The Fourth Group of Cards
Everyone's attention shifted away and returned to Jiang Mengrui.
She glanced at Yashan, seemed to weigh her options, and continued:
"During the attack just now, one of my team members' Sanctuary was hit head-on by several level 9 monsters, directly triggering [Near-Destruction Teleportation] and receiving [Severe Punishment]."
"What punishment?" This time, it was Yashan who asked the question, seemingly showing unusual interest.
Jiang Mengrui paused, glanced at Yashan who had asked the question, and continued, "The punishment is permanent; he lost three Attribute points—one each in Strength, Constitution, and Spirit."
"..."
A moment of silence fell over the hall.
Permanently reduced Attributes?
Having spent so long in the Land of Darkness, we've all seen various negative statuses and temporary weakening effects, but this kind of punishment—directly and permanently stripping away basic Attributes —is something we've never heard of before.
Most people would rather be severely injured and near death than have their Attributes permanently reduced, as this is the second worst punishment after death.
Mu Hongyuan calmly pressed further, "Are you sure it's permanent? Many monsters' skills can temporarily reduce Attributes, and other people's Appraisal can't detect it."
"Yes, he sent a screenshot of his Attribute panel," Jiang Mengrui confirmed.
"No wonder... no wonder Ye Zizhen specifically pinned the notification to the top." Shan Yixian crossed his arms, his brows furrowed. "This guy isn't the reborn me."
"The [Severe Punishment] for the near destruction of the Sanctuary... that doesn't seem to have anything to do with someone like me who doesn't have Sanctuary." Gai Li shook his deformed hands and feet.
"Thank you so much, Ms. Jiang, for sharing this information. It's very useful for my team... but everyone..."
"It should be noted that the condition for the end of this District War is that only 10% of the world's remaining teams remain."
Father Tali Lang spoke in a deep voice, recognizing the seriousness of the situation.
Everyone glanced at the panel instinctively:
[World Remaining Groups: 14.4%]
The fifth time point has already eliminated a massive number of teams. At this rate, the District War phase will likely end by the sixth time point, or even earlier, and the war will proceed directly into the Continued Battle.
"This time, there's no 'surrender' button in the District War. This means that by the end of this District War, 90% of the teams worldwide will be eliminated due to their [Tinder] being extinguished or the entire team being wiped out."
Father Tali Lang frowned. "The rules clearly state that 'the enemy will prioritize attacking Sanctuary placed along the path.' This means that if Sanctuary is brought into battle, Sanctuary is highly likely to be destroyed before the [Tinder] at higher waves, causing the Sanctuary owner to suffer this terrible permanent penalty."
Although the words sounded grim, many people present actually breathed a slight sigh of relief. As always, the system was setting traps, but fortunately, many people hadn't brought Sanctuary after being given the hints.
It's important to understand that Survivors Sanctuary like Song Shige, which actually become a burden, are extremely rare, existing only among the very top-tier elites or those with special Talents.
For the vast majority of Survivors, Sanctuary remain an indispensable part of their overall strength. If Ye Zizhen given a hint, probably more than half of them would have fallen for it, regardless of their strength.
"Actually, the situation is slightly better; it's not that serious," Su Luo calmly analyzed. "As long as battlefield information flows normally, and those who are punished first share intelligence, others will naturally re-evaluate the pros and cons and make their own decisions."
"There are four paths in total. As long as there isn't Sanctuary on every path, the monsters can be lured to a path without Sanctuary, causing them to attack the [Tinder] directly. The key is whether we can accurately assess the situation, and... whether we have the resolve to sacrifice the [Tinder] to preserve our own Attributes if necessary."
"We could even be more decisive," Mu Hongyuan added casually, "Extinguish the [Tinder] ourselves beforehand."
Shan Yixian asked with some doubt, "Can I... attack [the Tinder]?"
Mu Hongyuan smiled and nodded to him, "Just show the intention to attack."
When Shan Yixian saw the Fairy smiling at him, his old face flushed red, leaving Su Luo, who was sitting opposite him, speechless.
Chao Ketu, who had been fiddling with his fingers with his head down, suddenly looked up, his voice low and hoarse. "The core of the problem may not be here. These coping strategies have limited impact on teams like ours that already know the inside story and have the advantage in strength. What we really need to think about is, what if... the deadline for the Continued Battle phase is also [only 10% of the groups remain], what then?"
"At that time..."
Everyone quickly started discussing it, and then, inexplicably, everyone's attention turned to Yashan.
Yashan: "..."
"I haven't interfered with your cooperation, and there seems to be no need for you to suddenly turn your attention to me now."
Yashan felt that these people were really unreasonable; in the middle of the conversation, they suddenly turned their anger towards Him.
Damn it, a bunch of kids whose combined age isn't even as big as His toenail are threatening Him!
This feeling of being dependent on others and constantly on guard is truly unpleasant. Perhaps I really need to find a way to control a few potentially dangerous individuals in Forbidden Class to expand my base...
Yashan pondered for a moment, then used a few cards on himself before leaving.
"Okay, the nuisance is gone, let's begin."
The goal of this fourth set of cards is no longer to acquire more Tinder Shards, but rather to delay the next wave!
[Wave Delay Card) ], [Wave Reduction Card) ], [Intensity Coordination Card) ], [Truce Card) ], [Full Conversion Card) ]...
One by one, Perfect- quality cards were used, and after several combinations, the [22nd wave] originally displayed on Su Luo's panel became [18th wave], and she did not need to face attacks at the next two time points.
Throughout the coordinated use of all four sets of cards in this District War, one name must be remembered, the sole True God of this collaboration—[Goddess of Luck] Jiang Mengrui!
It's fair to say that everyone present owes her a huge favor. She personally contributed nearly 40% of the key cards, including many rare cards with unique effects, and some that no one else had ever obtained.
With the various random cards submitted by others, and the layered amplification from the designated and special cards she used herself, the total amount of Tinder Shards she obtained had reached a terrifying number that was unimaginable to everyone.
Jiang Mengrui maintained her composure and calmness on the surface, but she couldn't hide the fleeting smugness in the depths of her eyes.
"Okay, everyone, it's been a pleasure working with you all. I look forward to working alongside you again someday in the Future."
The Scholar's voice carried a relaxed, off-duty tone. He smiled and nodded to everyone before leaving the Tinder Hall.