When Qiuqiu said “any player,” Qi Xu quickly observed the other three groups, but their expressions remained completely unchanged.
He silently called out to Wang Buyu, who gave a slight nod and attempted to sense the thoughts of others. The first part went smoothly, but when probing the last group, a sharp pain suddenly stabbed through her mind.
Qi Xu noticed the anomaly immediately and shifted the blame elsewhere.
He spoke loudly: “Who was that! Just as the rules were announced, someone launches a mental attack? Have the guts to step forward! Don’t hide in the shadows like a rat!”
Whatever the players said would be instantly translated into the listener's native language.
Qi Xu swept his gaze around fiercely, finally fixing it on the five heavily-built men, his murderous intent unmistakable.
Endless Longevity, Shadowkill, and Threeking stepped forward as well, boosting their presence while subtly covering up Wang Buyu’s distress.
Qi Xu cranked his own mental energy to the max, even teleporting on the spot without a sound, completely masking the faint psychic fluctuations from Wang Buyu.
The five burly men were furious. That woman had clearly been picking a fight earlier, and now she was at it again. Since their protective shields were already down, they decided it was better to take out the instigator first.
But just as they took a step forward, the woman smiled with confidence.
“I knew it. It is you guys.”
Qi Xu wasn’t afraid of a fight, but they couldn’t afford to be ganged up on by three nations right from the start. So she struck first, aiming to leave them with mud in their pockets that they couldn’t wash clean—whether it was dung or not.
The moment Qi Xu and her team moved, the nations on their left and right followed suit.
After all, the five burly men looked like the strongest team—uninjured, battle-hardened, and coordinated like a polished squad. If they could take down the strongest opponent now, the next three days would be much steadier.
“Surround them!”
Qi Xu was in her element, actively directing the other two nations to block the five men’s escape routes.
Bad Ball watched with wild excitement. Indeed, as long as you weren’t on the receiving end of the Whirlwind Boss’s schemes, watching her mess with others was quite entertaining.
Although it was a group assault, the other two factions were holding back, each keeping their own secrets. The timer was three days—72 hours—and they had to leave some options in reserve.
Qi Xu thought differently. This was the best chance to take out the untouched five-man team. If their abilities and combat tactics were all pre-designed and trained, they were surely the toughest opponents in this treasure map dungeon.
If she could eliminate them, even if the remaining two groups turned on them later, the fight would still be manageable.
So she charged straight ahead, teleporting rapidly in succession, her pink mist blades flashing in dazzling, flashy arcs—completely like she was ready to go all out.
Instantly, the expressions of everyone present turned stern.
Wang Buyu had recovered by now. After sensing Qi Xu’s thoughts, she quickly relayed them to everyone.
“Whirlwind Boss says, we take out the five burly men, one kill at a time.”
“Boss, the other two countries are just playing it by ear—they’ll help if it tips in their favor, but they’ll run if things go south.”
Wang Buyu added, “The man on the far left has damaged mental power; he can’t use abilities right now. His skill is shielding—he can block one person’s mental energy per hour at will.”
Qi Xu received the crucial intel, and the urge to act came back.
“So it’s you, that stinking worm. Standing still, no buildup needed, and you deal that much mental damage? If I hadn’t been prepared, I’d have been crushed by a single move! If you want trouble, prepare to die!”
“What the hell are you talking about!”
“Keep pretending! Keep faking it!” Though Qi Xu didn’t have Sakurafall in hand, her bare fists carried enough force to rival a physical-strength enhancer. Combined with her seamless teleportation, her opponent couldn’t find any opening.
The other four tried to break the engagement, but Shadowkill and Threeking were no pushovers. Both were close-combat types, standing firm at the front as a solid defense.
Endless Longevity kept coughing blood. Qi Xu told her and Wang Buyu to stay back and attack only when the situation called for it. They couldn’t reveal all their trump cards right away, or they’d risk being caught off guard later.
Thanks to their coordination during the match of masters, the Chinese team had built up absolute trust among themselves. With Wang Buyu tirelessly relaying everyone’s thoughts,
Their teamwork was seamless...
The other two nations were completely taken in by Qi Xu’s words. A skill that required no movement, no gestures, and delivered instant mental damage? That kind of opponent was deadly and had to be eliminated immediately.
So they joined Qi Xu, putting in some real effort to attack the one burly man who currently couldn’t use his power.
After some back-and-forth maneuvering, the burly man was finally separated from his teammates.
Qi Xu’s killing intent solidified. This wasn’t the time for mercy—being soft could lead to her own people dying.
That man’s skill was too powerful. If her own ability was blocked, without Sakurafall, her combat power would drop by 70%. He had to die.
Even if it meant using You’re All Trash, she had to make sure this guy was dead before his skill cooldown expired.
Qi Xu took the chance to observe the surrounding terrain, thinking of luring him away and striking with a sneak attack.
You’re All Trash could serve as a finishing move. She didn’t want to reveal it in front of so many people, plus she hoped to bait another target.
So she deliberately left an open path to the right. The burly man seized the opportunity and sprinted diagonally forward. Qi Xu feigned a slight delay and “accidentally” let him escape temporarily.
Just as she prepared to chase him down, the leading girl from the last group of five moved.
She had been standing at the back throughout the fight. Qi Xu already knew she was a tough and unconventional opponent, so she’d kept her guard up. Now, she had finally taken the bait.
The girl seemed to wave her hand casually, but the burly man crashed into something invisible and rock-solid with a loud thud, flying backward from the immense impact.
Qi Xu followed up without hesitation, kicking him hard in the temple. Threeking, worried he might still survive, stomped heavily on his throat as he fell.
They successfully killed one. His teammates immediately lost their will to fight and turned to flee. Facing a siege from three countries, pressing on would be foolish. All they could do was cut their losses, no matter how bitter it felt...
But Qi Xu had no intention of letting them walk away. She teleported once more, using her pink mist blades to block their paths.
The players from the other two nations grew excited as well. If they could wipe out the strongest team right at the very start of this dungeon... that would be a massive win.
