Infinity, The Arcade Age

Under the pale moonlight, the glint of the revolver in Qin Ming's hand sent a chill down Flying Snake's spine. His mind instantly flashed back to the memory of Kaido, the heavy-armored swordsman leader, lying dead with bullet holes in his body, his eyes wide open in disbelief.

Without a second thought, Flying Snake turned and bolted, pulling two nearby soldiers in front of him to shield his escape.

Qin Ming and the other adventurers were momentarily stunned by Flying Snake's abrupt flight, especially Qin Ming, who had just drawn his gun.

He blinked in confusion, watching as Flying Snake disappeared into the chaos.

He looked down at his gun, puzzled.

"Wait… I didn't even fire. What's he so scared of? Can he see my gun's stats or something?"

Unable to figure it out, Qin Ming shrugged. The battlefield had already devolved into utter chaos, and his plan to blend in with the adventurers had become moot.

"Forget blending in! It's time to start killing!"

With his revolver raised, Qin Ming began firing at close range. Each shot to a weak spot instantly killed the regular soldiers, while even the heavy-armored swordsmen, the elite enemies, could only withstand two or three shots before falling.

While firing, Qin Ming grabbed a short sword from the ground, using it to fend off any enemies that came too close.

With his terrifying strength and constitution, he slashed left and right, cutting down anyone in his way.

His left hand wielded the short sword for close combat, while his right hand used the revolver to finish off enemies with pinpoint accuracy.

At one point, he whistled loudly, and from the distant forest, the sound of roaring erupted. Fat Man, his elite follower, led the remaining underling, rushing into the fray to reunite with Qin Ming.

Together, Qin Ming and his followers tore through the battlefield, leaving a trail of bodies in their wake.

The militia, who had been struggling to hold their own, saw Qin Ming's devastating power and quickly regrouped around him, using his momentum to break through the enemy lines.

Shouts of battle filled the air, and soldiers collapsed in pools of blood as Qin Ming and the militia fought their way out.

After a brutal fight lasting over ten minutes, Qin Ming's group finally broke through. The surviving militia members scrambled back towards the village, while Qin Ming covered their retreat with six more shots, killing the two fastest pursuers. The rest of the enemy hesitated and stopped their chase.

As Qin Ming and the others vanished into the forest, leaving only bodies behind, Flying Snake cautiously emerged from his hiding spot behind cover, watching them flee.

Looking down at the unlucky soldiers who had been shot, he wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

"Too strong. That guy is way too strong."

It wasn't just the gun—Qin Ming himself was terrifying. He had kicked a heavy-armored swordsman several meters through the air!

"Is that really a rookie?"

Flying Snake was thankful for his quick thinking, slipping away before Qin Ming could turn his gun on him.

"If he had fired at me, I'd be dead—or at least crippled."

As he pondered the situation, Kaile, the heavy-armored swordsman who had taken temporary command of the enemy forces, approached him.

While they hadn't wiped out all their foes, six of the nine attacking militia members had been killed. Only three survived, including the militia captain, who had managed to escape.

The village's militia had originally numbered only twenty-one, and many were not even capable fighters.

After this battle, the village's defenses had been effectively crippled, and they could launch an attack on the village at any moment.

However, Kaile was frustrated that the militia captain, the most formidable fighter, had managed to escape.

Turning to Flying Snake, Kaile asked gravely,

"What now? Should we attack the village immediately? You seem to be the smart one, so you'll be in charge of the strategy."

Kaile was a former minor officer and clearly not adept at giving orders, so he handed control over to Flying Snake.

Flying Snake's eyes lit up at the opportunity, and he quickly nodded.

"Of course! We need to attack right away! Don't give them any time to recover."

"Understood. By the way, didn't you say you had a spy in the village feeding us information? Where is he? We'll make sure he gets his due rewards once we take the village."

"He's dead—killed in the chaos. By the time I found him, it was too late. I don't know if his cover was blown and he was killed by the militia, or if he was accidentally taken out by our own men."

"…Alright, we'll act like he never existed. His contributions will go to you."

Kaile gave Flying Snake a long, thoughtful look before turning to lead the soldiers away.

Flying Snake couldn't help but smile at his rising status.

"My contribution points are now at 649! Just a bit more and I'll hit 1000! That'll complete my title quest!"

Betraying his collaborator had been a brilliant move.

As the soldiers began gathering for the attack on the village, Qin Ming and the remaining survivors stumbled back to the village gates.

Of the nine militia members who had set out, only three remained, including the militia captain.

Of the four adventurers, only Qin Ming and White Wolf had survived. Black Bear, who had been critically injured in the ambush, had perished under the combined assault of two heavy-armored swordsmen.

The group of over a dozen had dwindled to just a few battered survivors.

Seeing this, the militia guarding the village gates turned pale. They quickly removed the barriers and let the group inside.

Once inside, the villagers quickly gathered to hear what had happened. The entire village descended into chaos as the situation became clear.

The elderly village chief hobbled over on his cane and, upon seeing the militia captain, began furiously beating him over the head with his walking stick.

"You idiots! Not only have you provoked Sir Scaun's men, but you've also exposed yourselves! Now you've brought disaster to our village! They'll slaughter us all!"

Hearing the village chief's outburst, the gathered villagers panicked even more.

The bloodied militia captain stood motionless, his face grim as he said in a low voice,

"I started this. I'll take responsibility. Tie me up and hand me over in exchange for peace."

"You fool!" the chief spat angrily, slamming his cane into the ground.

"You think offering yourself up will solve anything? Once they decide to target us, no one in this village will be spared! They've been looking for an excuse to wipe us out!"

Seeing the panic rising, the chief suddenly turned to the crowd and shouted,

"What are you all standing around for? Do you want to wait here and die? Gather every wooden barrel and piece of timber you can find! We need to block the entrance and buy some time!"

"Buy time?" someone asked hesitantly.

"Yes! Buy time for help to arrive! Sir Scaun won't spare us, so I secretly contacted the Knights of the Round Table long ago. If we can hold out until they get here, we might stand a chance! Arm yourselves! No matter what, we must hold out until they arrive! Do you understand?"

(End of Chapter)