Under the players' attacks, Wanderer from Red Sand Camp who had flooded into the tavern were quickly routed.
They couldn't counterattack, they couldn't escape, and when they tried to be more ruthless than the players, they ended up scared white themselves. In the end, they could only choose to kneel and beg for mercy.
"If you want to live, honestly tell us the exact location and internal situation of Red Sand Camp."
Facing the players' threats, the two Wanderers who miraculously survived spilled everything they knew.
The players compared their statements and, finding no lies, reported the gathered information to Lily.
"Red Sand Camp is the largest Wanderer Camp in this area, with over two hundred core members alone, and many peripheral members who depend on them to make a living in the Goli Desert."
"Recently, because two teams died in succession, Marco, the leader of Red Sand Camp, was furious and sent most of the people in the camp out to investigate. So now there are only sixty to seventy permanent residents left in Red Sand Camp, but these permanent residents are not easy to deal with; they are Marco's most elite enforcers."
"Besides that, there are three people in Red Sand Camp worth noting: Marco, Rattlesnake, an A-rank assassin hired by Marco, and a doctor. Marco is a Martial Artist, skilled in close combat; Rattlesnake is a psychic ability user; the doctor's strength is Ordinary. He was originally a plastic surgeon, but because he could make various poisons, Marco kidnapped him to Red Sand Camp."
A plastic surgeon?
Lily suddenly thought of an interesting way to play, and now she had even more reason to target Red Sand Camp.
She listened and nodded, "It seems now is the best time for us to act. Oh, and we need to keep that doctor alive; I have a great use for him."
Saying that, she turned to face Old Nissen, who was standing nearby.
Yuanfang, what do you think?
"Your judgment is very accurate; now is indeed the best time. However," Old Nissen's brow furrowed into a knot, "in my opinion, the most correct choice is to abandon the attack on Red Sand Camp. I know your strength is very strong, and it's highly likely that even that A-rank assassin Rattlesnake is no match for you, but they..."
His gaze swept over the players.
Although these players didn't seem to have received much training, their combat ability was still good, mainly characterized by their fearlessness. But fearlessness doesn't mean they truly won't die.
Letting these players fight small groups sent out by Red Sand might result in no casualties, but if they were to directly assault Red Sand's camp, a slight misstep could lead to total annihilation.
From a personal standpoint, Old Nissen naturally hoped Lily and the players would eliminate Red Sand, but he still didn't want to see these somewhat adorable, foolish players die in vain.
However, one thing he was very clear about was that he couldn't change the decisions made by Lily and the players, so he could only change his approach.
"I'll go with you. Although I'm blind and lame and can't provide help in direct combat, as the founder of the Watchers, I'm still very experienced in tactical deployment. I'll try my best to help you reduce battle losses and increase your win rate from a tactical perspective."
"Actually, it's not that much trouble. They... Never mind. Telling you now is far less impactful than you seeing it with your own eyes later."
Lily deliberately left them in suspense.
This operation was a good opportunity to thoroughly shock Old Nissen with the players' capabilities.
In her opinion, Old Nissen was a good target worth winning over, not only because of his good relationship with Yulia but also because Old Nissen had rich experience in managing a faction.
At this stage, the number of players joining the Silent Garden was not large, and she could still manage it. But when the number of Silent Garden members increased in the future, professionals like Old Nissen would be needed, otherwise she wouldn't even have time to level up herself.
Ultimately, her purpose in building player goodwill and establishing a faction was to become stronger. Only by becoming strong enough could she live peacefully amidst the chaos brought by The Fourth Calamity.
The operation was scheduled for the evening.
During the waiting period, Old Nissen locked himself in his room and began to ponder tactics, while the players all sought out Anya.
Anya was now regarded by players as the Silent Garden's novice guide and merchant. Players could not only buy some Ordinary firearms from Anya but also Psionic Shield cards, a mysterious item that Excavation Princess had demonstrated in a previous live broadcast.
However, as a one-time item, the price of the Psionic Shield card still made players wince a bit.
There was no other way; they currently had no fixed source of income and could only earn money by doing small quests.
But considering the critical nature of this mission, most players, after feeling their pockets, still bought at least one Psionic Shield card with 50 shield points.
Bundling store items with faction-issued quests, forcing players to spend money in the store to complete quests, was also a type of bundled sales strategy.
This wave brought Lily over 2000, not a huge amount, but it was a good start.
The main problem was that her Ling Neng value limited her card-making speed, and the players' wallets limited their spending pleasure.
"After taking down Red Sand Camp, I need to find something for the players to do to earn money."
Lily pondered briefly.
If possible, she wanted to send all the players to a black factory and have them work hard to support her.
But no matter how close the players were to her, they wouldn't do that. Working hard in reality and then working hard in a game? Wouldn't that defeat the purpose of playing?
Lily recalled a market she passed by when she went to 5th Shelter. In that market, people bought materials dropped by mutated sand worms. She could completely let players hunt mutated sand worms outside, she would buy the materials collected by the players, and then sell these materials to merchants at 5th Shelter at a slightly higher price.
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