Chapter 39: Xu Yan, Are You Having a Hard Time These Days?
Chapter 39: Xu Yan, Are You Having a Hard Time These Days?
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No. 7 Middle School's Desperate Struggle
Inside a Level 7 disaster beast colony,
The No. 7 Middle School team was struggling alone.
Their original ally, No. 34 Middle School, had abandoned them days ago.
Why?
Because No. 16 Middle School had been relentlessly targeting them.
No. 34 Middle School wasn't stupid—
They knew that as long as they stayed with No. 7,
No. 16 Middle School would steal every single one of their bosses.
So they ran.
At least this way, they had a chance to develop independently.
They had no sympathy for No. 7 Middle School.
"It's not our fault you guys pissed off No. 16."
"We don't want to get dragged down with you."
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A New Strategy: Playing It Safe
Now, with no allies and no good equipment,
No. 7 Middle School was forced to fight cautiously.
They had already cleared out the smaller mobs,
And their boss was half-dead.
But—
They didn't dare use their skills.
Only basic attacks.
Because in the past few days,
Every single time they used skills, No. 16 Middle School appeared out of nowhere and stole the kill.
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Tension and Desperation
"We shouldn't have to be this paranoid."
"This time, we took a long, winding route and faked a few battles to throw them off. We should have lost them, right?"
"I hope so. Before starting this fight, I even used an AOE skill sweep to check for hidden enemies—nothing hit."
"This time, No. 16 must have finally left us alone."
One of the angry teammates glared at their captain.
"This is YOUR fault! Why did you have to talk trash to No. 16? Why steal a few of THEIR bosses?!"
"Now, because of you, we've been suffering this entire time!"
The captain sighed.
"How was I supposed to know they were so PETTY?"
"Dude, we're literally ONE day away from Phase 2."
"Every other team has farmed proper gear, and we're out here wearing scraps!"
"We're going to be DEAD LAST."
The team fell silent.
They all knew it was true.
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Xu Yan's Sudden Arrival
Just then—
Four people suddenly appeared.
The No. 7 team flinched in terror.
They thought No. 16 Middle School had come to ruin their lives again.
But after realizing that it wasn't Zhou Min's squad,
They exhaled in relief.
Their captain stepped forward, raising his hands in a peace offering.
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A Plea for Mercy
"Brothers, listen—"
"We found this disaster beast colony first."
"Look, we've already weakened the boss."
"Can you please let us have this one? We've lost too many bosses already."
"We'll owe you one. No. 7 Middle School won't forget this favor."
The captain waited anxiously for their response.
But Xu Yan ignored him completely.
Instead—
He removed his disguise and shouted—
"Zhou Min?"
"Zhou Min, are you there?"
"We came to see you!"
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The Fear Returns
The moment the name "Zhou Min" was spoken—
The No. 7 Middle School team felt their souls leave their bodies.
For a brief moment,
They felt relieved—
No. 16 Middle School wasn't here!
But then—
The air shimmered…
And suddenly, all members of No. 16 Middle School materialized right beside them.
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Instant Despair
The No. 7 team froze in horror.
The cold realization set in—
No. 16 Middle School had been watching them THE ENTIRE TIME.
The captain's mind collapsed.
"TODAY IS THE LAST DAY OF PHASE 1!"
"WHY ARE YOU STILL TORTURING US?!"
"DO YOU HAVE NOTHING BETTER TO DO?!"
"DO YOU REALLY WANT TO HUNT US UNTIL THE FINAL SECOND?!"
Zhou Min, however, wasn't interested this time.
She simply waved them off.
"My allies are here. I don't have time for you today."
"Consider this your lucky day."
The No. 7 team stood frozen in shock.
It took them a full ten seconds to process what just happened.
And when they finally did—
Some of them almost cried in relief.
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A Private Meeting with Xu Yan
As Xu Yan's team walked with Zhou Min's group,
She glanced at them curiously.
She had assumed they were barely surviving.
But—
They were all still here.
They had made it through the most brutal training camp yet.
Even though they were still wearing basic gear,
They had somehow survived.
"How did they even make it this far?"
No equipment.
No combat skills.
Just four life-class professionals.
Yet they had made it all the way to Phase 2.
It was beyond logic.
Even though she couldn't understand how,
It was good news.
With No. 8 Middle School intact,
They would serve as a great distraction in Phase 2.
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The Equipment Exchange
After a brief chat,
Zhou Min waved to her teammates.
They brought out piles of Excellent-tier gear.
She grinned at Xu Yan.
"Take it."
"Xu Yan, you've had it rough, haven't you?"
"Pick whatever you need."
"We've got a lot of Excellent-tier gear."
"You're our allies, after all. Even if we haven't fought side by side yet, we take care of our own."
She picked up a round shield.
"Your team doesn't have a tank."
"This shield is one of our best pieces."
"+50 to all attributes."
"20% chance to block 500 damage."
"It's rare even among Excellent-tier gear."
"But we're willing to sacrifice it for you."
Zhou Min smiled,
Waiting for No. 8 Middle School to react with gratitude and amazement.
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Gao Yang Can't Hold It In
But instead—
No one reacted.
No shock.
No excitement.
Not even a thankful expression.
Even worse—
Gao Yang's mouth twitched slightly.
His lips trembled…
As if he was suppressing laughter.
Zhou Min frowned.
"Why is this chef smiling?"
"What's so funny?"
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Xu Yan's Response
Xu Yan felt genuinely touched by their generosity.
But at the same time—
He felt guilty.
So, after a long pause,
He awkwardly replied—
"Thank you."
Then, he cleared his throat and added—
"Actually, we have some extra gear too."
"Fatty, bring out our spares."
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To Be Continued…