Chapter 74 - 239 vs 5
The scene suddenly fell into complete silence.
The corners of Wang Mian's mouth twitched violently under his mask. Rose's fists clenched, and the faces of the instructors present were all intense with emotion!
Only the new recruits stood there in a daze, some completely confused.
Is this kneeling? Is this what's happening? No way…
What is he doing?
They may have guessed what had just happened, but they were too afraid to think it through. They were trying hard to find a rational explanation for what they had just witnessed…
Come on, this is [Mask], how could they make such a rookie mistake?!
Everyone's gaze turned to the figure in the center of the stage.
The figure knelt, spending a second to accept the reality, hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his hands…
He cupped his hands toward the new recruits.
"Mask Squad's Vortex, wishing everyone a Happy New Year in advance!"
With that, he sprang up, standing proudly and pretending as if nothing had happened.
Lin QiYe:…
Bai Li Pang Pang thought for a moment, then seriously leaned in to whisper in Lin QiYe's ear, "QiYe, do you think... maybe the instructors were on a tight budget and couldn't hire the real [Mask] Squad, so they got a cheap imitation instead?"
"…I don't think so." Lin QiYe's gaze was fixed on Wang Mian at the front of the group, his expression growing serious.
Lin QiYe could feel it. The man on stage exuded a faint but distinct aura of divine power.
Others might not notice it, but Lin QiYe could.
Because they were all divine agents.
At the same time, Wang Mian on stage seemed to notice Lin QiYe's presence as well. Their eyes met for a brief moment.
After a pause, Wang Mian shifted his gaze away and slowly spoke the lines from earlier.
"We are the [Mask] Special Squad."
A cold gasp spread through the crowd!
Yuan Gang's lips curved slightly as his voice echoed again in the training field.
"Since you're not convinced, I'll give you a chance. A chance to truly see your place, a chance to confront real top-tier talent!"
"It's now 2:30 PM. Before 9 PM tonight, all 239 of you new recruits, no matter what method, if you manage to tear off the mask of anyone from the [Mask] Squad, you win!"
"If you win, that proves you are truly impressive, and we won't need this year of training. I'll apply for your graduation tomorrow!"
"But if by 9 PM no one succeeds, then all your ridiculous pride and arrogance better be flushed down the toilet! Whatever requirements we give during training, you must comply!!"
"Understood?!"
Upon hearing Yuan Gang's words, the new recruits immediately burst into an uproar!
Quickly, someone protested: "This isn't fair! They're basically all strong experts from the Chuanjing or Haijing realms, and we're all at the Lantern realm, how can we fight them?"
"In this battle, the [Mask] Squad will suppress their cultivation to the Lantern realm!"
"Under the same realm, 239 versus 7!"
"You all… afraid?!"
The whole place erupted!
Everyone was at the Lantern realm, so there was no fundamental strength difference. It would all come down to tactical cooperation, strategy, and combat skills. Even if the members of [Mask] Squad were seasoned veterans, there were still 239 of them!
They could just overwhelm them, right?!
The new recruits' breaths grew quicker!
With that huge gap in numbers, there was no reason they would lose!
If they won… they would not only skip the year of training but also boost their own reputation!
"Alright!!"
"I agree!"
"Deal!!"
The atmosphere among the new recruits was immediately fired up. Their eyes were fixed on the seven figures in gray on the stage, their gazes burning.
Seemingly sensing their fervent fighting spirit, Wang Mian narrowed his eyes and spoke coldly.
"To deal with you… we don't even need seven people."
"We only need five to crush all of you!"
At this, the recruits' emotions were again ignited, and they fiercely responded to Wang Mian's provocation, turning the scene into chaos.
"Aren't they being arrogant?" Bai Li Pang Pang asked in surprise.
"They're not being arrogant. Quite the opposite, they're playing it safe." Lin QiYe shook his head.
Bai Li Pang Pang blinked, "Only sending five people to crush all of us, isn't that arrogant?"
"The rules of the battle are that if anyone tears off the mask of any member, we win. So, the more people they send, the higher the chance of losing," Lin QiYe explained, seeing that Bai Li Pang Pang still didn't quite understand.
"A squad of seven people each has their strengths and weaknesses. If one of those weaknesses is exposed, it becomes a major vulnerability under the collective assault of 239 people. But if they leave the weak links off the field from the start, they won't face that problem."
"You mean… they're worried about certain members not being good at fighting, so they've decided to leave them off the field? That way, they won't have any weaknesses?"
"Exactly."
"So, in a way, they're afraid of us? We might have a chance of winning?"
"Not necessarily." Lin QiYe glanced over the excited crowd and said calmly, "Although we have the numerical advantage, we're just a bunch of disorganized rabble. In this situation, the numbers will actually be our disadvantage."
"[Mask] Squad's five members are like a sharp blade, while our 239 recruits are nothing but scattered sand."
"…Alright…" Bai Li Pang Pang sighed.
"Whether we can win against [Mask] Squad doesn't depend on how many people we have… it depends on how many smart people we have." Lin QiYe's gaze swept over the new recruits around them.
Yuan Gang's voice rang out again, his eyes scanning over the group as he continued.
"You'll have the next seven hours. Don't worry about damaging any facilities or buildings. No matter what chaos you cause here, we'll restore it all…"
"Now… let me see what you can do."
After Yuan Gang finished speaking, he turned with the instructors and left.
"Stick to the original plan. I, Vortex, Rose, Tianping, Yuegui, and five others will go up. You guys rest for now." Wang Mian turned and spoke briefly to the other two members. They followed the instructors and left.
Soon, only the 239 recruits and the five members of [Mask] Squad were left in the field.
The atmosphere grew tense.
All the new recruits looked at the five masked figures on stage with ill intentions. Someone from the crowd raised his hand and asked, "When can we start?"
Tianping smiled slightly, raised a finger, and pointed toward the crowd.
The next moment, the person who had spoken was struck in the chest by an invisible force, spitting out a mouthful of blood before flying backward!
Amid the chaos, Wang Mian's cold voice echoed.
"Wasn't it clear enough when the instructor spoke earlier?"
"From 2 PM to 9 PM. That means…"
"It has already begun."