Chapter 19: Rallying the Troops to Fight the BOSS

Just as Kamiyu had finished her pleasant bath and was sound asleep on her two-meter-wide bed, two teams of Players were locked in a tense standoff.

Inside a Storage, five Players from two teams stood on opposite sides, eyeing each other warily.

“Old Zhong, don’t think you can fool us again. That Pink Hair girl killing three people in five seconds? You must be joking,” questioned the leading bald, burly man, casting doubt on Zhong Hao’s claims.

Zhong Hao had come to form an alliance with the two-man team of Baldy to deal with Kamiyu. He had truthfully recounted everything he witnessed to Baldy and his companion, but they simply refused to believe him.

“Why would I lie to you? I came here to cooperate with you, to take down that pink-haired girl together,” Zhong Hao said earnestly.

“If you said those three were killed by that over-two-meter-tall guy named Jack, I might believe you six or seven out of ten. But you claim it was done by that Pink Hair? Do you take us for three-year-olds?” Baldy scoffed.

“That’s right, big brother is correct,” a green-haired man behind Baldy chimed in.

“You, Green Light, what are you butting in for when you clearly don’t understand anything? The three of us were there on the scene, we saw with our own eyes how Mohawk and the two from that later Quartet died,” Brother Dong spoke up.

“Anyway, I don’t believe it. What if you three were the ones who killed them, then came to us spouting nonsense to gain our trust, only to stab us in the back later?” Baldy tilted his head back, squinting his eyes as he stared intently at Zhong Hao.

“Hmph, you don’t look too bright,” Zhong Hao realized that being soft with these people wouldn’t work—they only responded to force.

“Since you say we three killed those three, that means we have the strength to kill three Players. So why would we waste time talking to you now?” Zhong Hao threw Baldy’s own words back at him.

Green Light and Baldy were momentarily stunned, whispering, “That… actually makes some sense.”

Baldy blinked rapidly.

“Don’t strain that little brain of yours if you can’t figure it out,” Zhong Hao mocked.

“Brother Chills has tracking abilities—he can locate you. I have Future Prediction, and with Brother Dong’s Sacrifice Talent, the three of us could easily take down both of you,” Zhong Hao said disdainfully.

“What did you say?” Baldy retorted angrily.

“But we need your Strength. With you two, all five of us will have enough power to take on that pink-haired girl,” Zhong Hao delivered his PUA-style rhetoric.

He loudly proclaimed words he didn’t even believe himself.

Zhong Hao thought that five people might still not be enough to defeat that Pink Hair, not to mention Jack—whose Talent was 【Steel Great Wall】, giving him the highest Defense Power among all twelve.

If Jack joined them, killing Pink Hair would be much more certain.

But for some reason, Brother Chills couldn’t locate Jack’s coordinates—they kept shifting constantly.

Left with no better option, Zhong Hao had to seek out this not-so-bright two-man team.

“If you think we’re so weak, then why come to us?” Baldy grumbled discontentedly.

Zhong Hao felt even more contempt inwardly. At this critical juncture, with his words so plainly spoken, this guy was still sulking and refusing to accept the situation.

Such a fool deserved to be used by him.

Before the game even started, while everyone was still in the Black Sphere Room, Zhong Hao and Brother Dong were already performing a double act.

They had Brother Dong pretend to be an innocent college student who loved gaming, deliberately releasing smoke grenades to trick others into voluntarily revealing their information.

The two of them even took the initiative to share their own false information first, earning everyone’s trust and encouraging others to start disclosing their Talents and Skills.

Inducement, deception, half-truths, coercion.

As seasoned fraudsters, the two of them played these mind games with practiced ease.

Of course, Zhong Hao and Brother Dong were also wary of each other, using one another for their own ends.

When Zhong Hao couldn’t find Jack, he made up his mind to seek them out. The reason he called it a last resort wasn’t because killing Kamiyu was a bad move—it was because using Kamiyu to kill these three was the inferior strategy.

The best plan would have been for Zhong Hao’s trio to team up with Jack, the strongest Player at the time, and use Kamiyu to eliminate Jack.

But since they couldn’t find him, they had no choice but to turn to these two fools.

This was a game where friends could become enemies in an instant—the line between ally and adversary was razor-thin.

Everyone here was an adult, and they each chose the Playstyle that suited them best.

Kamiyu’s Talent and profession made her most suited to fighting alone.

As for Zhong Hao, Brother Chills, and the others, they needed to rely on a team.

However, this was a game with only one final Victor, meaning that current teammates could betray you at any moment.

The fewer people remained, the higher the chances of division and betrayal.

Zhong Hao said, “Think whatever you want. That Pink Hair poses the biggest threat. While we still have numbers on our side, let’s work together to kill him first. We can settle things among ourselves later—it won’t be too late.”

An open scheme—as a fraudster, Zhong Hao laid everything out plainly, leaving the other side with no choice but to comply.

The underlying message was clear: if they didn’t cooperate, a fight would break out right then and there. Those who resisted would be eliminated first, and the survivors would then join forces to hunt down Kamiyu.

Baldy hesitated.

Zhong Hao raised a finger slightly.

Brother Dong immediately caught on and made a move as if to Attack.

Meanwhile, Brother Chills stood with his back to the only exit.

“Hey, what are you trying to do?” Baldy shouted.

“Want to start a fight now? We’re ready,” Green Light said, pulling a greatsword out of thin air.

Zhong Hao sneered inwardly. See, these are fools. Apply a little pressure, and they expose their weaknesses. Now, how can you possibly back down?

It turned out Zhong Hao’s gesture of raising his finger was meant to corner the other side, leaving them with no way out.

“Hmph,” Baldy grunted heavily.

He thought to himself, Zhong Hao was right—the two of them were no match for the three of them.

There was no retreat now. Starting a fight was out of the question—he wasn’t sure if he could escape unscathed. That left only one option: agree to their terms.

After careful consideration, Baldy said, “We can cooperate with you, but I won’t take orders from you. The two of us and the three of you will fight separately—no one commands anyone.”

Zhong Hao flashed a triumphant smile and said, “Of course.”

“So when do we make our move? Time is running short—we only have a little over 50 hours left,” Baldy said.

“I know her coordinates. She’s currently in a five-star hotel,” Brother Chills said.

“Then what are we waiting for? If we know her location, why aren’t we going after her right now?” Baldy said.

“Wait, the other side doesn’t know we’ve already spotted her. Let’s first do this and that, then prepare like so, catching her completely off guard.” Zhong Hao revealed a sneaky smile.

“Hmph, never thought you could be this sneaky.” Baldy turned his head and spat a thick glob of phlegm.