Qi Xu discovered that the medicine depot also had a protective shield, but it didn't matter. She pulled out a rocket launcher, aimed, and fired. Amidst Qi Xu’s manic laughter, the depot was instantly obliterated, transforming into a thick cloud of dense fog.
In that same instant, five players from District 08 were killed! Unfortunately, the depot's core was not inside.
Next, the Retired Magical Boy flashed a predatory smile. Driving a massive truck, she began a frantic hunt for the remaining players of District 08. She didn't have a single thought in her head other than making them "hit the jackpot" with her bumper.
The opponents were cunning; they knew they couldn't win a head-on fight, so they never engaged directly. They spent their time desperately running, hiding, and evading. They even had players specifically assigned to sacrifice themselves to cover the retreat.
Their overall unity was exceptional. Qi Xu suddenly found herself admiring Threeking even more. He was strong, knew how to lead a team, and could think on his feet—he was one of the most well-rounded members of the War Wolves.
Once the Retired Magical Boy’s vehicle duration expired, the group was forced to dismount and continue the pursuit on foot.
In this chase, both District 666 and District 08 suffered losses. A few died on one side, a few on the other; the battle grew exceptionally tense.
However, Invincible Black Whirlwind’s expression grew darker and darker as she shouted a ruthless threat.
"Just you wait! Once we're out of this Powerhouse Championship, I’m going to charge straight into District 08 and slaughter every single one of you!"
No matter how she threatened them, the District 08 players stayed hidden. They didn't get angry or lose their cool; they simply set up sneak attacks with roadblocks and refused to face her head-on.
Threeking was truly skilled. After a series of calculated ambushes, the number of people by Qi Xu’s side dwindled. When they had set out that morning, there were a full 44 people.
By the time they retreated that evening, only seven remained. Including the logistics team, there were 14 people in total—a heavy loss, to say the least.
But District 08 had even fewer survivors. No one else was left except for their district’s top-ranked player, Threeking, who carried the depot core on him.
Qi Xu felt her acting skills had improved again. She was deeply proud of her excellent performance; her exasperated appearance must have thrilled that "Bad Ball" to no end.
While District 08’s guerrilla tactics under Threeking’s leadership were impressive, there was still a fundamental gap in raw power.
If they truly wanted to win, Qi Xu, Dongfang Yuan, and Song Peifeng could have gone all out to intercept him. It wouldn't have been difficult, and the battle would have been decided long ago.
The problem was... Qi Xu wanted to add a few more "flourishes" to Threeking's resume.
Threeking had noticed this as well. He immediately understood Invincible Black Whirlwind’s intention. She wasn't just holding back; she had given him several opportunities to escape.
Every time he felt he had reached a dead end with no way out, the opposing side would conveniently back off, allowing him a moment to catch his breath.
However, he had to strive to win this match. It didn't matter if he couldn't win, but he had to try. The point wasn't the victory itself, but the conviction to win!
Yet, a strange feeling kept bubbling up in his heart. It was uncanny—why was there such a tacit understanding between them?
Old Four, Old Nine, Old Eight, and Old Six didn't seem to have the brains for this, let alone Old Seven... Among the War Wolves, besides himself, the only other smart one, Old Two, wasn't here...
So who was the one who had seen through it? Invincible Black Whirlwind? Why... why did she feel so familiar? Why was it that even without a single word of communication, while being on opposing sides, he could faintly sense her thoughts?
Threeking had always considered himself very clever, but... he couldn't figure out the reason at all.
Before night fell, Qi Xu felt that she still had too many people left on her side. She decided to give him another chance. Otherwise, the game would likely end tonight, and that victory would be too low-quality and unexciting.
The "Ball" might not be willing to invest much, but since you tried to screw me over first, it's only natural for me to return the favor.
So, she cleared her throat and said, "We can't let that rat get away. Let's split up!"
"No problem! We've killed everyone else, he's the only one left. Once we get him, we win!"
At this moment, splitting up was the stupidest possible move. Threeking no longer had a depot; if they just waited him out, they were guaranteed to win.
But everyone dispersed anyway. Even though they were "letting him off the hook," the necessary training couldn't be skipped. It was rare to have a life-and-death battle where they didn't have to worry about actual death.
They would only feel pain and be eliminated. They believed they would learn much more here than in ordinary training. During the life-and-death battles that afternoon, everyone had fought with their full strength.
This included the ambush. The few who had noticed something was off kept their mouths shut, which was why over a dozen people were taken out at once. Qi Xu believed that after being eliminated, those dozen people would have a lot to think about.
Thus, everyone cherished this experience of actual combat.
Those who were eliminated early had indeed had their weaknesses exploited by the enemy. The top-tier combatants could have saved them, but they didn't. Relying on their individual skills, those players simply hadn't managed to dodge.
War Wolf Egg-Seven strode away from Qi Xu arrogantly, muttering to himself, "Third Brother, Third Brother, come on, let's have a go! Let me show you what the Glory of the War Wolves truly looks like!"
Unfortunately, Old Three was scared and wouldn't show up!
Finally, he spotted a figure. His heart raced with excitement as he prepared for battle, only to realize, "Old Nine? What are you doing here? Didn't we say we were splitting up?"
"That guy... you know how it is. He's too good at hiding. I can't find him at all. I'm starving. Do you have any food left? Hurry up, throw me some."
War Wolf 009 was so exhausted he could barely lift his legs. His eyes were glazed over, and his voice was hoarse, looking as if he couldn't hold on much longer.
Egg-Seven grinned and tossed over a steamed flower roll and a large piece of braised beef.
"When did you become such a glutton? You finished all your rations? Luckily, your big brother here has plenty to spare. I'll lend you some support."
War Wolf 009’s eyes lit up the moment he smelled the food. What was this? Why did it smell so good? He hadn't seen anything like this in the supply crates.
"Some water, too."
Without thinking, Egg-Seven handed him a bottle of mineral water. He looked at Old Nine with a face full of disdain while continuing to scan for Threeking. Where had that scheming bastard gone? He really knew how to hide!
In the War Wolves, everyone could be called an Old Six, but only the actual Old Six couldn't be called an Old Six... It was quite ironic, really. Sixth Brother was truly mistreated.
War Wolf 009 chugged the entire bottle of water in one go, then began wolfing down the flower roll and braised beef with zero regard for his image.
Egg-Seven was stunned. "Holy crap, can you have some table manners? If Master Chef saw you, wouldn't his heart ache? He'd definitely blame himself for not providing enough food. You look like you've never eaten anything good in your life..."
