My lord, spare his life!

"General, what's wrong with you...?"

Left Deputy arrived the fastest. Seeing his general's state, his initial anxiety and worry turned into confusion. His gaze swept back and forth between the hand gripping the waistband of the man with the colorful egg, and he hesitated to speak. He couldn't help but think that he shared the same thoughts as Zhang Yang.

When marching, unless under special circumstances, they would only remove half of their armor. Just as they understood the Eastern Bandits, those bandits also understood them very well. They weren't just forced to defend; they would occasionally launch surprise attacks on their strongholds and camps. To deal with this, their troops were on standby around the clock, and their generals were always fully armored. Why was this the case this time?

There's only one possibility left.

This conjecture deepened the left deputy's smile, and a sense of relief arose in his heart that "the general finally has some semblance of life."

Left Deputy: "General, should we...?"

Easter Egg Guy said, "Give me one of your belts."

Left Deputy: "!!!"

He almost thought he was hallucinating, instinctively crossing his arms to protect his chest. Realizing what was happening, he immediately clutched his waist, his face contorted in a grotesque grimace: "No, no!"

The general was relieved to finally show some signs of life, but that didn't mean he could accept that he had become the price to pay.

"The last, the last general—"

Easter Egg Bro understood, and he became furious.

A shadowy glint and an undeniable killing intent flashed in his eyes as he contemplated tearing the thief who had brazenly stolen his belt to pieces. But with dozens of eyes fixed on him, Brother Easter Egg couldn't speak his mind; he could only grit his teeth in fury.

"I don't want what's on you, it's unnecessary!"

The left deputy realized with embarrassment that he had misunderstood.

There were no spare belts available, so they had to tear one off their clothes for a makeshift solution. The young military officer snatched the makeshift belt and said fiercely, "Some scum have infiltrated. Check them out, and if you catch them, cut off their heads!"

Upon hearing this, his two deputies immediately became highly vigilant.

The young military officer turned and went into the camp.

Zhang Yang could hear a rustling sound of fabric rubbing together, occasionally accompanied by the clanging of cold metal. A short while later, Brother Cai Dan emerged from the tent, and the right deputy said with shame, "This subordinate failed in his patrol and found no trace of any thieves in the camp."

The Left Deputy also clasped his hands in a fist and said, "This humble general begs for forgiveness."

At this moment, they were also filled with lingering fear.

The general's claim that scum had infiltrated the camp was certainly not unfounded. Considering the recent farce, a bold idea sprouted in the two men's minds—that scum had silently taken the general's belt! But that was something he wore close to his body!

The general only discovered it after he took the belt!

What does this mean? It means that the thief who stole the belt could also take the general's life silently. This time it was the belt, next time it might be a slit throat! As the young general's trusted confidants, they had some idea of ​​their general's strength, which is why they dared not imagine how powerful the thief was. Could he possibly have easily wiped out everyone in their camp?

I can't even imagine it!

At this moment, Fan You said, "There's no need to worry too much."

In such a tense atmosphere, Fan You's voice instantly drew everyone's attention, filled with suspicion, urgency, shock, confusion, and a touch of impatience. Fan You calmly said, "It's not necessarily that the thief's infiltration skills are so strong that they can toy with the general at close range without being detected. It's also possible that some strategist from the Three Enclosures used the power of the stars to carry out a theft as a warning. This is not impossible."

Fan You added: "It's also possible that the four symbols belong to the same element."

There are quite a few cases where theft is achieved without the victim being physically close to the victim.

The two deputies exchanged a glance, then looked at their general.

The young general simply pursed his lips, neither nodding nor denying: "Tonight, patrols and vigilance have been strengthened. Any unusual discoveries will be reported immediately. Whether it's a civil or military official, or someone from the Three Palaces or the Four Symbols, there is indeed such a thief."

Was stealing his belt a warning, a provocation, or a threat?

Regardless of which one—

If he catches them, he'll make them suffer a thousand cuts!

The two deputies responded in unison, "Yes, sir."

Zhang Yang and Fan You returned to their previous positions.

The latter gave the former a knowing look, but Zhang Yang couldn't understand and turned away, opting for physical shielding. No need to ask, Fan You was certain it was Zhang Yang who did it. However, Zhang Yang's temper was what it was, and Fan You couldn't do anything about it, so he could only vent his anger on the clueless spicy snack. For some reason, these venomous snakes not only didn't avoid him, but one after another attacked his hand.

"benefactor--"

He called out to the left deputy in a low voice.

Left Deputy: "Speak your mind."

Fan You said, "Although I don't understand farming, I know these snakes can't tolerate the cold. And although this place isn't within the celestial range, it's not far away, and it's also affected by the celestial imbalances. How can these wild snakes in the mountains be so active at this temperature?"

Left Deputy: "Not surprising. The Eastern Fan Mountains are full of snakes, and many of these snakes have given rise to unique star beasts. Although the new snakes born from them are not as ferocious as the star beasts, they still have many advantages of ordinary snakes. They appear in winter and actively attack people, which is quite common."

The venomous snakes that actively attack people also serve as a natural defense. Other forces that want to enter the mountains to exterminate the Eastern Bandits will not only face unfamiliar terrain, formidable enemies skilled in mountain warfare and well-supplied with supplies, but also these venomous snakes.

"They seem...to be particularly fond of us siblings?"

"Naturally, you two are outsiders."

The bandits of the Eastern Frontier had their own methods of repelling snakes. Living in the mountains, they would consume a special supplement. Over the years, this supplement would penetrate their skin and produce a scent that ordinary humans could not detect, but that venomous snakes could smell.

Venomous snakes will naturally avoid them.

Fan You and Zhang Yang were different.

"I see, I see." After hearing the Left Deputy's explanation, Fan You took note. The next moment, as if realizing something, he hurriedly assured, "I will definitely not tell anyone else about this!"

Left Deputy: "Don't be nervous, it's not really a secret."

The fewer people who know a secret, the better it is to keep it from being leaked. Once there are many people, especially the size of the Eastern Bandits at their peak, it is impossible to keep it completely secret!

Many outsiders knew about this.

However, very few people have mastered the use of special excipients.

The secret recipes are all held by a few leaders.

Fan You breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this.

He diligently played his role, and whenever he saw his lord Zhang Yang, the man would hug his knees and fall asleep quietly and obediently. However, for some reason, Fan You felt that something was amiss. It was quiet, but was it too quiet? He was uneasy.

Fan You's unease was justified.

If a child is quiet, he must be up to no good.

Zhang Yang wasn't a child, but her mischievousness and destructive power far surpassed that of ordinary kids. For example, this time, she unexpectedly discovered a little Easter egg planted by the game designers—according to the game's official settings, players' "stealing" wasn't without its limitations; there was a rather vague restriction: the appearance of NPC models was something that couldn't be stolen!

But even Easter Egg Guy's belt could be stolen!

That's a belt!

Other NPCs' clothing and accessories are completely stolen, not even their belts. These appearances are welded to the NPCs and cannot be separated from them.

If we could allow theft to be unrestricted, in order to observe the NPCs' mischievous and playful nature, the NPCs would forever lose the right to use underwear and socks, and the survivor base would be full of NPCs running around naked!

Easter Egg Bro's belt was stolen, and his pants slipped down. Luckily, he was in his tent when it happened, otherwise his pants would have fallen down in public. Zhang Yang couldn't help but wonder, where is the game designer's bottom line?! How much of Easter Egg Bro's clothing could be stolen?! She didn't want to steal it; she was just curious about the quantity and variety…

I'm even more curious if stealing them all would bring a sense of accomplishment.

The achievement system is also part of the gameplay; it aims to collect, record, and observe every first moment in a player's career!

How could Zhang Yang resist the temptation?

That's a collection achievement!

Perhaps it's a hidden achievement that's not easy to spot!

In the shadows, Zhang Yang's hand never stopped.

The system log also displayed the result of "Stealing".

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

Congratulations! You have received a used hair tie.

Zhang Yang was overjoyed and hurriedly went to read the item description.

[Item "A Used Hair Tie": You obtained it unexpectedly. The owner of this hair tie appears to be a general.]

Zhang Yang's eyes lit up immediately.

This is from the same series as the description of that belt.

[Item "A Belt": You obtained it unexpectedly. The owner of this belt appears to be a general.]

That's quite an achievement in collecting things.

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

It takes about ten or more failures to succeed once.

Besides the hair tie and belt, Zhang Yang also received a gold beaded earring, a pair of shawls forgotten by their owner, and a half-eaten biscuit. The item descriptions all ended with "XX's owner appears to be a general," clearly indicating they were from the same series!

Zhang Yang felt that he was losing his energy.

We had to stop and take a break.

How many times does this achievement require "stealing"?

She yawned, her head heavy, and soon sleepiness washed over her, turning her feigned sleep into a real one. Fan You heard her breathing steady and inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief. Little did he know, in a nearby tent, the young general's face was as black as ink.

The two deputies, who had somehow infiltrated the group, dared not even breathe.

They watched helplessly as several items disappeared.

When the things disappeared, only the three of them remained in the camp.

No matter how vigilant or thorough the cleanup, a fourth person cannot be found.

Enraged, the young military officer crushed the stone into powder and said fiercely, "No need to look anymore, that scum couldn't possibly be in the camp."

Left Deputy: "Should I order men to search the surrounding area?"

Young military commander: "Perhaps it's outside our vigilance range."

He cursed, "You cowardly bastard!"

The two assistants shrank back in fear.

What kind of peculiar taste does this thief have? Why does he only steal these worthless things? If he's so capable, why doesn't he steal even the general's personal belongings!

Of course, I dared not say this aloud.

There are only two items that fit more closely than a belt.

If this gets stolen too, they're really afraid the general will be so enraged that he'll kill them all to vent his anger if he can't kill the bastards.

That night, many people were so worried that they couldn't sleep.

Because of the unique terrain, the Dongfan Mountains were shrouded in heavy fog, and for half an hour before dawn, it was pitch black. The Dongfan bandits had begun preparing their troops before that. Fan You, who was not a deep sleeper, was soon awakened and nudged Zhang Yang.

"Wake up, we're about to set off."

Zhang Yang looked listless, his shoulders slumped, his eyelids drooping, and he seemed half-awake: "I haven't had enough sleep yet."

Fan You: "..."

Just as he was wondering whether he should try to coax him, Zhang Yang suddenly opened his eyes, jumped up, stretched, and did half of the gymnastics he had learned from observing the samples to warm up and relax.

Fan You: "..."

Zhang Yang's commotion naturally attracted a lot of attention and vigilance.

Everyone was afraid that Zhang Yang would suddenly attack.

result--

Left Deputy handed Fan You a pancake, saying with pity, "Here, have some. Being an elder brother isn't easy, especially with such a special younger sister, and in this world, alas, you've suffered."

Fan You: "..."

After a night of reflection, the young military officer had calmed down. His gaze swept over Zhang Yang and his companion without lingering, and he said to his two deputies, "There's something wrong with this fog; we shouldn't stay here any longer!"

"only!"

Before long, all the bandits from the eastern vassal state had mounted their horses.

Zhang Yang and his companion were also blindfolded.

Her eyes were covered, but her hands didn't stop.

I wonder if this Easter egg guy has a plot-driven death. What if he dies before she gets the hidden achievement? Wouldn't she never get it? NPCs have legs too, and even if they don't die, they'll still run around everywhere.

At that time, this achievement will be even more difficult to accomplish.

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

Fan You: "...Is Yang Niang still sleepy?"

He was blindfolded and could not see Zhang Yang's appearance or location.

Zhang Yang remained silent, which made him feel uneasy.

After a long while, Zhang Yang finally said, "No."

She looks very energetic!

I just stole another achievement item!

Fan You: "That's good."

Unfortunately, the attempt to "steal" failed.

The new achievement item meant she was one step closer to the hidden achievement, and Zhang Yang wished she had three heads and six arms to use [Steal]. After more than twenty empty-handed attempts, the system log finally displayed a unique record, but—

Zhang Yang: "...No?"

Congratulations on obtaining the "Archer's Quiver".

[Item "Archer's Quiver": An abandoned quiver, filled with arrows, some stained with its owner's blood. It may never serve its master again!]

"A quiver?"

She couldn't resist lifting the blindfold.

"What are you doing? Who gave you permission to lift it?"

Beside him, the Eastern Bandit soldier gave a low warning.

Zhang Yang glanced around.

The fog was so thick that while it wasn't pitch black, you definitely couldn't see more than two meters away, let alone the names above the NPCs' heads.

"Even a billionaire like Birdman can't help in this environment."

The billion-dollar bird that Eggman raises is difficult to detect.

"What if there's an ambush in the shadows..."

That would allow them to take the opportunity to escape with Fan You.

However, Zhang Yang was somewhat reluctant to part with the Easter Egg Guy.

She hasn't finished completing her hidden achievements yet.

??(』?』)シ┳━┳

Zhang Yang: Observe how strong the obsession of the sample is with achievement. They can work hard for three or ten years for an achievement.