Chapter 219-2: Deceitful Counterplay (2) |
After the deceit tactic appeared, it was like opening Pandora’s box.
Starnet and the Earthmind Evil Spirit simultaneously initiated deceit tactics.
The intensity of deduction and calculation rose significantly.
They needed more detailed analysis of whether the tactics being executed were valid orders or deceitful orders.
The only one unwilling to use deceit tactics was the Swarm hive mind.
It was certain that the Swarm hive mind possessed extremely high intelligence and powerful information processing capabilities.
If it wished, it could completely imitate Starnet and the Earthmind Evil Spirit.
But its innately bloodthirsty nature made it crave the ultimate collision of war more, unwilling to fight in this way.
As the war continued, the Earthmind Evil Spirit on the Evil Eye Tower platform was also searching for the mysterious commander of the player race.
But the mysterious commander of the player race was nowhere to be found.
This was a thorn in the Earthmind Evil Spirit’s throat.
In war, carrying out a decapitation strike against the enemy commander can be a key move that decides victory or defeat.
The reason the three sides could fight in a melee together was that the difference in combat strength was not great enough to flatten in two directions, and each commander was in an absolutely safe position.
But if the gap in combat strength were widened, a decapitation strike would become extremely effective.
Just like when it captured the players’ commander previously, it successfully disrupted the players’ operational rhythm and ended the war confrontation early.
So it had to seize this hidden mysterious commander to avoid interference from various unknown factors and at the very least clarify the opponent’s location.
While commanding the battle, the Earthmind Evil Spirit also observed the facial changes of the player race’s commander on the surface.
But with the lesson from last time, the Earthmind Evil Spirit did not choose to directly capture the surface level commander of the player race.
Elemental perception, environmental observation, facial observation… including whether there were eyes looking at the player race’s surface commander, were also important information in perceptual observation.
The players had mastered an ability of shifting and swapping positions.
Last time when it went to capture, it got badly tricked.
This time it learned its lesson and began screening for the possibility of swaps.
After many exchanges, it discovered an obvious flaw in this displacement ability.
One must perform a rule swap with a target through eye contact. This was also why the front-line units of the player race and the front-line units of the Swarm had to turn around when swapping.
In theory, there existed a possibility that a hidden member of the player race was protecting this surface level commander.
As soon as it used a Void Blink, a trap would be triggered. The surface commander would swap positions with a player carrying explosive weapons, and Void Blink would deliver that player to the Evil Eye Tower.
Therefore, all potential factors had to be eliminated, including the direction of the surface commander’s roaming gaze.
After repeated confirmation by the Evil Eye, ensuring there was no problem, the Earthmind Evil Spirit made its move.
It decided to seize the surface level commander of the player race first.
This commander had a field-control ability similar to Lord’s. He was a very troublesome combat unit on the battlefield.
Decapitating him also met the needs of war.
Without much hesitation, while commanding at high frequency, black mist gathered beside the Earthmind Evil Spirit and generated a Void Blink.
In an instant of thought, the Void Blink disappeared and reappeared behind God King by locking position. Thus it reduced God King’s time to react.
The Void Blink’s tendril extended forward and rested on God King’s shoulder. Startled, God King wanted to release Star Shift to swap but it was too late.
In fact, he had always guarded against the Earthmind Evil Spirit’s decapitation moves.
But the Earthmind Evil Spirit had never done so.
It even made him feel that perhaps the Earthmind Evil Spirit had no designs on him.
Most importantly, the arrival of Void Blink was difficult to guard against.
Originally, he had devised a method of response.
That was to have a player with a Star Shift Inherited soul keep an eye on him at all times, waiting for Void Blink’s arrival to activate Star Shift and swap with him.
But this time, command authority had been handed to Guest No. 1, and no such deployment had been made at all.
As a sense of weightlessness swept over him, God King appeared again already on the tower platform.
Looking toward the Earthmind Evil Spirit with a ferocious grin, God King wore an expression like he had eaten feces.
“Is this necessary? You know I am not the commander of this war.”
“Very necessary. You have just a tiny bit of value in my eyes.”
Hearing this, God King decisively raised his middle finger.
Fortunately, his death would not affect the direction of the war.
Guest No. 1’s command view was pieced together from all players’ livestream images. If he died, then he died.
But just when he thought the Earthmind Evil Spirit would strike him down, the black mist surrounding the tower platform turned into tendrils that bound him, fixing him in midair.
“What do you mean?”
“Nothing much. I just want you to watch me win.”
“You are an idiot…” God King had not finished cursing when a tendril extended by the Evil Eye docked with his body. His body trembled violently, and the battlefield images presented themselves in God King’s mind.
The war continued.
But during this process, the Earthmind Evil Spirit kept observing God King’s facial expressions.
It was certain that this surface level commander was very familiar with player groupings and even player abilities.
A simulated data image of this player race commander had already been established in the information database.
Every glance, expression, change in look, and even emotional fluctuations would, under the Evil Eye’s deductions, be simulated into several conjectures.
To seize him but not kill him was naturally not for perverse amusement.
It was to keep him at its side to provide real-time intelligence feedback.
Facts proved that this step was very effective.
In the ensuing battle, the Earthmind Evil Spirit controlled the zoom of the battlefield perception images, constantly focusing on local engagements.
The captured player race commander indeed had obvious emotional fluctuations and changes in expression.
After repeatedly predicting through expression capture and guessing the mysterious commander’s decisions, the Earthmind Evil Spirit could not help but laugh out loud.
God King had realized something was wrong by now.
He had also discovered where the problem lay.
The Earthmind Bully seemed to be observing his subtle expressions and emotional fluctuations, then judging the player race’s tactical deployments, even preemptively predicting Guest No. 1’s orders.
Recalling that Guest No. 1 had once said the Earthmind Evil Spirit likely established a data image of him in its database, all his expressions, movements, and emotions would become reference indicators for the Earthmind Evil Spirit’s next actions.
At this point, he had no way out but to curse loudly.
Even if he closed his eyes, the battlefield perception images would still surface in his mind, completely impossible to shut down.
More importantly, he could not control the subtle changes of expression on his face or the changes in his emotions.
It was like watching a horror movie. Even knowing the content was fake, fear would still arise. Emotional changes were simply impossible to defend against.
On the battlefield now.
Through advantages that kept expanding, the Black Tide Evil Entities had already torn open the defensive line on the players’ right wing, and frenzy assassin series units were about to cut into the players’ third line.
Realizing disaster loomed, God King grew anxious and decisively sought help from Guest No. 1.
“No. 1, the Earthmind Evil Spirit is judging the course of the war through me. What should I do?”
Just after he asked, a golden bullet screen streaked across his mind.
“Do not worry. The Earthmind Evil Spirit’s calculations are all within my expectations. Victory is in hand.”
As soon as the bullet screen flashed, irrepressible joy surfaced in God King’s heart.
The Earthmind Evil Spirit’s expression suddenly froze. In an instant of thought, it controlled the assassin series units pouncing on the spellcaster players to retreat quickly.
But as soon as the assassin units withdrew, the player race’s tank units swiftly filled the hard-won breach in the battle line.
Sensing something wrong, the Earthmind Evil Spirit jerked its head to look at God King.
It realized it had been deceived by the surge of joy in this guy’s heart.
The mysterious commander of the player race clearly knew it was judging the situation through this surface level commander’s emotions and subtle expressions.
So the other side also used this point, manipulating the emotions of the player race’s surface commander to reverse-influence its judgment.
The originally excellent advantage of cutting into the enemy rear had been wasted by its voluntary withdrawal.
Seeing the smile on God King’s face, the Earthmind’s expression was icy.
“Oh, you saw through that too. Impressive.” God King grinned, fanning the flames.
Hearing this, the Earthmind Evil Spirit flew into a rage.
“You motherfucker.”