ordered his men to search the entire camp, and they did find something else of value.
Within the camp was a small warehouse storing a significant number of steamed buns. As Lu HaiKong needed food for his task, and the task didn't specify a particular type, he instructed his men to clear out the warehouse. They carried away the buns, each weighing around 40-50 pounds, and returned to the Bandit Camp.
Upon their return, Lu HaiKong went straight to the Assembly Hall to hand over the buns, reducing the required 100,000 pounds of food to 99,500 pounds. Then, he headed to the mess hall with his men to enjoy a meal and review their morning's haul.
One gold coin, one thousand copper coins, five hundred pounds of food, and an unwanted 'Basic Fist Technique' manual—this was the sum of Lu HaiKong's material gains that morning. Overall, it was a satisfying harvest.
With a successful morning, Lu HaiKong didn't rest in the afternoon. He continued with his ten men, using their previous strategy to raid and flatten two more refugee camps near the Bandit Camp.
These camps were slightly larger, and their rewards were more substantial than the morning's haul. However, Lu HaiKong's luck wasn't the best, as neither camp yielded the 'Fundamental Inner Strength' manual he sought to train Dynasty and Horseman.
Over the next three days, Lu HaiKong and his men raided all the refugee camps within a ten-kilometer radius of their camp, leaving almost none untouched. In this time, both Lu HaiKong and his men significantly improved their skills.
On the third day, however, they encountered a dilemma. A tempting opportunity presented itself—a large refugee camp with at least three to four thousand people. Lu HaiKong hesitated, but ultimately, he had to shake his head and withdraw. It wasn't that he didn't want to engage; his forces were simply insufficient for the task.
(End of Chapter)
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