Chapter 136: Dormitory Friendship League
However, at this point, even if everyone finally understood the game's formula, they lacked the courage to step forward again.
Capturing the small mutant faces on the dormitory building's outer walls might seem easy, but a closer look reveals that actually putting them into action presents a significant barrier to entry—it requires either the relevant abilities or the necessary tools.
For example, a dormitory with melee range limited to the balcony wouldn't be able to attack the face monsters at range. In the end, the gains might not even outweigh the sanity lost to the mutated elves. Trying so hard is useless; it's better to quit as soon as possible.
In the final minutes of the elf-capturing round, many exhausted students had essentially reclined, silently watching the impressive displays of skill from a few dormitories.
The shield girl, who had unleashed a wave of destruction from the outset, took the principle of "fighting violence with violence" to its extreme. Her shield shadow charged into the swarm of mutant faces, slaughtering them without regard for whether she could retrieve the elves or not, she simply killed them first.
Yue Qiong's attacks were as cold and brutal as ever. This was the first time the students witnessed his movements in action. A serpentine black mist emerged from his palms like a ghost, hissing and spitting out its venom as it snared its prey, finally snaking and slithering back like a true venomous snake. The faces, drained of all blood and moisture, crumbled to dust upon contact with the ground, leaving even their cloaks unrecognizable.
The black-haired healer's actions were even more outrageous. Unreadable markings fluttered onto Guo Liang and the others, disappearing before they began to swiftly mutilate themselves... Self-mutilation?
With each wound, a flash of white light emanated from the pile of faces, and blood splattered. Once the incapacitated mutant elves were reeled back in, the wounds mysteriously vanished.
What was this? Thorn Armor with an upgraded version of scamming people?
In comparison, Dormitory 606's capture method was surprisingly unpretentious. They simply threw props to snatch a face, then were knocked unconscious by a toilet plunger. If that wasn't enough, Zheng Wanqing would follow with a punch. Guo Guo, clutching her cloak, followed closely behind to collect the points. It was as if a whole, clearly defined production line had been formed in a remarkably short time. In the final minutes, they forcibly inflated the cloak, inflating it like air, ever larger and larger—
"Hey, do you remember how strong the wind was just now outside?"
—One of the students suddenly asked, staring out the window with a flicker of confusion.
Just then, an invisible air current swept across, creating a wave across the pile of blue faces covering the building's exterior. It was like a strong wind blowing across a wrinkled, aged face. The wind had passed, but the remaining ripples still swirled, only to be pushed away by a stronger current.
The wind was growing stronger.
"Xinjue..."
606 noticed this too. Zhang You hesitated as Tang Xinjue shook her head.
There was one minute and thirty seconds left before the capture deadline, and they needed two more elves.
What awaited them in the next round? Tang Xinjue had no idea. They couldn't change the traps and pits they had already set, so they could only do their best to seize the current target.
...
One minute countdown.
The wind outside was growing stronger.
Hiding in the dormitory, it wasn't noticeable, but standing on the balcony, it felt as if even their skin would be torn by the surging air currents. The whistling wind grew sharper, and Guo Guo, caught off guard while trying to capture an Elf Ball, received a shallow cut on her shoulder.
Guo Guo's first reaction wasn't pain, but fear that the smell of blood would attract the human faces' attack.
But the largest mutant face, pressed against the balcony, remained unmoved. It continued to erode the guardrail relentlessly, like a tool imbued with a single command, tirelessly repeating the same movements. Its frozen expression only made it even more eerie.
Zhang You didn't know what the giant mutant face's purpose was in invading the balcony, but she knew that if it succeeded, it would be bad news.
The balcony's integrity was in her hands; not an inch could be lost.
The final thirty seconds.
Even the small faces possessed a basic ability to avoid danger and avoid danger. After being repeatedly captured in the same direction, the group began to disperse, revealing the walls, which had been gnawed and pitted.
But the most serious damage, even to the walls, was to the dormitories' balconies. Wherever the giant faces had invaded, the railings had been corroded to the point of disappearing completely, and the flooring was in tatters. Some of the faces had even spread to the floor-to-ceiling windows, slowly gnawing at the glass.
No… the balcony windows couldn't be damaged. They couldn't get in!
The candidates' hearts leaped to their throats, holding their breath and praying that the capture session would end quickly and the mutant elves would vanish.
"Two left,"
Yue Qiong said expressionlessly, straightening up. He plucked the mask off his nose and snapped it back.
"Forget it."
It was too late.
"The last one!"
Guo Liang, sweat dripping from his forehead, stared at the last target face with gritted teeth.
"—Enough."
On the balcony of 606, Tang Xinjue clenched her cloak tightly. The wound that had opened up due to the violent movement instantly oozed blood, flowing down her arm and onto her cloak.
The last mutant elf, caught!
They met the requirement of 13. The four members of 606 instantly lost their strength, the exhaustion from the extreme tension and exertion washing over them. If the competition wasn't over yet, they would have wanted to collapse into bed and sleep.
But no.
No rest just yet... Tang Xinjue tied her cloak tightly, removed the bandage from her shoulder, and just as she covered the wound with a new bandage, the crisp competition notification sounded:
[Ding! Elf Capture Ended!]
[Congratulations! On this auspicious elves drop day, you've successfully captured a total of 13 adorable elves and received a lucky gift from the Elves House!]
With the mechanical notification sound, all the moving faces outside the balcony vanished simultaneously, evaporating into thin air. Only the unrepaired scars on the balcony served as a reminder of the mutant faces' former existence.
The mechanical voice paused, then continued:
[Good times always come to an end, and so does the joyful Dormitory Friendship League. In the blink of an eye, it's time for a reluctant farewell. Congratulations on surviving the numerous missions to the end. According to the competition statistics, the winning team of this Friendship League is: — Good students!]
The air was silent for half a second, then a low cheer suddenly erupted, filled with restrained joy.
— Both for the hard-earned victory and for the game finally being over.
"Classmate, the game is almost over, and I don't even know your name. As a loser, this humble request isn't too much to ask."
Looking at the dormitory building immersed in joy, Yue Qiong suddenly spoke, calling out to the shield girl who was about to return to her dorm.
The shield girl frowned at him, her eyes full of distrust.
"Don't be so hostile."
Yue Qiong shrugged, a faint smile appearing behind his mask. "The camp is just the result of a random assignment in the game. Now that the game is over, we are no longer enemies. Maybe we will team up and become teammates in the future. It's better to have one more friend than one more enemy, right?"
The shield girl looked at him for a second: "If I have to be a teammate with someone like you, then I would rather have no teammates."
After that, she turned around and was about to go into the house, but her footsteps suddenly stopped and her brows furrowed.
Yue Qiong smiled, "What? A change of heart?"
The girl slowly turned around. "Someone asked me to ask you, the informant camp failed, but you don't look upset. Why?"
This time, a genuine smile spread in the boy's eyes. "If you really want to ask me, just talk directly. Why bother asking someone else to relay it?
"But I think, with your abilities, you can guess the reason even if I don't tell you."
Yue Qiong raised his head, gazing into the void above him. His voice was tinged with laughter. "Let's not talk about that for now—you stripped my dorm room bare, and I still don't know your names or identities. Isn't that unfair?"
Meanwhile, Tang Xinjue ignored him. She simply reminded the shield girl,
"Don't reveal your name. He probably has another skill that allows him to curse others based on their names and other information."
Yue Qiong: "..."
His smile faltered. "Do you think I'm such a petty person?"
Tang Xinjue: "It's hard for humans to measure your generosity."
As she finished speaking, a chuckle emanated from the mental link. It was the shield girl who couldn't help but let out a laugh.
Before Yue Qiong could react, her fleeting smile vanished. The shield girl, coldly lifting her cloak, suddenly spoke before opening the dormitory door.
Tang Xinjue could tell it was a message meant only for her through the mental link.
"My name is Li Jinhan," she said.
The shield girl seemed about to say more, but the sudden surge of wind behind her sent her into a state of alert. She turned warily, only to see Yue Qiong leaning against the railing, his expression uncertain.
"The final stage is here,"
Tang Xinjue said, her voice faster than Li Jinhan's thoughts.
"Everyone, return to your dormitories. Do not come out unless necessary."
The wind seemed to rise from the ground, pounding between the two buildings with a roar, rattling the windows, then soaring into the gray sky before plummeting back down.
Nearing the ground, the candidates on the first floor were as pale as paper. In their exceptionally clear vision, a vast, swirling vortex had emerged from the ground, shrouded in blood-red mist.
From its center, an eye suddenly opened!
[Warning, warning—]
[How could this happen? The Elf House has noticed your capture activities. Someone must have betrayed the students of the University City and secretly informed the Elf House!]
The mechanical prompt remained silent, but the words it spoke were heavy and harsh:
[The Elf House hates students from University City the most. If they capture you, you will be punished horribly... All candidates, please hide in your dormitories and escape the Elf House's wrath under their protection. Be careful not to be discovered!]
"Hehehe..."
As the crimson eye opened from the ground, wisps of black energy, taking shape, seeped into the air, clouding the view outside the balcony and making it difficult to see.
"I've finally caught you! You elf-stealing student, you abominable thief, you shameless robber, you delicious food, you arrogant human..."
The sound of the eyeballs was like nails scratching glass against their ears, its speed increasing, its tone growing more cheerful.
"As your punishment, today three dormitories will be condemned to hell."
"Which will be the first to be punished? This is fate's choice."
The voice stopped, and the black energy surging in the air abruptly ceased. In front of a window where the black energy was thickest, the students inside opened their eyes wide in fear.
"No, I'm in the dormitory. You can't kill me..."
They suddenly realized and ran back. The black energy also condensed into two huge black claws, tearing away the tattered balcony railings and slithering through the broken glass window without any resistance.
"No! No!!!"
Heart-wrenching screams echoed from the dormitory. After a moment, the screams died down, leaving only thick blood flowing through the cracks in the window and merging into the blood mist on the ground.
It was only at this moment that everyone finally understood the purpose of the giant face encroaching on the balcony in the previous round.
The balcony and dormitory window were the two barriers the game provided the students, their only refuge from the "Elf House." When these barriers were breached, the students became lambs to the slaughter.
Although the game prompts had initially warned them about the Elf House, everyone's attention was quickly distracted by the numerous levels that followed. Who could have imagined that in the blink of an eye, everyone's status would be suddenly reversed?
"The second dormitory to be punished is the one I hate the most among all the students who have made mistakes."
It suddenly addressed itself as "I," and the voice of the red eyeball became shrill and high-pitched, and the entire eyeball even soared into the air from the blood mist.
Everyone watched as it soared higher and higher, finally landing outside the balcony of Room 606!
The black energy contracted, and the blood-red eyeball rotated, finally meeting the girl standing in the window, the target of its own punishment.
Only then did Tang Xinjue clearly see that the side of the eyeball was not red, but was composed of black stripes.
The markings on the blood-red eyeballs at this moment looked more like a series of torn smiling faces, laughing hoarsely: "Now, I will tear her into pieces and calm the anger of the Elf House."
The next moment when the black energy surged up, Tang Xinjue's eyes went dark.
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