114: Chapter 113 An Unsolvable Combination
Zheng Yuanshan had clearly anticipated this situation. He did not rush anyone, but instead took a step back and raised his hand in a gesture to push the crowd apart to both sides.
"Everyone, clear the central area."
The Revival Society staff moved quickly. Centered on the podium, one thousand people were guided to retreat to the surroundings, clearing an open space of about two hundred square meters.
"Thank you for your cooperation. Next, when you hear me call your name, simply walk to the open space in front and stand on a red dot. Choose whichever one you like."
Zheng Yuanshan's voice, amplified by the Silver Grade loudspeaker, clearly reached every corner of the venue.
When everyone looked closely, they saw that the area just cleared indeed had a rectangular grid of red dots.
Clearly, the Revival Society had been well-prepared.
The next moment, Zheng Yuanshan held a list in his hand and began calling out names.
"Serial number 001, Zheng Yuanshan."
He announced his own name first.
Then, name after name was read aloud.
Whenever a name was called, the corresponding survivor would cooperate willingly, even feeling proud as they walked out of the crowd to choose a red dot and stand on it in the open area.
Everyone was spaced twenty meters apart, arranged in rows and columns.
A matrix of two hundred people gradually took shape.
These two hundred people were the core combat strength further selected by the Revival Society from the one thousand candidates. Each one was a potential squad leader candidate or a key figure with the highest talent compatibility assessment.
Surprisingly, some famous figures were not on the list, such as President Shen Qing of the Little Life Society and Zhang Haotian, the commander of the Revival Society's combat brigade.
But before anyone could wonder why, as the matrix formed, several Revival Society staff members carried a two-meter-high display board onto the podium. It was covered in red cloth, which was then ripped away.
Below it were two hundred rows of names, five names per row, corresponding to the recommended combinations for the two hundred pre-assigned squads.
Zheng Yuanshan's voice rang out again through the Silver Grade loudspeaker.
"The list is here. You can form teams according to the assignments above, or you can find your own teammates. You have half an hour to finish forming teams. By then, any team with fewer than five members will have their roster filled by the Revival Society."
He swept his gaze over the crowd below.
"Everyone, you may begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, one thousand people moved simultaneously.
However, everyone's first reaction was not to find teammates—it was to look at the display board.
The first row, the first group.
Zheng Yuanshan, President Shen Qing, Zhang Haotian, Guan Tiezhu, Gu Qingyi.
The comment section of the Fate Platform exploded first.
"Three Gold Tier! Zheng Yuanshan has the Renaissance, President Shen Qing has the Minor Life Technique, and Zhang Haotian has borrowing rights to the incomplete sea gods horn. No wonder President Shen Qing and Zhang Haotian weren't in the matrix!"
"Guan Tiezhu is that Rock Armor old man! The guy who can petrify his entire body and take a tail strike from a high-level sea beast without budging!"
"Gu Qingyi, Silver Grade Wind Walker talent, 120 kilometers per hour!"
"What kind of dream team is this? Why even compete? Just hand out the awards."
"The Revival Society isn't even pretending anymore; they put their strongest lineup right on the table."
Zheng Yuanshan had just walked off the podium and hadn't even steadied himself when over a dozen survivors crowded around him.
"General Zheng! My talent is Silver Grade [Tide Control], integrating both offense and defense. I can coordinate firepower with your Renaissance—"
"General! I can tank damage! I have Rock Armor—wait, Brother Guan is already there, then I can be the off-tank! My talent is [Iron Bones and Copper Skin]—"
"General, I—"
Zheng Yuanshan smiled and raised the Silver Grade loudspeaker.
Not towards his mouth, but towards the crowd.
"Thank you all for your kindness." His voice wasn't loud, but the amplification made every word clear. "This old man is a member of the Revival Society and must follow the organization's arrangements. I will proceed exactly as the list dictates."
As he finished speaking, three figures appeared behind him almost simultaneously.
President Shen Qing had appeared behind and to the left of Zheng Yuanshan before anyone knew it. She had not appeared in the matrix of two hundred people—because she didn't need to be "selected." Her white dress fluttered slightly in the sea breeze, and her expression was calm.
Zhang Haotian strode over from the right side of the crowd, a Silver Grade Great Strength Battle Axe on his shoulder, his muscle lines clearly defined in the sunlight. The thirty-nine-year-old soldier's steps were steady; every step he took on the platform carried weight.
Guan Tiezhu was more direct. The man in his early fifties stood with his arms crossed beside Zheng Yuanshan, chin tilted slightly upward. He scanned the people crowding around, snorted, and the meaning was clear—scram, get lost.
The four of them stood in place.
The eyes of one thousand people converged on them, and the noise level suddenly dropped by a third.
Only one person was missing.
Gu Qingyi.
Everyone's gaze began to search.
In the position slightly to the left in front of the display board, the figure in white leaning against a flagpole slowly opened her eyes.
The twenty-two-year-old young woman was not in a hurry to go over. She lowered her head to look at her name on the display board, then raised her eyes to look at the four-person combination that had already formed near Zheng Yuanshan.
A few seconds of silence.
Then she pushed off from the flagpole, her sleeves fluttering gently in the sea breeze, and walked over at an unhurried pace.
Her steps were light, her posture calm, but everyone who saw this scene confirmed the same thing in their hearts—
The champion team of this selection competition had been born before the competition even started.
The comment section of the Revival Society's live stream sighed in unison.
"It's over, it's over; there's no suspense left."
"No, no, no, there's still something to watch for from second to sixteenth place."
"And even if first place is locked, it's still satisfying to watch them fight! Zheng Yuanshan, President Shen Qing, and Zhang Haotian—these three standing together are a living promotional video for the powerhouses of the Yanhuang Civilization."
"Plus the tankiness of Old Man Guan and the mobility of Gu Qingyi... this configuration of five people is simply an unbeatable team combat lineup."
The shockwave of the first team forming hadn't even dissipated before the platform had already turned into a chaotic mess.
With the precedent set, a large number of survivors chose to find teammates according to the list on the display board. After all, the allocation plan the Revival Society had spent all night creating was better than fumbling around in the dark on their own.
But there were also quite a few people taking a different path.
A burly man with the [Flame Breath] talent released a fireball directly in the middle of the crowd, the flames soaring into the sky, attracting the attention of half the platform.
"Any melee tanks? My damage output is maxed out, but I'm a glass cannon! I need someone who can tank!"
Three people raised their hands at the same time.
There was also a survivor with the [Deep Sea Perception] talent, who, in order to promote his seemingly useless talent, was currently standing in the middle of a group of people, speaking passionately.
"Don't underestimate perception-type talents! In team battles, information is life! I can predict the opponent's position and attack direction three seconds in advance! Three seconds! In a duel between experts, three seconds is enough for you to finish an entire combo!"
If some people weren't interested, naturally others would be persuaded.
The platform was full of such scenes—people showing off their strength, self-promoting, arguing their cases, and huddling together for warmth. One thousand people were stirred into a pot of hot oil.
Yang Hang stood at the edge of the crowd, hands in his pockets, watching all of this.
Yang Yue had rushed toward the display board the very second Zheng Yuanshan said "Begin."
She squeezed past seven or eight people, stood on tiptoes, and her fingers slid rapidly across the two hundred rows of names.
"Yang Yue, Yang Yue, Yang Yue…"