78 The Bandit Tribe

News of a massive bandit cavalry emerging in the Longyou region quickly spread, sending players training in the wilderness into a frenzy. No one in the wild could stand against these horse thieves. Leveling up was already a challenge, and no player wanted to be killed by bandits without reason. Consequently, they all hurried toward the nearest villages for shelter. Many villages that usually saw few players suddenly swelled to over a thousand inhabitants.

The bandits first appeared near a western village in Longyou and moved southeast, continuously harassing the villages along their path. If predictions held true, they would follow the river downstream, pillaging every village in their way. Their arrival at Xiaobai Village was expected by tomorrow or the day after.

Zhan Xiaobai received the news and immediately instructed Qiushui and Young Hero Chunqiu to strengthen the village’s defenses. He also ordered Afei to call back all comrades leveling outside the village. Qiushui had been organizing manpower for days to prepare for the bandits’ assault and protect the farmers during the harvest. Calm and methodical, she managed to accommodate the influx of players into the village.

Meanwhile, Zhan Xiaobai consulted with Sword Overlord on how to handle this sudden crisis. He had initially planned to use trade tactics to subdue Huba Village before harvest, but the bandits’ premature arrival disrupted those plans. He could no longer adhere to his original strategy and had to adapt swiftly.

This bandit uprising revealed the distribution of player forces across Longyou’s villages with startling clarity.

South of the small river, Xiaobai Village stood as the foremost village, housing over 4,100 players. Among them, more than 3,500 were warriors as their primary class, with the rest distributed among other professions. Upstream, Daqi Village had around 1,900 players. Downstream, Wutong Village had formalized and allied with Xiaobai, growing to about 1,400 players. Near Huba Mountain Stronghold, Huihuang Village counted approximately 1,800 players. Other villages ranged between one to two thousand inhabitants.

North of the river, Huba Village led with over 3,100 players, predominantly warriors. Several neighboring villages held between 1,400 and 1,500 players each. Further north, populations were roughly equal.

Among the more than 200 villages in Longyou, a few—fewer than six—stood in the top tier with populations between 3,000 and 4,000. About twenty villages were in the second tier with 2,000 to 3,000 players. The majority, nearly half, had between 1,000 and 2,000 players. Villages with fewer than 1,000 players were mostly newly established or poorly managed, numbering around fifty to sixty. Due to various hardships—mountain bandit raids, player conflicts, natural disasters, or neglect—dozens of villages had been abandoned.

Players usually roamed among villages, making accurate counts difficult. This was the clearest data yet on player distribution across villages.

In truth, given Xiaobai Village’s current strength, attracting more players would not be difficult. However, the area within a ten-li radius offered limited leveling spots. Xiaobai was already at capacity and could not support more players leveling within its bounds. The competition was fierce, forcing many to seek quieter villages, occasionally returning to Xiaobai only to trade collected herbs for potions.

Though Xiaobai housed over 4,000 players, only a quarter were aligned with the four great elders.

Qiushui had gradually taken charge of village defense, commanding about 400 warrior players—most of whom were female. Young Hero Chunqiu always had a contingent of elite players, numbering over 200 under his immediate command. Afei’s loyal brothers could mobilize a similar number. Sword Overlord had fewer warrior confidants, around 40 to 50, with most of his followers belonging to non-combat professions such as merchants and technical specialists.

Excluding these roughly one thousand players, the rest belonged to various clans and guilds, like the Hot-Blooded Clan and Loyalty Gang. The largest, the Hot-Blooded Clan, had two to three hundred members. The village’s player guild was dominated by Sword Overlord.

Ordinarily, players were under no obligation to assist in defending the village. Combat assistance required payment. However, during harvest, all players were required to respond to orders and aid in defense. This unspoken rule ensured players protected the village’s harvest, and in return, the village prevented bandit attacks on players in the wild.

Upon receiving Zhan Xiaobai’s mandate, Qiushui officially took command of village defense. She gathered the influx of players and stationed troops at the village’s four gates.

The basic watchtower could detect enemies three li away. Xiaobai had one such tower at the east gate. Qiushui ordered carpenters and over sixty farmers to swiftly build wooden watchtowers at the remaining three gates. In under an hour, all were completed, manned by vigilant players. No blind spots remained around the village.

Two hundred caltrops and thousands of fist-sized iron spikes were prepared.

The iron spike was a level 20 defensive weapon crafted by master blacksmiths. It added +10 to piercing attacks, had five uses, and durability of 5/5.

After the last bandit raid, Xiaobai Village had dedicated manpower to developing countless countermeasures against horse thieves. The most brutal was the iron spike formation. Zhan Xiaobai used most of the inferior iron ore transported from Huba Village to forge these spiked fist-sized devices. They were quick to deploy and easily retrieved for reuse, provided their durability lasted. This trap was especially effective against cavalry charges, as bandits rarely noticed them on the ground during a charge.

Sword Overlord pondered for a moment and analyzed, “If the bandits don’t attack the village, that’s fine. But if they do manage to breach the defenses, they won’t leave alive. So I’m not worried about that. My biggest concern is the market. With this chaos, we’ve lost control. We must act swiftly to restore order, or the losses will be incalculable. Even if we protect the village’s wealth, the players’ losses will slow down the village’s development.”

Zhan Xiaobai nodded, about to respond.

Suddenly, Afei arrived, sweat pouring down his face. “Big Brother, I’ve confirmed the most accurate news on the bandits. Many players say the bandits attacked numerous villages along the way—that’s pure rumor. Actually, they only assaulted one very weak village, nearly destroying it. After seizing over a hundred jin of grain, they voluntarily withdrew. As for the other villages, the bandits killed many players and issued threats demanding grain, but they didn’t truly attack or occupy any of them.”

Zhan Xiaobai was surprised. They had only attacked one weak village—what exactly was the bandits’ intent?

“How many bandits are there?”

“There are many reports. Some say two or three hundred, others say just dozens. The most reliable information I gathered is about 150 bandits. They have one chief and two deputy leaders. All three leaders have high AI intelligence. The chief wields an iron-tipped bow, one deputy commands a spear, and the other a large broadsword.”