Chapter 202
The second set of Transcendental Grade armor had shattered into pieces, and the dark skin was covered in bloodstains. The bald, muscular man grinned, revealing his menacing white teeth.
His hands plunged into the chest of a massive, faceless monster, and with sheer force, he tore it in two.
"Who else! Who else dares to challenge me?!"
The Roar created a sonic boom, sweeping away the ruins and the monster's corpse.
"That's the fifth one. He's killed five high-ranking members of the Cult in a row. Are these people crazy? They know they can't win, but they still go for it one by one." Shiratori grinned, this instance was just as absurd as Adam.
"That's good. Adam is our lifeline now. If there's a real problem with the copy, we'll still have to rely on him." Chun had forgotten how many times she had cursed Adam in her heart. Standing on the roof, she gazed into the distance.
The area resembling a 'black egg' had become completely silent, presumably indicating that the battle had been decided. Logically, he should now be gathering intelligence on the enemy.
But the thought that Adam might be interested in that person made him unwilling to go and die.
"Don't overthink it. Let's take the simplest approach: kill Kevin first. If he can return, great; if not, we'll keep fighting." Chun possessed considerable wisdom, knowing that the more she thought about it, the more she would worry unnecessarily.
"But speaking of which, where are his teammates?"
Tsubaki and Yuki only had one encounter, and she had never actually met Hayasaka and the others. This was all thanks to the keywords extracted from Inspector Shiratori's 'criminal profile'.
Without any prompting, Shiratori immediately extended his index finger, seemingly drawing in the air, and even without any contact between them, he still managed to extract some key words.
"Battlefield", "infiltration", "secret".
Some of these words sounded like nonsense, and some were completely nonsensical. He was only responsible for extracting the keywords, while Chun did all the analysis.
The two had worked together many times before, and without any delay, the boy immediately squinted his eyes and muttered to himself. A few seconds later, his eyes lit up.
"I see. They're using a two-pronged approach. No wonder they had such fighting power; why didn't they participate in the Demon War and make Kevin suffer?"
"That makes sense. It seems the Cult has never paid attention to his teammates." Shiratori also realized that all the information they had came from the Apostles, and the Cult had never mentioned any other players besides the target.
"Should we deal with them?"
"No need. They probably want to start with the second main storyline, but that requires facing the Apostles directly, which isn't that easy." Chun refused without hesitation, looking towards the south side of the city.
"Didn't Adam tell us to create one-on-one opportunities for him? There's another group of players over there; we're not disobeying orders, are we?"
Upon hearing this, Shiratori was immediately intrigued. It was bound to be a fierce battle, and Adam, when he went berserk, wouldn't care about teammates. Nobody would want to cover for him.
Seeing the sixth golden skull mask approach, he grabbed the boy who was still deep in thought.
"Let's hurry and leave while there's still one high-ranking Cult, or we won't be able to get away later."
Tsubaki was still wondering if there would be any problems, but when a purple laser Piercer the building beneath her feet, she couldn't care less about anything else.
That bastard Adam didn't care about friendly fire at all; he almost blasted himself to death with one shot.
Since he's so reckless, I shouldn't blame myself for protecting myself.
"Let's go find the third group of players. If we're confident, we'll fight; if not, we'll negotiate."
Chapter Thirty-Three: This is What Efficiency Is (4K)
"Gained two enhancement points? What skills are gained after mastering firearms to the Master level? Gun-Kata? That's to be expected. As for Kaguya, did she go all in on the Deep-Sea Longbow? Okay, I understand."
"Continue to maintain the Night Domain. Li Mo'an has healing items, so hurry up and recover your strength. I'll be done here soon."
Yuki hung up the Spirit Particle Communicator, revealing a knowing smile. No matter how strong Elk was, he couldn't gain any advantage against three opponents at once.
Kaguya Shinomiya found a sniping spot in the pre-arranged battlefield, Li Mo'an was responsible for holding the line, and Hayasaka Ai provided mid-range damage. Even so, the Singer's White Veil was used up four times and three Death Knell bullets were used.
The cost was high, but the reward was good: two enhancement points for each person, which will add a few more weight to the scales of victory.
"I've discovered you're better at betting than I am." Zhang Jin, a cigarette dangling from his lips, sat on Ishigami, loading bullets one by one.
His twin pistols resembled Hunter's Blunderbuss, but they absorbed the souls of others to make bullets, which is why he was able to discover that the Cult members could not Resurrection.
"How can you guarantee that Adam won't rush into the area first, and that his teammates won't come looking for me first?"
"The former does rely on gambling; I have no way of calculating the combat strength of the Cult's higher-ups," Yuki said frankly. He wasn't Prophet. "But it's okay. Hayasaka will take action if things get bad. The Night Domain doesn't necessarily have to be worn on my person; I can just lose it."
He gambled, but didn't gamble completely; that's truly insidious.
Zhang Jin was taken aback, then realized that Yuki's words made sense, and asked, "What about the latter?"
"That falls under the realm of psychology. We often need to learn to put ourselves in others' shoes. If you were Adam's teammate, would you fight alongside him?"
"Of course not. The Reincarnation Game doesn't have friendly fire protection; accidental attacks are very common."
"So you're his teammate, would you dare stand idly by?"
"That's hard to say; it depends on what orders Adam gives."
"I happen to be able to guess his orders." Yuki's smile widened, but he didn't give a reason.
He could guess why Adam lost control; it was most likely because he had learned of his existence, pursued him across dimensions, and then his attitude of cooperating with Zhou was contrary to his own will.
This kind of battle maniac is like a 'Calamity of Blood,' craving nothing more than the process of tearing the enemy apart. So, putting yourself in their shoes, it's not hard to guess what kind of orders he would likely give.
"Sixty percent of the time it's to cover for him and create opportunities for a one-on-one fight with me; thirty percent of the time it's to ignore my teammates and let them do whatever they want. The former can only come to you, as for the latter..." Yuki paused deliberately, raising his hand to light a cigarette.
"I can only come to you anyway."
Wow, this guy is even more perverted than I thought.
Zhang Jin took a breath. He wasn't stupid; there was no need to keep asking.
The first path is because they can't find Yuki's teammates, so they can only eliminate uncertainties; the second path is simpler, since they don't know they've used up their chances of defeat, and there's a hint of 5, indicating room for cooperation between players.
Waiting in comfort for the enemy to tire themselves out, using someone else to do the dirty work, shedding one's skin like a cicada, and deceiving everyone—is it now a case of willing victims taking the bait?
Many idioms flashed through his mind, but fortunately, he had extremely high emotional intelligence and didn't ask Adam why he was so insistent on a one-on-one duel, as if there was a story behind it.
"I understand. You're trying to create a situation where there are many against one, and you've even used Hint Four." Zhang Jin had already deduced the entire plan.
The deathmatch cannot be interfered with. Players who violate the rules will face being surrounded and killed, but the story characters will not commit any offenses. As long as the five of them fight Adam, the countless citizens and Cult members remaining in the arena will become spectators.
This is killing two birds with one stone! It ensures that they outnumber the enemy while also preventing Li Mo'an and his group from being surrounded and annihilated by the Cult.
Zhang Jin's expression changed slightly, and he leaned forward to ask, "If they really come, how do you plan to fight them?"
"Whatever is most efficient, we can pretend to talk to them. I've already prepared the things." Yuki had already planned it out; he was fixated on one point:
Adam's companions had no chance to gather intelligence and remained trapped in the deathmatch arena.
Because Zhang Jin contacted all the players at the beginning of the game, and neither of them, who had obediently followed orders, nor Adam, who went crazy at the start, encountered each other.
If they were truly tackling a dungeon, they couldn't possibly be completely invisible.
As he spoke, he stubbed out his cigarette, put on the Fool's Mask, and quickly transformed into Kaguya Shinomiya according to the original design. His expression was aloof and slightly arrogant. Then, his Shape-shifting Outfit took effect, transforming him into a black dress.
Hiss.
Zhang Jin took another breath, and in the blink of an eye, Yuki transformed into an ice sculpture girl, seemingly without any pressure whatsoever.
"Brother, you're really ruthless."
That sounds a bit strange.
Yuki doesn't have a cross-dressing fetish, so there are reasons for him transforming into Kaguya Shinomiya. One reason is that he knew the student council president of Shuchiin was among the enemies. Another reason is that the Fool's Mask was too realistic, and a flatter figure would make it easier to move around.
Before he could give any instructions, two figures rapidly approached from afar; both were disguised.
He wore a long black robe, a strange mask, and a badge pinned to his chest.
"Only two? Looks like you're going to try diplomacy first, then resort to force?"
"A wise choice. They know we're cooperating, but they also have the chance to fool you with words." A cool smile appeared on the girl's face as she smoothed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't forget, you have the copy of the intelligence they desperately need."
You're such a convincing actor.
Zhang Jin moved his lips slightly, then nodded heavily.
The newcomer was very well disguised, but his micro-expressions couldn't fool Yuki. Both of them showed confusion and shock at the same time, and even the one with the narrow eyes widened his eyes.
Kaguya Shinomiya? What a coincidence!?
Shiratori and Tsubaki exchanged a glance, never expecting to run into the eldest daughter of the Shinomiya Clan here, especially since she wasn't even disguised. But when they saw Zhang Jin black clothes and sunglasses, they instantly guessed the answer.
It's Two-Gun Zhang. If she can get close to this powerful figure, she won't need to hide her identity.
Just like Yuki, reputation played a big role at this moment; they almost abandoned Plan A the moment they saw Two-Gun Zhang.
This veteran player is not to be trifled with; his reputation among players is well-known, and I know far more about him than just from snippets of information on Player Forum.
With 'righteousness' as his guiding principle and a promise as precious as gold, he must protect Kaguya Shinomiya out, this, combined with the information he received before entering the instance:
No wonder Kaguya- sama wanted to travel to Shenzhou; now I understand.
"Mr. Zhang, I didn't expect you to be the third group of players." Chun gave a slight nod, showing some respect.
"The people from Daytime?" Zhang Jin, a cigarette dangling from his lips, said in a deep voice, "You guys are really something, bringing Adam in and making a mess of the whole instance."
His obvious dissatisfaction was undeniable; he didn't need to pretend, as he was simply caught in the crossfire.
Chun felt a little embarrassed and wronged; everyone gets caught in the crossfire. She smiled wryly and said, "It's impossible to predict what players might be in the dungeon, but please believe me, this is definitely not aimed at you."
"I believe you, just go for it." Zhang Jin pointed to the Night Domain, interrupting the Shiratori who was about to interject. "Stop beating around the bush, do you want me to stand idly by?"
"Yes, interfering in Adam's battle is pointless; even we can die so easily."
"Are you threatening me?"
"It's a warning. I know you treat people with sincerity, and I guess you've signed a contract with them." Chun narrowed her eyes again and said sincerely, "I have no intention of putting you in an unjust or immoral position. How about this, we don't need your help. Just stay here with us and stand by and watch."
The opportunity has been presented; no matter how sincere you are, no player will risk their life.
"Can you control Adam?"
"No one can control him, not even Lord Yellow Light." Tsubaki didn't lie like she did to Yuki. She slowly removed her mask. "I'll stay here with you and wait for the final result. If Adam's victory doesn't end the instance, we'll figure something out together. I think Miss Kaguya will believe me."
"President Tsubaki?!" Yuki answered decisively, surprised, yet not so surprised. According to the setting, he should know who was controlling Daylight from Zhang Jin.
The boy smiled and nodded slightly, "It's been a while, Kaguya-chan. You truly are a genius; you became a player and we knew absolutely nothing about you."
Genius my ass! I'll say it again, you know absolutely nothing.
Yuki cursed inwardly, but quickly concealed her surprise, reverting to her icy demeanor. "President Tsubaki, are you playing the emotional card?"
"Yes, I want to assure Mr. Zhang that, whether as a classmate or an employee of the Shinomiya Clan, I would never put you in any danger."
Anyone who didn't know better would think you were Miyuki Shirogane, but what kind of personal relationship do you have with Kaguya Shinomiya?
Yuki didn't believe a word of it, but met Zhang Jin's questioning gaze and nodded almost imperceptibly, agreeing with his statement.
Okay, it's finally stabilized.
Chun and Shiratori exchanged a glance and breathed a sigh of relief. Besides the rational admonition, there was also the emotional layer of their classmate relationship, and no matter how they looked at each other, they had no other choice.
"President Tsubaki, I'd like to know how my brother plans to deal with me." Yuki stepped forward; it was normal for him to be concerned about things after his return, having already negotiated the terms.
"He's your brother, of course he'd be happy to have a helper."
"Don't make me laugh. There's no such thing as family affection in the Shinomiya Clan. Just say it."
Ah, this...
Tsubaki was a little stumped, so she followed Yuki's lead and turned her attention to another question.
How did he know Yellow Light's thoughts? Logically speaking, you should be very happy to have recruited a strongman like Two-Gun Zhang, right? No, he might see it as a threat, after all, Two-Gun Zhang also has a group of people in Shenzhou.
He hesitated, unsure whether to deceive or be honest, but then his narrowed eyes suddenly widened as he saw a bizarre scene:
Kaguya Shinomiya, covered in blood, wore a sickly smile as she pressed the Black Hole muzzle of a gun against her forehead.
How could this be? Why?
The result of the Future Sight contradicts logic. Logically and emotionally, Kaguya Shinomiya would never harm herself, so she instinctively grabs her companion next to her.
"Shiratori, something's wrong!"
Huh? What's the problem?
Officer Shiratori was sighing beside him, lamenting how such a tender young woman like Kaguya had been snatched away by a middle-aged man. In his panic, he couldn't even react.
Bang! Bang!
Two gunshots rang out, accompanied by excruciating pain in his body. The fully charged Soul Bullet blasted through the defensive barrier, sending him flying into the air.
The two-story building behind them was completely destroyed, demonstrating just how ruthless the shot was.
He looked down blankly and saw Kaguya Shinomiya drop her musket and come toward him with a long sword in hand, while Zhang Jin jumped out from behind her, pointing his two guns at her.
The most Transcendental Grade way to kill is to kill a player so quickly that they don't even have time to use all their skills.