Commanding the Enemy
In her pre-match preparations, Xu Lingqu had done only three things. First, she broke Moye's forces into smaller squads. Second, she drilled them on how to break through the encirclement of Shaji and Du'e on their own, without any command direction.
She had no powers of foresight and couldn't predict the map or its mechanics in advance.
Given that Shaji and Du'e would absolutely join forces, and knowing Jinfang Taibai would be eavesdropping, the best counter was to abandon the commander channel entirely and split into units for guerrilla warfare—this was the soundest strategy, and it also made for an excellent training opportunity to hone Moye's squad-level combat.
The third thing was to have her analysts prepare several sets of command code words. For example, in a sequence of three commands, only the second was to be taken at face value. Or, if she coughed once before giving orders, then every directional instruction in that command set was to be interpreted in reverse...
By now, the first two pre-match preparations had already borne fruit. After Xu Lingqu's final directive to break west and abandon channel communications, Moye's forces scattered into smaller units, each breaking out from various angles and then running west without looking back.
They were lavish with their heavy weaponry during the breakout, blasting openings in every direction, and quickly tore through the encirclement of Shaji and Du'e. Without any lingering attachment to the fight, they put their heads down and ran.
Guan Chuanjun and Li Muyi were hardly about to give up such a golden opportunity to wipe out Moye. They immediately led their forces in pursuit, following the direction Moye's squads had fled. If they could seize this chance, the match was essentially over—Shaji and Du'e would secure first and second place and advance directly to the top eight.
Shaji and Du'e's forces were chasing with gusto, but at that moment, the broadcast cut to a god's-eye view of the map, and everyone could clearly see that they had started from the northeastern corner of the map, following Moye westward. They were being led further and further from the pyramid where the energy core was located in the south.
But the audience had already used up their shock—having witnessed Xu Lingqu appear before the pyramid earlier.
"By now, we can finally see the plan Xu Lingqu put into motion after entering the map," Professor Zhuang said, eyes gleaming. "Take her communication with Guan Chuanjun and Li Muyi, for instance. The real purpose wasn't to form an alliance against the three Federation academies—or rather, that wasn't the primary objective. It was to plant a seed: the energy core doesn't matter to them, and if they could annihilate the other academies before the match ended, they'd still win. After drilling that concept into Du'e and Shaji, she set off alone for the energy core, all while continuously reinforcing that idea throughout the match."
"Yes, everything she did served that goal. For example, her proactive proposal to ally against the Federation three was essentially buying herself time to locate the energy core. I've said before that she's adept at persuading others by offering them what they value most, but she never lets herself lose out. On the surface, she gives them what they want, but in reality, it benefits her more," Senior Colonel Ren said, his tone brimming with admiration. "Xu Lingqu is a woman with strong goal orientation. Once she sets her mind on something, all her actions serve that objective."
Professor Zhuang watched Shaji and Du'e being pulled further and further off course, then shook his head and began to recap Xu Lingqu's earlier moves. "When dealing with Jinfang Taibai's eavesdropping, the usual approaches would be either to abandon communications and rely on brute strength, or to set up coded language. Given how Moye's squads are rapidly splitting and breaking out, they clearly had a plan—code words included. But once Xu Lingqu learned the map mechanics, she immediately pivoted from her original playbook. She can craft brilliant strategic deployments, but she also knows how to seize the true key to victory in a match."
"Right. The commands that seemed a bit foolish, uncharacteristic of her—those were to ensure Jinfang Taibai believed he had complete insight into Moye's movements and was getting something out of it. Once that belief took hold, Shaji and Du'e would focus entirely on that channel and have no attention left to spare. They wouldn't even stop to think about why Xu Lingqu herself had never shown up from the very start of the match." Senior Colonel Ren clasped his hands together. "And at the end, Jinfang Taibai was turned against them. Xu Lingqu ordered Moye west, and Jinfang faithfully reported that intel, leading Shaji and Du'e to chase after them—exactly what Xu Lingqu wanted, pulling them away from the energy core."
"So, in my view, she didn't use code commands because she wasn't just commanding Moye. She was commanding Shaji and Du'e as well."
[Uh oh, so now they've made our Lingqu the commander-in-chief of both Shaji and Du'e]
[My brain finally caught up. Now Shaji and Du'e are chasing Moye for all they're worth, completely forgetting the most important mechanic of the map]
[This might be a bit off-topic, but I just realized Xu Lingqu's smile is kind of cute]
[Can all those people who were randomly hating on Xu Lingqu earlier come out and take a bow? Or did you not even make it to this point? That would be just great]
[But wouldn't you say she's using all of Moye as cannon fodder while she goes off to steal the spotlight...]
[Moye's death toll is only ten more than Du'e's right now, and aren't they still fighting a running guerrilla battle in the west? You call that cannon fodder?]
[I don't know much, but if my commander can carry us all on her own in a match, I'd gladly be her cannon fodder. I'd walk through fire for her]
[What's wrong with the people above? Xu Lingqu obviously coordinated with Moye's students. All I see is that Moye's students genuinely trust her]
...
"That said," Professor Zhuang analyzed, "Xu Lingqu's setup is exquisite, layer upon layer, guiding Shaji and Du'e into a trap of thought. But the linchpin of this entire plan is whether she can secure the energy core by herself. If she fails, it all falls apart. Xu Lingqu herself mentioned that the Sky Network officially warned this energy core point is fairly dangerous, recommending no more than ten people enter. In my opinion, that's their way of saying you'd better go in as a group of ten."
In Sky Network's official thinking, when an entire academy team finds this place, they need a rule to prevent a swarm of people from flooding in—that would be a visual mess. So they simply said ten or fewer. Each school would naturally want to send as many as possible, so they'd go with ten, or at worst, a seasoned squad of six to nine.
They didn't set a lower limit because they figured no one, after being warned of the danger, would charge into this massive pyramid alone. That would be either idiotic or arrogant.
"Xu Lingqu already single-handedly toppled Shaji's command post last time. I think she has a good measure of her own abilities and the confidence to match, even if we can't quite tell from her appearance," Senior Colonel Ren said, sitting up a little straighter, his tone expectant. "Let's just watch her performance."
Just then, a bullet comment scrolled by:
[Wait, isn't this pyramid kind of like that boss point in an old desert game Sky Network released... My friend and I couldn't beat it even with cheats. This boss point is bugged!]