National Games: Hang up from the zombie apocalypse

Fang Heng raised his head and asked, "Gain the Empire's trust? How do we accomplish this task?"

"There are many ways, such as providing the Empire with a list of materials and resources needed, accepting various tasks announced by the Empire, such as salvaging shipwrecks, drawing nautical charts around the Empire, cracking down on pirate groups in the Empire's waters, and maintaining good relations with various high-ranking officials of the Empire, etc."

Gaining the Empire's trust is a series of quest chains, and players only need to choose the one they are best at.

Fang Heng thought for a moment.

So, does that mean farming resources is also possible?
That's quite simple.

"Then let's collect resources."

Fang Heng considers himself very good at gathering resources.

The group exchanged glances but did not object.

Although in their view, given Fang Heng's terrifying combat capabilities as a Licker, it would be easier for him to directly take on the escort mission and completely wipe out the Skull and Bones pirate group, or to hunt down a few pirate groups.

Fang Heng looked at everyone and asked, "Are there any resources nearby that the empire needs that we can collect?"

First mate Howell had his assistant bring him a map of the sea area and displayed it on the table. "Commander, this is the sea area we are in. This is our current location. There are markers for various resource points on this map, which are represented by red numbers. Generally, the higher the number, the greater the difficulty of mining."

Fang Heng glanced at the map and pointed to the nearest top-tier resource island.

"That's it then."

Everyone looked at each other, their expressions changing slightly.

Sapphire Island.

The island's underground veins contain a high concentration of sapphires. Due to the high degree of crystallization of these gemstones, the entire island, when viewed from above, resembles a dazzling sapphire, hence its name.

However, sapphire veins are extremely hard, making mining very difficult.

In particular, its location is very unfortunate, being right under the control of the Skull and Bones Society.

In the past, there have been people who have thought of going to mine it, but almost every time they have encountered an attack by the Skull and Bones Society.

Over time, no one dared to come and mine in this area anymore.

Howell's expression changed, and he warned, "Sir, we're already close to the territory of the Skull and Bones Society. If we mine there, we're likely to be attacked by them."

Hmm? Is there a possibility of an attack by the Skull and Bones Society?

Fang Heng's eyelids twitched, and he looked at Howell.

And such good things?

If the Skull Society attacks first, wouldn't he be able to wipe out a wave of the Skull Society and gain some reputation?
By the way, defeating pirates is also one of the tasks for earning points, right?
Earn points for both at the same time!

perfect!

“Let’s go, the commander has already given the order,” Cao Ge stood up, put his hand on Howell’s shoulder to stop him from continuing, “head to Sapphire Island immediately, and take all the ships we just seized with us.”

Howell nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go prepare now."

The fleet changed course and sped toward the blue island.

Meanwhile, Ronan led a group of terrified remnants back to the Skull and Bones pirate crew's secret outpost on a remote island at sea, and hurriedly went to report to the Grand Commander.

"Gone? What did you say? Less than five of the ships you took with you have returned? And everyone on board is dead?"

President Delanck was somewhat doubtful whether he had misheard, staring intently at Ronan with a look of shock on his face.

He had never suffered such a defeat since he took command of the Skull and Bones pirate crew.

"Commander, we have encountered undead bone dragons and creatures we have never seen before. Those creatures are terrifying, and our men are no match for them."

Ronan was terrified and his words were incoherent.

He had never seen a creature as terrifying as the Licker.

Not only is it impervious to swords and spears, but even the mages of the magic guild can't deal with it at all!

That's pure evil!
"waste!"

Seeing Ronan's distraught appearance, Delanck became even more furious and unleashed a torrent of angry words.

"Please calm down, sir."

Beside her, the red-haired second-in-command, Delia, said, "Grand Duke Wendy has already provided us with information in advance, confirming that the ship's defenses are insufficient and it should not fail."

"Delia, what are you trying to say?"

Delia said, "Is it possible that our intelligence sources are faulty? Or perhaps this is a trap set against our pirate crew?"

Ronan was inwardly distressed, but he nodded hastily and looked at Delaney with pleading eyes.

Delanck also sensed a conspiracy and suppressed his anger to try to think it over.

Yes.

Didn't the intelligence say that now is the best time to strike?

Thinking about it carefully, although Ronan is stupid, he is still quite capable in combat.

Could it be that they were set up?
Just as he was pondering this, a pirate's subordinate rushed over to report.

"Commander, we have spotted ships approaching Sapphire Island at full speed. It is Cao Ge's fleet, and our captured ships are also on board."

Ok?
Delan's heart skipped a beat, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at Delia beside him.

What do you mean?
Logically, Cao Ge had already seized more than twenty small ships from them and made a fortune. He would definitely return to the imperial port to either sell the small ships for a huge profit or expand his fleet by recruiting new crew members.

But the other party did not do that.

And they even swaggered off to Sapphire Island with so many ships?
What are we going to do? Min?

joke!

How can it be!

Why bring so many empty ships to a mining site? And doesn't mining require labor?
There were hardly any laborers on those ships!

Or was it a deliberate act to provoke them and entice them to attack?

Bait?
Delia also looked thoughtful, muttering to herself, "Why would they go to Sapphire Island at this time...? And with so many ships, it doesn't make sense."

Delank looked at Delia, the guild's strategist, and asked, "Delia, what's your opinion?"

"I'm not sure, but I think it's a trap designed to lure us into attacking."

Upon hearing this, Ronan's stress response kicked in again, and he shouted, "We can't go! Commander-in-Chief, we absolutely can't go! There are monsters on those ships, and we're no match for them. We'll all die there."

Delan grabbed an ornament from the armrest of the wooden chair and threw it at Ronan.

"Shut up!"

Ronan stepped aside, shut his mouth, and obediently stood to the side.

Delanck then looked at his assistant and asked, "What about Grand Duke Wendy? Have they provided us with any information?"

The assistant said, "We just contacted Grand Duke Wendy's men urgently. They said they had no problem providing intelligence. They believe the failure of this operation is entirely our fault. They told us to resolve the trouble as soon as possible, and they also said..."

The assistant shrank back, carefully chose his words, and continued cautiously, "They also said that if we can't handle it, they'll consider replacing us."

"Hmph! Replace us? Who does he think he is?"

Delanck snorted and said, "Tell the Grand Duke that we will resolve the trouble. In return, have him prepare the money. This time, we want three times the amount!"

"understand!"

Delia asked, "Commander-in-Chief, are you preparing to launch an attack?"

“Of course! The enemy is already at our doorstep, how can we possibly hide?” Delanck’s eyes gleamed with intense fighting spirit. “I want to see just how strong those monsters really are. Gather everyone on the island, and let’s set off together! Let’s fight them!”

In the Gulf of Ghana, the Skull Pirates have never feared anyone! (End of Chapter)