Yanchen stood above the Twilight Palace, seeing through Xi's plan. However, even though he saw through it, it didn't matter much. The most significant advantage of a strategy is not fearing exposure.
"Estimated ten minutes to clear out these orcs. That woman played us." Yanchen sighed, his eyes narrowing. Suddenly, some memories surged in his mind. "Don't show me these!" Yanchen's face turned ferocious suddenly. After a few seconds, his expression returned to calm.
"Just an illusion." Yanchen breathed deeply, refocusing his attention on the chaos among the contracted fighters. It didn't take the contracted individuals from Apocalypse Park ten minutes. In less than eight minutes, over ten thousand orc soldiers had perished.
However, before the orcs were annihilated, the contracted individuals from the Apocalypse Park surged towards Zone 2. "Split into four teams, four breakthrough points." A female gunman from the Apocalypse Park shouted, and the contracted individuals behind her quickly split into four teams, each with over two hundred members.
Each team had defence experts at the front, followed by close combatants, ranged fighters, and support-type contracted individuals. The Zone 2 maze had four large entrances, and Apocalypse Park's contracted fighters seemed to understand the terrain.
The contracted individuals from Apocalypse Park swiftly entered the maze. A primary tank holding a heavy shield charged like a tank towards an employed individual from the Wheel of Samsara faction.
"Idiot." The Wheel of Samsara-contracted individual made an obscene gesture towards the main tank. The tank smirked, but suddenly, a change occurred. A skull appeared above the tank, quickly reducing his equipment's defensive power.
Sniper bullets rained down on the main tank, sparks flying. The combined impact made it hard for him to cover with his shield. This was simultaneous sniping from ten snipers from the Wheel of Samsara faction.
In less than two seconds, the shield in the main tank's hand was pockmarked, and after five seconds, cracks appeared on the security. The tank could no longer hold onto it. A primary tank without a shield met a predictable fate. Bullets struck his body, some carrying energy or additional skill effects. In an instant, he was brought down to the ground.
Three seconds later, he was turned into a pile of flesh. The tank was instantly eliminated! This fallen tank was ranked in the top ten in strength among the defence-type contracted individuals under Xi.
This was the chaos among the contracted fighters. No matter how strong the main tank was, once marked and focused upon after debuffs, it was mere seconds to be killed. As for the close combatants, it would be at most five seconds, and ranged fighters fared worse. Even without debuffs, they would be instantly killed.
In this chaotic combat among contracted fighters, one should be in the initial phase moderate. Otherwise, there was a high chance of being focused and eliminated. Neither Xi nor Yanchen nor Su Xiao had appeared yet for this reason.
Being focused by a dozen ranged attackers was manageable, but being focused by dozens would ensure their demise quickly. Both parties' contracted fighters rushed into the natural maze formed by the ruins of Zone 2. In such a maze, the significance of formation coordination was minimal.
The area was too small, and splitting into groups of 5 to 10 members for each side was more appropriate. Bang, bang...Bullets pierced through the ruins and walls, shrapnel flying. Severely weathered stone walls were left with pockmarks from the gunfire.
An Arcane Magic caster concealed behind a stone column, as a squad of fighters from the Apocalypse Park approached, elemental energies surged within him.
Hum!
Several connected magic arrays on the ground were activated. Spikes of arcane energy shot up underground, enveloping the squad from Apocalypse Park. After a round of screams, four out of five members of the squad fell, three were severely wounded, and one was on the verge of death.
Pew, pew, pew... More bullets struck, and the four severely wounded individuals were finished off. The potions they were about to consume fell to the ground. The surviving defense-type contracted fighter panted heavily, blood dripping down his face. He felt a sense of despair.
"I... I surrender. I give up on this battle." Hearing this, an Arcane caster and a gunman positioned on two stone columns hesitated momentarily. Then, without a word, they attacked the defense-type contracted fighter. The defense-type contracted fighter rolled on the ground.
"Do we have to go this far? I'll give up three pieces of equipment..." Pew, pew, pew... Three bullets pierced through the defence-type contracted fighter's head, and his eyes quickly lost their lustre.
The gunman removed the magazine and said, "What are these guys thinking? Surrendering now?"
"Who knows, that's their style over there. Continue to ambush the next wave. How many have you killed?"
"Six. What about you?"
"Four. You jerk, always stealing kills."
"Hey, my bullets pack a stronger punch."
The caster and the gunman were both freelancers, but they were not weak. Their personalities aligned well, so they formed a temporary team. Inside the maze, a squad of six contracted individuals from the Wheel of Samsara.
These six were covered in blood, surrounded by around twenty from Apocalypse Park, divided into three squads. "Not good; it looks like we'll all die here. Brothers, even though we weren't familiar before, it seems we'll die together."
"Heh, I've long expected this day. Surprising to reach Tier 2, even for myself."
"Don't say pessimistic words. We still have a chance." The contracted individuals from the Wheel of Samsara whispered among themselves while the surrounding employed individuals from the Apocalypse Park gradually closed in.
"Hey, guys, see that mage from their side? He's quite arrogant. We're all going to die anyway. Why not team up and take him down?"
"Good idea."
"Agreed." The six individuals' gazes focused on a mage from Apocalypse Park. Suddenly, the mage's expression turned grim. "Kill them." When the mage's words fell, the six contracted individuals from the Wheel of Samsara rushed towards him without hesitation.
A few minutes later, seven bodies lay on the ground. The surrounding contracted individuals from Apocalypse Park wore grim expressions. "Jonathan's dead. What do we do? He was our main force."
A female contracted individual turned her head, unable to bear looking at the mage's body. It was no longer a body but a pile of rotten flesh. "These idiots have a problem with their heads. They were plotting against each other, and now they suddenly unite before dying."
Various lights glimmered within the maze. Gunshots, collisions, and screams merged into one. Contracted individuals with different abilities fought together, and the speed of casualties on both sides was breakneck. It was like an elimination match, and only the strong survived after the game.
In front of the Twilight Palace, Su Xiao watched the battlefield from a distance. Though he wanted to charge in, there were better times. Lan Jue's invincibility was a thorn in his side.
Lan Jue's metallic arrow was perfect for ambush.
If Su Xiao had been in a tough battle when Lan Jue appeared, his chances would have been slim. However, Lan Jue faced a similar situation. He didn't dare to appear on the battlefield, either. If someone detained him, Su Xiao could take advantage and get close, sealing Lan Jue's fate.
Neither side dared to recklessly engage in battle, which made Su Xiao somewhat impatient. Killing a contracted individual from Apocalypse Park would yield 3 to 5 points of merit, essential for the rewards in this world.
With this battlefield situation, the contracted individuals from the Wheel of Samsara who ranked high in merits might receive additional rewards. However, the Wheel of Samsara should have publicized this to prevent internal conflicts among their contracted individuals.
Buzz... A mechanical bee flew overhead on the battlefield. Its compound eyes flashed red as it quickly locked onto Su Xiao's location, descending toward him. Seeing the mechanical bee, Su Xiao had a rough idea of what was happening. As the robotic bee flew over Su Xiao, it dropped a black ball about the size of a walnut.