Chapter 384 – Pre-Battle Analysis Pt. 1

“Hmph!” Roger let out a cold snort. “It’s not that extreme, at least, I don’t think it is. You guys have to realize that the maniac killer alone has kept so many groups stuck in this place, and that’s the person we have to defeat. If we aren’t even able to ignore these troops, how could we possibly have the ability to go against the homicidal maniac?”

Suo Jia froze. Indeed…Suo Jia had been trying his hardest to hold himself back and be extremely careful to not initiate fights. However, he felt that Roger’s words just now were reasonable. If he always worried about this and that, how could he possibly go up against the crazy killer?

Roger continued, “In the past, I was always worried about my self-cultivation…no matter how hard I tried, I could never stay calm-minded. So in the end, I decided to just give up on that and just went along with my natural personality; I’ll show anyone that tries to provoke me who they’re dealing with, hmph!”

Suo Jia sighed in admiration, “You’re completely right, Roger. There are many different types of mindsets, and your personality is more explosive; a single spark is enough to set you off. In that case, trying to cultivate your mind to being as calm as water would just be forcing things. Your current mindset fits well–making sure nobody provokes you and completely obliterating anyone that dares to infuriate you!”

“Yes, yes, that’s it!” Roger excitedly replied. “That’s exactly what I mean. I’m horrible at keeping my temper; anyone that tries to mess with me will definitely meet their end. I might as well just do whatever makes me happy, even if it ends up having bad consequences. Even if I end up dying, I’m willing to accept that result without any regrets!”

“Huh!” Nicole coldly retorted, “Aren’t you being too wild? I’m sure you’re happy and all, but do you know how much you inconvenience the entire group like that?”

“Ah…” Roger stuttered, his face flushing red.

Suo Jia chuckled and cut in, “No, Nicole…Roger isn’t in the wrong here, you are.”

“Hah?” Nicole exclaimed in confusion, “What? I’m in the wrong? Isn’t he the one that’s wrong for doing whatever he wants? He’ll stir up all kinds of trouble for us!”

“Haha…” Suo Jia shook his head. “Nicole, the group exists for everyone to rely on it. It’s everyone’s natural shelter, not a burden, and so you shouldn’t bring the the team established by the two of us into your argument. Let me ask you this, are you bothered by situations that Roger incite?”

“Mmm…” Nicole thought about it for a bit. Her eyes lit up as she replied, “I understand! I finally understand now. You mean to say that a true group should be exactly like so!”

This time, Roger was the one confused. “What are you guys talking about? Why am I still lost?”

Suo Jia smiled and explained, “The team is actually a group of like-minded friends gathered together to help each other grow. They make up for each other’s shortcomings and help deal with any troubles other group members face!”

Nicole apologized, “Sorry Roger, I take back what I said earlier. No matter what kind of troubles you stir up, I, Nicole, as well as the entire group, will always continue supporting you!”

“But…” Roger scratched his head and hesitantly asked, “In that case, I’ll just keep drawing trouble to the group, and end up causing unnecessary worry!”

Nicole gave a slight smile, but it disappeared in a flash and was immediately replaced by furrowed brows as she said in a spiteful tone, “Oh right, Roger, I’ve offended someone recently, a really formidable someone that I can’t defeat. But he’s sworn to kill me, and might bring people with him to come after me any moment now!”

“What?!” Roger suddenly exclaimed. His eyes turned red and he huffed, “Where is this bastard right now? We don’t even need to wait for him and his party to come find us; as soon as we finish dealing with Xiang Yun’s matter, I’ll immediately go and destroy them. Those damn bastards dare to bully my teammate? They must be tired of living!”

Nicole was touched by Roger’s words, and she said in a soft voice, “That’s…that won’t do, I feel bad for stirring up so much trouble and inconveniencing the entire group!”

Roger indignantly replied, “What are you saying! How is this bringing trouble? How is this an inconvenience? What are teammates for? For heaven’s sake…it’s the same as asking for a helping hand in battle!”

“Pfft…” Nicole couldn’t help but burst out laughing. She gave Roger a level look and continued, “Why didn’t you ask me why I offended this guy? Perhaps I’m in the wrong!”

“Huh?” Roger looked puzzled. “What is wrong with you today? It’s not like I’m a judge or anything, why would I care who’s right and who’s wrong? In my opinion, anyone that bothers my teammate is in the wrong, I don’t care about which side is more reasonable!”

Nicole laughed and replied, “Now do you truly understand what being in a team means? The group is something everyone can rely on, a natural shelter, not shackles that bring others down. That’s the most essential part of a team!”

Roger gaped dumbly for a while, having finally understood. He gave a dry chuckle and shook his head, “You brat, even if that did help me understand, you didn’t have to use that kind of example did you? And here I thought that someone was actually trying to kill you.”

Nicole tilted her head and smirked, “Although there are indeed other ways I could’ve made you understand, this was the most direct and most effective method!”

Before Roger could argue back, the three of them turned the corner and noticed the city gate before them. There were around two hundred people surrounding a tall figure there, and many corpses could be seen scattered around the area, soaking the ground in blood.

“Hurry!” The three of them immediately increased their speed, and instantly crossed the hundred meter distance to arrive at the gate.

Suo Jia suddenly spread his arms to stop Nicole and Roger from charging through the people and helping Xiang Yun. “Don’t be hasty, we’re not sure if Xiang Yun is really in any danger yet. Let’s watch how things go first; once we figure out exactly what is going on, we can make a decision. Moreover, us being on the outside is better; if we act together from both the inside and the outside, we’ll be able to break through the enemy’s circle!”

Nicole and Roger calmed down at Suo Jia’s words. If they rushed in to help Xiang Yun now, anyone would be able to tell they were part of the same group, and they’d be surrounded along with Xiang Yun!

Thus, the three of them mingled with the crowds. Nobody paid them any mind, thinking that they were also just there to watch the fun. Although Xiang Yun was technically part of Suo Jia’s merchant group, he didn’t wear any sort of symbol while he moved alone. After all, what right did someone from a merchant group have to ransack others?

After exchanging some covert glances with Xiang Yun, who was trapped in the middle of the enemy encirclement, the three of them climbed up to the top of the gate wall to survey the battlefield. Meanwhile, Suo Jia covertly gestured at Xiang Yun to draw closer to the gate wall.

The reason they’d chosen to go up there was because of the high vantage point that was hard to attack. In addition, it was a place they could easily break the enemy formation. Although the wall had two faces–the outside and the inside–nobody would dare to attack in the direction of the city. It was forbidden to fight within Illusion City’s borders; anyone that attempted to would be listed as wanted and would be fated to a surefire death.

When Xiang Yun noticed his companions arrive, he calmed down more and continuously surveyed his surroundings while comparing his battle prowess to the enemy’s. He knew that once he entered the city, there was no way the opponents would dare to continue attacking. In other words, getting into the city was crucial in this battle. After all, there were too many enemies for him to go up against, especially since the terrain wasn’t to his advantage. At this point, even escaping would be a pretty good achievement.

However, since those guys had dared to try to besiege him, Xiang Yun obviously wouldn’t let the situation end as simply as running away. Since they had taken the initiative to attack him first, Xiang Yun had to teach them a good lesson. Otherwise, they’d believe that Xiang Yun was easy to bully!