Chapter 4463 — Catch the Thief First, Catch Their King
The Blossom Guardian · Page 2 of 2
"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