198: Chapter 198 This is a scheme!

On the other side, Cui Jingming and his group also saw the new prompt.

[Three-Way Melee Mode: Can be activated with the agreement of only two parties. All three parties take the field simultaneously, and the last one remaining wins.]

"A melee?" Cui Jingming stared at the line of text, muttering to himself.

Beside him, Gu Changming saw the prompt, and a glimmer of interest flashed in his eyes.

Interesting.

In a one-on-one, there was no suspense; whichever side was stronger could directly claim the final victory.

But a melee was different.

In history, why was the Three Kingdoms period so captivating? It was precisely because of the mutual checks and balances.

This way, the two weaker sides would definitely join forces to deal with the strongest side.

With mutual alliances and power plays, the level of excitement would be much richer.

Cui Jingming also quickly understood this point.

He looked up and glanced toward Noel's side.

Coincidentally, the other party was also looking over here.

The two locked eyes for half a second across the distance, both reading each other's intentions.

"Once we go up, choose the melee," Cui Jingming said.

The group looked at each other and then nodded one after another; this might be their only chance to turn defeat into victory.

On the other side, Horn's expression turned somewhat unsightly.

He had originally thought they could easily take the victory; he hadn't expected such a variable to appear.

...

Soon, the candidate for the second round was selected.

The one taking the field this time was a man named Ding Xinhu. His strength was only a fraction weaker than Gao Yue's, and he used a pair of gauntlets as his weapon.

After nodding to the group, he stepped forward.

His figure flickered and disappeared from the spot. He didn't land directly on the arena but remained suspended in mid-air.

Everyone looked up, knowing this was the stage for choosing opponents and the coin toss.

Cui Jingming stared at the panel, explaining to the group as he watched: "It's chosen. Both we and the other side chose the melee mode. The energy body over there got the choice..."

Everyone's hearts were still hanging in suspense.

Cui Jingming paused and continued, "Mm, he chose to lower strength."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

However, in the next second, Ding Xinhu's figure flickered and landed on the arena.

But at this moment, Cui Jingming's expression changed slightly, and his tone suddenly shifted: "No, Xinhu's combat power was boosted."

The expressions of the crowd changed.

They knew very well what that represented.

That Star-Gazing Clan member's combat power was inferior to the wolf-eared member of the Beast-Eared Clan, but stronger than their side.

So... their choice was to lower the Beast-Eared Clan member's strength, but Ding Xinhu's strength was boosted instead.

This meant they were the weakest among the three.

The group couldn't help but become worried.

In such a situation, even if they joined forces to deal with that Beast-Eared Clan member, the remaining strength gap...

Everyone understood the situation without needing to think much about it.

...

The battle began.

Just as they had initially planned, Ding Xinhu and the Star-Gazing Clan member glanced at each other and then simultaneously charged toward the wolf-eared man opposite them.

The effect of two against one was obvious.

One on the left and one on the right, their coordination was clumsy, but they had the advantage of numbers.

The wolf-eared man was suppressed, struggling to defend himself, and soon revealed an opening.

Before long, several wounds appeared on the wolf-eared man's body.

The coordination between the two became increasingly seamless.

Ding Xinhu seized an opportunity and slashed his shoulder.

Blood splattered. The wolf-eared man let out a muffled groan and retreated two steps.

The Star-Gazing Clan member took the chance to follow up, condensing energy into a beam that pierced straight toward the opponent's chest.

A mist of blood exploded from the wolf-eared man's chest, and his entire body was sent flying back. With a flash of white light, he was sent off the arena.

The battle ended.

However, in the next second.

Just as that Star-Gazing Clan member landed, he spun around and immediately charged at Ding Xinhu.

Although he had anticipated it, Ding Xinhu was completely unable to withstand it and was entangled by the opponent.

In less than a minute.

A white light flashed again.

Ding Xinhu was sent off the arena, lying on the ground, gasping for breath and covered in blood.

The support staff waiting below immediately rushed up, pouring potion into his mouth and casting Healing Spells on him.

The surrounding atmosphere became even more oppressive.

Two consecutive losses.

Moreover, there seemed to be no solution in sight.

After a while, Ding Xinhu recovered slightly and looked toward them. "What do we do?"

Beside him, Gu Changming also looked over curiously.

He wanted to see what kind of solution Cui Jingming could come up with.

Cui Jingming frowned, thinking again and again. Finally, he looked at the group and said slowly in a lowered voice:

"Next round, we sell out the other side."

The atmosphere sank.

This wasn't exactly a good idea.

Cui Jingming continued: "Stop right when we're about to win, and let the Beast-Eared Clan member over there kill or seriously injure the opponent. Only then will we have a chance."

After he finished, there was silence for a few seconds, but someone still voiced their concern.

"But... this kind of trick can only be used once, right? We'll still lose later on."

Cui Jingming glanced at him and sighed, "Let's win one round first."

It was impossible to just keep working for the other side like this.

After speaking, Cui Jingming scanned the group and asked, "Who's going?"

The crowd was silent for a second.

Then, a female captain stood up.

She was in her twenties, with short hair, a lean build, and a pair of short spikes hanging at her waist.

"I'll do it," she said.

Cui Jingming nodded and instructed: "Do it discreetly, see if you can make it look unintentional."

Zhou Yuxi's expression was also a bit hesitant as she nodded: "I'll try."

...

The third round of battle began.

Luck was on their side.

Zhou Yuxi gained the initiative and lowered the opponent's combat power.

The subsequent development was exactly as they had expected.

The three were entangled in combat. As they fought, Zhou Yuxi "accidentally" left an opening, allowing the Beast-Eared Clan member to break through the defense line.

The opponent seized the opportunity and charged toward the Star-Gazing Clan member.

The Star-Gazing Clan member hurriedly blocked but was caught off guard, and his form was mostly dispersed.

Zhou Yuxi took the opportunity to follow up with a series of combos, sending the wide-open Beast-Eared Clan member down.

At the same time, the heavily injured Star-Gazing Clan member was unable to hold out alone and was soon dealt with by her as well.

A white light flashed.

They had secured their first victory.

However, after the battle ended.

Cui Jingming stood in place without moving, his head lowered, wearing an expression of pondering subsequent strategies.

But he hadn't held this pose for long before Gu Changming reached out and poked him.

"Hey."

Cui Jingming looked up.

Gu Changming jerked his chin toward the right: "The other side is looking over."

Cui Jingming followed his gaze.

Noel was standing on the opposite side, his gaze fixed straight on him. That look made him feel a bit uneasy.

Cui Jingming: "..."

He looked away, pretending to look elsewhere.

He had been found out after all.

Thinking this, he shot Gu Changming a glare. Why did you have to remind me? Couldn't you just let me play ostrich?

Besides, this was all strategy! It was a tactic!

He didn't feel there was anything to be embarrassed about!

...

The battle continued.

But the situation had completely changed.

Because of the backstab in the previous round, the other side was on guard and never let them succeed again.

The game on the field had now reached a new stage.

Their side no longer joined forces as soon as they went up like before.

Instead, they stood to the side and let the other two parties fight first.

The other sides didn't dare to make the first move on them either.

The Beast-Eared Clan was afraid they would join forces with the Star-Gazing Clan and they would suffer.

The Star-Gazing Clan was afraid their side would be eliminated first, leaving them to duel the Beast-Eared Clan alone, which they would surely lose.

Both sides were wary of each other, and no one dared to act rashly.

However, the fisherman's profit was not easy to collect.

In the fourth round, the Beast-Eared Clan still won.

In the fifth round, after a stalemate until the end, the Star-Gazing Clan narrowly won.

In the sixth round, the winner was still the stronger Beast-Eared Clan.

Now, the score had reached three to two to one.

The one time they won was still that third round with the backstab.

Although the outcome wasn't decided by the score, the number of people on their side who could still take the field was already less than five.

And... Cui Jingming looked back behind him.

Those they had sent up before were already their most capable fighters, but they had all met their downfall up there.

Their side was out of people.

Cui Jingming's gaze swept over the crowd, his eyes flickering.

After a few seconds of silence, he spoke up of his own accord:

"Next round, I'm going up."

He was the last trump card of their human race!

This was the final struggle for humanity!