Page 61

"No problem." Xue Zhongqi seemed to remember something, then looked up with a questioning gaze, "How are the supplies in the city?"

"I chased them away, and left three people in the city to guard it. Nothing serious happened."

Xue Zhongqi crossed his arms, a subtle smile playing on his lips. "I never expected someone as traditional as Yu Wanyao to start learning this 'luring the tiger away from the mountain' trick from you."

Xu Jintang did not linger any longer and turned to continue the attack on the city walls.

Only then did Yu Wanyao realize that she had underestimated her opponent.

She assumed the support class was small and, being mostly support-type abilities, lacked combat power, so she didn't take them seriously.

However, during the siege, a barrage of negative support abilities rained down, forcibly reducing a teammate's combat power from 70 to 40.

Some reduce attack power, some temporarily disable an attacker, and some rapidly deplete a person's mental energy.

Conversely, those buffing abilities were used on their teammates. Many support students, wielding magical artifacts, could casually slash around and deal significantly more damage.

Yan Yuting's Toast Pineapple Bun also played a significant role. Whenever a team member felt their strength was insufficient, they would grab a slice, which not only quickly restored their mental energy but also enhanced their movement speed and strength.

"The number of players eliminated from the attacking side has increased to three."

"The number of players eliminated from the attacking side has increased to four."

Every so often, an announcement would be made, and when the number of eliminated people increased to ten, Yu Wanyao had no choice but to order a retreat.

"Retreat! Back to camp!"

Because she underestimated the enemy, Yu Wanyao did not plan the formation of her team before arriving, and everyone basically attacked haphazardly during the siege.

In contrast, the support team was well-organized.

The defenders were like an impregnable fortress; as soon as one group ran out of strength, another group would immediately take their place, making the battle seem effortless.

However, the attacking team lacked balance and direction, simply rushing in and firing haphazardly. Not only did they fail to break through, but Xu Jintang and Xue Zhongqi quickly eliminated many of them one by one.

Still not satisfied with the fight, Xue Zhongqi curiously looked down at the city walls, "They retreated so quickly."

Xu Jintang stopped what he was doing, and seeing that Yu Wanyao had already led the siege team away, he looked away and said, "Then let's call it a day."

"We did well today, and we even took down Wei Zixuan, who posed the biggest threat to us. We should celebrate properly when we get back." Xue Zhongqi put his hands behind his head and walked down the steps of the city tower with a smile.

[I thought the support team could hold out, but I didn't expect the attacking side to lose ten of them.]

Did you guys notice Xu Jintang and Xue Zhongqi just now? Although they both have support abilities, their combat power is terrifying.

[However, the main reason for the attacking side's failure this time was probably that they underestimated their enemy. Judging from the battle just now, the defending team members clearly had excellent teamwork, while the attacking team was like headless flies, attacking one side here and the other side there.]

[Relatively speaking, the siege team is definitely stronger. As long as they adjust their mindset and approach the situation normally, they might be able to turn the tide in the next wave.]

After retreating to the camp, Yu Wanyao and Mu Guang returned to the main tent with solemn expressions.

This time, they also invited several of the stronger students in the class to discuss the matter together.

"The losses in this siege were severe, and the problem lies with me. I underestimated the enemy and failed to plan the tactics in advance," Yu Wanyao said proactively.

Mu Guang then spoke up, "It's not entirely your fault; I also have my problems. What's done is done, self-blame is useless. We need to find a way to turn things around as soon as possible."

Yu Wanyao looked up at Mu Guang, "Did you pinpoint the exact location of their supplies when you sneaked into the city this time?"

Mu Guang sighed softly and shook his head. "I hadn't found anything before Xu Jintang discovered me. I was afraid that if a fight broke out, they would easily trap us in the city, so after only a brief exchange, I quickly led my team to retreat."

"With your abilities, how long can you hold your own against Xu Jintang?" Yu Wanyao continued to ask.

Mu Guang pondered for a moment, "It's hard to say. We only exchanged blows, so there's no way to test her full strength."

Soon, other classmates suggested, "I think only Xu Jintang and Xue Zhongqi are really threatening in the support class; the others are just so-so. How about... next time we attack the city, we work together to take them out first? Once they're eliminated, the support class will be leaderless and won't be a problem at all."

Yu Wanyao pursed her lips and replied solemnly, "Xu Jintang must be eliminated as soon as possible."

Although Xu Jintang's current strength is already terrifying, she always felt that Xu Jintang was still hiding some trump card.

If this drags on any longer, they might actually lose.

In the main urban area, Xu Jintang squatted by the stove, warming his hands by the fire.

On snowy days like this, staying indoors by the fire is the most comfortable thing to do.

"By the way, where is Yuting?" Xue Zhongqi leaned back lazily in his recliner and glanced at Xu Jintang.

Xu Jintang replied without looking up, "I sent her to deal with her brother."

Xue Zhongqi was stunned, then quickly sat up. "You want her to eliminate her brother herself?"

All he knew was that Xu Jintang had arranged for Yan Yuting to do something secretly, but he didn't know the specifics.

"Am I that cold-blooded?" Xu Jintang silently looked up and glanced at him.

Xue Zhongqi hesitated for a moment, "Then you're letting her deal with her brother...?"

"Release her brother, and incidentally send him some misleading information."

Xue Zhongqi's lips twitched. "Then you're even more cold-blooded, aren't you?"

At this moment, in the basement where Yan Zitao is being held.

Yan Yuting, who was responsible for delivering the nutrient solution, was knocked unconscious and collapsed to the ground.

Having regained his freedom, Yan Zitao squatted down, picked up the nutrient solution that had fallen to the ground, and whispered, "I'm sorry, little sister."

Just minutes earlier, Yan Zitao had broken free of the ropes using his physical strength. At that moment, Yan Yuting happened to come in to deliver nutrient solution.

Fearing that she would make a sound and attract the attention of others, Yan Zitao had no choice but to knock her unconscious.

Yan Zitao bent down to pick up the nutrient solution from the ground, turned around, and tiptoed out of the basement.

At this time, the battle to defend the city had just ended, and everyone was resting and celebrating, so the defenses were not as tight as before.

Yan Zitao quickly slipped out of the main city and ran towards the attacking camp.

Inside the basement.

Yan Yuting, who had fainted on the ground, suddenly opened her eyes, then sat up and dusted off her clothes.

She gazed in the direction of the basement exit, shaking her head helplessly. "Brother, what can I say to you?"

Yan Yuting pushed himself up and quickly walked out of the basement to report to Xu Jintang's room, "Squad leader, the person has been released."

"Hmm." Xu Jintang looked up at her. "Your brother didn't suspect anything?"

Yan Yuting recalled the image of her brother as he left, and chuckled dryly, "No, he's probably still happy that he managed to escape on his own."

Her brother is great in every way, except his lack of confidence is a real headache.

Xue Zhongqi looked up at Yan Yuting, "And then?"

Yan Yuting and Xu Jintang exchanged a glance, a mysterious smile spreading across their faces. "Then, following the squad leader's instructions, I gave him... a message with the wrong timeline."

Xu Jintang stretched and glanced at Xue Zhongqi. "Get ready. We have a tough battle to fight tonight."

Xue Zhongqi's lips twitched.

I'm suddenly relieved that he's on the same team as Xu Jintang.

Inside the attacking side's camp at this moment.

Yan Zitao, who had escaped, reported the intelligence with a grave expression, "I learned from my sister that they will launch a sneak attack on our camp at 10 p. m. tonight. Given Xu Jintang's cunning, this midnight attack idea was definitely hers."

Yu Wanyao hesitated for a moment, "How did you escape?"

Yan Zitao quickly explained, "After the city defense ended, everyone was celebrating and resting, and the guards were lax. I took the opportunity to knock my sister unconscious and escaped."

"Does Squad Leader Yu think this is a trap?" Mu Guang asked, noticing the change in Yu Wanyao's expression.

"Hmm." Yu Wanyao nodded. "A midnight ambush is indeed something Xu Jintang would do, but accidentally letting you go and letting you know about this plan makes it seem more like Xu Jintang deliberately gave us false information."

Yu Wanyao naturally wouldn't believe every rumor she heard.

Yan Zitao fell silent, his brows furrowing. "Now that you mention it, it is indeed strange. Xu Jintang knew perfectly well that Yuting and I were siblings, yet she still sent Yuting to deliver nutrient solution to me. Perhaps she deliberately spread false information to me, and then had me mislead everyone."

"What is her purpose in spreading this false information to us?" Mu Guang asked, puzzled.

Yu Wanyao sneered, "If we believe this news, we'll definitely stay up all night defending the city. That means we won't be able to continue the siege as planned after dawn tomorrow. The siege will have to be postponed to the third day, but by the third day, we won't have enough supplies."

"Their tactic is to buy us time, until we run out of supplies and can only panic."

After understanding, Yan Zitao immediately nodded, "Squad Leader Yu's analysis makes sense."

Yu Wanyao immediately decided, "Didn't the news say they'd launch a sneak attack at 10 PM tonight? Let's wait until 10 PM tonight and see if they actually come."

"That works too, it's safer that way." Mu Guang nodded.

Soon, night fell.

The attacking forces' camp remained brightly lit, with guards stationed at the entrance of each tent, ensuring that even a flying insect would be swatted dead if it entered.

It was already 10 p. m.

"As expected, no one's here. It seems it really was a false alarm," Yan Zitao reported back to the main camp.

Yu Wanyao breathed a sigh of relief. "Wait another half hour. If no one comes, let everyone rest and prepare for tomorrow's siege plan."

"Yes!" Yan Zitao turned and left the tent.

Five kilometers outside the camp, the hillside was covered with white snow, with a row of footprints on it.