I, the prince in distress, send money

Chapter 433 The Death Legion and Flames

Hua Erdaji felt like a felled tree, standing straight in place, filled with unvented frustration.

For three whole days, he was like a player in Minecraft, chopping down trees in the woods near the swamp.

At first, cutting down trees was a novel experience.

By the second day, the fun that this repetitive work brought to him began to diminish.

On the third day, Hua Er Da Ji was already very reluctant to chop wood, but he persisted because he felt that he would be going to the swamp to play with the snake people on the fourth day.

After finally getting through the tough times, on the fourth day I joined the bustling road-paving project. But before I'd even had half a day wielding a shovel, a piercing whistle blew out... "Project suspended! Awaiting further instructions!"

Hua Erdaji nearly crushed the shovel handle, his mind as agitated as a burning haystack, a nameless fire rising within him.

Are you kidding me, Rem?

Logging, paving roads—am I here to experience the life of a lowly migrant worker?

What Hua Er Da Ji wants is excitement, battle, and exhilarating hack-and-slash!

The restlessness in his heart was like miasma in a swamp, accumulating in his chest all night, fermenting and swelling.

The day after the project was halted, he went online and looked at the gloomy, foggy area in the distance that was marked as a high-risk snake-man swamp. Hua Er Da Ji's rebellious spirit came out completely.

"Wait? Wait my ass!"

He spat out a mouthful of bitter spittle.

"I'll do it myself!"

He immediately started wandering around the military camp, gathering a few equally bored or fearless hotheads, hastily forming a snake-extermination vanguard suicide squad. Then, the group rubbed their hands together, ready to charge into the muddy, stinking swamp.

Just as he stood confidently at the edge of the swamp, giving a pre-battle pep talk to his hastily assembled squad, saying things like "Nothing ventured, nothing gained" and "Fortune favors the bold," someone ran over from the military camp and shouted at them.

"Brothers, the logistics officer has issued new equipment, but there's a limited quantity, so hurry up and get yours!"

His eloquent but absurd speech caught in his throat. He blinked and listened carefully again.

New equipment?
Issued by the Holy Expeditionary Army?
Free?
"Holy crap, where were you all this time?!"

He let out a strange cry, and his previous arrogant "I'm the best in the world" attitude was instantly replaced by a stronger sense of panic, fearing that he would be too late to receive it.

After saying that, he turned around like a cannonball and dashed off towards the army, leaving his teammates standing there looking at each other in bewilderment.

The logistics department of the army was already packed with people. Players were crowded together, making a lot of noise, just like middle-aged women rushing to buy things during a discount season.

Hua Er Da Ji, relying on his agility, or rather, his thick skin, darted left and right through the crowd, managing to squeeze to a relatively forward position in the line amidst the curses.

After a short wait, it was finally his turn.

What size clothes do you wear? What size shoes do you wear?

"XL, shoes size 43."

A tired-looking NPC quartermaster sitting behind the counter didn't even look at him. He mechanically rummaged through the bottom of the box and handed Hua Er Daji a heavy box.

Hua Erdaji took it, and was then pushed aside by the crowd, staggering away from the group.

He had no time to dwell on these things and eagerly opened the box.

Upon opening the box, the first thing Hua Erdaji saw was an extremely heavy black overcoat.

The coat is made of leather, but it has obviously undergone a very complicated process and has been soaked in some kind of chemical raw material. Not only does it have a peculiar texture that feels like a mixture of rubber and canvas, but it is also very heavy, almost like armor, and it has a particularly pungent smell with a strong paint odor.

The coat had a high collar, and the cuffs and trouser legs had complicated drawstrings. There was also a blurry, seemingly corroded double-headed eagle emblem printed on the front, next to a small label.

"Imperial Type III Isolation Protective Suit - Resistant to Chemicals/Biological/Water/Cold".

Next, under the clothes, was an equally heavy gas mask.

The main body of the mask is a somewhat clumsy black hard plastic, and the filter canister is as big as a small hand grenade hanging on the side. However, the most eye-catching thing is the goggles on the breathing mask.

Instead of modern, streamlined curved lenses, it consists of two extremely thick, slightly convex round glass lenses, resembling old-fashioned diving goggles or World War II gas masks from museums, set in a hard plastic frame, giving it a clumsy, timeless feel and an inexplicable sense of oppression.

Finally, there were knee-high boots, a pair of elbow-length gloves, a belt, inner clothing, and other miscellaneous items.

Ignoring the passing NPCs, the sly and ridiculous man quickly stripped naked and put the outfit on his body.

The moment he put on the gas mask, he felt as if he were wrapped in a sealed, slightly stuffy shell.

My vision was slightly distorted and restricted by the thick glass lenses, and my breathing was amplified inside the mask, sounding particularly heavy with the faint hissing sound of the filter canister.

He tried to take a couple of steps, the hem of his coat rubbing against his legs, making a rustling noise, and he became clumsy and sluggish.

However, amidst this slightly oppressive feeling of being in a box, Hua Er Da Ji looked down at his dark, bulky appearance, then raised his hand to touch the strange mask with a huge glass observation window on his face. A strong, darkly humorous thought emerged uncontrollably.

"This look...this atmosphere...this place we're going to..."

He stood at the entrance to the bustling logistics department. The heavy protective suit blocked out some of the noise, but the hissing breathing behind his mask became the main melody.
Through those ridiculously thick glass lenses, he gazed at the distant swamp, perpetually shrouded in gray-green mist, a silent smile spreading across his lips.

"Aha, the Imperial Krieg Death Legion is about to wage war against the Snake-Man Aliens!"

That heavy, suffocating set of equipment suddenly flashed with a strange, dangerous light in his eyes, a light that sent his adrenaline soaring.

The tedium of logging, the interruption of road construction, the urge to form a team... all his unpleasantness was instantly thrown to the winds. Now, all he wanted was to wear this divine armor, rush into that poisonous fog-shrouded swamp, and let the snake-men inside experience what true, unparalleled surprise was.

"Hehe, hee hee, eh ha ha ha..."

……

There aren't many of these Death Legion sets, only around a thousand. First come, first served.

Like Hua Er Da Ji, some lucky players, after obtaining this set of Death Legion equipment, couldn't wait to rush into the swamp and cause trouble for the snake people.

However, just as they were getting excited and about to go berserk, Diu Ni Rem sent someone to inform them to continue their civil engineering work... digging trenches.

This immediately caused great dissatisfaction among many players, especially those who failed to receive the Death Legion equipment, who were even more furious.

A while ago, you asked us to cut down trees to pave the road, and we tolerated it because it was for the main storyline, so that everyone could rush into the swamp to kill the snake people.

Now you've given the players the equipment, but we didn't get any and we're stuck being stuck as construction workers. This is just too much!
Many players decided to confront Rem and demand an explanation.

On the open ground near the logistics department, the wave of discontent nearly blew off the roof of the makeshift tents.

Players wearing all sorts of gear, especially those who watched others put on cool Death Legion sets while they got nothing, were filled with resentment.

They surrounded the logistics officer, shouting at him all at once:

"Cutting down trees, paving roads, and now they want us to dig ditches? Do they think we're animals?"

"What about equipment? We need equipment too. Why should they be the Death Legion while we have to be the Death Construction Team?"

"That's right, give us an explanation, or we'll strike! Let whoever wants to dig, dig!"

"Where's Rem? Make him come out here! Give us an explanation!"

"I'm here to hunt snakes, not to become a bonded laborer!"

The players, dressed in brand-new black protective suits and wearing thick glass goggles and gas masks, including Hua Er Da Ji and his temporary suicide squad members, seemed somewhat embarrassed at this moment.

They had just equipped themselves with top-tier gear and were fantasizing about wreaking havoc in the poisonous fog when they were suddenly doused with cold water... and told to dig a ditch?
Although the protective suits seemed suitable for digging trenches, it was such a jarring sight! They were caught in the angry crowd, unsure whether to charge or pick up a shovel.

Just then, a figure parted the crowd and strode out.

It was Diu Ni Rem, still wearing his work pants stained with engine oil and mud, his face showing weariness from the journey. Behind him were several engineers, also dressed in work clothes and carrying measuring tools.

"Brothers, brothers, don't argue, don't make a scene, listen to me, listen to my explanation!"

Standing on a high place, Rem waved his hands to attract everyone's attention, and then shouted loudly.

"I sent you to dig trenches not to kill people, but to make it easier to kill snake people."

As you all know, the road-paving project was halted because many people, including NPCs and players, were poisoned, so it couldn't continue.

I sent people to investigate, and it turns out that the snake people released poison into the swamp. The air is poisonous, and the water is also poisonous. So, the reason I'm having you dig ditches is to discharge the poisonous water into the sea, five kilometers away.

Once the toxic water in the swamp has been drained, things will be much easier..."

After being told to throw Rem's explanation, the players regained some of their composure, but they were still somewhat dissatisfied, so the former quickly pressed his advantage.

"In addition, the new equipment has been shipped over. Brothers, besides digging trenches, we also need to build a temporary dock on the beach so that the equipment can be unloaded... Whether it's the Death Legion Set or other limited-time event equipment, everything else will take some time and our efforts."

After Diu Ni Rem explained in a gentle and patient manner and made many promises, the players who were about to strike finally calmed down and picked up their tools to get back to work. The drainage ditch was easy to dig. Although the camp was a bit far from the sea, it wasn't far. After winding around a few small hills that were impossible to dig over, it was only a five-kilometer stretch.

With many hands making light work, it's not difficult for thousands of players to dig a five-kilometer-long ditch.

Players wearing the Death Legion set should dig in areas closer to the swamp, while players without the set should work in areas further away from the swamp.

The player spent only two days digging out the five-kilometer-long, one-meter-deep, and one-meter-wide drainage ditch, and also installed a steam engine developed by the player, a mechanical priest of the Mechanical God Cult.

At the beginning of the drainage ditch, a huge steam pump roared deafeningly, and white columns of steam shot straight into the sky shrouded in poisonous fog, like a horn announcing the end of the world.

The massive pipes greedily devoured the swamp's sap, sending the murky water roaring towards the drainage ditch the players had been frantically digging, leading to the sea.

On the outskirts of the swamp, the rate at which the water level is dropping is visible to the naked eye.

This caused the snake people to hiss in terror and despair, their cries echoing through the thin, poisonous mist.

This time, the snake-man hiding in the swamp finally moved.

……

At the end of the drainage ditch, near the edge of that lifeless, gray-green swamp, Hua Erdaji, wearing that heavy Imperial Type III protective suit, looked as bulky as a black tin can.

He and dozens of other Death Legion players dressed similarly stood listlessly by the newly dug ditch.

In the ditch, murky, greenish water with a pungent, fishy stench was being greedily swallowed up by a huge steam pump, which then roared along the five-kilometer-long ditch toward the distant sea.

The monotonous roar of the steam engine was the only background noise here, shaking the muddy ground beneath our feet.

Looking through those ridiculously thick, round glass goggles at the toxic water flowing, Hua Erdaji felt even more bored than when he was cutting down trees.

"...What happened to the big battle we were promised? Is this all?"

He was muffled inside the gas mask, his voice hissing, echoing heavily and filled with an indescribable sense of suffocation.

The heavy protective suit was already soaked with sweat, as hot and stuffy as a steamer. Vision was restricted by the distorted thick glass, and breathing was accompanied by the hissing sound of the filter canister, making it incredibly heavy.

He felt like a forgotten sculpture, standing there only to add a touch of royal grandeur to this tedious drainage project.

The other canned goods were in similar situations; some were dozing off while leaning on their shovels, while others were kicking clods of mud with their boots out of boredom.

At this moment, a sudden change occurred.

The grayish-green mist drifting from the direction of the swamp suddenly became thick and sticky, churning and surging like a living thing at an extremely fast speed.

One second you could barely see the exposed black mudflats and sparse dead trees a few dozen meters away, and the next second, an impenetrable toxic fog completely enveloped the area at the end of the drainage ditch.

The player's already limited visibility instantly dropped to less than five meters. The roar of the steam engine became muffled and distorted in the thick fog, as if it came from another world.

"Why did the fog suddenly..."

Hua Erdaji stood up straight alertly, the heavy protective suit making a rustling sound as the leather rubbed together.

He instinctively gripped the handle of the machete tucked into his waistband.

However, before the warning could be issued, a series of chilling, dense sounds emanated from the depths of the fog.

It wasn't the roar of a steam engine, but the rustling sound of countless slippery bodies rubbing against the mud and water at high speed, scales scraping against rotten wood, and a high-frequency, cold, malicious hissing sound! The sound surged in from all directions like a tide, instantly drowning out the noise of the steam engine.

"Enemy attack, from the direction of the swamp!!!"

"It's the snake people, they're coming..."

"Form ranks! Quickly surround the water pumps and protect them!!!"

Nobody's a fool. The players quickly realized the fog was abnormal and the snake-men's target. Sharp alarms and the players' roars echoed through the thick fog.

My heart skipped a beat, and my adrenaline surged! Boredom was instantly replaced by extreme tension.

Just as he drew his machete, a blurry black shadow tore through the thick fog with a stench, hurtling straight at his face and colliding with the machete he was swinging.

The slick, slippery figure stumbled from the impact. The heavy protective suit provided excellent defense, while the blade seemed to have struck something tough and slippery. With a painful screech, the dark figure retreated back into the thick fog.

But the enemy's attack through the fog had only just begun!
The thick fog provided the snake-man with excellent cover. In the blurry, slippery vision, he felt that there were moving black shadows all around him. He desperately swung his machete, slashing at any blurry shadow that didn't look human.

The players, dressed in protective suits, managed to hold off the enemy with their superior equipment, but their vision was obstructed, their movements were clumsy, and their lines were on the verge of collapse.

Screams rang out intermittently, from players who hadn't had time to regroup and were knocked down or dragged into the depths of the fog by the snake-men, leaving only their cries cut short.

In the chaos, Hua Er Da Ji caught a glimpse of an engineer player not far away, frantically trying to remove a flamethrower from a two-wheeled cart. Just as he lifted the flamethrower out of the box, a snake-man emerged from the mist and slashed him in the back with a knife.

The engineer player immediately fell to the ground, unable to move, leaving only the flamethrower lying on the wagon.

The thick metal tube and trigger grip at the front of the flamethrower, like a devil's invitation, drew in the eyes of the slippery and ridiculous man in the thick fog.

A crazy, burning thought popped into the ridiculous mind at that moment.

"cover me!"

He roared, his voice distorted and deformed inside the mask, and shoved aside a companion blocking his way, lunging at the flamethrower.

The other players didn't know what he was trying to do, but they all instinctively reacted correctly. Four or five players carrying flintlock pistols opened fire on the shadowy figures around Hua Er Da Ji.

The gunshots rang out, quickly repelling and frightening away the snake-men who were trying to attack Hua Er Da Ji.

Hua Er Da Ji rushed to the carriage without regard for anything else. He dropped his machete, grabbed the flamethrower, and threw it behind him.

The heavy metal can slammed into his back, and he groaned, but his movements didn't falter at all.

Based on his knowledge of flamethrowers, Hua Erdaji tightened the straps, then fumbled to turn on the valve of the steel canister, gripped the cold handle tightly with both hands, and aimed the nozzle at the direction where the hissing sound was most intense in the thick fog ahead.

"Burn it for me!!!"

With all his might, he yelled and slammed the trigger.

"Swoosh... Boom!!!"

A raging fire dragon, orange-red mixed with pale flames, like a ferocious beast from hell breaking free of its restraints, roared deafeningly and emitted a terrifying heat wave as it suddenly spewed out of the nozzle!

The flames instantly tore through the dense poisonous fog, illuminating an area of ​​several meters ahead as bright as day.

"Hiss..."

An indescribable, shrill scream erupted like a chorus from hell. Several snake-men, swallowed head-on by the fire dragon, didn't even have time to struggle before they burst into flames under the scorching heat of a thousand degrees, transforming into snake-shaped torches that danced in the firelight.

The flames, like a leech, frantically licked at their slippery scales and slime, emitting a terrifying sizzling sound. The air was instantly filled with a nauseating stench of burnt meat and burning protein, a stench that could be smelled even through the players' thick gas masks.

The immense recoil propelled Hua Erdaji backward two steps, but he gripped the trigger tightly, as if holding the scepter of destruction, unwilling to let go.

The thick glass goggles of the grotesque breathing mask shone orange-red in the firelight, revealing only the churning flames and the snake-man's figure writhing wildly within them, transforming into a torch! The scene was so violent, so direct, so...exciting!
All the frustration, boredom, and waiting before were finally released in this moment!
"Burn them all, burn them all, hahaha!"

Hua Erdaji burst into maniacal laughter beneath his mask, his hissing breaths mingling with the roar of the flamethrower to create a symphony of destruction.

He clumsily swung the nozzles left and right, letting the destructive fire dragon carve a burning corridor of death through the thick fog! The dense momentum of the snake-men's charge collapsed instantly in the face of this terrifying firepower, and those who were lucky enough to dodge the flames retreated in terror.

However, fire is merciless!

Hua Erdaji was blinded by rage, his vision severely distorted by flames, thick fog, and thick glass.

When he swung the nozzle again, trying to sweep the area on his right from which the hissing sound was coming, he saw nothing.

Or rather, in the frenzy of the killing, Hua Er Da Ji failed to realize that at the edge where the thick fog and flames intertwined, several figures wearing gas masks and leather armor, attempting to flank the scattered snake-men, were actually the players' own people.

"Holy crap, Brother Hua, it's one of us!!"

"Stop..."

"You motherfucker!"

The terrified screams were instantly drowned out by the roar of the flamethrower.

The orange-red tongue of death swept mercilessly, and three players who couldn't dodge in time were swept into the fire dragon. Their leather armor and fur became the best fuel, and almost in the blink of an eye, they turned into screaming, rolling firemen. A few seconds later, they turned into several piles of charred, smoky unidentified objects on the ground.

His ridiculous laughter continued, oblivious to the tragedy unfolding, as flames continued to dance wildly in the mist.

"Burn, burn, burn... I am death, I am destruction, I am Krieg!!!"

Overjoyed, Hua Er Da Ji continued to frantically use fire to drive away and kill the snake people.

This is why Chris was unwilling to equip the regular army with flamethrowers. On this battlefield where close combat was still necessary, flamethrowers were far too dangerous and too likely to accidentally injure friendly forces.

(End of this chapter)