This simple and direct method instantly silenced the noisy argument.
Although it's frustrating, this seems to be the fastest and "fairest" solution in a situation where the risks cannot be quantified and everyone cannot be convinced.
The player who suggested drawing lots immediately took out paper and pen from his backpack, quickly wrote a bunch of paper balls, crumpled them into identical small balls, threw them into an empty tin can, and then shook it vigorously.
"Who wants to go first?" He looked around at everyone, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to Xiao Jin, who stood silently by the totem pole, seemingly one with the wind and snow.
Xiao Jin did not participate in the argument from beginning to end, but simply looked at the dim leopard totem and listened to the faint sounds from other factions that could be heard in the wind and snow.
But her silence carried an invisible pressure.
Sensing the player's gaze, Xiao Jin finally moved. She slowly turned around, said nothing, and casually reached out to pick a crumpled piece of paper from the tin can.
This action made the man and the other players who were watching nervously breathe a sigh of relief.
It's good that this killing goddess didn't object! As long as she doesn't object, even if others have opinions, they'll have to keep them to themselves!
Xiao Jin unfolded the paper ball, on which was written a single character: 【守】 (shǒu).
Does this mean she should stay and stay at the totem pole?
It has to be said that this is not a good option. Compared to exploring Howling Frost, what's the point of fighting other players?
She glanced at it, then casually crushed the paper ball, the scraps instantly swept away by the cold wind.
Xiao Jin tightened his grip on the long sword, his cold gaze sweeping over the snow-covered area around the totem pole. Then, he retreated to the side, leaning against the pillar, and fell silent once more, like a piece of cold iron standing on an icy plain.
Only that long sword, in the dim light, reflected a chilling gleam.
…………
The slips of paper for drawing lots were quickly divided up in the cold wind. More than 230 players from Country Z were separated as if by an invisible tide, flowing in three directions.
The largest group was the one hunting the Yeti guards, nearly two hundred people who quickly formed more than twenty squads and disappeared silently and swiftly into the vast snowfield, like a pack of wolves thrown into a blizzard.
Their mission was to bring back the energy crystal needed to activate the totem pole as soon as possible, as this was the key to the mission.
Once the factions are divided, players who want to hunt down the Yeti Guardians will have to form teams.
Each team should have at least ten people to test the strength of the snowman guards. If they are more than enough, the number of people can be reduced accordingly.
But there are also lone wolves who leave on their own.
The fifteen members of the raiding team were like poisoned daggers, their auras concealed, their eyes sharp, but they all looked like they were going to their deaths heroically.
They didn't linger; they exchanged a solemn glance and then quietly disappeared towards the totem poles of other factions.
But in the end, no one gave them a specific task!
These people only need to create chaos and distract the enemy. If they can destroy the enemy's totem poles, then they should act; if not, they should make the enemy feel threatened and unable to fully commit to dealing with the players from Country Z.
In the end, the thirty people who remained were the guardians of the totem pole.
Luo Feiyu, who had previously suggested the trick of drawing lots, quietly changed his mind after looking at Xiao Jin's aloof and calm profile in the wind and snow, originally planning to leave fifty people behind.
With this killing god in charge, thirty people might... be enough?
He suppressed the unease that arose from the reduction in manpower and began to arrange for the deployment of defenses.
Time passed amidst the howling wind and snow.
Half an hour passed, and apart from the sound of the wind, the area around the totem pole was deathly silent. The players' tense nerves seemed to relax slightly under the chill.
One hunting squad even returned ahead of time, led by an agile player codenamed "Hound".
With a hint of weariness on his face, he carefully took out a fist-sized, hexagonal crystal from his pocket. It emitted a faint blue light and felt icy cold to the touch; it was the Frost Energy Crystal.
"How strong are the Yeti Guardians?" Upon seeing this, people immediately gathered around to ask.
The hound gave a wry smile and tossed the crystal to a female player named Bai Zhi: "Very strong! Thick-skinned, incredibly strong, and can even throw ice blocks!"
It took us ten people almost fifteen minutes of coordinated effort to take one down! We almost lost a teammate!
Everyone gasped.
A ten-man squad, working together to wear down their opponent, still fifteen minutes to go?
The strength of this snowman guard seems to be far beyond expectations!
Several players who had initially felt bored after drawing the "Guardian" card suddenly became somewhat gloating, thankfully they didn't have to face the snowman guardian.
Bai Zhi held a short sword and the cold crystal in her hand. She took a deep breath and, under the tense gazes of everyone, slowly brought it closer to the energy slot at the base of the totem pole.
That's right, the hunting party returned with only one crystal because they had a mission. The hound needed to figure out exactly how much energy a single crystal would provide to the totem pole.
Buzz—
The moment the crystal touched the energy bar, it burst forth with a strong blue light! Strands of pure, icy energy were rapidly absorbed by the totem pole as if they were living things.
The dim leopard-like markings on the pillar seemed to glow faintly for a moment before quickly fading away.
Inside the energy bar, the scale representing charging moved upwards with great difficulty, making a small indentation.
One percent!
"Grass!"
"Only 1%?!"
"A hundred of them?!"
An uncontrollable gasp erupted instantly! Everyone's face turned extremely grim.
One hundred Yeti guards! This means the hunting team will have to pay an unimaginable price and spend an incredible amount of time! A protracted battle is inevitable, and rotations, resupply, item cooldowns... every aspect will face immense pressure!
The hound's face turned ashen: "I have to notify the other teams immediately! This news is too important!" Without another word, he led the others and turned to rush back into the snowstorm, their figures quickly swallowed up by the white.
The immense pressure weighed on everyone's hearts like a thicker layer of snow, and everyone fell silent.
Another hour passed, and the wind and snow intensified. The icy plains were bitterly cold, and darkness swallowed the sky, gradually engulfing everyone.
The prolonged period of alertness and cold left some players feeling tired and stiff.
"It's too cold, let's light a fire to warm up?" Someone couldn't resist taking out their tools.
Seeing him do this, the other players shook the snow off their clothes and took out a bag from their storage space: "Yeah, we can set up a tent to block the wind! We have nothing to do right now anyway."
"Tsk! You guys think the hunting group has collected a lot of energy crystals? We can't just sit here and wait it out! Why don't we go too?" The male player who spoke had a mohawk.
Their eyes light up at the mention of fighting.
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