33: Chapter 33 Our words are the rules!

Chen Xi's gaze swept past the three imposing captains before him and into the depths of the forest behind them.

In the flickering shadows of lightning, there were indeed more than a dozen figures standing there.

Their positioning was meticulous, faintly forming a perfect formation that completely sealed off all paths leading into the interior of the forest.

It was exactly 15 people, no more, no less.

Three full-strength elite battle teams.

"Tidal Surge," "Purple Lightning," and "Holy Light."

Chen Xi had seen these three names on the computer in the base room; without exception, they were all regulars in the top ten of the freshman leaderboard and were truly the first tier.

"You... you are clearly just cheating!"

Watching this scene, Li Murou's chest heaved with anger. She pointed at the blue-haired youth Lei Zhen, who wore a playful expression, and demanded loudly:

"The school's regulations are written clearly: Thunder Ruins is a public open dungeon! Any resources or monsters inside are public property! Whoever grabs them first gets them! By what right do you stop us from entering just because you 'reserved' it?"

Facing Li Murou's accusations, Lei Zhen was not angry at all. Instead, it was as if he had heard a joke, and he grinned, revealing a set of stark white teeth.

He slammed his massive greatsword onto the ground with a loud "clang," sending up a cloud of dust. He leaned forward slightly, bringing with him a suffocating sense of oppression, and said mockingly:

"Little sister, it seems you are still too naive."

"The school's rules are dead, but people are alive."

Lei Zhen pointed his finger in the air toward the three of them—Chen Xi and his companions—and then pointed behind himself:

"In this world where the strong prey on the weak, resources are always in the hands of the strong. Our three teams have joined forces, so this area is our territory. Rules? Our word is law!"

Lin Ya, standing to the side, also spoke coldly. Arcs of electricity danced on the magic staff in her hand, emitting a teeth-grinding sizzling sound:

"Stop talking nonsense. We are determined to take this round of BOSS spawns. To prevent any clueless strays from going in to cause trouble, or trying to fish in troubled waters to steal the last hit, blocking the road is the safest method."

Her gaze was like a knife as she swept it over Chen Xi:

"If you know what's good for you, get lost quickly. If we start fighting in a while, don't blame us if you end up missing an arm or a leg."

"You!"

Li Murou wanted to argue further, but she felt a warm hand gently press onto her shoulder.

"That's enough, Mu Rou."

Chen Xi's voice was as calm as water, with no hint of joy or anger.

He stepped forward, shielding the flushed Li Murou behind him. His gaze swept over the faces of Lei Zhen, Lin Ya, and Zhao Zixuan one by one, and finally, the corners of his mouth curled up slightly, revealing an inscrutable, bitter smile:

"It seems this Thunder Roar Berserk really is a hot commodity."

Chen Xi understood clearly in his heart.

These three teams had clearly reached some sort of profit-sharing agreement.

After all, it was a level 20 nightmare dungeon BOSS, and the drops were worth a fortune.

To ensure nothing went wrong and to prevent lone-wolf teams like theirs from entering at a critical moment to steal the monster or cause trouble...

This group of "elites" chose the simplest and crudest method—clearing the field and establishing a monopoly.

This was the unspoken rule of large multiplayer dungeons.

Although it was nominally a public resource, as long as one's fists were hard enough, they could forcibly enclose the land and keep all the lone players out.

When ordinary Professionals encountered this situation, no matter how stifled they felt, they often had to swallow their anger and take a detour.

But...

A trace of imperceptible cold light flashed in the depths of Chen Xi's eyes.

His purpose for coming this time was clear and singular: it was for that S-rank [furious thunder crystal].

Without this material, Su Xiaoxiao's class core card could not be made, and the advancement of her Ice Thunder Battle Method would be indefinitely shelved.

This was not just a matter of materials; it was about Nirvana's final combat power in the Freshman Challenge Tournament three days later.

Therefore, he was determined to get this BOSS!

However...

Chen Xi looked at the 15 elites waiting in battle formation before him, his brain racing.

Force his way in?

That was the behavior of a reckless fool.

After all, the opponents were three top-ten battle teams with good coordination; their levels and equipment were all up to par.

Even with Li Murou's insane control and Su Xiaoxiao's terrifying output, if they really fought, it would be a fifty-fifty split, or perhaps even forty-sixty.

Even if they managed a pyrrhic victory and sent all 15 people home, the three of them would likely have exhausted all their trump cards and their mental energy would be depleted.

By then, facing that Thunder Roar Berserk, what would he have left to fight with?

They might just end up letting some other team pick up the spoils.

Such a losing business, it wasn't worth doing.

"Since this path is blocked..."

The cold light in Chen Xi's eyes faded, replaced by a touch of deep calculation.

He gently patted Li Murou's shoulder, and amidst the surprised gazes of everyone, he said slowly:

"It's fine. Since the captains have put it this way, we won't join in the fun."

After speaking, he turned around and waved at the two stunned girls behind him:

"Mu Rou, Xiao Xiao, let's go."

"Huh?!"

Li Murou widened her eyes, unable to believe her ears.

She watched Chen Xi's back as he turned and left without any hesitation, stomping her feet in anxiety:

"Captain Chen! Are we just leaving like this? Why?! This is clearly a public dungeon, they..."

"Let's go."

Chen Xi did not offer further explanation; he simply emphasized his tone and repeated the single word again.

Seeing Chen Xi's submissive attitude, Lei Zhen and the others immediately burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! You're a sensible kid!"

Lei Zhen shouldered his greatsword and whistled flippantly at Chen Xi's retreating back:

"Wouldn't it have been better to just do this from the start? It saved me from having to do it myself! Hurry up and go to the periphery to find some straggling monsters to farm; that's more suitable for a crippled team like yours!"

Zhao Zixuan pushed up his glasses, the smile on his face remaining hypocritical:

"That is a wise choice. Classmate, knowing one's limits is a virtue."

Amidst the mocking laughter of this group, Chen Xi took Li Murou and Su Xiaoxiao and walked out of the Thunder-Struck Wood Forest without looking back, until they completely disappeared from those people's sight.

...

After the three of them walked out to a rocky ridge five hundred meters away from the forest.

"I'm not convinced! I'm so angry! I'm so angry!"

As soon as she stopped, Li Murou kicked a loose stone by her feet in a huff, her little mouth pouting enough to hang an oil bottle on:

"Captain Chen! Aren't you usually the toughest one? Why did you chicken out when you met this bunch of people today?"

"Just looking at that blue-haired guy's arrogant face makes me angry. I wish I could hang a hundred layers of Sorrowful Elegy on him and make him cry all the way home!"

Watching Li Murou's claw-waving, little tiger-like appearance, the silent Su Xiaoxiao suddenly chuckled softly and comforted her gently:

"Don't be angry anymore. Don't you know Captain Chen by now?"

Su Xiaoxiao turned her head, her ice-blue eyes gazing quietly at Chen Xi, with a hint of certainty in her look:

"He has never been someone who would take a loss. This group of people dared to ride on his head and shit; do you think he would really just swallow his anger?"

As she spoke, Su Xiaoxiao looked at Chen Xi, a playful arc curling at the corner of her mouth:

"Captain Chen, tell us. Are you already brewing some bad water... oh no, I mean, do you have some brilliant plan?"

"You saw right through me."

Chen Xi snapped his fingers. The submissive look on his face had long since vanished without a trace, replaced by a touch of cunning and confidence.

He found a stone to sit on and, looking at the still-puzzled Li Murou, smiled and explained:

"Mu Rou, you need to understand one principle."

"When a problem can be solved with your brain, try not to use your hands. If you can borrow a knife to kill, don't dirty your own hands."

"Don't they have more people? Don't they like to hog the field? Don't they like to monopolize?"

A trace of coldness flashed in Chen Xi's eyes:

"Then I will properly teach them a lesson!"