Chapter Eight: Victory and Reward

The helicopter moved swiftly, and just as the notification for the first circle’s contraction sounded, they were already preparing to land.

More importantly, they had spotted another team on their way over, whose target was also the city ruins at the edge of the third contraction. Unless something unexpected happened, the two teams were bound to clash. However, they had the advantage of lying in wait, ready to ambush their prey.

They landed on a rooftop. Though the place was called a ruin, it wasn’t entirely in shambles; the city’s dilapidation carried a distinctly technological style, and the high-rises were still tall. With the signboard atop the building obscuring the view, unless someone looked closely, no one would notice a helicopter there.

Descending from the rooftop, they began searching for equipment at a rapid pace. The supplies in the camp were sparse and of basic quality; relying on those alone to win the final battle was impossible.

Fortunately, since they were already in the third circle, the gear available was mid-tier, if not top-notch. While it wasn’t impossible to find such equipment in earlier stages, the quantity would be insufficient.

As agreed, after upgrading their gear, they regrouped at the entrance of a large bridge on the edge of the city ruins.

“It seems everyone’s equipment is in good shape!” Uglud exclaimed. “So, what’s next? Do we ambush inside the buildings or set up a defensive position here?” He was visibly eager for the latter.

“I suggest urban combat,” Philia proposed. “I’ve found quite a few magical traps. With a few good sniping positions, we can cripple two or three of them right at the start, making it easy to eliminate the rest.”

Sun Meng asked, “How many magical traps do you have?”

Philia replied, “A dozen or so, all kinds. Why?”

A sly smile flashed in Sun Meng’s eyes. “In that case, set the most powerful explosive ones in the middle of the bridge. As for the rest, arrange them as I instruct.”

“Will that really work? Even if the bridge is broken, unless the gap is huge, they can still get across easily,” Dara questioned, echoing the doubts the others wore on their faces.

Sun Meng smiled confidently. “Just do as I say—quickly!”

The boundary of the third contraction was a dense forest, where a fully armed team was racing toward the bridge in a carriage.

“I don’t get it—why do we have to go this way?” grumbled a minotaur in the front seat, uncomfortable with the forest terrain despite the carriage’s speed.

Luckily, except for weapons, the carriage itself couldn’t be damaged, or they wouldn’t have made it this far.

“Stop complaining! It’s not my fault you lot can only imagine vehicles too small to fit us all!” a burly, hairy man retorted.

“How is that my fault?” piped a voice that sounded like a young girl’s.

“I told you—a mechanical war beast would do. Worst case, I could just carry you. And trust me, I have no interest in women of your build,” the hairy man teased.

Before he could finish, a fireball flared before his face. “Modo, don’t make me turn you bald!” the woman hissed through gritted teeth. She had always thought her figure was decent among her own kind—until she saw women from other races in the main city, and her confidence waned.

“Enough! The bridge is just ahead. Chances of running into another team beyond here are a hundred percent. Everyone, be alert!” the minotaur ordered.

The carriage slowed slightly, and as they ascended the bridge, a winged man leapt into the air. However, he couldn’t fly too high—one of the game’s rules.

“All clear ahead—no sign of anyone,” he reported. He was a warrior, but since the squad lacked archers or scouts, the one with a visual edge had to take on the task.

“Move quickly! We don’t want to get caught in a firefight before upgrading our gear,” the minotaur urged, and the carriage sped up until it reached the center of the bridge.

Suddenly, the woman shouted, “Trap!” A shield materialized around the carriage, but a violent explosion hurled them back, shattering the bridge.

Nearly twenty meters of the bridge’s center vanished. It wasn’t insurmountable for them, but it was clear proof: someone had already been here!

“Hah! Who’s so childish? Setting traps is fine, but did they really think a twenty-meter gap would stop us?” Modo laughed.

“I don’t see anyone,” called Garibi from above after scanning again.

“I think they’re still scavenging. If they’d arrived much earlier, their traps wouldn’t be so laughable,” croaked the last team member, his voice reminiscent of a raven. He fell silent after his single comment.

Summoning a stream of water to quench the remaining flames, they crossed the ruined bridge and cautiously entered the city. After confirming there were no further traps, they split up to search the buildings one by one.

As they entered the two buildings nearest the bridge, Philia peeked from a crumbling low-rise in the distance. “Just as Sun Meng predicted! I need to inform the others. If we can wipe out a squad in one go, this strategy could really work.”

Though those chosen to participate in this game were not necessarily elite, after several missions and with the support of their entire worlds behind them, none were mere novices.

If Sun Meng’s tactics worked, Philia was determined to learn and use them in future “Wasteland Bazaars.” After all, each contestant bore the fate of their own civilization.

Seeing Philia leap down, Uglud hurried over. “How is it? Did they really go up into the buildings?”

Philia nodded. “We can proceed as planned.”

“Great! Let’s go!” Uglud and Storm-Thunder rushed to their assigned ambush spot.

Philia and Dara moved quickly to their own positions, ready to await the enemy. On the rooftop where they’d landed, Sun Meng watched the intruders advance toward the trap sites with a faint smile, hiding behind the signboard.

Sitting inside the helicopter, Sun Meng began interacting with the viewers. “Alright. Let’s see if this works.”

“But why doesn’t the host do it himself?”

“Judging by normal game logic, rewards are likely based on individual performance. Isn’t the host just slacking off?”

“I actually think the host is a bit too confident.”

“Right! Will such obvious traps even work?”

Looking at these comments on the screen, Sun Meng smiled confidently. “Don’t worry. The result will be clear soon enough.”

Just then, a notification popped up: “Teammate Uglud has eliminated opponent Modo.”

Sun Meng glanced at the screen. “See? I told you so!” Three more notifications followed. The enemy squad of five was down to two!

He peeked out just as the winged man from the other side flew toward him.

Sun Meng boarded the helicopter, started it up, and aimed straight for the incoming enemy.

“Wow! That’s some maneuver!”

“Impressive!”

“I wonder how traumatized the other team is right now… Haha!”

As the enemy reached rooftop height and was about to relax, he realized something was wrong—the roar of the helicopter reached his ears.

But it was too late. The helicopter crashed into his chest, and Sun Meng emptied a magazine from his handgun into him, taking him out of the game.

As for the broken helicopter glass, Sun Meng wasn’t worried. In this gamified world, bullets could still shatter glass, but once combat stopped, it would automatically regenerate—though not indefinitely. If the damage was too severe, the helicopter could still be destroyed.

With four enemies eliminated, the last mage was taken out by Dara.

The five regrouped and headed for the central zone. When the final opponent was defeated, a treasure chest descended from the sky, containing six items: one team reward—a Trial Card.

The other five prizes were: a Tier One Gene Serum Formula (usable in late Tier One to break into early Tier Two, but future progress must follow the gene evolution path); Controllable Fusion Technology; a Mental Crystal Mine; a single burst of Cosmic Source Energy Radiation (grants all creatures on the planet the ability to absorb cosmic source energy, but future evolution must follow the cosmic energy path); and Spiritual Qi Tide (raises the planet’s spiritual qi ceiling to the peak of Tier Two, but future evolution must follow the spiritual cultivation path).