Chapter 125: Chapter 120 Vote! (4/5)_1 Jiang Jie looked at Chen Mo’s calm expression and laughed, "What are your thoughts on this?" Chen Mo replied with a smile, "We don’t mind either way. However, if we do participate in the duel, it might be hard for us to hold back. We would probably have to fight to the death." Upon hearing this, Jiang Jie immediately chuckled and shook his head. "In that case, let’s forget about it." "Team leader!" As soon as Jiang Jie finished speaking, someone immediately objected. Eliminating Chen Mo and his partner would only raise their twenty-person team’s overall rank by two places. However, the outcome would be significantly different because the positions Chen Mo and his partner occupied were crucial—the first two places. The additional points from these two ranks were huge. If they could oust Chen Mo and his partner, they would secure spots in the top twenty. No matter how many days of accumulation one had, being eliminated meant their rank would drop below everyone who hadn’t been eliminated yet. The top twenty spots would then be completely open for them to divide, and they could decide the order using a game of chance, like rock-paper-scissors or some other method based on random luck. Everyone would be ecstatic. The current decision to eliminate Chen Mo and his partner hinged on whether they could exchange the bonus points from the 21st and 22nd places for those of the 1st and 2nd places. The difference was huge! Naturally, some couldn’t resist voicing their opposition. This was especially true since they had initially heard Jiang Jie seem willing to continue the duel, only for him to be scared off after Chen Mo mentioned a fight to the death. Some teammates were understandably resentful. How could their group of twenty be intimidated by just a few words from two people? "Alright," Jiang Jie reminded them, "we’ve already triumphed by managing to suppress the scions of the aristocratic families and take their share. Don’t forget the original purpose for forming this team." Upon these words, quite a few people in the team immediately fell silent. But some remained unconvinced, arguing, "Even so, Captain, we clearly have an overwhelming advantage. Why should we back down now?" Jiang Jie gave that person a side-eye and replied, "Are you forgetting who killed the Flying BOSS before? If it were up to our team, could we have killed it?" "This..." No one could refute this point. But the dissenter continued, "Fighting a BOSS and fighting real players are vastly different. Like that skill you used earlier, Captain—even stealth-detection abilities couldn’t locate you. It wouldn’t be easy for him to deal with you, right?" Jiang Jie shook his head and smiled. "That’s correct. When I used that ability, none of you knew where I was. However, I noticed that among everyone here, only Chen Mo kept his eyes on me the entire time. Although I don’t know if he could truly see me, I suspect my ability offers no advantage against him." After saying this, Jiang Jie glanced at Chen Mo, as though seeking an answer from him. But Chen Mo remained as serene as ever, his face expressing neither affirmation nor denial, leaving Jiang Jie unable to read him. Seeing that some still remained unconvinced, Jiang Jie continued, "Alright, we established from the beginning that our team wouldn’t be a one-man show. Since some team members have a different opinion, we’ll vote on it! I cast my vote to stop here. Those who agree with me, raise your hands to vote!" Once Jiang Jie finished speaking, the team members who had previously objected had nothing more to say. They were clearly in opposition, and quite a few others shared their sentiment. Finally, when the votes were counted, it was ten against ten. Ten in favor, ten against. The situation grew interesting. "What should we do?" someone immediately asked Jiang Jie with a bemused expression. "No problem. You all discuss it thoroughly. I’ve done what I needed to do, so I have plenty of time now." Chen Mo wasn’t in a rush and let them discuss matters clearly. After all, there weren’t many people left in the instance. If this group departed, it would indeed become rather quiet. Soon, a group of people gathered around Jiang Jie to discuss. "Captain, why are you so afraid of them? They don’t even have a tank—just a Priest and a Skeleton Mage. No matter how we fight, we should win, right?" "Indeed, judging by their classes, they should be easy to kill. But they killed the SS level Flying BOSS, the SSS-level Special BOSS, and those three tricky assassins! Do you really think the two of them are easy targets?" "Killed three tricky assassins?" 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦 Upon hearing this, everyone instantly recalled the three assassins Jiang Jie had mentioned earlier—the ones who had surged up the leaderboard when few participants remained in the instance. At the time, Jiang Jie had been puzzled. With monsters becoming so difficult to kill, how had these three individuals with such specialized roles managed to climb the ranks even faster than during the initial days when monsters were easier? Those three were truly strange. Then, later, those three suddenly died. Jiang Jie had suspected they might have been killed by a BOSS. However, considering their records of killing SS level BOSSes and the bizarrely fast monster-clearing speed they had displayed on the leaderboard, he didn’t believe they would be so easily defeated by a BOSS. So, within the entire instance, who else could possibly have killed those three? The only possibilities were their own team, the team of the aristocratic family scions, or Chen Mo and his partner. At that time, the aristocratic family scions, much like Jiang Jie’s own team, were too preoccupied with completing their base quota of tasks to bother with anything else. Factoring those groups out, only Chen Mo and his partner remained. He deduced that those three must have targeted Chen Mo and his partner, only to be counter-killed. Jiang Jie believed that although he hadn’t interacted with Chen Mo for long, he could sense a peaceful aura about him; Chen Mo didn’t seem like the type to actively seek trouble. Besides, being ranked first and second, they had no need to. Conversely, those three assassins, after surging into the top five, had likely grown arrogant. Their methods were extremely strange, and they definitely possessed extraordinary skills. If three such skilled assassins failed in their attempt to assassinate Chen Mo and his partner, what advantage could his team possibly gain by fighting them openly? This was precisely why Jiang Jie had decided against confrontation. As Jiang Jie laid out these points and the overall stakes to his team, one or two of the ten originally unconvinced members changed their minds. Ultimately, those who voted to stop outnumbered those who wanted to press the issue. Although the remaining few were still unhappy, they couldn’t argue against the majority’s decision. "Don’t be resentful," Jiang Jie continued his persuasion. "They can easily complete ten times the base task quota every day. Do you really think they’re simple opponents? Consider how difficult it was for us to complete even our single-multiplier task quota today! Are you tougher than these monsters? And don’t bring up percentage-based damage; they’ve killed an SSS-level Special BOSS. If we truly fought, even if we managed to win, how many of our twenty members do you think would survive? Is such a heavy price worth paying?" After Jiang Jie’s final words of persuasion, the remaining dissenters finally let go of their grievances. Upon further reflection, they realized Jiang Jie’s words held considerable merit. They had believed they could win, but they had overlooked the potential cost of that victory. Victory isn’t everything! If the price is too steep, it’s better not to win at all! Seeing that everyone had come to an understanding, Jiang Jie turned to Chen Mo and smiled. "We’ll take our leave then. Good luck to you both on the rest of your journey! I believe you have a strong chance of breaking the record, and I look forward to seeing it! In the future, I can also boast that such incredible individuals were from my graduating year."