Their words shocked everyone present.
Right after that, all the Advanced Warriors on their team took out black-and-white masks and put them on.
However, these masks were indeed half black and half white, with black edges as well.
Aside from them, the other Beginner and Intermediate Warriors all looked bewildered, unsure of what was happening.
Captain Lai—no, Black and White Clown No. 37—held out his right hand and snapped his fingers. A dozen or so people appeared outside the woods, each wearing a black-and-white mask.
The person in front struck the same pose as Captain Lai and said, "Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Black and White Clown Number Sixteen, the liaison for those three over there."
"Black and White Clown No. 29, protector."
"Black and White Clown No. 40, protector."
After the three at the front had introduced themselves, eleven more people stood behind them. Their masks, however, were half black and half white, just like those worn by the Advanced Warriors.
Of the three, Nos. 29 and 40 wore the same kind of masks as the three former captains, with two-thirds of each mask black. Only No. 16's mask was more black, with a full three-quarters of it covered.
Considering their introductions and comparing their strength, it was clear that those with half-black, half-white masks were Advanced Warriors, while those whose masks were two-thirds black were Beginner Battle Generals. That meant the one whose mask was three-quarters black was most likely an Intermediate Battle General.
This deduction made Gao Zheng and the others tense. After all, only a few of them were especially strong, and even they had only reached the peak of the Beginner Battle General level, still just short of breaking through to Intermediate.
But they had prepared more than that. The Black and White Clowns weren't the only ones hiding their strength—Gao Zheng and his people had done the same.
Seeing the two sides reveal their hidden cards one after another, Gao Zheng couldn't help applauding. "Could you tell me a little more about the Black and White Clowns? You've managed to pull off something so surprising. Your leader must be exceptionally wise. I'd really like to meet him."
No. 16 shook his head and said disdainfully, "With your level of strength, our leader wouldn't deign to meet you."
Gao Zheng frowned, a trace of anger rising in him. He lifted his head slightly and closed his eyes, taking a moment to calm himself. "In that case, there's no need for us to keep hiding, either. Come on out and show them what we're capable of."
As soon as he finished speaking, several people who had been mingling with the crowd slowly stepped to the front of the group. They removed their disguises, revealing their true faces.
There were only nine of them, but three were Beginner Battle Generals: Zhang Xiaoyang and Li Xu, who had come from the county, and Xi Qing. Of the six remaining Advanced Warriors, three were Zhang Xiaoyang and Li Xu's companions, two had been kept hidden by Gao Zheng and the others, and the last was Lin Chenxing.
Until then, Zhang Xiaoyang and Li Xu had only shown the peak of the Advanced Warrior level. They had even taken their time breaking through to Advanced Warrior earlier, so naturally, few people had suspected anything.
Seeing so many people step forward, the Black and White Clowns grew excited. After all, a seemingly evenly matched fight was far more satisfying to look back on after winning. A one-sided victory was only fun for a little while before it grew dull.
The tension in the air began to mount.
At the shout of "Charge!" both sides lunged forward and plunged into a chaotic battle.
The Black and White Clowns were indeed powerful. Against opponents of the same level, each could hold their own against two enemies. Even the three former captains, who had only just reached the Beginner Battle General level, could fight evenly against Martial Artists who had long honed their skills at that level.
Clearly, they had their own specialized training methods, which greatly increased the Clowns' combat strength.
During the battle, Lin Chenxing quietly slipped a piece of Jade Bamboo Leaf from his sleeve. He had gone to retrieve it from his other body a few days earlier, intending to catch his opponent off guard. The Clown he was fighting dodged when Lin Chenxing flung the leaf at him, but Lin Chenxing subtly influenced it with his consciousness, and it curved back around, slicing across the Clown's neck.
The leaf had only been able to turn back because Lin Chenxing was connected to it. Aside from objects he had obtained from his other body, he couldn't use his consciousness to influence anything else.
As the battle went on, the pressure on Lin Chenxing's side grew lighter, while the Black and White Clowns found themselves under increasing pressure.
Sensing that something was wrong, No. 16 immediately withdrew from the fight. Narrowing his eyes at Lin Chenxing, he said, "Everyone, fall back."
But retreating was easier said than done. Most of the Black and White Clowns were entangled and couldn't get away. Only a few who had already been on the outskirts could escape: Nos. 29 and 40, along with two or three others.
No. 16 glared at Lin Chenxing, then swept his gaze across all the directors. "You've made us lose so many people. I'll remember this. Just you wait."
With that, he darted into the woods and disappeared.
They could only let him go. The most important thing now was to clear all the Clowns out of the base and prevent them from doing further damage.
After a fierce battle, seven people were captured alive. One of them was the former Rescue Team member who had been punished earlier, now Black and White Clown No. 41.
It was a complete victory, but for the base, it was a pyrrhic one. After all, it had lost so many high-level fighters.
After subjecting No. 41 to a severe interrogation, they finally got him to reveal a great deal of information.
The Black and White Clowns had actually existed before the catastrophe, but back then they had only existed online. They were just a joke among people about forming an organization after the apocalypse, and their members were all from the same city. They even met up in person from time to time.
When the catastrophe began, the internet was still working. One member proposed officially establishing the Black and White Clowns, and quite a few people agreed.
According to their original plan, everyone in the organization would wear matching half-black, half-white masks. But when the internet went down, the organization faded away with it, and everyone dismissed it as just another joke.
Then, two months ago, he received a secret message from someone inside the base. When they met, he discovered it was Captain Lai. Captain Lai had invited him and another person he didn't know very well, then claimed they were official members of the Black and White Clowns. When Captain Lai showed them the half-black, half-white mask, he believed him and nominally joined the organization again.
But after meeting Black and White Clown No. 16, the person in charge of contacting them here, he saw how powerful No. 16 was and learned that the organization had real benefits to offer. He decided rejoining had been a good choice.
He then became Black and White Clown No. 41, while the other person became No. 42.
Their first mission was to cause internal strife at the Xingyan Group base. That was the real reason he had provoked people and gotten into a fight.
Their second mission was to stir up a dispute within the base over improving Martial Artists'待遇, undermining the authority of the base's leadership.
Their third mission was to seize control of the base, and they were still working on it. Once they succeeded, they would receive even more support from the Black and White Clowns.
But they would never have the chance to complete that mission now.
The interrogation also turned up some good news. While practicing the Five-Heart-to-Heaven cultivation method, they had also been learning something called the Guiding Technique. This technique was collected and sent to the research institute and placed on the directors' desks.
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