A forgotten town.
A tyrant on a throne of fear.
And in the darkness beyond its walls… the first army of the people waited.
⚔️ Nightfall Before the Storm
The town of Zhaoling slept restlessly. Torches burned along the stone walls, and guards patrolled with bored eyes and sluggish steps.
Inside, Governor Xian Tao feasted, oblivious to the war gathering outside his reach. His laughter echoed through empty halls, blind to the fire rising in the forest shadows.
Just beyond the ridgeline, fifty-seven warriors crouched low in the underbrush.
No fanfare.
No banners.
Only the silent resolve of men who had sworn an oath.
"We strike fast," Lü Bu said, his voice low but sharp. "No time for speeches. No mercy for oppressors."
He raised his halberd. "Tonight, we stop being shadows."
🔥 The Attack Begins
The first arrow flew just before midnight—silent, precise, burying itself in the throat of a watchman atop the east wall.
Then came the second.
Then the third.
Before alarm bells could ring, Wei Yun and a small strike team were scaling the wall with ropes, knives in hand, dispatching the outer guards before they could cry out.
From the main gate, Lü Bu led the charge.
He moved like a storm—halberd spinning, striking, slicing through two men in a single motion.
The Iron Core surged behind him, a disciplined wedge formation trained for weeks for this exact moment. Shields up, formation tight, their movements were precise, calculated, and furious.
The streets of Zhaoling erupted in chaos.
🩸 The Tyrant Falls
Governor Xian Tao stumbled out of his manor, wine still dripping from his chin.
"What's happening!? Where are my guards!?"
He screamed until he saw Lü Bu, armored in dusk-gray leathers, face lit by torchlight, his halberd dripping with blood.
"Who… who are you!?" Tao shrieked.
"The man who ends this," Lü Bu replied.
In three steps, Tao turned to flee—but Wei Yun's blade found his back. Tao fell with a gurgled cry, never to rise again.
The governor's men surrendered soon after.
Not to mercy.
But to fear.
Because Lü Bu didn't look like a rebel. He looked like a king.
🌅 A New Dawn for Zhaoling
By sunrise, the town was silent again—but different.
Villagers crept from homes, stunned. There were no flames. No looting. Only quiet men moving through the streets, offering food, healing the wounded, burying the dead with dignity.
Lü Bu stood in the center of town square, surrounded by men, women, and children who had never known a protector.
He knelt before them—not in weakness, but in honor.
"This town is yours now," he said. "And we are its shield."
A woman stepped forward, tears in her eyes.
"Who are you?"
He looked up. Behind him, Wei Yun planted the Iron Core's standard—a black banner with a red ember at its center.
"We are the forgotten," Lü Bu said.
"But not for long."
[SYSTEM NOTICE — Mission Complete: "Liberation of Zhaoling"]
🏅 Rewards:
+20 Troop Morale
Equipment Upgrade: "Steel Weaponry" (Tier 1)
New Title Earned: "Liberator of the Oppressed"
Reputation Bar Unlocked: Public Trust
Recruitable NPCs Available;
✦ Liang Mu (Healer, Strategist)
✦ Da Ren (Blacksmith, Armorer)
⚠️ Hidden Objective Incomplete: Assassin not eliminated
In the Shadows…
Far above, in a shattered rooftop overlooking the square, the assassin crouched—watching.
He had been ordered to kill Lü Bu.
He had watched him lead. Kill. Spare. Inspire.
And he said nothing.
"So this is the boy," he whispered. "Interesting…"
Then he vanished into the morning mist.
The blade would strike another day.