Chapter 411: The Atmosphere in the Group Deteriorates Rapidly

Chen Shu stood in mid-air, his figure hidden beneath the heavy night, his eyes flickering with a faint glow like a deity; under his gaze, no one below who wished to flee had anywhere to hide.

A few tracer rounds were fired over as a warning, and those people obediently returned, gathering in the sect plaza.

Bu Gaoda was locked in battle with the Sect Master.

This royal guard captain was short in stature, yet his fighting style was exceptionally fierce, excelling in continuous, relentless attacks. His opponent was the exact opposite, excelling in defense; with a sturdy physique and tight defensive techniques, the two fought back and forth for a time.

Wu Eiwei, meanwhile, fought several Sixth Stage cultivators all on her own.

These elders had likely committed too many crimes in their daily lives and were too guilty; even though they were not on the list, they still fought to the death alongside the Sect Master.

Nüxia of the Moonlit Night would not indulge them.

Reason with them? Impossible.

If you want to fight, then fight; if you want to seek death, I will let you die.

Wu Eiwei's footwork was like lightning, making her even harder to see in the dark night; after scattering the several Sixth Stage elders with a few moves, she turned into a blur. For a moment, it seemed as if several of her appeared in the arena at once, all striking with their Swords simultaneously.

"Gurgle..."

Several heads fell to the ground.

Both were Sixth Stage, yet the difference was like heaven and earth.

Wu Eiwei turned her head, looked at the two Seventh Stage cultivators locked in combat, and without hesitation, decisively raised her Sword and charged up.

"Let me!"

Upon hearing this, Bu Gaoda retreated rapidly, looking at her in disbelief:

"You?"

"Move aside."

"..."

Bu Gaoda fell silent for a moment, then nodded.

However, he did not dare to go far, instead standing not far away, ready to go up and provide support at any time—he had already figured it out; these two were both extraordinary, and if he tried his best to accommodate them during the joint cleanup, they would surely hold high positions in Dayi in the future, and it would be great if they could remember him then.

"Team Four calling command post, Team Four calling command post."

"Command post, Team Four, is the battle over?"

"The battle... is not completely over yet. Wu Eiwei is fighting the Black Mountain Sect Master; she seems to be... honing herself. But the others have been controlled, two targets died during the fight, and several are still alive."

"Support Aircraft will arrive immediately."

"Received."

While Bu Gaoda was doing these chores, his gaze never left the two in front for a second—

In the past, he would never have believed that a Sixth Stage Peak Cultivator could tangle with a Seventh Stage one without falling behind. One had to know that the gap between High-Tier and Intermediate Stage was vast, with an essential, insurmountable difference between the two. But now, the fact before his eyes undoubtedly overturned his understanding.

The dark night became Wu Eiwei's perfect camouflage.

Her lightning-fast speed and unpredictable footwork left the Black Mountain Sect Master flustered, and that Court Sword was so sharp that even the Black Mountain Sect Master, who excelled in defense, could not withstand it, with wounds appearing all over his body.

The outcome was hard to determine for a moment.

Bu Gaoda watched in silence.

It was not until several Support Aircraft arrived and the command post sent orders to end the battle quickly that Bu Gaoda saw the figure in the high sky descend lightly; just then, Wu Eiwei was gradually falling behind in her fight with the Black Mountain Sect Master, and the battle had shifted from being evenly matched to Wu Eiwei dancing on the tip of a blade, between life and death.

"Have you played enough?"

Chen Shu asked Wu Eiwei.

Wu Eiwei pulled back and disengaged from the fight.

The Black Mountain Sect Master did not pursue, but instead turned his head as well, looking at Chen Shu with vigilance.

Chen Shu glanced at the incoming Support Aircraft, then lowered his head to meet his gaze: "Give up. You know, your resistance has no meaning."

"Can I live if I surrender?"

The Black Mountain Sect Master's face was gloomy, but there was a glimmer of hope in his heart.

Upon hearing this, Bu Gaoda also looked at Chen Shu.

Chen Shu remained silent for two seconds:

"No."

Is he not even willing to tell a lie?

Bu Gaoda felt sorrow in his heart.

It felt as if it were not the Black Mountain Sect Master facing Chen Shu, nor a small-nation Cultivator facing a great-nation Cultivator, but a small nation facing a great nation; under such a crushing disparity in strength, the other party was too lazy to even deceive you.

A string of Yunlai curses rang in his ears.

The dialect accent was too heavy; Chen Shu could not understand it, nor did he want to. Seeing that the Black Mountain Sect Master was unwilling to surrender, he did not waste words, channeled his Spirit Power, and pointed a finger—

"Boom!"

The Mountain Piercing Power was unleashed instantly.

The Black Mountain Sect Master had been mentally prepared; the moment he felt that erupting Spirit Power fluctuation, the moment his Spiritual Sense gave an alarm, he had built up his defenses with all his might. His entire body lit up with silver light under the reinforcement of Spirit Power and Secret Technique, while he simultaneously flew to dodge.

"Bang!"

Clearly, he had not dodged it.

The two sides collided.

All defenses appeared incomparably weak under this power capable of piercing mountains.

If one were to slow down the scene, one could even see the process of the Black Mountain Sect Master's outer defensive layer shattering; the Spirit Power structure broke, turning into light dust and returning to the night, followed by the body he took such pride in also cracking under the strike of the Mountain Piercing Power, until finally, an arm-thick hole was punched through, and his body was sent flying backward.

"Pfft..."

Warm blood sprayed into the air.

Bu Gaoda was incomparably shocked.

Wu Eiwei was also silent.

At this moment, there was only one sentence in both their hearts—

This... is this really the opponent who was locked in a life-and-death struggle with me just a moment ago? They must have swapped people!

"Damn it!"

Bu Gaoda was experienced after all; he reacted quickly, flew forward to restrain the Black Mountain Sect Master, sealed his consciousness and Spirit Power, and tossed him onto the Support Aircraft.

They took inventory of the other targets, bringing the living onto the Support Aircraft and taking the corpses of the dead, leaving the remaining matters for the local military and police to take over.

The three-person squad embarked on their return journey.

Chen Shu sat on the Support Aircraft and said to Wu Eiwei, "I think we should ask the Command Center to increase the difficulty next time. There should be at least two Seventh Stage experts—one for me to test the Tracer Technique I just modified, and one for you to gain insights into the Life and Death Sword Dao. I can even keep an eye on you while I'm at it; it would maximize efficiency."

Wu Eiwei's expression was hidden beneath her Metal Mask; she silently applied ointment and bandaged her wounds, saying nothing.

Bu Gaoda also sat nearby, remaining silent.

"Buzz buzz!"

Both of their Mobile Phones vibrated at the same time; they looked at each other and took out their Mobile Phones.

Haoran: How is the situation? @Just Call Me Luo Huaian @Qingcai Keke @Grandma Always Says

Chen Shu looked at the message and thought for a moment.

Qingcai Keke: Why didn't you @ me first?

Grandma Always Says: Why didn't you @ me first?

Beside him, Wu Eiwei looked at the message and raised her head to glance at Chen Shu. A faint light shone from the eye area of her mask; this kind of mechanical light always gave off a cold feeling. Fortunately, she soon lowered her head again and began to type.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: Qingcai and I just finished the first battle. It went very smoothly, no difficulty at all.

Grandma Always Says: Same for Grandma.

Haoran: Yunlai is still very stable. Our operation didn't meet any resistance, and the Yunlai officials are very cooperative.

Grandma Always Says: It's a total mess over here.

Grandma Always Says: This damn country, it has a Government but it's like it doesn't exist. Their military either only listens to their officers or listens to drug dealers. The powerful and wealthy people all over the country are doing evil; not a single one is good. A thousand cuts wouldn't be enough for them. I'm afraid it would take a Zhan Lue Wu Qi to wash it clean.

Haoran: Xixiao has been chaotic since ancient times.

Haoran: Be careful over there.

Grandma Always Says: You can care about Grandma like this.

Grandma Always Says: Grandma is very touched.

Grandma Always Says: But Grandma isn't listening, haha. Grandma is currently outside eating barbecue and drinking beer, waiting for someone to come and harass Grandma.

Haoran:...

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: The difficulty was too low.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: Tell the Command Center to increase the difficulty for us, otherwise it's ineffective.

Haoran: I'll go mention it.

Seeing this, Chen Shu revealed a smile.

In truth, the real confrontation of this global purge was not here, not on the Battlefield, but in the Command Center.

The real confrontation was a battle of intelligence, a contest of strategy.

The intelligence command agencies centered on the four major systems were indeed incomparably powerful, so the vast majority of battles were inevitably fought with superior numbers against inferior ones—if one were to end up in a life-and-death struggle with equal casualties while occupying an absolute advantage in every aspect, it would only prove the incompetence of the command.

Reality is not a novel; no one wants to die.

And yet, the results that the Command Center had spent untold effort to calculate were now being actively challenged by them to increase the difficulty.

I wonder what the Command Center thinks.

Haoran: How did you fight today? Not satisfying enough?

Haoran: @Just Call Me Luo Huaian

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: It was alright.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: If I brainwash myself and forget about the helper beside me, I can barely enter the state of a life-and-death battle. But halfway through, I was stopped by this idiot Command Center, and then finished off by Qingcai with a single finger.

Haoran: The command in Yunlai seems to be my uncle.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian retracted a message.

People of the Royal Court must not insult members of the Imperial Family.

Haoran: You should be due for a promotion when you get back, right?

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: None of your business.

Haoran: I'm just showing concern for you.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian:...

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: Crown Princess, give it up. When the time comes, I will either go back to the Royal Court to promote, or I will ask a trusted group member to guard me. I will absolutely not promote in the Imperial Palace or a military camp. The eyes you've planted won't be of any use. /smile

Haoran:?

Haoran: In this group, who do you trust?

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: The one whose name is as long as mine.

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: /Your grandpa is here!

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs retracted a message.

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: I'm here!

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: /cute

Beauty with Eight-Pack Abs: Is Senior Sister going to promote? It just so happens I'll be promoting in a while too. Let's guard each other.

Just Call Me Luo Huaian: Good.

Haoran: /expression complex

Grandma Always Says: /confused/confused/confused

Grandma always says: /smirk

Gate of All Wonders: /eating melon seeds

Green Lamp and Ancient Buddha: Amitabha, hey hey hey benefactor, hurry up and post it for us to see.

"?"

Chen Shu also became interested; he hurriedly moved his gaze away from his Mobile Phone and aimed it at Wu Eiwei: "Is it because when the group owner was promoted last time, he made a fool of himself, and you happened to be nearby and recorded the process of him making a fool of himself? Let me see, let me see..."

"No!"

"Oh, we are all comrades-in-arms now..."

"No!"

"Take a look! It won't make you lose anything!" Chen Shu persuaded him earnestly, "Happiness does not decrease by sharing; it only increases."

"It concerns the face of the Imperial Family."

"..."

Chen Shu revealed a helpless expression.

But deep down, he had a vague intuition—

One day, he would be able to see it.

The basis for this intuition came from the rapidly deteriorating atmosphere in the group, and this had to be blamed on Zhang Suannai.

Chen Shu decided that after returning, he would first communicate with Zhang Suannai: the nuclear bombs they were holding over each other must be held tightly; they must not throw them out in a moment of hot-headedness. This time, they would be silent onlookers; they themselves must absolutely not become the joke.

The Support Aircraft flew back to Zhouye City and landed slowly.

Except for the few people slaughtered by the Nüxia of the Moonlit Night, which included two targets, the rest of the targets were still alive, and the Black Mountain Sect Master was only seriously injured.

These followers of Cao Ci would be tried locally or sent back to Dayi depending on the situation, but this time the situation was special, and the trial was just going through the motions. What really decided whether they could survive were the Cultivators of the Daoist sect. Because a conventional trial might lack sufficient evidence, but this time it involved the faith of Cao Ci; as long as they had committed crimes in the past that were enough to warrant the death penalty, it was absolutely impossible to let them live.

When the three-person team handed over the targets, a figure holding a Sword stood under the light in the distance, watching them silently.

That was the seventh disciple of the Sword Master who was left behind to guard the command post.

On the way here today, because Chen Shu had a good relationship with Zhang Suannai, he felt he had an affinity with the Sword Sect as well, so he even went up to greet him. However, at the time, Zhuang Baicha only nodded faintly and said "mm," appearing very cold and aloof, so they didn't talk much.

This Sword Cultivator seemed different from other Sword Cultivators.

More like a Wangting Sword Sect member.

After the target handover was completed, Chen Shu walked toward the camp.

Zhuang Baicha held his ancient, simple Long Sword, standing straight with a calm expression. The whole person was like an unsheathed Sword, making one suspect that the white frost on the ground was not due to the late autumn night and the special climate of Yunlai, but because of the biting chill on his body.

Chen Shu greeted him again:

"Senior Zhuang."

"Mm."

Zhuang Baicha still nodded faintly, his tone revealing concern for a junior:

"Back already?"

"Yes."

"How was it?"

"Very easy, very smooth."

"I saw that Wangting... disciple seemed to be injured." Zhuang Baicha's words took a turn, "Did you encounter danger? Why didn't you call for support?"

"No."

Chen Shu replied in a low voice, wondering to himself, is the Jianzhou accent like this?

He then explained to Zhuang Baicha: "She wanted to seek a breakthrough and took the initiative to fight a Seventh Stage target; we were just watching from the side."

"Boring behavior."

"Has Senior Zhuang been here the whole time?"

"No, after you left, I went into Zhouye City to catch some of Cao Ci's believers, like catching little chicks; it was boring as hell." Zhuang Baicha said, feeling very envious that they could fly around, killing and burning, but he didn't show it, "So far, no one has called for support."

"That's a good thing."

"Mm..."

Zhuang Baicha nodded, looking like he had no interest in talking.

Good thing my ass! A bunch of idiots! They don't even know how to distribute the difficulty; if they went to be game planners, they'd be laid off in minutes!

Forget it, I can't be bothered to talk to you...

"Then I will trouble Senior Zhuang to continue keeping watch; we will go back to our room to rest first."

"Mm..."

Zhuang Baicha raised his eyes and secretly glanced at him.

Chen Shu walked back to his tent, feeling that this Sword Cultivator was abnormally reserved; either there was something fishy, or his lineage was impure, and he decided to ask Zhang Suannai tomorrow.