Yu Chaohui paid no attention to the gazes from all around him. His expression was calm as he said:

“The Mouse is the only animal that can counter the Elephant. It will easily become the primary focus of attack for the entire match — so I believe the Mouse assignment should go to someone who moves quickly, reacts sharply, and has a certain capacity for self-defense.

Ashalina’s combat skills are solid — she would be very well-suited for the role. As for the Cat, it’s a relatively less critical role. Compared to the Mouse, it’s safer, and it’s also better suited to let the King command the battle from the rear.”

When Yu Chaohui finished speaking, everyone looked at him, then at Bai Youwei.

The atmosphere grew subtly tense.

Admittedly, there was some logic to his words — but stating it so bluntly seemed like a challenge to the King’s decision-making.

Shen Mo’s brow furrowed slightly. He said nothing.

He couldn’t take Bai Youwei’s side — because in a moment like this, stepping in to defend her would not only be unhelpful; it would make Bai Youwei look incompetent.

Bai Youwei didn’t get angry. She sat in her wheelchair, tilted her chin up slightly, and looked down at Yu Chaohui with a cool, indifferent gaze.

“You’re right… The Mouse assignment does require someone capable of self-defense. That’s why I am the best candidate.”

She lightly stroked the plush rabbit in her lap. A faint layer of pale blue electric light radiated outward like a ripple — crackling and snapping —

Every person felt a brief, numb tingling as a current seemed to run through the soles of their feet.

Everyone was left speechless: “…”

To become a King, you naturally had to have something to back it up. Ye Chong had his white gloves; Bai Youwei had her rabbit.

Yu Chaohui let out a silent laugh, carrying a trace of desolation: “Right. You have the rabbit. How did I forget… you still have that rabbit.”

Bai Youwei stroked the plush rabbit’s ears and paid no mind to the shifting emotions in Yu Chaohui’s expression. She only remarked lightly: “You can all set your minds at ease. The Mouse will absolutely not be eliminated — because no one will be able to get close to me.”

Her gaze passed across every face.

“If there are no further objections, we’ll begin distributing items now.”

She took out four pieces of mud and gave them to Shen Mo, Tan Xiao, Ashalina, and Zhang Yu.

Eight people — just enough for each pair to share one piece of mud.

— The incense burner’s fragrant smoke had burned for a full seven days and nights. In the end, the mud’s number of uses had increased by 4 over its original count. That was enough.

Next, Bai Youwei took out four coils of rope.

“The rope is just ordinary rope — take it and use it. When necessary, tie your opponent up and drag them into a trap.” Bai Youwei instructed. “Before we figure out what animal the other side is playing, using traps to eliminate them is the safest approach.”

Ashalina asked: “Should we try to infiltrate their side tonight — we might be able to gather intelligence.”

“If you’re thinking of that, they’ll have anticipated it and taken precautions.” Bai Youwei was against the idea. “Right now we only know that Ye Chong has white gloves, but what his subjects are actually capable of? What items do they have? What hidden cards are they holding? We know none of it. Going over there without information might just be walking into a trap ourselves.”

Tan Xiao had a flash of inspiration: “Weiwei, how about we lure them over here and give them all a good shock! How’s that?”

“Attacking an animal above your own position in the food chain results in immediate elimination.” Bai Youwei shook her head gently. “The ball was never entirely forthright when explaining the rules. This time it didn’t clarify whether ‘elimination’ means leaving the battlefield or dying. We can’t take that risk.”

Shen Mo gave a slight nod and said quietly: “The supervisor stressed many times over that attacks must be made following the food chain order. If anyone could attack freely, the game would lose its inherent meaning.”

“Right…” Bai Youwei tossed the branch in her hand into the fire, and spoke slowly: “With the food chain restriction in place, there’s no way to win this game quickly. It can only be a drawn-out battle… Let’s all take another look around the nearby environment in a bit, then get to sleep early. When dawn breaks tomorrow, that’s when the battle officially begins.”

…