“It’s not just that.” Bai Youwei counted on her fingers, explaining point by point, “First, as you said, it can affect the condition of other teams, causing them to lose their competitive edge.
Second, if we can poach powerful members from other teams, it would further strengthen the Shocking the People team’s capabilities — that’s an incidental benefit.
Finally, the most important point of all — they’re currently a thorn in the side of the entire competitive zone. To prevent others from making underhanded moves against them, they need to first create the appearance of personnel losses. It’s actually a form of self-preservation — making everyone think they’re not worth worrying about, so there’s no urgent need to wipe them out completely.”
Bai Youwei folded her fingers back one by one, and sighed: “Three benefits with one move — Eight-Whisker is quite clever.”
Ada stood there dumbstruck, mouth hanging open, unable to close it for a long time.
Yuri and Natasha were equally astonished.
Because Bai Youwei was normally so well-behaved — like the sweet girl next door, trailing behind big brother Shen Mo every day, the kind who would blush if she said one word too many. For her to suddenly launch into such a lengthy, thorough analysis was a complete surprise to them.
Shen Mo silently lowered his gaze. For some reason, he felt that what was unfolding before him seemed… strangely familiar.
Natasha turned to look at Yuri, and hesitantly asked, “If that’s the case, is it possible that the new member on their team was… by them…”
“The person is already dead. Whether it was an accident or foul play, the outcome no longer matters.” Yuri’s brow furrowed, his voice dropping low. “Regardless… we need to surpass that record as soon as possible. Otherwise, once they clear the remaining dungeons, there’ll be no chance of getting out this year.”
One year. Only one team could leave.
Once the Shocking the People team met the conditions, even if Yuri broke a new record, he’d have to wait until next year to leave.
And records — the longer they sat untouched, the easier they became to break. What next year would look like, no one could predict.
“We set out tomorrow morning — another trip to the Queen’s Nest.” Yuri made the decision and turned to head back to his room.
He clearly couldn’t afford to wait any longer.
……
Going to the Queen’s Nest, and ensuring that some of the eggs hatched — meaning they’d have to deal with far more monsters than last time, and prepare significantly more ammunition and equipment.
Fortunately, with Bai Youwei as their mobile storage unit, her 12-slot backpack combined with everyone’s individual 6-slot backpacks was more than enough to carry all the weapons and supplies.
The next day, the five of them set off as planned.
Perhaps it was fate that enemies were destined to cross paths — they ran into Nick again at the subway station.
The moment Nick saw them, he broke into a grin, walking over to greet them like an old friend, even knowing full well he wasn’t welcome.
“Off to the Queen’s Nest again?” His two thin mustache stripes curved upward with the corners of his mouth, his tone leisurely. “Why work so hard? Our team is heading to ‘Mirror of Flowing Sand’ right now — we’ve already got the walkthrough. After we clear this dungeon, we’ll only have 21 dungeons left. So? Interested in joining?”
Yuri kept his expression flat and said nothing.
Nick smiled. “Ah… the captain’s expression suggests he’s not too enthusiastic. Actually, I’m quite hoping Yuri could join us — long-range support has always been our team’s weak point. If Captain Yuri came to our side, he’d definitely be a huge help. I hear your daughter is in the Celestial World — you must be eager to see your father again…”
“You’re investigating us?” Natasha bristled the moment he mentioned Yuri’s daughter. “Who gave you that information?!”
“This kind of thing — you just ask around a little and you can find it out,” Nick said with casual indifference, smiling. “After all, Yuri is a veteran of the competitive zone. Surviving two years in a place like this isn’t possible without being sufficiently cautious and careful. Of course, Miss Natasha is also on our list — possessing combat skills that rival any man’s, with expertise in all manner of firearms. If you were to join our team, we’d welcome you with the warmest hospitality. So? Care to consider it?”
Natasha let out a cold snort of contempt. “Drop dead!”