Chapter 406: Chapter 406: Scheming Against Each Other
Soon, it was 5:00 PM. Following a vibration from their Communication Wristwatches, nearly every examinee immediately opened their electronic maps.
It was only natural. After all, Lin Xinghai had dared to directly target the strong teams in the last hour, an act that had put every single examinee on edge.
They all wanted to know if Lin Xinghai had actually succeeded—or, more accurately, how many strong teams he had taken down.
Now, after an hour of waiting, the answer was finally revealed.
As the examinees pulled out their Communication Wristwatches to look, their pupils instantly constricted.
Three strong teams had vanished—and they were among the very best. This was something nobody had expected.
Evidently, even the strong teams were no different from the ordinary ones in Lin Xinghai’s eyes. Otherwise, there was no way he could have stolen the Energy Balls from three of them in just a single hour.
But soon, the examinees noticed something else unusual. Aside from Lin Xinghai’s position, which showed a cluster of 38 red dots, there was another spot on the map where five red dots were gathered.
However, when they zoomed in, they found that the red dots weren’t stacked on top of each other, just clustered closely together.
This was intriguing. It meant that at least five teams carrying Energy Balls were gathered in that one location.
Lin Xinghai, of course, had noticed the same thing as the other examinees. He narrowed his eyes, staring at the five red dots. After a moment’s thought, he suddenly pulled the Communication Device that Little Fatty had made from his backpack.
"Can you hear me?" Lin Xinghai asked, pressing the call button.
"Loud and clear. What’s up, Boss?" Little Fatty’s voice immediately came through from the other end.
"Keep an eye on your surroundings. If you notice anything unusual, report to me immediately," Lin Xinghai said.
Hearing this, Little Fatty instantly grew tense and hurriedly asked, "Boss, did you spot something?"
"It’s hard to say right now, and I can’t be sure. We’ll probably find out soon enough. In any case, just be on your guard. If anything feels off, pull back immediately," Lin Xinghai said.
As soon as he saw those teams gathering, he had a gut feeling this was directed at him.
It was the only explanation for why they would cluster together like that.
So, after giving Little Fatty and his group their brief instructions, he immediately set off, heading straight for the cluster of five red dots.
...
Elsewhere, many tensed up when they saw Lin Xinghai’s dot start to move, terrified they would be his next target.
But when they saw he was heading toward the cluster of five red dots, those who weren’t in his path breathed a collective sigh of relief.
However, the people Yan Feijie had assembled instantly tensed up.
Of course, tense didn’t mean terrified. Yan Feijie had gathered over a thousand people, and their sheer numbers bolstered their courage.
But the tension was still palpable. Under Yan Feijie’s direction, the teams began to move in an orderly fashion.
Each large squad sent their Defensive Superpower Users to the front, placing them under Yan Feijie’s command to form a defensive line at the outermost perimeter.
The rest quickly began dismantling roadside vehicles and other metal objects, using the scraps as makeshift "shields." This way, even if the Defensive Superpowers were breached, they wouldn’t be left completely defenseless as others had been before.
Their objective was clear: block Lin Xinghai’s attacks and pin him down here.
If they could prove they were capable of withstanding Lin Xinghai’s assault, other teams seeking revenge would surely see their strength and rally to their position.
Furthermore, Yan Feijie had also noticed on the electronic map that many teams he hadn’t invited were now heading his way. Seeing that Lin Xinghai had taken down three strong teams in a single hour, many who had previously been hesitant were now making their move.
Yan Feijie felt everything was going according to plan, and a smile spread across his face.
A minute passed quickly, and the red dots on the electronic map vanished. This meant no one could use it to track anyone’s location anymore.
At that exact moment, Lin Xinghai abruptly changed course.
Knowing the five red dots were likely a trap, there was no way Lin Xinghai would charge straight into it.
His direct approach had just been a test. The fact that his opponents hadn’t fled was all the confirmation he needed.
However, in the process, Lin Xinghai realized his opponents’ plan might present an opportunity for him. Many teams with Energy Balls were heading toward that cluster of five red dots.
If he played his cards right, he could intercept those teams en route, which would undoubtedly save him a great deal of time he would otherwise spend searching.
And so, Lin Xinghai changed direction, making a beeline for one of those strong teams.
In a way, both sides were plotting against each other.
As time went on, despite his tension, Yan Feijie’s mood improved considerably.
More and more teams were arriving at his location. In just a few short minutes, another five hundred-man squads had shown up.
These were all teams from whom Lin Xinghai had previously stolen Energy Balls, and their arrival swelled the number of people there to 1,500.
Of course, what Yan Feijie was most eagerly awaiting was the arrival of the other strong teams.
"What’s the word?" Yan Feijie asked hurriedly as one of the squads he had dispatched returned.
For the ordinary teams, Yan Feijie had merely sent a message, but he had dispatched squads to personally invite each of the major strong teams.
Unfortunately, the two squads that had returned earlier had only brought back ambiguous replies.
"Captain, Qiu Liang isn’t willing to come himself," the squad member replied quickly. "But after hearing your plan, he agreed to send a few of his Defensive Superpower Users to assist."
"Hah! ’Every last one of them is trying to use me as a pawn.’ Fine. If the plan succeeds, they can forget about getting a share of the Energy Balls. By the way, where are the people he’s sending?" Yan Feijie asked after a short, derisive laugh.
"He said they’ll be here in five minutes," the squad member answered.
"Tsk! ’So he wants to see if we can actually hold off Lin Xinghai before he places his bet. How pathetic.’" Yan Feijie sneered again.
However, his brow furrowed slightly. ’That said, with Lin Xinghai’s Speed, he should have arrived by now. Why isn’t there any sign of him?’
Just as he said that, a commotion erupted from the front of the formation.
"What’s going on?" he asked, frowning. He strode in that direction, beckoning over a member responsible for maintaining order.
"It’s Yuan Zheng and the Celestial Essence Brigade. They’ve arrived," the member in charge of order reported, jogging over with a grim look on his face. "But many of them are injured. They said they were ambushed by Lin Xinghai on the way here."
