Bai Youwei asked: “Has anyone had any contact with Ye Chong?”

Everyone shook their heads.

A crew-cut young man said: “He came to our training room and asked who the strongest person here was. From how he looked, he didn’t seem like much of a fighter himself — but he had the nerve to ask that, which probably means he has powerful items up his sleeve.”

“Obviously,” another young man with slightly darker skin chimed in. “Word spread all through the base — his white gloves are uncanny. They’re not afraid of fire or water; nothing can pierce or cut them. And apparently, back when he was in the preliminary rounds, not a single other player in the same arena made it out alive.”

These two — one named Wu Meng’an, the other Zhang Yu — had been selected by Shen Mo from the list Chu Huaijin had provided.

They had previously worked in the assessment team, and later volunteered as subjects, hoping to see what the world would look like once someone won all the way to the end.

Their individual combat abilities weren’t top-tier, but their team coordination was very strong. After a month of intensive training, they had built decent chemistry with everyone else.

Bai Youwei gave a small nod. “So he has things to fall back on — he’s confident, arrogant, and highly aggressive. A person like this would never allow himself to occupy the bottom of the food chain when assigning animal roles. I suspect he’ll be either the Elephant or the Bear.”

Bai Youwei picked a branch from the campfire with one end burnt black and drew small animal outlines on the ground.

“Let’s work through the food chain order.

The Mouse can eat the Elephant.

The Cat can eat the Mouse.

The Fox can eat the Cat and the Mouse.

The Wolf can eat the Fox, Cat, and Mouse.

The Leopard can eat the Wolf, Fox, Cat, and Mouse.

The Lion can eat the Leopard, Wolf, Fox, Cat, and Mouse.

The Bear can eat the Lion, Leopard, Wolf, Fox, Cat, and Mouse.

The Elephant can eat the Bear, Lion, Leopard, Wolf, Fox, and Cat.

The strongest animals are the Bear and the Elephant — each can prey on 6 different animals, and each has only one natural enemy.

The weakest animals are the Mouse and the Cat — they can only prey on one animal each, while facing 6 different natural enemies.

Following conventional thinking, animals in the lower tiers of the food chain take on roles of luring enemies and providing support; animals in the upper tiers take on offense and predation.

So my plan is this: the stronger animals will be assigned to those with the highest attack power and highest predation success rate; the weaker animals will go to those with the strongest coordination and highest survival rate.”

Everyone listened in silence, without objection.

This arrangement was the most practical, and also the most common.

Yu Chaohui asked: “Who do you plan on making the Mouse?”

The Mouse was crucial.

If the Mouse was eliminated, then the other side’s Elephant would become an unstoppable force, able to eliminate any animal whatsoever — which would then lead to the entire team’s collapse.

Bai Youwei was silent for a moment, then said: “I’ll be the Mouse. The Mouse has too many natural enemies and is easily preyed upon. Before figuring out the other side’s Elephant’s patrol routes, the Mouse can barely move at all — which would cause a waste of manpower in the early stages. So I’ll take the Mouse role…”

She raised her eyes to look at Ashalina: “By the same logic — before we figure out who the Mouse is on the other side, the Cat also can’t act rashly. Ashalina, your role is the Cat; stay by my side and protect me.

Shen Mo and Yu Chaohui have the highest attack power — you two are the Elephant and the Bear.

Alon, you’re the Lion.

Tan Xiao is the Leopard.

Wu Meng’an and Zhang Yu, you two are the Wolf and the Fox.”

Bai Youwei then operated her wristband, and the team members successively received their role assignments.

“Remember your own roles. Tomorrow we move in pairs — act as the situation demands.” Bai Youwei said as she worked the wristband, her tone a reminder. “Don’t stray beyond our own territory — to be safe from the other side luring you into a trap.”

At this point, Yu Chaohui said: “Could the Mouse and Cat assignments be swapped?”

Bai Youwei looked up, slightly startled, toward Yu Chaohui.

The others looked over as well.

No one had expected that a subject would raise an objection to the King’s decision.

—