Genius Chapter 188: Tactical Resource War

Chapter 188: Tactical Resource War

Translated by Karai of Exiled Rebels Scanlations

Editor: Addis

 

Xu Zhixing noticed his son’s expression suddenly change and asked, “What’s wrong?”

Su Mo didn’t hide it, “Dad, I also play summoner.”

“It’s possible I remembered incorrectly. I keep hearing them talk about archdemon, so it might be a dungeon boss,” Xu Zhixing continued. “You’re right, it doesn’t make sense for a player to target assassins; it should be a boss.”

He served Su Mo some food and smoothly changed the subject, “My son must be exceptional at playing summoner. I heard from the younger folks at the office that summoners are very challenging to play, and there aren’t many summoners in the game.”

“There are very few summoners, so climbing the leaderboard is much easier for me,” Su Mo replied. “When I first started, my friends said summoner was a low-tier profession, the kind that few people play, and probably one of the weakest professions.”

Xu Zhixing asked curiously, “So where does our assassin rank?”

“Assassin is still a strong profession in the game, top tier in both PvP and PvE,” Yu Zhen said with a smile, smoothly adding, “It’s not very weak.”

Xu Zhixing was even more convinced that he had remembered incorrectly. The idea of summoners targeting assassins didn’t seem right at all.

He asked in confusion, “Then why do they always say it’s weak?”

“I heard from friends that the game’s developers collect data and regularly adjust profession strengths,” Su Mo continued. “When I first started playing, I was blocked by assassins and didn’t think they were weak. Maybe they’re pretending to be weak to get a buff?”

Xu Zhixing suddenly understood; it was the old trick of crying weak to receive a buff!

He said, “So that’s the case. They always say marksman is very strong…”

Su Mo explained, “Praising the opponent’s strength is a way to get the developers to nerf them.”

Xu Zhixing realized, “I knew marksman and assassin were natural enemies. It turns out that saying the opponent is strong is just to get them nerfed. I couldn’t understand why anyone would praise their arch-nemesis.”

He wondered why young people would rely on crying weak to seek a buff instead of working hard on their own.

At the dinner table, Xu Zhixing asked questions whenever he didn’t understand, and Su Mo answered him in detail. Yu Zhen listened to the back-and-forth conversation between father and son but chose not to reveal the subtlety in his boyfriend’s words.

Xu Zhixing asked with curiosity, “What does Xiao Yu play?”

Yu Zhen replied, “Used to play marksman, now plays array master.”

Xu Zhixing, who had just been educated about the profession rankings, praised, “Not bad, not bad. Both of those are very strong.”

After the meal, Su Mo said he wanted to go to the room to play games with Yu Zhen, and the two quickly went to the room. Xu Zhixing continued talking with his wife, when he suddenly noticed that her gaze was fixed on the direction of the children’s room. He asked, “What’s wrong? I noticed you didn’t say much during dinner.”

“You were talking about games, and I couldn’t really join in,” Chen Shansue replied with a smile, pulling her gaze away. “I just think that Mo Mo and Xiao Yu have a really good relationship.”

Xu Zhixing said, “Boys are like that.”

Chen Shansue cast a glance at her husband, her expression somewhat melancholic.

After returning, she and her husband had never given up on understanding their child. In the family area, they were familiar with the situation and were very willing to share stories about Su Mo over the years. To the neighbors, Su Mo was always seen as a humble, thoughtful, helpful, and well-behaved child.

When others talked about him, it was always with fondness and affection.

But from Chen Shansue’s observations, Su Mo had an unknown side, revealed through small details of daily interactions:

He was actually quite mischievous and would bully Lele; He could be quite willful, arguing with Lele over coffee; He also knew how to be coquettish and charming, asking for a candy after taking medicine…

And these were things Su Mo rarely showed in front of them; he had always been a well-behaved child in their eyes.

“I still remember when he was little,” Chen Shansue said, “he would cry when he was uncomfortable and call out when he was hungry… I wish he could be a bit more willful with us.” She wasn’t sure whether to feel happy or sad, just that her chest felt heavy. “Xiao Mo has been talking a lot more today. He used to rarely joke with us. I was worried that after such a long time, he wouldn’t know how to interact with us.”

“A-Xue, this kind of thing takes time,” Xu Zhixing comforted his wife. “Look, the game is a breakthrough, right? He talked a lot with me today…”

In the room, Su Mo took two loading devices from the shelf. “Your loading device wasn’t in the living room. Mom asked about it last time, so I said you left it here.”

Just as he was taking the loading devices, he suddenly noticed that Yu Zhen was looking at him with a strange expression.

“What’s wrong?” Su Mo asked, standing and watching him.

Yu Zhen sat in the wicker chair in the room, gently pulling Su Mo into his arms, causing the loading device to fall onto the carpeted floor. Yu Zhen buried his head in Su Mo’s neck, his voice low as he said, “Let me hold you for a while.”

Su Mo asked, “Didn’t we hug in the game this morning?”

Yu Zhen chuckled softly, “It’s not the same, is it?”

“Oh, it’s definitely different,” Su Mo replied, shifting slightly. “It’s a bit ticklish.”

Yu Zhen deliberately moved his nose against Su Mo’s neck, his warm breath brushing against Su Mo’s ear. “Still ticklish?”

“Yes, ticklish,” Su Mo said, feeling the pressure of Yu Zhen’s body against his back and the unique scent that came with him. He whispered, “But if you give me a kiss, it wouldn’t be ticklish anymore.”

Though Yu Zhen couldn’t see Su Mo’s face, he felt as if he were drowning in Su Mo’s occasional mischief. No matter how composed he usually was, it would vanish in front of Su Mo.

“Don’t bite my ear,” Su Mo said.

“Then where should I bite?” Yu Zhen asked.

***

In the game, the rivalry between Eclipse faction and Abyss faction continued to intensify throughout the afternoon. After Abyss faction gained the upper hand in the morning, the number of players joining to grab resource vehicles increased. Eclipse faction, unwilling to fall behind, rallied after a series of defeats and managed to capture a resource vehicle during the midday wave despite the previous losses to the tanking faction.

Su Mo logged in later than usual; by the time he was online, it was already past three o’clock. He and Yu Zhen logged in and joined the group simultaneously.

However, as soon as they entered the command channel, it was silent.

Su Mo asked, “What happened? Did we lose three points?”

Others replied, “…No, we didn’t lose any points.”

“Oh,” Su Mo said, “Then let’s keep fighting.”

Yu Zhen said, “I’ll leave the defense team to you.”

Su Mo had outlined the strategy before logging off. BrokenOracle, being an experienced commander, had not only managed to maintain the situation during Su Mo’s absence but had also improved the original system, assembling larger groups than in the morning. Su Mo was impressed with BrokenOracle’s adaptability and flexibility after catching up on the situation.

Eclipse faction wasn’t just passively taking hits; after their defensive team in the morning, they had also adjusted their strategy. They reallocated some professions, forming high-damage teams to counter the defensive team. Consequently, Abyss faction’s advantage was reversed by midday, but it was quickly stabilized again by BrokenOracle and his team.

BrokenOracle utilized a flexible system with three different teams, constantly adjusting their defensive positions with skillful changes. Rather than being overwhelmed by the intense attacks from the opposing side, he managed team coordination effortlessly. Su Mo noticed that BrokenOracle and CloudTraveller shared a similar trait—they both could identify a core advantage and use it to make rapid adjustments.

This made their command styles very stable, but BrokenOracle’s adaptability was even stronger. As long as a team could be effectively managed, BrokenOracle could quickly take control and adjust it. His extensive experience and familiarity with other commanders allowed him to adapt faster than Su Mo.

Initially, Su Mo had worried that his absence for rest might impact the faction war. In reality, he had overestimated the problem. The players in Abyss faction were very skilled, with strong stress resistance and adjustment capabilities. What they lacked was simply a breakthrough, and the resource war had now provided that.

With both factions having equal numbers of players signed up for the faction war, it came down to the individual team coordination. The visible changes in Abyss faction were quickly noted, and the faction war on Capital Planet’s side became one of the forum’s focal points. The clashes that erupted early in the morning were soon posted on the forum.

[Did anyone follow the faction war on the Capital Planet branch?]
[It was so intense. By noon, there were even more teams involved. I’ve never seen such a lively battle in the morning, except when faction gameplay was first introduced.]
[Exactly. Normally, student numbers drop during the school period, but the faction war turned out to be even more heated than during the holidays.]
[I went there out of curiosity, using a friend’s account. I have to say, I really enjoyed the fight.]
[Both sides were so strong. We could get stuck fighting over a single resource vehicle for an hour, and still lose major flags.]

The discussion around the game was extremely high. Especially for Abyss faction players who had been feeling frustrated for two weeks, they not only fought but also took to the forums to boast about their new skills. Soon, the conversation turned to Abyss faction’s command team. Many commanders entered the command channel, and it quickly became known who was in charge.

Originally, Abyss faction’s top commander, BrokenOracle, was now the deputy commander, and the main command position had been taken over by momo. The team coordination was his idea, and using the defensive team for a war of attrition was also his strategy. As various pieces of information spread, the forum erupted in discussions about momo.

[I remember momo rarely played faction wars?]
[Yes, he used to only participate in resource wars. I didn’t expect him to be so effective in commanding faction wars.]
[He’s amazing. Is there anything he can’t do!?]
[I followed for several hours, and I have to say momo’s strategy was incredible. I never thought he could make such good use of dual defensive buffs.]
[I thought Abyss would lose after losing the attack buff, but who knew they managed to recover with healing buffs? Who said healing buffs were useless? Come out and take a beating.]
[I’m an Eclipse faction player. My mindset was almost broken by the warrior team in the morning, but just thinking about momo suddenly gave me a sense of enlightenment…]

It was hard to say that the defensive team didn’t shake anyone’s mindset; after three hours of consecutive losses in the morning, even the top commander CloudTraveller had been driven to the point of laughing in frustration.

A number of Eclipse faction players ran to the forums to question whether BrokenOracle was trying to cause a mental breakdown by dragging them down with healing buffs. But before they could even begin their complaints, they learned that the commander on the other side was momo. Suddenly, all their questions were retracted.

Everyone who knew momo was aware of last year’s grand debate event. Since that event, the number of defensive warriors had surged, and the chances of encountering tank teams in the arena had significantly increased. Even the classic defensive warrior and summoner combination had been perfectly replicated. If BrokenOracle had used the defensive team to break their morale, they might have suspected BrokenOracle was somehow triggered. But with momo as the commander, they suddenly felt that everything seemed quite normal…

Previously, they could watch live streams to make jokes, but now they were the ones suffering.

CloudTraveller made a swift adjustment. To counter the defensive team, high-attack teams were used. They could not completely abandon their own base points, so they deployed high magic attack teams against the warriors. They divided into four main teams: one to protect point A, one high-attack team to deal with the defensive team, and two mobile teams to capture points.

“I now want to run away whenever I see Bitter Melon,” ChatMasterWu couldn’t help but say. “How did I never realize how tanky he was before?”

Midnight Bell added, “With double defense buffs and his build, plus a few more healers, he could drag an entire team by himself.”

“Don’t worry, they have double defense buffs, but we have double attack buffs.” CloudTraveller had indeed been a bit frustrated by the defensive team tactics during the day, but they had their own advantages. The dual attack and control buffs could enhance their combat effectiveness. They just needed to form a team to tackle the defensive team. The battles might be slow, but a war of attrition was no longer a disadvantage.

Discussion within Eclipse faction also began.

“We must not let them have double buffs again next week.”

“It’s too terrifying.”

“I heard the commander is momo; he seems to come up with every possible tactic.”

“Should we get double buffs and annoy them back next week?”

“Don’t count on it; we don’t have as many healers as Abyss. It’s hard to say.”

The pain of dealing with tank teams was well understood by those who had experienced it. Eclipse faction was grumbling while trying to manage resources, but this agony had no end. By evening, Abyss faction’s tactics had become even more aggressive.

They continued to follow their strategy, but when CloudTraveller led a large team out to capture points, their base point Vicinity was again targeted and captured.

ChatMasterWu had originally been stationed at Point B. He had become very skilled at dealing with the defensive team’s raids. The defensive team would come to the resource points in a very blatant manner, moving slowly, so they usually arrived well before the resource points refreshed, confidently taking their positions and acting very arrogantly.

Thus, their high-attack team typically went to assist only after confirming the position of the defensive team.

“Damn, their defensive team is coming to Point A,” sleep reported.

“Ah, great.” ChatMasterWu perked up upon hearing this. With the defensive team distracted, they wouldn’t need to deal with them at Point B. “Let’s send the high-attack team to assist you. We’ll focus on capturing resources here at Point B.”

No one wanted to deal with the defensive team, so everyone at Point B immediately became more energized at the prospect of not having to fight them.

However, their enthusiasm didn’t last long. ChatMasterWu suddenly received a report that a large Abyss faction team had arrived at the teleport point. After fighting for so long during the day, it was no surprise that Abyss faction would rotate through all three points. It wasn’t unexpected for them to come to Point B. As long as they could confirm the position of the defensive team, handling the rest of Abyss faction’s teams would be manageable…

“Get ready; they might arrive at any moment,” ChatMasterWu warned. He knew that if the main force was coming, they would likely engage before the resource point refreshed, especially since the opponent would be aiming to capture the flag.

The Eclipse players at Point B stood ready, and they finally saw the Abyss players approaching with swift movements from a distance.

The players flying in were led by an array master, followed by Doaist priests and healers. Coming to Point A was a warrior-healer team that had been a nightmare during the day. When the Eclipse players at Point B saw that the incoming professions were mostly common ones, they collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

Array master, Doaist priest, healer… scattered warriors and summoners…

It was manageable, they thought.

“They’re landing!”

“Lock them down immediately!”

“Don’t let them push in.”

ChatMasterWu had originally prepared to go stealth and surprise them. However, when the damage value displayed on the front-row array master he was attacking showed 145, he was stunned. In disbelief, he switched targets and tried attacking again, but his damage had never exceeded 500…

“Fuck!! They’ve assembled a semi-tank team!”

“Help, so many Doaist priests and array masters!!”

In Celestial Horizon, the most famous defensive profession was the warrior. The game allowed high flexibility, so any profession could focus on defense if desired. However, warriors had a natural advantage for defensive play in PvE, though other defensive professions also existed.

The most notable were the semi-tank array masters, followed by the control-oriented Doaist priests. The former focused on support, while the latter specialized in defense and control.

If Point A was an impenetrable nightmare of a defensive team, then Point B was a semi-tank, semi-control team. ChatMasterWu could deal damage to the opponents, but he couldn’t fully overcome them because he was quickly controlled by the array master and Doaist priests.

CloudTraveller was taken aback, “How do they still have people!?”

“The number of healers in the defensive team at Point A has decreased,” sleep said. “They’ve adjusted their numbers. They’re not capturing flags; they’re just stalling our high-damage team!”

kawaii shouted, “They’ve left Point D completely open.”

Soon, CloudTraveller discovered that Abyss faction had made new adjustments. Their teams had changed.

They combined the original defensive team with the main force, creating a defense team led by warriors and a semi-tank, semi-control team led by array masters and Doaist priests. The remaining professions and the original assassin team were merged into another group. The reorganized teams now consisted of three major groups: the defense and control teams went far to capture Points A and B, while the remaining miscellaneous teams focused on defending Point C and completely abandoned Point D.

Eclipse faction was caught off guard by this sudden tactical shift, completely unprepared for Abyss faction to leave the nearest Point D empty. They quickly dispatched teams to capture Point D’s flag, but the Abyss teams left at Point C were all mobile units, moving very quickly.

Point D was far from Eclipse faction’s base, and the resource transport vehicles couldn’t keep up with Abyss faction’s swift deliveries to Point C. As a result, both factions clashed midway as the mobile units quickly covered the distance.

Abyss faction did leave Point D empty, but as soon as they completed their tasks at Point C, they headed straight to block Point D.

CloudTraveller said, “They didn’t just leave Point D empty; they were waiting for us to capture it, then sent the large team from Point C, which had finished transporting, to block us.”

They were also being held back because the transport vehicles at Point D were already halfway through their delivery. Eclipse faction wasn’t going to give up, so they ended up clashing with Abyss faction on the way.

Kawaii couldn’t help but marvel, “How does momo come up with these strategies…”

CloudTraveller was about to reply when he suddenly saw that the large flag at Point B had been captured by Abyss and was rapidly moving, “ChatMasterWu!? What’s going on!?”

ChatMasterWu was jolted awake from his nightmare. Looking around, he saw dense arrays of array masters and Doaist priests with floating charms. Under the protection of these controls, the defensive warrior carrying the flag was standing on a summoner’s Black Tortoise and moving quickly with the array master’s array bonuses.

Being unable to hit was a nightmare, but being controlled and unable to move was a nightmare of another level.

They had thought they could recapture the flag after losing the resource transport, but they didn’t expect that the summoner and warrior in this semi-tank, semi-control team would be used like this… The warrior, under the control of his teammates, was capturing the flag, while the summoner was pulling people away. With so many array masters providing continuous array support, the flag was captured and moved faster than they could keep up with!!

They couldn’t keep track of it at all!!

In the following hours of the night, the nightmare continued. Eclipse faction players realized that if the daytime was a nightmare for one resource point, the night was a nightmare for two. They had indeed tried to target the defensive team, but the opponent used their targeting to implement a new formation.

The warrior defensive team and their high-attack team were engaged in mutual attrition, focusing on harassment rather than flag captures, aiming to hold their positions longer to delay reinforcements from other large teams.

The array master and Doaist priest semi-control team used a flag-capturing strategy, grabbing the flag and then running away without getting entangled.

The remaining fragile teams clashed with their large teams, with back-and-forth exchanges and openings for assassins to perform sneak attacks.

The key issue with this formation was its unpredictability. The opponent’s commander frequently changed tactics. Sometimes, they would use two teams to forcefully capture flags, while other times, they would send one team as cannon fodder to buy time… Despite their attempts to respond, they were overwhelmed by the opponent’s ability to continuously adapt.

After several hours of fighting, Abyss faction grew more and more confident, while Eclipse faction’s players were left feeling disoriented.

In the exploration chat—

HealsFor25000: “If I am at fault, please punish me, but don’t make a healer like me endure such hardship @momo @ReturnToSimplicity.”

Full-Server Agent ScarletFruit: “So pitiful.”

Top Livestreamer ClearWind: “I almost feel sorry for them.”

apple: “It’s okay, if you come fight our main force, we don’t have any tanks here.”

ChatMasterWu: “@CloudTraveller, move me out. I can’t handle this anymore.”

FireworksAndLanterns: “A man must endure hardship to grow @ChatMasterWu.”

BitterMelon: “You need to grow @ChatMasterWu.”

…

CloudTraveller said, “The control team should move to B point. This time, bring a ranged team to control their summoners.”

By nearly 11 PM, ChatMasterWu, guarding B point, felt desolate. Just as he sent out the message, he saw Abyss faction’s team arriving again—still that control team.

This time, however, the semi-tank semi-control team included a familiar warrior, riding in his turtle vehicle. The person in front of him enthusiastically sent a [Hello] emoji.

The exploration chat pinged—

FireworksAndLanterns: “ChatMasterWu, we came to play with you!”

BitterMelon: “Sending warmth from afar, it’s the thought that counts.”

CloudTraveller asked again, “ChatMasterWu, are you listening?”

ChatMasterWu’s hand holding the knife began to hurt. He remained silent for a moment before saying, “…Help me.”