Chapter 2016: Battle of attrition (2)
The force detached from the left side of the First Thousand-person Team, upon seeing the enemy’s formation change, also altered their plan, directly merging with the four-hundred-person force. Six hundred and fifty people began encircling and annihilating the two hundred and fifty.
At this moment, all warriors on the entire battlefield engaged in close combat. On the right, Zhong Hongke led 100 people against 250. In the center, the First Thousand-person Team’s six hundred and fifty people encircled and annihilated two hundred and fifty. On the left, 250 people faced 500!
Seeing the two teams’ continuous adjustments in such a short time left everyone a bit dazzled, but it was undeniable that the several formation changes were all very brilliant. The final situation that formed was likely not what either team had expected.
“What do you think, who will win?”
White Robe asked Cheng Liujin beside him.
Cheng Liujin did not hesitate and directly said, “Naturally, the First Thousand-person Team.”
“Look, the group Zhong Hongke leads is the most elite within the entire Thousand-person Team. Although they only number one hundred, they can absolutely hold their own against three. Add Zhong Hongke, a high-end combatant, and despite the numerical disadvantage, they will achieve a complete victory.”
Cheng Liujin was one of the Star-Eye Clan’s top experts and could see many things at a glance.
“In the center, six hundred and fifty people versus two hundred and fifty will also be a one-sided battle. Originally, speaking of strength, the Seventh Thousand-person Team was already somewhat inferior. Without numerical advantage, they naturally cannot resist. As for the left side, they have a numerical disadvantage, but it’s only a 1-fold difference. It is enough to hold out until the other two battlefields finish and reinforcements arrive. It’s just unclear how many the First Thousand-person Team will have left after this battle. In terms of response, the Seventh Thousand-person Team actually did quite well.”
Others also agreed. In fact, it was exactly as Cheng Liujin predicted. The first to conclude was Zhong Hongke’s side. The elite one-hundred-person force almost annihilated their opponents with a crushing momentum, then quickly rushed towards the center. The two hundred and fifty people already besieged by over six hundred collapsed instantly and were quickly eliminated.
Finally, although the Seventh Thousand-person Team still held the upper hand on the left side, the overall situation was lost. After the main force of the First Thousand-person Team arrived, they were completely wiped out.
After a short wait, the terminal comprehensively calculated the results. The announced outcome was that the Seventh Thousand-person Team was annihilated, and the surviving number of the First Thousand-person Team was seven hundred and eighty-two.
When the Seventh Thousand-person Team left the field, they were all dejected. They had many ideas for this battle, feeling that if their tactics were appropriate, there was still a minimal chance of victory. But the final result truly made them somewhat unable to hold their heads high.
They knew they would most likely lose, but they didn’t expect to lose so badly. Being completely wiped out, they had only managed to eliminate a little over two hundred of the enemy. They couldn’t help but wonder: was the strength gap between them this large now?
Ye Zhongming had been watching intently just now; after all, they were all his subordinates. Now that the battle ended, he relaxed slightly.
“See anything?” Leader Eye on the side asked with a smile.
“I was just thinking, if the Seventh Team had chosen a head-on clash, then after losing in the end, would the number of targets they killed have exceeded two hundred?”
After saying this, Ye Zhongming smiled slightly and said, “Actually, saying this isn’t very useful. Before the battle, the disadvantaged side would definitely try to find a way to achieve victory. Their choice is beyond reproach.”
The Cloud Peak King was just accustomed to considering problems from the angle of defeating others: if he were the disadvantaged side, what would he do? Or, as a commander, how would he command to bring down the First Thousand-person Team.
After the first match ended, the second began immediately: the Second Thousand-person Team versus the Tenth Thousand-person Team.
This was also a battle with a somewhat large strength gap. The Tenth Thousand-person Team was formed the latest, so naturally, the quality of its members differed. Even after so many years of development, their foundation was ultimately weak, still unable to compare with the earlier teams.
The randomly drawn map was ‘Isle of Profuse Flowers.’
This map was a sea map: thirty circular, flat sea reefs of the same size were evenly distributed on the sea surface. Both sides could choose any birth location.
Meaning, if you wanted to place one thousand people on one reef, you could, or you could place people on every reef—in short, the freedom was extremely high.
It had some randomness, but also tested on-the-spot command greatly.
When the battle began, there was an uproar below. Both sides actually chose the same method: placing one hundred people each on ten connected reefs.
Among these, the choices for two reefs overlapped with each other, so the battle started right from the beginning.
The two reefs were in a melee, and people from other reefs leaped over to help. The two reefs and the surrounding reefs became contested territories. Both sides continued to invest forces, making it even more intense than the first match.
The final result was a tough victory for the Second Thousand-person Team, with a casualty rate exceeding forty percent. Only about 600 people could continue to the next battle.
As the Thousand-person Team’s captain, Zhi Chaka’s expression was very unpleasant. Such losses were already worse than the First Thousand-person Team’s. They would definitely have to go through a second-round battle. Even if they won, they would be powerless against the First Thousand-person Team. Their hope of obtaining the championship was already shattered.
The third match continued. Compared to the first two, this match received much attention from people.
Because in this match, Ye Zhongming’s confidant Jie Kui’s Third Thousand-person Team would take the field.
This warrior, who had gone through life and death with Ye Zhongming since the Novice battlefield, had been very low-key after entering the Bronze Camp. It was just that his boss was too high-profile, inevitably putting him in everyone’s gaze as well.
But Jie Kui was a very capable person, which was not only reflected in his ability to assess the situation but also in his methods.
During this period of taking over the Second Thousand-person Team, he first remained quiet for a while with Ye Zhongming’s support, figuring out the team’s internal situation. Then, he struck swiftly, purging the former confidants of Ka Lanka and Leng Jiao, directly suppressing the team with bloody means.
Afterwards, he used the techniques, skills, equipment, etc., obtained from Ye Zhongming to win people’s hearts, and he ate and lived alongside the warriors. Coupled with the assassination ability he displayed, which truly made people look at him in a new light, he gradually gained control of the Thousand-person Team.
Also, Jie Kui returned from the Novice battlefield a small tycoon. After arming himself with this money, he invested the remainder entirely into the Thousand-person Team.
Ruthless yet leading by example, cold-hearted yet wholehearted—such a Jie Kui was now completely accepted by his subordinates as their true leader.
After Ye Zhongming returned from the Library Palace, he gave Jie Kui more good things. After that, his and Ye Zhongming’s prestige grew even higher.
And when these good things transformed into combat power, the current Third Thousand-person Team’s morale had risen to the point where they constantly asked themselves: could they take first place?
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