Chapter 277 Some Help Please? (Part 2)

“Downsizing maybe? Or our work on the game will start getting compartmentalized.” Big Zhang shook his head, “Employees like us will never know what our higher ups think. I’m just a developer. My job is to work on the game. How it goes from here has nothing to do with me.” and Big Zhang turned around to resume his work, “By the way, do not tell anyone about what I told you just now. If word gets out, I might be fired.” he said to Wang Jiangnan out of worry.

Wang Jiangnan nodded at his colleague. Of course. What the decision-makers of the company think... Has nothing to do with employees like us. He took a sip of his coffee, and glanced at the wish card that he had written before joining the company: I want to be the Lead Developer of Fate.

It had been two years since that day, but he was still a low level programmer debugging the game every single day. Any ideas he might have about the game would only end up as an accomplishment of his superiors. How long can he last in such an environment? How long must he persevere to achieve his dreams?

Or perhaps it was not a dream, but merely his wishful thinking.

Wang Jiangnan leaned against his chair, and let out a long sigh, “Place a man in danger, and he will fight to live huh?” he muttered Ye Ci’s words under his breath, “What did she mean by that?”

To avoid the grim fate of failing her exams, Ye Ci was forced to reduce her time for rest and gaming. Due to the efforts of Bai Mo acting as her mentor, Ye Ci found herself catching up with the syllabus with relative ease.

The sky was almost dark when she was finally able to log back into the game, and the Phantoms were almost beginning to materialize. Ye Ci did not dare to linger in the forest. She summoned Ol’ Four, and rode away at top speed from the place that was so full of danger.

The Phantoms appeared as the sky became dark. Ye Ci had not expected their presence when she first entered the forest. Her only worries were the beasts lurking around the forest, which was why she traversed deep into the forest.

She spurred Ol’ Four onwards, as anxiety began creeping into her heart.

More and more Phantoms began to appear, and without the protection of Moore’s familiar, the Phantoms were able to detect her presence. They screeched at her, and began the pursuit.

Without their physical bodies, the Phantoms’ movements were not limited by the terrain around them while Ye Ci was forced to weave and dodge between trees and large chunks of rocks. This allowed them to rapidly close their gap with Ye Ci.

The area beyond the forest was the spawn point of the Snow Cats. Unlike the Snow Leopards that dwelled at the foot of the mountain, Snow Cats were lvl90 monsters with formidable attacks.

Ye Ci found herself caught between a rock and a hard place. She would attract more monsters if she continued forward, but she had to shake off her pursuers as well. As she directed Ol’ Four to run in a zig-zagging pattern, Ye Ci called up her Guard menu. She had intended for Alaunar to learn more skills in Red Lake City as a Shaman before summoning him, but her situation was dire.

And with a flash of golden light.

A youth in green robes and a staff in his hand appeared, “Master…” he greeted Ye Ci with respect.

But Ye Ci had no time to spare for pleasantries, “Alaunar! Attack!”

Alaunar immediately attacked the Phantoms at Ye Ci’s command. He was able to learn more skills during his stay in the Red Lake City. The Shaman’s Guild in the city was not as skillful as Dalufa, but they offered a large variety of skills that could be learned by Alaunar. This allowed Alaunar to combine his abilities to deal higher and swifter attacks to his enemies in combat. With his level nearing 100, Alaunar was able to fend off the 6 Phantoms behind Ye Ci with relative ease.

This allowed Ye Ci to focus her attention on the three Snow Cats in front of her. Despite her improved situation, dealing with three lvl90 monsters was not an easy task for Ye Ci and Ol’ Four.

Ol’ Four itself was not able to manage the aggro of the Snow Cats well, and every attack from one of the monsters would cause it a high amount of damage. Alaunar, locked in battle with the 6 Phantoms, was unable to aid Ye Ci in the fight.

Just as Ye Ci was at the brink of being overwhelmed by the three Snow Cats, she heard a whistling sound and a hail of ice began landing from the sky, greatly reducing the Snow Cats’s speed. Am I being ambushed? Ye Ci was shocked by the sudden event, but there was no indication from a system notification that she was under attack. She quickly surveyed her surroundings, and spotted a mage who was casting his spell. He was attacking the Snow Cats.

Who is that guy? Despite her curiosity, Ye Ci knew that it was not the time. She immediately began directing Ol’ Four into attacking the Snow Cats, and was able to dispatch the monsters within minutes.

She then shifted her attention to Alaunar. She might not be able to damage the Phantoms, but she could still cast some of her crowd controlling skills on the enemies. It did not take long for Alaunar to defeat the Phantoms. Knowing that there was another player around, Ye Ci immediately sent Alaunar back to Red Lake City once the battle was over, and began looting items dropped by the Phantoms.

When Ye Ci finally turned around to face the Sorcerer who helped him out, she saw no red glow from the player. This meant that he was a friendly player from the Eastern or Southern Continent. She narrowed her eyes. What is an allied player doing in a place like this? And mage class like him... Just who is this guy?

The player started walking towards Ye Ci as she was still deep in her thoughts, “We finally meet, Gongzi You.” he chuckled.

Ye Ci’s heart sank. Who is he? Why does he know my name! I’m wearing a hood, he shouldn’t be able to tell who I am!

She took a step back as her hand inched closer to her short sword. She was ready to pounce on the player if he made a sudden move. No matter how good he is, he’s a mage class. I’ll be faster than him. As long as I’m quick enough, he won’t have time to react to my attack.

“What? You don’t know me, Gongzi You?” the man chuckled, his voice sounding very familiar to Ye Ci.

“Who are you?” Ye Ci narrowed her eyes. She could not sense danger from the man, but she would not let her guard down just yet. Her muscles remained tense, ready to deliver the killing blow when the need arose.

“It seems that Gongzi You really do not know me. Then…” the man pulled down his hood and spoke slowly, “Do you remember that time I became your scapegoat?”

The silvery moonlight shone down onto the ground below, and onto the man’s face.

His jet black hair, pale skin, his handsome face, and the slight smile on his face was revealed to Ye Ci.

Who else could it be, if not Spotless Autumn.

Ye Ci knew who the player was the moment the words left his mouth, but she was not going to admit to that, “Just who the hell are you, bro?” she shrugged.

Spotless Autumn grumbled, “Gongzi You, you were there during my confrontation with Sangharama Shrine. I saw you.” but the ghost of a smile on his face was an indication that he was not at all angry.

With the cat out of the bag, Ye Ci saw no point in lying, “The thing with Sangharama Shrine aside, how do you know I’m Gongzi You?”

“I saw you taking out a party two days ago.” Spotless Autumn chuckled, “I was on the cliff when you fought them. I saw everything clearly with my own two eyes. You hid your name, but those moves... Only Gongzi You and Fleeting Time are capable of doing that. And... Fleeting Time is a guy. So it can only mean that you’re in the Northern Continent as well, Gongzi You.”

Ye Ci rolled her eyes. So this is why I could feel someone staring at me that day. It’s him!

“I see.” Ye Ci forced a smile and cupped her hands in salute, “Just as how the mountains will remain lush, and the rivers flowing, I’m sure we’re bound to meet again in the future. I’ll take my leave now.”

Ye Ci fully intended to take her leave. She knew that Spotless Autumn was a formidable opponent. She might be able to win in a straight up fight, but she had a feeling that Spotless Autumn was just like her. He was a cunning player.

This was why Ye Ci felt the need to be as far away from Spotless Autumn as possible. There was no guarantee who might come on top in a fight. She would of course not mind if she was able to win against Spotless Autumn, but what if things turned out the other way around? And he’s still not letting that misunderstand with Sangharama Shrine go. Damn it!

“Gongzi You, that thing with Sangharama Shrine is nothing. Really. But if I did not help you just now, you might’ve died. You can’t just walk away like that.” Spotless Autumn’s voice entered her ears before she could take a second step.

Ye Ci stopped right in her tracks and turned around to face Spotless Autumn, “I did not ask for your help. You did it on your own volition.” she chuckled, “And now you’re asking for something in return? No way.”

Spotless Autumn was not angry. He nodded, walked up to Ye Ci, and sighed, “Confucious was right. Women and small-minded men are the hardest to deal with. Even Gongzi You, the god-tier player of the Eastern Continent is no exception.”

Ye Ci pursed her lips and stared coldly at Spotless Autumn, “What do you want? Stop beating around the bush.”

Spotless Autumn held his hands in front of him, “Fine, fine, I’m the one at fault here alright? We’re not from the same continent, but we’re still allies right? Don’t you think it’s very touching to run into an ally in a hostile continent?”

Ye Ci’s eyebrows creased. This guy sure likes to talk. Why can’t I just run into a quiet one? Is ‘Silence is gold’ no longer a thing? She snapped her fingers and her voice portrayed her sour mood as she spoke, “Get to the point.”

“You want me to get to the point?” Spotless Autumn was slightly stunned when he was cut off by Ye Ci, “Oh, right. I need your help.”

“What do you need help with?” it was Ye Ci’s turn to be surprised. She stared at Spotless Autumn incredulously. His skills, game sense, and positioning should be able to get him out of most trouble.

“There’s something I need approximately two hours from here, but there's too many monsters in that area, I can’t get to that place safely alone. That’s why I need your help.” explained Spotless Autumn with a smile, as if it was a simple task.

But Ye Ci could tell that something was amiss, “What made you come all the way here from the Southern Continent? And what is it that is so hard that you can’t handle it alone?”