Infinite Ebullience
Chapter 963 - 20 Chaotic Team

Chapter 963: Chapter 20 Chaotic Team

The Punishment Squad’s attack methods basically fall into two categories, one is the Nazi Zombies style human-wave assault, which relies on the pressure of numbers. For the powerful Conquerors, as long as they fortify their position well and the team coordinates tacitly, even a Newbie can survive without dying. The other type is like the individual Terminator style, not many in number, but each possesses the strength to take on a Conqueror on their own, making them particularly troublesome.

The appearance of the Sergeant right now was obviously stronger than those Terminators, with just the Thor’s Hammer Powered Armor that could perform a space drop being enough to annihilate the average Conqueror who can’t trigger a Golden Seed.

Knowing this, when Lin He almost popped her eyes out upon seeing Tang Zheng suppress the Sergeant in their encounter and send it flying, Zhou Xiang, on the other hand, was quite composed and began directing the battle.

"Everyone spread out, Lin He, release the Mental Impact, Old Soldier, you and my Combat Doll will be the Meat Shield." Zhou Xiang was Third-order and had quite a few tricks up his sleeve. To secure his own authority and to minimize the risks for his side in the future, he had to squeeze as much remaining value out of the other party as he could.

Hearing orders that were in their favor, the Newbies instinctively scattered—they weren’t about to go getting themselves killed. Zhou Xiang wanted exactly this effect; he was planting a psychological suggestion in the minds of the Newbies, and with just a little kindness and favor, everyone would support him.

"Scared pissless by just a Punishment Squad, chased away in such a sorry state, could you be any more disgraceful?" Tang Zheng glanced at Zhou Xiang and guessed his intentions in a flash, immediately taking measures to belittle them as worthless. In this perilous environment, as long as he ensured the safety of the Newbies, they would first gravitate towards the strong.

Zhou Xiang’s mouth twitched, feeling that Tang Zheng was not only quick-witted but also tough to handle, and subconsciously restrained himself significantly. However, he didn’t dare to be negligent, as the basis for cooperation would collapse immediately.

"Is this the best you can do? If we kill this guy and I end up not sharing the Spoils of War with you, don’t blame me for stating it upfront." Tang Zheng seemed to be denying Zhou Xiang face, when in fact he was testing the resolve of the Instant Noodle Team.

The woman in her twenties, Lin He, obviously lacked subtlety and liked Zhou Xiang. Hearing Tang Zheng’s words, she got upset, glared at him, and then began to shout.

"Brother Zhou, show your Third-order strength, let him see what you’ve got."

"Zhou Xiang, don’t lose face for our Instant Noodle Team." Lin Chen urged in a ill-fitting manner as well. Overwhelmed by Tang Zheng’s Equipment, Strength, and Experience, Lin Chen had been frustrated for a while. Seeing the formidable Zhou Xiang, she naturally hoped he would help them regain some dignity.

"A pair of fools," Zhou Xiang cursed under his breath, knowing that dragging it out would do no good, so he exploded into his Second-order and launched a fierce attack on the Sergeant.

"Heh heh, see the strength of our Brother Zhou? If it weren’t for the Hellfire, not even worthy of carrying our Brother Zhou’s shoes." A survivor of one battle complimented Zhou Xiang and demeaned Tang Zheng, only to be scolded by Xu Biyun in return.

"Bullshit, if you’re so capable, why don’t you go get a Hellfire? Oh right, our Group Leader has the Limited Edition, you can’t buy it even if you have the points."

Teng Yuangxiang also wanted to join in to help, but unfortunately knew too little about Tang Zheng, however, it was implied from Xu Biyun’s words that their Group Leader was absolutely powerful.

Zhou Xiang was also not calm and composed, young and a Third-order, he naturally had the capital to feel proud and did not want to be looked down upon by others. So he directly triggered his Seed again and entered Third-order, and this time the Sergeant was completely downed, blasted into a pile of scrap metal.

Tang Zheng relaxed, shedding the Hellfire and beginning to slack off.

"How about that? Got nothing to say now, do you?" Lin Chen said smugly as he looked at Zhou Xiang standing beside the Sergeant’s Corpse.

"Impressive," Tang Zheng replied noncommittally.

This appraisal didn’t give Zhou Xiang a sense of superiority; instead, his face darkened. He knew he had been played and was almost furious enough to cough up blood.

"Hey, a Golden Seed, nice haul. You take it." Seeing Zhou Xiang’s expression, Tang Zheng knew he was the type who wanted to save face, deliberately provoking him. Sure enough, Zhou Xiang was miserable, tossing the Seed to Xu Biyun.

"Take it and have fun with it, I don’t even care for such trinkets," Zhou Xiang acted generously, but in reality, he was heartbroken.

"Brother Lin, Zuo Yi, you alright?" Tang Zheng glanced around and realized the newcomers from his own Warhammer Team weren’t many, but there was one particularly troublesome individual.

"Yuanxiang, you’re still alive?" Seeing Teng Yuangxiang, Qian Xue, who was both bitter and exhausted, seemed to find a willing listener, his spirits lifted, and he ran over, reaching out to grab her hand.

Although Teng Yuangxiang had lived a few months of luxurious life thanks to Mr. Qian, although she didn’t let him catch her, she didn’t kick him away as she had with Han Ze either.

"What’s wrong with you?" Qian Xue, a clever person, noticed something about Teng Yuangxiang. Thus, feeling a natural superiority over his lover, he frowned and his voice deepened, reaching again for her armature. In his eyes, this woman was nothing more than a plaything, unworthy of resistance.

Teng Yuangxiang kept evading, which made Qian Xue angry. He slapped her cheek with a swing of his hand. Ever since entering the Game, Mr. Qian had been faking smiles and playing the lackey, sick of it already, and now Teng Yuangxiang’s noncompliance infuriated him. He grabbed her hair, intent on venting his frustrations.

"What are you doing?" Han Ze charged over and clashed with Qian Xue.

Teng Yuangxiang, covering her cheek, looked at Qian Xue in disbelief, then revealed a self-mocking smile. She had actually felt remorse for spending his money, never imagining that in Mr. Qian’s heart, she was just an object to be abused at will.

"Separate them," Tang Zheng muttered, watching his handheld radar. He was ready to patrol towards the red dot to see if there was an opportunity to benefit from the fishermen’s fortunes, only to be disturbed by this farce. How embarrassing.

Xu Biyun sprinted forward and kicked Qian Xue’s shoulder, sending him tumbling to the ground. Han Ze tried to pounce on him again, but the gaming girl also gave him a swift kick.

"No chance now, it’s over there too, looks like they preserved their strength," Zhou Xiang glanced at the radar and suggested, "Let’s rest for ten minutes and then head into the laboratory, shall we?"

"No problem." Tang Zheng pointed to a house on the street and walked in. Two minutes later, after ensuring there were no hidden threats, everyone sat down to rest—clearly divided into two groups.

The newbies of Instant Noodle Team each received a portion of food and wolfed it down hungrily, but it was nowhere near enough to satisfy their bellies. After finishing, they looked at Zhou Xiang with hopeful eyes.

Lin Chen and Zeng Fanghai did not care about these matters and discussed the situation of the past few days with Zhou Xiang. They all wore space backpacks and had limited supplies; not knowing how many days they would be delayed, they naturally wouldn’t waste resources on newbies.

Zhou Xiang and Lin He ignored them. As for newbies, they never paid any attention. But the next moment, they realized they had made a mistake.

Lin Weiguo wasn’t lacking in supplies; seeing his team’s newbies still hungry, he gave them another portion. After all, it might be their last meal; at least they could die with full stomachs.

The newbies of Instant Noodle Team gnawed on instant noodles, already envious of Shi Jing’s group eating various canned foods and became even more envious when they saw others getting double portions, leading to grumbling and complaining. Some, really hungry, approached Lin Weiguo with forced smiles, trying to strike up a conversation.

Lin Weiguo, wanting to gather goodwill for Tang Zheng, naturally did not refuse.

"Tsk, can’t compare, look at that Zuo Yi, after surviving just one round, he already has a space wristwatch," Lin Chen remarked sourly upon noticing that all four of Tang Zheng’s team had wristwatches.

Zhou Xiang could only swallow his anger, knowing that chastising newbies would only reflect poorly on himself since he couldn’t provide sufficient food.

"Tang Zheng, I need to use the toilet," Teng Yuangxiang said urgently, squatting beside Tang Zheng before being shooed away by him.

With no other option, Teng Yuangxiang had to seek out Shi Jing and another female university student for company. Mr. Qian glanced at Tang Zheng and made a signal to the three newbies that he was trying to win over, and they followed quietly. Han Ze immediately joined them.

"Troublesome newbies," Zhou Xiang cursed under his breath before starting to discuss with Tang Zheng the plan to raid the laboratory. With over thirty people on their side, they needed to devise tactical actions, or else it would become utter chaos.

"No need to bother, newbies will die soon," Lin Chen thought there was no need to waste energy planning, "Just use them to scout ahead. And what about those five men who obviously harbor ill intentions? Aren’t you going to deal with them?"

"You go," Tang Zheng didn’t want to waste his energy on such trivial matters.

They were in a coffee house. Unable to find a toilet, Teng Yuangxiang and the two others stepped away to ensure they weren’t overheard, then promptly pulled down their pants and relieved themselves in the corridor. Just as they finished and were getting dressed, Mr. Qian and his group cornered them as they entered.

"What are you trying to do?" The two women were nervous, but Teng Yuangxiang was fearless. Before Han Ze could say anything, he was knocked to the ground by two men.

"I’ll teach you to be cocky!" Qian Xue ignored Teng Yuangxiang and brutally kicked Han Ze, breaking several of his teeth.

"Boring," Teng Yuangxiang held back the two women, attempting to leave, but they were stopped by Qian Xue.

"I’ll remember this kindness," Qian Xue began with a promise before looking Teng Yuangxiang up and down, intending to negotiate something with her.

"Mr. Qian, enjoy yourself slowly." Three men leered and lunged at Shi Jing and the university student, dragging them away.

"You better let go, or Tang Zheng will kill you," Teng Yuangxiang fumed, outraged by the men’s excessive behavior.

"Hmph, killing newbies will cost a thousand points; you think I don’t know that? At worst, I’ll just get beaten up," Qian Xue glared fiercely at Teng Yuangxiang and grabbed at her chest, sneering, "You dared to disrespect me just now; now I’ll show you the consequences."

Qian Xue, having been beaten several times over the past few days, was filled with rage. Seeing Teng Yuangxiang, whom he knew, he wanted to take out his frustration on her.

But Teng Yuangxiang was not one to go down without a fight. She kicked out with her knee-high boots towards Qian Xue’s groin, only to have her ankle caught.

"Stinky bitch, I knew you wouldn’t be easy," Qian Xue had just finished speaking when he let out a pig-like scream. Teng Yuangxiang had stabbed a B-Class folding knife into his waist. The protective clothing only allowed it to go in as thick as a fingernail, but it was enough. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly passes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)