Chapter 1241: Cards in Circulation
Eight against one was no longer possible, and there was no sign of Xu Huo and the middle-aged man mutually wounding each other, so the players began seeking opponents.
This wasn't actually difficult. Some were willing to strike first, while others naturally preferred to hang back, ensuring that when someone else tried to play the mantis stalking the cicada, they could be the oriole behind them all.
Xu Huo's first target was the middle-aged man. As the other players deliberately made room, he directly drew "Cake Slice" and swung it down!
The vertical angle perfectly maximized "Cake Slice's" effect. A fan-shaped cutting plane descended toward the middle-aged man's face, slicing through two of his defense items in succession.
The middle-aged man narrowly blocked the attack with his defense items, and after being driven back against the maze wall by the force, he immediately prepared to counterattack. However, Xu Huo, now capable of more precise control over Space Rays, opened a small barrier in front of the man's hand—small, but thick enough.
Of course, he would have preferred to directly crush the item in the other's hand, but he still couldn't manipulate item-type objects, so he had to settle for the next best option.
After three consecutive items failed to work, the middle-aged man stared at Xu Huo in shock and suspicion. He also had detection items, but none indicated a barrier ahead. In desperation, he switched from defense to offense, teleporting to Xu Huo's left-rear for a swift ambush!
Xu Huo had already anticipated his movement direction, including the subtle physical cues before the action. Compared to before, his perception had sharpened considerably. Thus, when the middle-aged man passed through the air—essentially through the Space Rays—every motion seemed slowed, like a movie stuttering mid-play.
Of course, he didn't make it too obvious. He exchanged over twenty moves with the man using "Cake Slice" before finally killing him.
The several cards that had been floating above the man's head flew to Xu Huo. The game prompted:
"You may select one or more cards from the defeated party, or discard."
The middle-aged man's three cards were White 15, Black 3, and White 7.
Number 7 was a Draw Card, which the man hadn't used yet. Number 15, like Xu Huo's current Number 8, was a Cancel Card. Number 3, based on inference, should be a Swap Card.
If one didn't know the card classifications, these would seem like ordinary number cards. But with clear knowledge, all three were undoubtedly excellent cards.
Xu Huo used White 8 to cancel Black 2, freeing up two card slots to take these three cards.
"After clearly knowing the face value of the opponent's held cards, a swap can be proposed. The swapped party cannot refuse, and the first card of either the opponent or oneself can be exchanged. After the swap is completed, the Swap Card will return to the maze."
This was Xu Huo's first time obtaining a Swap Card. He had to admit it came at a good time, saving him from having to search for one everywhere.
He used the Draw Card on the spot, but his luck wasn't as good this time—he drew a Trap Card.
While he was examining his cards, two other players had already started fighting. One of them seemed to have a trait related to taming animals. He carried venomous snakes with him and, when no one was looking, released three into the maze wall. These snakes played a crucial role in the battle—when the other player was forced against the maze wall, they suddenly shot out and bit the enemy's face.
Players always wore protective suits, but for ventilation, they might not always wear face shields. Without an emergency defense item, the face was a weak point.
In an evenly matched fight, hitting that spot might be difficult, but mutant animals had fewer scruples.
After being bitten by the venomous snake, the player immediately killed the snake and took an antidote. But his opponent didn't idle, shouting at him, "Die of thirst, don't drink!"
The bottle in the player's hand automatically shattered, and the antidote spilled onto the ground along with the glass shards. The snake-controlling player took the opportunity to land a sword strike.
The poisoned player, suffering from the venom's effects, couldn't dodge the blow and was killed on the spot.
The snake-controlling player contentedly took the cards but didn't recall his snakes.
The other players watched coldly, saying nothing.
Next came a multi-person melee. It started as one-on-one, then others joined in, and eventually Mu Yan and Li Cheng were drawn in. There was no fixed target—everyone was a target.
Xu Huo retreated to the maze wall, removed a snake that had slithered near him, and signaled Chen Chou to join the fight.
With numbers, they had to leverage the advantage of numbers.
Even without the "Dead Heart" to assist, Chen Chou wasn't weak. Teaming up with Mu Yan and Li Cheng, they quickly gained the upper hand and successfully killed two players.
Mu Yan and Li Cheng got to choose cards.
Mu Yan got a Black 20, and Li Cheng got a Black 21.
20 was a Location Card, which could provide the position of a Flower Card. 21 was a Draw Card.
The Location Card was self-explanatory—based on the direction it indicated, the Flower Card in question was likely Chen Chou's.
Li Cheng was luckier, drawing a Clue Card. She said with slight delight, "It's the card we want."
What they wanted most right now was a Direction Card.
Xu Huo nodded, then turned his gaze to the remaining person.
There had been nine people total. Four were dead, leaving only the snake-controlling player.
Four against one. The opponent clearly didn't want to fight them and stated first, "How about we find a way out? You have so many people—one more won't make a difference, one less won't matter either."
The card-swapping game was temporarily over. Xu Huo signaled the other to recall all the released snakes before spreading out with Mu Yan and the others to examine the maze wall.
Half the players were dead, but the maze wall didn't react, likely meaning the game's completion conditions hadn't been met.
After searching around and finding no mechanisms, and attacking the maze wall to no avail, they fell into silence.
Being unable to leave meant the game would continue.
Xu Huo could guess that the instance holder designed this segment to circulate the cards, allowing them to be distributed to new incoming players. He already held six cards, Mu Yan had some, and Li Cheng and Chen Chou had fewer. But combined, their collection was considerable, not to mention the other person nearby.
He glanced sideways at the snake-controlling player, who was deliberately keeping his distance.
However, that single glance seemed to trigger something in the opponent. The man whistled, and the venomous snakes he had released into the grass while pretending to check the maze wall all sprang to life like reanimated corpses—these snakes were as thin as insects, green as grass, and skilled at hiding, making them hard to spot. Even if discovered, no one would expect such a massive number.
"Treating snakes like bugs, huh." Xu Huo raised a Space Barrier, scooped up the snakes, and flung them back.
Seeing the rain of tiny snakes flying toward him, the snake-controlling player wasn't flustered. He casually opened an umbrella, and as it unfurled, a hemispherical barrier rose up, perfectly covering him. But the next second, that barrier, along with his item umbrella, was pierced through!