Chapter 85: C85: Could This Be Taoyuan?
[Complicated POVs]
After finishing the fledgling tutorial, we officially entered the game. In the main UI, I could already see many players chatting in the lobby. Our group was playing in a private room by default, and the computers were not beside each other, so we couldn't sneak a glance, at each other's screens or guess anyone's identity.
Except for the role of the lord, which was an open card, everyone else was hidden. My role was the lord. I directly chose Liu Bei as my military commander.
On one hand, there was a sense of immersion—after all, Liu Bei was the master of Shu. On the other hand, I was more familiar with this general since I had used him in the novice tutorial. It was simple to deal damage and regain health with him.
Wang Han chose Zhao Yun as his general, positioning himself as a rebel.
Song Ren, as a loyal minister, chose Zhuge Liang.
Wang Yifan was in the traitor camp and picked Sun Shangxiang,
while Qiao Yi, the last player, selected Zhen Ji.
We all seriously studied our general skill descriptions. Since we had finished the Greenhorn tutorial. We only had a general idea of the game, and weren't fully aware of the ins and outs yet. Once everyone had their choices, the game began.
As the lord, I looked at my cards in my intangible hand. I equipped myself with a Zhangba Snake spear and a horse. Then I threw down a barbarian Invasion card, shedding Sun Shangxiang's blood. The others didn't lose any blood.
In the beginning. It was hard to identify who was a rebel, loyal minister, or traitor. I decided to play it safe for now.
Next up was Wang Han. Without saying a word, she equipped herself with a stone axe. Although she didn't have a kill, she had three flashes. Using Zhao Yun's skills, she immediately attacked me.
"The true secret lies in knowing when to advance and when to retreat!" Zhao Yun's words resonated as his attack special effects flashed across the screen.
She calmly threw a flash. But She didn't stop there—she threw two more flashes and used the stone axe's skill to forcefully tear me apart.
"Zilong, ah, Zilong! So, you're the rebel!" I sighed when Wang Han revealed her true colors. Despite losing some blood, I wasn't nervous. After all, as Liu Bei, I could restore chunks of health. Once I figured out who was loyal. I could deal with others. What a great atmosphere!
"Pfft! Let's see how long you last, idiot!" Wang Han pouted and ended her turn.
Next, it was Qiao Yi's turn. As the anti-thief, she immediately activated her skill.
"It was as if cloud veiled the moon, and snow was swept by the passing wind."
She succeeded in three consecutive draws, pulling a Zhuge Crossbow an Ace of Clubs, and a Six of Spades. The third card was a "flash," but she failed the draw.
Qiao Yi glanced at her cards, then suddenly lunged toward me, playing Lebusi Shu without saying a word. But she quickly realized something awkward.
"Why can't I attack you, Lao Zhang?!" she said, frustrated, holding a kill card.
Wang Yifan jumped in, "Didn't the beginner tutorial explain the rules? To attack across positions, you need a horse or a weapon with an attack range greater than The Zhuge Crossbow doesn't have enough range!"
"Next time, brush up on the tutorial!" Yifan called out.
"Your identity's already exposed."
Just as the words left my mouth, Zhen Ji made her move in the game. With a swift slash, Sun Shangxiang, my general, was eliminated.
"That's what you get for running your mouth!" Wang Yifan's shocked expression said it all.
At this point, it was clear the lord couldn't be targeted, and the traitor's identity had been revealed. Whether Sun Shangxiang was loyal or a traitor no longer mattered to me—she was the only target. Eliminating her was a smart play either way.
Honestly, it was her fault for showing so openly!
"No way, that was personal revenge!" Wang Yifan's voice echoed with disbelief.
What had he done wrong? Nothing in the game, that's for sure—just a bit too much trash talk, perhaps. Even worse, he hadn't landed a single kill. He was barely into the game, and he was already out.
As I stared at my screen, still processing what had happened, another kill hit me. Thanks to the damage I took during the Barbarian Invasion in the first round, I was the first player to be eliminated.
"My god, these generals are way too overpowered! I thought the black card was supposed to be unbeatable?" Yifan said, wide-eyed like me.
Luckily, someone else took the fall for the next attack. Yiyi had only one flash card left. At this point, he was starting to doubt whether Liu Bei was a good pick—what's the point of giving others cards if they will use them against me?
It felt like he had invited everyone to a party, only to sit back while they had all the fun!
"Why is everyone targeting me?!" Yifan blurted out, watching as Zhuge Liang's voice echoed in the game, saying, "No... I can't fall yet..." But it was too late. He was done for, speechless at how quickly he was knocked out of the game.
His, first time playing Three Kingdoms and he was out before he even had a chance to play a proper round. Worst of all? He didn't even get to use a single good card.
Wang Han chuckled. "Just so you know, it's not everyone targeting you—it's Yiyi."
"Unlucky!" Song Ren sighed in relief. "Glad I'm not sitting in your spot!"
The remaining players—down to four now—were still fiercely battling it out. The spectators who weren't playing got a real kick out of watching, especially as the game mechanics became clearer. Besides strategy, luck played a huge role. Some players even started talking about the infamous Heavenly Hand card.
Take Zhen Ji, for example. She had a Zhuge Crossbow and managed to knock out the lord in one fell swoop, chaining together black cards for a devastating series of kills. If that's not luck, what is?
More experienced players quickly grasped the game's deeper mechanics. While casual players found it a lot less complicated than they had initially thought. Strategy was essential, but a bit of good fortune could make or break your game.
The match had reached a stalemate, with Zhang Yi and Song Ren—playing Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang, respectively—teaming up as monarch and minister. But their synergy wasn't exactly stellar. The way they were positioned didn't help either.
"Old Zhang! I may not know how Zhuge Liang died in history, but I'm sure this one's going down because of you!" Ren glanced at the cards in his hand, barely able to do anything with them.
After emptying the hand in one round. He was left with two cards. Neither of which were particularly useful. Meanwhile, his Empty City Strategy hadn't triggered even once!
Luckily, He used my stargazing skill to draw a useful card, demolishing the bridge and giving Zhen Ji a big disadvantage. Otherwise, He'd have been toast long ago.
"My health bar's looking dangerous here. Bear with me," He muttered, eyeing the three drops of blood he'd regained. Desperation had fully set in.
Compared to Zhao Yun and Zhen Ji, these rebels were strong—too strong. Their synergy was brutal, and it wasn't good for our side.
"Don't fight to the bitter end!" someone shouted.
"Yeah, just admit defeat!" another voice chimed in.
Wang Han and Qiao Yi, armed to the teeth with powerful weapons and armor, showed no signs of backing down, even though both were hanging on with just two drops of health.
"Admit defeat? Never! It's comeback time!" Ren exclaimed, excited by the cards he had just drawn. Finally, some hope!
"Don't panic, my lord. I have a plan!" he said, fully embracing his role. In the game, Zhuge Liang's voice echoed as he announced, "Lightning!"
A lightning icon appeared above Zhuge Liang's head.
"Brilliant! The Prime Minister's strategy is flawless!" I said, thrilled with how things were going. The rebels wouldn't stand a chance.
However, when Wang Han and Qiao Yi's turns came around, they lacked the cards to cross the river or demolish the bridge. Both tried to finish off Zhuge Liang, but I still had a peach card to heal up just in time.
"It's alright, Yiyi. We still have a chance. As long as we don't get struck by lightning, we'll get him next turn," Wang Han reassured.
"Hmph! Keep dreaming! It's our time to turn the tide! I am the mighty Prime Minister!" Ren gloated.
But as he was about to revel in my victory, Zhuge Liang's voice rang out again in the game: "Something out of nothing!"
Wait... What? Song had made a critical mistake.
Song, realizing what he'd done, looked equally shocked. He had noticed his lightning card from his stargazing, but when he saw the "something out of nothing" card, he couldn't resist drawing it second. Two extra cards were too tempting, but it was a costly error.
Then, in the center of the game, a judgment card appeared—the 7 of Spades. Lightning judgment had been triggered.
Dark clouds gathered over Liu Bei's head. And a bolt of lightning struck.
"Could this... Taoyuan…" Liu Bei's final words echoed in the game as my character was struck down.
Wang Yifan, who had been eliminated earlier, could barely contain his laughter. Wang Han and Qiao Yi high-fived, celebrating their victory.
"Prime Minister, care to explain what just happened?" I glared at Song, thoroughly defeated.
Clearing his throat "Let's switch to JellyMan! Chen Xu wasn't kidding—this game's a blast!"
Song, trying to change the subject and move on from his blunder, looked sheepish but relieved to have survived the ordeal.
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Liu Bei was emperor of Shu Han for three years.
There are two people, Wang Han and Wang Yifan.
Sometimes Wang Yi will be also used for Wang Yifan
Zhangba Snake Spear- https://sssclass-gacha-hunter.fandom.com/wiki/Zhangba_Snake_Spear
MaoMao is some fictional game in the last chapter.
Some words may sound weird, please do bear with it. I couldn't find any reference to the game and the Chinese wordplay.
Please do point out the error and mistakes.
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