章節 158: A Sky-High Starting Bid
These uprising soldiers who came to plunder the food were lacking discipline from the beginning. They were far inferior to Skylark Camp's Third Battalion. They had no formal training and during battles, they simply charged forward haphazardly. They might do well in easy fights, but once faced with adverse situations, they didn't know what to do.
In the past, with Easton's command, they could at least know what to do on the battlefield. But now that Easton had been captured, they were instantly at a loss.
By the time these uprising soldiers reacted, some of them dropped their weapons and surrendered, some knelt and begged for mercy, and some tried to escape in all directions. A scene similar to before was unfolding, but with a new group of people.
Most of the uprising soldiers chose to flee because they were well aware that rebellion was a capital offense. If they were caught after surrendering, the likelihood of being sentenced to death was high. It was better to escape and join another group for further rebellion.
For these hungry and desperate people, the words "loyalty" and "commitment" were too luxurious. They just wanted to survive, and the location of their rebellion didn't matter. Therefore, not many were willing to risk their lives to save Easton.
Easton seemed to understand this as well. After being caught by Jake, he looked defeated, as if he had lost all his vitality in an instant. Eli immediately ordered the capture of the fleeing uprising soldiers.
Of course, due to the need to protect the food and limited manpower, the scope of capture wasn't too extensive, and they didn't pursue those who escaped too relentlessly.
"Good job." Eli walked over to Jake's side, looked at the dejected Easton beside him, and patted Jake's shoulder in praise.
Although Eli knew that Jake had considerable skill, in his opinion, being able to withstand the enemy's attack was already commendable. He hadn't expected that Jake not only endured the attack but also managed to capture the enemy leader. This greatly exceeded his expectations.
And Jake's actions directly caused the enemy to collapse. After losing Alexander, Skylark Camp had almost collapsed. Fortunately, at a critical moment, Jake and Eli stepped forward. However, the uprising side had no similar figures, and their organization was even looser. So, once their leader was captured, they immediately fell into disarray.
"Thank you." Jake smiled.
Jake was somewhat grateful. Just now, if Easton hadn't insisted on challenging his strength, it wouldn't have been easy for Jake to win against him, let alone capture him. Currently, Jake's techniques were limited, and his biggest advantage was his strength. In a strength contest with Easton, Jake naturally wouldn't have a favorable outcome. If Easton had chosen a different approach, the outcome might have been different.
After cleaning up the battlefield, Jake's group didn't set out immediately. Instead, they rested in place. Although the battle hadn't lasted long, ending with Skylark Camp's victory and although Alexander had run away at the beginning without commanding them, it had caused significant losses. Many were injured or killed. Therefore, the group had to pause for a while to tend to the wounded and the deceased.
The Third Brigade is located within Skylark Camp and is the brigade with the least casualties. Previously, during training, many who had reservations about Eli now hold a sense of gratitude in their hearts for his prior training. Without that training, they might have suffered heavy casualties similar to the other brigades.
By afternoon, Skylark Camp resumed its journey. Even though Alexander was dead, the mission to transport the supplies wouldn't end. They still had to deliver the food to the Desolate Plains within the specified time, otherwise, they would face punishment.
Compared to before, there are fewer people in Skylark Camp, but there are now some unfamiliar faces. They are all prisoners captured from previous battles, now assigned to push carts. As for the residents of Skylark Camp, they are armed with confiscated weapons, supervising from the sidelines. The work is much easier compared to before.
Following Alexander's death, the entire Skylark Camp is now under the command of Eli. Although there might be dissent among a few other squad leaders, the ordinary soldiers seem to have no objections. Among these squad leaders, it's evident that Eli's past performances have garnered him greater favor and trust from the enlisted personnel.
After the team set up camp, Jake returned to the real world. He didn't immediately get up from bed, instead lying there for a while. Scenes from the previous battle still occasionally flashed through his mind. Although that battle was brief, its intensity surpassed his previous experiences of fighting monsters for leveling up. Moreover, this time he was directly engaging with people in combat, rather than killing mindless creatures, which left Jake feeling slightly uneasy.
Furthermore, Jake believes that if he were in the real world rather than the game world, he might not have performed as well. Primarily because he knows that he wouldn't truly face death there, so his concerns would be minimal, leading to a bolder display of bravery.
After calming himself for a while, Jake finally got up to exercise. In the morning, Jake received a call from Dirk. Dirk reminded Jake not to forget about tonight's auction. The painting "Farewell to a Guest" has already been sent to JH Auction House.
"Guess how much the starting price for this painting is," Dirk asked in a somewhat proud tone over the phone.
"How much?" Jake asked, "Five million?"
"Five million? No way it's that low," Dirk responded, "Guess higher."
"Ten million?"
"Still lower."
"Twenty million?"
"Lower!"
Jake's breathing became somewhat rapid, his voice slightly trembling as he asked, "Could it be thirty million?"
"Exactly, it's thirty million!" Dirk said, his tone also sounding somewhat excited, "The painting has been authenticated by JH Auction House, and this starting price is their suggestion. I agreed to it."
Thirty million?! Upon hearing Dirk's words, Jake felt dizzy. That's thirty million, not three thousand. Before obtaining that magical ring, Jake earned a bit over three thousand in a month. And now, he might potentially get thirty million? What an immense figure that is! Of course, he would have to split the auction proceeds with Dirk, but even so, it would still be a substantial sum.
"Will setting such a high starting price cause the auction to fail?" Jake asked with some concern. If the auction fails, they won't receive a single penny, and they'll still have to pay the auction house's fees, which would be a huge loss.
"It shouldn't, I think," Dirk said somewhat uncertainly, "This starting price was suggested by the auction house. There shouldn't be a problem. Li Suzhi's calligraphy works are still popular in the collector's world. That previous calligraphy work fetched over forty million, and 'Farewell to a Guest' is even more exceptional. Its final sale price will only be higher!"
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