The moment Lin Qingyue finished speaking, the atmosphere of the entire squad shifted abruptly.
"Sis, which side do we help?" Lin Xiyue whispered, leaning forward slightly like a coiled panther ready to pounce, her body poised to transform into a heavily armored war machine capable of crushing anything in its path.
This was a crucial question.
Should they aid the Rebel Army, seemingly righteous but being used as pawns by hidden forces?
Or should they support the City Lord's Guard, representing the current order?
"Help?" Lin Qingyue's voice betrayed no emotion, but the slight upward lilt at the end betrayed a hint of pure, mischievous amusement.
"Why would we help?"
"They've barely cobbled together this makeshift show, and it's just getting good. We're civilized spectators—we don't steal the spotlight."
She paused, a cold, crescent smile curving her lips.
"We're here to wreck the stage."
She extended a slender, pale finger and tapped it lightly in the air.
"First, rescue Zhou Yi."
"Senior Brother Zhou Yi is practically one of us. If we have the capacity, we'll lend him a hand."
"It's not that he can't handle the fighting; it's that he's being forced to be both a warrior and a babysitter. That's too much to ask. We'll help him unload his 'dead weight'."
She extended a second finger, her gaze sweeping disdainfully over the Western Professionals looting amid the chaos.
"Second, clear out the trash."
"These 'international friends' who snuck in without tickets to freeload are ruining the city's appearance. They need to learn a thing or two about etiquette."
Finally, her gaze pierced through the chaotic streets, settling on the towering clock tower in the distance.
"Third, the fan meet-and-greet."
"After the grand performance, we have to go get the director's autograph, right? It would be utterly disrespectful if he tried to leave early."
This isn't a battle plan.
This is clearly a sabotage blueprint for a 'chaos party'.
"Xia Lian, mark the joints of those 'international friends' and give them a taste of elderly rheumatism."
"Su Wan, prepare some 'illegal structures' to throw a wrench in their formations."
"Xiyue, come with me! Let's relieve Senior Brother of his burden!"
Lin Qingyue assigned the tasks with swift efficiency.
"But Sis, there are too many people up ahead!"
Lin Xiyue frowned, watching the panic-stricken crowd transform into an uncontrollable flood of screaming humanity.
With her physique and strength, barging through would cause too much collateral damage, inevitably harming innocent bystanders.
"Who said we're going to barge through?"
Lin Qingyue smirked mysteriously, gently tapping the ground with her Beloved staff.
"Don't forget, I'm a Priest, after all."
Purification Art - Modified Version - Sage Mode Activated!
A soft, almost suggestive, pink aura erupted from the tip of her staff, soaring skyward.
The aura exploded in mid-air, transforming into a gentle rain of light that silently cascaded down, covering most of the street.
Then, a miracle descended.
The screaming, shoving, utterly panicked civilians froze mid-motion.
It was as if they'd been doused with ice water, their minds forcibly filled with a military training manual.
One moment, it was a living hell of wailing and chaos; the next, utter silence reigned.
The twisted panic on their faces faded, replaced by an absolute, inhuman calm.
In the crowd, a middle-aged man who had been weeping and wailing abruptly adjusted his glasses, a flash of intelligence gleaming through the lenses.
Clearing his throat, he roared with the clarity and authority of a battlefield commander:
"Panic won't improve our survival odds! Everyone, follow my orders!"
"Immediately reorganize into three vertical columns by height and build! The elderly, women, and children in the center, with strong men forming mobile human walls on the flanks!"
"Maintain a one-meter safety distance and evacuate in an orderly manner, using alternating cover! No crowding—efficiency is paramount!"
"Understood!"
"Acknowledged!"
The responses were uniform, brimming with rationality and logic.
The chaotic Brownian motion instantly solidified into an ordered crystalline lattice.
The once scattered mob spontaneously organized itself into a well-trained evacuation team in just three seconds.
They even proactively cleared a wide express lane down the middle, as if preparing to welcome a general reviewing his troops.
At the heart of the battlefield, however, the scene took an even more bizarre turn.
The Rebel Army soldiers and guards, their eyes bloodshot with battle frenzy, suddenly froze mid-motion. Then, according to their individual wills, three strikingly different scenarios unfolded:
Those who had been coerced into joining the fight immediately entered "slacking mode."
A Rebel Army soldier, having just thrust his longsword into a seam in an opposing guard's Armor, abruptly stopped moving.
He stared blankly at his sword, then at the guard, his mind now consumed by a single thought:
Wait a minute... How much are we even getting paid for risking our lives like this? The City Lord's Mansion pays soldiers good death benefits, but does the Rebel Army offer that too? And if I die, will my wife run off with my neighbor next door?
The guard opposite him likewise entered Sage Mode, calmly withdrawing the rebel's sword and casting him a disdainful glance.
"What are you staring at? Are we fighting or not? If not, get your ass over to the wall and huddle up. Don't block the way and delay my shift ending."
With that, he executed a textbook grappling chokehold, swiftly disarming his opponent and shoving him into a corner to join the other "penitent" rebels cowering there.
Across the battlefield, nearly half of the Rebel Army's morale visibly crumbled.
Some began sitting cross-legged, pulling out tools to maintain their Steam Armor.
Others squatted against the wall, calculating whether this month's wages would suffice for a trip to "Tender Village" for some relaxation.
A few were even asking each other which blacksmith offered discounts for post-battle armor repairs and which had the better craftsmanship.
Meanwhile, the City Lord's Guard had transformed into absolute, rational fighting machines.
"Team B, disarm those dazed ones on the left. Move quickly."
"Team C, that hulking brute isn't moving. Flank him, disable his power core, and secure the objective within three seconds. No wasting time."
Most bizarre of all were the rebels who genuinely believed they were "acting on behalf of Heaven."
Far from faltering, they became even more terrifying.
"All units, be advised! Emotional manipulation advantage has been lost! Switch to alleyway meat grinder mode!"
A rebel squad leader calmly analyzed the situation:
"Second squad, flank and prioritize striking their command structure! Third squad, provide suppressive fire to create opportunities for Second squad! Our cause is righteous and logically flawless! For Blackrock Stronghold, fight efficiently!"
Lin Xiyue's eyes twitched involuntarily. She opened her mouth, and after a long pause, finally managed to stammer, "Sis, your skill... how does it include enemy identification and mind-stamping?"
"Basic operation," Lin Qingyue shrugged, her expression utterly matter-of-fact. "Conducting a morale-boosting speech before a fight is a time-honored virtue in battle."
She strode forward, sauntering down the "VIP passage" the "Sages" had voluntarily cleared for her.
The surprise in Su Wan's eyes flashed briefly before being replaced by intense curiosity about this "rule-level" magic. Making a snap decision, she raised her staff toward the sky.
"Ice Prism Scatter!"
Dozens of arm-thick ice prisms roared into the sky, then plummeted like a precisely aimed hailstorm, crashing down on the most fiercely contested areas between the Rebel Army and the City Lord's Guard.
The ice prisms themselves lacked overwhelming power, but the piercing clang and clatter of their impact against the thick steam armor created an ear-splitting cacophony.
The instant condensation of ice and water vapor following the explosion completely disrupted the already chaotic vision and rhythm of both sides, turning the battlefield into a complete mess.
"Well done!" Xia Lian exclaimed. Her Dark Night Starwhisper was already drawn to its full moon arc, locked onto a Western Shield Warrior lurking at the edge of the battlefield, poised for a sneak attack.
"Star-Concealment Arrow!"
Whoosh—!
A barely audible sound pierced the air.
The Western Shield Warrior, grinning savagely as he prepared to crush his opponent's skull, suddenly felt a burst of blood erupt from his wrist!
Splat!
"Agh!"
The searing pain and sudden paralysis forced a scream from his lips, and his shield clattered to the ground. He frantically looked around, unable to pinpoint the source of the attack, only feeling an icy chill creeping up his back.
Xia Lian's bowstring trembled ceaselessly, each silent arrow precisely striking a player's knees, elbows, ankles, and other vital joints.
Her attacks weren't fatal, but deeply humiliating, temporarily stripping her opponents of their combat ability and sowing silent panic among them.
One after another, the Western players who had been moving through the battlefield with ease began to fall, their formations collapsing into chaos.
Meanwhile, Lin Qingyue and Lin Xiyue had successfully navigated the chaotic melee and reached the mouth of the alleyway where Zhou Yi and his team were holding their ground.
Zhou Yi was in dire straits.
Wielding a massive, door-sized battleaxe, each swing unleashed a bloody whirlwind, tearing through the Steam Armor of two Rebel Army soldiers into twisted scraps.
Yet he dared not linger in combat.
Behind him cowered several trembling civilians.
Like a caged tiger, he parried the onslaught from three or four Rebel soldiers blocking the alley entrance while using his own body to shield the terrified civilians from stray bullets.
His thick plate armor was now riddled with gruesome dents—each a grim medal of honor earned protecting those behind him.
His teammates were also struggling to hold their ground.
"Senior Brother! We're clearing the way!" Lin Xiyue shouted, charging into the alley entrance with her Immovable Mountain shield.
Boom!
The force of the impact sent the Rebel soldiers flying like ragdolls, spinning through the air before crashing to the ground.
"Lin Xiyue?!" Zhou Yi exclaimed, relief flooding through him as the pressure eased.
A Rebel soldier who had escaped the blast roared in fury, his saber glowing red. With a sudden Armor-Piercing Slash, he bypassed Lin Xiyue entirely, aiming straight for the Priest clutching a staff behind her.
In his eyes, she was an absolute pushover!
Yet Lin Qingyue didn't even raise an eyebrow.
With a flick of her wrist, the Beloved staff in her hand struck first, its tip piercing through the air at a tricky angle, as precise as an antelope's horn grazing a branch. It pinpointed the energy core connection of his Steam Armor with unerring accuracy.
Lin-style Spear Techniques: Flow Interruption!
A spiral of dark energy instantly penetrated the armor.
Crackle... hiss—
The soldier's Steam Armor emitted a bone-jarring screech before all pistons sputtered to a halt, spewing acrid black smoke.
Like a tin can with its power cord yanked out, he toppled forward stiffly.
In the blink of an eye, the sisters had ruthlessly dispatched several fully armed Rebel Army soldiers.
"Senior Brother, we'll handle things here. Take your people and retreat through the back alley first," Lin Qingyue said calmly, as if she had merely swatted a few mosquitoes.
"Alright... thank you! Be careful, those guys have powerful backers!"
Zhou Yi cast them a deep look, his eyes reflecting a mixture of gratitude and awe.
Without further ado, he immediately organized his team and the civilians to evacuate through the other end of the alley.
Having resolved Zhou Yi's crisis, Lin Qingyue didn't pause. Her gaze pierced through the gradually calming battlefield, finally locking onto the clock tower.
It was time to pay a visit to the "director" of this grand spectacle.
"Xiyue, Su Wan, Xia Lian, prepare to execute Stage Three of the plan."
Lin Qingyue's voice carried a hint of icy amusement and a trace of barely suppressed excitement.
"Let's go up to the clock tower and get the director's autograph!"
"Roger that!"
The responses came in perfect unison, their voices burning with the same ignited battle spirit.