blogombal Page 263
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finally come.
It can be said that Nie Qingyun had been waiting for Qin Hehuan's summons ever since he returned, but he didn't know what this woman had been busy with, which was why he had been staying in the girls' lounge.
Saotome represents the highest management of the Freemasons. Her arrival immediately made the atmosphere in the room much more oppressive. Nie Qingyun glanced at the people at the door, nodded, and then turned to Bai Ye Linyin and said:
"Please take care of my senior."
After saying that, he got up and walked towards the door.
Seeing this, Saotome suddenly spoke up again and added:
"Rinne, you come too."
"Me too?" Bai Yelin asked with a slightly surprised look in her eyes. She had recently participated in a lot of investigations related to PMC, so she could sense that this private conversation was definitely very important.
Besides being good at writing flowery copy and being slightly skilled at tinkering with electronic devices, she couldn't offer any constructive suggestions when it came to making plans. In addition, she was a little afraid of the feeling of being expected to do something important.
The girl subconsciously looked at Nie Qingyun.
The latter responded with a comforting look:
"Let's go, I might need to ask Rinne for some advice later."
This time, Bai Ye Linyin did not hesitate. After handing Lingyuan Ai Li over to Yuwen Chaolu, she walked to Nie Qingyun's side, gently took his arm, and leaned very close to him.
Whether in ordinary times or in apocalyptic times, the best way to encourage insecure people is to emphasize their role in the group, thereby proving that they are needed.
Shiroya Rinne clearly noticed this subtle thoughtfulness, and her slightly uneasy expression relaxed into a warm smile.
The other student council members, especially the boys, did not look too happy.
In their eyes, Nie Qingyun was not only the culprit who tricked Cheng Yuqiu, but also a troublemaker who openly challenged Qin Hehuan's authority. Now, he was openly two-timing her, making him utterly heinous. If he weren't the only one who knew the specific strategy for the [Ominous Sign], he would probably have been exiled long ago.
Saotome glanced at Nie Qingyun's arm that was being held, a hint of envy in her eyes. If there were no one else around, she could have held the other arm, but now she could only continue to maintain her posture and lead the way.
The group walked through the long corridor and it took them quite a while to reach the floor where Qin Hehuan was located.
Several male student council members stopped outside the isolation fence, and several female students also stopped and stood guard at the door when they approached the office.
Only Nie Qingyun and the other two passed through the living room and entered the study/bedroom inside.
As soon as they entered, Nie Qingyun and Bai Yelin both showed a hint of surprise.
Normally, such an important private meeting should be in a tense atmosphere.
However, in the very center of the room was a wide table with an unlit hot pot on it, surrounded by all sorts of vegetables and meats, which didn't look like an important matter to be discussed.
Moreover... these things are quite expensive.
More than a month has passed since the apocalypse, and most of the vegetables and plants in supermarkets have long since rotted and spoiled. If you want to eat something fresh, you can only redeem it from gashapon machines.
Although, given Qin Hehuan's status, she could afford to have a nice meal occasionally.
But somehow, it had a feeling of a trap...
Seeing Qin Hehuan setting out the tableware, Nie Qingyun approached and said with a somewhat subtle expression:
"The Last Supper?"
"You didn't poison it, did you?"
Qin Hehuan glanced at Nie Qingyun, then continued setting the table, her voice remaining as cold and aloof as her demeanor:
"If I were to do that, I would poison Yu Jue's chest, which would increase your chances of getting infected."
"Cousin! What nonsense are you talking about!" Cheng Yuqiu, who was just about to greet Nie Qingyun, suddenly blushed.
She had just shared some little secrets about relationships with Qin Hehuan, but she never expected to be betrayed by her cousin so soon.
"Please sit down," Qin Hehuan said, glancing at everyone in the room before pulling out a chair and sitting down herself. She then explained:
"Delicious food can improve your mood, and a good mood is more conducive to thinking."
All I can say is that it perfectly aligns with this woman's thought process.
Nie Qingyun shrugged, said nothing, and sat down directly opposite Qin Hehuan.
Cheng Yuqiu naturally sat down next to him. Seeing that Cheng Yuqiu and Qin Hehuan were both present, Bai Yelinyin felt embarrassed to sit on Nie Qingyun's lap and pulled out a chair to sit on the left.
Compared to the somewhat reserved Bai Ye Lin Yin, Nie Qing Yun appeared much more relaxed. After sitting down, he took an apple from the fruit basket and handed it to the girls on either side of him, then took one for himself and took a bite.
"Mmm~~So sweet!" Cheng Yuqiu, who hadn't eaten fresh fruit in a long time, immediately showed a happy expression after taking a bite.
The girl's uniquely sweet voice immediately lightened the atmosphere, and Shiroya Rinne, seeing this, also started eating very ladylike.
"So, this counts as a 'roundtable meeting'?" Nie Qingyun felt bad for keeping Qin Hehuan and Saotome busy, so he also helped put food into the hot pot.
"I suppose so," Qin Hehuan replied, then leaned back slightly and said earnestly:
“You are the only people in this building that I can trust, so I will be frank with you from now on.”
As he spoke, he glanced at the group of people and then continued:
"You all know how dire our current situation is, so I won't go into details."
"The reason I called everyone here today is to discuss how to deal with the upcoming crisis."
After speaking, Qin Hehuan shifted her gaze to Nie Qingyun and asked:
"You've already contacted the members of the strategy team, so you should have a preliminary assessment of their capabilities, right?"
"How much longer until we can defeat [Ominous]?"
"How long..." Nie Qingyun thought for a moment, then frowned and said:
"To conduct a relatively safe campaign, at least a week of simulated training is required before any initial real-world attempts can begin."
"It will take at least 3 to 5 weeks."
To be honest, this is already a rather conservative estimate.
“But we don’t have that much time,” Qin Hehuan gestured to Saotome beside him, and after the girl pulled up a few cans of beer from under the table, he continued:
"I originally planned to conquer [Ominous], get the reward, and then figure out a way to fight PMC head-on."
"But they are still a very unstable factor for us."
"Even if we can delay things for a while by sending false information through Qian Zhenhao, it won't be for long."
"We must find a way to shorten the time required to defeat [Ominous]."
Upon hearing this, Nie Qingyun stopped what he was doing, because he keenly sensed a dangerous aura in Qin Hehuan's cold eyes.
"So, what are you planning to do?"
Qin Hehuan seemed to have been prepared, and without saying a word, she took out an electronic board from beside her and handed it to Nie Qingyun.
Just then, the water in the hot pot boiled, making a sizzling sound.
Qin Hehuan's voice, however, was so cold it seemed to freeze water.
"It's time to choose those you think should survive."
Chapter 374: Nie Qingyun's Bold Strategy
Nie Qingyun's gaze fell on the electronic board that Qin Hehuan handed over, and his eyes flickered slightly.
The form listed the names and basic information of Freemasons, and he soon saw many familiar names.
However, the names of Bai Yelin, Cheng Yuqiu, and Yuwen Chaolu were all displayed in light gray, clearly indicating that they were not selectable.
Nie Qingyun only glanced at it briefly, but he roughly understood what Qin Hehuan was planning.
So he sighed, raised his head, and said:
"Even if you are willing to invest in human resources regardless of the cost, it is not something that can be accomplished in the short term."
Setting the electronic board aside, Nie Qingyun continued to explain:
"The most troublesome part of the [Ominous Sign] is its [Accompanying Barrier] and its mechanism and process."
"Even if I can single-handedly bring the battle directly into Phase 2, we still know nothing about the skills in Phase 3 of [Ominous]."
"However, what is certain is that in Phase 3, [Ominous] will inherit all the skills from the previous phases and will also go berserk."
"At that time, if none of the fighters in the arena have experience in the previous P1 phase battles, then let alone defeating [Ominous], their chance of survival is almost zero."
"Moreover, although Phase 2 is relatively simple and [Ominous] will not retaliate, it requires a lot of output to quickly reduce its health to 30% to enter Phase 3, otherwise the field will be covered with a lot of corrosive liquid, and there will be no space for combat."
"In conclusion, without increasing the number of players in Phase 2, it is impossible to enter Phase 3. However, if the number of players is increased, all of these inexperienced players will die in Phase 3. It seems to be a vicious cycle."
"It seems there's really no way we can get there before the PMC launches their attack." Qin Hehuan subconsciously rubbed her temples and then propped her forehead up with her hand.
In fact, she had already anticipated these things before Nie Qingyun mentioned them.
Because she had participated in battles against high-level elite monsters, she understood how troublesome these monsters were; otherwise, out of a team of over two hundred people, only three would have survived.
She was just secretly hoping... that some miracle might happen with Nie Qingyun to turn the tide.
At this moment, Cheng Yuqiu, who had been focused on eating the fruit, suddenly stopped and blinked, saying:
"Since we can't defeat [Ominous Sign], let's concentrate all our combat power in the main building and defend it with all our might. After all, this place is quite familiar to us."
Whether amused by this naive remark or not, Qin Hehuan smiled slightly and shook her head, saying:
Do you assume everyone's body is as strong as yours?
“Although most of them have now activated their [Data System] and received some enhancements, they are still within the realm of ordinary people; at most, they can be considered stronger humans,” Nie Qingyun explained, taking the initiative to explain to Cheng Yuqiu, who still seemed somewhat puzzled.
"Although those PMCs probably don't have any weapons of mass destruction, people will die if they are shot."
“Those mercenaries have been in this business for years or even decades, spending almost their entire lives learning how to kill enemies more efficiently. This experience is something that students and office workers here cannot make up for through short-term training.”
Qin Hehuan nodded in deep agreement with these words:
“If the fighting takes place in the main building, then every resister will be targeted for elimination by him.”
"Even if we manage to win by a narrow margin in the end, we will pay a very heavy price."
"It seems that the only option now is to find a way to shift the battlefield of the conflict."
The situation seemed really dire. Qin Hehuan took a big gulp of wine and began to frown and think again.
Nie Qingyun looked at the girl in front of him quietly, his eyes slightly complicated.
In his view, Qin Hehuan was an extremely special woman.
They can recklessly push others to their deaths, yet at other times they will strive to save the innocent.
Perhaps in her view, revolution could be permitted to employ any cruel means in order to achieve its historical goals.
Social Darwinist ideas were deeply ingrained in her mind and would not be easily changed.
Even so, this guy is still a partner who gets through tough times together.
Just when he was at his wit's end, Nie Qingyun suddenly stood up from his chair:
"Although we can't defeat [Ominous] in a short time, we might be able to use it against our enemies."
"Using the [Ominous Sign]?" Qin Hehuan immediately raised her head, her beautiful phoenix eyes filled with confusion.
“Hmm,” Nie Qingyun nodded, got up and walked to a whiteboard next to the bookshelf. He picked up a marker from underneath and drew a large circle on the whiteboard, then drew a door-shaped square at each end of the circle.
"This is the approximate structure of the area where I investigated the [Ominous Sign] and fought it that day."
"The location of the ominous sign is on the recreational platform in the central area of the experimental building, with corridors on both sides. When a battle occurs with it, the area is affected by the accompanying barrier, and the interior begins to change, but the location of the entrances and exits of the corridors on both sides will not change."
Qin Hehuan's thinking speed was also extraordinary. As soon as Nie Qingyun finished speaking, she vaguely guessed the general outline of the plan, and subconsciously said:
"You plan to lure the mercenaries into the barrier, and then have [Ominous] fight for us?"
As she spoke, the girl's eyes widened in disbelief:
"How is this possible? The existence of the [Companion Barrier] is precisely to restrict the attacker's free movement during battle..."
“Therefore, we must fully leverage our informational advantage to utilize these rules,” Nie Qingyun said, raising his pen to mark a doorway on one side of the venue before continuing:
"During the P1 phase of the [Ominous] battle, the [Companion Barrier] is one-way, meaning that you can only enter but not exit. In other words, there is no limit to how many people can be added to the arena during the process."
"In Phase 2, the [Accompanying Barrier] will change, becoming a two-way passage, and 'each person is limited to passing through once'."
Hearing this, Qin Hehuan finally understood completely, staring blankly at the whiteboard, and exclaimed:
"As long as we engage in combat with [Ominous] beforehand, and bring the mercenaries into the battlefield during Phase 2, they will be unable to leave."
"Since we were already inside the barrier beforehand, we still have one more chance to enter and exit, at which point we can escape through another exit."
"This way, we can trap all these mercenaries inside the barrier!"