Published: February 12, 2025
Chapter Text:
"What are Husky and Yangtua doing!?"
Jie Kui wiped the blood from his face, having to use his skill, Floating Light and Shadow, once again to dodge the attack of the spinning fish. He was then knocked into the air by Qiu Qiu, who flew him out of the water to avoid a second attack.
According to the plan, Husky and Yangtua were supposed to be the first to attract these spinning fish, utilizing the speed difference caused by their varying strengths to separate the leading fish from the rest. After that, they would use Qiu Qiu's invulnerable state to entangle an adult spinning fish, while Ye Zhongming would entangle another, and Jie Kui and Shikangbu would quickly take down the two juvenile opponents.
Once the plan was executed, the leading spinning fish would realize something was off and immediately return to assist. Husky and Yangtua were to follow closely, attacking wherever the leading fish struck, thereby buying time for the other small battles. Ultimately, they would kill the other four spinning fish before uniting to take down the leading fish.
In short, this was a seemingly simple battlefield division plan, but it required everyone to match their actions as precisely as possible; otherwise, with the speed of the spinning fish, reinforcement wouldn’t take long. If they failed to eliminate them individually before they regrouped, it would lead to significant trouble.
However, there was a major oversight in the plan!
At the most critical moment, Husky and Yangtua had disappeared!
This left Jie Kui and Shikangbu only able to kill one juvenile spinning fish before facing the wrath of the leading fish returning.
If it weren't for Qiu Qiu noticing Ye Zhongming's distressed signal and coming to help, Ye Zhongming might have been doomed. Even so, Shikangbu had just been hit and was now floating on the surface of the sea, unable to move or know if he was alive or dead.
The leading fish, along with a juvenile spinning fish and another adult spinning fish that had managed to escape thanks to Qiu Qiu's assistance, had regrouped.
On the other side, Ye Zhongming faced the remaining adult fish with a significant advantage but hadn’t finished the kill yet. He still needed a bit more time, and if help came at this moment, it would be a major loss, as it would mean the plan had failed completely. After all the effort, they would only have killed one juvenile and would have to face an almost complete school of spinning fish without three of their combatants. It would be impossible to kill them, let alone escape.
What was initially a battle with a high probability of victory had suddenly become incredibly passive and dangerous due to the sudden disappearance of Husky and Yangtua. Jie Kui felt extremely frustrated.
He also knew that his priority now was to hold off the leading fish and the other three fish with Qiu Qiu, allowing Ye Zhongming to finish off the adult fish. If they managed to regroup, it would mean total failure.
Jie Kui patted Qiu Qiu and leaped down from the air, his hands glowing as he pushed two beams of energy into the sea.
Direct combat was not his forte, but now he couldn't concern himself with anything else. Even this energy-consuming ability had to be used, not aiming to kill but to temporarily delay them here and buy time for Ye Zhongming.
Then, Jie Kui’s body crashed into the sea, his weapon reappearing in his hand, slashing at the juvenile spinning fish.
This could be considered a strategy; only this way could he keep both adult spinning fish from leaving, forced to support their now weaker offspring.
The leading fish hadn’t made a move yet when the adult spinning fish charged at him. Its body spun rapidly, its head and body creating a vortex around it. This vortex had a strong suction; anyone within its range found it difficult to escape.
Shikangbu had just been hit because he was unaware of this suction. By the time the leading fish's massive water vortex approached, he realized it was too late.
At this moment, Jie Kui could still evade.