Chapter 1873: Coordinated Combat
By this time, Deng Xiahei and the others had also joined the fray. They were at a numerical disadvantage, but Xu Huo's mental and spatial powers could cover a range of two thousand meters. He didn't need to engage in close-quarters combat; merely assisting the others was enough to turn the tide of the battle.
Deng Xiahei felt this most keenly. His injuries hadn't fully healed, making one-on-one fights somewhat strenuous. However, the Sand Sea players seemed to have their eyes glazed over. Not only did they miss their targets several times, but they also inexplicably tripped at times—of course, the intent behind these minor mishaps was always to kill them, but the attacks were blocked by items, turning them into opportunities for Deng Xiahei instead.
Sensing the advantage, Deng Xiahei tried his best to move closer to Xu Huo. As he expected, the closer he got to Xu Huo, the more effective his interference became.
Of course, the players from the Sand Sea Safe Zone weren't stupid. They weren't local players from Zone 010; most were stranded there and had considerable experience. They quickly identified the source of the mental interference. Upon discovering that Xu Huo was only a C-grade player, two of them changed direction, intending to take him out first.
B-grade players had higher evolution rates, but that didn't mean they were immune to mental interference—it was just a matter of degree. As these two approached Xu Huo, they received special attention and were both pulled into the Library Tower.
The madly spinning floors revolved three hundred and sixty degrees around them. The visual effect alone was unbearable. They took out jamming devices to barely escape the predicament, but Xu Huo was still nearby. Using his traits to distract them, he quickly destroyed the jamming devices in their hands, then pulled Brother Wu and Juan Er in to help.
Brother Wu and the others didn't let him down. The Sand Sea players wanted to take them out in groups, but they had the same idea. Brother Wu used an item to create a shielded area, blocking all other players who tried to help from the outside. Meanwhile, Xiao Hui outside cooperated well, using a wind item to stir up a sandstorm, temporarily blocking everyone's view. It wasn't until Brother Wu and the others finished off the two players inside the Library Tower that the sandstorm and protective barrier disappeared.
After killing more than half of the players using the same method, the remaining four Sand Sea players didn't hesitate. They turned and ran straight toward the city.
Xu Huo and his group gave chase. Within minutes of entering the city, they were drawn into the battle between the Zone 010 people and the Sand Sea Safe Zone players.
Building on their previous coordination, Deng Xiahei and the others surrounded Xu Huo, sometimes widening the distance, sometimes closing in. They specifically targeted players who were easily affected by interference. When they encountered tough opponents, they didn't stubbornly fight them but simply bypassed them.
Thus, within just ten minutes of entering Guangyao Safe Zone, the group had coordinated to kill ten players, more than half of whom were cannibal players.
The Sand Sea Safe Zone also had strong players. One player in a blue tracksuit accurately pinpointed Xu Huo, used a jamming device to force him to close his spiritual realm, and then threw out the item "Life and Death Together." Under the item's effect, the two, separated by hundreds of meters, rapidly closed in on each other, even recklessly crashing through two buildings in the process.
Of course, for players, smashing through walls that suddenly appeared in front of them wasn't a problem. But unexpectedly, even when Deng Xiahei and Juan Er tried to pull Xu Huo to a stop midway, they failed.
In the end, their defensive barriers collided, and they kept crashing into each other.
"It's been a while since I used this item. After taking such a big risk, I should at least get something out of it this time," the Blue Tracksuit said, raising his gloved right hand, trying to forcefully pierce the defensive barrier in front of him.
The two were being violently pulled together by some force, and it seemed they wouldn't be separated anytime soon. Hearing this, Xu Huo raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"
The Blue Tracksuit gave an ambiguous smile, as if mocking Xu Huo's overestimation of his own abilities. However, the next second, Xu Huo grabbed his hand as it passed through the defensive barrier—it was grabbed through the barrier, which was only a thin layer away from the skin, but that didn't matter. Ordinary defensive items were useless against Tangent.
The moment Tangent appeared, the Blue Tracksuit quickly withdrew his hand. He was fast enough that the item didn't actually injure his hand. But in that instant of defensive vulnerability, fine spatial ray blades, like steel needles, pierced through his wrist from all directions.
Unexpectedly having suffered a loss, the Blue Tracksuit frowned at their too-close distance. The next second, he was about to retrieve his item, but Xu Huo had already raised the Black Blade.
As the blade swung, the pulling force between them suddenly disappeared. As they each retreated, the Blue Tracksuit tried the same trick again, using the item to pull Xu Huo back. But this time, Xu Huo didn't fall for it. He instantly teleported a thousand meters away, circled behind him, and from a distance, trapped him in a spatial cube box. Then he dragged the man and smashed him into a nearby building, even demolishing the building on top of him.
Of course, this wasn't enough to kill a B-grade player, but it could temporarily disable his jamming device. Sensing the disappearance of that interference, Xu Huo quickly unleashed his spiritual realm. As it covered the building, the spreading Tangent and materialized objects surrounded it from all sides, instantly penetrating the entire structure!
After confirming the man was dead, Xu Huo changed direction and went a thousand meters away to find Liao Xiaoyi and the others, who had been trapped by the Sand Sea players.
A semi-transparent protective barrier stood like an indestructible wall at the intersection, blocking the Zone 010 players who were trying to help. Trapped inside, besides Liao Xiaoyi, were several other leaders of the safe zone. The Sand Sea side had clearly set this trap to lure them in, and their target was precisely these people.
"Let me try!" Xiao Hui rushed over from the side. Together with Juan Er and the others, he used his A-grade item to simultaneously attack the barrier. But unexpectedly, it only flickered a couple of times without breaking.
Juan Er found it hard to accept. "With such a powerful item, why are they still holed up in the Sand Sea Center?"
Xu Huo also tried Tangent and the Black Blade, but even when the barrier was damaged, it would immediately reform, leaving them no opening.
The Zone 010 players trapped outside had gone mad. They directly started digging holes at the edge of the barrier with their items, trying to tunnel their way in. But this had no effect on the barrier. Instead, the explosions from the clashes between Liao Xiaoyi's group and the Sand Sea players caused the barrier to tremble slightly.
If items didn't work, ordinary explosions certainly wouldn't either. Xu Huo glanced at the edge of the barrier, which had been dug out but still remained suspended in the air. He walked over, stuffed the "Mini Mushroom Cloud" underneath, and shouted to the others, "Run!"
The "Mini Mushroom Cloud" exploded, taking the surrounding buildings with it. Amidst the mushroom cloud rising into the sky, the hemispherical barrier was also lifted into the air. Once it was completely off the ground, it actually disappeared on its own!
(End of chapter)