The little boy pointed at two individuals who took two steps forward and stood at the edge of the arena as if they had been waiting there all along.
Their faces showed no expression, and they did not respond to the little boy in any way.
However, Little Adam didnât seem to mind at all. Instead, he gazed excitedly toward Cloud Peakâs side, as if fantasizing about victory and the reward of advancing five levels.
Regarding this little boy, Ye Zhongming and the Cloud Peak members all had doubts in their hearts.
He gave off the impression that he was⊠playing.
Yes, utterly unserious.
How could someone who cared so little about sacrificing his subordinatesâ lives even become a leader?
In the apocalypse, a team leader would indeed exploit their subordinates to some extent, but that didnât mean they could drain the pond to catch all the fish or burn the forest to hunt. Even if you were a level-nine evolved, you couldnât indiscriminately kill or sacrifice your followersâotherwise, even the dumbest people would abandon you.
Moreover, the Wheel Space of the Mountain King Wheelâor any other Wheel Space, or even the entire Wheel Apocalypseâwas like a game, something every survivor knew. But as long as they were mentally sound and not driven to madness, no evolved would truly treat it as a game, because failure meant no second chances.
This little boy, Adam, was different. He gave the impression that he was playing a game, where all that mattered was winningâeverything else could be disregarded.
Ye Zhongming didnât know if this was just his misconception, but he genuinely felt this way.
"Cloud Peak, please select your combatants."
The space prompted Cloud Peak to send its fighters.
Surprisingly, the usually battle-hungry Xia Bai did not step forward. Upon reflection, it made sense.
The remaining solo match would undoubtedly be fought by Ye Zhongming, leaving her no opportunity. The beast battle was also out of the question. That left the duo and five-person battles.
Xia Baiâs combat style wasnât suited for teamworkâthe only person in this world she would willingly cooperate with was Ye Zhongming. Thus, if she participated in the duo battle, it wouldnât be ideal. The five-person battle, however, was different. Xia Bai could serve as the spearhead while the other four coordinated with her.
Since Xia Bai and Ye Zhongming werenât participating, the strongest among the remaining members were Xiao Min and another Female Guard deputy captain, Dai Zhi.
Xiao Min had grown into the de facto commander of the Female Guards, and Dai Zhiâs assistance had been indispensable. The latter was also the third-in-command when Xia Bai or Xiao Min were absent.
The two usually cooperated closely, sharing excellent synergy. Both were eight-star evolved with sufficient strength, making them the most suitable candidates for this battle.
Ye Zhongming nodded in approval, and the two stepped through a glowing gate into the energy arena, followed by two battle beasts.
The restrictions on the battle beastsâ abilities had been temporarily lifted, as there would be a beast battle later.
Once both sides entered the energy arena, the beautiful energy structure resealed itself, the surroundings dimmed, and the arena became the focal point.
"Troyilia!" the man from Hidden Snakeâs Journey said coldly.
"Melfis!" the woman beside him followed.
However, their seemingly polite behavior, coupled with their expressions, came off more like a provocation or a display of disdain.
No one could detect any emotion in their expressionsâonly complete indifference.
Such people either cared nothing for others or nothing for themselves.
In any case, they held no regard for life.
Though the apocalypse was full of ruthless individuals, those who truly disregarded life were still a minority.
"Duo battle countdown begins: 10, 9âŠ"
As the spaceâs countdown commenced, Xiao Min and Dai Zhiâs battle beasts activated their abilities.
Xiao Minâs battle beast was combat-oriented, nicknamed Red-White Simba, with the formal name Soul-Snatching Bicolor Lion. At level seven, it could serve as a mount in daily life, and in battle, it possessed all the traits of a mutated felineâagility, strength, sharpnessâalong with skills that could affect an evolvedâs mental state, making it an excellent combat partner.
Dai Zhiâs battle beast was purely support-based, called the Three-Headed Spirit Bird, with three small heads facing different directions.
When needed, each small head could emit two different songs, producing different effects. Additionally, when all three heads sang together, they could unleash another ability.
The level-seven Three-Headed Spirit Bird was one of the few battle beasts in Cloud Peak born with full innate abilities.
One of the Three-Headed Spirit Birdâs heads opened its beak and let out a melodious chirp, its tune incredibly beautiful. As it sang, Dai Zhiâs body emitted a faint yellow glowâthough barely noticeable compared to the energy arenaâs radianceâclearly indicating a buff.
Another head soon began singing as well, and Xiao Min and her battle beast were similarly shrouded in a pale blue light.
"Song of Fearlessness and Song of Swiftness."
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Ye Zhongming silently recited the names of the two buffs.
The Three-Headed Spirit Bird had cast the Song of Fearlessness on its master, Dai Zhi. This buff enhanced the evolvedâs physical attributesânot by much, but it was a comprehensive boost. It also fortified mental resilience, reducing or even nullifying the effects of mental-type attacks.
Additionally, it dulled pain receptors, lessening the impact of injuries on combat performance.
Xiao Min received the Song of Swiftness, which increased agilityâa significant advantage whether she fought on foot or atop Red-White Simba.
Seeing the two Female Guard deputy captains take action, the juvenile soldiers couldnât help but cheer.
The two from Hidden Snakeâs Journey merely glanced at them before ignoring them entirely. Instead, they clasped hands, standing face-to-face.
And then⊠they kissed.
The sight instantly silenced the cheering juvenile soldiers.
It wasnât because of the intimacy of the actâit was because their behavior was too bizarre.
Under everyoneâs gaze, as the spaceâs countdown reached its final seconds, the two began to mutate.
Yes, mutate.
The left halves of their bodies began merging toward each other. Their flesh-and-blood forms melted like ice and snow, turning into a gelatinous substance that crawled onto the otherâs body before solidifying again.
When the two reappeared before the crowd, they had become "half-persons."
Troyiliaâs right halfâfrom hair to feetâhad transformed into Melfis. Likewise, Melfisâs right half had become Troyilia!