Chapter 35: The Game has just Begun
If s.h.i.+ Xiaobai was the weakest rookie in [Annihilation], then wouldn’t the person who failed to shatter s.h.i.+ Xiaobai’s Psionic s.h.i.+eld mean that that person was weaker than the weakest?
The rookies subconsciously overlooked this possibility. Now that it was mentioned by s.h.i.+ Xiaobai, although they still scoffed at it, they had no choice but to attach importance to it. Their gazes also turned more serious.
Clearly, s.h.i.+ Xiaobai had sought death, pus.h.i.+ng himself into an extremely difficult situation.
Hisith seemed to gain joy seeing such a situation, but even felt that it was not enough. He decided to give this matter a serious push.
“I will judge the damage levels of your psionic offense before producing a new ranking in each team.”
The moment Hisith said this, the looks on the seated rookies changed. Even those with lazy expressions turned serious.
Hisith’s game was frequently related to the team’s internal ranking. The people ranked nearer the top typically had a better advantage. No one wanted to lose out in Hisith’s game because Hisith showed no mercy to failed “toys”.
And at this moment, Hisith wanted to rank them based on the damage levels of the psionic offense. This was no doubt a chance for the rookies ranked at the back, while the rookies ranked at the top couldn’t be careless.
Hisith was forcing the rookies to use all their strength.
s.h.i.+ Xiaobai’s declaration that sought death and Hisith’s suddenly announced rule pushed a new development in this boring game. Now, it was not a “sparring” session, but s.h.i.+ Xiaobai becoming the touchstone for everyone else.
Seeing that the time was ripe, Hisith flipped to the first page of the small notebook.
“The game continues. Next, Song Nan.”
…
s.h.i.+ Xiaobai was trying hard to suppress the pangs of anger in his heart. When the rookies derided Lingcun, he was truly infuriated. Although he had not known Lingcun for long, Lingcun was still a pa.s.sionate fan of his.
s.h.i.+ Xiaobai naturally would not sit idle seeing his fan being derided, hence he chose the simplest and most brainless method.
All of you mocked Lingcun as a weakling?
Then, This King will let you have a taste of what it means to be mocked as a “weakling”.
s.h.i.+ Xiaobai strengthened his resolve. Although he did not know if he could accomplish “destruction before establishment”, he was not afraid of “destruction”. Wasn’t desiring “establishment” already enough?
At this moment, a slightly plump girl came in front of s.h.i.+ Xiaobai.
“Song Nan. Nice to meet you!” Song Nan’s voice woke s.h.i.+ Xiaobai from his reverie.
s.h.i.+ Xiaobai stretched out his right hand as energy surged out. The white s.h.i.+eld appeared once again. It still looked as broken as ever, and so thin that it looked transparent.
“Ha!”
Song Nan took a deep breath as her plump hand pierced forward like a spear. s.h.i.+ Xiaobai saw two fingers stretched out from the plump hand, and at the moment she stabbed over, a sharp white beam shot out, striking the white s.h.i.+eld.
“Peng!”
A hole opened up in the white s.h.i.+eld instantly before it exploded into fragments, disappearing into nothingness. However, the white beam did not stop, it grazed past s.h.i.+ Xiaobai’s face, nearly striking him.
At the moment his s.h.i.+eld shattered, s.h.i.+ Xiaobai felt a pain in his chest. It was as if all the blood in his body was flowing in the opposite direction, making it hard for him to breathe. He entered a daze due to the pain in his mind. When he snapped out of it, he immediately felt a lingering fear as he took a few arduous deep breaths.
“Sorry!”
Song Nan gave a reluctant look as she reminded him. “It’s best you prop the s.h.i.+eld to the side of your body. A few rookies are proficient at ‘Psionic Penetration’ like me. If you aren’t careful and get hit by it, you might…”
Song Nan did not finish her sentence. She sighed deeply and turned to look at Hisith. Seeing Hisith write something on the tiny notebook, she guessed that it was her results. She was perturbed because she had not held back at all and nearly failed to control the direction. She did not know how her results were, or if her ranking would rise.
Hisith waved his hand, indicating for Song Nan to leave, as he flipped to the second page of his little notebook.
“Next, Hua Pengju.”
A youth with dyed hair stood up. Smiling at the people beside him, he rubbed his fist, as though he was eager to try.
As for s.h.i.+ Xiaobai, his chest was rising and falling erratically. It was as though he had not recovered from the recent pain.
“The more thoroughly shattered the Psionic s.h.i.+eld, the more burden it would cause the caster. If Song Nan’s strike at her full strength is enough to cause s.h.i.+ Xiaobai pain, then if it was w.a.n.g Lin, Song Xiao or Xiang Wu’s full strength, would s.h.i.+ Xiaobai be able to withstand it?” The seated Lingcun’s eyes were filled with worry.
At this moment, the youth with the dyed hair was standing in front of s.h.i.+ Xiaobai.
“What? You already can’t take it? Hurry, don’t you want to experience ‘destruction before establishment’? Where’s your s.h.i.+eld?” The youth noticed that s.h.i.+ Xiaobai was still gasping and began denigrating him.
“How can This King not be able to take it!” s.h.i.+ Xiaobai clenched his teeth and produced the white s.h.i.+eld. For this time, s.h.i.+ Xiaobai heeded Song Nan’s advice, and propped up the s.h.i.+eld to his side, slightly further away from his body.
“Oh? Don’t you know that the closer the Psionic s.h.i.+eld is to the body, the thicker it would be? Why, by placing it so far, are you giving up? Or are you cowering? Don’t you want to prove who is the true weakling? Do you dare to have a bit of courage? Can you be more like a man?”
The youth disparaged, with a look of contempt.
s.h.i.+ Xiaobai was slightly stunned as a cold beam flashed in his eyes. He dispersed the s.h.i.+eld and produced a new s.h.i.+eld by the side of his body. This time, the s.h.i.+eld was nearly stuck to his body. s.h.i.+ Xiaobai could faintly sense that there was a difference in the thickness between the two s.h.i.+elds.
Suddenly, s.h.i.+ Xiaobai’s heart leaped, as if he felt danger approach him. He turned around and his pupils involuntarily constricted. The youth with dyed hair had suddenly appeared by his side, his fist mere inches away!
This punch was too sudden. s.h.i.+ Xiaobai did not have time to react, as the fist with white energy circling it hit the weak s.h.i.+eld!
“Boom!”
The s.h.i.+eld shattered but the fist did not stop, slamming heavily into s.h.i.+ Xiaobai’s shoulder. Immediately, a white light exploded like white fireworks, magnificently blooming from s.h.i.+ Xiaobai’s shoulder.
s.h.i.+ Xiaobai was instantly sent flying. After flying a few meters backwards, he slammed into the hard steel ground, issuing a heavy thud. s.h.i.+ Xiaobai felt as though there was a surging energy in his body that was going to burst out of his body.
“Wa!” s.h.i.+ Xiaobai spat out a mouthful of hot blood.
“Tch, true trash that can’t even take a beating.” The youth sneered with disdain. He turned to look at Hisith and gave a flattering look as he watched Hisith write something into the small notebook.
The expressions of the people in the seats turned slightly ugly. This youth with dyed hair was named Hua Pengju. He was always a p.r.i.c.k amongst the rookies. Although he was quite strong, he had a terrible character. He was infamous, and only a few people with similar bad characters like him mixed with him. What Hua Pengju did clearly disgusted the crowd.
“Not bad, as a toy, you are sufficiently ‘fun’.”
Hisith’s praise caused the rookies, who wanted to denounce Hua Pengju, to shut their mouths. Hua Pengju looked overjoyed as he began laughing out loud.
And by the side, s.h.i.+ Xiaobai was half-kneeling. He constantly coughed and occasionally spat out blood. His body was trembling intensely.
Hisith took a glance at s.h.i.+ Xiaobai and gave a sinister smile. Raising his hand to make a light throw, a poker card that appeared out of nowhere hit s.h.i.+ Xiaobai. It melted into his body as a red light burst out from behind s.h.i.+ Xiaobai, turning into the phantom image of a “Three of Hearts”.
“Stand up, my beloved little toy. The game has just begun.”
Hisith happily flipped to the third page on his small notebook.
“Next, Ye Jiaquan.”