Chapter 86: The Spread of Darkness

Zhou Huai's mind went completely blank.

He felt like a driver whose steering wheel had been snatched away, left to watch helplessly as his car sped wildly down a completely unfamiliar road.

Gandalf's mouth continued to open and close, mechanically reciting dish names in a flat, monotonous tone.

"… Braised Three Delicacies, braised white mushrooms, braised pigeon eggs, stir-fried silver threads, braised eel…"

What the Hell kind of profession was this?

A cross-talk Great Master?

The crucial point was that this ability was far too bizarre.

It could actually forcefully control an SS-rank Archmage, forcing him to perform solo cross-talk in public.

Zhou Huai could even feel that the magic power within Gandalf was being rapidly drained by an invisible force to maintain this bizarre "performance" state.

"Th-This… what is going on?" Ye Xi whispered, moving close to Shen Fuhai, her beautiful eyes filled with confusion.

Shen Fuhai's expression was unprecedentedly solemn.

He stared fixedly at the little fatty waving a fan opposite them, lowering his voice.

"Big Brother Gandalf… it looks like he's been controlled."

Just at that moment, the effect of the [Geocentric Gravity Field] applied to the Modu team began to slowly dissipate.

Those five team members climbed up from the ground in a sorry state, looking disheveled all over.

They looked at Gandalf, who was still endlessly reciting dish names; a trace of lingering fear flashed through their eyes, which was immediately replaced by ferocity.

A youth wielding dual blades said viciously, "Old Guo! Keep controlling that mage! Let's go take care of the remaining three!"

Hearing this, the hearts of Ye Xi, Shen Fuhai, and Yuan Kai instantly jumped to their throats.

Without Gandalf, the strength of the three of them was simply no match for Modu.

Furthermore, the opponents had two more people.

However, contrary to their expectations…

The little fatty called "Old Guo" suddenly burst into curses.

"Take care of my ass!"

His voice was hoarse, carrying a clear sense of weakness.

"Quick! Hold me! Run quickly!"

Only then did the Modu team members notice that the little fatty's complexion was as pale as paper, the brown long gown on his body was almost completely soaked through with sweat, and his entire body was on the verge of collapsing.

"This guy is simply a monster! A Prodigy!"

Old Guo panted heavily, his eyes filled with terror.

"In just this short while, my magic power is about to be drained dry!"

"If we don't leave now, once he breaks free from control, not a single one of us will escape!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the remaining four people of Modu were shocked to the core.

Not daring to delay for a moment, two of them immediately supported the exhausted Old Guo and bolted.

That speed was faster than a rabbit.

In the blink of an eye, the figures of the five people disappeared into the other side of the jungle.

At the same time…

Gandalf, who had just recited up to "red meatballs, white meatballs, fried meatballs, four-joy meatballs," finally stopped.

Zhou Huai felt control of his body return to his own hands.

He let out a long sigh of relief.

Immediately afterward, an indescribable awkwardness surged into his heart.

Social death, a massive social death scene.

He gave a light cough, sweeping a slightly threatening gaze toward the three people behind him.

"You guys… saw nothing just now, right?"

Ye Xi, Shen Fuhai, and Yuan Kai shook their heads like rattle drums.

"No, no!"

"We didn't see anything!"

"Right, the wind was too big, sand got into our eyes."

What Zhou Huai didn't know was that his brilliant "rapid-fire cross-talk monologue" just now had already been broadcast live nationwide.

At this moment, the barrage sections of major live-streaming platforms were already laughing like crazy.

[Hahahahaha! I'm cracking up! What kind of god-tier profession is this? A cross-talk Great Master?]

[Hard-controlling an Archmage to recite dish names! This is even more agonizing than killing him! Cracking me up!]

[Modu is awesome! This profession is too flamboyant! Suggest joining Deyunshe for advanced studies!]

[Why is it Modu? Shouldn't this profession appear in the Tianjin Province team? Tianjin contestants have lost their ultimate move!]

[I declare that little fatty is my idol this year! Too interesting! Even that Archmage who bulldozed all the way has eaten dirt!]

As time went on…

More and more provincial teams successfully broke through the outer trapping formations.

They began marching toward the inner region of Triple Island, and the point competition officially entered a white-hot stage.

A team from Zhongyuan Province was rapidly shuttling through the jungle.

"Hurry up! Most of the BOSS-level exotic beasts are inside the island!"

The captain shouted in a deep voice.

"Instead of killing these ordinary exotic beasts on the outer rim, it's better to go straight inside to find the BOSSes, the points come faster!"

"The number of BOSSes on the island is limited; kill one and there's one less, we must seize them ahead of others!"

The team members nodded one after another, their pace quickening a bit more.

However, as they were walking…

Not far ahead, the appearance of a figure made them all come to a halt together.

That person stood under a huge ancient tree, with their back to them, seemingly carving something on the trunk.

On his face, he also wore a ferocious ghost-face mask.

Zhongyuan Province captain Liu Feng frowned.

"What is this guy doing?"

A stout shield warrior in the team grinned, revealing a row of white teeth.

"Care whatever he's doing."

"He's just one person, isn't this points delivered right to our mouths?"

He hefted his door-like giant shield, eager to try.

"Captain, let's take care of him first before anything else!"

Liu Feng pondered slightly, nodded, and made a tactical gesture.

The five of them immediately dispersed, forming a half-moon encirclement, and quietly crept toward the masked man.

The fallen leaves beneath their feet were stepped on, emitting a faint "rustling" sound.

A tense atmosphere permeated the air.

Just at the moment when they were about to enter the attack range…

The masked man seemed to have eyes on his back, his carving motion abruptly pausing.

He slowly turned around, and from beneath the mask came a spine-chilling, ghastly laugh.

"My luck is truly not bad."

"So quickly, I've encountered the first prey delivered to my door."

Liu Feng's heart chilled, thinking to himself that it was bad.

The opponent's reaction was too fast.

"Do it!"

He shouted explosively, taking the lead in launching an attack.

A ball of scorching fire condensed in his palm, whistling as it smashed toward the masked man.

However, the masked man's figure merely flickered slightly, then vanished on the spot like a phantom, causing the fireball to smash into empty air.

"Boom!"

The fireball crashed into the trunk of the ancient tree, exploding into a patch of charred black.

"Where is he?!"

The assassin in the team exclaimed.

Liu Feng's pupils shrank violently; he saw a lingering image.

"Old Wang! Watch your back!"

His warning was still a step too late.

The masked man silently appeared behind that shield warrior.

"Too slow."

A hoarse voice sounded as if it were right next to Old Wang's ear.

He extended a finger, its tip wreathed in wisps of black Qi, and gently tapped the shield warrior's back.

The shield warrior's tall body suddenly stiffened, the expression on his face freezing.

He slowly turned around, facing his teammates.

On that honest-looking face, an extremely bizarre smile unexpectedly appeared.

"Hehehe…"

A harsh laugh came from his throat.

"Next, it's my turn to catch you guys."

After saying that, he actually raised the giant shield in his hand and smashed it fiercely toward the assassin beside him!

"Old Wang! Are you crazy?!"

That assassin exclaimed, rolling to the side in a sorry state to dodge, barely avoiding this mighty strike.

This sudden scene completely disrupted the footing of the Zhongyuan Province team.

Seeing this, Liu Feng's expression instantly turned ugly.

"He has been controlled!"

"Never mind Old Wang! Deal with that masked person first!"

However, the masked man's figure shuttled wildly through the chaotic battlefield like a butterfly flitting through flowers, completely impossible to lock onto.

Around his body, black Qi permeated, just like an evil ghost crawling out of Hell.

"The next one is you, oh."

That fire-attribute mage only felt a chill by his ear, a black shadow having already swept past his side.

He didn't even clearly see the opponent's movement.

He only felt a cold hand silently rest on his shoulder.

The mage's body similarly stiffened.

He mechanically turned around, a bizarre smile identical to Old Wang's surfacing on his face.

He raised his staff, aiming at Liu Feng.

"Captain, taste my Fireball technique."

Dozens of fireballs condensed out of thin air, smashing toward Liu Feng overwhelmingly.

"What is going on?"

"What on earth is going on?!"

Liu Feng, along with the remaining assassin and an archer, quickly hid behind a thick big tree.

The fireballs crashed into the tree trunk, blowing wood chips flying everywhere.

"Old Wang! Xiao Li! Wake up!"

The archer frantically shouted his teammates' names, trying to wake the two of them up.

However, it was of no use.

At this moment, those two had dull expressions, wearing that bizarre smile all along, and began indiscriminate attacks on the surrounding environment.

The giant shield swept horizontally, fireballs flew wildly.

The entire patch of woodland instantly turned into a complete mess.

Looking at this chaotic scene, Liu Feng's heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

"This masked person is too bizarre!"

"Let's retreat first!"

The assassin's face was full of struggle.

"Captain! What about Old Wang and Xiao Li?"

"We can't leave them behind!"

Liu Feng gritted his teeth, a trace of ruthlessness flashing through his eyes.

"We can't care about so much anymore!"

"If we stay, we'll only be wiped out as a team!"

However, the next second…

That hoarse and teasing voice sounded from above their heads like a spell.

"You guys, can you escape?"

The expressions of the three drastically changed, and they abruptly looked up.

They saw that the man wearing the ghost-face mask had squatted on the tree branch above their heads at some unknown time, looking down at them from a high position.

Those eyes hidden behind the mask were filled with cat-and-mouse-like mockery.

"Run!"

Liu Feng shouted explosively, his body subconsciously rolling forward, dodging the fatal pounce in an extremely sorry posture.

However, the assassin and archer behind him failed to dodge in time.

A black shadow descended from the sky like lightning.

The two didn't even have time to let out a miserable scream before they were enveloped by a dense black fog.

When the black fog dissipated…

Their faces also became dull, wearing bizarre smiles, standing quietly in place.

Liu Feng climbed up from the ground, and looking back at this scene, he only felt a chill shoot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head.

All the color drained from his face, and his body trembled uncontrollably.

"Demon… You are a demon…"

He couldn't figure it out.

How could this year's National Examination be so perverted…

What on earth is all this!

Daring not to hesitate any longer, he turned and ran, using all the strength he could muster.

He just wanted to get as far away from this terrifying man as possible.

But he hadn't run more than a few steps.

That hoarse voice sounded behind him once again, like a life-claiming Talismanic Incantation.

"The game is over."

Liu Feng's body suddenly stiffened.

He felt his neck gently pinched by a cold hand.

A moment later…

Closely following behind the masked man were five examinees.

They formed a single file line, stepping with uniform paces, shuttling through the jungle.

On everyone's face, there was that identical, bizarre smile.