MMORPG: Divine Mech Hunter
Chapter 1464: Choice

Chapter 1464: Chapter 1464: Choice

Of course, it’s not that strength isn’t important, but here, strength is just the most basic requirement.

Those who can enter the second phase are all strong, let alone the final contest for the first kill, where the strongest fighters gather like clouds in the sky.

It’s almost impossible to crush opponents with ease like trampling on weaklings, and the stronger you are, the more hatred and caution you’ll attract, making you an easy target for group attacks.

And that’s exactly the case with Starfire Legion, which has continuously clinched the first kills, making it the enemy in everyone’s eyes.

In the first kill contest, there are no allies, especially in the case of Starfire Legion; it’s a tense situation at every turn.

The emergence of an Anti-Starfire Alliance in the first phase indicates the challenging path ahead for Starfire.

Thus, while maintaining its strength, Starfire’s ultimate victory hinges on strategy and tactics, and of course, a bit of luck is needed too.

After marching for more than an hour, it’s still the same monotonous passage, and it’s still sloping downward, admittedly not obvious, but one could still feel it—no telling how deep underground we are now.

Multiple choices face us now, with five passages located not far ahead of Starfire.

The Starfire Legion temporarily sets up camp and sends out Scouts. Li Yao also personally uses Mental Control on fire hawks to scout ahead.

It took half an hour for the intelligence to be mostly gathered.

Feng Yi had long prepared a simulated map, and everyone gathered around it.

"Looks quite complex this time, with passages leading to more passages. As someone with decision paralysis, what I dread most is choices like these. I’ll leave it to you guys to decide. My job is just to wave the Commanding Flag, cheer you on, and lead the charge," said Guardian Angel, shaking his head after a look, then starting to examine the huge flag in his hands adorned with dragon patterns.

Li Yao couldn’t help but laugh and cry: "You, with decision paralysis? How on earth do you lead the second squad? Do you just leave everything to fate when faced with choices?"

"Don’t mess around. I leave things to fate? Just kidding, I always have my clever strategies, you know. Now that you’re the commander, I naturally don’t need to worry about it anymore," Guardian Angel said seriously.

The new member Mu Zi couldn’t help laughing out, not minding Guardian Angel’s glaring eyes, and said, "Boss, you have no idea. The Guardian Commander’s methods are indeed legendary."

The new member Mu Zi was a main force in the second squad, of course, now that the levels have risen and the first squad has expanded, Mu Zi has naturally joined the first squad and is familiar with Guardian Angel.

Tong Tong, intrigued by the comment, also looked up, "Legendary indeed—what method could possibly save this directionally challenged person? Stop holding back and just spill it."

Mu Zi chuckled and moved away from Guardian Angel, "Alright, I’ll tell you. Every time the Guardian Commander encounters a fork in the road, he flips a Gold Coin – heads for one path, tails for another."

Pfft...

The core members of the Legion who were unaware of this burst into laughter; this, indeed, was "legendary."

"Exactly, only such legendary methods can save someone so directionally challenged," Tong Tong nodded earnestly.

The laughter intensified, and Li Yao helplessly shook his head, considering his luck to have such a unique commander for Starfire’s second squad.

"Alright, we’ve had our laughs, time to get serious. Let’s discuss it—how should we proceed?"

"Let me start then," said Succubus. "The first and second paths bear traces of other teams, so I think we should exclude them. It’s better to stay clear of others for now, focusing on progress is the main priority at this stage."

Everyone nodded in agreement; at this point, fighting is just foolish. Getting into skirmishes without seeing anything would only benefit the teams waiting for the passage to open, laughing at our expense.

Succubus continued, "The third path is a bit strange. Scouts report it’s very complex and seems like other people are fighting with Uldaman’s army there, but they don’t seem like players. Scouts went to make contact but couldn’t find their exact location, and with Uldaman’s army gathered, I believe this route isn’t suitable. Of course, good and bad are unpredictable."

"The last two pathways seem to mirror our previous choices: standard, with strongholds. But one apparently has a medium to large stronghold that’s hard to capture, and the other a small one, lacking any challenge. So to me, the last two pathways are our best options. If we take the aggressive approach, we target the larger stronghold; it’s risky but can bring swift progress. The small stronghold has safety, but the progress is a bit slow, like treading water."

Sister Li said, "Taking risks is necessary; this is a contest for the first kill. If we play it safe to an extreme, we’ll crumble without a fight."

The crowd nodded, acknowledging Sister Li’s words. Hoping for a first kill without taking any risks is nothing short of daydreaming.

After some discussion, Sister Li added, "President, you’ve yet to share your thoughts."

Li Yao thought for a moment before saying, "You make sense. The medium to large stronghold is indeed a more prudent choice. But I lean towards the third path."

"Why?" asked Feng Yi, who was also in favor of the medium to large stronghold. "The third path is too mysterious. Scouts clearly saw them fighting Uldaman’s forces, but following them, they couldn’t find any trace. This force seems to have the same goal as us, but the situation underground is unknown to all, and it could well be a trap with its twists and turns."

Knight Fruit also said, "And it appears heavily guarded. Not just by an army, but likely powerful leaders too. We’re only at the second checkpoint, and going against them, our manpower is still a bit thin."

"I disagree with that," Li Yao inhaled deeply and said, "You need to understand, Uldaman’s situation is too dire, they’re practically trapped. Plus, they’re aware of our tactics, so there’s no need to engage in battle to draw us in. If that were the case, it would be better for this army to patrol and sweep the area, directly hunting player squads. At this critical juncture, if Uldaman still can gather an army to fight this external threat, it must mean this threat has a significant impact on them."

Succubus frowned, "That makes sense, but besides the four factions, who would bother with these troubles?"

Li Yao smiled and said, "There are plenty."

"Such as?"

"For instance, Guardians—this is their city. Now fallen, other Guardians investigating makes sense. And then there’s the Dragon Clan. The Five Dragon Clans each have their own roles, with the Black Dragon being good at warfare, though now discarded. But the other four clans still have strength to spare."

"Are you suggesting that this force comes from the Dragon Clan?"

"I’m just saying it’s possible. Regardless of the force, since they are fighting Uldaman, they’re our allies. The progress in this checkpoint has been too slow, sticking to the rules means missing opportunities, so I still believe we should make contact with them. Based on Scout and fire hawk reconnaissance, I deduce this force is in a tight spot right now—exactly the kind of opportunity we can take advantage of."...