356: I will protect them (25 chapters in one)

Inside the arena.

As the five-minute countdown ended, the atmosphere instantly became tense and hostile.

Teams of universe competitors from the same Universe Country were on high alert, while scattered universe competitors no. 364 looked around, wary of each other.

No one made a move immediately; everyone was waiting for an opportunity.

In this situation, unless one's strength surpassed everyone else's, whoever made the first move would inevitably be eliminated in the first wave.

Time passed bit by bit.

Time and the others firmly surrounded Lin Yang.

The surrounding universe competitors no. 364 watched them with covetous eyes.

The atmosphere was like a taut string.

Some guy with weaker psychological resilience already had dense beads of sweat seeping from their foreheads and faces.

In this arena space, it could be said that everyone around them would be their enemy.

This thousand-person free-for-all, in addition to testing strength, was also a huge test of psychological resilience.

The vast thousand-person arena was incredibly quiet.

And the quieter it was, the greater the pressure it brought.

Finally.

Some universe competitors no. 364 with weaker psychological resilience couldn't withstand the tense atmosphere and, with a roar, launched indiscriminate attacks on other universe competitors no. 364 around them.

Boom!

As the first guy made a move, the arena instantly became chaotic.

Lin Yang and his group were also immediately subjected to attacks from the surrounding universe competitors no. 364.

To be honest, Lin Yang now felt like he was in a zombie horde, as depicted in a Blue Star doomsday movie.

Most of the universe competitors no. 364 in the arena were as frenzied as those zombies.

Many people found it difficult to remain calm under high pressure, screaming and attacking indiscriminately, regardless of friend or foe.

Even those who could initially remain calm were gradually infected by the chaotic and bloody atmosphere once the free-for-all fully erupted, forcing them to join the battle.

Many people fought until their eyes turned red.

Because they wouldn't die in the arena, once they got carried away, they threw all caution to the wind.

There was no most insane, only more insane.

Everyone desperately wanted to eliminate the other universe competitors no. 364 around them.

No one felt safe until only a hundred people remained in the arena.

Lin Yang and his group also suffered incessant attacks.

However, their situation was slightly better compared to the scattered universe competitors no. 364.

Although everyone was frantic, they weren't completely mindless zombies after all.

Facing team universe competitors no. 364, some would still deliberately avoid them.

There were several other teams in this section of the arena, just like Lin Yang's.

However, those few teams seemed to have reached some unspoken agreement; they continuously drew closer to each other, and after converging, they didn't attack each other. Instead, they seemed to form an alliance and charged towards Lin Yang's group together.

Time and the others' expressions instantly became incredibly solemn.

However, after these few teams approached, they didn't attack them. Instead, one of them actively said to Lin Yang, "Our teams will first join forces to clear out these scattered universe competitors no. 364."

Hearing this, Your Excellency Lin Yang raised an eyebrow.

Teams joining forces to clear out scattered universe competitors no. 364?

He looked at Time.

Although this team fully protected him, Time was the team leader.

Moreover, the White Fatty Old Man hadn't told him much about the competition's precautions earlier.

Whether to join forces now, he felt it was better for Time to decide.

Time and the others definitely knew more about the competition's matters than he did.

Time immediately said, "Lin Yang, it's quite common for teams to join forces in a free-for-all to first clear out scattered universe competitors no. 364. We can first ally with them to eliminate as many scattered universe competitors no. 364 as possible."

"Oh, then let's ally first," Lin Yang's eyes flickered.

"Alright," Time responded and then quickly explained the relevant situation to Lin Yang.

In this free-for-all stage, various teams usually chose to form alliances first to quickly eliminate scattered universe competitors no. 364.

And once those scattered universe competitors no. 364 reacted, they would also form alliances to counter the team alliance.

Generally, by that stage, the remaining scattered universe competitors no. 364 were all relatively strong.

Weaker universe competitors no. 364 were eliminated directly at the start.

Once those stronger scattered universe competitors no. 364 formed an alliance, they could pose a great threat and pressure to the team alliance.

Therefore, there was no situation where all team members would advance together after the team alliance cleared out the scattered universe competitors no. 364.

Because in the final stage, everyone would fight each other until only a hundred people remained.

"So, if a team's overall strength is strong, perhaps they can all advance to the Second Stage together?" Lin Yang couldn't help but say after listening.

Time gave a wry smile: "This situation is rare. Once those scattered universe competitors no. 364 react and form an alliance, the threat will be very great. To ensure the advancement of the team's main figures, others will still be sacrificed."

"Only teams composed of the seeded universe competitors no. 364 from the major Universe Countries can advance as a whole team in the First Stage."

"Oh..." Lin Yang nodded thoughtfully.

Even as they spoke, the team alliance had already begun a massive slaughter.

Among them, several guy, like Lin Yang, were protected by their fellow universe competitors no. 364 from the same Universe Country.

They also did not easily make a move throughout, clearly conserving their strength and stamina.

The few exchanged knowing glances, then averted their eyes, without any communication.

This was only a temporary alliance; later, they might even become opponents, so there was clearly no need to get to know each other deeply.

At least, not at this stage.

Soon, a large portion of the weaker scattered universe competitors no. 364 were eliminated by the team alliance.

The remaining scattered universe competitors no. 364 also gradually began to react, subconsciously forming alliances to counter the team alliance.

As for why the scattered universe competitors no. 364 didn't form an alliance at the beginning to focus fire on the team members first?

It's simple: because no one had that kind of rallying power... After several more waves of chaotic fighting, only two to three hundred people remained on the battlefield.

Time's teammates also began to show signs of exhaustion, gradually being eliminated, with less than half remaining.

The same was true for the members of other teams.

But the free-for-all came to an abrupt halt.

At this point, only two to three hundred people remained, and there were a hundred spots for advancement.

This meant that only two hundred more people needed to be eliminated for the remaining hundred to advance.

By this time, those who could still hold on more or less had some extraordinary qualities. Naturally, no one was willing to act as cannon fodder anymore and be the first to be eliminated in the chaos.

The situation was at a stalemate for a moment.

But this stalemate only lasted for a short two or three minutes.

Several Super Gene Warrior, as if having suddenly reached some unspoken agreement, simultaneously personally attacked the other universe competitors no. 364 around them.

At this point, there was no distinction between team alliances or scattered guy alliances; the Super Gene Warrior began to attack everyone around them indiscriminately, except for their own teammates.

The rapid shift in the situation left Lin Yang a little dumbfounded.

But he immediately understood that these Super Gene Warrior, acting in such tacit agreement, wanted to quickly eliminate a portion of the people again, so that they could bring their teammates along to advance as much as possible.

Just as Lin Yang regained his senses, Time's teammates and others also came under attack.

The attackers were precisely the Super Gene Warrior from the team alliance earlier.

Lin Yang's expression changed.

Just a few minutes ago, they were in an alliance, and now they were attacking each other, solely to catch the ordinary Gene Warrior of other teams off guard and eliminate them, thereby securing advancement spots for their own universe competitors no. 364 from the same Universe Country.

It must be said, the temporary alliances in this arena truly had no solidity whatsoever.

Fortunately, Time reacted quickly enough, timely blocking some of the attacks, otherwise the remaining few teammates would have all been eliminated at once.

However, despite this, two more teammates were still lost.

Even Time himself suffered some injuries.

He had indeed only recently become a Primary Super Gene Warrior, while the other guy had been Super Gene Warrior for much longer than him.

With a single blow, Time was injured.

This scene immediately made the eyes of the other Super Gene Warrior light up fiercely.

Then, the few exchanged glances and, with an unspoken understanding, simultaneously attacked Time.

A vast power surged forward, sweeping everything in its path.

Time's expression instantly changed drastically.

These few actually intended to eliminate him as well!

"You..."

Time was greatly alarmed and was about to shout in anger.

But before he could fully open his mouth, he heard one of them snort lightly:

"So, it's just a newly promoted Primary Super Gene Warrior. Eliminating you now means one less opponent later!"

As these words came out, Time's expression changed again. He understood the intentions of these guy.

He had only recently become a Primary Super Gene Warrior, and to these guy, he didn't yet pose too great a threat.

However, after the First Stage competition concludes, there will still be nearly a month before the Second Stage begins.

This is enough time for him to consolidate his strength.

Although they might not be matched against him later, since they have the opportunity to eliminate him now, these guys naturally wouldn't miss it.

Feeling the surging power approaching, Time turned his head to look at Lin Yang.

He subconsciously wanted to call for help.

But then he remembered that Lin Yang had only recently been promoted to a Medium Super Gene Warrior, or might not even be a Medium Super Gene Warrior yet, so he hesitated and didn't speak.

After all, Lin Yang had never explicitly stated that he was a Medium Super Gene Warrior.

The people from Universe No. 6 Neutral Universe had only speculated that Lin Yang might have advanced to the Medium Super Gene Warrior level after more than half a year.

If he hadn't advanced, then naturally, in this situation, he might not be able to protect him.

And even if he had advanced to a Medium Super Gene Warrior, if it was recent, his power wouldn't have stabilized yet, and he might not be a match for these guys working together.

If Lin Yang was already a Medium Super Gene Warrior, then with another month to consolidate his power, he would definitely shine in this competition.

Time didn't want to implicate Lin Yang now.

The number of people in the arena was already approaching one hundred.

Without knowing Lin Yang's true strength, these guys would certainly not rashly attack another Super Gene Warrior.

He closed his eyes, preparing to be eliminated.

However, Lin Yang's figure suddenly moved, blocking in front of him.

At the same time, an equally vast power surged out, forcefully taking on the attacks from those guys.

"Hm?!"

"This is..."

"A Medium Super Gene Warrior??"

The few people were instantly shocked, staring at Lin Yang in astonishment.

Don't underestimate the difference of just one level between a Primary Super Gene Warrior and a Medium Super Gene Warrior.

But in the competition, the significance of the two is completely incomparable.

An ordinary universe might, with enough luck, cultivate multiple Primary Super Gene Warriors to participate.

But Medium Super Gene Warriors under thirty-five years old can almost only be cultivated by powerful Universe Countries and a very few super powerful universe supreme civilizations.

In the competition, Primary Super Gene Warriors need luck to contend for the top hundred.

Whereas Medium Super Gene Warriors are guaranteed to enter the top hundred unless something unexpected happens, and can even go beyond the top hundred.

This is not only a gap in strength but also signifies being a seed contestant from a powerful Universe Country or supreme civilization.

This identity also makes people feel pressure.

The few people exchanged glances, all secretly exclaiming their bad luck.

Out of fifty competition zones, they actually encountered a seed-level contestant here.

Actually, encountering a seed-level contestant wasn't necessarily bad luck, but they had attacked him.

This made the few people feel a great sense of unease.

Time's eyes were also wide.

Because he didn't feel any instability in the power when Your Excellency Lin Yang made his move.

This meant that even if Your Excellency Lin Yang had only just become a Medium Super Gene Warrior, he had already steadily consolidated his power!

This was very incredible.

Because under normal circumstances, one's power would be very unstable immediately after promotion, requiring a certain period of consolidation.

But Lin Yang's situation... "Could it be that Lin Yang didn't advance to a Medium Super Gene Warrior just before the competition, as previously speculated, but had already advanced half a year ago?"

This thought couldn't help but surface in Time's mind.

However, at this moment, he didn't have time to think too much. Seeing Lin Yang protect him, he quickly thanked Lin Yang.

Lin Yang waved his hand, signaling him not to be polite, then looked at the other few Super Gene Warriors and the remaining contestants, pointed to Time and the remaining three, and said coldly:

"I'm protecting them. If you're not convinced, you can all come at me. I don't mind eliminating all of you."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone else's expressions changed slightly.

A Medium Super Gene Warrior with consolidated power—not to mention that they were unlikely to be a match, the extraordinary significance and identity implied by his presence alone made them hesitant to act easily.

The few Super Gene Warriors exchanged glances again, then immediately retreated without a word.

The others, seeing that the few Super Gene Warriors had all distanced themselves from Lin Yang, naturally no one dared to attack Time and the others again.

After all, there weren't many people left in the entire arena now.

If everyone had united at the beginning, there would have been a good chance to exhaust and eliminate a Medium Super Gene Warrior.

But now, they only needed to eliminate dozens more people to determine the top hundred, so it was naturally impossible for them to unite and target Lin Yang simultaneously.

No one wanted to be the unlucky one, eliminated while targeting Lin Yang, becoming a stepping stone for others.

Therefore, Lin Yang's side became a vacuum zone after a short period of time.

The other contestants resumed their individual free-for-alls, but no one attacked their side.

For a time, everyone paid attention.

In the spectator area.

Black Le was so excited his old face was flushed red!

He had initially thought that if Lin Yang hadn't advanced or had just advanced, then teaming up with Time would greatly increase their chances of advancing to the Second Stage.

But he hadn't expected Lin Yang's power to be much stronger than he had imagined.

Judging from the current situation, not only could Time advance this time, but the other three could also be forcibly protected and advanced by Lin Yang.

Four Home Universe contestants advancing to the Second Stage made Black Le tremble with excitement.

On the judging panel, the few Universe Alliance judges responsible for overseeing the entire competition in this zone also looked at Lin Yang with profound gazes.

A Medium Super Gene Warrior who suddenly appeared.

Even they had to pay great attention!

"Go investigate this person's situation!"

The chief judge spoke, and someone immediately took the order and quickly left.

Everyone else in the audience was also shocked by the consolidated power of the Medium Super Gene Warrior displayed by Lin Yang!

The news of a dark horse contestant, a seed-level individual not suspected to be cultivated by a Universe Country or a powerful supreme civilization, suddenly appearing, was enough to shock anyone!

The situation in the Tenth Competition Zone quickly spread to other competition zones!

Many universe officials with ordinary strength instantly had thoughts of trying to recruit Lin Yang or invite him to fight for their Home Universe.

In the Thirty-Sixth Competition Zone.

A burly man, looking at the news about Lin Yang that had been transmitted, immediately opened a video communication and said impatiently: "Yu Chen, in the Tenth Competition Zone, a Medium Super Gene Warrior participating as a free agent has appeared!"

"Hm? Yu Meng, what are you saying? You're not joking? A Medium Super Gene Warrior with a free agent identity?" Yu Chen showed a look of astonishment.

"No, it's all over the place now!"

Yu Meng shook his head, then continued:

"I've sent you the relevant information, take a look. Sigh, if only we could invite this mysterious Medium Super Gene Warrior to represent our universe in the competition."

"You don't know how hateful those guys from Universe No. 364 are. We encountered them once during the draw, and I really wanted to tear their mouths apart!"

Yu Chen didn't speak, but after reading the information, he said: "If the information is true, I'm afraid we can't afford the cost of an invitation. Since the news has spread, other universes must already be eager to move. It won't be our turn. You just endure it, don't conflict with the people from Universe No. 364. Everything after the competition!"

"It's really stifling. To think that we used to be..."

Yu Meng's voice trailed off as he saw Yu Chen's changed expression, then he cut off the communication.

Just as he cut off the communication, a sharp, sarcastic voice sounded beside him:

"Oh, isn't this Yu Meng? What's up, still reminiscing about the old days? Why don't you go and invite that Medium Super Gene Warrior participating as a free agent later, and see if they think highly of you guys. If they're willing to fight for your universe, maybe you can even extend a bit of glory, hehe!"

Yu Meng instantly looked up, seeing the owner of the sarcastic voice, a short, thin man, and a hint of murderous intent appeared in his eyes:

"Xie Lin! You're courting death!"

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5000-character big chapter!

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