Chapter 44: Baiting Strategy

Facing three different directions available for pathing, Xu Feng wanted to curse the person who developed the terrain.

No matter which path you chose, it would all lead to a dead-end— well somewhat of a dead-end.

He called it a dead-end because there would be monsters appearing that were out of their league temporarily.

Although still killable, the time consumed on killing would be tremendous, meaning he would have to cough up more Fire Resistance Potion for them.

To be forced to consume another one was something Xu Feng was unwilling to do.

After all, the potions aren't just useful in the Scorched Caverns but can be useful in many other places as well.

"There are three passages here. What route should we take, Lin Feng?" Gentle Wind asked softly.

Rubbing his chin softly and turning his attention to her, Xu Feng suddenly detected Steelshot from the side.

'Right, he's a Gunner...' His lips curled upward as he stared intensely at Steelshot.

Meanwhile, Steelshot felt a chill running down his spine when he realized Xu Feng was staring at him.

He might not have been able to see his expression since Xu Feng was still wearing a mask, but he could somehow sense a malicious smile was being flashed upon him.

'What does this bastard want now?' Steelshot wondered silently. 'Stop staring at me and look away. I didn't even go against your instruction and stayed in my position obediently.'

"Steelshot!" Xu Feng suddenly called out, prompting the latter to nearly have a nervous breakdown.

"W-What is it?" Steelshot asked, albeit somewhat cautiously.

"Earlier you said I forgot about you, so now I'm giving you a chance to shine." He replied courteously.

Alas, his courteous tone was equivalent to a devil's whisper to the current Steelshot. After witnessing the crazy ordeal and how Xu Feng dealt with the Searing Specters so efficiently, he was now afraid of him.

Hence, being assigned such a job when he was a Gunner, Steelshot had the impulse to fire a bullet at Xu Feng.

However, what pained him deeply was the fact that he didn't hear a single rebuke from his fellow comrades.

He even turned to Autumn Breeze, seeking assistance, but she merely tilted her head sideways, clearly ignoring his plea.

'Didn't we agree to be in a pact against him, Autumn Breeze? Why did you ditch me?' Steelshot cried inwardly.

"Alright, stop wasting time, big boy. We've got work to do!" Xu Feng suddenly said, going behind Steelshot and kicking him in the butt, propelling him forward to the right passage.

Despite feeling a somewhat pained sensation in his butt, Steelshot's emotions were more damaged, having received full-blown emotional damage.

Discarded and betrayed by his fellow comrades, Steelshot could only cry bitterly in his heart as he ventured deep into the right passage.

As Steelshot's presence slowly vanished from the dark passage, Gentle Wind asked, "Are you getting revenge on him for the earlier instance?"

"If I'm going to be petty, then I wouldn't have done just this, Gentle Wind." Xu Feng responded casually.

"As a Gunner, his agility stat is higher than us all, so his survivability is naturally higher. Also, we need to save as much mana as possible. By sending Steelshot alone, he alone would help save the 19 of us from depleting our mana." He added, explaining his actions to her.

Nodding her head in understanding, Gentle Wind realized she seemed to have misunderstood him.

However, she quickly retracted her thoughts once she heard his next sentence.

"Now this next action of mine is me being petty." Xu Feng chuckled menacingly.

He turned to Autumn Breeze and ordered, "Autumn Breeze, summon two Lesser Elementalists and have them rush toward the left and middle passage respectively. Ensure that you anger them and retreat to the right passage."

Speechless, the crowd was immensely stunned by the wickedness of Xu Feng.

Can this even be identified as petty anymore and not murder?

"Don't look at me like that! This is called a baiting strategy: one for all. Steelshot's sacrifice will be remembered in our hearts." Xu Feng patted his chest lightly, seemingly trying to glorify Steelshot's magnanimous deed.