Chapter 199: Clearing the Field
Once Bai Mo confirmed that a large number of his allies had completed the encirclement on the periphery, his initial sense of urgency dissipated. He gradually began to lower the intensity of the battle, making an effort to minimize direct confrontations with the enemy.
He knew clearly that such a barrier array would definitely have a time limit, especially with a large force outside constantly working to break it. Therefore, even if the person controlling the array sacrificed their life to buy a little more time, facing hundreds of attackers, it would be nothing more than the desperate struggle of "A mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Though it was said that on a narrow path, the brave would win, Bai Mo knew he could achieve victory without a fight by just delaying a little longer. Naturally, there was no need to risk his life against these fanatics who were ready to go out in a blaze of glory at any moment, dying just to make his life miserable. He had always detested such pointless battles.
Employing his abilities of teleportation and creating illusions, Bai Mo continued to stall for time, second by second. The overall advantage was on his side; as long as the array broke, he would win.
"This despicable unbeliever!" Ka Qi'er secretly spat. "Just as the intelligence reports said, he will absolutely avoid direct combat if he can help it. There's no bearing of a powerhouse about him at all."
"The One-Wheel God is watching us!" As a battle priest, he naturally understood the essence of controlling people's hearts. When his subordinates grew disheartened from repeatedly striking empty air, he promptly used the power of faith to boost their morale.
"Victory!"
"Victory!"
Although in reality fewer than twenty people remained, shouting loudly, they gave no impression of being scattered or flimsy. Behind each fanatic, it was as if thousands of believers stood praying. This eerie situation made those outside feel rather uncomfortable.
To these fanatics, non-believers of the One-Wheel God were fundamentally not considered as their own kind. Naturally, there was no need to speak of sympathy or morality. As long as it maximized their own interests, or benefited the god they served, they would do anything.
Even when Ka Qi'er preached as a priest in his daily life, he generally adopted a higher perspective, that of an enlightener. Lost sheep were merely stones before being enlightened and converted; only after enlightenment did they become "spiritual" beings. He certainly wouldn't feel any pity for a common stone. If it blocked the way, he'd simply kick it aside.
That's why, after Yun Wuyong's negotiations with Bai Mo broke down, they could unhesitatingly sell him out and directly detonated the bomb on his body.
Or perhaps it was simply that they had been prepared to do this from the very beginning; otherwise, they wouldn't have allowed the bomber to use his ability on Yun Wuyong, hiding a large quantity of high explosives on him.
Upon receiving their leader's command, the remaining team members immediately executed their predetermined hostage-taking tactic.
Seeing this, Bai Mo quickly calculated that no matter how he attacked, his blows would inevitably land on his group of classmates first. Given their current injured state, facing that level of impact directly would leave them no chance of surviving.
"Hand over what you have and let us leave, or else all these people will die!" Ka Qi'er shouted in fluent Huaxia, not only threatening Bai Mo but also pressuring those encircling them outside.
Upon hearing this, those outside responsible for forcefully cracking the barrier array immediately ceased their attacks, waiting for orders from their superiors. They wanted to avoid being blamed for killing the hostages. Since there wasn't much at stake for them personally, simply following orders was the correct course of action.
"Can't a guy even slack off properly?" Bai Mo complained, then slowly descended and stopped on the ground.
"Throw it over, give it to me." Ka Qi'er thought that by standing still on the ground, Bai Mo had chosen to yield.
"Spirit Energy—Storm." Bai Mo ignored Ka Qi'er's words, silently uttering four words. Then, a blinding white light began to emanate from his back...
"You! Don't act recklessly, don't you care about their lives?"
Endless Spirit Energy missiles shot forth from Bai Mo's back, serving as his answer to that question.
As the founder and one of the improvers of several new versions of the Spirit Art "Spirit Energy Missile," his understanding of this art far surpassed the imagination of other users. Eight threads of his brain began to simultaneously coordinate the vast amount of Spirit Energy contained within this body, all in a non-conflicting manner.
Every second, hundreds of small tracking missiles surged forth from his back. Guided by his divine sense, they poured towards each enemy like raindrops. The emanating Spirit Energy radiance even obscured the vision of the Ability Users outside the array.
"I told you he wasn't going all out," Chen Bo continued from his previous remark. "Right?"
"But according to existing records, Mr. Bai Mo is clearly a close-combat and support-type composite Ability User. How is he doing this now...?" A subordinate nearby asked, a hint of confusion in his voice.
"We are Ability Users, thinking humans, not apes who only know brute force. Besides developing our innate abilities, we also need to use Spirit Arts to compensate for our shortcomings."
"If an ability is too singular, it's easily targeted and countered. Even the most ordinary universal Spirit Art, if accumulated in sufficient quantity, can still destroy heaven and earth. Having no weaknesses is the correct path."
"Killing his own people without even batting an eye. Such a cold and heartless character is destined to have no loyal subordinates." The more sympathetic Chen Fangqing scoffed at Bai Mo's unhesitating, indiscriminate attack.
"Fangqing, mercy doesn't command troops; when a decision must be made, make it decisively. As someone from a military background yourself, don't you understand this principle?" Chen Bo continued, speaking nonchalantly. This kind of scene was child's play to him; he had faced far more brutal things during the months of bloody battles in the United States.
"However, with his personality, he truly isn't suited to be a leader. So, he chose the path that genuinely suited him, which is a good thing."
In little over a year, Chen Bo had gradually adapted to the new identity brought about by his newfound power. He was no longer the mid-level military officer he once was, but a leader of a great nation.
"I just wonder what exactly they're fighting over, to be worth the One-Wheel Cult sending such a luxurious lineup of suicide squads."
"They were far too brazen. They openly proselytized everywhere in Huaxia, especially this Ka Qi'er, who publicly declared that their doctrine was above the law. Even if he hadn't come here to die today, I would have sent people to deal with him." After learning of this person's actions from a previous report, Ye Zi had directly issued a death warrant for him.
"As for what they were trying to steal, we can just ask Bai Mo afterward. He won't hand it over anyway, so we might as well just enjoy the show."
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