As some followers suddenly vanished, many present were stunned. Then they understood that some RV owners had directly surrendered.
This was understandable. In a battle for chests, no one could guarantee victory, and their followers might suffer heavy casualties.
Even if they won, there was no guarantee they could secure a Bronze Chest. It was better to surrender and avoid losses.
The followers present were either envious or delighted.
Envious of the four teams who didn't have to risk their lives, while they had to continue fighting for their RV owners, possibly dying.
Delighted that the competition was reduced by a third, greatly increasing their chances of survival.
At this moment, six teams remained at the crossroads, about twenty people, surrounded by vehicles.
Every RV owner observed the remaining teams.
Each owner was curious about the strength of the other teams' followers, to have a benchmark.
Some wanted to test the strength of their own followers, to see if they were worth investing in.
Even Jason wanted Chloe and the other three girls to grow stronger through this team battle.
All eyes were on the crossroads.
The area wasn't large, and the teams were close to each other.
Chloe, armed with her crossbow, stayed close to Kira, Ellie, and Lily, warily observing the other teams. Their crossbows were powerful, but not automatic. It took at least two or three seconds to reload.
That was enough time for someone to reach them.
So, if any team attacked, Chloe and the girls could only drop their crossbows after firing one round and switch to melee weapons.
But they didn't expect to win with the crossbows. They were just meant to be a deterrent, and to make other teams underestimate their actual strength.
Chloe wasn't the only one observing. The other teams were watching each other as well.
A tense and heavy atmosphere pressed down on everyone. Besides the heavy breathing and heartbeats, no one dared to make a sound.
Perhaps it was the heat, but many were sweating slightly, adrenaline pumping. Their hands trembled as they gripped their weapons.
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No one dared to make the first move. They all wanted to wait for the others to fight and reap the benefits.
Inside the Hugo's SUV.
Stella and Selena kept glancing at Chloe and the girls, their eyes fixed on the crossbows.
"Dad, if we had crossbows, taking down a Bronze Chest would be easy," Selena said, pointing at the four girls.
Hugo knew his little darlings were suggesting he get some crossbows too.
But crossbows were too valuable for him to afford. Such ranged weapons were never for sale.
Hugo could only regretfully say, "Forget about getting ranged weapons. They'll never sell them."
The twins didn't give up. They quietly memorized the girls' faces, planning to find them in the Group Chat App later and see if they could trade for a crossbow or two.
Just as they were discussing the crossbows, chaos erupted at the crossroads.
The five men who had emerged from the tank were the first to act, shouting as they charged towards a team of three.
They seemed to be trying to eliminate the weakest team first, to establish dominance.
But the three weren't weak. They held their weapons and fearlessly charged at the five.
This sudden fight took everyone by surprise. There seemed to be some underlying issue between them, unnoticed by Jason and the other RV owners.
The two groups quickly engaged, shouting fiercely.
Others breathed a sigh of relief, their tension easing.
But no one wanted to get involved in the fight just yet.
Compared to the fighting teams, Chloe and her group seemed more threatening.
If they fought, Chloe and the girls could pick them off with their crossbows.
They needed to eliminate the biggest threat first.
More importantly, Hugo wasn't the only one who wanted the crossbows.
If they could take down Chloe and the girls, the crossbows would be theirs.
"Those four women have crossbows… How about we team up and eliminate them first?" someone said in a low voice.
The other two groups agreed, secretly planning to betray each other later.
Chloe and the girls overheard their conversation.
They wouldn't wait to be attacked. As the others discussed their alliance, they immediately fired their crossbows at one of the teams.
Four bolts flashed, piercing the air.
"Damn it, get down!"
The team that was targeted changed their expressions as soon as Chloe and her group pointed their crossbows at them. They abandoned their alliance and dived to the ground.
But the bolts were too fast. Three were hit. One was struck in the head and died instantly. The other two were hit in the body and lay on the ground, wailing in pain.
The five-member team was now reduced to two survivors.
"Damn it, a bunch of losers!" An RV owner shouted from inside a van. Then the injured followers were enveloped in white light and disappeared.
The RV owner had obviously surrendered.
As Chloe and the girls fired their crossbows, the other two teams seized the opportunity and charged, not giving them a chance to reload.
One man was extremely fast, reaching the girls in the blink of an eye.
Kira's expression changed. She quickly dropped her crossbow, drew her 2-Star Long Spear, and stood in front of the man.
Clang!
The spear collided with a scythe, creating a crisp metallic sound.
Then they exchanged blows, weapons clashing, creating a series of metallic sounds. In moments, they had exchanged several strikes, fighting fiercely.
The man with the scythe retreated, looking at Kira with lingering fear. His E+ level Physique and D- level Spirit were no match for the woman.
He didn't realize that Kira's Physique was D- level and her Spirit was D level, completely outclassing him.
As they fought, the others reached Chloe and the girls.
Chloe and her group were decisive. They dropped their crossbows and grabbed their melee weapons. Ellie hid behind Lily, secretly pulling out her Flintlock Pistol and firing at the approaching figures.
