Huh? What does that mean? Follow me to charge? Follow me to retreat? Did the boss stumble over her words?
Although everyone was extremely confused, seeing Boss Whirlwind charge forward, they still followed closely behind.
Once they started running, they realized—good heavens, it felt like they had stacked two positive buffs! Both their Strength and Agility stats had increased by 30 points!
They couldn't help but glance at the sparkling crown on the boss's head and that incredibly exaggerated cape, roughly understanding what was going on. As expected of the boss, to even have such overpowered items.
As for the old teammates who frequently went on raids with Qi Xu, they all grinned. The boss really had a sharp mind.
"Follow me to charge" added 30 points to Strength, and "Follow me to retreat" added 30 points to Agility. Shouting both together meant getting both positive effects. It was a sudden whim to exploit a bug, and unexpectedly, it worked.
Qi Xu's reasoning was very simple. This was the newly formed team's first large-scale raid. Regardless of how long everyone had known each other beforehand, if they abandoned someone the moment they encountered a situation where a teammate was trapped...
Even if he didn't lose his life and was merely eliminated, it would still greatly affect morale. Therefore, at this moment, they could only advance; retreating was not an option.
Qi Xu took the lead and charged to the very front, only to stumble and realize that a short-legged person was running even faster than her, practically sparking from the speed. She was holding her jacket and cracking it like a whip; with a slight hook and roll, she could instantly send a swath of rattlesnakes flying.
"Sister Cai, that's amazing!"
Zhu Fu grinned awkwardly. "Mainly, I haven't settled the score with that brat inside yet. It'd be a bit of a loss to let him get eliminated now."
Qi Xu chuckled and didn't expose her. Using successive Crimson Strike dashes, she blocked the path of numerous desert rattlesnakes.
Sweet Girl looked at so many of her own kind, excitedly jumped down from Xiao Qi's head, and dove into the snake swarm.
Qi Xu wasn't worried at all. Although Sweet Girl had weak defense, her self-preservation ability was the strongest among the three pets. Since she dared to go down so boldly, it meant she was confident.
Once the stronger players rushed to Qi Xu's side and completely intercepted the desert rattlesnake swarm, the rest turned into an encirclement and suppression operation. Everyone particularly enjoyed the thrill of having their physical stats increased by 30 points each...
One after another, just like the God of Wealth's only daughter, they took off their jackets to use as weapons. Slowly, the 51 people and 47 pets gradually formed a large circle, killing their way from the outside in.
Retired Magical Boy, Muzi Li, and Blessed by Luck were definitely the most eye-catching trio on the scene. They each summoned their fish tanks, and with just one smash, they created a huge gap, which also smashed out a ray of hope for Ruan Shizi.
He had almost given up and was prepared to be eliminated and sent back. The pain in his body was becoming more and more obvious. He could be immune to poison, but he couldn't be immune to pain. He could defend his front, but not his back, and he had lost count of how many times he had been bitten by the snakes.
But seeing the scene of everyone trying their hardest to surround him and save him, his eyes inexplicably grew a bit red. Especially that short-legged girl; she wasn't even as tall as a snake standing straight up, yet she charged so far ahead. It was simply overestimating her own capabilities...
Qi Xu took a glance and noticed that Ruan Shizi was somewhat unable to hold on, having been bitten dozens or hundreds of times. She specifically sought out Happy Big Girl. "Help me throw this golden chair inside."
Happy Big Girl nodded forcefully. Her feet planted firmly as if nailed into the sand, and a fierce roar burst from her throat.
Then, twisting her waist and abdomen, she suddenly exerted force. Her arms clamped onto the chair like iron tongs, and with a vicious swing, the golden chair smashed into the center with a loud crash, accompanied by the sound of the wind.
Qi Xu shouted loudly, "Get on the chair!"
The rattlesnake swarm kept thrashing their tails, and Qi Xu's voice couldn't reach him at all.
At this moment, an unfamiliar player exerted his power, repeating Qi Xu's words, "Get on the chair!"
This voice was like a sudden thunderclap on flat ground, thick and bright, carrying an unquestionable and tyrannical force that buzzed in everyone's ears. Long after the voice faded, it felt like the echo was still there.
Ruan Shizi forced himself to endure the pain and desperately crawled toward the golden chair radiating a dazzling light. His back had another large chunk of flesh torn away by a rattlesnake.
Fortunately, before he completely gave out, he successfully collapsed onto the chair. Instantly, a transparent protective shield sprang up from the golden chair. Although it wasn't large, it perfectly enclosed Ruan Shizi inside.
Ni Jiujiu also flew down from high in the sky, releasing a skill to slowly heal Ruan Shizi's body.
Even while resting inside the protective shield, Ruan Shizi felt like he was sitting on pins and needles. This was too embarrassing. Everyone was desperately killing monsters and charging over to save him, yet he was lying here like a deserter...
Feeling that his injuries were slightly less painful, he gritted his teeth and rushed out again. Even if it hurt, it felt better than being ashamed.
Seeing that the wounds it had painstakingly just healed split open again, Ni Jiujiu angrily slapped Ruan Shizi right back into the protective shield.
Only after completely healing him did it happily fly back to Qi Xu's side. Its dear master was still the best.
Ruan Shizi looked at Qi Xu with some emotion. He had never thought he was so important in her eyes. He had always believed that her accepting him and the others into the team was quite reluctant and that she didn't value them much.
He hadn't expected... that his own thinking was too narrow.
Besides Ni Jiujiu, Guagua Loves Melons had also successfully become an ability user after coming out of the Color Secret Realm, and the skill she awakened was also a healing skill.
Although she couldn't restore mental strength, she could heal the wounds on her companions' bodies.
It was just that she had no combat ability. Similarly huddled behind Master Chef's shield, Ni Jiujiu, who was high in the sky, would notify the Shield Trio whenever it saw someone injured, and the trio would quickly move toward the injured person.
Occasionally, when encountering a particularly urgent situation, Ni Jiujiu would simply grab the person into the air and throw them in front of the Shield Trio.
Their cooperation was exceptionally tacit, so much so that after finally wiping out all the desert rattlesnakes, not a single person in the 51-member team was eliminated.
Qi Xu breathed a slight sigh of relief. The first battle was won!
Ruan Shizi's face flushed with embarrassment. Just as he was agonizing over what to say, Qi Xu noticed his dilemma and waved her hand.
"Everyone, quickly readjust and stay on guard. Those with injuries, gather around me."
Right at this moment, the broadcast sound from the light screen rang out.
The Champion's Tournament has officially begun!
Task 1: The top-ranked player of the division is requested to quickly lead the team members to find a suitable base camp. The specific coordinate locations of 5 base camps are now announced. Please make your choice quickly.
1. Turning the corner, a new bud suddenly blooms; it turns out to be the east wind secretly sending its fragrance.
2. Shadows of grass at the wall's base bury the empty window; starlight leaks through the gaps in the tiles into the courtyard.
3. The granaries are full and the cooking smoke is warm; boxes overflow with cloth, and the years are peaceful.
4. The sword strikes like a dragon, startling the four seas; ten thousand blades give way, and ghosts and gods mourn.
5. Various herbs are blended to cure a hundred illnesses; health and peace share the vast sky year after year.
..........
