Last time, your death was not enough?

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Fire Wolf Squad Headquarters

The five-member second-line team was gathered in a small conference room, discussing their mission. Their current objective was simple: find Duan Chenfeng and eliminate him. The task appeared straightforward, yet they couldn't even accomplish the first step. Ever since Chenfeng had slaughtered the group last time, tracking him down had become increasingly difficult.

"Where is Duan Chenfeng hiding?" Beastmaster Hunter Lu Qi was baffled. So many people were searching for Chenfeng, yet no one could locate him. Previously, they could use tracking tools, but now those were useless.

"The Ring of Shadows can conceal one's whereabouts. We're in trouble," Yang Fan remarked. He knew the ring could hide traces—news about this had already circulated on foreign servers. The ring had sparked hunts across the gaming world; every day, rogues camped at city gates, ambushing players for their rings.

Yu Jiexi pondered quietly: If he were Chenfeng, what would he do? After drawing a conclusion, he spoke, "I've paid attention to the global level rankings. Duan Chenfeng's level is rising rapidly. I suspect he's been grinding experience lately."

"Of course. Everyone wants to hit level thirty and enter the big map. Duan Chenfeng must be leveling up. The question is—where?" Lu Qi felt Yu Jiexi was stating the obvious. It was common knowledge that Chenfeng was focused on leveling. Now that some players had accessed the big map, everyone wanted to get there faster.

After being rebuked, Yu Jiexi fell silent, listening to their discussion. To him, their conversation lacked focus. Chenfeng belonged to the Frost Snow Guild; even if someone infiltrated, tracking him down would be extremely difficult.

Yang Fan, who had been watching Yu Jiexi, suddenly asked, "Jiexi, if you were Duan Chenfeng, where would you choose to level?"

Yu Jiexi was also a Berserker Warrior. Yang Fan wondered if Jiexi might know where Chenfeng would go.

"If I were Duan Chenfeng, I'd probably train near the coast," Yu Jiexi replied after a moment's thought, sharing his speculation.

"The monsters by the sea are tough. Why would Chenfeng go there?" Elemental Shaman Wang Hao immediately challenged him, evidently harboring little respect for Yu Jiexi, whom he considered a useless Berserker.

Yu Jiexi explained, "Duan Chenfeng is a Blue Thunder Elf, specialized in lightning attacks. Fighting aquatic monsters at the coast gives him a thirty percent damage bonus. If I were Chenfeng, I'd go there to level up."

"Right! Why didn't I think of that?" Holy Knight Li Wanyi patted her own head, realizing she hadn't considered Chenfeng's race.

Yang Fan felt Yu Jiexi's reasoning was sound and quickly left the conference room to fetch the in-game map. The five gathered to study the coastal areas.

"There aren't many coastal zones. Three places suit Duan Chenfeng: the coastal Murlocs, the Frozen Turtles, and the Kana Sea Sirens," Yu Jiexi pointed to three spots on the map. "Frozen Turtles have high defense; I doubt Chenfeng would go there. Kana Sea Sirens use sleep skills, so they're unlikely too. The most probable target is Murlocs. Their attacks are high but otherwise unremarkable. Chenfeng should have no trouble farming them en masse."

"Yu Jiexi, if you already knew Chenfeng would hunt Murlocs, why didn't you say so earlier?" Lu Qi snapped, annoyed that they'd spent so long discussing without this critical information.

The other three, apart from Yang Fan, shared the sentiment. Jiexi knew where Chenfeng was leveling—why hadn't he spoken sooner? Jiexi expected this reaction. No matter what he did, he'd be scolded. He was used to it and said nothing.

After logging in, the five immediately headed for the coast. The shoreline was vast, making it hard to find Chenfeng. Yet, as per their leader's orders, they had to locate and kill him.

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"Southern shoreline, coordinates 5567, 12345, 345. Duan Chenfeng is with a Holy Priest," Lu Qi reported, having found Chenfeng first thanks to her mini radar.

The others quickly converged. Yang Fan instructed Lu Qi not to act rashly; with Chenfeng's counter-surveillance skills, careless moves could easily alert him—or worse, lead to another ambush like last time.

"Duan Chenfeng's health is below thirty-five percent, but he's regenerating fast. Our odds for a surprise attack are pretty high," Lu Qi said, eager to strike first. If not for Chenfeng's reputation, she would have already jumped in, immobilized him, and kited him to death.

"Lu Qi, don't be reckless! Chenfeng is our leader's chosen training target—don't underestimate him. Wait until we're all together," Yang Fan cautioned. To him, Chenfeng was as formidable as their captain; it would take all five to bring him down, even with his health below thirty-five percent.

Once assembled, they didn't hesitate—they charged straight at Chenfeng. Delay would only let him disengage and heal, making the fight harder. Last time, their tactical deliberations had allowed Chenfeng to ambush them; now, they seized the moment.

Seeing the five rush toward him, Chenfeng recognized them as the same group who had tried to ambush him previously. He had no intention of fleeing, feeling these five weren't even worth his time. He dispatched a nearby Murloc with a single blow, then looked at the group and said, "Still not satisfied with dying last time? Back for more?"

With Chenfeng's health at only twenty-seven percent and still so arrogant, the five grew uneasy. No matter the circumstances, a Berserker Warrior must never lose his fighting spirit—the first rule of their kind!

Stealth!

The five cautiously approached, suddenly realizing Chenfeng had vanished. Instantly, they became alert. After their previous mistake, they'd spread out, knowing if they clustered together, Chenfeng could charge and use Intimidating Shout to control them all.

Charge!

God Mode (Recklessness, Divine Descent, Skeleton Battle Banner)

Bloodlust!

Chenfeng charged at Elemental Shaman Wang Hao, inflicting damage, then immediately activated God Mode and unleashed Bloodlust. God Mode increased his critical strike rate, and Bloodlust doubled it; a critical hit was inevitable. Unexpectedly, Bloodlust's critical triggered a free Whirlwind Strike.

Whirlwind Strike!

Three consecutive Whirlwind Strikes instantly felled the Elemental Shaman. Chenfeng then dodged Beastmaster Hunter Lu Qi's Dispel Shot, avoiding being controlled.

Intercept!

Having succeeded, Chenfeng intercepted Mage Yang Fan before he could blink away, delivering a furious cleave that critted and killed him instantly.

Heroic Leap!

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This time, Chenfeng leaped toward Beastmaster Hunter Lu Qi. Lu Qi acted cleverly, jumping back to flee and applying Concussive Shot to Chenfeng. However, she didn't realize that a warrior under Divine Descent ignores all movement impairment effects; Concussive Shot's slow was useless.

Wind Step!

Activating his speed skill, Chenfeng caught up, unleashing Furious Slash. Due to the distance from the Skeleton Battle Banner, he lacked the twenty percent bonus critical damage; this time, only his off-hand struck a critical, failing to kill Lu Qi outright. However, his main hand followed up with a Thunder Strike, finishing her off. (Thunder Strike is a conversion from Heroic Strike, does not share global cooldown, costs thirty rage.)

In moments, two leather-armored and one cloth-armored players lay dead, leaving only Holy Knight Li Wanyi and Berserker Warrior Yu Jiexi. Chenfeng's charge, intercept, and leap were all on cooldown, so finishing them would be difficult unless they waited for his skills to reset.

"Retreat!" Berserker Warrior Yu Jiexi fled. Five couldn't beat Chenfeng, two stood no chance. He didn't want to fall here; he knew Chenfeng now had not only gear but also a level advantage—they were no match.

Li Wanyi, though reluctant, lost her resolve upon seeing Chenfeng swiftly dispatch three teammates. Relying on Yu Jiexi alone seemed hopeless; he only wanted to escape, never a real threat to Chenfeng.

The two fled, and Chenfeng didn't pursue. To him, these five were targeting him; otherwise, when he went stealth, they should have killed Lin Shanshan first. Besides, even if he chased, he might not take them down—a Holy Knight's healing negated his offensive advantage.

Lin Shanshan, witnessing Chenfeng's first wild PvP, was awed as he slew three opponents and scared off two more, all while under thirty percent health. Five opponents couldn't defeat him, highlighting their vast disparity.

"Chenfeng, you're really impressive! I recall they're Fire Wolf Squad pro players, though second-line members," Lin Shanshan remarked. She knew Chenfeng was formidable, but hadn't expected him to be this strong—taking on five at once without trouble, even if they were only backup pros.

"These small fry are annoying! Still, they're smart—figured I'd be leveling at the coast," Chenfeng replied. He'd only come to train after equipping the Ring of Shadows. They couldn't track his location, so they must have deduced his leveling spot based on his race. "That Berserker's not bad, but lacks the aggression a Berserker should have!"

"Chenfeng, you should be able to compete with squad leaders. Why haven't you joined a team and instead ended up in our studio?" Lin Shanshan wondered. With his strength, he could easily be a pro player; why settle for their studio?

Chenfeng sat on the ground, eating bread to recover health, drank some water, and said, "Wasn't I just discharged from the hospital, lost my memory? Where else would I go but your place?"

"What about now? You could totally join a squad," Lin Shanshan recalled that Chenfeng had been amnesiac. She used to think he was faking it just to get in, but later learned from Cheng Xue that it was real.

"I can't bring myself to leave."

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