Volume Two: The Thousand-Faced Youth, Where Falsehood Seems True Chapter 107: A High-Stakes Gamble

On the battlefield, given equal strength, what kind of ability user is most capable of turning the tide? It is the one with the best crowd control.

If Huo Ye were using dual blades and his "Wind-Speed" ability, he might have been able to decapitate all of them in two seconds; after all, his strength was currently leagues ahead of theirs. But now, with his power suppressed and restricted to Holy Light-type abilities, there was no tool more suitable than the "Chaotic Flower Dragon-Binding Rope."

Just as the two dozen or so opponents were left dazed and confused by Huo Ye, the rest of the Red Team seized the opportunity to surge forward, swiftly ending their enemies' lives.

"Wow, viewers, as we can see, while the Blue Team was gradually gaining the upper hand, the Red Team’s 'Night Rain Cold Crow' has executed a brilliant crowd-control maneuver, opening up the situation for his side. Both teams started with about three hundred members, so while losing twenty men in an instant isn't a massive blow for the Blue Team, it is certainly not something to be ignored. The Red Team seems to be under unified command; they have identified the Blue Team's intent to pick them off one by one and are beginning to cluster together, preparing to strike through the breach created by Night Rain Cold Crow to tear a hole in the Blue Team’s tight formation and achieve a breakthrough."

Shen Jiewen herself possessed high tactical acumen. After all, she spent her days commentating on high-level matches and observing various experts firsthand; she was learning and improving even as she commented. If one were to judge solely by tactical insight, she was undoubtedly among the top few in the academy.

Huo Ye was indeed an assassin-type, but that was because his combat style favored explosive bursts; when it came to frontal assaults, he was the best in the Star Society.

"What did you say? The eastern front has been breached? What happened?"

"I don't know, there seems to be an expert here we didn't account for. The twenty men in the front were all taken out—wait, ah!" The communication cut out.

Dai Hua'an listened to the static in his ear, momentarily stunned. He had clearly confirmed beforehand that there were no known experts on the Red Team; otherwise, he would have changed his strategy and had his president deal with that person. His plan had been to rely on skilled coordination to slowly compress the Red Team's living space while their strengths were evenly matched, eventually closing the net to capture them all.

But things were different now. He thought he had fish in his net, but a crab had slipped in, slicing through the unbreakable mesh. A group of big fish was now swarming in, and things were spiraling out of control. Since that was the case, he would lure them into the trap!

"Spread the formation and surround them bit by bit," Dai Hua'an ordered, immediately altering his strategy and commanding the battlefield with meticulous detail, down to which squad should go where, what types of abilities to use, and how those on the front lines should feign a rout to make it look like a genuine collapse.

As for the expert who had opened up the situation for the Red Team, someone needed to pin him down.

"President, you go. Find that expert and don't let him continue tearing through our lines," Dai Hua'an told Feng Wuming.

Feng Wuming pinched his fingers and frowned, then sighed. "Very well, be careful." With a wave of his broad Taoist sleeves, he leaped from the Blue Team’s high tower.

Huo Ye saw the conspicuous dark blue Taoist robes in the distance, his mouth curling into a smile as he whispered to himself, "Finally, you’ve come out?"

Huo Ye had been waiting for Feng Wuming to show himself. From the moment he saw the Blue Team's roster before the start, he had been tracking Feng Wuming's movements. If anyone on the Blue Team could rival him, it was surely Feng Wuming. Even though the Blue Team members wore masks, given Feng Wuming's personality, how could he possibly swap out the Taoist robes he was accustomed to wearing just for a small training exercise?

Such an obvious target would be monitored constantly to see if he appeared, and he had notified the others to keep a close eye on Feng Wuming’s movements. Feng Wuming’s appearance was the signal for him and Shangguan Yudie to act.

"Shangguan, let's go," Huo Ye said curtly to Shangguan Yudie before turning to charge into the enemy ranks.

"Oh no, he's coming for me!" A Blue Team member, seeing the reaper-like Huo Ye charging straight at him, was filled with shock. But just as he closed his eyes in despair, thinking he was finished, he felt no pain. What was going on? Had he not been taken out?

He looked around in confusion, but Night Rain Cold Crow was gone. Where was that expert? The leader had said to keep track of him, but where was he? Stay calm, the opponent had such distinct features—he was wearing a mask. Look for the mask... wait, everyone was wearing a mask!

"What? You say he's missing? A living person that large, and none of you saw him? You didn't remember his appearance?" Dai Hua'an asked anxiously.

"We can't remember! He's wearing a mask, and with so many masks, we can't tell them apart!" one of them shouted over the comms.

Dai Hua'an broke out in a cold sweat. There was no doubt now that the opponent was the expert he had predicted would attempt a decapitation strike. Once Feng Wuming’s location was exposed, they had begun to sneak. They must have been wary of Feng Wuming's strength all along, which was why they hadn't rushed into an assassination attempt.

The best way now was to recall Feng Wuming to protect him with an iron-clad defense, leaving no room for the opponent’s decapitation plan. But that would at best return the situation to the status quo. The opponent’s stealth skills were so profound that even if he revealed himself again, slipping back into shadows would be effortless.

The encirclement was nearly complete. With Feng Wuming’s help, they should be able to turn the tide. He couldn't let Feng Wuming return now. He would simply use himself as bait, drawing the opponent's expert toward him. Before he and the flag were both taken out, he would annihilate everyone else on the Red Team—or at least kill their leader and take their flag.

Huo Ye didn't know where Shangguan Yudie was, but he knew she was nearby. He truly admired her stealth; he relied on the mask to blend into the crowd of enemies, but Shangguan Yudie completely erased her own presence. It was a terrifying ability. She would never be the most dazzling person on the battlefield, but she would certainly be the deadliest.

As they ventured deeper, they moved further away from the main battlefield. Their reversal of the flow became more apparent, and they were forced to hide their forms, becoming walkers in the shadows.

Although Feng Wuming disliked technology, he still used it. Hearing that the expert was missing in the communication channel, he naturally became hyper-vigilant. However, Dai Hua'an had instructed him to unleash his full power in the fray, drawing the enemy's attention and ensuring they didn't notice the encirclement being formed.

Feng Wuming had no objections. Dai Hua'an was acting out of desperation, placing his own life and his plan on the gambling table for a high-stakes bet.