"The center island has resources?!"
Kaeya, who was currently familiarizing himself with the situation back at Mondstadt Base No. 1, suddenly froze. He stared at the screen nearby in disbelief. "This... how come no one ever told me about this?"
Kaeya furrowed his brows. He had originally thought the center island was merely a combat zone. If there were resources there... that was going to be a problem. As a free-for-all zone, the resources there would undoubtedly be the most concentrated and powerful. In this opening move, Mondstadt had already lost the initiative. If their progress on the sub-island didn't go smoothly, they would be at a total disadvantage.
"This is bad..." Kaeya pursed his lips and walked out quickly. On his way, he ran into Barbara, Noelle, and the others who were also heading out to watch the match. They hopped onto a dragon together and sped toward the Sky Island.
Back at the Mondstadt base, Jean frowned slightly but quickly cleared her mind. "Are we not going to contest the resources on the center island?"
Eula, who was busy setting traps, looked up at Jean. The latter shook her head. "No need. Venti drew far too much aggro. If we leave now, we'll be focused immediately. The others wouldn't mind eliminating a rival first. Furthermore, resources from a chaotic warzone aren't easy to carry away."
"The terrain of the center island itself is treacherous. One slip and you fall into the void with all your loot: a total waste of effort. This war is ultimately decided by the destruction of the enemy headquarters. Direct confrontation isn't always the answer. Besides, if things go well, we can use their bickering at the center as a distraction to forcibly infiltrate their sub-islands and gather resources. Stay calm, don't overthink, and secure our sub-island as fast as possible!"
Jean took one last look at the war-torn center island in the distance before retracting her gaze. Beside her, Diluc gave a slight nod. Jean was looking more and more like a perfect Grand Master: she knew when to advance, when to hold, how to utilize her people, and how to remain cool-headed. The future of Mondstadt would surely flourish under her leadership.
After a moment of thought, seeing that the path to the sub-island was almost complete, Diluc steadied his mind. "I'm heading out. Keep an eye on the main island. Watch out for Snezhnaya; they love sneak-attacking bases more than anyone."
Jean and Eula both nodded in unison.
Compared to the relatively quiet Mondstadt island, everyone's attention was fixed on the center. Xiao led ten Millelith, Cyno led fifteen Sumeru recruits, Kujou Sara led ten Inazuman soldiers, and Childe commanded twenty Snezhnayans. They had all successfully stepped onto the center island. They eyed each other with extreme caution, though their gazes kept drifting toward the chests nearby.
The terrain of the center island was too rugged. You had to worry about falling even while walking normally, let alone facing an onslaught from three different directions. A reckless charge would only lead to a quick death.
Ryen's brow arched as he continued his passionate commentary: "On the center island, the four nations have met. But clearly, given the treacherous terrain, no one dares to make a reckless move. A war of hidden tides is about to ignite! Let's see who will be the one to fire the first shot!"
Xiao felt a bit of tension. Although it was a four-way standoff, Liyue was being watched the most closely. There was no helping it: they were all wrapped in Zhongli's Jade Shields. They were the definition of a public enemy.
He glanced back at their main island. Zhongli looked calm, continuously directing personnel to perform maneuvers that were hard to decipher. Their sub-island had been successfully linked, and a steady stream of materials was being sent back to be crafted into something on the workbenches. The pressure on the center island was mounting; it seemed the other three nations had reached a tacit agreement to prioritize thinning out Liyue's combat power first.
Xiao grew anxious and looked back again. This time, Zhongli met his gaze and gave a slight nod.
"Go!" Xiao barked. He led his ten Millelith and charged straight for the nearest chest.
"They're moving! After a stalemate of over four minutes, Liyue has taken the lead, and everyone is following suit!" Ryen slammed the table, his voice ringing out: "We can see the other three nations have noticed Liyue's Jade Shields and marked them as the priority targets. Xiao and his team are in real danger now. Who will be the first person to be eliminated!"
Ganyu handed Ryen a cup of tea, whispering: "Ryen, the match will last a long time. Don't shout your voice hoarse."
Ryen patted Ganyu's head but said nothing.
Xiao and his team didn't seem to intend to fight the others. They moved with agility, leaping across blocks with ease. In the blink of an eye, they reached the chests.
"Don't look! Just take it!" Xiao shouted. He swung his fist, knocking an Inazuman soldier back, though the soldier was caught by his teammates before he could fall into the void.
Thanks to his exquisite combat skills and the Jade Shield, Xiao wasn't exactly having an easy time, but he could hold out for a while. The Millelith didn't care about anything else: they just buried their heads in the chests to grab whatever they could. Xiao used the shield to rampage through the crowd, knocking three people off the platform in short order.
But that was as far as he could go. Childe and the other two leaders closed in. While their combat skills were still inferior to Xiao's, they were stronger than regular soldiers, and they had the numbers. Xiao had no weapon and was struggling to tank the combined assault. In an instant, his Jade Shield shattered. Fists traded blows, and his health bar plummeted to half.
"The situation looks grim! Although Xiao managed to make Sumeru, Inazuma, and Snezhnaya each lose a soldier, this top-tier Liyue combatant has been surrounded by the powerhouses of three nations! The path back to Liyue's main island has also been cut off! Zhongli has been forced to have his men dismantle the bridge to the center island. Could it be that Liyue will be the first team to suffer heavy casualties in this Bed Wars match?"
Ryen looked deeply at Zhongli, his eyes full of mirth. He seemed to understand what Zhongli was thinking. It was a bold move, but if it worked... it would be an incredible payoff.
Inside the stadium, every Liyue soldier had stood up in tension. They clenched their fists, watching the screen with worry for the embattled Xiao.
"Lord Xiao! It's done!" a Millelith soldier shouted. Xiao tanked a punch from all three leaders, using the momentum to retreat. This hit left him with only two hearts of health.
"With years of combat experience, Xiao successfully escaped the pincer attack, but unfortunately, Liyue is completely surrounded! Their retreat is cut! It looks difficult!"
Seeing that they had successfully trapped Xiao's team, Childe and the others weren't in a hurry to loot the remaining chests. they walked up leisurely. "Xiao, hand over the resources, and we might let half of your soldiers go back," Childe said with a winning smile.
All eyes were fixed on this confrontation. Only Diluc's eyes lit up. Seizing the moment, he ordered all his men to crouch and begin fast-bridging across the sub-island. Xiao noticed Diluc's maneuver out of the corner of his eye. His gaze flickered for a moment as he spoke softly: "We could just make it so none of you get the resources."
"You can try. Even if your Totems of Undying trigger, the loot will still drop," Kujou Sara said, stepping forward.
Cyno added calmly: "Ganging up was not my original intention, but your Jade Shields break the balance far too much. Even if you jump off the island and the resources disappear, it's not a loss for us to make you lose personnel."
Xiao didn't answer, but his eyes remained on Diluc in the distance. The atmosphere was heavy. After a moment, seeing that Childe and the others were about to advance, an earth-shattering battle cry suddenly erupted from the direction of Sumeru.
Cyno gasped and turned around. On their sub-island, Mondstadt forces had already made landfall. They were currently clashing with Tighnari's mining team.
A diversion?
Xiao didn't give Cyno a chance to react. He barked: "Jump!"
The moment the command left his lips, every Millelith soldier, without hesitation, turned and grabbed onto the soldiers from the other four nations. They jumped straight off the Sky Island into the void.
"The reversal is here! Xiao has actually adopted a mutually assured destruction tactic! But is it truly mutual destruction?" Ryen shouted with high emotion.
In the next heartbeat, the Millelith soldiers let go simultaneously, tossing the stunned enemy soldiers further into the void. In the distance, at some unknown point, Zhongli had arranged for dozens of people to each hold a fishing rod. As Xiao and his team plummeted, dozens of lines were cast out in unison. The hooks snagged everyone with surgical precision, pulling them toward the Liyue main island.
The plan was a success. A small smile played on Xiao's lips as he whispered: "See you later..."
This maneuver made the faces of Childe and the others turn incredibly sour. Who knew Liyue had a trick like this up their sleeve? Hooking people with fishing rods? You'd never think of such a ridiculous move unless you'd spent half a year being a dedicated MC angler!
Zhongli, wearing a faint smile, turned to look at Ryen. This maneuver was something he'd noted down back when Ryen used a fishing rod to pull Xiao out of lava. Although Zhongli's luck with actual fish was terrible, his ability to cast a line was second to none. After all, he had been an "angler" for over six thousand years. As long as he wasn't fishing for fish, he would never come home empty-handed!
"A staggering turnaround! Truly magnificent!" Ryen slammed the table and shouted: "Twelve minutes into the match, Liyue has taken the lead by showing us a brilliant desperate reversal! Who would have thought that a seemingly suicidal tactic could be saved by a tiny fishing rod? Not only did they bring back a massive haul of resources, but they also successfully dealt a heavy blow to three nations! A magnificent match! Perfect execution! Zhongli, you truly are a veteran angler. Let's give a round of applause for Liyue's coordination and courage!"
Inside the stadium, the Millelith, who had been silent in shock, finally snapped out of it. Their faces were flushed with excitement as they clapped until their hands were sore!
"The Geo Lord! Too strong!"
"Long live Liyue!"
"Our coordination is the best! Truly brilliant!"
The waves of cheering caused the other four nations to fall silent. But involuntarily, they too offered applause for that spectacular finish.
Ryen steadied himself and said seriously: "Liyue has brought back the loot and heavily damaged three nations. The situation looks great for them; they now hold the supreme advantage. The other three nations are in for a hard time, but Sumeru has it the worst. While the battle at the center drew everyone's gaze, Diluc has led the Mondstadt vanguard to storm the Sumeru sub-island! Sumeru is in danger! If the sub-island falls, not only will their resources be gone, but the sub-island will become a bridgehead for Mondstadt to directly threaten Sumeru's main base! Friends, Bed Wars is just this kind of heart-pounding competition: you never know what move your enemy will make next. In this war, there are no absolute enemies, and no absolute friends. Just like Liyue and Mondstadt just now: their tacit understanding was the perfect coordination for Bed Wars! But now, how will Sumeru turn the tide? Let's wait and see!"