Chapter 12: Chicken Teaming, Focus on Stability; You Fancy and Flashy Sneaking In…
When Raymond was left speechless, Rong Yi self-debated, “Oh, wait, we can’t back-to-back due to our numbers.”
Luo Huayue pointed at the group, “There are four of us, and we can pair up two by two, isn’t that perfect?”
Rong Yi added, “Mr. Raymond is a master, there’s no reason he would be slowed down by us few amateurs.” She extended her hand to the steps, gesturing, “Please go ahead.”
Raymond, with a brazen expression, remained motionless like a nail, “I take pleasure in helping others, and I enjoy guiding newcomers through challenges.”
Rong Yi and Luo Huayue exchanged a glance, “Ah, we’ve actually encountered this kind of ‘master’ before.”
Raymond immediately caught on to who they were referring to.
“I’m not like T!” He hurriedly clarified, gazing at Rong Yi with intensity, “I should say, I’ve just taken a keen interest in you. You, on the other hand, happen to be a newcomer, that’s all.”
With that, he elegantly tossed his flowing golden hair and brought a vibrant red rose to his lips, his deep blue eyes akin to the depths of the ocean. He then gave a single-eyed wink.
Rong Yi: … Quite handsome, but it’s a pity you’re wearing a patient’s gown, big brother.
Therefore, Raymond now appeared to be infatuated and somewhat mentally unstable, like someone besotted.
Rong Yi: “… Fine. Do you have to follow us?”
“I have to follow you!”
“We’re all amateurs here, and we can’t beat you in a fight either.” Rong Yi shrugged, “If you insist on tagging along, we can’t stop you.”
Raymond nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly felt a jolt in his mind: … Wait a minute, is something not right?
The barrage of comments was clearer than his own thoughts:
“Honey, what’s wrong with you? Aren’t newbies supposed to kneel at your feet and beg you to guide them?”
“Some substance in this woman…”
“God’s going off track, and the Sea King is being proactive. Hey, mark this young lady, and you’ll have all seven wonders of the Lucky Carnival!”
Raymond: …Damn. She’s actually playing hard to get with me!
In order to prevent either side from suddenly running ahead due to a higher step count, Rong Yi chose a warm-up exercise from gym class. The two sides were positioned back-to-back with their arms linked. This way, they could restrain each other, always keeping the rear player just one step behind the front player. In urgent moments, the front player could also easily carry the back player for a quick getaway.
“Although it looks ugly,” Rong Yi, due to her height, had to be paired with Raymond. She comforted the other two amateurs who were still adjusting their positions, “But as newcomers, we shouldn’t focus on flashy things. This posture covers both front and rear, it’s flexible and maneuverable, allows us to attack together, increases the chances of winning, and reduces casualties from individual encounters.”
“Our goal is—”
Luo Huayue and Zhang Haiyang shouted in unison, “Stability! Stability! Stability!”
“Very well!” Rong Yi firmly secured Raymond behind her, “Let’s go!”
Raymond was constrained, his chest pushed out, and the buttons on his patient gown were almost about to pop open. This was the most ungraceful image he had in his gaming career!
According to their previous agreement, the guys were in the front for better support while the girls were in the back, carefully keeping an eye on the approaching nurses.
The choice of attackers for the two groups was different. Luo Huayue, with relatively lower stamina consumption and a spear in hand, naturally took on the attacking role. When Rong Yi suggested borrowing Raymond’s sword —
“Hey, how could we let a lady do the rough work of fighting and killing?” Raymond, struggling with his posture, unable to employ his charismatic gaze, could only turn his head slightly and use his deep and magnetic voice to whisper in Rong Yi’s ear, “I’ll trust my back to you. Entrust everything to me.”
“Oh,” Rong Yi agreed simply, “Those capable should do more. I’ll leave it to you then.”
This wasn’t a woman who could be charmed with words alone. Raymond smirked, his competitive spirit burning like a roaring fire, gradually spreading.
In Luo Huayue’s group, their coordination became skillful and intuitive over time. The spear proved to be quite effective in this situation; most of the NPCs carried close-combat cold weapons, and with her spear, she could reach the NPCs’ heart position from 5 or 6 squares away, piercing through and reducing them to a pile of straw in their patient gowns.
To maintain consistent pace upgrades within their group, Luo Huayue would finish off one NPC herself, weaken the next one, and then pass the spear to Zhang Haiyang behind her to finish the kills.
Before long, the two of them had steadily upgraded their pace to “4”, surpassing even the players who had arrived here earlier and engaged in solo battles against multiple opponents.
Ever since the first level, Luo Huayue had deliberately learned from Rong Yi, reminding herself to remain composed and calm. Zhang Haiyang was finally no longer as fearful, and he even found himself getting excited: “Is this what the gaming experience is like? Hahaha! It’s so fun! I want to take down ten!”
However, things weren’t going quite as smoothly for Rong Yi’s group.
With Raymond’s skill, even guiding a group of rookies through this level would be a breeze. But clearly, his focus wasn’t solely on completing the challenge.
“Surrounded on all sides, isn’t this a great opportunity for the hero to rescue the damsel in distress?”
“Come on, my dear husband! Let this woman know her place!”
“Here it comes, the classic Raymond bridge effect. I’m going to record this and take notes!”
Raymond glanced at the barrage and smiled faintly. Truly, they were his fans, familiar with his tactics inside out.
The silver sword cut through the air, leaving behind graceful arcs of light as it efficiently harvested the NPCs. Raymond’s overhead number had already changed to “5”, but behind him, Rong Yi still had “2”.
Restricted by Rong Yi’s speed, the two of them were closely pursued by the nurses, progressing at a snail’s pace.
Raymond occasionally glanced back, thinking to himself: Beg me, beg me for a chance to increase your speed!
However, Rong Yi remained calm and composed. If not for the nurses never increasing their speed, Raymond would have almost thought she was asleep.
He couldn’t help himself, intentionally leaving a NPC patient unattended, letting it get close to Rong Yi. The NPC raised an axe and swung it towards Rong Yi!
Raymond gracefully turned around and struck with his sword, aiming straight for the NPC’s head: “Don’t be afraid! I’ll save—”
“Smack.”
Faster than a sword was a lighter.
Rong Yi held the lighter steadily, a small flame ignited on the straw arm of the NPC, quickly spreading to engulf its entire body!
In no time, it was reduced to ashes, along with its clothes. And finally, the number above Rong Yi’s head changed to “3”.
“Ha.” Raymond awkwardly chuckled, “Look at you, so close, how dangerous. Did you burn your hand? It’s still safer to wait for me to save you in the future.”
“A skilled warrior doesn’t seek fame.” Rong Yi suddenly uttered this phrase seemingly out of nowhere, “It’s an old saying from our country, which means—”
“Some seemingly heroic figures who appear to be saving the day actually create hardship indirectly because of their own foolishness.”
Her voice was light and airy, lacking the gratitude, fear, and reliance that Raymond had expected. Instead, it was a clear “I know what you did, you idiot.”
“You might as well make it more obvious, throw some more NPCs my way. Perhaps we can avoid being the last ones.” Rong Yi surveyed the scene, and in the direction of her gaze, there were only a few players left.
“You—” Raymond suppressed his anger, “You’re just a newbie, you have no idea how dangerous this game is! I’m protecting you!”
As he spoke, another NPC had already approached them. Just as Raymond was about to raise his sword, Rong Yi quickly burned it to a pile of ashes.
“Thank you. If it weren’t for you protecting me all this time, we would have cleared this level a while ago.” Rong Yi pointed expressionlessly at the “4” above her head.
“Damn! This girl is so arrogant! Honey, show her who’s boss!”
“Gotta admit, Raymond is better at dealing with thistle-type opponents.”
“…Raymond, I’m sorry, I’ll delete the recording of that segment immediately, I promise it won’t be leaked.”
“If he gains a few more speed points, he can go solo! Let’s see how a newbie like her clears this level!”
Raymond looked at the barrage of comments and could feel his fans’ dissatisfaction. His live streams were always known for being “sweet and refreshing,” but now he was being used as a tool to progress in the game, receiving sarcasm and mockery. It was neither sweet nor refreshing, and even the viewer count was dropping!
“Sweet” was a hard sell in this context. So, he decided to go for “refreshing” instead!
“Activate! Rose’s Tale!” Raymond murmured under his breath.
A deep green, sturdy vine shot out from his hand, directly entangling an NPC beyond the reach of 7 squares! The vine curved and grew, binding the NPC securely and entirely under his control.
Following that, amidst the lush leaves, beautiful roses bloomed one after another, turning the scene of hunting into a dreamy and magnificent display.
Within one turn, there were no NPCs around him. This was not only to distance himself from Rong Yi but also to add some excitement to the frustrating live streaming storyline.
As expected, the appearance of the dazzling skill filled the barrage with fans’ excited cheers. Seizing the moment, Raymond tightened the vine, gradually constricting the limbs of the straw man—
“Snap.”
A small flame from a lighter ignited beneath Raymond’s vine. The vine contained moisture, so it didn’t burn as fast as straw, but it crept toward the straw man, stem by stem, leaf by leaf.
Raymond exclaimed in shock, “What are you doing?”
As Rong Yi stored the lighter, she admired the flames consuming the vine that connected her to Raymond, slowly extending toward the straw man. She retorted, “What are you doing? I mentioned before we started that the speed upgrades of both players in the same group should remain consistent for maximum efficiency in clearing the level. Now I’m one step behind you, and you’re just one step away from reaching 6, without worrying about the nurse acting independently. By withholding this NPC from me, are you trying to betray our alliance and go solo?”
“Well, you can’t burn my rose vine either!”
Rong Yi watched as the fire spread to the straw man 7 squares away, the vibrant roses on the vine turning charred and curling amidst the flames, becoming small charred pieces mingled with the remains of the straw man, indistinguishable from each other.
“Heh, all show and no substance,” she commented.
Raymond was completely infuriated! He swung his sword at close range and manipulated the vine from afar, determined to outpace Rong Yi’s speed by a large margin to escape her grasp.
Yet, with just a single lighter, Rong Yi burned NPCs up close and the vine from afar, always maintaining their rate of speed increase.
They had already exceeded “6,” and although they had separated, they continued to maintain a close distance, as if comparing the speed values above their heads.
As Raymond fought with more vigor, Rong Yi burned with increasing proficiency. Finally—
Their speed, both simultaneously, reached an unprecedented and astonishing 31!
In the final round, the two of them surpassed all the players, like streaks of light, darting towards the seemingly endless staircase’s endpoint!
It was too sudden.
Suddenly, the nurse sister guarding the staircase’s endpoint greeted them with a smiling face, “Welcome, two patients, to the 2nd floor of our hospital. Welcome.” But they paid her no attention.
They were still fervently harvesting the speed of the NPCs on the steps, the numbers above their heads rapidly increasing, nearly reaching 40!
Until finally, they caught sight of the dawn of victory. Sweating profusely, Zhang Haiyang, with a head full of sweat, looked at the NPC that was close at hand but had turned into charcoal. He looked up from below the staircase and shouted in a pitiful voice, “… Sages, please spare us some divine powers! Leave us at least a bit!!”
Haha, spite is a great motivator