Chapter 152: Crushing the Hard-Mud Wild Boar Herd

The wild boar roared in agony, yet it did not cease its rhythmic thrusting against the boar beneath it. Thus, it met its end amidst a mixture of tearing pain and the hollow pleasure of its motions.

Wang Chen watched this with an inward tremor. From this perspective, the inverted "Hymn of Reason" was truly a minor divine skill when used against these beasts of low intelligence. It could manipulate them so thoroughly that they were unable to mount any effective resistance. Of course, the lengthy preparation time for the Hymn of Reason remained a significant drawback. Had Wang Chen been facing this many Mud-Hardened Wild Boars alone, he likely would have been trampled into the dirt by the aggressive herd long before he could fully stack the hymn's effects.

He couldn't rely on climbing a tree to cast his spells at leisure either; the tree where Tang Ruotong had previously hidden had been smashed to pieces. This served as a stark reminder that without teammates to maneuver and draw the enemy's fire, one would have plummeted to the ground with the collapsing tree, only to be torn apart and devoured by the boars.

Although they had collaborated to handle several groups of beasts before, those encounters had either involved low-level threats or species that lacked significant power. It was only through this coordinated stand against the Mud-Hardened Wild Boar herd that Wang Chen truly felt the power of teamwork. Currently, they numbered only three; should this squad recruit more members in the future, their combat effectiveness would surely be even more formidable.

But that was a concern for another time. The immediate priority was to continue culling the remaining boars while the effect of the Hymn of Reason still held. Wang Chen continued to swing his Forest Storm.

...

Cai Kun and his group had been in the Silver Zone for a while now. The beasts in the Silver Zone were indeed far more troublesome than those in the Bronze Zone. They could no longer slay them with the ease they had enjoyed before. Now, every member had to remain strictly on guard and work in perfect unison to ensure that large groups of Silver-ranked beasts could be fully wiped out.

Fortunately, the rewards were significant. A single group of beasts they had just cleared yielded as many points as four or five groups in the Bronze Zone. Watching their points climb, Meng Liwen said happily, "Cai Kun, you were right. We really have a chance to push for first place now."

Although Lu Shiyu's squad remained ranked above them, the gap between their scores was narrowing. Cai Kun smiled upon hearing this and replied, "Didn't I tell you? Just listen to me, and it will all work out!"

Cai Kun reasoned that Lu Shiyu must have entered the Silver Zone before them, which was why her team's score was so far ahead. But now that they had entered the Silver Zone as well, and with two teams working in coordination, they would surely be able to rack up more points than Lu Shiyu.

In reality, Cai Kun’s hunch was correct; Lu Shiyu had indeed entered the Silver Zone earlier than them. However, she had not done so as early as Wang Chen's group. This was partly because Lu Shiyu had spent time lingering on the outskirts of the Bronze Zone, which slowed her progress. Furthermore, her team had not been as single-mindedly determined to reach the Silver Zone as Wang Chen's; instead of avoiding Bronze-ranked beasts, they had taken a more natural approach, clearing them out as they made their way toward the Silver Zone.

A professional with scouting skills in the squad was currently searching for the next group of beasts. Taking advantage of this interval, Cai Kun prepared to take a brief rest. While keeping a portion of his attention on the surroundings for any sign of trouble, he checked their team's points and couldn't help but feel a surge of joy.

Filled with a sense of pride, he opened the public channel and typed in a feigned, calm tone: "I am currently hunting beasts in the Silver Zone at coordinates XXX. Are there any other squads nearby? We have two teams here and we have reached capacity. If any teams are heading this way, please go elsewhere."

Cai Kun’s message appeared to be a routine coordination notice for teams farming points, but in reality, it was a ploy to draw attention to himself. Sure enough, it wasn't long before someone chimed in with flattery: "Boss Cai, your teams have already reached the Silver Zone? You are already ranked second, yet you still demand so much of yourselves? That is incredible!"

Cai Kun smiled with satisfaction as he read the message. The tone was clearly that of one of his lackeys; he hadn't raised them in vain, as they knew how to speak well of him and steer the conversation. Although he was posting anonymously, he felt he had no choice, given the current wave of criticism against him in the channel. It was safer to remain anonymous. With this underling acting as a vanguard, other members of his group followed suit, showering Cai Kun with praise. For a moment, the messages scrolling through the channel seemed to be entirely devoted to glorifying him, as if the previous public condemnation had never happened.

Cai Kun watched with great pleasure, his lips curling upward uncontrollably. "These boys still remember who their boss is!" he thought to himself. "If only they weren't so lacking in strength, I would have brought them into the squad—at least they know how to say things that sound good." He cast a glance at his teammates, who were standing guard with solemn expressions. "Unlike these bookworms, who are so stiff they couldn't even manage a polite remark!"

He grumbled internally, "My old man is the same, only looking at strength when picking people, without bothering to check their emotional intelligence. But I'm in a good mood now, so I won't fuss over these trifles."

Young Master Cai, oblivious to his own fortune, watched the scrolling words of praise with a smug curve to his lips. Meng Liwen, who was resting and drinking water nearby, caught a glimpse of Cai Kun’s expression and frowned deeply. "Cai Kun looks so sleazy when he smiles!" she thought, feeling so disgusted that she couldn't even finish her water. To avoid being sickened by that smile again, she quickly walked away.

Just as Cai Kun was reveling in his ecstasy, a message abruptly appeared in the channel: "What's so great about reaching the Silver Zone? Go look at the movement route of Wang Chen’s squad for yourselves. They are already heading toward the Gold Zone."

Those who had been criticizing Cai Kun immediately perked up. They had been struggling to find a way to counter his posturing. After all, it did take courage to farm in the Silver Zone, especially while they were still in the lead, so the critics had been temporarily silenced. Now that they had fresh ammunition, they excitedly opened the tracking data for Wang Chen’s team.

"It's true! Looking at this, they're almost there!"

"They definitely are. Look at the changes in Wang Chen's team's score; it's even more explosive than before!"

"If it was like a rocket taking off before, now it's like they're strapped to an Armstrong Cyclone Jet Armstrong Cannon, soaring through the roof!"

"Wang Chen is a legend!"

"They've already broken into the top ten! At this rate of ascent, taking the number one spot is practically a done deal, isn't it?"

"..."

In an instant, the channel erupted into a discussion far more lively than the one following Cai Kun's post. A flood of messages swept across the screen, all centered on one main theme: "Wang Chen is a legend!" Everyone loved a dark horse comeback story, and they were more than happy to see Wang Chen emerge from nowhere to seize the top spot.