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Sharpening The Knife Doesn’t Delay The Cutting of Vegetables With The Bow[eSports]: Chapter 110
110. Assassination
“Crack.”
In the dense fog enveloping Silent Boat Beach, a wooden crate was smashed, echoing a crisp sound through the quiet.
“Chang Zan, be more careful.”
Shen Tang’s team captain, Hong Jingyao, reminded over voice chat.
“Got it,” Chang Zan responded, carefully sidestepping the scattered remains of the crate beneath his feet. “I hate this weather.”
“Visibility is poor in this fog. Stay close together and watch out for ambushes.”
There were three teams on Silent Boat Beach, but so far, no sounds of battle had emerged. It was clear that the other two teams were also moving cautiously.
The members of Shen Tang’s team proceeded like hunters feeling their way through a dark forest, scavenging supplies along the way while avoiding obstacles to minimize noise.
“There’s a purple armor piece up ahead. I’ll go get it,” the team’s sharp-eyed support player noticed the faint purple glow not far off and stepped forward.
“Alright, just be careful,” Hong Jingyao replied without much concern.
The support separated from the group, heading toward the purple armor. The omnipresent fog obscured his vision, so each step required him to double-check his footing. Thankfully, there were no enemy footsteps nearby, indicating this area was clear.
Meanwhile, at the commentary booth, Echo lowered his voice a notch.
“Shen Tang’s support, Kong Gong, is slowly approaching… he hasn’t spotted Chen Xingran and is walking straight into the opponent’s trap…”
From the spectator view, everything was crystal clear. The thick fog was rendered transparent, allowing viewers to see both teams’ positions and movement paths.
Chen Xingran hadn’t regrouped with ZMD but was instead acting independently, lying in wait some distance from his teammates. He was like a spider poised on a web, ready for prey to wander into his trap.
He didn’t have to wait long. Soon, Shen Tang’s support player, Kong Gong, appeared.
The opponent slowly approached the armor in front of him. Chen Xingran, concealed off to the side, was hidden by the colors of the moss-covered obstacles around him, blending seamlessly into the surroundings. Kong Gong was oblivious to his presence.
Just as Kong Gong was about to pick up the purple armor, Chen Xingran sprang into action.
Stasis Technique.
His control Hidden Shadow skill activated, hitting Kong Gong squarely on the head. The opponent froze momentarily, and in the next instant, Chen Xingran shot out like lightning. The glint of his dagger spun deftly through the air in two quick loops, positioned perfectly for a reverse grip, striking Kong Gong precisely in the back.
-438!
“Wha—”
Kong Gong felt his body halt, held immobilized in place. As an experienced professional, he immediately recognized Shadow’s Stasis effect, but he heard no footsteps—his opponent should still be a distance away.
In the next second, though, a sharp tingling spread across his back as he took a hit to a weak spot, his movements locked up momentarily from the strike. His armor gauge plummeted as two segments of his blue armor shattered in an instant!
“What’s happening?” Hong Jingyao’s voice sounded over voice chat.
“There’s someone here!”
Kong Gong shouted urgently while continuing to move. After taking a hit, he rolled on the spot to dodge Chen Xingran’s next strike, and with swift movements, picked up the purple armor nearby and equipped it.
Though his blue armor was nearly depleted, switching to the purple armor gave him a fresh four-segment shield, which would last a bit longer.
“Damn it!”
But as soon as he switched, Kong Gong cursed in frustration.
The purple armor was empty!
It wasn’t a newly spawned item but rather the armor Chen Xingran had discarded, with its durability fully used up. From the outside, it looked identical, and Chen Xingran had placed it right at a standard spawn point, making Kong Gong assume it was a fully charged purple armor. The result of this split-second mistake was that his one remaining segment of blue armor was replaced with an empty shield.
Echo: “Kong Gong fell for it.”
This bait-and-switch strategy hadn’t surprised Chen Xingran in the slightest. With a slight smirk, he lunged forward again!
Kong Gong immediately realized his mistake and tried to switch back to his blue armor, but Chen Xingran wasn’t about to give him that chance.
Slash!
The powerful force from the dagger’s strike sent Kong Gong staggering back. A cold gleam sliced through the mist, aimed straight at his throat!
-267!
It wasn’t a critical hit—Kong Gong twisted his body at the last moment, evading a fatal blow.
He used a skill to replenish his health, turned, and prepared to engage in close combat, only to find that his opponent had vanished again.
The thick, white fog concealed Chen Xingran’s location. Missing his chance, he had immediately retreated, disappearing into the mist without a trace—even his footsteps were silent, making it impossible to determine his position.
“There’s a Hidden Shadow here,” Kong Gong quickly reported over voice chat. “Can’t hear his footsteps; he must have a Cat’s Paw Soul Jade.”
An average player might have hesitated, but as a professional, Kong Gong adjusted quickly.
“We’re on our way,” Hong Jingyao replied.
The other three members of Shen Tang’s team emerged from the fog, regrouping with Kong Gong and forming a protective circle around him to allow him time to heal.
He Ye: “It’s a shame that Chen Xingran couldn’t finish off Shen Tang’s support this time.”
Zhi Zi: “It’s not that simple. Kong Gong is known in the pro scene for his tenacity and remarkable escape skills. Even with Cat’s Paw, it’s difficult to solo kill him.”
Echo: “Let’s see what Chen Xingran’s next move will be.”
The arrival of his teammates gave Kong Gong a much-needed sense of security. Facing an elusive assassin in that foggy setting had been nerve-wracking. But now, surrounded by familiar allies, his tense nerves finally began to relax.
Just as Kong Gong was about to apply his armor potion, a barely perceptible whoosh sliced through the air.
A shadow leapt down from the mast above, landing directly in the middle of Shen Tang’s encirclement!
His sudden appearance took everyone by surprise. Silently, he landed without a single sound, and the Shen Tang team, still alert to their surroundings, failed to realize that their three-member squad guarding Kong Gong had unknowingly grown to four!
*Shhk—*
The dagger flashed, drawing a spray of blood. Kong Gong’s healing action was instantly interrupted, his armor failing to activate, leaving his health further depleted.
“!!!”
Chen Xingran, moving like a ghost, struck and disappeared. After breaking the healer’s focus, he switched the dagger for a whip, swiftly coiling it around a nearby mast. His figure melted into the dense fog once more.
“This… he’s like a ghost!”
Kong Gong’s expression showed signs of despair.
“In this environment, Cat’s Foot is just disgusting,” Hong Jingyao muttered, his face dark. That hidden maneuver had been too quick; even he hadn’t had time to react. “Quickly start healing; I’ll keep watch.”
“Alright.”
Reluctantly, Kong Gong resumed his healing, but fate had other plans.
*Crash—*
The sound of a fragile wooden crate shattering heightened the Shen Tang team’s tension. They looked up warily, but this time, it wasn’t Chen Xingran’s eerie figure they saw.
Instead, it was ZMD’s Xiao Nan and Luo Baibai.
After Xiao Nan and Yang Yunche regrouped with Luo Baibai, they headed straight to Chen Xingran’s location. Shen Tang’s support player was in terrible condition, repeatedly interrupted by Chen Xingran, effectively neutralizing their usefulness. Yang Yunche seized the opportunity without hesitation.
Xiao Nan launched a frontal assault, charging in with his shield and sword, while Yang Yunche’s ranged firepower and Luo Baibai’s support forced a direct engagement!
Echo: “ZMD really caught Shen Tang off guard with this ambush…”
He Ye: “Yes, this is a tough situation for Shen Tang. Should they engage in a direct fight or not? They seem to want to retreat, but ZMD won’t allow it.”
Sure enough, when Shen Tang showed signs of retreat, Yang Yunche immediately blocked their exit with his ranged attacks. Xiao Nan then advanced, pressing against their tank with relentless offense, forcing Shen Tang into battle.
Echo: “Alright, the fight is on! The support on Shen Tang’s side is looking for an opening to heal. Will they manage it? Now, let’s check what Chen Xingran is doing… oh, my—!”
As Echo spoke, the camera panned to Chen Xingran, and the moment he appeared on screen, Echo let out an involuntary gasp of shock!
In the chaos of the battle, no one had noticed that Chen Xingran had silently used his whip to hook onto an overhead structure. Like a spider weaving a web, he slowly descended, stealthily approaching Shen Tang’s support from above. Unaware of the looming danger, the Shen Tang support had no idea that death was mere inches from his throat.
A perfect position for an assassination.
His dagger was like a fang steeped in poison, inching steadily toward Kong Gong’s throat amidst the sounds of battle on the front lines. The scene seemed to slow down, capturing a hunt-like atmosphere that sent shivers down one’s spine.
In the next instant, Chen Xingran’s wrist flicked with sudden force, sending a deadly, gleaming slash from below. The blade pierced Kong Gong’s throat and drove upward through his jaw like a venomous serpent locking onto its prey. With a fierce lift, Chen Xingran hoisted Kong Gong’s entire body into the air.
From the audience’s perspective, it was like watching a spider catch its prey, binding it in webbing and dangling it in its lair. The sight made everyone’s heart skip a beat.
What chilled everyone further was that, despite having no stealth abilities, Chen Xingran blended in perfectly, moving so silently that he exploited every blind spot. He’d infiltrated Shen Tang’s formation alone without a single person noticing his presence!
“I…”
A massive force yanked at his jaw, and Kong Gong’s eyes widened. He tried to call for help, but Chen Xingran didn’t give him a chance. With a deft twist, he inverted the dagger, plunging it multiple times into critical points. Kong Gong, with his already low health, transformed into a silent spirit shrine suspended mid-air before he could alert his team.
“Kong Gong, are you done healing? We need more health!” Chang Zan called out, swinging his blade in the heat of battle. But when he turned, he saw only his teammate’s spirit shrine.
Chen Xingran gave him a friendly smile before stepping back and vanishing once again into the thick fog.
The damp, cold air at Sinking Boat Beach clung to the skin like the slippery scales of a venomous snake. Chang Zan froze, recalling that silent and eerie scene just now, as cold sweat began to trickle down his spine.
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