Chapter 76
"Rock and Soil Rending!"
The giant rock flew rapidly toward Xue Zhongqi, spinning so fast that it left afterimages.
Xin Honglang's rock and soil manipulation is even better than last year. This "Mask Squad" Big Watermelon probably can't withstand it.
[Xin Honglang is probably the second strongest player on the Heavenly Radiance Team. The fact that he's the first to play suggests that Heavenly Radiance Team is playing it safe in this match.]
Xue Zhongqi's eyes darkened slightly. He raised his hand, held the gun, and pulled the trigger.
A sharp grappling hook flew from the muzzle of the gun, throwing a chain through the air before firmly embedding itself into the ring.
As the boulder hurtled towards them, the grappling hook pulled Xue Zhongqi into the air, propelling him rapidly toward the hook's embedding point.
In the blink of an eye, Xue Zhongqi used the sudden movement of the hook to dart to the other side of the arena.
Xin Honglang realized what was happening, immediately turned around, and coldly manipulated the rock to change direction.
But Xue Zhongqi was faster. As the rock turned to attack, he fired again, his grappling hook embedding itself in the side of the opposite arena, and Xue Zhongqi took the opportunity to leap into the air and fly towards the other side.
After dodging back and forth several times, Xin Honglang became increasingly irritable.
"Crushed Stone Formation! Nine Nines Return to One!"
Xin Honglang is a Second Tier ability user, and this move is a new skill effect brought about by the evolution of his ability after advancing to the Second Tier.
Suddenly, piles of rubble appeared simultaneously in the four cardinal directions, slowly converging towards the center.
Xue Zhongqi's eyes darkened, and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
Just as the Crushed Stone Formation was about to be completed, he fired again. This time, not only did the grappling hook fly out of the muzzle, but also several explosive bullets with Attack Inscription attached.
His body was instantly pulled into the air by the grappling hook, and explosive bullets rained down on Xin Honglang.
Xin Honglang's expression changed, and he had a bad feeling.
He had always thought that Xue Zhongqi's grappling hook was just for dodging and escaping, never expecting that it contained a hidden secret.
The explosive bullets quickly pierced through the still-forming Crushed Stone Formation.
They then attacked Xin Honglang.
The bullet's afterimage was reflected in Xin Honglang's eyes. His pupils dilated slightly, and he quickly turned to dodge.
But just as he turned the corner, a volley of explosive bullets followed him.
"It even has a tracking function!" exclaimed the audience in the stands.
"Is this magical artifact equipped with Tracking Inscription? Otherwise, how could an ordinary grappling hook have a built-in tracking function?"
Xin Honglang realized that this volley of bullets could not be shaken off.
He frowned, quickly turned around, and locked his gaze on Xue Zhongqi's position. Since he couldn't dodge it, he would let the owner of the bullet block it for him.
The next second, Xin Honglang ran quickly towards the other side.
Sensing the other party's intentions, Xue Zhongqi chuckled and fired again, locking the grappling hook at an even more distant location.
Pulled by the grappling hook, Xue Zhongqi quickly soared into the air.
Xin Honglang, who had originally intended to use him as a shield against bullets, stopped in his tracks.
It was too late to catch up with Xue Zhongqi.
Explosive bullets came hurtling in from behind.
Xin Honglang gritted his teeth in anger and had no choice but to raise his hand in surrender. "I surrender!"
Upon hearing the surrender, Li Xiang immediately stepped in to block the attack of the exploding bullets.
Even with his intervention, the bullets still exploded when they were blocked.
A thick mushroom cloud exploded on the arena.
Feeling this terrifying intimidation, Xin Honglang's gaze towards Xue Zhongqi became more solemn.
As soon as the first match ended, the members of the Heavenly Radiance Team immediately surrounded Xin Honglang.
Captain Chu Wenkuo frowned and said, "I observed that Big Watermelon's fighting style from the audience just now. He didn't use his special ability even once from beginning to end. When you fought him, did you notice what his special ability was?"
Xin Honglang shook his head. "No."
The other three team members' expressions all turned serious.
Chu Wenkuo also took it seriously. "They didn't even use their special abilities, and they were able to defeat Hong Lang just by relying on magical weapons. This Mask Squad... is probably stronger than we thought."
"Captain, what do we do now?" a team member asked.
Chu Wenkuo pursed his lips in deep thought. "The plan remains unchanged; we'll proceed according to the order we agreed upon beforehand. Pay close attention to the grappling hook gun that the next person on stage just used. That weapon of his has definitely been professionally modified; it may very well have other uses as well."
Still standing on the ring Xue Zhongqi put one hand on his hip, raised an eyebrow at Xu Jintang, and said, "My performance was alright, wasn't it?"
Xu Jintang smiled subtly, "Be more careful, you might be eliminated in the next round."
[Holy crap! Heavenly Radiance Team lost their very first match?!]
[That guy from the Mask Squad has something special about his weapon. I remember a normal grappling hook gun doesn't have bullets, and it doesn't have any tracking or lock-on capabilities.]
[Could they be trying to imitate Mechanical Technology Military Academy squad? Is everyone using magical artifacts as their primary fighting method?]
Soon, the second round of intense competition began.
This time, Heavenly Radiance Team sent out a female member.
The moment the words "start the match" were spoken, the female player's expression changed instantly, and she rushed towards Xue Zhongqi.
Suddenly, a marionette appeared behind her, its body adorned with various weapons and swords, charging forward in perfect sync with her movements.
Xue Zhongqi was taken aback.
This is... a puppeteer's special ability?
Xu Jintang, sitting in the audience, also showed some interest.
"What kind of superpower is this?" Song Tianqi scratched his head in confusion.
Jiang Shiyi explained quietly from the side, "Puppet masters possess the ability to breathe life into inanimate objects. Even an ordinary stone, under the control of a puppet master, can instantly become as if it were alive."
Yan Yuting frowned. "That Xin Honglang could also control boulders, isn't he the same as this puppet?"
Jiang Shiyi shook her head, "Even if Xin Honglang can manipulate boulders, the stones in his hands are still inanimate objects. But the things manipulated by puppeteers with supernatural abilities will have a fighting spirit, just like humans."
At this moment, Xue Zhongqi had already exchanged blows with his opponent twice on the arena.
The opponent's puppet was quite agile and completely impervious to pain.
Xue Zhongqi's explosive bullets hit the puppet, but only the surface was charred; the attack continued unabated.
Xue Zhongqi frowned slightly, then a brilliant idea struck him.
"Sister, your puppet is amazing! I'm completely helpless against it," Xue Zhongqi said with a smile as she dodged.
The female teammate opposite him clearly didn't want to pay him any attention, only letting out a cold snort before attacking even more swiftly.
"Clang--"
The puppet, holding a sharp blade, suddenly plunged it into the ground.
Having narrowly escaped the attack, Xue Zhongqi patted his chest with lingering fear.
We can't delay any longer.
Looking up again, his playful expression vanished. He slightly raised his lips, extended the grappling hook, and carried him into the sky.
The female team member on the other side was already in a killing frenzy, and charged forward again with her marionette.
The female team member raised her dagger high, ready to stab.
Suddenly, Xue Zhongqi changed direction and jumped down from the arena.
The female team member paused, a hint of confusion in her expression.
Just as Xue Zhongqi was about to fall off the stage, he suddenly smiled, raised his gun, fired a grappling hook, firmly locked her ankle, and then pulled hard.
He used the force to fly back from the ring, while the female teammate was pulled by him and her body flew directly off the ring.
Chapter 76
In just a few seconds, Xue Zhongqi switched positions with the female team member.
When everyone came to their senses, the female member of the Heavenly Radiance Team had already fallen off the stage, her face still showing a somewhat bewildered expression.
Li Xiang was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted and quickly announced the result, "The Mask Squad wins the second match!"
The female team member's thoughts finally returned to normal.
She pushed herself up with her hands, and the members of the Heavenly Radiance Team immediately surrounded her.
Chu Wenkuo bent down to help her up, "Are you alright?"
The female team member nodded. "It's alright, but..." A hint of self-reproach crossed her face. "I didn't expect him to be so insidious, he actually..."
She had been on guard against Xue Zhongqi's grappling hook gun, never expecting that he would use a trick to switch positions with her at the last moment.
Chu Wenkuo pursed his lips and pondered for a long time.
Their team has already lost two games in a row. If they lose another one, the situation will be very unfavorable for them.
"Next match, I'll go up," Chu Wenkuo said slowly, raising his eyes.
Xin Honglang was somewhat worried, "But we originally planned to save you for last as a backup. Now that you're playing early, the opponent will definitely keep wearing you down mentally, and then the later matches..."
Chu Wenkuo raised his hand to interrupt him, "I guess this 'Big Watermelon ' is already the strongest member of the Mask Squad. So in the next round, as long as I do my best to knock him off the stage, the rest of their team shouldn't be a problem."
"It's settled then," Chu Wenkuo decided.
At this moment, the audience was chattering excitedly.
"That 'Big Watermelon' from the Mask Squad is something else; they've won two matches in a row. If they win the next one, the situation will be extremely unfavorable for the Heavenly Radiance Team."
"Oh no, I just bet on Heavenly Radiance Team advancing, am I going to lose?"
Amidst the murmurs and stares of the crowd, Chu Wenkuo slowly walked onto the arena.
The viewers in the live stream were surprised to see that Heavenly Radiance Team sent out their captain as the third team to compete.
[Goodness, this is only the third time, and Chu Wenkuo has already joined in. I thought Heavenly Radiance Team had this match in the bag.]
[There's no other way. Heavenly Radiance Team lost the first two matches. If they lose another one, they're really finished. We have to send Chu Wenkuo.]
[Chu Wenkuo should be able to win this round, right?]
Seeing that Heavenly Radiance Team's strongest players had all taken to the field, Xue Zhongqi immediately took it seriously.
He straightened his back slightly, gave a polite smile, and nodded to Chu Wenkuo.
Off the stage, Song Tianqi couldn't help but start warming up his fists and feet. "That kid Xue Zhongqi stole all the limelight; I didn't even get a chance to go on stage."