I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 274 Misfortune is Coming (Part 1)

"Call Me Cool," carrying a flintlock pistol, was running back when he turned around and fired a shot at the swordsman and shieldman less than three meters behind him, cracking the latter's head open.

Then he continued running, maintaining a steady pace, while pulling out the oil-filled paper-based gunpowder from his waist and pouring it into the muzzle of the gun.

The fine black powder particles glittered in the sunlight, a few scattered on his blood-stained leather armor. He tore open the oil paper packet with his teeth, tasting the bitter flavor of saltpeter on his tongue.

Ah Ku skillfully pressed down the propellant port below the barrel with his left thumb, while his right hand inserted the lead bullet into the chamber. Due to the hasty movement, his index finger joint accidentally grazed the bayonet inserted into the muzzle, immediately resulting in a fresh cut, with blood beads rolling onto the walnut wood grain of the gun.

The act of loading ammunition while running made his breathing heavy, but his rhythm remained perfectly steady.

Aku pulled a lancet from a small leather pouch on his belt, the metal bar clanging twice inside the barrel to compact it. The whole process took less than ten seconds… This was muscle memory he had honed in countless battles, a combat skill he was very proud of.

Among the scattered players being chased, only a few dozen can fight and run at the same time without slowing down. This is a very practical but difficult-to-use combat skill. Apart from players, almost no one will learn this skill because it is purely self-torture.

Then, among the scattered players being chased, because less than a hundred players, including Aku, who were skilled in running and shooting, deliberately lagged behind to cover the rear, the sword and shield warriors never actually caught up with the players.

Heavy footsteps sounded behind him, clearly another swordsman with red eyes was chasing after him. Aku didn't even need to turn around to hear the guy's heavy breathing.

Aku suddenly turned around and thrust his gun back... The flintlock pistol was pulled back from under his arm, and the hammer of the flintlock pistol made a crisp "click".

"boom!"

As white smoke rose and blackened the breastplates of Ah-Ku and the others, the lead bullet accurately struck the shield of the swordsman and shieldman. The man staggered two more steps before collapsing to the ground like a piece of wood, howling and rolling on the ground while clutching his thigh.

After piercing the shield, the lead bullet deflected and landed on the unfortunate man's unprotected thigh.

"The tenth."

Aku was running and laughing loudly, not caring if he got out of breath. In front of him, the other scattered players suddenly slowed down, and there were several wagons with their wheels removed lying across the open ground.

These wagons may appear scattered and irregularly distributed, but as long as individual players hide behind them and form a line formation of about a hundred people, they can create crossfire against enemies attacking from the front.

When Aku saw the carriages, some quick-reacting players had already lined up behind them, their guns pointed at Aku's back.

"Raise your guns, get ready!!!"

A guy dressed in a green military overcoat and wearing a peaked cap, looking all smug, was standing next to the players lined up, pretending to raise an officer's sword and shouting slogans.

Even from more than 30 meters away, Aku could tell at a glance what this bastard was up to, and he immediately started cursing.

"You little rascal, don't you dare run off to the woods tonight!"

After cursing, Aku immediately threw himself to the ground. He knew those bastards wouldn't stop... because if he were in their shoes, he wouldn't stop either.

Just as Aku had predicted, the gunshot rang out the instant he landed on the ground.

The volley of gunfire erupted like thunder. Ah Ku felt a burning sensation on the back of his head... it was the burning sensation of lead bullets grazing his hair. He lay firmly on the ground, able to clearly hear the sound of bullets whizzing through the air overhead.

"Holy shit! My ass!"

"Medic! Where's the medic?" "Who the hell hit me three times?!"

Several unlucky players who lagged behind were immediately riddled with bullets. Unlike Aku, they weren't quick-witted enough to realize the situation was bad in time and lay on the ground to avoid the hail of bullets.

But the Bohemian swordsmen further back fared even worse. A neat volley of gunfire swept across the front ranks, and the first few dozen swordsmen fell as if harvested by an invisible scythe.

The dull thud of lead bullets piercing shields, the explosive sound of them breaking through breastplates, mixed with the cracking of bones, were particularly jarring on the battlefield.

Taking advantage of the fact that the volley had just ended and there were still twenty seconds before the next round, Aku seized the opportunity to stand up, run forward a dozen steps, and then rolled on the spot to hide behind the wreckage of a carriage.

Having found a safe place, Aku took a breath and peered out.

The battlefield was filled with sword and shield bearers lying motionless on the ground, clutching their wounds and screaming in agony. Their heavy shields and iron breastplates were like paper in the face of close-range volleys of gunfire.

A particularly brave fellow charged forward with his shield broken in half, only to be simultaneously targeted by five flintlock muskets—the next second his upper breastplate was reduced to scrap metal.

Although he almost got beaten to death, that didn't stop A-Ku from cheering.

"Well played! Keep it up!"

The second volley of fire quickly broke out, and the already heavily damaged Bohemian swordsmen and shieldmen were forced to retreat repeatedly, appearing to be routed.

Upon seeing this, Aku was immediately invigorated and stood up, ready to lead his men in a counterattack to strike the fallen enemy. However, just as he was about to do so, a player behind him exclaimed in surprise, interrupting his plan.

"Look! Bohemian cavalry! They're charging at us!"

Aku suddenly turned around and looked to his left. He saw a cloud of dust rising about three or four hundred meters away... He didn't know if it was three hundred or more than five hundred, but in any case, a huge group of Bohemian light cavalry was charging towards him in classical skirmish formation.

They were all clad in brown leather breastplates, their sabers gleaming coldly in the sunlight.

"Damn it, where are our artillerymen? Why aren't they providing cover?... Brothers, fire! Fire now! Free fire!"

Ah Ku had barely finished cursing when a deafening roar of artillery fire erupted from behind.

At this moment, the six-pound field guns and tiger-squatting guns belonging to our side opened fire, and six-pound iron bullets and thumb-thick lead bullets flew towards the light cavalry.

However, perhaps because the cavalry were too scattered, or perhaps because the artillery fire from the wagon camp was too hasty, after a dozen or so cannon shots rang out, Aku did not see many of the charging Bohemian cavalry fall, and their charging speed did not slow down at all.

Instead, a Bohemian cannonball fired from the other side struck the wreckage of the carriage behind Aku precisely, sending two players and a large pile of wood debris flying.

"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit!"

Still shaken, Aku touched his sweaty forehead. He glanced back at the scattered players gathering together and suddenly realized a terrible truth. He gritted his teeth.

"Damn it, Lin Ruoyu, if they don't give me an explanation and compensation, I'm not done with them... Brothers, assemble! Hollow formation!"

(End of this chapter)