area51novel Chapter 259 The Melee Begins
Chapter 259 The Melee Begins
However, the inability to connect their combos didn't mean that Beibei and the others were completely without a chance to fight back. Long You was still a bit too far away from Beibei and the others, and it would take some time for those real attacks to reach their heads. It was in that one second or so that Beibei and the others activated their truly powerful defensive mechanisms.
These defensive and amplification measures worked together to directly offset the effects of the human EMP released by Long You, allowing Bei Bei and the others to effectively dodge and attack the flawed fixed-position soul-guided cannon that had already begun to unleash its power.
The rising dust obscured Long You's vision, and theoretically, it also obscured the vision of Bei Bei and the others. However, Long You had no intention of changing his attack rhythm. In that round of attacks, he couldn't possibly kill Huo Yuhao, and since Huo Yuhao was unharmed, Bei Bei and the others should not have lost sight of him.
As the dust settled, Beibei and the others finally regrouped and formed a battle formation. However, the seven of them did not show any signs of relief after escaping the surprise attack; instead, their faces were filled with seriousness.
The attack with the fixed-position soul-guided cannon shells had indeed come to an end, but now Bei Bei and the others discovered an even greater crisis was approaching. They were all familiar with the bluish-purple membrane surrounding the seven of them; it was the prelude to the activation of the Thunder Hell regional soul-guided device. Initially, Thunder Hell was considered a god-tier soul-guided device by Shrek Academy, defying expectations. However, as the conflict between the academy and the Sun Moon Empire intensified, the Sun Moon Empire would naturally imitate and develop such a useful ambush soul-guided device. Therefore, relying solely on the soul-guided device was insufficient to determine whether the attackers were friend or foe; it only indicated that the attackers were well-prepared.
"Junior brother, still can't find the attacker?"
"I can't find it, but I found the launch site of the soul tool that attacked us before. Given the distance between this launch site and us, it's impossible for me not to find them. Although it's not very timely, I think that the current situation is most likely just Senior Brother Long greeting us, and maybe also fulfilling his experimental needs."
A single word can be a wake-up call. Many details that someone caught up in the game might not notice, but if you had a cheat code that allowed you to see the whole picture, these details could provide completely different insights for someone new to the game.
Hearing Huo Yuhao's analysis, Bei Bei raised an eyebrow and looked at the Thunder Hell not far away, which had not yet entered the final activation stage. She had a little understanding in her heart, but to be on the safe side, Bei Bei still reminded her at the beginning: "Junior Brother is right, but as long as the opponent has not shown up, we cannot let our guard down. If the enemy does not move, we will move first and break through this Thunder Hell."
As soon as Bei Bei finished speaking, He Cai Tou, who had been preparing for a while in the center of the formation, suddenly activated the soul tool in his hand. In that instant, it was as if Iron Man had opened his specially designed Thor-brand power bank. A violent current gathered on the armor of He Cai Tou's palm, turning into a blazing white beam of light that crashed straight into the Thunder Hell barrier three meters away.
"Tsk, what a violent method!"
Long You's slightly dissatisfied voice rang out within the Thunder Hell Barrier. The next moment, the previously conspicuous Thunder Hell Barrier and the attack launched by Cai Tou disappeared simultaneously, and Long You's figure appeared directly in front of Bei Bei and the others. Beside Long You floated a polygonal object that still had wisps of electricity running through it.
Just as Huo Yuhao said, this was a way of greeting and testing with a touch of wicked humor. Since it wasn't a real battle, Long You naturally wouldn't actually use the energy-consuming Thunder Hell Soul Tool at this time. The Thunder Hell Barrier that Bei Bei and the others saw was actually a realistic projection.
Since it was a projection, the violent attack method of using electricity to counter electricity, initiated by Cai Tou, was naturally unstoppable and easily left obvious traces on the spot. This was not favorable for Long You and his group, who wanted to hide their whereabouts, so Long You had set up an energy collector in advance.
The freely moving energy collector could be moved at will under the cover of the projection; it could move towards any high-energy reaction it detected. However, what Long You hadn't expected was that He Caitou would launch such a powerful attack that the energy collector Long You had created almost exploded. This is why Long You said He Caitou's method of breaking the formation was too violent; if the energy collector had exploded, the entire scene would have been difficult to manage.
This energy collector, specially made by Longyou for energy-type soul tools, is essentially a super-fast-charging battery. Once it explodes, the impact will be considerable.
However, Long You was unhappy that He Cai Tou almost destroyed his energy collector, and Bei Bei and the others were also unhappy with the way Long You greeted them! Considering the number of people, it's highly likely that Long You wasn't the one who could vent his dissatisfaction.
The situation was unfavorable, so he changed the subject. Seeing that the group of people opposite him were not very friendly in their eyes, Long You began to use the few interpersonal relationship handling strategies he had left in his mind.
"Alright, alright, I know everyone is very happy to welcome me. Now that everyone's here, let's move quickly. This place isn't far from the vigilance zone of those rats from the Sun Moon Empire. Although I deliberately kept my voice down just now, it doesn't mean I wasn't there."
Although his words were still defiant, Long You's raised hands clearly indicated that he had given in and surrendered. Considering that the situation Long You described could not be ignored, Bei Bei and the other seven had no choice but to temporarily suppress their idea of beating Long You up right now and quickly moved him away.
It's unclear whether the people of the Sun Moon Empire failed to notice the commotion caused by Long You and his group, or whether everyone's relocation was indeed remarkably fast. In any case, by late at night, after confirming several times that they weren't being followed, the Shrek team found a safe place to rest.
Of course, before the break, Long You had also endured a round of torture involving two men, and finally managed to escape by using the excuse of adapting to the team and helping them get familiar with things as quickly as possible. Of course, Long You knew very well that the excuse was not important; what mattered was that most of the men present had partners, and fighting with another man was not as important as quickly cuddling with their partners and resting.
Rubbing the sore muscles in his arms, Long You quietly moved to the back of the senior sister of the inner courtyard, who was standing not far away gazing at the moonlight. When he was being beaten up, the girls who hadn't joined in cheered, but the senior sister shook her head with a gentle smile and walked away alone.
In truth, the reason Long You's plan to give prior notice was successful was largely due to his senior sister's cooperation. If Long You hadn't used his spiritual power to remotely warn her, Zhang Lexuan might have launched a counterattack that Long You couldn't withstand the moment he made his move. Perhaps the human EMP would still have succeeded, but the subsequent fixed-position soul-guided missile attack would likely have come to nothing.
"Why did you come here? I thought you'd take this opportunity to get to know your friends better!"
"There's no rush. There's still plenty of time before the competition starts, and I'll have enough time to integrate into the team. But you, Senior Sister, seem to be preoccupied! We came out to relax, not to be reminded of the past."
“You’re right, but people’s emotions are often impossible to completely control. I don’t quite understand how I feel right now, but I know it’s not a happy feeling.”
"An irrefutable reason. I won't go into things like learning to let go; I just hope that the upcoming journey won't be too agonizing for you, Senior Sister."
If I'm not mistaken, from now on, Beibei will definitely stick to Xiaoya's side like glue.
"Ha, that's quite an irrefutable guess! If it were you, would you choose to ignore it or pretend you don't see it?"
"As an outsider, when reason prevails in my thinking, I choose to ignore it. Humans are sometimes just perverse; the more unseen something is, the more we think about it in our minds. This situation of repeatedly thinking without a definite answer is a bit too cruel."
Having never been in a serious relationship in either of his two lifetimes, Long You was completely inept at handling such emotional issues. However, considering that all emotional problems can be broadly categorized as emotional issues, Long You briefly projected his own feelings onto the situation after taking an important exam, desperately wanting to be accepted but ultimately only able to wait endlessly. He immediately realized that he never wanted to experience that feeling again.
Whenever the outcome is ambiguous, Long You may hope for a good result, but rather than embracing illusory "hope," he prefers the guillotine to fall cleanly and decisively.
Perhaps it was Long You's words that moved Zhang Lexuan, the senior sister of the inner court who passively accepted arrangements in her relationships, that made the smile on Zhang Lexuan's lips more genuine.
"It seems like something unforgettable happened to you before! When will you share it? In my memory, Xiaoyou, you've never been in a situation that you wouldn't even want to imagine!"
"Even the invincible senior sister has problems she can't solve, and I, a mere level six soul master, naturally have a past I'd rather not recall. If the time is right, I don't mind sharing that moment that I'd rather not remember."
"Is the timing right? Take a rest. You greeted them well today. If nothing unexpected happens, Bei Bei and the others will probably ask to use you tomorrow. Of course, you will definitely be the focus of their greetings. Nearly five years is a long time. For you Soul Masters who are still growing, the changes will be astonishing."
Zhang Lexuan's prediction was accurate. When they started their journey the next day, Beibei, as the team leader, once again dispersed the group. They could travel in groups, travel alone, try wilderness survival as lone wolves, or form gangs to ambush and intercept. This was an opportunity to get to know themselves and their teammates. The only rule was that they had to arrive at the designated meeting point at the designated time.
After Beibei finished explaining the rule, Long You keenly noticed many malicious gazes fixed upon him. Last night's brutal massage hadn't been enough to fully release everyone's frustration and shock from the sneak attack, and Beibei's new game rule was clearly a good opportunity.
Realizing that almost everyone present wanted to give him a serious blow, Long You's lips twitched slightly as he summoned his battle armor, ready to be deployed at any moment. The next instant, before the Shrek Academy members could react, Long You's figure shot out, escaping the attack range of everyone except He Caitou and Zhang Lexuan.
He Caitou did want to do something at first, but before he could actually start, a familiar voice appeared directly in his mind in a familiar way.
"Hey Caitou! You haven't forgotten the first principle of a Soul Master for Soul Masters, have you? Don't tell me you've transformed into a melee Soul Master after all these years!"
His gaze swept subtly over the group of Soul Masters around him. He Caitou realized he couldn't discern their intentions from their expressions alone, so there was nothing more to say. The current situation clearly indicated a lack of mutual trust. What was the point of him, a Soul Master reliant on attack range, remaining among them? He should just retreat!
Having figured this out, He Caitou had no more hesitation. He donned his battle armor, accelerated the activation of his soul tool, and in the blink of an eye, his tall figure chased after Long You in the direction he had left.
Although they were ambushed together last night, He Caitou at least managed to retaliate, so it wasn't entirely frustrating. In the current situation, relying solely on his own strength would likely be insufficient to secure a safe passage, so it's best to quickly find a more reliable teammate.
According to He Caitou's own reasonable deduction, the fact that Long You reminded him even after running away was certainly because he didn't want him to interfere with his evacuation, but the possibility that this guy also wanted to find a partner could not be ruled out.
As soon as He Caitou left, Xu Sanshi, whose eyes had been darting around, couldn't help but click his tongue, secretly marveling at how cunning the Soul Masters were these days. However, despite his admiration, he knew he couldn't afford to be complacent. While the game might see alliances later on, at this stage, one-on-one combat was far more effective. Therefore, everyone present was a potential enemy.
However, since two people have already run away, the remaining people are very likely to become the primary targets of attack if they run away. Moreover, Xu Sanshi carefully calculated that, given his speed, it would be difficult for him to break out of the attack range of the people present like the two people before.