Chapter 136: The Trap

Yuan Ying’s sudden unleashing of such a powerful technique caught not only the opposing players off guard but even Liu Zong and his companions. However, having prepared for every contingency, they reacted faster than their adversaries.

Xu Ying and Liu Zong, both wielding heavy weapons, charged toward the portal. Their pace was only slightly slower than the collapsing glacier, and they reached the entrance just as the ice sent the opposing players and Adala insectoids flying.

By then, few players were left standing, and Liu Zong and his team were on the verge of entering the portal.

At that moment, a voice rang out from behind them: "Don't let them escape!"

Liu Zong glanced back and saw Le Congyang and another player leading their subordinates in pursuit. It was clear, however, that Le Congyang could not fully control his forces; some players had already abandoned the chase to engage in skirmishes with others. Meanwhile, the Adala insectoid guards seemed to be intentionally slowing their pace, showing no urgency to hunt down Liu Zong and his group.

A single look back gave Liu Zong a sudden, ominous feeling that something was wrong—something he had overlooked.

At that moment, Xu Ying cleared away the few players blocking the portal and pushed Yuan Ying inside. He shouted to Liu Zong, who had involuntarily slowed his pace, "Don't stop! We need to leave now!"

Urgency surged through Liu Zong, and he quickened his stride. Yet, as he neared the portal, a sudden realization struck him. "Wait! Liu Gu hasn't appeared yet. This is a trap."

Before Liu Zong could fully grasp the situation or warn Xu Ying, the ground shook violently. A powerful force of impact surged forward, hurling him into the portal.

A flash of white light blinded him, and as his vision cleared, he realized he had not returned to the school grounds. Instead, he found himself in a dark, enclosed space roughly the size of a soccer field. Directly across from him stood a blue exit portal.

Standing before that exit was Liu Gu.

Catching sight of Liu Zong from across the field, Liu Gu smirked triumphantly. "If it isn't Liu Zong. Didn't you act so smug before? Refusing to join the war, claiming you’d reach Level 1 within a month? Now look at you, standing right before me."

Liu Gu’s expression grew manic. "Let me tell you, this is the price for crossing me. Don't think having a name makes you special. If you don't hand over your missions to me, I'll make sure you never reach Level 1. And your missions won't be yours for long—once they reach me, everything you have belongs to me. I am the hero of this school."

As Liu Gu ranted, he failed to notice that Liu Zong had already tightened his grip on his spear and begun to accelerate.

Liu Gu was no fool; he knew he was the linchpin of this battle. Seeing Liu Zong charge, he stopped his taunts but didn't stop trying to crush him. He snapped his fingers, and iron chains of varying thickness erupted from the ground, lashing out like tentacles from all directions to ensnare Liu Zong.

Simultaneously, over a dozen players appeared in front of Liu Gu. Their equipment clearly marked them as Level 1 combatants.

"Look at this," Liu Gu boasted, satisfied with his setup. "This is my domain. No matter how skilled you are, you can't escape my grasp. If you want to kill me, you'll have to reach me first."

Liu Zong remained silent, his eyes dead and vacant, yet his speed increased with every passing second. He anticipated the appearance of every chain, leaping higher and higher as he used them as stepping stones. His spear remained slung behind his back, but its tip hummed with vibration, gathering a vortex of wind and sand.

At the same time, Liu Zong’s "Ghost Loli" charged toward the players, carrying her giant bear. As she dashed, the chains connecting her to the bear snapped and fell to the ground. She tossed the bear into the crowd; mid-air, it began to grow, swelling to the height of a two-story building by the time it slammed into the earth. One player, too slow to dodge, was crushed instantly.

Seizing the opportunity, the Ghost Loli leaped onto the bear's back and drove her hands into its hide. The bear let out a thunderous roar, a hatch opened on its back, and it swallowed her whole.

Once fused, the bear grew even larger, standing twelve meters tall, its massive claws gleaming with cold, metallic light.

Liu Zong, having leaped to a height of seven or eight meters using the thrashing chains, landed on the bear's back. With a sudden spring, he vaulted off, raising his spear—now surging with sand and gale-force winds—and struck downward.

The power of this blow was no less than Yuan Ying’s earlier attack; it felt as if a sandstorm were engulfing everything in its path, devouring all. Simultaneously, the bear rose up and slammed its claws down toward the two most heavily armored players.

Though they were Level 1, they were terrified by the sheer force Liu Zong displayed. By the time they reacted, the spear was already descending upon them like a crushing weight. The resulting sandstorm swept three players away; another was blown back by the gale, and the two beneath the bear were torn to shreds.

Without pausing to pursue the survivors, Liu Zong lunged forward, his spear trailing sand as he thrust it directly toward Liu Gu.

Though half a field still separated them, Liu Gu felt the undeniable sensation of being locked in the spear's sights. The chains he had deployed were useless; the giant bear was drawing all their attention, tearing through the remaining combatants. It was clear those players were no match for the beast and could not reach Liu Gu in time.

In the logic of the game, half a soccer field was a distance that could be covered in three to five seconds—hardly enough time for Liu Zong to even adjust his aim.

But as Liu Zong reached him, Liu Gu showed no fear. Instead, a confident smile spread across his face. A single palm appeared in front of Liu Zong, blocking the devastating strike.