Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu
Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/
Chapter 88: A Bitter Battle
High above, on the [Paper airplane].
“I told you there’s no need for you guys to interfere. I’ll handle it myself.” Chen Guan deliberately slowed down the last few words, emphasizing them.
Kong Lizhe and Gu Nian, who were already preparing to make a move, rolled their eyes upward upon hearing this, while the latter sought confirmation from Wang Duan with a glance.
“First, grab the badge.” Wang Duan looked at Chen Guan. “Once we have it, you can play however you like.”
Chen Guan fell silent for a few seconds, then directly asked Gu Nian, “Can we break their defense?”
Gu Nian knew his colleague had calmed down.
Eating from someone softens the mouth, taking from someone shortens the hand*. For mercenaries, Wang Duanran, a young master, was definitely a very generous boss. As long as it didn’t interfere with serious matters, he usually didn’t care about what you do.
*Proverb referring to if you take advantage of others, you will deliberately give in to them, even if they have shortcomings, thus potentially compromising your independence or ability to speak and act freely.
A generous boss means the employees shouldn’t be too willful, right?
“The effect of [(Defense) Nothing at All] is ‘disappearance’, not ‘hiding’. We don’t have any stationery that can counteract it yet,” Gu Nian analyzed calmly. “But its duration should be almost up.”
“Let’s not wait,” Chen Guan said. “Just deal with the person using the stationery.”
Gu Nian agreed, “That’s possible.”
“Then let’s start.” Kong Lizhe looked down at the tree, now a small green dot below, warming up by rotating his shoulders. “Dachuan is probably itching to kick the tree by now.”
“Whoosh—”
Before the four could act, a huge bucket of water fell from the sky, drenching them from head to toe!
Wang Duan was the most affected. His curly hair was now sticking to his scalp, losing its previously cute fluffiness.
[Owl: Someone has used [(Offense) Wet Temptation] on you~~]
Wang Duan, Chen Guan, Kong Lizhe, Gu Nian: “……”
Since joining the “Owl”, this was the first time they felt that the extremely annoying tone of the alert sounded like the original voice of the user.
Room 1024.
Han Buting’s eyes darkened slightly. “That team is getting serious now.”
“That doesn’t guarantee their absolute victory.” Li Xia looked towards the balloon house. “Those guys are tougher than when they were in the amusement park.”
Han Buting shook his head. “In a real team battle, they’re bound to lose.”
Li Xia tilted his head, pondering, and then understood. “Five against five already requires some luck. Four against five makes it slim.”
“Four against five?” Li Zijin was puzzled. “Chi Yingxue’s team isn’t missing anyone.”
“With Chi Yingxue there, it’s like being one person short,” Li Xia stated indifferently, without any emotional bias. “His combat ability is fine for one-on-one against a weaker team, but in a team battle requiring coordination, it’s iffy.”
“……” Li Zijin finally understood and had no words to reply.
More than iffy, it’s a blessing if he doesn’t sabotage his own team. He still remembers a former teammate’s “slip of the foot” on the Ferris wheel. If the subsequent madness was an uncontrollable virus, then that first act was clearly a “die together” move, utterly despairing.
“This isn’t someone who can fight in a team battle.” Han Buting looked towards the soon-to-be fierce battlefield, suddenly feeling a trace of sympathy for his former opponent. The other four’s combat ability and coordination had grown at an astonishing rate. The fifth member didn’t need to be outstanding, just adequate, but unfortunately, they chose someone who does as they please.
The battlefield outside the window was filled with a repressive quietness, a harbinger of an impending fierce battle, like the thick clouds accumulating before a storm.
This atmosphere suddenly made Li Zijin feel a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.
During league matches in the past, facing tough opponents, the team atmosphere before the battle was the same.
Along with the nostalgia, memories also surged.
They came suddenly, but vividly.
“Our team once had a substitute.” Li Zijin gazed out at the battlefield, but what appeared before his eyes were scenes of battles from game maps. “He never followed the pre-match tactics and would go crazy as soon as the fight started, acting recklessly. Sometimes a one-man show could decide the victory, but more often, he was like an undercover agent, ruining even the best situations beyond recognition…”
“The team didn’t want him anymore. Just when another club wanted to poach, my boss didn’t even raise the price and transfer him for half the fees…”
“And then?” If Han Buting had missed the point of what his teammate was getting at, he should retire as captain. “Did he suddenly reform in the new team?”
“How could he?” Li Zijin laughed, but the amusement faded quickly. “In the new team, he still couldn’t cooperate, became a substitute again, and eventually, retired.”
Han Buting expected a dramatic twist, but it turned out to be such an ordinary ending.
Li Zijin himself wasn’t sure what he was trying to express. He only knew that in one-on-one situations, almost no one could match that person, who had sharp skills that even he envied. But just like that, he faded away.
Would things have been different if he had been in a team that knew how to use him? Li Zijin didn’t know. And there wasn’t time to think about it anymore—the battle outside had begun.
Wang Duan and the others weren’t the only ones hit by [Wet Temptation]. The paper airplane beneath their feet was too. The huge origami got soaked through, immediately wilting and wobbling as it fell!
But the moment they were hit, they guessed the opponent’s intention and immediately deployed [(Defense) Rainbow Clouds]. The paper airplane was quickly replaced by floating clouds, catching the four as they landed safely on them.
Now, they were right above the balloon house, close enough to touch it.
Wang Duan vigorously shook his curly hair, mentally chanting “don’t get angry” to avoid being overwhelmed by “hatred value”.
The moment Chen Guan landed on the clouds, he activated [(Offense) Look Up to See Joy]!
In an instant, a rain of sharp “knives” fell straight down towards the [Balloon House]!
“If you dare, use [Mirage] again.” Chen Guan gazed at the face peeking out of the [Balloon House] below, speaking softly.
Captain Xu only saw the lip movement, not hearing the words.
Because the next second, countless knives pierced the balloon, and with a “bang—” it exploded into pieces!
The four watched the [Balloon House] plummet straight down, feeling slightly relieved, but they wouldn’t trip over the stone of “blind confidence” a second time.
[Owl: Someone has used [(Offense) Poison Gas Bomb] on you~~]
[Owl: Someone has used [(Defense) A Piece of Floral Cloth] on you~~]
The wheel of fortune turned, and the continuous use of stationery finally landed on Xu Wang’s small team.
The [Poison Gas Bomb] smashed through the roof and fell inside. Before the companions could react, a huge floral cloth descended from the sky, enveloping the entire wooden house like a net!
The cabin darkened instantly. Whether it was Xu Wang at the door or the companions inside, none could see each other, communicating only by voice.
“Don’t breathe—” Wu Sheng warned immediately.
Xu Wang covered his mouth and nose and shouted loudly, “Are we there yet—”
Without needing to call names, Qian Ai, using [(Defense) A Pair of Wise Eyes], automatically reported, “We are in position!”
No longer needing to delay, Captain Xu immediately deactivated one of his defense stationeries and shouted, “Xiao Kuang, Plan P!”
Kuang Jinxin: “Understood!”
Just as he was wondering, the rapidly falling wooden house wrapped in floral cloth suddenly sprouted a pair of huge wings on the outside of the cloth, as if the floral-cloth house had turned into an angel. The wings flapped powerfully upwards, and the huge air currents they created gradually slowed down the descent of the house!
The four on the cloud watched this bizarre scene, hesitating between taking action and observing.
Kong Lizhe: “Should we strike?”
Gu Nian: “In a sealed environment, the [Poison Gas Bomb] can send them home within a minute. Acting now might break the already sealed poisonous environment.”
Chen Guan: “They don’t know about the poison gas bomb being released? Even if they don’t die from the fall, they’ll still be poisoned to death.”
Wang Duanran: “Don’t you think these wings are flapping… a bit laboriously?”
The wings were wide, measuring about two meters. They spread out as they fluttered, turning the floral cloth-covered wooden house into a whimsical, winged floral bag.
The only problem was that the flapping of the wings was erratic, barely stabilizing the wooden house. No matter how varied or vigorous the flapping, the house remained stationary, with a tendency to continue descending very slowly.
Kong Lize: “What kind of rubbish armor is this?”
Gu Nian: “Flapping wings… but unable to fly?”
Chen Guan, Kong Lize, Wang Duanran: “……”
While they spoke, another dozen seconds passed.
The four of them silently counted down in their hearts. One minute left, thirty seconds, twenty seconds, fifteen seconds…
“Rip—”
“Rip—”
The sound of tearing fabric came unexpectedly!
The floral cloth covering the wooden house tore in several places, and from each tear, a black and sharp beak, resembling that of a bird, protruded!
“Not good,” Gu Nian realized. “Plan P, PAO. They’re trying to escape.”
Before the three companions could digest this almost divine deduction, several large, snow-white birds emerged from the torn fabric!
On each bird sat a person, and the whole team, riding their mounts, soared straight into the sky in a column formation!
Kong Lize: “Can’t they have some normal stationery? What is this?!”
Gu Nian: “A line of egrets… rising to the heavens?”
Chen Guan: “……”
Wang Duanran: “Gu Nian, your understanding of them makes me anxious…”
Gu Nian didn’t hear his employer’s complaint because he noticed a problem—there were only four egrets in the sky.
Chen Guan, Kong Lize, Wang Duanran realized this a half-second later than him, but almost simultaneously, the same words came to their minds—a feint to the east, attack from the west*!
*(声东击西) Idiom where you make an attack in one direction to divert attention from where the real attack is to be made.
No wonder only one person spoke from inside the house, and despite being trapped by poison gas, they dragged it out for half a minute. When the illusion of [Mirage] was dispelled and the [Balloon House] reappeared, one of them had already used invisible stationery and stealthily moved elsewhere!
The tree.
Jiang Dachuan had shifted several branches and, although his buttocks were inevitably numb, was relieved to finally see his teammates getting serious.
[Picking Leaves and Flying Petals] + [A Piece of Floral Cloth] + [Poison Gas Bomb]. A triple strike.
They should have done this from the start, no need for wasted words.
But the opponents weren’t as weak as he thought. Breaking through the floral cloth and riding big white birds into the sky had some impact.
In his view, however, this was just a matter of getting home a minute earlier or later.
Jiang Dachuan didn’t count the number of egrets. With all four teammates serious, he was especially relaxed, entering a mode of “watching the battle without using his brain”.
Yet, his combat instincts were still active.
Moreover, the murderous intent from behind was almost unmasked.
The moment a snake-like arm wrapped around his neck from behind, Jiang Dachuan grabbed the assailant’s wrist and pulled them close for an elbow strike!
Invisible? No matter. He was a hundred percent sure he hit the chest hard!
“Invisible sneak attack?” Jiang Dachuan sneered. “Those are the leftovers from playing.” With that, he released the wrist and pushed hard!
“Thump—”
The invisible person fell into the seawater beneath the tree, and when they reemerged a few seconds later. The invisibility had worn off.
Chi Yingxue swallowed the salty seawater in his mouth and looked up at Jiang Dachuan from the waves with a slowly emerging, strange excitement and anticipation in his eyes.
“Don’t disappoint me,” he said lightly, then quickly sank into the water, making no further sound.
Jiang Dachuan in the tree branch: “……”
What kind of parting threat was that? Shouldn’t it be something like, “Just you wait!”
While he was speechless, a flicker suddenly caught the corner of Jiang Dachuan’s eye—a badge!
Jiang Dachuan looked up sharply, and sure enough, about two meters above his head in the dense branches, the flash of the badge was faint but clear!
The person using the stationery hadn’t been sent home yet, still fleeing on a white bird.
That left only one reason—the stationery had expired.
A sad story indeed.
Jiang Dachuan sympathized with the opponent, who had resisted to the end, swiftly got up, hugged the main trunk of the tree, and climbed nimbly upward!
But just after climbing a bit, his ankle suddenly felt heavy. He held onto the tree trunk, frowned, and looked down. The next second, his heart skipped a beat.
A disheveled auntie with a face as white as a wall and eye sockets as black as holes—no, they were holes because she had no eyes. Her mouth was blood-red, grinning, revealing uneven teeth, eerie and ferocious!
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Ghost Grabbing Foot] on you~~]
“Mwah.” The auntie, with a radiant smile, even blew a kiss.
Jiang Dachuan: “……”
Whoever created this stationery, come out! I promise not to format you!!!
“Rustle—”
The sound of leaves rubbing came from above.
Jiang Dachuan cursed inwardly and immediately looked up. As expected, Chi Yingxue had already climbed above him. At that height, he could reach the badge with a stretch!
Jiang Dachuan kicked at the ghost while grabbing Chi Yingxue in full swing!
However, the ghost auntie seemed to have taken a liking to him and wouldn’t let go!
Jiang Dachuan jumped to the side, hooked a branch with one arm, dangled the ghost auntie with one leg, and quickly tapped out a stationery with the other hand—[(Offense) Grafting*]!
*Grafting flowers onto trees (移花接木) It’s an idiom referring to joining ranches or buds of one kind of flower or tree to another. Metaphorically, it means to covert replacement by means of means.
Chi Yingxue’s target wasn’t the badge, but when he climbed up, the badge’s light appeared.
However, the reaction from below was quick, and with a stationery thrown, the branch carrying the badge moved to a higher spot on the trunk!
Clearly, the person below couldn’t reach it and wasn’t about to let him have it cheap.
“Thud—”
A huge, dull thud sounded from above their heads—to be precise, above the tree. The noise was so loud that the tree shook.
Jiang Dachuan and Chi Yingxue looked up together. A colorful cloud carrying four people had hit some transparent barrier about half a meter above the treetop. The three on the cloud had dark faces, and one frowned.
The four egrets, not far from them, lined up by size, with Xu Wang leading. He lifted his arm to kindly advise: “[(Defense) Glass Safe], I advise you not to hit it hard. You might not care about yourselves, but at least spare a thought for the cloud.”
Chen Guan, enduring the pain in his elbow from the recent collision with the glass cover, gritted his teeth at the sight of the four bird-riders. “I was about to let you off since the badge appeared, but it seems you’re eagerly seeking death.”
“Frankly, our chances of winning are indeed not high,” Advisor Wu, always pragmatic, remarked. “But holding out until the pause button’s effect wears off doesn’t seem too difficult.”
Xu Wang leaned in, asking seriously, “Should be almost time, right?”
Wu Sheng nodded vigorously. “Yeah, similar power illusions don’t last long—just a minute or two.”
Chen Guan, Gu Nian, Kong Lize: “……”
Wang Duanran: “Could your cooperation be any more exaggerated…”
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Pause Button] on you~~]
The familiar notification echoed once more in the ears of Xu Wang’s small team.
The four riders on the egrets were startled.
Kong Lize also lifted his arm in emulation of Xu Wang. “Sorry, the effect is indeed about to expire, so let me add one more thing.”
“T—” Xu Wang suddenly shouted.
The four on the cloud instinctively braced themselves!
All four egrets flapped their wings and swiftly retreated!
Wang, Chen, Kong, Gu: “…”
Such obvious actions, why use codenames? Why not just shout “retreat” outright!
Retreating to a safe distance, Xu Wang turned serious and called out loudly to the opposite side. “The situation now is that you can’t get into the glass safe, nor can you let us in, so it’s all down to the result in the tree, one-on-one, whoever gets the badge…”
Before he could finish, a huge diamond suddenly appeared mid-air, dazzling in the sunlight!
Xu Wang’s declaration was abruptly cut off.
The diamond “clanged” against the transparent glass cover, then began to cut downwards with its sharpest point.
On the previously invisible [Glass Safe], a clear scratch mark appeared—not a straight line but a circular arc!
In the blink of an eye, a circular piece of glass was cut out and “plopped” into the sea!
“Who told you we couldn’t get in? Who’s going one-on-one or getting the badge…” Chen Guan’s irritation grew as he spoke, his tone rising. “Hey, I’m curious, how weak were the opponents you’ve faced before that gave you such miraculous confidence?”
1024: “……”
1639: “……”
“Help?” Feng Rang asked Wei Menghan.
Although there was no absolute reason to help, weighing between calling them “weak” and the “potential financial clients” they had once shared drinks with, Feng Gu’s priorities were clear.
“They’re wearing stationery,” Zhu Mo answered, casually throwing a goose feather pen from the table, which halfway through its flight, seemed to hit something and fell limply.
Feng Rang and Zou Jun were surprised; they didn’t expect the badge-seeking team to pull such a trick.
“The fight began with them wearing it,” Wei Menghan said. “They cut off the possibility of being ambushed from the start.”
Feng Rang and Zou Jun fell silent.
From the beginning, it had been a fair one-on-one, one team against another.
Outside the window, by the tree, the cloud had calmly entered the broken hole in the [Glass Safe].
The four distant egrets remained motionless.
But the moment the cloud floated in, it suddenly returned the way it came, leaving the glass cover and continuing to ascend rapidly!
[Owl: Someone used [(Offense) Rising From the Ground*] on you~~]
*(拔地而起) Idiom referring to something rising abruptly towering above the ground.
Wang Duanran, Kong Lize, Gu Nian: “……”
Chen Guan: “Damn, I’m almost forgetting the original meanings of these idioms…”
“Dachuan might not be able to hold him off.” Gu Nian observed while ascending rapidly, glancing down. “That Most Beautiful is very formidable.”
In the tree, their teammate was entangled with the Most Beautiful among the branches. The Most Beautiful was tightly gripping Jiang Dachuan’s arm, giving him no chance to use his stationery. Similarly, Jiang Dachuan was counterattacking; both men seemed evenly matched for the moment!
But a closer look revealed Jiang Dachuan’s eyes betraying a struggle, while the Most Beautiful’s eyes shone even brighter than before, radiating brilliance!
The cloud continued to rise!
Wang Duanran directly raised his arm, targeting the person in the tree, and activated a piece an offense stationery!
In the tree, Chi Yingxue had gained the upper hand, pressing Jiang Dachuan against the trunk, hand on his throat, almost ready to send him home. Suddenly, Chi Yingxue felt a needle-like pain in his heart!
Chi Yingxue could endure physical pain, but this kind of sharp mental agony momentarily distracted him!
Jiang Dachuan seized this opportunity, quickly disengaging and leaping to a nearby branch!
Chi Yingxue wanted to pursue, but his heart ached again—a pain he had never experienced before—bearable physically but unbearable mentally!
[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Heart Piercing Pain*] on you~~]
*A pain that feels as if needles were pricking one’s heart.
Chi Yingxue held onto the trunk with one hand, his chest with the other, gently gasping for breath, sweat appearing on his forehead for the first time.
Jiang Dachuan knew his teammates must be helping, but without stopping to finish off his opponent, he climbed upwards, prioritizing the badge!
But his ankle was grabbed again!
Jiang Dachuan was close to madness. Did the ghost have to be so persistent?
Glaring down, the curse on Jiang Dachuan’s lips halted.
The one holding him was Chi Yingxue, his face and lips deathly pale, both hands tightly gripping his foot.
“What the fuck…” Jiang Dachuan didn’t know what else to say.
His own teammates weren’t known for holding back; this stationery was undoubtedly heart-wrenching.
To endure such pain and still hold onto him—how much salary could make someone so dedicated?!
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