Chapter 55: Straightforward Assault
The large stone room was thick with the smell of blood. The Di Ba tribe warriors here had died a stifling death. Because the ownership of the World Core belonged to the Apocalypse Paradise side, these Di Ba tribe warriors had maintained a neutral stance toward the Apocalypse Paradise contractors. Mi Nai's decision was to first try to win them over, and if that failed, directly turn hostile and kill them. That was how the scene before them had come about.
Among the 467 contractors were many of Su Xiao's "old acquaintances," such as Ku Long, Scar Brother, the flat-haired little healer, and others. Not only that, but two Battle Angels were also among them. The angel girl and the leather-clad man both kept a low profile, planning to use their numerical advantage to surround and attack Su Xiao. They had already tried before, but were cut down until they went into seclusion. If not for someone lending a hand, they would have long since been buried on a certain grassland.
The angel girl and the leather-clad man exchanged a glance. Both felt that their chances of success this time were high. They had both heard of Mi Nai. In fact, within the circle of Battle Angels, there were rumors that Mi Nai had once been a Violator, but for some unknown reason, had become a contractor again, albeit stripped of some privileges.
"With this kind of setup, it should be stable, right?" The leather-clad man was clearly nervous. He had once synchronized (simulated) Su Xiao's abilities, so he was even more aware of just how powerful Su Xiao was in combat.
"Probably... yeah." The angel girl's tone wavered. After all, being cut down into seclusion wasn't something you recovered from easily.
Slap, slap, slap...
Mi Nai clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "Before we enter the Holy Land, let me explain. The enemy is just one person and three summoned creatures. Ignore the three summons. As for setting up a formation for you, there's absolutely no need for that."
Mi Nai's words made most of those present frown. They had all participated in battles against Su Xiao before.
"Against a lone powerhouse, things like 'tank in front, healer in back'—none of that works. You only need to do one thing: focus fire on him. Use every method to kill him instantly in a short time. A tank in front is just handing the enemy a Scarlet Card. Understand?"
Clearly, Mi Nai was very skilled at dealing with lone powerhouses. She wouldn't let the Apocalypse side set up any formations. Those flashy tactics were useless. She had already learned that the enemy could kill a tank in two slashes. So who stood in front didn't matter—it was just a matter of one slash or two. The difference was negligible.
"Find him, focus fire, kill him instantly, then we're done. Got it?" Mi Nai scanned the crowd again.
"We know, no need to repeat it so many times. Over three hundred people, all driven into seclusion by one person. Such an embarrassing thing—don't let it get out. Apocalypse Paradise can't afford the shame." A contractor who had just been teleported in two days ago spoke up.
"You son of a—" "If you'd fought in the camp's corridor, you wouldn't be making such sarcastic remarks. I'll eat shit upside down." "Hmph~"
Clearly, there was friction between the two groups of contractors. The second batch found it unbelievable. Over three hundred people, held back by one person, with dozens dead. Even if the terrain was special, it was too ridiculous. Even if the enemy was the first place in the fifth-rank Paradise Arena, it was too exaggerated. Moreover, the Apocalypse Paradise side also had high-ranking contractors. Many had seen that contractor's battle recordings, so they didn't believe the gap between first and thirteenth place could be that huge.
An incompetent commander was more terrifying than a god-like enemy. Aside from that reason, the later contractors couldn't think of any other explanation. In reality, there was some truth to that. Ku Long's command ability was only average.
"Alright, everyone. Blaming each other won't help you complete the mission. Don't forget, the penalty for this mission is: Forced. Execution." Mi Nai enunciated "forced execution" word by word. Hearing those four words, the contractors' clamor subsided.
"Let me see, the entrance to the Holy Land..." Mi Nai walked to the inner side of the large stone room, took a circular stone disc from her storage space, and pressed it against the wall.
Rumble, rumble...
The wall slowly opened, revealing a straight passage ahead.
"Surprisingly simple, huh. Ku Long, take point." Mi Nai shrugged, her smile blooming like a flower.
"Huh?" Ku Long was clearly confused. Just moments ago, she had said a tank in front was useless, and now she was telling him to take point.
"I have a cleanliness obsession. And... do you think I can take point?" Mi Nai pulled up her sleeve, revealing a slender arm. Beneath the fair skin, faint cyan patterns could be seen.
"..." Ku Long's gaze shifted to Scar Brother. To be honest, he was a bit scared of getting killed.
"Cough, cough, cough. I have a cold today." Scar Brother coughed dryly, as if afflicted with a terrible illness. A fifth-rank main tank, and he had a cold? What the hell?
"Then you should drink plenty of hot water." Ku Long gritted his teeth as he said this, then looked at Mi Nai.
"Go for it. I believe in you. You can do it." Mi Nai gave him "encouragement," as perfunctory as possible.
"Ha!" Ku Long let out a low roar and stepped into the passage. Seeing his expression, Mi Nai frowned. How terrified must he be? Just taking point felt like facing death. For some reason, a sense of unease began to stir in Mi Nai's heart.
If she had known that the Arena had a guy with a shameless ability like Gu Shengyi, she would never have accepted this summons.
Ku Long advanced with a nervous heart. With every step, he felt as if a long blade might swing at him at any moment—one slash to break the shield, one slash to sever the head. If someone had told him before entering this world that a tank could be killed in two slashes, Ku Long would have angrily called them a liar. But now, Ku Long believed it. He had witnessed it with his own eyes—that tank's blood had splashed onto his face, both warm and bone-chillingly cold.
The passage was long. Ku Long gripped his shield tightly, every muscle in his body tense. Behind him, contractors filed into the passage one after another.
After advancing for a few minutes, Ku Long saw a stone wall blocking the way ahead. It seemed like a dead end, but in reality, there were door-shaped cracks on the wall.
Mi Nai quickly stepped forward, took out a key, and inserted it into a groove on the ground.
Rumble, rumble...
The stone door slowly rose. Ku Long shielded Mi Nai with his body. A wave of damp, hot wind rushed toward them.
[Tip: You have arrived at the Greenhouse. This area is extremely dangerous and has been isolated by the enemy.]
"Phew~" Ku Long let out a long breath. He suddenly made a decision: even if he died here today, he would die with dignity. He could be weaker than others, but he would never be a coward.
"Move aside! Let me handle this!" Ku Long was full of fighting spirit.
"Uh... it was already your job to take point. Go ahead." Though Mi Nai said this, she did think a bit more highly of Ku Long.
Ku Long entered the Greenhouse alone. As soon as he entered, he noticed a stone corridor on the side. Seeing this kind of terrain, he instinctively shuddered.
At the end of the stone corridor was a small pool of water. Seeing this, Ku Long stopped paying attention to it and instead walked toward a doorway ahead.
After passing through the doorway, Ku Long saw a huge open space. The ceiling was over ten meters high, with basketball-sized holes above. Sunlight streamed in, and combined with poor ventilation, the temperature inside the Greenhouse was at least a few degrees higher than outside.
Entering the open space, Ku Long looked around. After a moment, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"Safe."
Ku Long's shout reached the rear. The contractors filed into the open space one after another. On a high stone platform above, Bubu Wang looked down. The guests had arrived.