Act Five was still ongoing. Xu Lang killing the Apocalypse Fighter Jets did not mean the game could end early.
Moreover, Xu Lang felt the Mad King Building still had bigger traps waiting.
Putting late-game bosses aside, the early and mid stages of the Mad King Buildingâs game levels were already pretty twisted, and since this was the first battle after the community formed, Xu Lang didnât believe the Mad King Building wouldnât pull something.
The advantage now was that everyone no longer had to fight outside; they could retreat back to their dorms.
No matter how strong a player was, they could not fight indefinitely away from their dorm.
For example, if every player used all their resources to power themselves up, when a monster tide hit, one wave could wipe out an entire building.
And even if facilities could keep up with game progress, items for boosting personal strength werenât guaranteed.
Thatâs just how the Dorm Survival Gameâs mechanics worked.
âMeat-buildâ players would go out, kill a wave, and then go back to their dorms, not stand at the door to fightâthat would be suicide.
Tactical squads surged toward the dorms wave after wave. At first they were wiped out outside the buildings, until one moment when a squad broke through the fire net and stormed into a dormitory.
Balance was utterly shattered!
The game hit the next tempo point!
The players who understood the gameâs pacing had already returned to their dorms and survived.
Those who neither had the sense nor listened to the Floor Leaderâs orders died on the spot!
Fortunately, such players were not many.
Also, those dead players were not brainless, they were âgreedy.â They died because of their own greed.
Over time, offensive-defensive warfare gradually formed.
The Mad King Buildingâs corridors were full of military robots, endlessly pouring in!
By contrast, Twilight Building was different.
The military robots attacking Twilight Building were charging too, but not as ferocious, lacking that never-retreat spirit.
As time passed, the difference became clear.
The robots dealing with the Mad King Building were almost more than double those facing Twilight Building!
Blood Grudgeâthis thingâeven mechanical life couldnât resist it.
âXu Lang, Iâm not even kidding, it really seems like per-capita Blood Grudge has become a kind of taunt-like positive buff!â In Dorm 200, Zhen Lu looked at the view outside the surveillance camera and smiled brightly.
The most troublesome thing about military robots was their remote bombardment, and Twilight Buildingâs players suffered from it.
Mad King Buildingâs players didnât have to worry about that at all!
When military robots saw the Mad King Building they literally went berserk, mad, stupid!
Cao Yaxuan was ecstatic:
âBlood Grudge is basically taunt control in MMOs, so on point!â
âMy cousin said a warrior who canât taunt is not a real warrior!â
âI think we should rename Mad King Building to Warrior Buildingâno, Blood Grudge Building!â
Sherry scratched her cheek and said, âThere are side effects though. From what I know, many dorm buildings drag fights until the game time ends to secure victory, so we canât always play like this.â
Gu Ya nodded and added, âAnd in some instances, the more monsters killed within a certain time, the faster monsters respawn.â
They discussed this point and finally reached a conclusion.
Having Blood Grudge was better than not having it!
The reason was simple: no matter how many monsters came, Dorm 200 could handle them.
What you fear is monsters not rushing the building, not monsters rushing it.
At first, when Xu Lang saw the robotic army in Dawn City, he felt helpless for this very reason.
Tech-side monsters had far too many ranged attacks.
Xu Lang already understood Blood Grudgeâs effects very well, and gradually discovered one trait: Blood Grudge from different people could stack with one another.
In other words, if Mad King Building players killed some people during rest time, they could effectively increase the Blood Grudge attraction range.
Now, Xu Lang was considering one question.
How to amplify Blood Grudgeâs effect.
There were items that enhanced Blood Grudge in the Dorm Survival Game; they existed and were used to screw other players, but nothing like that had appeared in the Mad King Building yet.
After thinking for a moment, Xu Lang decided to post a message to recruit such itemsâmaybe some player actually had one?
[200 Xu Lang: Buying Blood Grudge-related items at high price]
A minute later, Xu Lang opened the chatroom and glanced through the messages, his eyes lighting up.
Someone actually had a similar item.
Xu Lang added them as a friend, negotiated terms, and completed the trade.
The Blood Grudge-related item was a basin of black dog blood. Splash it on a dorm door and that dorm would generate intense Blood Grudge.
Just as Xu Lang checked the basin of black dog bloodâs attributes, a private message popped up.
[Pandora: What price are you offering (Club J)]
Xu Lang opened the item info Pandora attached.
The information on Club J made Xu Langâs heart beat a little faster. Sure enough, it was the playing card heâd hoped for.
[Club J]
[Type: Item]
[Level: Unknown]
[Rarity: Mythical]
[Effect: Increases the specified dormitoryâs Blood Grudge density by 100 times for 1 minute]
[Description: Clubs⊠a dangerous and harmful suit]
âItâs one of the sixteen main cards!â
Xu Lang had ranked the fifty-four playing cards: two jokers, sixteen main cards, and thirty-six sub cards.
He had already collected thirteen sub cards, and among the main cards he only had one club.
There had once been a Club Q which he hadnât treasured, and Cao Yaxuan used it to summon Zhen Lu.
It couldnât be helped; he had no idea back then that collecting all fifty-four cards could unlock the Mad King Buildingâs ultimate trial.
[Xu Lang: Whatâs the price]
[Pandora: This card is a hidden item, and it increases Blood Grudge concentration by a hundredfold. If actually used, even Blood Mist creatures might rush into the Safe Zone]
Pandora began to hype the card, which was simply meant to raise its price.
Xu Lang didnât want to waste time. Paying more would also serve a speculative purpose, so he kept pushing.
[Xu Lang: Whatâs the price]
In Dorm 70, Pandora sat on a black-purple velvet bed. Seeing Xu Lang pressing, her eyes immediately lit up.
Xu Lang was in a hurry!
[Pandora: I want to be the Twilight Buildingâs Dorm Owner!]
[Xu Lang: Youâre dreaming, I think you want to die!]
[Pandora: Hahaha, I was just joking!]
Bang!
Pandora threw the black-and-white-faced teddy bear aside, her face turning dark with anger: âDamn Xu Lang, how dare you curse me!â
Aside from the tenth floor, the Mad King Buildingâs overall strength was highest on the ninth floor.
Because the Witchâs Home could assimilate, the ninth floorâs other dorm facilities were exceptionally powerful; ninth floor players had prestige when they gathered resources and recruited people for pioneering.
As a central figure, Pandora had been lifted on a pedestal.
It made senseâshe was the only one in the Mad King Building who owned a high-grade dorm.
[Pandora: Heehee, so Dorm Owner, what price do you offer?]
[Xu Lang: Five million Copper Coins]
[Pandora: Deal]
âMaster, master, please donât be angry!â The black-and-white-faced teddy bear climbed up and put on a fawning look.
Pandora had placed in the top fifty in several recent rounds; Witchâs Home had continuously upgraded and its function grew more miraculous.
That black-and-white-faced teddy bear was part of the dorm and had strong abilities.
âYou, go kill Xu Lang for me!â Pandora pointed at the bear and spoke commanding.
âHuh? Me kill Xu Lang?â The bear pointed its fingerless paw at itself, eyes squinting, looking completely puzzled.
âArenât you an Assassin Bear?â
âThat still doesnât mean you can kill just anyone!!!â