Chapter 167 : Calamity Army Fully Deployed! Wen Pin Enters Luoshui Main City!
Chapter 167: Calamity Army Fully Deployed! Wen Pin Enters Luoshui Main City!
Two days ago.
Real World.
A shabby little apartment.
Yu Xiaocheng had just finished his twelve-hour daily grind and immediately flopped onto the bed like a salted fish. This was the most relaxing and joyful moment of his day.
Born in an obscure fifth-tier inland city in the southern province, he had graduated from a mediocre university. In terms of looks, height, academics, and family background—he was average. You could tag him with many labels: veteran otaku, unemployed youth, 23 years single since birth, king of the friend zone, and so on.
He was just as confused and poor as the countless other young graduates.
Having been fond of novels and anime for years, he started writing web novels during college. At the time, he’d even dreamed of making a living from it, but reality had proven he had no talent for it. Every novel he wrote flopped.
Still, even without talent—
He had gained some experience.
A few months ago, he quit a soul-sucking company without a backup plan. Since then, he'd been writing 15,000 words a day, twelve hours daily. His monthly income hovered around 4,000–5,000 yuan. It was tiring, sure, but just enough to cover rent and living expenses. Not a long-term solution, but decent for now.
"This can’t go on. I really need to find a job soon."
Yu Xiaocheng pulled out his phone and scrolled through job listings out of habit, firing off a few resumes while he was at it—not that he expected any replies. Right then, a group chat message popped up discussing the hot new game Twisted Three Kingdoms.
"This game is blowing up!"
"Just pre-registered—maybe I’ll get lucky!"
Yu Xiaocheng considered himself half a gamer, but mostly a Cloud Player. He’d heard you could make real money playing Twisted Three Kingdoms, so he figured he’d give it a shot.
Of course, he didn’t expect anything.
According to some Insider Tips, the current beta spots mostly went to top esports players, superstar streamers, academic elites, soldiers, athletes, or high-performing elites from all walks of life.
Yu Xiaocheng knew full well he was the "fails-at-everything" type—neither smart nor talented, not tall or handsome, with a bland background and no connections. How could a game made for the rich and powerful possibly choose him?
Forget it!
Just go to sleep early.
Got an interview tomorrow, after all.
Just then, his phone rang. It was his mother. He hurriedly answered.
"Mom? What’s wrong? Why are you calling so late?"
"Your dad’s surgery got moved up."
"That’s great news! Sooner we get it done, the better!"
"Yeah, but it’s so sudden… We’re still a bit short on the surgical fees. Can you front a few thousand? But don’t force yourself—Mom knows you’ve got it tough too. If you can’t manage, it’s fine."
"No problem! Just wait a sec!"
Yu Xiaocheng immediately scraped together 10,000 yuan from platforms like Jiebei and sent it all to his mom. He told his family not to worry about money—just use the best medicine they could to get his dad healthy.
After hanging up—
He couldn’t sleep anymore.
He got up and cranked out another 5,000–6,000 words through the night, then continued sending out resumes and prepping for interviews.
In the next two days, Yu Xiaocheng interviewed with three different companies.
All three rejected him.
Due to lack of rest and overwork, his novel’s comment section was full of reader complaints. His already tiny subscriber count was halved.
"What am I gonna do!"
With two huge dark circles under his eyes, Yu Xiaocheng scratched his head in frustration. He only had 200 yuan left in his bank account—and next month’s rent was looming.
But just then, a text message arrived.
The moment he read it, he froze, almost thinking he was hallucinating from sleep deprivation.
【Dear Player, Greetings!】
【You have been selected for the first closed beta of Twisted Three Kingdoms!】
【The third round of testing begins on August 28, 2043, at 8:00 PM sharp!】
【Please activate your game account as soon as possible. Failure to do so within 24 hours will be considered forfeiture of your beta slot.】
"I got in?"
"I actually got in!"
Yu Xiaocheng leapt up from his broken bed like a carp, face filled with disbelief and elation.
Triple checked.
It was real.
What kind of dumb luck was this?
Rumor had it players of this game earned tens of thousands a month with ease. Playing games and making bank—was there anything better in the world?
8:00 PM that night.
The countdown ended.
New Calamity Army recruits officially descended.
Yu Xiaocheng spent an hour just creating his character. He originally wanted to pick a Warlock class, but spent too much time tweaking his avatar’s face. By the time he tried selecting his class, the Warlocks were all taken.
Guess I’ll go healer then!
Still a magic user, anyway.
He avoided picking Warrior or Ranger purely out of self-doubt. After all, those classes demanded high skill, and he had zero athletic talent since childhood.
As the ancient stone gate opened—
Yu Xiaocheng, under the ID “Morning Bell at Dawn,” entered the world.
His Starting Point? Like most others, he chose Luoshui Main City.
"Damn, I’ve heard people talk about it, but this realism is just insane!"
After descending into the game world, Morning Bell at Dawn—like nearly every other player—raved about the realism and immersion. Then he started exploring Luoshui Main City.
They said—
The city began as a small camp.
In less than two months, it had grown into a full town.
The architectural style leaned toward the ancient, but was nothing like the movie sets in the Real World.
To be honest—
Even as just a tourist attraction—
It beat spending hundreds to visit Hengdian World Studios. It was fresher, more fun.
And Luoshui Main City was just a town. The real appeal of Twisted Three Kingdoms lay in its vast open world and its blood-pumping, thrilling adventures.
Between the majestic Lord’s Fortress and the bustling urban core, there was a spacious plaza—named Revival Plaza, where players revived after dying.
At this moment, the plaza was packed.
Most were soldiers of the Calamity Army.
Many were, like Morning Bell at Dawn, brand new recruits.
"Wings of Freedom Legion recruiting! Daily leveling runs with veteran players! Full benefits and freedom guaranteed—we’ll give solo players the best game experience possible!"
"Undying Dragon Soul Legion recruiting! We’re a new legion but financially strong and full of potential. We can even get your family jobs in our partnered company. Sign a contract and get a 100,000 yuan bonus upfront!"
"War God Hall Legion recruiting! Probationary members earn 30,000 a month, official members get 100,000 monthly. Includes comprehensive bonuses and benefits. Daily requirement: 12 hours online, team spirit, follow orders, work together."
"Divine Feather Palace Legion recruiting..."
"..."
1,800 new Calamity Army recruits had descended.
All major Legions weren’t about to miss this chance to snatch talent.
At the plaza, several Legions used Broadcast Stones to advertise, setting up consultation booths too.
When Morning Bell at Dawn learned that these legions offered starting salaries in the tens of thousands, he was beyond ecstatic. The rumors were true—this game really could make you money. And it was this easy?
He quickly familiarized himself with the Big Four Legions recruiting.
Wings of Freedom had been founded by top players like Black-Eyed Rui Ge and Salted Fish Thrust.
Just like its name suggested, this Legion emphasized freedom and hardcore gameplay. Their motto was to push the limits and explore the true joy of the game. It had the least restrictions and best atmosphere, though its pay was lower than the other three. It was more suited for skilled solo players who disliked being constrained.
In a way, Wings of Freedom was more like a player guild.
As for War God Hall, Divine Feather Palace, and Undying Dragon Soul—each had its own perks and unique offerings.
War God Hall was founded by top player Ye Li Meng. Its official members earned a base salary of 100,000 yuan per month. The downside, however, was its strict discipline—every player had performance requirements, had to obey team dispatches and mission assignments. It had the most mature and rigorous system.
Undying Dragon Soul, on the other hand, was founded by the newly risen player Toasting the Moon. He had already reached top-tier player strength, and his legion’s benefits were no less than those of War God Hall. The only drawback was that their overall strength and reputation still lagged behind.
The Divine Feather Palace was led by Little Bell. Their benefits were also decent, but the legion was mainly composed of female players, many of whom were plot-focused or lifestyle-focused, giving off a relaxed, laid-back vibe.
Morning Bell at Dawn was incredibly excited.
If he could join any of these Four Great Legions—
Would he still need to grind out chapters or hunt for jobs?
This really was a game capable of changing one’s fate!
And just like that, the web novel world lost yet another unknown flop author.
…
Atop the Lord’s Fortress.
Xiao Ba reported:
“Master, two hundred new Azure Dragon Guard recruits have been successfully enlisted. All 1,800 Calamity Army new recruits have officially descended!”
Hang Yu opened the new player roster. This time, 1,800 Calamity Army recruits had joined—1,200 from the Huaxia Region, and 600 from overseas regions.
During the first and second beta phases, due to the limited number of recruitable soldiers, Xiao Ba had screened players strictly—around 60–70% were high-quality, high-aptitude, highly obedient, or had unique skills or talents.
Starting from the third beta, the number of new Calamity Army recruits would continue to increase. It was now possible to loosen the selection criteria, allowing more ordinary people to join the game. This not only enriched the diversity of the player base, but also helped accumulate experience for future territory governance.
The territory legion was once again fully staffed.
Over 4,000 soldiers total!
If one added in the garrison legion at Sanxiang City, along with village militias, the total number of regular soldiers under his command had already reached 7,000 to 8,000.
To develop this far in just two months—truly satisfying.
Hang Yu said:
“Next, we need to further optimize the distribution of daily tasks—not just to help the top-tier Calamity Army players keep improving, but also to help thousands of new recruits level up quickly.”
Xiao Ba:
“Xiao Ba awaits Master’s orders at all times!”
Hang Yu nodded with satisfaction. He was just about to begin working on optimizing and upgrading the territory’s daily task system when something caught his eye—a set of player death records that surprised him.
【Player "Dark Lucifer" has died. Essence +4000!】
【Player "Gungnir" has died. Essence +4000!】
【Player "Arthur King" has died. Essence +4000!】
【Player "Iron Fist Tough Guy Johnson" has died. Essence +3000!】
【……】
It wasn’t unusual for players to die.
Given the current massive player base—
There were death messages practically every minute, even every second.
What drew Hang Yu’s attention was that this entire team had been wiped out—and the location of their death was what was strange: Luoshui Base Camp.
Arthur King was a top-tier overseas player. He was highly respected among overseas players and had already gathered a group of experts around him. In the future, he was likely to become the leader of a major Calamity Army Legion.
Whether it was Arthur King—
Or his teammates—
They were all fairly high-level players.
If they had died somewhere in the Wan City Map, that wouldn’t be odd.
Even if it were a team wipe in Wo Niu Mountain, it wouldn’t be surprising.
But to die in the map that housed Luoshui Base Camp—that was unexpected. After all, the monsters in Luoshui Base Camp shouldn’t exceed level 7–8, and other than Ma Yuanyi, there weren’t supposed to be any Commander-Class units.
Of course—
That didn’t mean—
A low-level map was guaranteed to be safe.
Abyss Three Kingdoms was riddled with crises—danger lurked everywhere.
Sometimes even unremarkable poisonous insects or flowers could be fatal.
Players weren’t invincible just because of their levels—high-level players dying in low-level zones wasn’t rare at all. This ever-present risk and suspense was part of the game’s thrill.
The problem was—
This entire group had died.
And their time of death was nearly identical.
Hang Yu instantly realized—something was off.
He immediately began investigating the situation in that region and checked the logs for detailed records.
About fifteen minutes earlier—
Arthur King had led twelve companions to the eastern region of Luoshui Main City.
That location was only 20 to 30 li away from the white-colored Abyss Fog Gate.
Moose Girl:
“Arthur, do we really have to do this? Entering the Wan City map with our current strength is too risky!”
A level 9 female Warlock named Athena also said:
“Even if we’re exploring Wan City, there’s no need to go from Luoshui Main City. I heard that going south from the White Tiger City map is much safer.”
Dark Lucifer:
“You’re being too cautious. If we keep hesitating, we’ll never catch up to the top-tier players. There’s a Huaxia saying: ‘Fortune favors the bold.’ This map has tons of high-level monsters. As long as we’re careful, we can totally farm here!”
Iron Fist Johnson added:
“Farming monsters isn’t the main goal. What really matters is exploration. As long as we unlock more unexplored areas, we’ll get quest rewards—and the higher the map quality, the better the rewards.”
“That’s true!”
“Sure, the southern route from White Tiger City into Wan City is safer.”
“But the monsters there aren’t as high-level or valuable as here!”
“……”
The dozen or so players each voiced their opinions.
Arthur King’s player squad had originally planned to complete a map exploration quest, while also trying their luck at farming high-level mobs. From the moment they set out, they were prepared for a total party wipe.
But it didn’t matter—
As long as the rewards were high enough—
Dying three to five times was acceptable.
Just as they were busy arguing—
Arthur King suddenly noticed something:
“Guys, look over there! A group is approaching! They don’t look like NPCs from the territory!”
“No way there’d be NPCs in a place like this!”
Gungnir and the others immediately looked in the direction Arthur King pointed.
A cavalry squad of ten riders was steadily advancing over the desolate, decaying land.
Leading the group was a towering man clad in full iron canister-like armor, his entire body covered. Even his warhorse was twice the size of an average steed and fully armored as well.
Behind this iron-armored leader followed a small cavalry unit.
They were dressed similarly—full body iron armor, mounts fully plated, looking armed to the teeth.
“Who are these guys?”
“Could it be a hidden BOSS?”
“They don’t look like local Luoshui monsters at all!”
Arthur King’s squad quickly ambushed near the path this team would take.
Once they were close enough, information about the leader finally appeared.
【Wen Pin】, Level ???, Description ???
“No data?”
“Wen Pin? Who the hell is that?”
“Any of you heard that name before?”
“Sounds kinda familiar—but I can’t place it. One thing’s for sure: he’s not a local Luoshui NPC. He probably came from the Wan City map. Might be an invader, just like He Song last time!”
“These guys might be trying to raid the main city!”
“If we stop them, maybe we’ll trigger a hidden quest—or even achieve a major military merit!”
“……”
Arthur King’s team members were all from Europe and North America. Although they had crammed some Three Kingdoms knowledge, they weren’t experts.
None of them recognized the famous name—Wen Pin.
Not only that—
This was the territory’s main base…
Luoshui Main City was only about 200 li away from here.
Arthur King’s team believed that this squad was just like He Song, who had appeared in White Tiger Mountain previously—likely a group of spies attempting to infiltrate the main city to steal intelligence, or perhaps elite troops sent by a hostile faction to raid the main city. Most likely, they were hidden monsters or event monsters placed by the game.
The leader of Undying Dragon Soul, Toasting the Moon, had previously triggered a similar random quest and swiftly leveled up.
Now that another opportunity had presented itself—
How could they possibly let it go?
Even if no quest were triggered, as subjects of the territory, as members of the Calamity Army, they couldn’t allow outsiders to behave recklessly in a core zone. They had to teach them a lesson—to let Huaxia players witness their contribution.
“Father, I sense killing intent. There’s likely an ambush nearby.”
One of Wen Pin’s attendants was his son, Wen Dai, who was also a powerful and important figure.
“Hmph, such crude and shabby ambush tactics—how could they possibly escape my notice?” Wen Pin halted his warhorse and said calmly, “Go up ahead and see what these people are up to.”
“Yes!”
Wen Dai spurred his horse forward and rode straight into Arthur King’s squad’s encirclement. His gaze swept across the players hiding behind cover and he shouted:
“What vile rats dare lie in ambush here? Show yourselves at once—or don’t blame this blade in my hand for being merciless!”
“Sh*t!”
“What a sharp one!”
“As expected of a hidden monster!”
“We’ve been spotted. Just attack already!”
“For the Territory! For the Calamity Army! For Lord Commander!”
“God will protect us!”
“Charge!”
“……”
Arthur King and the others rushed out from behind cover to surround Wen Dai. Dark Lucifer, Athena, and other Warlocks immediately launched their spell attacks—blazing arrows and wind blades rained down on Wen Dai.
—
0!
—
0!
—
0!
What the hell?
They couldn’t hurt him at all!
Was this hostile-faction NPC this tanky?
Arthur King quickly shouted,
“Don’t panic! Focus fire—I don’t believe he can resist all our attacks at once!”
“Courting death!”
Wen Dai hadn’t expected these rabble to be so bold—to attack without a word. With a flick of his left hand, a towering shield appeared from thin air, taller than a man. All spells and arrows were drawn to it like a magnet, slamming into the shield.
—
0!
—
0!
—
0!
Even their concentrated spells and arrows couldn’t land any damage.
Now they were truly shaken!
Impossible—Even a Second-Tier Commander wouldn’t be this unscathed. This defense was absurd!
They had kicked a steel plate.
Arthur King realized it instantly.
“We’re not his match—fall back and get reinforcements!”
The players began to retreat.
But Wen Dai sneered coldly.
“You’re not getting away!”
He slammed the giant shield into the ground. A shockwave instantly erupted from his feet, sweeping up more than a dozen players into stun status on the spot.
“Get over here!”
Wen Dai roared.
A gravitational field formed within dozens of meters around him.
Over ten stunned players were dragged uncontrollably to his side.
“Die!” Wen Dai swung his warblade, releasing a twenty-meter-long blade arc that sliced through the players’ bodies—each cut triggering devastating critical hits.
Arthur King’s squad: annihilated!
From start to finish, they hadn’t even had a chance to resist.
“Father, they were just some low-grade scoundrels. I’ve already slain them all.”
“These people are no mere petty thugs. If I’m not mistaken, they’re subordinates of the Starsea Lord.”
From the conversations of Arthur King’s team and other details, Wen Pin could easily deduce that these people were most likely the subordinates, or even followers, of the Starsea Lord.
A Human Lord, huh?
Although Wen Pin only had a partial understanding of the Starsea, he did know that among the myriad races of the Starsea, humans were among the least remarkable.
Wen Dai, hearing this, was stunned for a moment and then flew into a rage:
“What a so-called lord. We hadn’t even made a move on him, and he’s already sending people to attack us!”
It would’ve been one thing if they were just ambushed.
But the ones sent were such a ragtag bunch.
What—did the Starsea Lord look down on them?
It was practically an insult!
Wen Dai proposed:
“Father, since we’ve already been discovered, and since the Starsea side attacked first, there’s no need for us to skulk about. Let’s just storm in and force this so-called lord to show himself!”
Wen Pin thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement.
The Day of Absolute Darkness was about to erupt.
There was no time to waste here.
If the lord was truly strong, this would be a good chance to test his depth and decide whether to fight or negotiate. If the lord turned out to be weak and unable to defend himself—then it would be safer to either kill or capture him.
In truth, from the moment Wen Pin learned the local lord was a human, he no longer regarded this faction as a significant threat.
The real question was how to control or exploit this faction.
…
Hang Yu finished reviewing the incident.
He was also quite surprised.
“Huh? Wen Pin? Why is he showing up here!”
Wen Pin was a famous general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms Era.
Although not much was recorded about him, and he lacked many well-known exploits or legends, among the many shining stars of that era, he wasn’t as hotly discussed as the first-rate generals—but he still wasn’t someone to be taken lightly.
Arthur King and the others were overseas players.
They hadn’t recognized Wen Pin and acted rashly—they died without injustice.
The fact that Wen Pin had led a cavalry unit through high-level Abyss monster-infested wastelands, and didn’t even have to act himself when faced with a capable player squad, clearly showed their strength.
They were likely not friendly.
However—
Hang Yu wasn’t worried.
In fact, a flicker of joy appeared on his face.
First of all, although Wen Pin was strong, he wasn’t someone Hang Yu couldn’t handle.
More importantly, this was likely a high-grade commander-type NPC, and a powerful one at that. If he could find a way to recruit and subdue him, wouldn’t the territory gain another general worth nurturing?
Hang Yu was in dire need of a few reliable subordinates to participate in the New Star Lord Tournament in Sacred Cang City.
Zhou Cang alone definitely wasn’t enough.
Whether in terms of ability or character, Wen Pin was an ideal candidate for a solid deputy general.