Chapter 25: Wait, Don't Use the Flamethrower!

"Damn it, at the Frankfurt Five-Nation Conference, the treaty explicitly forbade anyone from using necromancy! The Black Eagle Empire is openly leading the way in violating this; they must be insane!"

"We must get this news out as quickly as possible and report it to His Majesty the Tsar. The Black Eagle Empire shall pay for their actions!"

Listening to Major Yuri, Andrei remained noncommittal. He didn't know what this so-called Frankfurt Five-Nation Conference was, but based on his own experience, when it came to actual war, such things were nothing but empty talk. Besides, even if the news were leaked, what could be done? The Black Eagle Empire would likely just receive a wave of international condemnation, which, in reality, would be completely inconsequential.

Nevertheless, Andrei added a new side quest and released it:

[Side Quest: Capture the enemy's special necromantic weapon and obtain evidence of the Black Eagle Empire's use of necromancy! Total quest reward: 200 merit points! Number of participants: Unlimited]

Meanwhile, the players were stunned by the actions of the Black Eagle soldiers, and the comment section was being flooded with "666" spam.

CatKing: "666! I’m genuinely starting to love this game. The background elements in this world are pretty magical!"

BraveBull: "Absurd! What on earth are we fighting? Necrons?"

BrotherHaonan: "I feel like we're fighting a hybrid of British-style peace and a zombie empire, with some elements of Scythe thrown in! All in all, this is awesome!"

ColdCrow: "Everyone, we have a new mission. Find a way to snatch that necromantic rifle! One rifle is worth 200 merit points; it’s definitely worth it!"

Veteran10086: "I wonder if we can use it ourselves once we grab it? This has to be rare gear!"

...

Using the special necromantic rifle to convert the piles of corpses from the previous massacre into skeletons, the necromantic soldier walked back into the village. The other Black Eagle soldiers focused their attention on the sight of skeletons hauling cargo in the distance—a bizarre scene they rarely witnessed. Although they had heard rumors back home that many people working in secret factories were similar to these undead creatures—considering the Black Eagle Empire had passed an Anatomy Act years ago, requiring civilians to donate their bodies to the state for medical research unless they paid a burial tax—they figured such rumors might be true, but this was the first time they had ever seen it with their own eyes.

Focused on the skeletal laborers in the distance, the Black Eagle soldiers did not notice several figures quietly approaching them. Andrei didn't know how the players had trained their assassination skills; perhaps there was a dedicated button for it in the game.

Almost simultaneously, the players who had stealthily crept up to the sentries sprang into action. Every player’s assassination technique looked identical—incredibly smooth and decisive. They covered the soldiers' mouths and immediately plunged their weapons into their vitals.

Andrei couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of the two players who had used a syringe and a liquor bottle. Imagining their comical weapons combined with such professional assassination moves made for a truly surreal spectacle.

The players' techniques were clean and silent. The Black Eagle sentries in the distance hadn't even realized what was happening before they lost their lives. After the assassinations, the players dragged the bodies away and signaled the troops behind them.

Seeing this, Andrei immediately ordered the surrounding soldiers to advance. With the sentries eliminated, the Black Eagle soldiers in the village remained completely unaware that over 300 Cambrian soldiers were stealthily closing in.

Charging at the front were, as always, Andrei’s players. Compared to the cautious main force, the players were reckless, showing no concern about the possibility of being discovered. Andrei knew that according to game logic, since they had taken out the sentries, they should be in a state of safe passage, meaning they wouldn't be detected even if they were loud. However, in reality, it wasn't like that, so Andrei whispered a hurried reprimand, telling them to slow down.

Unfortunately, most players treated Andrei’s rebuke as background noise. *It’s just NPC interaction, a scripted cutscene—skip it!*

With no other choice, Andrei, stuck with these troublesome players, could only hold his flag and follow behind them, serving as a respawn point while simultaneously acting as their meat shield.

Just as they were about to reach the perimeter wall of the village, a Black Eagle soldier—who might have heard a noise or just stepped out for a midnight relief—emerged. The soldier looked groggy, carried no weapons, and happened to bump right into the group of players as he stepped out of the gate.

Seeing a crowd of heavily armed, menacing men standing before him, the Black Eagle soldier’s face turned pale with terror, and he instinctively opened his mouth to scream. But faster than his scream was the bayonet that pierced his chest.

"Damn it, we're exposed! Charge!"

"Kill them! Those Black Eagle soldiers haven't woken up yet; catch them off guard!"

Andrei cursed under his breath, waved his hand to signal the charge, and blew the whistle around his neck. Using bayonets to finish off enemies was one thing, but the problem was that due to the game's mechanics, players would automatically let out a loud battle cry when performing a bayonet charge.

That was a disaster; the players' battle cries were no quieter than a soldier shouting for help!

Fortunately, the players were fast. Before Andrei had even finished blowing his whistle, they were already charging. A Black Eagle soldier in a house near the edge of the village rushed out, not even having time to put on his uniform, clutching a rifle. But before he could act, a player equipped with a flamethrower rushed forward. In the soldier's terrified gaze, a torrent of fire engulfed him and the house behind him.

"Damn it! Flamethrower guys, get back! You’re burning the whole house down—where are we supposed to sleep tonight? I swear..."

Watching this, Andrei felt a headache coming on. This was the downside of players: they only cared about their own fun during combat, never using their brains or considering the consequences.