GAMMT - Chapter 73
Chapter 73: Strategy
"Holy crap, there's a light! Quick, cover your face…"
"What's there to cover? We're wearing hoods."
"…"
In truth, there was no need to cover their faces. The extreme light was a blinding white, essentially a dark blind spot.
And that halo of light was also seen by those outside.
The other candidates near the restroom…
Damn it, I almost went blind just taking a leak.
Outside the restroom and the shop, a young man and woman who were eating watermelon both turned to look.
"What are you looking at? Just eat. It's just some ruckus from down below."
Yun Baobao glanced once and didn't pay it much mind, because that level of damage wasn't even on their tier.
With 4000 candidates, it would be strange if there wasn't some trouble.
"No, I was just wondering who's being so arrogant, starting a fight and robbing someone right away?"
"Probably not. You can't kill anyone, and if there's a real threat, the teachers will intervene. If you refuse to hand over your things, who would dare to actually rob you? This isn't an official exam venue."
Yun Baobao's nonchalant tone was as if she were watching stray cats and dogs fight. If she had time, she'd watch the show; if not, she couldn't be bothered.
The young man wasn't concerned either.
Because it was indeed quite weak…
"This level of damage would probably be rated as Elite LV10 by the guild's teachers. We were at about that level when we were at level 10."
Then he lowered his head and continued eating his melon.
Most people were still inside the shops and didn't know what was happening. Those who did either didn't care or were in their vehicles outside.
At this moment, there were also people inside the buses.
A boy with a hat pulled down over his face lifted it slightly, glanced in that direction, and narrowed his eyes before quickly closing them again.
This was Bus 1.
There were still some people on the bus; they had either never gotten off or had turned right back around from the shop entrance.
They had given up on going in, choosing to conserve their resources.
Among them were Chen Sihai and his group of four.
Qin Minfeng watched the commotion over there with a cold gaze… a slight smirk tugging at his lips.
In the dense woods, the light faded. After their card chain was broken, the four were severely wounded, and then their faces were beaten until they were swollen…
Finally, they saw the eighteen-year-old youth with a cigarette dangling from his lips grab one of their companions by the neck and lift him up.
No, it can't be. Is he going to kill us?
Pang Ci and the others were a little scared. Don't, big brother, don't!
Hold it in, hold it in!
The assembly time was up.
Many candidates had boarded the buses, most having returned early. Only a few had yet to come back.
On Bus 9, Luohe Sanqian and the others had returned long ago, only to be met with probing glances from the candidates of the other cities.
The atmosphere was a bit strange, but no one broke the eerie tension.
However, many people were eyeing the empty seats…
After a while, they saw Xie Keli return.
He flicked his cigarette butt into a trash can, sauntered over with a bottle of Sprite and a bottle of liquor, followed by the four from Luoyu City, their faces bruised and swollen.
They had clearly been beaten up.
The five of them swaggered across the empty plaza.
They were quite conspicuous. Even the candidates on Bus 1 saw them. Most were disdainful, thinking that these low-ranking weaklings were courting death by causing so much trouble. A few were slightly curious but didn't pay much attention to those of their level. Their main rivals were on the same bus, and even if they were curious about others, they wouldn't get distracted.
At this moment, inside Bus 1, Que Baige watched Fu Chuan walk towards Bus 9 with a cold expression. He matched the face to the person and recalled the information passed on from the candidates of his vassal forces.
Xie Keli had many enemies, which could be narrowed down to three groups: those under the Xie Clan, those with Qin Minfeng, and a good number of people from the three cities who held a grudge against him.
So, whose blurry face had he seen?
The people of the Xie Clan were arrogant. Someone with such strong mimicry skills and speed would have some status within the clan and wouldn't bother with a branch family dog raised by Xie Siyi. So, they were ruled out.
The students from the three cities didn't have this kind of ability.
That left only one possibility: Qin Minfeng's faction.
Que Baige turned his head, his expression calm as if completely unaffected. In reality, a blade had already been raised in his heart.
Blue Blood?
Merely ants.
On Bus 9, there were other candidates from Luoyu City, about twenty or thirty of them. Seeing their own being bullied like this, they instantly stood up. Although they were usually rivals, they had to stick together when outside, or else they'd be trampled on. A cold, hostile aura locked onto the candidates from the three cities.
Their aggressive stance made them conveniently forget how their own people had humiliated the three cities earlier.
The atmosphere in the bus instantly froze.
The proctor from the guild didn't care; he was busy drinking milk and binge-watching a drama.
It wasn't until Fu Chuan reached the bus door, took a detour like an old man to the supervisor's office, and offered a bottle of liquor that, a moment later, they were given another vehicle.
Fu Chuan pointed, and the four, clutching their faces, nervously boarded the car.
"Follow us. Don't fall behind."
"Yes, yes, yes."
Only then did Fu Chuan walk back to Bus 9. The proctor turned his head, paused his drama, and asked, "What's going on?"
"Those few found someone on our bus has body odor and refused to ride with us. I tried to persuade them for a long time, but they wouldn't listen. I had no choice but to arrange another car for them to follow. Is that okay?"
Holy crap!
Everyone on the bus was cursing internally.
Who has body odor?! Can't you come up with a better excuse?
Now all 4000 candidates on the 20 buses have heard it!
The female candidates, in particular, looked utterly speechless. Shen Qixi covered her forehead and lowered her head, pretending not to hear.
The proctor glanced at her, then turned to ask the four.
"Is that so?"
"Yes, yes, that's right, that's right."
"Alright then. Follow closely, don't get left behind."
"Okay, okay."
The four clutched their swollen, pig-like faces, obediently fastened their seatbelts, and prepared to depart.
Only then, with the proctor's permission, did Fu Chuan board the bus. As soon as she got on, she met the sharp gazes of the strongest from Luoyu City. Fu Chuan paused for a moment, then continued walking.
"What are you looking at? I didn't say you have body odor."
Damn it!
The people from Luoyu City were about to explode with anger. The top-ranked Xin Yunhai said coldly, "Xie Keli, I hope I don't run into you during the exam."
After sitting down, Fu Chuan opened her Sprite and took a sip before replying, "Since you put it that way, I'll make sure to find you and introduce you to Qin Minfeng and his future wife at the same time."
Holy crap!
The faces of Xin Yunhai and the others turned green.
Does having a common enemy automatically make you friends?
No, people like Donglong Zhao would just ruthlessly eliminate them all together.
The re-selection was an elimination tournament.
Besides teammates, coexistence was basically impossible.
So he was planning to take them down with him, like a suicide bomber.
This damn pervert.
Xin Yunhai and the others looked grim. Trying to save face, he sneered, "We'll see if you can even find me."
"Is that so? Can you defeat those four all by yourself at the same time?"
Xin Yunhai and the others were stunned.
Fu Chuan glanced at him, her tone light. "You seem to think I only succeeded because I ambushed them with a few companions? You're wrong."
"I did it all by myself."
"One against four, completely invincible. Can you be as fierce as me?"
He couldn't. There was basically no one on this bus who could take down those four at once. At least, Xin Yunhai had been assessed with them before. He was number one, but he couldn't handle four at once.
In the small group chat that had been temporarily created for the restroom ambush plan, Pang Ci and the others had returned early. Their chat history went like this:
Pang Ci: Oh my god, my big brother is so magnanimous! After succeeding, he immediately told us to leave first to clear our names, sacrificing himself to protect us. What luck did I have in this life to meet him! My ancestral graves must be emitting green smoke.
Lao Lu: Why not suspect that your ancestral graves were blown up?
Pang Ci: The person above is eating shit.jpg.
Liu Yun: Next time something like this happens, don't call me. I'm just a big milk, a lover of clouds and peace, with a passion for writing, painting, and the art of flower arrangement. Why must I be involved in such bloody affairs?
Luohe Sanqian: All I know is that when he suggested we go beat someone up, you immediately summoned that dog of yours.
Liu Yun: Why are you slandering me and calling me names? I was just coordinating with Sister Lin, who summoned her big white goose.
Goose-Raiser Sister Lin: …Who changed my ID?
Shen Qixi: Probably the one on the first floor whose ancestral graves are emitting green smoke.
Lin Chengxiu: The first floor is Short and Tight.
Pang Ci: Oh my god, my big brother looks so cool even when he's smoking… As expected of an underworld boss, righteous and heroic, full of grandeur!
And then, the chat history stopped there.
The conversation hadn't continued.
They heard their big brother casually add, "Did you really think I needed to call on the goose-raising siblings in the fourth row, the short fatty in the fifth, the pretentious ice-hole in the seventh, and the sissy, dog-raising big milk-mom?"
"You really underestimate me."
Then she calmly sat down and drank her Sprite, making the 10-copper-coin bottle seem like the finest vintage wine.
The people from Luoyu City all turned to look at these few individuals, their killing intent surging.
Pang Ci and the others: "?"
Shen Qixi: Thank goodness I'm still young and weak, so I didn't have to go. (^_^) As long as I didn't go, that old schemer can't get me.
The proctor glanced at them meaningfully. "The bus is moving. Let's go."
The bus was quiet for a moment.
Pang Ci couldn't resist. He leaned over his seat and asked, "Big brother, why did you do that? What did this little brother do to be treated so poorly by you?"
Fu Chuan: "I didn't finish middle school. I thought you were uneducated like me, but your 3000-word essay was too well-written. It was obviously plagiarized. I can't stand cheaters. Be more careful next time."
Such terrifying jealousy. Big brother, why must you be like this?
Pang Ci desperately wanted to bury this person alive, but he couldn't, because he knew very well that one thing this person said wasn't wrong—he could handle those four all by himself.
Therefore, he could also handle them.
Hadn't they noticed that since the fight in the woods, Luohe Sanqian hadn't looked at him with any fighting spirit? Instead, he was now directing his fighting spirit at him.
Damn it!
I can't beat you right now!
The other 198 candidates: "…"
The bus started moving. The proctor turned his head, unable to hold back a smile.
He didn't know if anyone on this bus would make it into the top one hundred, but when it came to screwing people over, there was definitely a professional on board.
However, no one knew that in the car following them, the four who had been beaten so badly wore faces full of hatred.
"Was it transmitted?"
"Transmitted. The data is out. Damn it, Xie Keli, let him be arrogant for now."
"During the exam, they've promised to let the four of us team up with them for protection and to leech some points."
"The sacrifice was worth it… but I didn't expect him to be this strong."
"Nonsense. If he wasn't strong, they wouldn't have had us probe him beforehand."
"Anyway, just wait for the exam. He can wait for death!"
On Bus 1, experts were as common as clouds, but Qin Minfeng's group of four had all seen the data.
They were discussing it in their group chat.
Chen Sihai: "The skill types and levels are out. Damn, they're all pretty high. He must have used that money to buy skill books."
Qin Minfeng: "My fault."
Donglong Zhao: "There's no point in saying that. We didn't act just because of you. The data also shows his mental power is around fifty thousand. Compared to the ten thousand-plus analyzed during the high school entrance exam, that's a huge jump. This person cannot be underestimated."
Lian Sujin: "So what? Based on this data, his combat power is at most Elite LV10. Forget about us, Sihai alone could kill him."
Qin Minfeng: "I know him. This person hides his abilities well; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to deceive Zhou Linlang. I suspect he didn't use his full strength to deal with those four. I think you feel the same way, Ah Zhao."
Donglong Zhao: "How much do you think he's hiding?"
Qin Minfeng: "At least 50%."
Chen Sihai: "Impossible! Wouldn't that make him stronger than me? Ah Feng, you're overestimating him."
Could Chen Sihai tolerate someone from a garbage star being stronger than him?
A dark glint flashed in Qin Minfeng's eyes. Of course, he knew this, because he knew Chen Sihai couldn't even tolerate him, someone from a garbage star, being more powerful. That was why he had always appeared weaker.
So what about Xie Keli?
Without any prompting from him, Chen Sihai would hunt him down like a mad dog.
Donglong Zhao, however, had a more discerning eye. "It's possible. I calculated that his Arcane casting speed is slightly faster than average. The three light element attacks were perfectly coordinated and fluid, with explosive power. You can't achieve that effect without a hidden foundation."
"I think it would take at least a two-person team from our group to take him down."
"And it's best to act quickly. Don't let him develop. This person is very smart and excels at using the environment to strengthen himself."
But Qin Minfeng said, "If we can't team up right away when the exam starts, I'll choose to go after him first. I can't waste your time and energy, or your parents will be angry. If I can take him down, great. If I can't, I'll let you know so you're prepared and don't get ambushed by him."
"The last thing I want is to affect you all because of me."
Lian Sujin quickly said it wouldn't. "That person is just disgusting to look at, like a dog-skin plaster, so lowly. Only someone like Zhou Linlang, who's just chasing fame, would get involved with him…"
But Qin Minfeng insisted, and the other three didn't say anything more. In the end, their team could definitely take him down.
Donglong Zhao glanced at Qin Minfeng, actually quite satisfied with his attitude.
Dealing with Xie Keli was necessary, but it wasn't the top priority in the exam.
The mission their families had given them was very important; they had to secure a good ranking right away…
Letting Qin Minfeng test the waters first was fine.
While they were discussing, Fu Chuan was drinking her Sprite and looking out the window, secretly communicating with the little locust.
Little Locust: "Sister, why didn't you destroy the devices on them?"
Fu Chuan: "If I don't give them some information, what if they assume I'm too strong?"
The data she let them transmit was just about right, enough for them to think they could handle her individually or in a pair…
Give them a little confidence.
Preferably, to lure Qin Minfeng out alone.
"This person… if he determines my strength might be slightly higher than Chen Sihai's, he'll definitely be confident in dealing with me. Because he pretends to be the weakest of the four to appease the pride of these noble scions. But he's also very greedy. He probably wants to monopolize the items I exchanged for."
Little Locust: "Sister, you seem to rate him highly, thinking he's very smart… Aren't you afraid you can't beat him? What if he's super, super terrifying?"
Fu Chuan smiled. "I won't be."
Because if he were truly that overpowered, this male lead wouldn't have chosen the pampered daughter of a Blue Blood family. He would have gone for one of the three girls from the Orange Blood families on Bus 1.
He should be well aware of his own super-powered talent with women.
But he also knew his own abilities were insufficient. Approaching them rashly, even if he could win the girls' hearts, would get him assassinated by the experts of the Orange Blood families.
Was a dog from a garbage star worthy?
He was not.
"Based on the Lian Family's level, and Lian Sujin's level, you don't even need equipment to estimate his upper limits."
So, she was prepared.
"The difficult part isn't ambushing him during the exam, but minimizing the price I have to pay after a successful ambush."
And the wrath of families like the Donglong Family was the price she would have to bear.
Now, all that was left was for the exam to begin… she was just laying the groundwork, step by step.
Fu Chuan finished her Sprite, closed her eyes, and continued to rest. As for the puzzle she had exchanged for, the prompt said it couldn't be opened yet. She had to wait for the exam to start.
A puzzle… it probably corresponded to information about the exam venue. She didn't know if it would be useful.
Anyway, she had chosen it based on her initial intuition. She no longer lacked a foundation for combat power; her system was complete. Any other treasures would just be icing on the cake. Instead, strange items like this might bring a surprise.
Besides, its placement was too subtle.
The arrangement of the various resources seemed chaotic and random, but there was actually a pattern.
The west side was all resource-type treasures, the north was for gene talents, the south was for direct combat power boosts like cards, and only the east…
The puzzle was in the far corner of the eastern shelf. She suspected it was an item from East Guan Academy.
The core of strategy.
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