109: Extreme properties

Huang Shi watched the opponent's movements, his heart sinking halfway.

Although he rarely played strategy games, he could tell that the quality of the opposing pieces was far superior to his own.

He trusted Bai Ye's Unparalleled Combat Strength, but Bai Ye had never demonstrated World-Shocking Wisdom in front of him.

Bai Ye's Segmented Thinking had never been turned off.

The Number Four Thinking Persona even suggested that Huang Shi jump off the board and act as a "Little Hero" to soak up damage, but Bai Ye rejected the proposal without hesitation.

That was too damaging.

He extended a finger and commanded the slow-moving Black Iron Turtle on the board.

"Shell Huddle."

"Traction."

The Black Iron Turtle immediately stopped, its four limbs and head quickly retracting into its thick shell, transforming it into an impregnable fortress.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Flame arrows filled the sky, raining down like raindrops, but they seemed to be drawn by a magnet, smashing violently against the Black Iron Turtle's shell.

Exploding into clusters of brilliant sparks.

Aside from leaving some shallow scorch marks on the shell, they caused no substantial damage whatsoever.

"The defense is indeed good, but what's the use of just taking a beating?"

The King of Wisdom couldn't help but shake his head. Extreme development is not advisable.

Three Rock Giant Rhinos had already charged in front of the Black Iron Turtle.

Their sharp horns were aimed at the shell, preparing to flip it over together.

Just before their horns could touch the shell, the surrounding ground became muddy and swamp-like.

The three Rock Giant Rhinos stepped into it, their massive bodies immediately losing balance, and their charge came to an abrupt halt.

They struggled desperately, but the more they struggled against the mud—a non-Newtonian fluid—the deeper they sank.

"Swamp Trap?"

Huang Shi was stunned, his face full of disbelief:

"That turtle has this kind of Skill?"

"It wasn't it."

"It was this one."

Bai Ye pointed at the bouncing Slime on the chessboard.

The seemingly harmless blue Slime secreted thick blue liquid from beneath its body.

It merged into the squares of the board, melting the hard ground into a swamp.

"A Slime... can be used like this?"

He had always felt that creatures like Slimes were unsuitable as beast pets.

Aside from being cute and serving as experience points in the newbie village, they had no other use.

Today was truly an eye-opener.

The King of Wisdom opposite him hadn't anticipated this move either, and his body swayed slightly.

"That's somewhat interesting."

"But relying only on petty tricks like this, you won't defeat me."

He suddenly waved his staff forward, and two long-vanished Shadow Assassins finally found their opportunity.

They simultaneously appeared behind the Sleepy Sloth and the Slime.

Two daggers gleaming with faint light silently stabbed towards these two defenseless "Squishy Backliners."

"Watch out!" Huang Shi subconsciously cried out in alarm.

The two Poisoned Daggers were about to pierce the bodies of the Sleepy Sloth and the Slime.

"Yawn!"

The Sleepy Sloth, which had been sound asleep the entire time, suddenly opened its eyes.

A cunning look, entirely inconsistent with its appearance, flashed in its drowsy eyes.

The Sleepy Sloth slowly let out a yawn.

The Shadow Assassins, who were about to succeed, suddenly stiffened, and purple swirling eyes appeared simultaneously in their vision.

Small bubbles could occasionally be seen popping up above their heads.

The daggers stopped less than a centimeter from their targets.

"Mental Shock—no, it's Hypnosis!" Huang Shi exclaimed.

The Sleepy Sloth actually used Hypnosis to control two Elite Limit Shadow Assassins.

It sacrificed physical defense, allocating all its potential points to Mental Energy.

It was also a very extreme type of Demonic Beast.

"It's not over yet."

Bai Ye's ten fingers began to move, directing the String Puppet.

"Puppet Manipulation Art."

Upon receiving the command, the String Puppet—which looked like it might tangle itself up at any moment—shot out several invisible threads from its ten fingers.

The threads accurately connected to one of the hypnotized Shadow Assassins.

The assassin's body turned uncontrollably, and the Poisoned Dagger in its hand reversed direction and fiercely stabbed its nearby companion.

Pfft!

A muffled sound of a sharp blade entering flesh.

The other Shadow Assassin, completely unprepared, was stabbed through the heart.

The mental control was broken by the intense pain, and it lowered its head in disbelief, looking at the blood-dripping dagger in its chest.

Its body swayed, then weakly collapsed to the ground, dissolving into specks of light and vanishing.

"I predicted your prediction."

Bai Ye wiggled his finger. He was becoming increasingly certain that the King of Wisdom had played against A.I. his entire life.

He had never actually fought against other people.

The tactic of Cutting Off the Back Row is common knowledge in almost all board games.

As long as he counter-deployed based on the fixed routines summarized by the King of Wisdom, he could easily deal with its assassins.

That's why he deliberately chose the seemingly most useless Sleepy Sloth.

This sloth's Talent is Deep Sleep.

In a sleeping state, it can greatly enhance its own Mental Energy and Perception.

The Sleepy Sloth, which already possessed powerful Mental Energy, combined with this Talent, had pushed its Mental Energy to the extreme.

It appeared to be sleeping, but in reality, it held firm control over the entire battlefield situation.

The String Puppet was prepared precisely for this moment.

The King of Wisdom opposite him fell silent for a moment.

Having played Single-Player games his entire life, he was astonished by Bai Ye's series of maneuvers.

"A brilliant tactic."

After a long pause, the King of Wisdom's aged voice rang out again.

There was no longer any hint of contempt in his voice; he now treated Bai Ye entirely as a worthy opponent.

"I admit I underestimated you, Challenger."

"However, the real match has just begun."

The five Blazing Demon Archers under his command simultaneously drew their longbows, aiming not at Bai Ye's Demonic Beasts but at the sky.

Five arrows burning with fierce flames shot into the sky.

They exploded violently in mid-air, turning into a sea of fire that swept down over the entire chessboard.

"Arrow Rain of Fire? What is this guy trying to do?"

Huang Shi's expression changed as he watched the sea of fire approaching from the sky.

Indiscriminate, large-scale attacks are indeed powerful.

But they also affect his own units!

The King of Wisdom must have lost his mind.

"Wait."

Bai Ye's eyes narrowed: "His target is the swamp."

Sure enough, the sea of fire landed precisely on the swamp created by the Slime.

"Sizzle!"

The fusion of water and fire emitted a harsh sound, and large plumes of white steam rose up, enveloping Bai Ye's side of the battlefield.

The muddy swamp dried up under the high-temperature baking.

The Rock Giant Rhinos trapped in the swamp were finally freed.

Bai Ye had to admit that the King of Wisdom hadn't wasted all those years playing Single-Player games.

Although the tactical routines were quite old-fashioned, his reaction speed was certainly fast.