53: Chapter 53 Different Calculations

The three squads quickly discovered this as well.

"It's working, he can't out-steal us!" someone shouted excitedly.

"We have more people! Focusing fire secures the kills faster!"

"Keep going! Kill all the remaining ones!"

The more they fought, the more excited they became, feeling they had found the solution—as long as they used absolute fire coverage, Qin Ce wouldn't be able to accurately steal the last hit!

Under the frantic output, the number of the fifty-plus Sand Land Poison Scorpions plummeted.

Thirty left...

Seventeen left...

Five left...

When the last scorpion collapsed under the pincer attack of flames and rock spikes, the members of the three squads breathed a sigh of relief almost simultaneously.

They won!

Although Qin Ce had managed to steal a few, they had killed the vast majority!

The mission... they should be the ones to complete it first, right?

They looked down at their team badges.

[Notice: 1-Star Mission · Eradicate Sand Land Poison Scorpions, Teams Completed: 4/6]

[Mission Completed!]

???

Wait?

How did four teams complete it?

...

Silence.

A deathly silence.

The three captains stared blankly at that "4/6," then at their three teams, and finally looked up in unison at the fourth party in the air.

Qin Ce hung there, the moonlight outlining the silhouettes of him and the Blue Luan.

On his wrist, his team badge glowed faintly.

Mission Progress: [30/30]

Completed!

...

When?

They clearly... they clearly got the majority of the kills!

Then, they suddenly realized that their mission required thirty poison sacs.

But Qin Ce's mission also required thirty poison sacs.

This mission was different from the Shadow Monkey one; it wasn't about the kill count, the important thing was obtaining the poison sacs.

Furthermore, there were only four teams on the scene, which didn't exceed the maximum limit of six teams for completion anyway.

At this point, the total number of poison sacs from the slain scorpions was enough for all the squads present.

They only then realized that from the beginning, Qin Ce never intended to steal "the majority."

He only needed everyone to complete "enough of the mission quota."

And they, driven by anger and competitiveness, had exerted all their strength to kill every single scorpion—

Then, once the number of kills satisfied their mission requirements, the remaining surplus poison sacs were automatically allocated to Qin Ce.

If they didn't want to help, they could have stopped and left.

But trapped in their inertia of thought, they only remembered to intensify their attacks; how could they possibly stop?

So, Qin Ce didn't need to put in much effort at all to complete his mission.

This was a complete masterclass in psychological manipulation.

Just like the people at the Shadow Monkey area, they had all been played like fiddles by Qin Ce.

Qin Ce looked down at the three faces filled with bewilderment and shook his head slightly.

Then, the Blue Luan flapped its wings, soared into the sky, and disappeared into the night toward the southeast.

Mission complete, time to go back and sleep!

...

Late that night, as the various squads dragged their exhausted bodies and resentment back to the Elite Class station, a piece of news spread like a plague:

Qin Ce completed the Shadow Monkey mission with the help of six squads.

Qin Ce completed the Sand Scorpion mission with three squads acting as his tools.

Meanwhile, Qin Ce himself had already returned early to sleep.

In the cafeteria, several squad captains who had just returned gathered together, their expressions each uglier than the last.

"We were played for fools by him," Zhao Rui gritted his teeth. "He doesn't care at all if we steal the mobs; what he cares about is us helping him kill them."

"Now the 'First-Hand Principle' is completely ruined," the Mountain Squad Captain said with a bitter smile. "From now on, whenever we share a mission with Qin Ce, we'll have to be on edge—who knows if he'll pull another 'mob-kiting' stunt?"

"And he deliberately taunted us by saying he'd take the next mission..." the Shadow Squad Captain whispered. "This is a trap. Whether we take it or not, we lose."

A cloud of gloom hung over them.

Just then, the light at the cafeteria entrance dimmed.

A slender and tall figure walked in.

Silver hair like snow, eyes like stars, wearing a simple white training uniform with a shimmering Starlight badge on her chest.

Jiang Ruowei.

The entire room instantly fell silent.

Everyone looked at her—the undisputed number one of the Elite Class, top of the total points leaderboard, and daughter of the City Lord.

Jiang Ruowei walked to the meal window, ordered a simple late-night snack, and then carried her tray to an empty corner table under everyone's gaze.

She ate slowly and methodically with elegant movements, as if she didn't notice the complex looks around her at all.

But only she knew that she had been listening.

Listening to those captains' low complaints, their descriptions of Qin Ce's methods, and the helplessness and fear in their words.

When she heard how Qin Ce used "mob-kiting" tactics to force everyone to act, and how he used precise kill-stealing to counter them, the hand holding her spoon paused slightly.

Then, she continued eating, but deep in her eyes, a very faint trace of surprise and... appreciation flashed.

She had originally thought that facing such collective targeting, Qin Ce's only choice would be to seek allies—like her Starlight Squad.

She had even prepared herself to be approached.

But she hadn't expected Qin Ce to choose another path.

A path that was riskier, more ruthless, and also more... brilliant.

Turning clouds into rain with a flip of his hand.

By his own power alone, he had completely disrupted the rules and unspoken norms of the entire Elite Class.

He even exploited people's mental inertia to turn both groups into his tools.

"Qin Ce..." Jiang Ruowei whispered the name, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly.

She picked up her soup bowl and took a gentle sip.

The soup was delicious, and the temperature was just right.

And the night outside the window seemed to have become less dull because of a certain someone's existence.

At the other end of the cafeteria, the squad captains looked at each other, eventually letting out long sighs.

They knew that from today on, the rules of the game in the Elite Class had been completely rewritten.

And the person who rewrote the rules was currently fast asleep, perfectly content.

...

The next day.

On the bulletin board at the entrance of the Elite Class cafeteria, a notice had mysteriously appeared.

The notice had no flowery language, only a line of handwriting so concise it was almost cold:

[Thunder Squad (No. 03) · Qin Ce · Today's Mission]

- 1-Star: Clear the Snake Den

Signed: Qin Ce.

This morning, this notice was like a stone thrown into a pond, stirring up huge waves.

"What does he mean? Is this a show of force?!"

"Publicly announcing his mission choice... this is a provocation!"

"Who gave him the nerve?!"

Several hot-tempered squad captains who hadn't experienced Qin Ce's suppression wanted to tear down the board on the spot, but were held back tightly by their companions.

"Don't be impulsive! Have you forgotten how he played the Gale Squad and the others to death?"

"But this is just too arrogant!"

"Arrogant? ...Then you need the skill to deal with that arrogance."

Amidst the arguing, someone sneered: "Isn't he just a solo team? I don't believe it. You guys were stupid, but do you think we're just as stupid? I'll take the same mission, and I'll see how he tries to mess with me!"

This proposal was echoed by many.

Thus, one squad after another—those who hadn't been targeted by Qin Ce before or were still unconvinced and thought they had a way to deal with him—held their breath and took the same mission Qin Ce had posted: Clearing the Snake Den.

They skipped breakfast and set off early, arriving early to begin the clearance ahead of time.

...