Reign of the Hunters

Breeze glanced at Zhang Ping, “Have you tried out the game, Mr.Zhang?” 

 

Chapter 270 Breeze (Part 2) 

 

The man clutched at his hair, slightly embarrassed by Death Blossom’s words. He stood up and greeted Zhang Pin and Mr.Shu, “Don’t mind her, she’s always like this. I’ve pampered her too much.” 

 

“The happiest thing that a man could ask for is a woman that would cook for him. Her cooking might not be on par with those high end restaurants out there, but she made them just for you. Don’t fret even if it’s bad, and she’ll be glad to cook for you for the rest of your lives.” 

 

“Wow, you have a good taste in women, Mr.Shu.” the man responded with a laugh, and dragged his chair to take a seat in front of Mr.Shu and Zhang Ping. 

 

Mr.Shu dismissed his words with a wave of his hand, “It’s nothing. It’s something that you’ll understand once you’ve been married for long enough. You should treat your wife like how you’d caress a pet. Always move your fingers along the direction of their fur, or you’ll be in for a huge trouble. After all, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Learn to back off, and you’ll enjoy a happy marr-.” Death Blossom stomped her way back into the room before Mr.Shu could finish his sentence. He immediately shut his mouth and smiled at the man seated in front of him.

 

The younger man in his mid 30’s was of average height, and was dressed in a very casual attire. Perhaps due to the hot weather, the man was only wearing a pair of slippers instead of proper shoes. 

 

From the look of his fingers, Mr.Shu could tell that the man was used to physical labor. Despite his plain appearance, his piercing eyes were something that one would not easily forget. Mr.Shu would easily overlook such a man in the streets, but people like this tend to pose the most danger and are filled with the most surprises. 

 

Death Blossom poured water into each of their glasses, and even chugged in a few cubes of ice and a slice of lemon each. It was apparent that she was an intelligent woman with a pure heart and spirit. The droplets of water on the tips of her fingers as she held the glasses made her even more stunning. She did not carry the scent of the perfume preferred by girls of her age, but instead had an enticing scent of fresh fruits.  

 

Her attention to detail was made even more apparent when Mr.Shu took a look into his glass. While his drink was only decorated by a single cube of ice and a slice of lemon, he could see three cubes of ice in Zhang Ping’s glass while half of Breeze’s glass was filled with ice. She had even placed a plate of cherries on the table. 

 

Zhang Ping, who had noticed the difference as well, voiced out his curiosity. “I don’t know much about Mr.Shu, but a man his age should be mindful of his health. Some slightly chill drink is enough for him. As for the lemon… Well, it’s to add a little bit of flavor.” Mr.Shu was impressed. So this is how she remains undefeated. Her observation skills and ability to judge a situation is astonishing. 

 

Death Blossom sat in a corner after the drinks were served, displaying no intention to leave while Breeze himself did not show any indication that the woman should not be in the room as well. It was obvious that there were no secrets to be kept between the two. 

 

“Mr.Breeze, Fate’s first major patch will be released in 10 days. How is the preparation on your side?” 

 

Breeze shook his head with a smile, “This is not something that you need to know. I’m sure you’ve heard of our reputation. Why do you need to ask something like this? Just wait for the results like our previous employers.” 

 

“It’s not the same this time, Mr.Breeze. Fate is not like any other game. This is why we want to know your progress.” Zhang Ping shook his head, “Have you tried your hand in Fate before, Mr.Breeze? This game is said to have revolutionized the gaming industry. They’re vastly different from the other Virtual Reality games in the market. I don’t think you should too confident in your abilities.” 

 

Breeze glanced at Zhang Ping, “Have you tried out the game yourself, Mr.Zhang?” 

 

Zhang Ping’s face reddened. He looked at Mr.Shu before giving his reply, “I did.” 

 

“What’s your current level? Or rather, how well are you doing in the game?” 

 

“I’m not doing that good.” replied Zhang Ping after some slight hesitation. 

 

“How well do you know this game?” 

 

“It requires a high degree of teamwork, and players are allowed more freedom in this game. Based on the information we have, quests in this game were divided into two types. Those that were available to all players, and those that were hidden. A hidden quest has the potential of affecting the outcome of main quests and the overall climate of the game. This is like a wild card in the game.” Zhang Ping immediately shared his knowledge about Fate. 

 

Breeze raised an eyebrow, but remained silent. Mr.Shu on the other hand motioned for Zhang Ping to stop, “I believe that Mr.Breeze here has already had a good grasp about the game. In fact, he might know more about that game than we do. But tell me, Mr.Breeze, will you be using the human wave tactic that you’ve previously employed?” 

 

“Well isn’t that the most direct way?” Breeze shrugged, “From what I know, it has always been a very efficient way of ruining the game.” 

 

“It’s a tried and true method that you’ve managed to pull off throughout the years. But for this particular job, I have a suggestion for you.” Mr.Shu narrowed his eyes. At that very moment, the middle-aged man was like a predator ready to pounce on its prey.

 

“I’m all ears.” Breeze stared at Mr.Shu with an expression that could not be discerned. 

 

“Fate at its current state is mostly populated by players from China. While there is indeed a significant population of foreign players in the game, they are still far too few in comparison. This is due to the fact that the Glory Corporation has not started their marketing efforts overseas. But once they begin…” the ghost of a smile appeared on Mr.Shu’s lips. It was rather obvious what the man was hinting at. Even if Excellent Era could send millions of players into Fate, their numbers would pale in comparison to the player population worldwide. 

 

“So what are you suggesting, Mr.Shu?” Breeze asked after a short moment of silence. 

 

“Instead of trying to get the job done with sheer manpower, why don’t you use a… Slightly more intelligent method?” Mr.Shu smiled at Breeze, “i know you study Economics during your time in the university. I’m sure you’re no stranger in this matter.” 

 

Breeze’s eyebrows furrowed slightly upon hearing his words. 

 

And Mr.Shu continued, “I know, it’s costly, but you don’t have to worry about it. As long as you’re willing to get the job done, I’ll provide you with the funds. Even if you can’t ruin Fate, you can at least delay their growth.” 

 

Breeze did not ask for Mr.Shu’s motive. He knew that it would be better to know less. He was just a mercenary hired to take care of the problems of his employers. Their motives had never mattered to him. This situation, however, was special. The fact that the employer himself was meddling in his business before he even started the job meant that this would not be easy. 

 

“What if I fail?” he asked after a brief moment of contemplation. 

 

“Fail?” a hint of cruelty appeared on Mr.Shu’s face, “That word does not exist in my dictionary. I hope you don’t forget that.” It was at this moment that Mr.Shu’s intimidating aura finally broke through his facade. 

 

Breeze glanced at Mr.Shu, then at Death Blossom, and shook his head, “If that’s the case, I implore you to look for someone else to take the job.” 

 

Mr.Shu was taken off guard by Breeze’s response, “Why?” 

 

“The risks are too big.” 

 

“Don’t you know, Mr.Breeze? The higher the risks, the greater the reward!” 

 

“I’m a married man, Mr.Shu. I have a family, and I have to care for my men as well. Putting everything on the line is something I no longer wish to do. All I want for myself and my men is a low risk job that pays. I’m too old for this, and I’ll be honest with you. I’ve never really wanted to take this job, but your pay is just too good. I was thinking of doing one last job for the sake of my men before closing down the business for good. But if I have to take such a huge risk, I’d rather not take the job.” 

 

And Breeze smiled, “We can even enter Fate not as the locusts that we were feared as. I think we can do some serious damage with our strength. It will be an arduous task, but at least we won’t risk losing everything.” 

Mr.Shu remained silent, his thoughts unfathomable. 

 

And Breeze chuckled, “Truth to be told, I can go according to your plans, but I hope that you leave us some room for error. You’re paying us to take care of your problems, and we will do that once we get paid. But you have to know that change can always ruin a plan. My success is not guaranteed. This is why I’d rather back off than to take the pressure from you. If you want me to pay for breaching our contract, I can. That is my responsibility. But if you want me to take the blame for failing with your methods, I’m sorry. I don’t think I can agree to your terms.” 

 

Mr.Shu stared at Breeze with narrowed eyes for a long moment before letting out a sigh, “You’re a cautious man, Breeze. But know that I’m not someone who is careless.” 

 

Breeze of course could understand the meaning behind those words. He shook his head at Mr.Shu, “Do you know why I picked such a place as my headquarters?” The sudden question caught Mr.Shu off guard. 

 

Breeze motioned at his surroundings, “This place is dirty and messy, and the public security here is abysmal. Quite a number of my men are honest and respected people. But why do you think I chose a place like this as the headquarters of Excellent Era?”

 

Mr.Shu narrowed his eyes. He could immediately tell the meaning behind Breeze’s words. 

 

“It has been 16 years since I started my gaming career at the age of 16. I created Excellent Era when I was 18 years old, and that was 13 years ago. Do you think I’ve not offended a lot of people during those years? But why do you think I’m able to survive. Do you think it’s because of sheer luck?” Breeze stood up and gulped down the content of his glass, “Honey, more please.” he said to Death Blossom with a smile as he handed her the glass. 

 

Death Blossom rolled her eyes at Brooze and left to refill the glass. 

 

“Are you threatening me?” Mr.Shu could smell the dinger in his words. 

 

Breeze shook his head, “No” his expression was very sincere, “I’m merely telling you that I’m not afraid of trouble. Bear in mind that we’re partners, and I’m not a pawn that you can order around. I have no obligation to play such a role.” 

 

Mr.Shu stared at Breeze for a long while and let out his breath, “Fine. I’m willing to compromise in this matter. All you have to do is to delay the growth of Fate for two years. If you fail, you’ll have to pay me twice the amount of penalty that we’ve agreed on.” 

 

A smile immediately lit up Breeze’s face, “Won’t it be nice if we started off the conversation like this, Mr.Shu?” 

 

Mr.Shu did not respond to his words, and instead gave Zhang Ping a meaningful glance, and the man immediately handed a stack of documents to Breeze, “Here you go, Mr.Breeze. This is the intelligence that we’ve gathered about the major guilds in Fate. Please have a look.” 

 

A smile appeared on Breeze’s face as he read through the file, “Ahh… I see a lot of old friends in this list. I can’t believe we’ll be meeting each other real soon. Such luck. Think they’ll invite me for a drink this time?” 

 

Relief washed over Mr.Shu when he noticed Breeze’s calm demeanor. Just then, the man’s voice rang in his ears, “What guild is this?” 

 

Breeze’s movements stopped when he noticed the name of an unknown guild in the file containing the details of many major and well known guilds. A guild with less than 30,000 members was something that in conventional sense, was not worthy of attention. This guild, however, appeared on the list. He was shocked as he read into the information of that guild. Despite its size, the guild has secured ⅓ of the First Bloods in the Eastern Continent, and had a spot in the First Five of many dungeons. 

He was shocked. How can such a small guild outcompete guilds like Tang Dynasty, Wolf Pack, and Battling The Heavens? Is there some sort of secret behind their success? And he pulled the two sheets of paper and cast a glance at Mr.Shu. 

 

Mr.Shu saw the words “Upwards Ho!” on the piece of paper and rubbed his chin, “It’s a guild newly created when Fate’s server was launched.” 

 

“How can a guild like this secure so many First Bloods? Is it because of their equipment? Or the teamwork of their players?” Breeze was curious. 

 

“They have very skillful players. It’s strange though. Most of their elites are very good players that you’d expect to see in major guilds, but Upwards Ho! is collecting them like they’re collecting stamps. And an even stranger fact is that these players were nobodies before they joined the guild.” 

 

“Oh?” Breeze’s interest was piqued as he skimmed through the roster of Upwards Ho!’s elites, “They might be good, but they’re not that much of a threat.” 

 

“By the way, there's also something else that made Upwards Ho! Famous.” 

 

“What is it?” 

 

“They have an extremely skillful Huntress in their guild. She’s known as the Solo Queen of the Eastern Continent. A true top-tier player.” Mr.Shu was of course not interested in the titles given to the developers to its players, but it was information that he had to relay. 

 

“She’s that good?” Breeze was immediately interested in the Huntress

“I’m more proficient in doing business than I am in a game.” Mr.Shu did not voice his opinion of the Huntress, “Mr.Breeze, if you’re satisfied with the terms of our partnership, I’d like to invite you to my office tomorrow to sign a formal contract.” 

 

“Sure. I have no problems with that.” Breeze smiled at Mr.Shu, “I’ll see you at 10am tomorrow.” 

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