Glass Cannon

Silver Tower, Lobby.

Gaoxin, Qiao Long, Sule, Meimei, and Dongfang Yi, the five of them gathered here.

Peter and the Black Captain were also present, but they weren't here to participate in the game; they were here to see people off.

This was the captain's duty; otherwise, ordinary members couldn't just run off on their own.

Gaoxin was covered in many bandages. His short sleeves revealed arms that were almost entirely wrapped tightly in bandages.

He walked to the round table and called out to Number 97.

"Team match, intermediate game."

Gaoxin initiated the match without the slightest hesitation.

He expected to wait a long time, but they were matched as soon as it started, as if they were the only ones waiting.

They immediately entered the elevator and were quickly sent to the game arena.

As expected, there were already twenty-five people there. The moment they arrived and asked, the game could begin.

Clearly, they were the last team.

A 30-person match, with ten Radiators and twenty Glass People.

The most eye-catching Radiator squad consisted entirely of muscle-bound men, each at least 1.9 meters tall, all wielding heavy weapons like power axes and power hammers. They looked formidable.

Since they were all white and had such an imposing presence, Gaoxin wondered if the Big Beard he'd encountered before was part of this group too, perhaps belonging to some small gang.

As for the other Radiator team, the leader was surprisingly a woman.

She had blonde hair and blue eyes, wore twin ponytails, but was dressed in a black vest and camouflage military pants. She spun two massive guns in her hands and asked in a sharp, piercing voice, "Number 97, are all the players here? Hurry up and tell us the game rules."

Qiao Long also had a pair of handguns, which he could buy for a few dozen points.

But compared to the twin-tailed woman's guns, they were on a completely different level. Those guns looked more like hand cannons!

The people standing with the twin-tailed woman were clearly Radiators, equipped with heavy gear and exuding an imposing aura.

Gaoxin and the others exchanged glances. This intermediate game, with team matchmaking, had attracted truly extraordinary participants.

They all looked tough, making a situation like dealing with Silver Hand utterly impossible.

They immediately kept a low profile and listened carefully to the rules.

"All 20 'Glass Cannons' are present. The rules are now being announced. Before the game officially begins, all players are forbidden from harming each other. Violators will be instantly killed."

Just hearing this first sentence made the Glass People present unable to suppress the relaxation in their brows.

It felt incredibly comfortable.

They could see the other Glass Person teams also breathing a sigh of relief.

The ten Radiators had put immense pressure on them, especially the twin-tailed woman with her two massive hand cannons. One shot from those could turn them into mincemeat.

Number 97 ignored their thoughts and continued, "This game is divided into Black and White factions. Each faction can accommodate a maximum of twenty-five people."

"Thirty people will be self-assigned to the Black or White factions. Each faction must have at least five Glass People assigned to it initially."

"Passing through the passageway to enter the Black or White faction base will establish your faction affiliation."

Everyone looked at the wall, where two passages had suddenly appeared. One was filled with white light, and the other was pitch black.

They had been wondering where the arena was, but it turned out there were different entry passages.

The twin-tailed woman asked, "And then?"

Number 97 calmly stated, "The remaining game rules will be announced within the faction bases. All participants must enter the arena within five minutes."

Hearing this, Gaoxin's pupils contracted.

Without mentioning any other rules, they had to choose their roles first?

Meimei was the first to whisper, "Could it be that the Black and White teams have different mission rules?"

Qiao Long shook his head, "Not necessarily. It could also be that they'll divide into teams after knowing the rules, which would make the game simpler."

Dongfang Yi whispered, "Heh, this faction selection is a huge trap. It only states a minimum of five Glass People, but not the minimum total number of people per faction. Is this encouraging a 25:5 split?"

Sule added, "It also didn't mention if factions can be changed, but it's likely possible since 'initial' was mentioned."

Gaoxin said coldly, "Let's try not to split up, the five of us."

Split up! That's right. It only mentioned thirty people being assigned to factions, not that the six small teams would be assigned together. Theoretically, they could be broken up.

All of them looked grim. The competition could have already begun even before the rules were fully explained.

This faction selection was just an appetizer.

Fortunately, the rules mentioned that no mutual harm was allowed, otherwise, these Radiators would have been able to do whatever they pleased with them, molding and shaping them as they saw fit.

"Hahahaha!" The twin-tailed woman laughed heartily, "I like Black!"

Saying that, she led her companions towards the black passage, showing no intention of further discussion.

However, the all-muscle Radiator squad moved even faster. They immediately flashed forward and blocked the entrances to both the black and white passages.

The leader, holding a great hammer, slammed it onto the ground and said, "Beauty, don't be in such a hurry. Want to join our Viking Gang in the same faction?"

"A total of thirty people, an average of fifteen per faction. Our two Radiator squads joining forces, plus five Glass People, would be perfect."

"You like black, so we'll all be black then."

The woman with twin ponytails blinked her long lashes. "Okay."

The twenty Glass People present were speechless. At the start, two Radiator squads immediately united, dominating one faction.

This meant the other faction was destined to have only Glass People!

This was a clear declaration of intent to form a strong alliance and bully the weak.

However, they thought that was it, but the twin-tailed woman's next words made the Glass People's hearts tighten even more.

"But Big Strong Man, since you plan to make the teams unbalanced, why only five Glass People? Bring them all to the black team and leave five for the white team, hee hee."

The Glass People were stunned. The black team with 25 people, the white team with 5?

However, when she suggested it, the big hammer man's eyes lit up. "Then why leave five? Let's just bring them all to the black team and leave the white team with no one."

But the twin-tailed woman rolled her eyes. "Are you stupid? I already said one faction can hold a maximum of twenty-five people. If the white team can't meet the minimum allocation, will the game just end and let you win?"

"Maybe they'll randomly draw fifteen people to the white team, and then our team might get split up for a black and white showdown."

The big hammer man chuckled. "Whatever, maybe being separated is even better?"

The twin-tailed woman shook her braids. "I don't want to be separated. The four idiots behind me can't leave me."

The four Black Vests behind her had blank expressions, showing no emotional fluctuation at being called idiots.

"At least leave five people for the white team, follow the rules. The rest doesn't matter, you decide."

"Anyway, I'm going to the black team."

Saying that, she walked directly towards the black passage.

The big hammer man waved his hand, signaling people to clear the way, letting the twin-tailed woman's team enter the base first.

Sule pursed her lips. "This woman is too lazy to do anything, doesn't care about the team selection results at all. So arrogant."

Dongfang Yi said in a low voice, "What's there to care about? Actually, this faction selection at the start, while seemingly full of tricks, no one knows the specific rules. They don't know how to divide teams to be more advantageous."

"So she's too lazy to do anything at the start, just leading her team to pick a faction first. That's the most correct choice."

"Anyway, her team are all Radiators, a strong team. No matter where she goes, she won't be ignored."

"If people outside think more people are better, they'll all follow her to the black team. If people outside think fewer people are better, they'll all go to the white team, and she won't be isolated because at least five Glass People must be allocated to her."

"In short, she won't lose. She just picks one first and leaves the talking to the people outside. She can also be the first to enter the base and familiarize herself with the terrain."

Qiao Long said calmly, "But we Glass People don't have that privilege. Otherwise, we five might end up in a faction by ourselves."

Meimei pursed her lips. "The strong are the center wherever they go. As long as they make the first choice, others will naturally have to think around them."

Dongfang Yi chuckled. "We don't even know what the rules are yet. Maybe it's better for us five to dominate a faction?"

Just then, the big hammer man shouted, "We, the Viking Gang, have also decided to go to the black team. We also need fifteen Glass People, leaving only five for the white team..."

Many Glass People immediately busied themselves recommending themselves.

They all said they were the most obedient, guaranteed to follow orders, and only wanted to survive, acting like they had no backbone.

The big hammer man laughed heartily and beckoned, selecting several and sending them into the black passage.

Some who weren't chosen had teary eyes. One very thin and small youth knelt on the ground, begging.

"My lord, have mercy. I'm very obedient. I can't die, I really can't die."

The big hammer man said with disgust, "Do you think I can die? What nonsense are you spouting? Get lost to the other side."

The helpless youth slumped to the ground, his gaze vacant, but he quickly rallied himself, staring at the white door, and resolutely walked over.

Some others were still pleading, and the big hammer man picked and chose.

Soon, the Glass People's team became scattered.

Only Gaoxin's team and another Glass Person team remained in groups of five. The other teams seemed to have dissolved on the spot.

Gaoxin frowned. "Their teams have already dispersed?"

Qiao Long said, "There are two teams that should be NPCs... They seem to have come as a group of five, but in reality, they might not know each other."

"Are NPC players forced to participate?" Gaoxin asked.

Qiao Long nodded. "Yes, but there are no mandatory measures. The officials won't enforce anything outside the Silver Tower, so it's mainly up to the local powerful gangs to escort the NPCs. The Silver Tower officials and the local powers are in a cooperative relationship."

"Each area where a Silver Tower is located will only have one partner. Whichever force is strongest gets the spot. I heard they give quite a few redemption vouchers, so doing work for the Silver Tower is rewarded."

Next, Qiao Long talked a lot about NPCs.

Gaoxin sighed. NPCs couldn't choose difficulty or whether to team up; they were just there to make up the numbers.

This game matched ten NPCs, likely existing as consumables.

Wait, consumables?

Gaoxin frowned. This game is called Glass Cannon, and the faction rule requires at least five Glass People. There must be a connection.

Could it be literal, that Glass People are the 'cannon fodder' for each faction?

The more Glass People there are, the more cannon fodder this faction has. And you need at least five cannonballs, otherwise the game can't even proceed?

He immediately voiced his guess, and everyone frowned.

It can't be that cruel, right? How do these cannonballs work?

"If it's just the five of us, we'll probably take a huge loss," Dongfang Yi immediately retracted his previous words.

Qiao Long suddenly said, "Understood. Leave it to me."

Without further hesitation, he rushed to the nearby group of Glass People who were still huddled together and began talking to them.

Gaoxin knew he was going to recruit allies.

It was difficult to form alliances with Radiators, and NPCs and players couldn't be relied upon. The only option was to win over another group of normal players.

"What are you saying! You, you... and you few, come over here." The sledgehammer man was still picking people.

He had his eye on Gaoxin and Sule, as well as several sturdy players from another team.

Gaoxin immediately stepped forward with Dongfang Yi and Jin Meimei.

"Why is there a woman? No, no, woman, you go to the white team." The sledgehammer man was bossy.

Meimei gritted her teeth and remained silent.

Gaoxin smiled, "Since you don't want us, then forget it. We'll all go to the white team."

With that, he led the few people towards the white team.

However, two muscular men were guarding the entrance to the white passage. They glared at Gaoxin, "Glass People, your faction is decided by our boss!"

"Get lost!"

Gaoxin stopped firmly, not backing down an inch.

The sledgehammer man also walked over, "Kid, can't you understand? I only want the two of you. The other three can scram."

Gaoxin retorted, "I was originally going to try joining your team, but I didn't expect you to be so stupid. I think I'll go to the white team instead."

"What did you say!" The strong man guarding the door was furious, pointing at Gaoxin with eyes that could devour him.

However, Gaoxin was not afraid at all, staring at him, "What? You want to make a move on me?"

The game rules stated that players could not harm each other at this time, and violators would be instantly killed.

The other party naturally remembered this, so they chose to block the doorway with their bodies, preventing them from entering.

"Kid, do you really think I wouldn't dare to touch you?" The sledgehammer man's giant hammer slammed heavily onto the ground, exuding an imposing aura.

"I only said that you can't harm each other before the game officially starts. Once we're in the game, won't you still be a plaything in my palm?"

Gaoxin retorted, "A bunch of idiots, still thinking you're so great? I only know that we are all playthings for the audience. May I ask which 'Di Shen' group you are from?"

The sledgehammer man just glared in silence.

But a muscular man guarding the door next to him cursed, "Fuck, do you really think I don't dare to kill you? Crushing you is as easy as crushing an ant!"

Gaoxin didn't take a single step back, shrugging his shoulders, "Only children would boast about crushing ants to their dads as an achievement."

"Fuck!" The muscular man's composure broke on the spot. He immediately swung his palm at Gaoxin.

The sledgehammer man said coldly, "Enough."

The muscular man hadn't actually lost his mind. This slap wasn't meant to be a real hit; it was meant to scare Gaoxin. He intended to stop his palm just before Gaoxin's face and blow on him with the wind from his palm.

However, he underestimated Gaoxin.

In an instant, Gaoxin leaned his head forward, closing the distance with incredible speed.

The incoming palm strike was too fierce. He hadn't expected Gaoxin to be so agile and couldn't stop himself completely.

"Pfft..."

With a soft sound, the moment the slap was stopped, it had already landed on Gaoxin's face.

The force was not heavy at all. He had controlled it at the last moment, barely a light tap on the face and nose.

But Gaoxin didn't resist at all. Instead, he tilted his head, and blood spurted from his nose.

Blood splattered three feet, and Gaoxin fell with the force, as if he were fragile.

"Bang!" Gaoxin's head hit the metal floor heavily, leaving a bruise.

"Huh?" The guy who slapped him was dumbfounded.

The sledgehammer man's eyes widened: He couldn't stop it this time? Why are you pretending to be so tough?

The one who slapped him was stunned: Impossible, I controlled it. How did it draw blood from his nose?

He realized that Gaoxin was not an ordinary Superior Glass Person. His body control was simply monstrous, but it was too late.

Number 97 said coldly, "Illegal instant kill!"

"No, wait..." the guy tried to argue, but a white light descended upon him.

In an instant, his entire body turned to dust, and then even the dust vanished, evaporating into a wisp of smoke.

Gaoxin stood up, covering his nose, having witnessed the entire event. This was the first time he had seen an instant kill. He didn't know what kind of technique it was, but it looked incredibly powerful.

He was completely vaporized, something flesh and blood could never withstand.

Above, a suction force pulled in the smoke, ensuring the air molecules remained fresh.

"Brother!" the man with the great hammer roared.

The other muscular men were also shocked by this sudden development, and the Glass Person stared, dumbfounded.

This is a setup, a total setup.

"You!" The other muscular men, enraged, surrounded him.

Gaoxin didn't move, just watched as a group of people surrounded him.

"Fuck!"

"You're dead! Kid! You're dead!"

"How dare you kill someone from our Viking Gang!"

"You have some nerve, you really have some nerve!"

The three muscular men, their faces contorted with anger, wished they could crush him.

They raised their palms to strike, but could only bring them back down to their own foreheads, scratching idly.

They reached out to push, but didn't dare touch, merely pulling and kneading the air...

They swung their fists to punch, but retracted them as quickly as lightning, constantly tugging at the air.

Gaoxin stood there, watching the group surround him, their hands moving near his face, the back of his head, his chest, and his back, massaging the air.

All sorts of feints, trying to trick him into blocking.

But Gaoxin stood calmly; if he overreacted, it might be someone else's turn to set up a trap.

"What are you doing? Touch me if you want, it's fine if you touch me," Gaoxin said with a smile, then suddenly lunged forward.

The three strong men immediately withdrew their hands and stepped aside simultaneously, trying to brush past him to set up a trap.

But Gaoxin didn't touch them at all. He flashed past and stopped at the entrance to the white passage, but didn't enter.

"Alright, stop embarrassing yourselves," the man with the great hammer said coldly.

The three strong men retreated unwillingly, their eyes still fixed on Gaoxin.

Gaoxin stood blocking the entrance to the white team's passage, looking like he was guarding the door.

Seeing his stance, everyone else was stunned. Was it his turn to block the door now?

The man with the great hammer frowned slightly, then his lips curled up. "Kid, are you scared?"

Gaoxin calmly replied, "Oh? Scared of what?"

The man with the great hammer said with cold killing intent, "You're blocking the door because you're afraid I'll join the same faction as you and kill you without hesitation."

Gaoxin retorted, "Want to try? I am the 'door' right now!"

The man with the great hammer walked up and slowly pressed his face against it.

Gaoxin didn't retreat a step, their noses almost touching.

"I won't be reckless like this. There will be plenty of opportunities to kill you in the game. Even if you manage to survive, you won't be able to leave the Silver Tower!"

He made his threat clear, then led his team towards the black team's passage.

Meimei said with some worry, "This... we've made mortal enemies with a group of Radiators. If everyone returns to the lobby alive, we're finished."

Everyone had learned the rules of the Silver Tower from Qiao Long: killing was forbidden in the elevator and during settlement, but fighting was allowed.

However, once they exited the elevator and reached the first-floor lobby, they would be completely outside the Silver Tower's jurisdiction. Not only fighting, but killing would be permissible.

Yamaguchi Village had many groups, with the Yakuza being the strongest. The others were insignificant. The Viking Gang usually wouldn't target a group of slaves outside, but now that they had made mortal enemies, what was the big deal if they killed a few slaves? At worst, they'd pay some money to the Yakuza.

Gaoxin said coldly, "Then let's eliminate them all in the game. If you don't provoke them, won't they still kill Glass People in the game?"

"This group clearly focuses on brute force in games. Comparatively, I'm more worried about the other group of Radiators."

Qiao Long walked over. "These Viking Gang members aren't fools. No gang would send five brutes to form a team for a team game, at least not their leader."

"The one with the great hammer was very arrogant at first, but when Gaoxin tried to provoke him, he quickly calmed down."

Everyone understood. If an organization sent a team to participate in the game, the leader's priority would definitely be the game's interests. Otherwise, sending a team of members who only cared about brotherhood would be pointless.

Gaoxin guarded the white door and said, "I'm not ruling out the possibility of changing factions during the game, but at least at the start, I don't want to be on the same side as the Radiators, especially this group."

Dongfang Yi completely understood. The Viking Gang had been arrogant from the start. It was easy to imagine the suffering if they were on the same team as this group.

Since that was the case, it was better to offend them completely, attempting to weaken one of them while also taking the position of blocking the white door for themselves.

With Gaoxin blocking the white door now, he held the initiative. Anyone who wanted to enter would need his permission, and he would be the last to enter.

Even if the Viking Gang were all brutes, they couldn't just enter as they pleased.

"I've already spoken with the other five people. They are willing to join us in the white faction and form a Glass Person Alliance," Qiao Long said.

Gaoxin looked over and saw the young man leading the other five nod slightly at him.

"Do you know them?" Gaoxin thought to himself that Qiao Long's recruitment skills were quite impressive.

Qiao Long chuckled, "I don't know them, but I did ask around. They're from the Servant Group, and the one leading them is named Xing Shiping."

Gaoxin looked surprised. "Servants?"

He then remembered that on the first day, Fúshé had already had a group of Wa people select servants. Also, Rou Si's household had people like servant toys.

He hadn't expected servants to be able to participate in the game. In that case, could Luo Yan also participate?

Qiao Long said, "The Servant Group has no rules; everything is centered around the master. Whether they can participate in the game is entirely up to the master's word."

"Some Black Hands don't even need people to serve them. They take in servants and cultivate them into their own 'private Redemption Squads'."

Gaoxin sighed. Luo Yan was very pleasing to Rou Si, so it was clear Rou Si wouldn't bear to let him go into the game.

"You guys go in first..." Gaoxin moved aside slightly at the entrance to the white passage, letting Dongfang Yi and Meimei go in first.

Afterward, he had Qiao Long lead the five-person servant team in as well.

The four members of the Viking Gang glared fiercely at Gaoxin and still hadn't entered the black team.

This left Gaoxin no choice but to continue blocking the white passage. After all, there was no guarantee the Viking Gang wouldn't suddenly rush into the white team at the last moment, or send someone over.

Even though it was a significant loss for them to play like this after already losing a member, killing him would only be to vent their anger, and they might still lose to that group with the twin ponytails in the end.

But you couldn't rule out that they were just that reckless. The big hammer man seemed to be contemplating something at the moment.

"Excuse me, I have a watch. I'll enter at the last second. Are you sure you still want to stare at me? Why not go in quickly and get familiar with the venue?"

Gaoxin shook his watch and said loudly.

The big hammer man saw that there were no other Glass People left, only Gaoxin and Sule guarding the white gate.

After thinking about it, he turned and entered the black passage, taking all the remaining Glass People with him.

Sule said, "They've gone in. We don't need to guard anymore. Let's go in too."

Gaoxin said solemnly, "Who said we don't need to guard? Can't we go in and then come back out?"

Sule was speechless. From their perspective, they could only see the Viking Gang entering.

But the passage was the passage, and the base was the base. Only by entering the base through the passage did one establish their faction.

There was no telling if they might suddenly send someone to switch to the white team at the last moment.

"I must ensure that at the start, there are no Radiators in the white team. That way, at least within our faction, we can maintain control."

Gaoxin looked at his watch, waiting until the last ten-plus seconds of the five-minute mark.

"Brother, hurry and come in," Meimei's voice came from the depths of the passage.

Gaoxin judged that the base wasn't far, so he waited a few more seconds before grabbing Sule and rushing into the passage.

Thus, all participants established their factions. The black team had nine Radiators and ten Glass People.

The white team, however, only had ten Glass People.

p.s: Sorry.