SWNOVELXO Chapter 179 - Downward
They weren’t mistaken; the other side indeed had three people, and their cooperation was excellent, displaying a remarkable tacit understanding. One of them seemed to be slightly lagging behind due to lesser stamina, while the other two were responsible for closely tracking Jiang Hui and Huan Xian’s movements.
The two pursuing them clearly had great physical strength and soon managed to corner Jiang Hui and Huan Xian, surrounding them in an encirclement.
Jiang Hui’s expression turned a bit grim because these two didn’t resemble the earlier foolish bystanders who had approached without understanding their strength. Instead, she sensed a familiar and similar aura emanating from them—an aggressive energy she felt from her classmates every day.
They were clearly trained fighters, not easy to deal with, especially since there were three of them.
How were they so unlucky? They had made their escape quickly, yet here they were, caught in the end.
“Hey there, why are you running so fast? It’s rare to bump into you; why not stay and chat with us?” One of them chuckled slyly, cracking his knuckles in a gesture that unmistakably conveyed a classic villainous flair.
Jiang Hui recognized him as the same person whose voice had sounded quite irritable earlier. Now that she looked at him, his wide eyes and slightly arched eyebrows indeed matched his voice well.
“I’m not trying to make things difficult for you. If you cooperate a bit, it might allow you to leave more easily.” The other person appeared much more refined overall, giving off a cultured vibe, but his casual remarks carried a blatant undertone of threat.
What they were saying implied… did they even have a choice?
At this moment, surrendering would mean “ten deaths without life,” and there was surely no way out. But if they put up a fight, perhaps there was a slim chance of survival. The person was clearly aware of their situation yet chose to speak like this, clearly mocking them and wanting to see their angry and desperate expressions.
Jiang Hui didn’t know what Huan Xian was thinking, but after hearing this, her temper flared, and she decided to take decisive action.
Huan Xian wasn’t willing to fall behind either. At first, he seemed startled by Jiang Hui’s unusually excited movements, but he quickly regained his composure and lunged forward after her without a second thought.
Sure enough, the two of them had chosen the same opponent to attack.
If one-on-one wasn’t enough, why couldn’t they engage in a two-on-one fight?! Fighting didn’t adhere to any rules, and it was best to eliminate one opponent before the other three joined forces; taking out one enemy would significantly increase their chances of winning.
The two had a clear strategy in mind, and while the guy next to them hadn’t reacted yet, they simultaneously charged in with one targeting the ribs and the other launching a storm of attacks.
“What are you doing, you idiot?! Get over here and help!” The boy, who had been momentarily stunned by Jiang Hui and Huan Xian’s sudden assault, finally snapped out of it and couldn’t help but hiss at his partner, who was still standing there in a daze.
In fact, his reaction wasn’t too slow. The main issue was that Jiang Hui and Huan Xian were exceptionally skilled in their movements.
They targeted the weak points, attacking with precision and power to bewilder their opponent while employing tactics to disrupt their thoughts and actions… One struck with enough force to potentially break ribs, while the other twisted the arm to immobilize the opponent. Through a couple of swift, fluid movements, they ultimately sent him crashing to the ground.
This was a brutal fighting style they had developed through their collaboration, completely unorthodox. They had incorporated all sorts of dirty tactics, like eye gouging, choking, and hair pulling—after all, with the protective simulation gear, they wouldn’t actually harm anyone. The goal was to create enough chaos to disrupt the enemy’s formation and achieve a quick knockout.
The more forceful and dramatic the fall, the better—preferably with the opponent’s head hitting the ground first. They had discovered through multiple trials that this was the most effective way to eliminate enemies at supply points.
While they had been incredibly lucky during their first encounter, managing to eliminate that big guy in one shot, the opponents they faced later were naturally not all dimwitted. They had encountered some tough fighters as well, who were not only difficult to beat but could also cause counterproductive damage.
For example, if an opponent had some fighting skills and was “thick-skinned,” their energy wouldn’t be significantly reduced by their attacks, while they could end up losing energy themselves… Such opponents couldn’t be forced into a brawl; they had to be outsmarted.
Rather than letting him wear them down by 3% or 5%, it was better to go for something big.
The existence of the simulation vest is to ensure the students’ safety, preventing them from injuring themselves or others without understanding the risks. However, this vest is merely a supplementary protective device and cannot influence the outcome of the competition. Thus, while the vest continuously shields the host from external harm, any damage inflicted will still reflect as a loss of remaining energy.
To put it simply, if the host suffers significant damage, the simulation vest will protect their safety, but the impact and injury will translate into an equivalent amount of energy loss.
Therefore, the two of them gradually figured out that to save time and effort, the best strategy was to directly target the enemy’s head. The head is the most vulnerable part of the human body; once the simulation vest detects a severe impact to the head, it essentially drains the enemy’s energy.
From that point onward, they continued to use this approach up to now. This time, of course, they employed the same tactic; however, what had previously been an unfailingly effective strategy was not as smooth this time because they were dealing with two opponents.
Jiang Hui shot a glance at Huan Xian, who was delivering a finishing blow to the other side. He instantly understood, releasing his hold to deal with the other person who was about to smash into him.
Meanwhile, she pressed both her legs and her entire weight down onto the opponent’s chest, while her other hand gripped the collarbone area, preparing to throw a punch straight at his face.
Regardless of the outcome, she just needed to knock him out.
Her plan sounded good, but she still underestimated the physical capabilities of these two, especially the one she was currently grappling with. The reason she chose him was that he appeared the “weakest” to her.
However, what Jiang Hui didn’t realize was that the person she and Huan Xian had initially targeted, despite having a relatively weaker level of mental energy, was actually the strongest in terms of physical strength among the two.
If it were someone with standard physical abilities, they would have been eliminated by now, even with the protection and shielding of the simulation vest. However, the opponent was relying on their formidable physique and stamina, using subtle dodging angles and struggles to cushion many of the attacks from the two of them. After all the hits, the energy on the simulation vest was still at 13%, which was indeed impressive.
While Huan Xian dealt with the other person, Jiang Hui was left to fight alone.
At this moment, Jiang Hui’s level of mental energy was strong, but her physical abilities were rather average. Although she had improved slightly after a month of training, she still fell far short compared to her opponent.
Even with such a significant advantage at the start, and despite locking down the opponent’s movements throughout the fight, the fundamental gap in physical abilities remained.