Wow! The item-dropping rate is really high!

Just one strike, and a fifth of the two or three dozen players who had come to help were dead.

The formidable strength of the BOSS evidently caused a collective moment of shock among the ambitious players.

Dai Lian's calm voice provided them with guidance, "Move to the west!"

The main group was behind them to the northeast, and by heading west they could maximise the chance of the orcs not finding the main forces of Grey Iron City.

As for this BOSS... no need to think about it. Explore more stories with My Virtual Library Empire

Escaping alive would already be a great fortune.

Is this one of the disasters of this world, an orc? It is said that they are not even among the most dangerous; there are also the Mech, the Bug Race, and the demons that cannot appear in large numbers frequently...

Thoughts flashed through his mind, and seizing the moment when his allies distracted the BOSS, Dai Lian took to his heels and ran.

As he ran, he directed, "Everyone scatter and run, we can't beat it."

More people arriving meant more bait to draw attention; the number of survivors would depend solely on luck.

"waaaaagh!"

Blademaw extended a hand to stop one of the fastest-charging players wielding a machete.

This giant orc, with his green fingers, pointed in a certain direction before speaking in a buzzing, naive tone, "Over there, there are more people, catch them, don't kill."

This kid had been brought along by him, and on several previous trips to human settlements in the wilderness, he had been the one commanding him on various tasks.

Having made these instructions clear to him, he would surely carry them out perfectly.

The orc, who was picked up by the hand, nodded with an excited and frenzied look that gradually faded, revealing a hint of intelligence, "Got it, boss."

"Go."

The machete-wielding youngster turned and saw more orcs rushing towards them from behind.

The humans armed with weapons had clearly stirred up the youngsters' fighting spirit.

Seeing a few familiar faces among the youngsters, the machete-wielder quickly raised his weapon and shouted loudly, "waaaaagh!"

Then pointed towards the direction the boss had indicated, "waaaagh!"

The group of youngsters, having received the order, responded even more excitedly, "waaaaagh!"

"waaaaagh!"

Amidst a sea of "waaaagh" shouts, Dai Lian and others, too busy trying to save their own lives, hadn't even noticed that a substantial troop had split off from the pursuing orc horde.

It wasn't until a rock hit his calf hard, causing his leg to go numb and lose most of its functionality, making him fall, that Dai Lian turned his head and, with a face of resignation awaiting the game's first blood, realised the orc troop chasing them had significantly dwindled.

An unpleasant guess came to mind instantly, and Dai Lian, who had given up resisting, used his hands to prop himself up again, trying to find another chance.

However...

"Bang!"

A stone hurled from afar struck with pinpoint violence.

Another good leg was brutally hit by a stone, the numbing sensation spread throughout his body in an instant, and the message on the panel informed him that he'd lost 90% of his mobility.

Spiritual Energy depleted, mobility reserves exhausted, and barely a tenth of his strength remained.

To make his escape lighter, Dai Lian had already discarded all his burdens... including his equipment.

Now, only the small pistol in his arms remained, his last chance for a struggle.

Dai Lian reached into his arms and tightly gripped the handle of the pistol, watching the tall figure slowly approaching and resignedly awaiting death.

"Me name's Blademaw, we might've met before," Blademaw said as he walked over, his large shadow blocking the sunlight, casting a dark pall over Dai Lian who was half-lying on the ground.

"..."

Can communicate? And he's initiating it?

A glimmer of hope flashed in Dai Lian's downcast eyes, and only then did he truly lift his face to stare at the towering creature before him.

'Met before?'

Other than an encounter with orcs when most of the players from Blackwater City were out on a collective mission, he hadn't had any other opportunities to encounter orcs.

So this orc was one of those he had met before?

But...

Just like how all humans look the same in the eyes of orcs, in the eyes of humans, orcs also look roughly the same.

Not to mention that this orc had just undergone a sudden growth spurt, significantly altering his appearance; it was impossible to recognize him at this time.

Wait... hold on.

The shoulder!

There was a wound on the shoulder!

It was the orc chieftain from that time!

After one of his arrows had pierced through several of his minions, this chieftain, already baptized by a Minefield Array, had fled like a scared rabbit.

It was him!

He had become the leader of an even larger orc tribe?

It was over... encountering an old adversary who had come for revenge.

'No wonder so many were fixated on me...' Dai Lian thought to himself, with a slight movement of his fingers around the pistol in his embrace.

Whether a pistol could penetrate the defense that arrows could not, he did not know, but as long as there was a drop of blood left, a player wouldn't give up the chance to fight.

Perhaps he could take advantage of the enemy's complacency and turn the tables?

Looking at the human who was eyeing the wound on his shoulder, Blademaw revealed a naive smile on his face, "Looks like you recognize me... adding to this time, we've met thrice now."

Hearing the shouts of those who had come to support him, occasionally caught by orcs and letting out indistinguishable shouts of excitement or despair, Dai Lian felt a pang of sorrow.

After processing the meaning of the opponent's words, Dai Lian suddenly gasped, "Three times?"