Hide-and-Seek Strategy

"Don't worry, I, your saviour, will save the world!" Liu Hao laughed. "Just don't die before I get there to support you."

"Enough with the idle talk," Ye Qiu said, frowning. "Have you found Zhang Xinjie's position yet?"

"Not yet. That guy is like a cowardly mouse; I can't see him at all," Liu Hao shook his head.

"Um... Hao-ge, Zhang Xinjie is Glory's number one healer. How could he be that easy to find? Why don't you support us first? You're not far from us anyway..." Zhang Jiaxing suggested meekly.

"Don't worry, even though I haven't found Zhang Xinjie yet, I've got a rough idea of his position," Liu Hao said confidently.

In this 5V5 team battle, teamwork and coordination are crucial. Zhang Xinjie is very cautious, avoiding healing his teammates to prevent exposing his location. But as the team's commander, he must oversee the battlefield from a spot with good visibility. To ensure timely healing, if his teammates are severely injured, he won't be too far from them.

Zhang Xinjie is Han Wenqing's partner. By taking Desert Dust as the centre and marking areas with clear visibility and good hiding spots around him, Liu Hao thought he had a good chance of locating him.

...

"The current situation for Excellent Era is very unfavourable. After Zhou Guangyi divided the battlefield, he immediately went to suppress Mu Yu Cheng Feng, effectively breaking Jia Shi's screen-cannon strategy," Pan Lin said.

"If Total Darkness could stay close to Dancing Rain, they could deal with Zhou Guangyi's harassment, allowing Su Mucheng to support Ye Qiu," Li Yibo said. "Unfortunately, Total Darkness is now behind Tyranny, far from the main battlefield, and unable to provide support in a short time."

"Ye Qiu is also in a tough spot. With Negative Nine Degrees and Rota harassing him from a distance, he can't stop Desert Dust's advance. If Combat Form falls and Desert Dust escapes to find Excellent Era's healer, Excellent Era will struggle to turn the tide," Pan Lin said.

"That's right. Rota and Negative Nine Degrees are both long-range classes with high single-target and AOE damage, and they have control skills. Together, they have restrained Ye Qiu, preventing One Autumn Leaf and Combat Force from executing their shadow strategy. Combat Force's performance has been poor; they are unable to counter Desert Dust and are constantly under pressure," Li Yibo added. "Qiu Fei is probably under immense psychological pressure in his first professional match, so that he couldn't perform at his best. Fans should be more patient with him."

"Now, Excellent Era's situation is very dire—their only chance to turn the game around lies with Liu Hao. Currently, there's no protection around Immovable Rock; he's hiding. If Total Darkness can find and kill Immovable Rock, Excellent Era can leverage the healing advantage to win the match," Pan Lin advised. (Zhang Xinjie's Avatar)

Li Yibo shook his head, "Liu Hao can't find Immovable Rock's position. There are more than ten hiding spots around the battlefield. Zhang Xinjie's awareness is exceptional. Even without protection, he won't give Liu Hao a chance. It's almost impossible for Liu Hao to pinpoint Zhang Xinjie's position among the hiding spots."

...

Zhang Xinjie closely monitored the battlefield. The situation was favourable for Tyranny. Under his command, Su Mucheng was restricted by Zhou Guangyi, Ye Qiu by Rota and Zero Negative Nine Degrees, and Combat Force by Desert Smoke. The only uncertain factor was Liu Hao.

"Liu Hao hasn't appeared yet, likely searching for my position. Excellent Era's only chance to turn the game is for Liu Hao to kill me," Zhang Xinjie said.

"Do you need support? We can have Wang Chixuan disengage to protect you," Han Wenqing suggested. Initially, he wouldn't have considered Liu Hao a threat, but Liu Hao had surprised him twice with victories, prompting Han Wenqing to be more cautious.

"No, if Wang Chixuan disengages, Ye Qiu's pressure will lessen. If he manages to save Combat Force, all our efforts will be in vain," Zhang Xinjie refused. "Don't worry about me. This is a game of wits between Liu Hao and me. As long as he can't find me within five minutes, Excellent Era will lose."

...

The battlefield was chaotic. If it were a solo match, Su Mucheng was confident she could defeat Zhou Guangyi. However, Zhou Guangyi's task was only to limit her, preventing her from supporting Ye Qiu. Under the harassment of the highly mobile assassin, Su Mucheng couldn't break through Zhou Guangyi's restriction.

"Liu Hao! How much longer until you can support us?" Su Mucheng was anxious. "Even with Zhang Jiaxing's healing, Combat Force can't hold out for five minutes!"

"Don't rush me! I'm looking, I'm looking!" Liu Hao's eyes were sharp, not missing any details. He had already ruled out thirteen of the sixteen possible hiding spots for Immovable Rock, leaving three.

He believed Zhang Xinjie had also guessed his intention and would be participating in this game of hide-and-seek.

"The outcome of this match rests on Zhang Xinjie and Liu Hao," Pan Lin revealed.

Li Yibo nodded in agreement, "Based on the current situation if Liu Hao finds and kills Immovable Rock within five minutes, Jia Shi can win by healing advantage. But if he fails, Desert Dust will return to defend, and Liu Hao will have no chance. Excellent Era will undoubtedly lose."

"But Zhang Xinjie is Glory's number one healer and one of the Four Great Tactical Masters. His awareness is exceptional, and his hiding skills are top-notch. It will be tough for Liu Hao to find and kill him within five minutes," Li Yibo said, doubting Liu Hao's chances.

"But what if?" Pan Lin smiled. "What if Liu Hao can create a miracle?"

The Excellent Era fans were on edge. They couldn't understand the tactical game between Tyranny and Excellent Era, but they could sense the advantages and disadvantages. With Li Yibo and Pan Lin's commentary, they realised the dire situation Jia Shi was in.

"Go, Liu Hao!"

"Tony, activate your Jarvis and scan for Immovable Rock's position!"

"I think it's hopeless. Liu Hao's performance has always been stable, but stable isn't necessarily a compliment. He's never created a miracle. How can he find and kill Immovable Rock in five minutes?"

"What else can we do? We can only believe in Liu Hao now."

"Liu Hao, if you turn this around, I'll be your die-hard fan for life!"

...

(End of Chapter)

Chapter 61 is free on my Patreon.

Chapter 81 is up on my Patreon.

pat reon.com/ReidAstrea