057 Cold Remarks and Rival Shows!

It was not Baru who launched the surprise attack, but Gao Ruyuntian, which left Chen Feng feeling somewhat disappointed. Emerging from the spatial gate, Chen Feng unleashed a "Rage Slash" onto Gao Ruyuntian’s back. His main hand landed a critical hit, dealing nearly 7,000 damage and instantly reducing Gao Ruyuntian to near-death; a single strike more would have been enough to finish him off.

The moment Gwen exited the portal, Chen Feng had stepped forward, his hands already raised, descending the moment he appeared behind Gao Ruyuntian. When it came to surprise attacks, Chen Feng was certain that no one in the entire game had more experience than he did. With the aid of Gwen’s spatial manipulation ability, his ambushes were even more seamless.

If not for the fact that Chen Feng had already exhausted his burst skills and dared not risk a "Cruel Critical," he could have killed Gao Ruyuntian in one hit. By leaving him with a sliver of health, he had inadvertently given him a chance to flee.

"Slaughter Feast!"

Gao Ruyuntian had not expected Chen Feng to appear suddenly behind him and reduce him to critical health with a single Rage Slash. At this moment, he had only his life-saving skill, Slaughter Feast, left—a move similar to spatial travel that allowed for rapid movement and attacks in the immediate area. His goal was no longer to force a kill, but simply to escape.

"Frigid Wind Impact!"

Unsure of exactly where Gao Ruyuntian had gone, Chen Feng slashed a massive wave of frost behind him, hoping to catch him by chance. If Chen Feng were in Gao Ruyuntian’s position, he would certainly have fled toward his own rear to maximize his chances of survival. Moving in front of Chen Feng would likely lead to being detected by subtle changes on the ground.

However, Gao Ruyuntian had never imagined Chen Feng possessed the "Frigid Wind Impact" skill. Had he known, he would definitely have chosen to run in front of Chen Feng, betting that Chen Feng would not strike at his own teammate, Gwen.

-866.

Gao Ruyuntian was indeed fleeing behind Chen Feng. Chen Feng’s Frigid Wind Impact knocked him out of his state, and his final sliver of health vanished. Chen Feng immediately rushed over to pick up the magic ring and the katana that Gao Ruyuntian had dropped.

"Didn't it just end up back in my hands?" Chen Feng looked at the orange-tier katana. He had sold it previously, knowing full well it would eventually return to Gao Ruyuntian. Since Gao Ruyuntian had been killed by him, he would surely seek revenge, and Chen Feng knew this one-handed sword would inevitably find its way back to him.

Gao Ruyuntian’s appearance was merely an interlude, having little impact on the overall battle. Atlas and the others retreated to Chen Feng’s side, staring down the members of the Cobra Organization. The battle was effectively over; if it continued, the Cobra Organization would undoubtedly be the losers.

***

Yahun and his group had never imagined that even with their special abilities, they would be unable to handle Chen Feng’s team. It seemed as though Chen Feng had been holding back, with the entire battle seemingly under his control. What surprised Yahun even more was that Atlas was not as simple as he had envisioned; like Duan Chenfeng, he had not gone all out, and the entire fight had felt more like clearing a dungeon.

"Crow, you seem to be much more formidable than I thought!" Atlas looked up at Chen Feng, who stood a head taller than him.

Chen Feng wished he could stomp this short man to death. "I honestly didn't know if you would have erupted if I hadn't made my move! Who would have thought? I was trying to lure Baru out, but a punk jumped out instead. What a waste!"

"Crow, I told you long ago! With the three of us, taking on the Cobra Organization and the Amazon Squad would be no problem at all. You were the one insisting on being cautious and bringing Gwen and the others into the party." Atlas had not used his full strength, as both he and Chen Feng possessed legendary equipment, the true power of which had yet to be unleashed. "I used to think the mysterious Cobra Organization was incredibly powerful, but it turns out they just have a few parlor tricks. Nothing special. If I’d known, I would have taken them on single-handedly!"

"Shorty, let’s see if you’re still this arrogant when you haven't reinforced your Storm Hammer!" Chen Feng felt speechless. The only reason Atlas looked down on the Cobra Organization was because he held the reinforced Storm Hammer. Previously, when he was killed by "Crazy Virus," it was largely because he believed he could kill his opponent, only to be hit by a dirty trick.

Atlas shrugged. "The Storm Hammer wasn't mine to begin with; it’s just that I’m so powerful that the orange weapon chose me!"

In reality, the reason Chen Feng and Atlas stood out was because both possessed orange-tier weapons. Setting aside the other attributes, the raw damage output alone was far superior to epic-tier gear. If Chen Feng had been serious, he could have finished two of them off at the start using Frostmourne and the Brotherhood Sword. This time, he simply wanted to see what their special abilities were.

The members of the Cobra Organization had never used orange-tier weapons and did not realize their true terror. Chen Feng could suppress them with his weapon alone, and when combined with his burst damage—as seen with Gao Ruyuntian—he could easily reduce them to critical health. Chen Feng did not yet know the hidden effects of orange-tier weapons; those required testing. He suspected that Atlas might have already figured it out.

Hearing Chen Feng and Atlas singing in harmony, the members of the Cobra Organization widened their eyes in pure fury. They realized this had all been a setup by Chen Feng and Atlas to lure them out. The earlier display of "restrained strength" to make it seem like the two sides were evenly matched had been entirely designed to bait Baru, only for Gao Ruyuntian to jump out instead.

It was the first time Yahun and his team had encountered people who looked down on them so completely, even using them as pawns in a play to lure out Baru. In all their time playing, this was the first time the Cobra Organization’s Third Squad had met such formidable opponents—opponents whose strength was impossible to calculate. Had they known, Yahun would never have hunted them and would have focused on leveling and gearing up instead.

"You two had a way to deal with them all along? Why didn't you act sooner? Little Wood wouldn't have been killed and forced offline if you had!" Gwen, hearing Chen Feng and Atlas making snide remarks to provoke the Cobra members, felt a surge of anger. The Elven Priest had been killed at the start, the Elven Rogue had nearly died, and the Elven Warrior would have been finished too had he not activated his skills. Chen Feng and Atlas had the power to help but refused, all for the sake of luring out Baru.

Gwen knew they wanted to bait Baru to loot his magic ring, but she never expected that Chen Feng and Atlas had a secret plan to hide their true strength.

Atlas remained unbothered, maintaining his lazy demeanor. "Beautiful Gwen, to fool the enemy, you first have to fool your teammates. Besides, I didn't stab you in the back, so everyone should just cooperate. I didn't tell you because I was afraid your acting wouldn't be as good as mine and Crow's. Crow and I didn't even discuss it; it was just natural chemistry!"

"Beautiful Gwen, what does it mean to be a team on the front lines of the game? It’s not just equipment, technique, or brains. Sometimes, you don't need to use all your power. To deal with small fry, you just need to exert a little effort; there's no need to kill them instantly—that would be too boring." Chen Feng found this to be the most satisfying part of working with Atlas; he could spout snide remarks without a care in the world. "Our team tests your IQ, experience, and acting skills. Otherwise, don't even think about wearing full orange gear or divine artifacts!"

***

Fooling the enemy by first fooling the teammates! Gwen felt she truly couldn't accept this. If not for the powerful orange accessory she had just acquired, she would have considered quitting the team. However, Atlas and Chen Feng hadn't done anything inherently wrong, and having such powerful teammates—as long as they weren't targeting her—was arguably a stroke of luck.

The second-line members of the Amazon Squad were sweating profusely, realizing that as second-stringers, they were essentially extras who had to be ready to die at any moment. Still, Atlas and Chen Feng were undeniably strong. With such powerful teammates, they felt their future was bright. Just from the minor loot they had gathered, they were already wealthy, and one of them had even obtained a Talent Stone—something they could never have acquired on their own.

"Small fry? Who are you calling small fry?" Crazy Virus despised Chen Feng’s self-righteous personality more than anything. He didn't expect him to be this arrogant; if Yahun hadn't held him back, he would have charged in already.

"Shorty, these small fry really don't know the height of the sky or the depth of the earth. I let them go earlier, and they actually think they're something special." Chen Feng shrugged, turning to Crazy Virus. "If you have the guts, come over and kill me to prove you're not a small fry! And what’s with the 'Cobra Organization'? You only rely on your name to scare people. I’ve been scared since I was a child!"

"Duan Chenfeng, don't be so cocky! We’ll get back at you for today sooner or later!" Yahun said this and moved to pull his team away. It was no longer suitable to continue fighting; even with their cheating special abilities, they couldn't defeat Chen Feng and his group. The gap in equipment had clearly surpassed the utility of their powers.

"I’m not like a woman, petty and prone to holding grudges. As a man, I prefer to take revenge on the spot. I just wonder if you have the same masculine charm as I do?" Chen Feng’s arrogance was designed to crush them; he wanted to see just how much the Captain Yahun could endure.

"Crow, be humble, know when to stop. Why are you even bothering to talk about revenge with this bunch of trashy small fry? They’re just saying they’ll get back at us later to give themselves a way out. Don't push them too hard; it’s becoming a bit painful to watch." Atlas didn't want the fight to end so quickly; he hadn't even gotten his hands on the magic ring yet, so ending it now would be a huge loss.

Chen Feng was excellent at playing along. "Shorty, I don't have many defining traits, but I despise those small fry who have no ability to take revenge and yet insist on claiming how strong they’ll be later. By the time they get orange weapons, I’ll already have divine artifacts."

"Crow, you really don't have any traits, except for being honest! These small fry are truly stupid. In games, being one step ahead means being ahead forever. They can't even beat us now, and they still think they have a chance later." Atlas pointed at Yahun. "That trash Arcane Mage cheated with his abilities earlier and still couldn't do a thing. Send me the recording later; I’m planning to do an interview on a television station to tell all the players in the world how trashy the Cobra Organization is, and how those so-called special abilities are just used to save their own lives."

Seeing Chen Feng and Atlas perform their act, the others exchanged glances; it sounded quite amusing. They knew the people on the other side must be infuriated, and they truly admired them for being able to endure such talk.

"Atlas, you can call us trash, but please don't insult our organization." Yahun’s biggest taboo was people bad-mouthing his organization; this was the limit of his patience.

Atlas seemed to have caught onto his opponent's weakness and spoke without mercy: "I love calling your organization trash. Come over and bite me if you can!"