31 Marauders on the Prowl (Part 1)

"Cavalry!"
A sharp-eyed player cried out in alarm.
Five horses galloped side by side, entering the view of the players in Little White Village. Riders sat atop them, clad in gray cloth; two carried bows on their backs, the other three had ropes at their waists and horse-cutting sabers in their hands.
How rare—this was truly a rare sight.
Though this was Xiliang, a paradise for cavalry, players who had actually seen cavalry were exceedingly few.
The lively village abruptly fell silent.
Look at their gear, the glare of those horse-cutting sabers was blinding. Look at those horses—tall and robust, their breath audible. Compared to the players' pitiful cloth garments and bronze blades, the difference was heaven and earth.
No one knew which NPC faction these cavalry belonged to: Ma Teng, Han Sui, Dong Zhuo?
A bewildered player, full of admiration, ran toward the cavalry, shouting, "NPC cavalry, you’re my idols! Take me as your apprentice!"
The five cavalrymen, riding fast horses, charged together like the wind, immediately shooting at the first players they encountered.
Whoosh, several arrows flashed; players vanished into white light one by one.
The players finally realized—with such wanton killing, these weren’t NPC cavalry, but—"NPC horse bandits!"
"Run!"
"Ahh, I’m dead!"
Chaos erupted among the players at the village’s northern edge, panic spreading through their ranks. Humanoid NPC enemies were, to all current players, a terrifying presence in the game.
"Retreat, get into the village!"
Qiu Shui regained her composure, shouting as she organized a mass withdrawal of players into the village. A great retreat—over a thousand players streamed inside.
Zhan Xiaobai and Sword Tyrant retreated with the others; he immediately ordered Spring and Autumn Hero to lead the hundred prepared players in a flanking maneuver to cut off the horse bandits’ escape route. He also had Ah Fei quickly assemble a second team, ready to support at any moment.
Spring and Autumn Hero, accepting the command, took the village’s strongest hundred players and moved from the right wing to encircle the bandits.

The horse bandits saw a group of players trying to cut off their rear and slowed their pursuit, beginning an orderly withdrawal, always keeping about a hundred meters from Spring and Autumn Hero’s team.
A few players drew too near.
From a hundred meters away, the bandits nocked arrows and fired—whoosh, whoosh—the players were immediately killed.
Spring and Autumn Hero, burning with anger, ordered a charge. Over a hundred players surged forward, but the horse bandits retreated calmly, firing arrows as they went. One, two, three, ...
Watching his companions fall one by one, unable even to get within fifty meters of the bandits, Spring and Autumn Hero was so furious he nearly coughed blood. He finally realized this charge was pure suicide and quickly roared, "Retreat! Everyone, retreat!"
As soon as the players withdrew, the horse bandits spurred their horses back, chasing the stragglers. Mockingly, they stopped firing arrows and instead wielded their sabers, cutting down each player with precision. Screams echoed, bodies exploded everywhere.
The battle became a performance for the horse bandits.
The watching players exchanged bewildered looks. The gap between cavalry and foot soldiers was too vast—no matter how many, it made no difference. What level were these bandits, after all?
Of the hundred-plus advanced players from Little White Village, over thirty died in a single charge, the rest fleeing in utter disarray.
Fortunately, by now all players had retreated into the village, anxious and uneasy.
Spring and Autumn Hero, battered, entered the village and approached Zhan Xiaobai, shamefaced. "Boss, I failed the mission, and so many people died..."
Zhan Xiaobai shook his head, comforting him. "It’s alright. You covered everyone’s retreat—you’ve completed the planned task. I just didn’t expect them to be so clever, never falling into the trap, retreating and firing all the way. ... Let’s hope this fence can hold them off."
"Whoosh, whoosh!"
Arrows flew in from outside; Zhan Xiaobai, Sword Tyrant, Spring and Autumn Hero, Qiu Shui, and others hurriedly threw themselves to the ground, not daring to stay near the fence, fleeing deeper inside. The command center shifted further into the village.
"Ah Fei, hold the line! The whole village depends on you!"
Zhan Xiaobai left with a smile, reminding Ah Fei.
Ah Fei nodded with a bitter face. He had to keep his second team by the fence; if the horse bandits broke through, they would have to fight desperately, or the hard-won village would be destroyed.

Outside the empty village, the horse bandits circled the fence, hacking at it fiercely. A few blows and the fragile fence was ruined, leaving gaping holes. Inside, players massed tightly, gripping bronze blades, blocking the gaps and nervously guarding against a bandit charge.
The bandits never entered, merely prowling outside and damaging the fence. From horseback, they peered into the village.
After more than ten minutes of standoff, the bandits withdrew.
The players were puzzled, asking each other why the bandits suddenly retreated. Did they fear the village was too hard to take?
Zhan Xiaobai and Sword Tyrant exchanged glances, both uneasy. At first, they couldn’t guess the bandits’ purpose, but after the bandits’ conspicuous actions, it became clear.
The bandits circled the village, wrecked the fence, and, upon seeing the farmland, withdrew—they were targeting the village’s crops.
Zhan Xiaobai calculated silently: the bandits’ goals were likely twofold—destroy the grain or steal it. If they wanted to destroy it, they could have ruined the farmland now, no need to wait. Since they withdrew now, they must be planning to return when it’s time to harvest and seize the grain.
Only two days remained before the harvest.
The system’s design was indeed clever—when it struck, it went straight for the vital point. It neither aimed to wipe out the village nor massacre the players, but to use the horse bandits as a means to steal the grain. With the food gone, could the village’s development continue? What a ruthless, devastating move.
The system struck hard, but Zhan Xiaobai was no less ruthless. To protect a month’s worth of village progress, he would stop at nothing.
He commanded, "Sword Tyrant, Qiu Shui, Hero—come to the administrative hall to discuss how to ambush these bandits. Bring Ah Fei from outside, too. Also, gather the influential player leaders, those who’ve contributed greatly to the village. Bring everyone to the hall to plan tactics. In two days, I swear these bandits will never return!"
Zhan Xiaobai’s resolute tone instantly inspired everyone.
"Yes!"
The group moved, converging in the administrative hall for urgent discussion of ambush strategies.
Preparations for battle began in earnest.