Chapter 4463 — Catch the Thief First, Catch Their King

A gasp of shock ran through the crowd below the arena. Even those who knew nothing of formations—mere spectators out for a show—could see that the Qingtian Escort Agency was in trouble. Qi Wenmo, the young master and the very soul of the team, was the one they should have been guarding most closely, yet in the blink of an eye he had been cut off and isolated.

Outnumbered, the initiative had fallen wholly into the enemy's hands. Just like that, the other side could carve him up however they pleased, and the four remaining members of the Qingtian Escort Agency would not even be able to reach him in time to save him.

"How did this happen?" Qi Mingyuan's heart clenched at the sight. Two strides carried him down from his seat among the judges and referees. If Qi Wenmo really died on that arena, how was he supposed to live with himself?

"Hold on, Chief Escort. In my judgment this is not so simple. Wenhan would not be so foolish, and there is still Young Hero Ling directing things on the spot," Steward Song said. He had been stationed at this spot all along and hurriedly barred Qi Mingyuan's way.

"Old Song, you mean..." Qi Mingyuan halted at once. Concern had clouded his judgment, but now that Steward Song had reminded him, he came back to his senses. With the abilities of Ling Yi and Qi Wenmo, even if they could not beat the Xuanying Escort Agency, they would not be reduced to such a passive position right from the start.

"Let us keep watching for now. I trust they will not disappoint the Chief Escort," Steward Song said with a nod, and said no more.

"I hope so." Qi Mingyuan was a little reassured, though he still muttered to himself with some worry. Just what were Young Hero Ling and his son up to? They had better not slip up.

On the arena, the lines had already been drawn with perfect clarity. Qi Wenmo stood alone, severed from his companions. To link up with the other four again, he would have to cut straight through the encircling kill of five Gold Core consummate experts. That was essentially one against five!

Even if Qi Wenmo was far stronger than an ordinary Gold Core consummate expert, such an absurd feat was simply beyond him. At most he could take on two, and even then victory was uncertain; to face five alone was to court death.

"Catch the thief first, catch their king!" Zhao Shanying ordered from below the arena. He had been pondering how to deal with Qi Wenmo from the very start, and now that a golden opportunity lay before him, there was no reason to hesitate. He had no ties of friendship with the Qingtian Escort Agency to begin with, and this was no time for soft hearts. Strike while the enemy is weak—take his life!

The five Gold Core consummate experts of the Xuanying Escort Agency immediately closed ranks, ready to seize the moment and cut Qi Wenmo down. With their strength and this ready-made opportunity, there was no need to waste any effort—a single instant would be enough to settle the matter.

Yet before they could make their move, Qi Wenmo was already prepared. In an instant he exploded into astonishing speed, retreating toward the empty space behind him.

At the same time, the other four Qitian escort fighters in their spearhead formation moved first instead, surging fiercely toward one of the Xuanying escort fighters!

Even Zhao Shanying was startled, his heart skipping a beat. The two sides had reacted in such perfect concert, and so swiftly—there was not the slightest sign of being caught off guard. They had clearly been gathering their strength all along. In other words, they had prepared for this from the start!

"Could they have been doing this on purpose from the beginning?" Zhao Shanying cast a subconscious glance at Wei Zhao in the distance. He knew that all of the Qingtian Escort Agency's victories so far had come from this man's hand, and that the last match, in which the Wuma Escort Agency had been toyed with in the palm of his hand, had been his work as well. What scheme had this man devised now?

Zhao Shanying had not risen to his present station by being arrogant or dismissive of others. He could weigh the true measure of every man he had ever met with perfect clarity, and Wei Zhao was, in his eyes, unquestionably unfathomable.

Fearing to fall into Wei Zhao's trap, Zhao Shanying did not dare let down his guard in the slightest. Fortunately, the five Xuanying escort fighters he had sent out were all cautious men. Even when they had wanted to encircle and kill Qi Wenmo a moment ago, they had not broken the formation that let them cover one another. Otherwise, caught in a sudden assault by the four Qitian escort fighters, one of them might well have been killed on the spot!

"Come, then. The wager has begun. Let us see whether you bet big or bet small," Wei Zhao said, watching Zhao Shanying from afar with a faint smile.

On one side stood Qi Wenmo, alone; on the other, the four Qitian escort fighters in their spearhead formation. Zhao Shanying had to choose between them. Such was the wager Wei Zhao had laid.

What should have been simple had become complicated the moment Qi Wenmo escaped the encirclement and the chance to break the game in one stroke was lost. Zhao Shanying could not help but knit his brows.

First, the four Qitian escort fighters in their spearhead formation could not be left unguarded. A spearhead formation was built for lethal striking power, and if these four were truly left to their own devices, they could burst forth and finish off a Gold Core consummate expert in an instant—no difficult feat for men of their caliber.

Second, Qi Wenmo on the other side could not be left alone either. Zhao Shanying could see that this man was far stronger than an ordinary Gold Core consummate expert, and if he were allowed to run wild at their backs, the consequences would be just as dire.

After turning it over and over, neither side could be abandoned. Zhao Shanying had no choice but to split his forces—one group to deal with the spearhead formation, another to deal with Qi Wenmo. Yet just how many men to assign to each was a matter that required careful calculation.

For Qi Wenmo, sending only one man was clearly out of the question; in a one-on-one fight, he might be finished off in a matter of minutes. So it had to be at least two men!

On the other side, facing the Qingtian Escort Agency's four-man spearhead formation, Zhao Shanying likewise dared not underestimate them. With fewer than three men, they would likely suffer badly.

"Vulture and Falcon, take Qi Wenmo. The other three, hold off the four!" Zhao Shanying ordered in a low, grim voice.

He still eyed the isolated Qi Wenmo hungrily, itching to swallow him whole in one gulp, yet at the same time he feared falling into Wei Zhao's trap and did not dare send more men after Qi Wenmo. What if the enemy's killing move was hidden within that four-man spearhead formation? Sending only two men to watch it would be like delivering sheep into a tiger's jaws.

Two men for Qi Wenmo, three for the spearhead formation—this was, in Zhao Shanying's eyes, the safest course.

The five Xuanying escort fighters he had fielded were all hand-picked experts, each ranking at least in the upper-middle tier of the Gold Core consummate realm. However strong Qi Wenmo might be, he was unlikely to gain any advantage against two working in concert; and on the other side, three against four, two of the enemy's four being at the peak of the late Gold Core stage, would likewise not leave them at a disadvantage. (To be continued...) R527