Chapter 1260: 405. Spend more and grind more
Noland Lee was both the planner of this battle and a being capable of observing the whole situation from an outsider’s perspective. noveldrama
The “Heart of Magic” retained his sensitivity to the surrounding environment.
Even though his vision was obscured by the White Fog created by the contact between the Frost Armor and the flames, he could still clearly sense every detail on the battlefield.
He could confirm that the player who often drank Bitter Gourd Juice had intentionally harmed teammates with High Energy Explosive Bundles.
The purpose was nothing more than to exploit the game mechanism where death in the game leads to respawning in the Safe Zone, in order to leave the current instance area cut off from external contact.
Looking deeper, there was definitely some shady dealings hidden behind this.
...
Either this player who often drank Bitter Gourd Juice had ulterior motives, intending to sell the clues of the Expansion Plot’s storyline at a high price,
or he was a spy for another player organization.
Either way, Noland had no intention of showing any leniency.
Only players with sufficient willpower and a firm stance could enjoy the subsequent Task Rewards.
And only players like these could Noland confidently command to attack the Main Camp of the Metal Creation Group.
Otherwise, as a boss-level character in the game, having to guard against betrayal by players at every turn would be exhausting.
Noland squinted as he observed the battlefield, noticing the plastic Foam that sealed the Cabin Door.
Its appearance had stabilized the situation somewhat.
However, to Noland’s surprise, the plastic Foam performed well in restricting the movements of the Wild Bone Undead.
Upon sealing the Cabin Door, the Star Thief Engineer found a shooting port and inclined the Bullets outward.
After firing the last Magazine in a panic, he swept the Wild Bone Undead with the Foam gun.
A scene that thrilled both players and the Star Thieves unfolded!
The plastic Foam actually stuck firmly to the monsters, and no matter how they rolled, they couldn’t break free.
Furthermore, once the plastic Foam hardened, the monsters were immobilized as if they had been sealed.
After one monster was trapped, it took two others working together to scrape off the Foam before they could free their comrade.
This undoubtedly could greatly delay the enemy’s offensive rhythm.
Seeing dozens of monsters sealed by the plastic Foam and unable to move, the players couldn’t help but cheer.
They saw hope for completing the task!
“Oh~~ this Foam gun is kickass! I’m getting one for myself when we get back!”
“Me too!”
Unfortunately, the good times didn’t last.
The Star Thief Engineer only carried five Foam cans, which were swiftly depleted.
Once all the monsters regained movement, the players were once again surrounded.
“Hold on! Only half a minute left!!”
Cucumber Slices roared and charged toward the shuddering plastic Cabin Door:
“Someone help me hold the door! Just keep the monsters out, and we’ve won!”
Three players squeezed next to the door, using their bodies covered in Power Armor to firmly withstand the violent shaking of the door.
“Ssshh, ssshh…”
The Bone Knife of the Wild Bone Undead protruded through the crack in the door, nearly piercing the Glass visor of a small player, provoking screams from those behind the door.
“Damn it! Push harder! My head was almost impaled!”
“Push! Hold the door!”
“Bang bang bang——”
“Ssshh ssshh…”
time trickled by slowly, and the players never felt half a minute could be so prolonged.
Someone started a countdown, resonating with all the players.
“10! 9! 8!… 3! 2! 1! Time’s up!!”
“We made it through 10 minutes!!”
“Wuhu~~”
Noland sat on the Throne of the High Platform, raised his right hand, and the Wild Bone Undead below stopped, retreating over ten meters away from the Combat Cabin and standing quietly in place.
The Underground Treasure Chamber quieted down from the noise of battle.
The players used the Laser Cutter to cut through the plastic door that blocked their path.
Crisp Cucumber Slices and Sweet Strawberry Juice walked out of the Combat Cabin, faces beaming with smiles.
“Your Excellency, uh…”
As he was about to speak, Cucumber Slices remembered that the NPC’s name wasn’t written on the task interface.
Strawberry Juice picked up the conversation and said to the Skeleton figure on the High Platform:
“Your Excellency, have we completed your trial?”
Just as Noland was about to nod in affirmation, he heard a player inside the Combat Cabin curse aloud:
“[Universally recognized offensive expletive]! Quick, check your friend messages! We’ve been betrayed by that Bitter Gourd Juice bastard!”
Noland subtly raised an eyebrow and held back the words at his lips.
Cucumber Slices and Strawberry Juice’s expressions changed dramatically as they began to check their friend messages.
Only then did they realize that all the players present had received a mass message from Golden Dragon in the Sky.
The gist of the message was that Bitter Gourd Juice had intentionally caused an accident to escape death from the instance and then sold the information about the Expansion Plot to Golden Dragon in the Sky.
Golden Dragon in the Sky was honorable enough not to hide this message for Bitter Gourd Juice, but rather informed all members of the Cucumber Slices Team directly.
His purpose was clear: he wanted to show his sincerity and seek in-depth cooperation with the Cucumber Slices Team, not letting the treacherous act of a petty thief damage the friendship between them.
The players cursed Bitter Gourd Juice for his despicable shamelessness.
Sweet Strawberry Juice was so angry that she stomped her feet.
Cucumber Slices, the Captain, turned ashen with rage, his eyes bulging and fury surging.
This kind of backstabbing by one’s own people would infuriate anyone.