The Fierce Onslaught of a Chicken Army

With a steely gaze, Shao Qiang locked eyes with his adversary, exuding unwavering confidence. Meanwhile, the chicken made a beckoning gesture, signaling for Shao Qiang to make the first move. Both fighters were brimming with self-assurance, but it was Shao Qiang who struck first, unleashing a cross aimed at the chicken. The feathered creature sidestepped the attack with ease, deftly avoiding Shao Qiang's strike.

Undeterred by his initial failure, Shao Qiang displayed remarkable agility and skill as he swiftly produced a pistol from his pocket, and aimed a shot at the chicken. Though the bullet connected, it proved insufficient to inflict any lasting damage. In response, the chicken grew increasingly agitated, visibly enraged by the attack. Yet Shao Qiang remained resolute, calling out "Marked!" as he pointed towards the spot where the bullet had struck. In an instant, a cross-shaped label materialized, clearly indicating the chicken's vulnerable point.

With a heightened sense of alarm, the chicken charged towards Shao Qiang, spurred on by its anger. Undaunted, Shao Qiang hurled his cross towards the evading chicken, despite its nimble dodging. The chicken cackled confidently, evading Shao Qiang's initial attack with ease. However, to its surprise, the cross continued to pursue it relentlessly, finally making contact with the marked spot on its shoulder, cleaving the creature in two. Without hesitation, Shao Qiang retrieved the key and handed it off to Sun Jing.

Unexpectedly, Sun Jing took the initiative and hurled his cross at the chicken, catching it off guard. However, to everyone's surprise, the cross missed its intended target by a considerable margin, drawing looks of disbelief from Shao Qiang. Then Long Tao grew weary and lost his grip on his weapon, leaving him defenseless against his opponent's advances. Just as it seemed Long Tao's fate was sealed, a cross arced through the air and bisected the attacker with a swift and lethal precision.

As Shao Qiang and Sun Jing exchanged looks of mutual bewilderment, he quickly surmised that Sun Jing's improbable success must have been a matter of sheer luck, as the other fighter seemed equally surprised by the outcome. Sun Jing had inexplicably risen to level 3, despite the fact that his actual level remained unchanged. Meanwhile, Hao Ren had emerged victorious from his latest bout, dispatching his third adversary with ruthless efficiency and healing his own wounds in the process. Sensing an opportunity, Sun Jing quickly handed the key to Hao Ren, instructing him to flee with Long Tao. Though Shao Qiang was less than pleased with the decision, he kept his composure and prepared for his next fight.

Meanwhile, Jia Le and his team had managed to regroup and corral the chickens together, nimbly dodging their frenzied attacks as they formed a tight defensive circle. As Jia Le prepared to launch his cross at the hapless group, one of his opponents suddenly charged towards him, hoping to catch him off guard. However, Jia Le's quick-thinking teammates rallied to his aid, hurling their own crosses at the rogue chicken and neutralizing its attack.

With the immediate threat averted, Jia Le turned his attention back to his intended targets. Raising his cross high above his head, he summoned all his strength and hurled it with deadly precision at the hapless flock. "Enlarge!" he commanded, and in an instant, the cross expanded to an enormous size, slicing through the air and cleaving the hapless birds in two with gruesome efficiency.

As the dust settled from their victorious battle, Jia Le's team scanned the new batch of chickens that had spawned in their place. Despite the fatigue and weariness that had settled in after their intense fight, their eyes remained sharp and alert, searching for any signs of the coveted key that would allow them to escape this deadly arena.

And then they saw them - three chickens, each with a key hanging conspicuously from its waist. With six members on their team, three keys would be enough for them to escape.

As the timer neared the 2-minute mark, all the chickens suddenly vanished, much to Shao Qiang's annoyance as he was in the midst of battling his opponent. However, the crowd's attention was quickly drawn to a massive silhouette that materialized at the far end of the hall. It was a colossal rooster with a towering height, its plump body similar to the previous combat chickens, but with pitch-black feathers and a crown fashioned from golden plumage atop its head. The words "Combat King" were displayed above it, though its level remained a mystery. The rooster yawned lazily, as if it had been napping prior to the timer's countdown. With a lazy flap of its wings, a flurry of feathers rained down onto the floor, which then transformed into level 5 roosters, all of which bore a key around their waist. Astonishingly, there were 46 of them - the exact number of individuals present. The king gestured for its army of roosters to attack, while it sat idly at the end of the hall.

The ferocious force of 46 level 5 roosters charging towards their human adversaries, heedless of their opponents' own levels. However, only the teams led by Yi Lin, Ya Hui, and Hao Ren possess the coveted keys needed for escape. With a determined glint in his eyes, Hao Ren grasps his cross, poised for action. Sun Jing recognizes the opportunity for Hao Ren to demonstrate his prowess in battling large groups of enemies and encourages him. Meanwhile, Jia Le follows suit, driven by the urgent need for those keys. "Enlarge!" The two of them hurl their crosses simultaneously, but the agile roosters prove more elusive than the previous plump combat chickens. Nevertheless, a few of the birds fail to evade the attack and are sliced cleanly in half.

Hao Ren expertly dispatched five of the agile roosters, while Jia Le followed closely with three kills of his own. The teammates of Jia Le's group sprang into action, quickly securing the three keys that had fallen to the ground. Meanwhile, the remaining contestants wearing the red sneakers dashed towards the remaining keys, aware that this was their only chance to escape the room. Shao Qiang managed to take down one rooster and secured a key for himself. All of the survivors bolted towards the nearest exit with all their might, but those who didn't possess a key were ruthlessly beaten by the level 5 combat chickens. As the first round came to an end, only 28 of the original 50 participants had made it through alive.