The elimination zone burst into a chorus of discussion.
Some gloated over Zhao Yao"s imminent defeat while others seriously a.n.a.lyzed the situation and the possibilities.
"Well, looks like this is the end of the road for that kid."
"Not necessarily. If they get rid of the sapphires right at the start, they still stand a chance."
Some did not understand the design of the second round and those who did, tried to explain.
"If they threw away the sapphires from the start, it"ll be like starting the compet.i.tion all over again. Doesn"t that make the first round pointless?"
"It seems that way because only three contestants got past the first round. Imagine if 32 contestants had one sapphire each. They would definitely not be cornered into tossing their gemstones away. They would begin the second round with a lead."
Amid the flurry of debate, there seemed to be one thing that everyone agreed on. It was that Zhao Yao had to rid themselves of their sapphires right away.
There was just no way that they would be able to handle the onslaught of 80 supercats and apostles.
This thought simmered in Fishball"s and Liu Yun"s minds. They looked in Zhao Yao"s direction, eyes clouded with worry.
Half an hour later, chimes started sounding from the loudspeakers, signaling that the short break had ended.
The Cat King of the North"s voice boomed throughout the island.
"May I have your attention, please? The second round of the compet.i.tion is about to commence. Contestants, please get ready. Once you have entered the woods, you are free to start fighting for the sapphires. Remember, the rules are the same as before. You can attack an opponent, but the killing of any supercat or apostle is strictly prohibited…"
As the King of the North droned on, apostles and supercats alike started getting on their feet. Their eyes were cast firmly on Zhao Yao.
Some of them sprinted towards the woods right away. They wanted to block Zhao Yao from getting away if he tried to do so.
Xiao Yu could feel her heart thumping rapidly against her chest. It was clear that their opponents were not going to go easy on them. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, forcing herself to calm down and brush aside her nerves.
Zhao Yao was smiling urbanely as always. He held Xiao Yu"s hand and said, "Come on, let"s go. Stick close to me."
She clicked her tongue.
"Don"t take advantage of your aunt."
She s.n.a.t.c.hed her hand back and walked ahead of him instead.
She had taken barely two steps when she disappeared from sight. Zhao Yao had cloaked Xiao Yu, Noodle the Husky, the Serval, Matcha and himself in invisibility. He also cast a protective force field around them before pulling the entire gang into the woods.
"First, we"ve got to find a good vantage point," he thought.
Xiao Yu was struggling to escape the force field. However, no matter how she pushed or tugged, there was no way out.
Nekomata"s eyes lit up in wonder. He was no stranger to this skill.
"The deflective field… Seems like Zhao Yao can borrow the powers of multiple supercats. Gaia...Ares...They must all be in his hands."
"Maybe I should save them," he mused.
There was an uproar when the contestants spotted Zhao Yao turning invisible.
This meant that it was game time.
"He"s become invisible!"
"Don"t let him get away!"
One after another the contestants raced into the woods. They unleashed all kinds of powers in hopes of locating Zhao Yao.
An apostle wrinkled his extraordinarily large nose. He had an equally remarkable sense of smell.
"There! He"s right ahead!" he exclaimed.
Another apostle had his mouth wide open, from which emitted sound waves. He was hoping to capture Zhao Yao using ultrasound. When he detected him, he pointed to an empty and flat expanse of land.
"There he is!"
The Explosive Man did not need to be told twice. He let out a terrifying snarl, then torpedoed straight towards Zhao Yao.
Yue Shan made his move as well. He let out a grunt before creating a telekinetic energy blast around the Metal Man, which propelled him forward like a shooting star.
"He will never get away!"
"We"re getting close! Those on the frontline, block all possible exit points!"
The Cat King of the North cut from one camera to another, revealing the flurry of activity that surrounded the woods.
"The action has begun even though the second round has barely begun. As you can see from the satellite map on the screen, Daniel Wu and gang has been completely surrounded. This is definitely not a good start for them. It"s unlikely that they"ll stay in the game for long."
On the naval vessel, Inspector Ho was watching the screen carefully as well.
"Has the secret weapon been deployed? We have to attack whoever gets their grubby hands on the sapphires. We won"t be able to step in after this round," he said.
Lin Chen made a firm nod. "Don"t worry. It"s been activated."
Everyone watching was certain that the man in the black robe was at his wits" end. The compet.i.tors were closing in on him quickly and it would be impossible for him to get past them.
Explosive Man, Yue Shan, Chimera, and every other opponent had unleashed their powers in a chaotic bid to defeat him.
"You"ll never get away, rascal!" Chimera cried, releasing a fire dragon in Zhao Yao"s direction.
He froze time to evade it with ease.
He continued running as time started ticking again. He eyed the flat piece of land he was coming up on with approval.
"This is a good spot. Xiao Yu"s hidden a distance away. She won"t be hurt if I can fight them right here."
He had been running not because he wanted to flee his opponents. It was reconnaissance. He had to first keep Xiao Yu out of harm"s way, then scout for the perfect showdown arena.
He had found it.
In a move that made everyone"s jaw drop, Zhao Yao shed his layer of invisibility. He was seen standing with his chest held high and his arm stretched to the sky, the sapphire twinkling in his hand.
After a brief pause, the opponents surged towards him, hungry and ready to pounce. Explosive Man and Yue Shan were among those who led the pack.
"Hand me the sapphire!" Explosive Man roared.
"Yeah, give us the sapphires!"
"Give them to me!"
Half the contestants tore through the ground, ready to s.n.a.t.c.h the sapphire from Zhao Yao"s hands. Others lagged behind on purpose.
Yue Shan was one of those who stayed back.
He knew that there was no need for him to tackle Zhao Yao. With so many apostles and cats closing in on him, there would be no escape. The sapphires would be ripped from him and the people who did so automatically becomes the new target.
He did not want to be caught in that pandemonium. He would wait for the right time to strike.
Yue Shan"s thought was echoed by the Cat King of the North.
He said into the microphone, "The time has come! Whoever gets their hands on the sapphires will be attacked next. Will they be able to keep the gems? Who will it be? The Telekinetic Knights? Or perhaps Explosive Man?"
While everyone had worked up a frenzy, Zhao Yao remained perfectly at ease. He scanned the barrage of apostles and supercats running wildly towards him to identify his first target area.
However, his calculate had to be put on hold when an impatient Explosive Man barreled towards him, propelled by a series of explosions. The ground that he had stood on was cracked from the impact of his lift-off.
He was not waiting any longer to take those sapphires.
The rest of the opponents skid to a stop. They watched as Explosive Man rocketed towards Zhao Yao. They knew that he would succeed in securing the sapphires. The moment that happened, they would go after him.
They watched with bated breath as Explosive Man reached Zhao Yao.
What happened next was a blur. The encounter went by so quickly it was impossible to make sense of. The only thing the spectators could discern was the sound of a loud boom, followed by a crack of lightning that split the sky in two.
As the dust settled, the crowd could make out Zhao Yao kneeling on the ground. He had one hand firmly around Explosive Man"s neck, pinning his head against the gra.s.s.
The Explosive Man was motionless. He was like a mere fly that Zhao Yao had easily swatted to death.
The truth was more complicated than it seemed. Zhao Yao had frozen time for a split second. He could move six times faster during TimeFreeze and he made full use of it to plummet his opponent into the ground.
Explosive Man barely had time to register what happened, much less resist it.
It was impossible to retaliate after a TimeFreeze. It would always be too late.
The contestants gawked at the sight before them. They looked from Zhao Yao to his concussed victim in disbelief.
A hush had befallen the elimination zone. No one moved or made a sound. It was as if Zhao Yao had frozen time again.
Even the Cat King of the North was at a loss. He blinked at the screen dumbly.
Zhao Yao got to his feet slowly, purposefully. His cloak was waving wildly in the wind like a burst of black flames.
He lifted his hand again. The sapphire sat in his open palm, glinting in the sun.
"You want the sapphires? Sure. You just have to get past me."