Hearing Ji Yanbai volunteer to stay behind, everyone ceased to have objections.
They knew that Ji Yanbai was currently their biggest competitor, so when their biggest competitor said he would give up, how could they not be pleased?
Thus, everyone agreed to the plan, and fearing that Ji Yanbai might change his mind, they spontaneously contributed a portion of their points.
Then, under Ji Yanbai’s command, 28 people neatly split into seven small teams and boarded the motorboats exchanged from the show’s crew, marching mightily towards the center of the lake.
The total time spent didn’t exceed two hours.
"Wow, Captain Ji’s leadership ability is incredible; he truly deserves to be a man who came from the military."
"Ahhh, I love him even more now; Ji Yanbai is really so handsome."
"I wasn’t worried before, but now, have Jiang Li and his team messed up? With so many people going to encircle them, can they really escape?"
At nine o’clock in the morning, two and a half hours remained until the end of the Cat and Mouse Game.
Teammates who stayed with Ji Yanbai looked at him, puzzled.
"Boss, is it really okay for us to only send two people to follow them? Mu Ye’s heart isn’t with us at all; how could he possibly compete against those people?"
Ji Yanbai looked at the photos on the forum, a cunning gleam crossing his eyes.
"It’s because I bet they’ll definitely come ashore!"
The sky was heavy as if filled with lead, pressuring people to the point of breathlessness.
Two hours had passed since that message was posted on the forum, and Shang Shuyue’s expression was still very solemn.
"Jiang Li, is what we’re doing really okay? If they actually come looking, wouldn’t we be asking for trouble?"
"Yes," agreed Jiang Yan. "Wouldn’t it be better for us to just safely get through this half of the day?"
Sitting at the stern, Jiang Li calmly turned a page of his book and said lightly, "Wouldn’t that be too lenient towards them?"
Having been pushed to this point by those people, if she didn’t do something in the end, wouldn’t all their efforts these days go to waste?
Upon hearing this, Zhao Lang knew Jiang Li must have a plan and leaned over to ask, "Do you have a good idea?"
Jiang Li replied, "All you need to know is that they can’t possibly eliminate us."
"Of course, I trust you."
Jiang Li smiled briefly, looking at him, "The ’us’ I mentioned does not include you—I only ensure the safety of my teammates. As for you... leave it to fate."
At ten o’clock in the morning, the besieging squad had already traveled a considerable distance.
The shallow areas of Dragon Ridge Lake were filled with many reeds and aquatic plants, significantly obstructing the view, forcing the boat in front to slow down and carefully observe the surroundings.
Seeing this, Zhuola furrowed her brows and proactively approached Shang Shaojing.
"President Shang, this is too slow, and with so many people, we might not be the first to capture Jiang Li and his team."
"Do you have a better plan?"
"I’m a good swimmer; I can dive and swim ahead of these people. If something happens, I can take advantage first."
Shang Shaojing agreed almost without hesitation.
In his view, Zhuola was a highly skilled mercenary he had hired for a large sum, not only possessing superior martial skills but also being extremely loyal and responsible.
Having her scout ahead was more than appropriate.
Thus, Zhuola used this legitimate reason to quietly dive into the lake.
Of course, she wasn’t looking for Jiang Li.
In her eyes, Jiang Li wasn’t as important as something ten times more valuable at the bottom of the lake.
She had to find that thing before the others noticed anything!
Thinking this, Zhuola quickened her pace and laboriously swam toward the lakebed.
The deeper she went, the greater the water pressure became—even she, as a top mercenary specially trained for such situations, dared not take it lightly after spending much time there.
The visibility at the bottom of the lake was very low, peril lurking everywhere. Zhuola cautiously edged toward the center, occasionally surfacing to breathe some air before continuing onward.
Finally, when she reached a certain spot, it was as if she sensed something, and suddenly, the scene before her eyes lit up.
Thinking this, she took a deep breath of fresh air, then dived back down with determination, eventually discovering traces of the so-called town object near the lakebed.
But the moment she turned on her flashlight, the sight before her shocked her so profoundly that she couldn’t recover her senses for a long time.
Where there was supposed to be a shadow of a toad, there was nothing but a pile of ruins, interspersed with some rune remnants.
Using those remnants, Zhuola could barely make out that this was indeed the hiding place of the town object that her master had mentioned.
But... how did it become ???
Was it Jiang Li’s doing???
Was she actually capable of destroying the Array personally set by her master?!
Zhuola was so shocked she couldn’t recover her senses for a long time. Just as she was about to inspect the area more carefully, a rustling sound from the nearby aquatic plants made her wary anew.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be crocodiles, and more than one!
Each one was three to four meters long, with eyes that glinted green!
Zhuola’s back went numb instantly, and she no longer cared to inspect the ruins; she hastily swam upward.
It seemed that the crocodiles had sensed their territory being invaded and started chasing Zhuola.
Zhuola barely surfaced when she saw the crocodiles had followed.
Biting her lip, she frantically swam away.
But the crocodiles, busy hunting, were not willing to let her go; gradually, Zhuola realized she was losing strength, yet they relentlessly pursued her from behind.
Zhuola was genuinely scared now.
She didn’t want to lose her life !
So she narrowed her eyes, her expression turned cold, and she led the crocodiles straight toward the encircling squad.
The sky was ominously gloomy. Those sitting in the boat kept their eyes fixed on the lake’s surface.
Suddenly, someone stood up and pointed not far ahead, yelling, "Look, what is that?!"
Everyone stood up and peered into the distance.
"Is, is that a crocodile?!"
Everyone was startled.
Su Yinwan was even more frightened and clung to Shang Shaojing, "Crocodiles? How can there be crocodiles here?"
Shang Shaojing soothed her, "Don’t be afraid, it’s okay, it’s normal for such a big lake to have crocodiles."
People in the crowd also said this.
"These crocodiles are clearly disturbed; maybe Team Q is nearby!"
"Yes, yes, maybe they are right here!"
"Let’s go full speed ahead; these few crocodiles can’t hurt us!"
Several small boats revved up their engines and rushed toward the center of the lake.
The thundering noise apparently also angered the crocodiles, and they also gathered together and charged toward the boats.
However, these people grossly underestimated the number of crocodiles. Less than ten surfaced, while the other twenty-odd all lurked underwater, each reaching a terrifying length.