Chapter 287: I'm Open

On the other side, Lu Mu and Chi Jinan's battle has already entered a white‑hot stage.

Chi Jinan grew more excited as the fight went on, a faint blood mist began to emanate from his body, and his strength, speed, and reaction further increased, while the Blood Crystal's condensation speed and power surged dramatically.

Lu Mu's pressure suddenly spiked; several times he narrowly escaped danger under Chi Jinan's attacks, and could only barely hold on by relying on his rich experience and a reckless (or rather forced reckless) fighting style.

After several close dodges, a Blood Crystal that suddenly pierced up from the ground slashed a wound on Lu Mu's left shoulder, and blood instantly stained his sleeve red.

"Is that all? 'Dark Raven'?" Chi Jinan looked somewhat disappointed, yet his assault grew even more fierce.

Ying Duo glanced at the battle situation of the two squads, then looked at the idle small robot beside him and the "Ally Damage Immunity" icon that appeared in the status bar after Bai Mu Yun joined the team.

Although he didn't know where that cheap teacher had hidden, it was now unrealistic to rely on Bai Mu Yun to get distracted and create a safe output environment for him; he and the Butterfly Speaker were still locked in a stalemate over there.

Lu Mu's side... hmm, looks like he's about to collapse.

Then...

"Shen Zexi, stay far away."

Ying Duo abruptly said to the Shen Zexi beside him, whose brow had been constantly furrowed.

Shen Zexi gave him a glance, seemed to understand something, immediately stepped back a few paces, and his fingertips flickered with a faint light, as if preparing something.

【System Prompt: Ying Duo: I'm open.】

【System Prompt: Bai Mu Yun: Open what?】

The next second, Ying Duo's thought moved, directly answering Bai Mu Yun's question with action.

"fire!"

The small robot, which had been waiting patiently, lit up with red light in its eyes, and energy quickly filled its weapon.

"Zila— Bang bang bang bang bang!!!"

Energy bullets poured out like splashed water; although a single shot's power was like a tickle to someone of Chi Jinan's level, the sheer number was annoying, and more importantly, this indiscriminate barrage completely disrupted their combat rhythm.

Chi Jinan furrowed his brow, waved his hand to shatter several stray bullets aimed at him; Lu Mu seized the chance to gasp for breath, clumsily dodged the follow‑up attacks, and a series of bullets ended up blowing off several of his feathers.

MD! This kid didn't pull him into the team! No party damage immunity!!!

The Butterfly Speaker was also affected, forced to divert attention to block or dodge these stray bullets, and the close‑quarters grappling rhythm was disrupted; however, Bai Mu Yun was unusually relaxed, merely putting on a front to block, since getting hit wouldn't matter.

Shen Zexi stood a short distance away, watching the scene, his gaze slightly heavy.

Ying Duo's fighting style is somewhat indiscriminate, but considering that Ying Duo possesses some rule‑based ability to avoid "friendly fire", it's not surprising that he would be accustomed to this approach.

Shen Zexi had no intention of letting Ying Duo expose the "party" mechanism; after all, Ying Duo's attacks are indiscriminate, so the effect on these people is minimal—just consider it a field buff for them.

The only thing to watch out for is, if someone undergoing Co‑Absorption gets irritated, what to do about attacking Ying Duo?

Shen Zexi silently heightened his vigilance, ready to respond to any worse situation at any moment.

And Yang Yixie was quite satisfied with the chaos Ying Duo caused.

【Search】 skill activated, quickly scanning every corner of the battlefield—the burning ruins, overturned debris, lingering smoke...

Finally, 【Search】 locked onto the battlefield's edge, behind a seemingly empty broken wall.

In the shadows of the ruins, elegantly employing a certain mimicry to perfectly hide its shape, it was keenly observing Fang Zhiyan of the two battlefields, when suddenly it felt a flash before its eyes.

A familiar Ying Guang Lu window popped up.

Yang Yixie unceremoniously launched a 【Invite to Party】 toward that direction.

Almost the instant the invitation was sent, he received the same prompt.

【System Prompt: NPC "Fang Zhiyan" has joined the party.】

【Current party members: Ying Duo, Bai Mu Yun, Fang Zhiyan.】

At the same time, the shadow behind the broken wall twisted slightly, emitting a very low sigh.

【Fang Zhiyan: Observation Key is good, teacher is pleased.】

【Fang Zhiyan: Then, what is your plan?】

【Ying Duo: Kill Chi Jinan.】

【Ying Duo: Try to let me deal more damage, and it would be better if the Last Hit could be left for me.】

【Fang Zhiyan: Last Hit? Does that relate to how much experience you can gain?】

【Ying Duo: Yes, the Last Hit also has extra rewards.】

Ying Duo's answer was concise and affirmative; Fang Zhiyan's dark‑red pupils slightly contracted.

Putting aside that Chi Jinan himself is a troublesome fellow, if killing him truly brings huge gains to Ying Duo, then this is indeed an opportunity not to be missed.

Especially now, with Church reinforcements unable to arrive in time due to the collapse of the Air Train tracks.

【Fang Zhiyan: Understood, teacher will create an opportunity for you.】

The shadow behind the broken wall began to flow silently, an intangible, formless spiritual field spreading like a slowly rising tide.

"Buzz—!"

A strange buzzing suddenly rang out; the sound wasn't harsh, yet it carried an invisible pressure that made everyone present feel several points heavier instantly, as if standing hundreds of meters deep under the sea.

Chi Jinan frowned, the surrounding light seemed to have just warped.

Shen Zexi's brow tightened abruptly, his intuition screamed a frantic warning, yet the source of danger was vague, as if coming from all directions and yet omnipresent.

He instinctively looked at Ying Duo, but found Ying Duo still standing calmly there, unaffected.

Immediately, several ethereal tentacles over half a meter in diameter, entirely silver‑white, erupted from the ground; their surfaces were covered with eerie red glowing patterns, and their tips flickered with dangerous phosphorescence, clearly containing some special energy or toxin.

The tentacles moved silently, bringing a salty dampness and the distinct fishy odor of marine life.

"Puff puff puff!"

Several rising tentacles were shattered by Blood Crystals, turning into light specks that vanished, yet more tentacles kept surging forward, seemingly absorbing ambient energy and becoming denser.

Chi Jinan looked at those tentacles; without a doubt, this was not a method recorded by the Heresy Tribunal for any cultist.

So, a pre‑set trap?

Targeted at him?

These don't matter.

The key is that after those tentacles appear, the surrounding air becomes unusually viscous, as if movement slows considerably, and that feeling disgusts him.

"Tsk, another mouse."

Fang Zhiyan's attack appears to cover the entire field, indistinguishable between friend and foe, but with the help of the Team Channel, Ying Duo and Bai Mu Yun are both exempt from the debuff's effect.

The ones truly bearing all the pressure are only Chi Jinan, Min Tianyou, Butterfly Speaker, and… Lu Mu, who hasn't found a chance to be pulled into the team.