Chapter 425 – Zero Wing is a Little Strong

“What’s going on?”

“Is there something fishy going on with this battle team? Otherwise, why would it only send five people for a city battle?”

“The group leader looks to be the champion of this year’s selection. I heard that Commander Red Frost promoted him to vice commander as soon as he completed his enrollment test.”

“Isn’t Commander Red Frost too reckless?! No matter how highly she thinks of him, it’s not a reason to mess around in a city battle! If we lose, our city will have only three power furnaces’ worth of fuel left! At that time, even keeping the city’s electricity supply running will become a problem!”

…

Star Lake City’s residents were greatly dissatisfied when they saw Shi Feng’s battle group only had five members in it.

A city battle wasn’t just a good opportunity for the Star Lake Legion’s members to earn contribution points. It was also an opportunity to change the fates of Star Lake City’s inhabitants.

Fuel for the power furnace was key to sustaining the city’s operations. Whether it be food, clothing, or housing sectors, all of them required energy to maintain. If the city had less access to fuel, it would have to reduce the coverage of the services it provided.

Meanwhile, out of all the negative effects this would have, the most obvious would be the lowering of the city’s population.

Star Lake City had already suffered two consecutive losses. If it were to lose another city battle, it would be put into an energy crisis and incapable of sustaining its current population.

At that time, the city would have to expel one-fourth of its population, and those expelled would have to live in the surrounding towns with significantly worse living standards and resources. And for those unfortunate enough to be expelled, they would have a much more difficult time improving their mental strength. They might never be able to become one-star mental strength grandmasters within their lifetimes and set foot back into Star Lake City.

…

“Shi Feng’s battle group is doomed, Boss Kirin. I can’t believe they dare to join the city battle with only five people,” a beautiful woman standing among a Tier 5 ace battle group said to Chen Qilin, smirking as she looked at Shi Feng’s group of five. “If the Tier 4 battle groups lose miserably, not even the commander can protect him.”

Standing next to the woman, Chen Qilin looked at Shi Feng’s group and coldly said, “I thought he wouldn’t be participating in the city battle this time, yet he dares to come here with just five people. How are the arrangements on your side coming along, Slowfire?”

“I already contacted the Tier 4 battle groups. Apart from Markless Blade, every other battle group has agreed not to help Zero Wing’s battle group,” the woman going by the name of Slowfire said, smiling. “Once the simulation warfare begins, Zero Wing’s group will learn what it means to be isolated and helpless.”

The key to winning a city battle was having good coordination between battle groups. Participating battle groups needed to figure out how they could occupy the enemy’s capture points while protecting their own.

As capture points would normally only be defended by one battle group, two or three battle groups would usually work together to attack an enemy capture point. This was so that they could achieve a swift victory without worrying about enemy reinforcements. Otherwise, once enemy reinforcements arrived, occupying the capture point would not only become significantly more challenging, but it might even become impossible to accomplish.

If a battle group didn’t have any other battle groups to partner with, it would be nigh impossible to occupy any capture points. Likewise, defending a capture point without reinforcements would also be nigh impossible. So, if Zero Wing’s battle group couldn’t get any help from other battle groups, its time in the city battle would end as soon as it began.

“Good!” Chen Qilin joyfully wrapped his arm around Slowfire’s waist when he heard the other party’s reply. “Once this city battle is over, I’ll be sure to credit you when I report back to the Paimon Conglomerate, and we’ll head to a second-tier city together!”

Originally, Slowfire was only a party leader in the Tier 5 ace battle group he led. However, in terms of combat standards, Slowfire was above him. It was just that Slowfire lacked the support of a corporation, which led to her not having any good weapons or equipment. This, in turn, allowed him to be superior to her in actual combat.

However, now that Red Frost had stripped him of his vice commander position, Slowfire had naturally taken over his position.

Upon hearing Chen Qilin’s words, the other members of the battle group couldn’t help but grow envious of Slowfire. After all, even one-star mental strength grandmasters were rarely able to live in a second-tier city. Not to mention, she would also be entering the sights of the Paimon Conglomerate.

…

Meanwhile, shortly after the arrival of Shi Feng’s group, the start of the city battle’s first round was announced. Going in order, the first round would see the Tier 4 battle groups fight, the second round would see the Tier 5 battle groups fight, and the third round would see the Tier 6 battle groups fight.

As soon as the first round began, ten Tier 4 battle groups from each city appeared in a simulated version of their respective cities. These battle groups were placed at random locations, and their situations were displayed on holographic screens projected above the two cities, allowing the residents of both cities to see what every battle group was doing. In addition to the screens above the two cities, all battles would be holographically simulated in the city, allowing fortunate individuals to get a firsthand feel of the tense and exciting fights.

Meanwhile, after the various battle groups were randomly placed across their respective cities, Shi Feng’s group of five suddenly expanded into a group of ten.

Apart from Shi Feng, Gentle Snow, Hidden Soul, and the Blue Flash World’s Pace Angel and Clay Blade, five new faces had joined Shi Feng’s battle group.

All five of these new faces looked relatively young. Three of them were men, and two were women. Of the three men, one was a shy-looking young man with a lean build, while the other two were so muscular that they looked no different than bears. The older of the two muscular men, in particular, had a height that reached 240 centimeters. Even though Shi Feng was already close to two meters tall, he looked no different than a child in front of the older muscular man.

Unless players were of a special race in God’s Domain, they could only simulate their real bodies in simulation warfare. So, seeing as the older muscular man was of any special race, it must mean that he was truly 240 centimeters tall in the real world.

As for the two women, one had a cold and mature appearance, while the other had an innocent and lovely appearance. In terms of their beauty, figure, and temperament, both women were comparable to Gentle Snow and Hidden Soul.

When these four beauties stood together, they brought satisfaction to the eyes of many of the people spectating the city battle.

“These people don’t look like they’re random nobodies. Every one of them is only equipped with a Fragmented Legendary Set and a Legendary Weapon. Riverlight’s participants are probably going to have a tough time against them,” Slowfire said, frowning. As soon as Zero Wing’s battle group appeared on the holographic screen, she quickly took notice of the five new arrivals’ weapons and equipment.

“It seems Shi Feng does have some tricks up his sleeve,” Chen Qilin said, chuckling. “It’s a pity that these people are only outside reinforcements. Even if these people have excellent weapons and equipment, the sense of delayed control will make it impossible for them to bring out their full strength.”

Although seeking external reinforcements was permitted in city battles, it wasn’t a method the various cities would normally use. This was because such reinforcements would be subjected to a delay when manipulating their simulated bodies. This, in turn, would cause their combat standards to plummet, and even mighty fifth-floor experts would be severely affected.

So, while it might seem like Zero Wing’s battle group had recruited five powerful reinforcements, these five additions were no different than five living targets in reality.

…

Meanwhile, over at the VIP spectator stands, Bloodless Blade spat out the tea in his mouth when he saw the innocent and lovely woman among Zero Wing’s battle group, his face looking like he had just seen some kind of monster.

“This… How is this possible?!”

…

…

TL Notes:

Fyi, Reckless Knight and the other reinforcements from Paimon don’t count as external reinforcements as they are participating directly from Riverlight City.