Lu An'an watched her golden thigh move swiftly without a trace of hesitation and immediately jogged after her. At a time like this, she absolutely couldn't afford to fall behind.
As soon as the two of them approached, the large group ahead stopped fighting and turned to stare at the unexpected newcomers.
The M-nation team, which had just been in a favorable position, had originally held a numerical advantage—eleven people to Longguo's ten—but with the sudden arrival of An Xiaomei and Lu An'an, the situation on the field instantly shifted in a subtle yet decisive way.
Seeing that the newcomers were both women, the M-nation leader secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this was still within a controllable range.
"You two women had better be smart and stay out of this," he warned coldly. "Otherwise, don't blame me if my men's hands 'slip'..."
An Xiaomei didn't bother to waste words. With a sudden leap, she used her weapon to block his attack aimed at Xu Qiang.
Behind her, Lu An'an reacted quickly. Without needing to be told, she instinctively rushed forward to support the fallen Xu Qiang, helping him retreat out of the combat zone.
The M-nation man was startled. His strength had always been his biggest asset in this world, but he hadn't expected this woman to match him blow for blow.
And from the murderous aura radiating from her body, he could tell—she was no soft persimmon. Clearly, he had underestimated her.
"Brothers, grab the flag first!" he barked. "There's only one minute left. Don't let that cripple hold the flag for over three minutes! Forget the rest—focus on the flag!"
At his command, the M-nation team tried to disengage from their fights to target Xu Qiang, but they no longer had the numbers advantage. As the countdown ticked away, desperation crept into their faces.
The man fighting An Xiaomei suddenly used a short-range teleport and appeared beside Xu Qiang. Lu An'an raised her iron blade to stop him, but her strength was far too low—she barely lasted four seconds before being thrown aside.
Seeing his last obstacle gone, the man's expression turned vicious. He raised his sword, intent on severing Xu Qiang's right arm—the one clutching the flag.
The other Longguo players were too far away to help. They could only watch, eyes wide in helpless rage.
At the final moment, An Xiaomei activated her speed boots. Thanks to Lu An'an's brief interference, she arrived just in time—her blade clashing with the enemy's mere three centimeters before it reached Xu Qiang's arm.
The man's fury exploded. His beard quivered as he glared at An Xiaomei with venomous hatred, fighting her like she had desecrated his ancestors' graves.
Realizing he had gone mad, An Xiaomei lost patience with the deranged fool. She drew a short blade coated with poison extracted from the Thorned Bramble plant.
With her left hand wielding the dagger and her right hand her sword, her swift, ruthless strikes quickly poisoned the man. His movements slowed, and with one final thrust, An Xiaomei pierced his heart.
Seven seconds remained on the clock.
Seeing that Lu An'an had returned to guard Xu Qiang, An Xiaomei put on her "Phantom Thief's Gloves" and tapped several of the M-nation players, leaving them bewildered.
Wait, what was this? Did that auntie just pat them all over? Was this some kind of… weird hobby?
Their confusion lasted only until the game's mechanical voice chimed again—and their expressions darkened instantly.
"Ding! Adventurer ###, you have been struck by an opponent's item. 5% of your backpack resources have been stolen. If struck again, the loss will double."
Meanwhile, An Xiaomei listened to the cheerful "ding ding ding" of notifications, the sound to her ears as sweet as music. If only there had been more enemies this time...
Seven seconds later, the familiar mechanical voice announced the results of the red-blue battle in the abandoned city zone:
"Ding! In the match between Longguo and M-nation, Longguo wins! Total time: 1 hour, 23 minutes, and 50 seconds. Your team is the second blue-side squad to secure victory.
Longguo will receive 10,000 acres of manifested rice fields. All injured Longguo adventurers participating in the winning squad will have their negative statuses healed.
MVP: Xu Qiang, rewarded with an Advanced Resource Chest.
Other participants in the battle receive a Medium Resource Chest.
Non-participating teammates receive a Basic Resource Chest."
Before Lu An'an could even bid farewell to the "goddess" she had just met, a flash of light enveloped the group, returning each adventurer to their respective main islands.
The tense red-blue showdown had left the audience outside the game breathless. Longguo's victory this time had been far from guaranteed.
[Honestly, if it weren't for Madam An's timely rescue, we probably would've lost—and Xu Qiang would be dead.]
[This wasn't one person's win. It was the result of all twelve Longguo adventurers fighting together. No one's effort can be dismissed.]
[True, but we can't deny that without An Xiaomei and Lu An'an—especially the former—the outcome might've been completely different.]
[That team's done; I'm heading to check on Longguo's other red-side squad.]
[Bro, I wouldn't recommend it. It's… painful to watch. Only a few are actually fighting—the rest are busy saving their own skins.]
[Yeah, no sense of team honor at all. I just feel bad for the three who are still struggling out there. I don't even want to see them die.]
Back on her island, An Xiaomei ate a little to recover, then prepared to open her newly earned reward—the Medium Resource Chest.
In her heart, she was hoping to draw a space scroll—a tool that could give her another escape route if she got sent to a dangerous region again.
But luck wasn't with her this time. Instead, she got:
One Automatic Flush Toilet,
One Alarm Device, and
Four Cabbage Seeds.
[Automatic Flush Toilet]: A portable, space-folded toilet that automatically decomposes all human waste. Ensures a worry-free bathroom experience anywhere.
A practical treasure indeed. Using the restroom had been quite a hassle for her in the past.
If not for the live broadcast cameras, she wouldn't have gone to such lengths to find discreet ways to relieve herself.
[Alarm Device]: When placed in a fixed location, it can detect dangerous creatures within a three-kilometer radius and emit a loud alarm. One energy stone powers it for a month.
A handy safety gadget. With this, An Xiaomei could finally sleep soundly at night. Ever since the night attack by mutant fishmen, her sleep had been light and restless.
Just then, her wristwatch beeped with a new message. She glanced down—and her face lit up with genuine joy.
"Benefactor, thank you for saving my life. I just opened my chest and got a Space Scroll. I plan to gift it to you—no strings attached."
An Xiaomei was momentarily stunned. She had saved Xu Qiang mainly to complete the team mission—and partly because they already knew each other. She never expected such a generous return gift.