GAMMT - Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Desperate Situation
Guan Zizai roared, "What are you spacing out for? Attack!"
The sixteen of them could no longer afford to worry about their previous infighting. They immediately started attacking the ducks. Otherwise, being besieged by so many ducks would definitely wipe out all their points, and their only other option would be to withdraw from the competition right now.
This group had no intention of withdrawing yet. There was still over an hour left, and they were currently in the top seventy. When the exam ended in an hour and a half, they would surely be knocked down two or three hundred places.
Unacceptable!
They grew anxious and attacked the ducks with all their might.
"Stop holding back! If we can't get through this wave, we'll all be screwed here. How are we supposed to compete with Lan Chenshuang and the others then?"
Zhang Juan shouted. The others knew this as well and were extremely nervous; after all, the fate of Li Yu, who had just been eliminated with zero points, was a very real example.
The sixteen of them attacked frantically, and the ducks were just as frenzied, crazily spitting fireballs and arcane missiles. When their mental power was depleted, they started drinking potions, madly consuming resources. After fighting for about ten minutes, they thought they could wear down a good number of ducks. But what terrified them was that these ducks seemed much harder to fight than before. The injured ones even knew to retreat and use the bodies of other ducks to hide their own weak spots.
"Something's not right. How do they know how to retreat? And they even know how to coordinate?"
"There might be a higher-level Big Yellow Duck BOSS nearby."
MD, there's a BOSS too?
Wait, is this the second stage of the exam? It's set up just like the third stage.
Does this make any sense?
Everyone's morale was starting to crumble, but they could only grit their teeth and begin a new round of attacks.
Several more minutes of fighting passed.
Finally, after a dozen or so ducks were finished off… someone couldn't hold on any longer.
Zhang Juan coughed up blood.
What's going on? Why are all these ducks targeting me?!
Fuck!
Zhang Juan couldn't understand it. And the one that always hit the hardest was the Big Yellow Duck with three goofy-looking feathers on its head.
It was pretty big, too. Damn it!
Zhang Juan tried to attack it, but it was no use. There were always smaller ducks protecting it. The moment he landed a hit, a whole flock of ducks would swarm him.
Zhang Juan suffered the most, beaten into a steady retreat. But he noticed that Shen Qixi's group was coordinating extremely well, much more stable than his own people. As for Wu Long, he was quite insidious, and Zhang Juan didn't trust him.
So, Zhang Juan quietly edged toward Shen Qixi's side, hoping they would shield him for a bit. But as soon as he got close, Shen Qixi repositioned herself away from him.
"They're more hostile toward you. Don't come over here. Don't get near me."
She was so direct.
This little dwarf is really annoying!
Zhang Juan's face darkened, but he shamelessly stuck close to them anyway.
Being a bad person requires a certain aptitude. How can you be an insidious villain without being thick-skinned?
Suddenly, a big, fat duck flew out from the flock and spat an arcane missile at the back of Zhang Juan's head in mid-air.
It was so precise, it had basically predicted his movement toward Shen Qixi, and then… a surprise attack!
To be honest, he probably didn't know that this duck had some experience and skill when it came to hitting the back of the head.
Zhang Juan took a hit to the head. MD, it wouldn't kill him, but it stunned him. He was dizzy for a second or two… and his body felt heavy.
Because a dozen ducks came flapping over, a dark, oppressive mass.
In an instant, brilliant lights flashed everywhere, like the dazzling halos at a senior citizens' disco dance, utterly splendid.
Zhang Juan was overwhelmed, and attacks rained down on him, causing his points to plummet.
"I with—, with… withdr—"
He couldn't finish the sentence because a duck sat its butt right on his mouth.
Its wide, webbed feet slapped against his face.
Slap, slap, slap!
His points were wiped clean.
It was over.
Zhang Juan's head was buzzing, and he never opened his eyes again, because he had been knocked unconscious.
When Wu Long and the others saw Zhang Juan's miserable state, it was as if they were seeing their own fate. They began to despair… Someone broke down and shouted, "I want to withdraw! I withdraw!"
After that one withdrew, two more followed in quick succession.
Now only twelve people remained. The pressure on those left was immense. Finally, Wu Long and his group couldn't take it anymore and were about to leave.
Bang! An explosion suddenly went off in the middle of the duck flock. A group of ducks was caught off guard and sent flying.
Wu Long and the others: "???"
Shen Qixi: "?!"
They were already low on health, and this explosion instantly killed twenty to thirty of them.
Before, killing twenty or thirty of them had been so difficult. They attacked and defended in layers. Whenever the students threw any equipment or resources at them, the ducks would either dodge or attack and destroy them, leaving the students with no chance of winning. But they weren't on guard against an attack from within their own ranks.
An internal explosion was like an attack from behind; they had no concept of dodging it.
After the explosion, before Shen Qixi and the others could react, the ducks scattered in chaos amidst the flames, but then another wave of attacks came.
The ducks didn't understand who had set off the bomb, but they instinctively charged toward Shen Qixi's group.
They shrieked Gak! Gak! Gak! and attacked furiously.
Holy shit, it wasn't us!
The group felt terribly wronged and became even more desperate to withdraw, afraid they would all die here.
"Wait, don't withdraw yet."
At that moment, Shen Qixi stopped Guan Zizai and the other two. She had finally figured it out.
"There's something wrong with that duck."
Which one, which one?
The biggest one, of course.
Amidst the scattered flames and ash, the group finally saw clearly. Their eyes widened, thinking they had gone blind.
"MD, these ducks can even throw grenades now!"
After a wave of low-health ducks was blown up from within, the other ducks became confused, not knowing who to attack. Of course, they could see one of their own kind throwing grenades, but their programming didn't include analysis for this kind of situation.
At this moment, in a certain technical department of the Beluke Provincial Education Ministry, the delegated core chip review team was monitoring all the High School Entrance Exam scenarios in the Beluke area. They wouldn't interfere with any exam situation; they would only step in if a malfunction in the ducks themselves affected the fairness of the exam.
One technical team watched over one exam zone, and the Jingyang zone had its own team. It was a bit of an underutilization of talent, as each of these technicians was a monstrously skilled programmer, the kind who could write a complete mini-game in an hour. So, just watching to make sure the program didn't glitch was a very relaxed job for them.
Coffee, desserts, everything was provided—this was the daily life of an IT professional.
The coffee was still warm and fragrant. They sat with their legs crossed, watching the feed transmitted back from the Jingyang Education Center's exam.
On the screen, a duck targeted another duck.
"Is there a problem?" a few technicians wondered.
"Analyzing now. The analysis results are in."
A technician was about to put down his coffee, but when he saw the analysis results on the screen, the entire group choked on their coffee.
Cough, cough, cough.
Holy shit!
Because on the screen, the program's analysis of the big duck displayed three arrows pointing to three boxes, each containing analytical text.
Feathers are very yellow, very big, very fat. Non-human candidate. Is Big Brother. One of us.
Cannot attack Big Brother. Must obey Big Brother. Attack whoever Big Brother attacks.
Object in Big Brother's hand is unknown, but it is fighting a bloody battle for our flock. We must go berserk to protect it.
A technician, face red after finally stopping his choking, turned to the team leader and said sincerely, "Chief, should we jointly petition our superiors to upgrade this program a little? I feel like their brains aren't working right."
The team leader said sternly, "If their brains were too good, it wouldn't be the High School Entrance Exam, it would be the College Entrance Exam. Flaws were deliberately left in for the candidates to discover."
The technicians had a moment of realization. There were probably other settings or stages in the exam that would allow the candidates to break the deadlock. After all, the number of ducks, their defenses, and the suppressed spiritual energy concentration were indeed a significant pressure on the candidates, especially those fighting alone. It would be very difficult for them to last until the end of the exam.
"As expected, this duck is a candidate in Mimicry form. And he figured out in advance that these ducks determine their leader based on size and are then guided to attack by following that leader's actions."
This flaw was naturally discovered by observing the mini-BOSS.
It was bigger and fatter, and every time the mini-BOSS attacked, the other mobs would only then begin their assault, locking onto the BOSS's target.
"Since it's not a program error, it has nothing to do with us… But I still want to say, can we please upgrade the system for the next exam?"
For picky people like them, this kind of idiot-proof program logic was truly unbearable.
Big Brother, Big Brother… hey ducks, your Big Brother is a big brother, but he's not a DUCK!
Back in the chaos.
"Attack the other ducks, quickly!"
Shen Qixi was clever, after all. She glanced at a certain spot, and after a moment of shock, she understood. She immediately shouted, and the others reacted, starting to attack the confused ducks.
Finally, after a while, the scene quieted down.
Ducks lay all over the ground.
Only the big yellow duck remained.
It stood on the heads of the other ducks, looking at them.
"Don't attack, he is…" Shen Qixi called out just in time.
Wu Long was still on high alert, his eyes flickering, looking like he was ready to make a move.
But the big duck plopped its butt down on the other duck corpses and glanced at Wu Long.
"What, thinking of playing dumb and taking the opportunity to attack me?"
"Ever wondered why I didn't take this chance to eliminate you, now that your mental power is depleted, just like you wanted to eliminate me?"
"No need to answer, because I know the answer. It's because you're still useful to me."
"Now you can ask what use you are."
She didn't give them a chance to speak, seizing the initiative directly.
Wu Long hated being led by the nose. His expression stiffened slightly. "Excuse me, who are you, duck? You're quite impressive, with such a strong Mimicry, using us…"
Before he could finish, Bang!!
An arcane missile smashed into his head.
Wu Long barely managed to dodge a little, but blood still streamed from his temple.
He clutched his bloodied head and glared furiously.
"Rank 21 in the joint exam isn't that smart after all. Someone like her should have already guessed my identity, right."
Fu Chuan looked at Shen Qixi.
The latter's lips twitched slightly as she said nonchalantly, "Ranked 42nd on the leaderboard, rising at rocket speed. The name is Xie Keli."
"Otherwise, I really would have thought you were a duck spirit that had turned traitor."
Shen Qixi was short and had a low, crisp voice, looking every bit the young girl. But as she finished speaking, the "big duck spirit" released its Mimicry.
An average appearance, a devil-may-care attitude. He sat with his legs bent, hands clasped, looking down on them slightly from his perch atop the pile of duck corpses.
"Calling it a rocket is too much praise. You all worked very hard, too."
When it came to delivering simple, unadorned insults for personal gain, the scumbag young master was a professional.
Everyone suddenly felt like they were having a heart attack.
Fuck!
At that moment, the various parents watching also felt pretty damn annoyed.
You can play like this?
An elder from the Teng Family looked at the Xie Clan elder with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. "What a fine move! Truly extraordinary."
The Xie Clan elder was also thick-skinned and said lightly, "The family's upbringing was proper. The child is quite talented, that's all."
Just a few minutes ago, he had been the one in the family group chat cursing the loudest, most unwilling to let Xie Keli have three hours of access to the Gene Pool. Although he was now suspicious and frustrated internally, he maintained his composure. But right after retorting to the Teng Family member, he immediately asked Xie An in the group chat.
"Clan Head, did you give Xie Keli some kind of Mimicry treasure?"
Xie An: "?"
Fu Chuan felt like this Xiao Qi was cursing her.
What does she mean, 'duck spirit'?
But this little girl was indeed sharp and clever, choosing the simplest method to lock onto her identity by watching the changes in the leaderboard rankings.
Fu Chuan studied Shen Qixi for a moment, then asked bluntly, "Since you're so smart, do you know why I'm keeping you all around?"
Wu Long was indeed smart. After realizing the person before him was Xie Keli, although he was shocked at first, he quickly accepted it.
It was an exam, after all. There were always dark horses.
Wu Long: "Are you planning to do another wave like that? We cooperate?"
Fu Chuan frowned. "What gave you that delusion?"
Wu Long: "…"
Fu Chuan: "You're only qualified to work for me, yet you delude yourself into thinking we can cooperate. Does that soothe your pride?"
Fuck! Such a venomous tongue!
Wu Long was suspicious and ruthless by nature. He was immediately displeased by his words and began calculating whether their group could take him down if they surrounded him now.
But Fu Chuan continued, "I've calculated it. Your potions are basically depleted, right? It would take you about twenty minutes to fully recover your mental power. In that time, I could easily finish you all off. Of course, if you surround me now, you still have some chance of winning. But you're not united internally. You're probably also calculating whether my current methods could be beneficial to you."
Wu Long and the others: "…"
Shen Qixi: "So, if you want to use us as labor, we earn a portion of the points, and the rest are naturally yours. But the problem remains that we lack potions. If you want to hire us, will you provide potions for free?"
Potions were very expensive, and these people didn't have enough resources or channels to buy and stockpile large quantities. Most importantly, this was the second stage of the exam; no one had expected this level of combat consumption.
Wu Long was also a smart person, but he had run rampant for too long and had lost his vigilance, not knowing when to compromise. Shen Qixi, however, had always known how to assess a situation. So, she took the initiative to push for cooperation. Clearly, she was interested—if this scumbag young master was willing to provide potions.
Fu Chuan: "If I charge you money, and at triple the price, will you curse me?"
Everyone: "…"
Fu Chuan: "Looks like you will. Go ahead and curse, then."
A person who hires poor, pitiful workers, first sells them medicine at triple the price, and then uses those same workers' labor to create even greater profits.
You wouldn't even work a beast of burden like that! Are you even human?
Oh, right, I forgot. You're a duck.
But Shen Qixi agreed without a second thought. She had already done the math; it wasn't a losing deal. If she could figure it out, couldn't the others? The main thing was that Xie Keli's Mimicry was too powerful—a perfect tool for farming points.
If they followed the previous model, they could easily earn one or two hundred points at the very least. How amazing would it be to farm wave after wave? So, even Wu Long was tempted.
Cooperation—er, no, employment—was thus established.
Guan Zizai observed Xie Keli and asked, "Which wave are we hitting next? Are you going to pull them?"
Fu Chuan didn't deny it. "Wait a bit. My skill needs some time to recover. Let's trade for the potions first."
It seems this Mimicry skill has a cooldown time, the group thought to themselves.
However, outside the screen, Vice Minister Zhang Ruo raised an eyebrow when she saw Fu Chuan say this.
After Wu Long bought the potions, he exchanged glances with the others. No one objected to Fu Chuan's leadership. Once they had all recovered their mental power, they began their duck-farming journey.
In the process, Shen Qixi observed and realized they had no opportunity to snatch points. The ducks were only exempt from attacking "Xie-duck." As long as outsiders like them attacked, the ducks would always dodge and defend.
In other words, this Xie-duck now held the ultimate trump card for the second stage of the exam.
An hour later, after farming two waves, the group's collective points had pushed them into the top thirty, while the name Xie Keli was firmly ranked 9th.
The candidates in all three zones were shocked, especially those in Zone 1 and Zone 2.
"Something's not right. What did this Xie Keli person do to get so many points all of a sudden? Is his strength extremely high? But the spiritual energy concentration here is so suppressed, the power gap between us should have been compressed."
Jian Feilan was puzzled. Xu Yi, having just killed two ducks, looked at the leaderboard thoughtfully. "He's gathered some people. The rate at which some others are gaining points is very close to his, just not as much."
"It must be a hunt led by him."
"His methods must be very special, but he shouldn't be that strong, otherwise the Xie Clan and Lan Clan wouldn't have that attitude toward him. Besides, you can't fake meditation aptitude… I suspect he's obtained some kind of special advantage in this exam."
Xu Yi's words enlightened the other two. After exchanging glances, they slowed their hunting pace and began to ponder certain information about the exam.
On the other side.
Mo Ruijing and his group were also shocked, but in their surprise…
"Watch out!!"
"What is that! Ah!"
A few of them suddenly saw a black shadow flash before their eyes. Before they could react, the shadow darted through the forest and swiftly struck them in the head.
Level 1 Stun, Level 1 Immobilize.
After they fell, some nearby ducks swarmed them frantically. But the black shadow leaped back onto a tree. Mo Ruijing and the others watched in horror as their points plummeted. They were scared to death. The moment the stun wore off, they were about to counterattack, but the next second…
Swish!
The stun hit again!
After being stunned twice in a row, they had already lost nearly a thousand points.
"Terrifying! This person's stun has no cooldown! It's instant cast!"
"Damn it, it's a basic Arcane Truth skill! Quick… retreat!"
Mo Ruijing and his group were top students, after all. With clear heads, they immediately chose to withdraw from the exam after realizing how terrifying this person in black was. As their bodies blurred and they exited, they saw the person squatting in the tree wearing a smiling dog-head mask.
Outside, the teachers and parents were in an uproar. For a candidate to appear at this stage of the exam who had mastered a basic support-type Stun Arcane Truth, they naturally understood the level of genius involved.
"To grasp a Stun Arcane Truth in half an hour is very impressive."
"Remember this student."
It was impossible to determine their identity for now, but the Education Ministry would find out sooner or later.
Only half an hour remained.
The number of ducks was limited. After clearing an area, they found there were no more ducks, but a barrier appeared before them.
It was the barrier between Zone 2 and Zone 3.
"It costs 50 points to cross?"
Should they go or not?
Of course, they should! In the last half hour, they could farm at least one more wave and get two or three hundred points.
As the duck king in front stepped across, the others followed one by one.
Just as she passed the barrier, Fu Chuan glanced at something in the grass beside it.
Her high agility allowed her to notice something fishy in the first second, but she showed no sign of it and led the group away.
In the grass, the head of a surveillance device turned to follow the direction they were leaving, capturing their backs… and transmitted the image to a person's glasses.
In Zone 2, Lan Chenshuang pushed up his glasses, his eyes narrowing and a cold smirk playing on his lips.
You, with the surname Xie. I didn't even come looking for you, yet you dare to enter Zone 2. You're courting death!
But this person isn't as crude and brainless as they appear. They probably have some tricks up their sleeve. Maybe they came looking for me.
Lan Chenshuang glanced at the 9th-place name on the leaderboard, his brow furrowing tightly. A plan formed in his mind, and he used his wrist device to control the surveillance equipment and follow them.
The grass rustled, and a small beetle soon appeared. The beetle flapped its wings, a red signal light on its tail flashing faintly before quickly dimming. It then accelerated and followed… Soon, it landed silently on one of the people.
"Time is almost up. I'll pull a larger group this wave, so be prepared."
Seeing that Fu Chuan was planning something big, Wu Long's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Will we be able to handle it? Shouldn't we play it safe?"
They had already done this two or three times and were familiar with each other's methods. Nothing was more trustworthy than the points they had already earned, so there was nothing to be suspicious about. Yet, he still asked.
Fu Chuan scanned her surroundings and said, "Just fight like you did before. Don't worry about anything else. Besides, you won't be the main force this time."
Many of them were confused.
They saw Xie Keli give a subtle smile, then poof, he turned into a fat duck…
"In this last half hour, we're taking on Lan Chenshuang's group. We're going to eliminate him."
The expressions on Guan Zizai and the others froze. Shen Qixi was stunned.
This person is actually taking the initiative to attack? And dragging them into it?!!
And at this very moment, outside the screen, all the parents watching the exam…
"Is he… deliberately speaking to us?"
"Not us. It should be them."
Everyone's expression was different, but they quickly turned in unison to look at the Lan Clan members.
The Lan Clan members didn't have such high composure; they collectively lost their cool, because they were terrified.
"He dares!"
"That bastard Xie Keli!"
"Fuck!"
From the moment they saw that duck pull out a grenade, their expressions had been strained, but they hadn't made a big scene, afraid of losing their composure. But now they really couldn't hold it in anymore. Several Lan Clan members stood up, furious.
The angrier they got, the more their panic showed. Because the duck that Xie Keli was disguised as was simply too much of a game-breaking bug. They could almost imagine the tragic scene of their Second Young Master being surrounded by ducks. He might very well be the next Li Yu.
Lan Luoqi's expression seemed calm at this moment, but his fingers tightened slightly, and his gaze unconsciously drifted toward Zhou Linlang. But she was looking down, sending a message to someone unknown.
"The Lan Clan is not easy to deal with. Why should we get involved?" Guan Zizai was not optimistic about this.
Fu Chuan: "You're already in the water. They're nearby and probably on their way."
Holy shit!
The group was completely forced into a corner. Wu Long, however, was fearless due to his personality. "Let them come. We'll take them out. But you need to control the number of ducks you pull. Just enough to take them down will do."
"Of course."
Fu Chuan was already prepared. She said to the uncertain group, "Follow behind me and set up an ambush. This wave, I'll carry you to an easy victory."
Her words were so casual and confident that the wavering minds of many immediately stabilized. Then, the fat duck darted into the woods, and they trailed behind it.
Soon, they saw Lan Chenshuang and his people.
Lan Chenshuang had six teammates, seven in total, all of whom were sharp and capable individuals. Most of them had extremely strong arcane talent and had ranked in the top thirty in the junior high arcane joint exams over the past three years.
Lan Chenshuang had recruited six people all by himself! If taken individually, neither Zhang Juan and Shen Qixi's team nor Wu Long's group was a match for Lan Chenshuang's side.
After all, he was a noble. His arcane resources were the strongest, and it was easiest for him to recruit people. Don't forget, even Li Yu had been one of his subordinates.
Could they really deal with them? The dozen or so people on their side weren't confident…
Wu Long and the others lay in wait patiently until they heard the sound of ducks.
"What's that noise!"
Lan Chenshuang was on alert, raising his hand to prepare an attack. The others reacted quickly as well, immediately attacking the woods to the south, and the ducks rushed out.
Over a hundred of them!
Fucking hell… that's a lot!
The flock of ducks swarmed toward them like a dark cloud. The faces of Lan Chenshuang and his group changed slightly. Were they surrounded?
It's over, it's over, it's over. The Lan Clan members had a massive headache, but the people from the Teng family and Xie Clan, it had to be said, were secretly delighted.
The Lan Clan couldn't be allowed to produce another Lan Xuanyu or Lan Luoqi! Jingyang would not allow such a powerful family to exist.
The situation was tumultuous, like a desperate predicament.
"There are people nearby! Damn it, they set us up!" Lan Chenshuang narrowed his eyes. He saw a fat duck in the flock and immediately sneered. As if he had suddenly gained a third eye, he raised his hand and threw a fireball toward the ambush spot.
Wu Long, who was almost hit, dodged, but made a considerable amount of noise.
Both Lan Chenshuang's group and the ducks sensed it.
"MD, there really are people here!"
"Drag them out!"
The group was exposed and had no choice but to come out and deal with the ducks' attacks.
Both groups were now surrounded by ducks.
But Shen Qixi felt that something was strange, something wasn't right!
First, Lan Chenshuang had reacted too quickly, as if he had known where they were hiding in advance.
Second, why hadn't Xie Keli directed the ducks to focus their attacks on Lan Chenshuang's group?
Third, Wu Long's reaction just now was suspicious.
Shen Qixi was perceptive and became wary.
They fought for a while, frantically drinking potions and depleting their mental power while surrounded by ducks, until… a large number of the ducks were low on health.
At that very moment, Lan Chenshuang suddenly shouted, "Now!"
With his command, Wu Long and his small group abruptly launched a sneak attack on Shen Qixi and the others.
At the same instant, Lan Chenshuang and his subordinates swiftly locked onto one of the big fat ducks and went for a decisive kill!
Both attacks were extremely sudden, striking with the force of a thunderbolt—an unexpected twist for everyone.
The Lan Clan members cheered collectively, while the Xie Clan and Teng family were stunned… Xie Lin and the others watched the live broadcast, secretly breathing a sigh of relief.
They didn't care if Lan Chenshuang was taken down, but they never, ever wanted to see Xie Keli rise.
Does he even deserve it?!
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