Chapter 22

For three days and three nights, the name of the guerrilla warfare riders spread through the land of Rohan. All Uruk-hai that had ran into the riders were wiped. Thousands of Uruk-hai lost their lives on the Rohan land and gave birth to the name Hooves of Ghosts. The riders came and went without traces. They were as mysterious as ghosts.

Only forty riders were left at this point. However, these forty were the elites among elites. And because God enhanced the natives in this world, these riders possessed battle Qi and stronger bodies. Three days of battle unlocked the first genetic constraint for seven of them. Ten riders became able to use Explosive Shots. As the teacher, Heng cried unfair to such advancement. Though the riders gained massive combat strength.

The groups’ number continued to drop but their combat strength rose. They had killed over four thousand Uruk-hai. One rider began cutting the Uruk-hai’s ear after each kill. Soon, the rest of the riders followed this practice. Zheng then handed them bags to hang on the horses’ sides.

Non-stop battles consumed everyone’s body to its limit. The psyche scan no longer found any Uruk-hai raiding villages nor scouts. It appeared that the Uruk-hai feared this group of riders because they gathered to form an army of 15,000 and marched toward Helm’s Deep.

The riders were no longer able to ambush such an army. Furthermore, there was an increased number of Uruk-hai that could use Explosive Shot in the army. Xuan made the prompt decision to retreat the riders to Helm’s Deep. The movie characters though weren’t too satisfied with retreating. The power of the riders gave them more confidence than ever before. They felt as though they would never lose as long as their horses and bows were still in hands.

Aragorn and Legolas were awed by the tactic. Legolas muttered. “We elves have the best archery techniques. Our horse riding isn’t at the same level but we can probably suppress Mordor’s army behind their walls if we were to use the same tactic.”

Aragorn nodded in agreement. He exclaimed. “Gondor isn’t a nation of riders but we have a large enough population that it won’t be difficult to select a few thousand elite riders that can use bows.”

Zheng responded without paying much attention to them. He was thinking to himself at the moment. These forty riders were a strong force. They might not be too useful in a war but they could change the tide in team battles. The Explosive Shots alone could compensate for the lack of magical weapons, close range combat ability, and sustainability. The first wave of ten Explosive Shots would kill off most players. He wouldn’t be able to dodge ten shots without being in Destruction.

(We have to get our hands on these forty riders. The best case is to obtain their control from Theoden. This influence can be a threat to team East America and team Celestial in the upcoming encounters. Or in the least, the riders can reduce their team members in case they are hostile.) Zheng thought as he rode on the Nightmare. He didn’t really participate in the battles during these three days because it would consume too much mental stamina to fight without rests. After pondering, he slept on the Nightmare. Xuan took over his lead rope. It didn’t matter to Xuan if he got sleep or not anyway.

Time gradually passed. The group arrived at Helm’s Deep at dawn. Golden sunlight painted their background as they rode into Helm’s Deep.

This was a fortress built in the depth of a valley. The walls were made of solid rocks. There were no crevices among the rocks. The walls were over ten meters tall. This was an impenetrable fortress.

The riders brought out their spoils. The villagers, soldiers, everyone in the fortress cheered at the sight of countless Uruk-hai ears. There were simply too many ears that these riders didn’t get to cut off every Uruk-hai. The ears represented the group’s glory.

“Over four thousand Uruk-hai killed. Three hundred warg scouts, a thousand berserkers, and three thousand regular Uruk-hai!” One of the rider announced their achievement to the villagers. It was a mean to display their glory and to raise the people’s spirits.

Contrast to the confidence shown on the riders, people in the fortress were filled with gloom and unease. They appeared to fear the incoming army. Since there were only several hundreds of guards in the fortress. All the guards and villagers added up to less than a thousand. Yet, this was what they had to hold against over ten thousand Uruk-hai. The chances of them surviving were slim.

Zheng saw Theoden ran down the stairs, followed by Gimli, Eowyn, and two members of team China. Their expressions all showed surprised.

Zheng said. “King of Rohan, please allow these warriors to have a meal and a good sleep. The Uruk-hai are still far from us. They will come after night.”

Theoden said. “Welcome back, brave souls. The scouts have told us your deeds, Hooves of Ghosts. I am proud of you bringing fear to the Uruk-hai. Rests and prepare yourselves for the battle at night. Let the Uruk-hai know they are running up against a wall. A wall of steel!”

The riders cheered then headed into the fortress. Aragorn, Legolas and the players followed. They had stronger bodies but they also needed the rests. It wasn’t viable to take on the battle at their current state.

A few steps later, Lan frowned. She connected the group with Soul Link. “Zheng! There’s someone flying over. He’s fast. He will be here in a minute!”

The scan entered everyone’s minds. Team China looked up to see a black dot flying across the sky at incredible speed. In just a minute, the dot grew clearer to the eye. It was a black hair young man standing on a sword. He wore a casual attire but his image was clearly a cultivator of the Chinese legends. And his rank was high enough to allow him to control flying swords.

ChengXiao whistled and grabbed the person next to him. “Shit. Look. That’s a cultivator technique. Someone actually exchange those overpowered items. Those take tens of thousands of points and even S ranked rewards. These people are crazy. It’s scary they can afford those.”

Xuan shook his head. “It doesn’t necessarily come from exchanges. There are three methods to obtain cultivator’s manuals. One, he possess them before entering this realm. Two, he learned it from movies such as the Legend of Zu. Or he is actually a movie character brought into the team by the players. I wonder which type he belongs to.”

“It’s pointless discussing. He’s still an enemy.” YinKong gave a cold smiled as she unsheathed Excalibur.

Zheng and Heng recovered from the surprise. Heng drew his bow to a full moon and placed two arrows on it. Zheng got down from the Nightmare. It would hinder him from using Destruction because he might accidentally destroy it.

The young man on the sword was Luo YingLong from team Celestial. He had his pride being the second strongest person in the team, especially a team that consisted of three Caucasians, one black and two Chinese. He fought team Devil twice. During the first encounter, he joined the Zu Sect. On the second encounter, he lost to the demon from team Devil even after becoming a cultivator. And finally, he wasn’t able to kill Zhao ZuiKong with the cauldron he just crafted. His pride was on the verge of falling apart. He needed a victory to wipe away the shame.

(I have to defeat the unawakened demon to display the power of Xiuzhen. We will see if the saints’ method of unlocking the genetic constraint is more powerful or the Xiuzhen methods we Chinese created! The time of promise with ZuiKong hasn’t come yet but we can determine who’s stronger!) He howled as Helm’s Deep became clear in his sight.

A light blade slashed downward from the sky. The villagers cried at the sight. The young man standing on his sword floated on the height parallel to the wall. He scanned the people below then fixed his eyes on Zheng. “Zheng Zha! Do you dare to fight me?”

Before Zheng spoke, ChengXiao murmured. “This isn’t several hundred years ago. Who still says lines like do you dare to fight? Why don’t you say I’m general x, announce yourself?”

Lan and Heng laughed. Lan said to everyone through Soul Link. “Be careful, his mental capacity is high. It’s almost at the level of a psyche force user. I feel an unknown pressure for simply being in front of him.”

Zheng responded through Soul Link. “But he’s bold to come to us by himself. Doesn’t he know that each team have their uniqueness? Yet he ran straight to us. Is he bored with life or does he have the power to support him?”

Xuan didn’t even pull out his pistols and said with his mouth. “Don’t worry. There won’t be any problems. This is a hothead or perhaps a Chinese nationalistic youth. Anyway, we aren’t in any danger. This is going to be just an interlude in the movie. He appeared to know you. So your clone must have defeated him. Zheng, speak something to fool him and have him leave.”

The veins in Luo YingLong’s forehead surfaced. He yelled. “Who are you calling a hothead? Who’s the nationalistic youth? Fuck! Speak up if you have something to say instead of murmuring to yourselves. Don’t treat me like a hothead!”

(He’s really a hothead.) The rest of team China exclaimed.

Zheng said. “I am the leader of team China, Zheng Zha. Which team are you from? What do you want from me?”

Luo YingLong calmed himself. A few seconds later, he said. “My name is Luo YingLong, a member of team Celestial. I am here to challenge you!”

He didn’t notice the wording he used. Challenge was usually reserved for someone of a lower level challenging a high level or when both sides were equal. His presence currently felt much stronger than Zheng’s. Everyone would assume he had the advantage. Yet, he used the word challenge.

But Zheng knew Xuan guessed it right. This person fought his clone. “Don’t you feel this is too sudden?” Zheng suddenly asked.

Luo YingLong responded, seemingly confused. “Sudden? What sudden? Why is it sudden to challenge you?”

Zheng scratched his head. “Challenges are without a question fine if we are in the same team. Since spars would not end up with casualties. However, we are in team battle. Are you afraid that we will kill you as a team by coming alone?”

“Kill me?” He laughed out with craze. “Kill me? What gave you the courage to say that? How would you kill me? Sci-fi weapons? Bombs? Plasma guns? Laser guns? Or chop me up with a sword? Look over here. I am a cultivator! How can I not have FaBao (magical items) on me? Like the Golden Silk Vest I am wearing underneath. My ShiFu (teacher) especially crafted it for me. It will bring up a golden barrier when any offensive abilities come near. The Blue Jade Pendant on my wrist will bring up a barrier on fatal attacks. And…” He introduced his magical items and weapons one by one.

(He’s indeed a hothead.) Zheng quickly stopped him when he got to his underwear. “Wait. Wait. Back to the point. You said you want to challenge me. My reply is I refuse. This isn’t a one on one battle. We are going through a movie. I have a battle coming at night. Don’t bother me if you don’t have anything important. Go back and learn to use all your items.”

Luo YingLong shouted with anger. “Fuck. You are fooling with me, aren’t you? I know all my items. There’s no need for you to tell me. Did you say you have someone that can kill me? I will see who can break through my defensive items!”

Zheng snapped his fingers at Heng. Heng understood his intention and nodded. He placed an arrow on his bow. The bow was drawn to a full moon. An overwhelming presence exploded from him as he aimed the arrow at Luo YingLong.

Luo YingLong thought nothing of Heng until that arrow was aimed at him. His expression turned serious. He took the jade pendant off his wrist and held it in his hand. “Shoot the arrow if you can. I don’t know it will injure me but if I lose any of my items… you won’t get away with it. If you shoot the arrow, I won’t forgive you!”

Zheng stopped Heng and said to Luo YingLong with a smile. “Didn’t you say we don’t have anyone that can kill you? Do you really believe you are invincible to show off your strength in front of us? That’s too arrogant.”

Luo YingLong’s face blushed. He yelled back. “Enough with the deviation. We will talk after the fight! Fuck, I have to kill you!”

Just as he was about to attack, a ringtone came from his chest. “Pick up the phone. Pick up the phone. I am his woman…”

His face turned redder. He almost wanted to smash the phone. Everyone else stopped talking and all the eyes were staring at him. He lowered his head then took the phone out. He suppressed voice and shouted. “You vile woman! I will teach you when I come back… Uh. Adam. Okay. I understand… but team China is too… Wait for me to come back.” He then clenched his teeth and roared.

Everyone stared at him in confusion. There were several thousand pairs of eyes at this moment. He couldn’t even raise his head after losing face. The anger continued to build up within him. Finally, he threw the phone onto the wall. Bang! It blasted a hollow. He turned around and flew away on his sword, leaving only an echo of his final line.

“Zheng Zhao! You won’t be always so lucky. We will eventually fight it out! Just you wait… fuck, AHH…” His voice trailed off.

Zheng was baffled and asked the others. “What did he come here for? Just to say this?” But no one knew. Xuan murmured the name Luo YingLong just mentioned, Adam.

On the other hand, the whereabout of team Celestial’s main forces were still unknown. All five teams had completely split up in the Lord of the Rings world. But they believed that all the teams would meet at the final battle in Mordor.

HaoTian brought the newbie group to Isengard. What awaited them were countless Uruk-hai. HaoTian coaxed the newbies into believing the Uruk-hai would find them out for certain if they were to cross the path. And instead, where it was deemed dangerous was the safest place. So they were better off staying here. HaoTian and the four veterans began their daily quest of capturing Uruk-hai.

WangXia was the most experienced of the group at this task for being a reconnoiter in the special forces. They captured several Uruk-hai each day and injected them with T-virus. Then they inserted a device into the Uruk-hai’s heads to hypnotize them as Xuan had planned.

“Never imagined God has this stuff. Only the U.S. has relevant technology in the real world, and the technology weren’t mature enough. It’s used as a tool to get people to confess and read through their minds. It’s also effective at hypnotizing. Xuan’s notes mention that the minds of newly transformed Nemesis are blank. We can alter them at will with this device. Haha. He’s simply amazing!” HaoTian laughed.

The four veterans thought that HaoTian wasn’t too far away from Xuan.

“Ha. Why are you looking at me with such admiration? Relax. I promise these Uruk-hai Nemesis will be ten times stronger than Nemesis turned from humans! A Nemesis that can use battle Qi. Haha.” His exaggerated laughter echoed through the woods.

Talking about the woods, Merry and the veterans of team Africa were in the woods. They were standing in front of a group of Ents. Neos’s plan was to convince the Ents into following his orders and participate in the battle at Mordor. However, the task wasn’t so easy.

“Like I said, as long as Mordor exists, they will attempt to burn down the forest. It isn’t rational to stay wary every day of your lives. Instead of waiting for the fire to happen before countering, you might as well prevent it. Ally with Rohan, Gondor, the Elves, and the Wizards to crush Mordor!” He spoke loudly to the Ents but he was unsure of the effect of his words.

An Ent spoke slowly. “But this isn’t the war of Ents. It’s a war of men and Wizards.”

“Has the Wizard not fallen to the control of Sauron? Can you be certain that these woods aren’t the next target after the defeat of men? My advice is…”

(This isn’t enough. Damn Ents… but they are such a strong force. They have powerful bodies and life magic. I have to seize this force in my hands!) Neos continued his attempts at obtaining the most important influence in this world.

However, team Northern Ice Land right now… A man with long hair stood on top a ground of broken bodies. He played with a ring in hand then laughed. “So that’s the use of this ring. Interesting, truly interesting. Let’s give it to Sauron. I am looking forward to the reaction when they see he revives. Haha.” He turned around and walked out the swamps. The sky ahead of him was red. That was where Mordor stood.