"Captain, we can save this mutant beast for dinner."
Leola poked the dead mutant tiger, and He Siyu stepped forward to store the corpse into her spatial button.
"Next step: find a water source."
"Copy that."
"I can't believe there are live announcements..."
Wu Pingzhuo looked up into the air.
The first announcement came from up there; the organizing committee's stealth rescue aircraft must be hovering right there.
He Siyu also glanced at the sky.
"The organizers did it on purpose. This way, teams that score a lot in the early stages will be easier targets for attacks later on."
"Then what about us?"
"Ignore it for now. We haven't found Squads Two and Three yet. We'll listen to the situation tomorrow before deciding."
"Yes."
Fu Xingyuan kept his attention on their surroundings the entire time.
"There was a team on the mountain over there. They left after spotting us."
Wu Pingzhuo curled the corners of his lips.
"A wise choice."
"Don't let your guard down."
He Siyu extended her mental perception a bit further.
"Underestimating the enemy on the battlefield is fatal. We need to have a stronger sense of urgency."
"...Understood."
Squad One's live stream channel was practically bursting with viewers!
The bullet comments were so dense that sometimes you couldn't even see the people on screen without turning them off.
"Fu Xingyuan is so handsome it kills! Soloing a mutant tiger with just two shots! How can anyone be this strong!!!"
"This is someone who managed to come out on top after surviving countless hellish exams and elimination rounds at the First Military Academy!"
"That female commander is really good too! She can detect the location and level of star beasts from so far away! Her coordinates are incredibly accurate!"
"The First Military Academy's strength never disappoints!"
"Their mecha mechanic is so cute~ Is she a sophomore? I want to get to know her! I wonder if she has a boyfriend?"
"Such a cute little girl, come into big brother's arms! Big brother will protect you~"
"A 19-year-old S-rank super mecha mechanic. The guy above me should look in the mirror before speaking."
"To think you can see someone in the live stream who couldn't even pass the preliminaries claiming they want to protect a genius mecha mechanic from the First Military Academy... When the star beasts come, you'd probably run faster than she would!"
"The person above speaks harsh truths, so keep talking!"
Feng Yi and his teammates were dropped halfway up the mountain. Compared to flat ground, they were somewhat conspicuous targets, but it was also the most convenient spot for observing the area below.
For example, they had just pinpointed the location of the First Military Academy's Squad One.
However, Commander Zhou Yu knew perfectly well that confronting the First Military Academy's main team right now would bring them no benefit whatsoever. They hadn't even scored a single point yet... So, she signaled her teammates to leave as quickly as possible.
"It seems the other teams from our academy aren't around here, but this rainforest environment is really friendly to Valck! Their uniforms are green!"
Mecha mechanic Dennis let his thoughts wander as he walked.
"Our yellow is at a bit of a disadvantage."
"So what? Asahi's uniform is red! They..."
"Asahi Military Academy Squad One, eliminated."
The group stopped in their tracks and looked at each other in dismay.
"Speak of the devil... Eliminated so quickly?"
"I told you red wouldn't work out!!"
"Valck Military Academy Squad One, plus twenty points."
Zhou Yu closed her eyes and perceived her surroundings for a moment.
"They aren't on our side... Everyone be careful, let's keep moving."
"Yes!"
...
"You Valck guys are completely shameless!!!"
Asahi Military Academy Squad One's commander, Cheng Qian, glared furiously at Valck's commander, Hiranuma Yusho, who stood before him.
"Driving another mutant beast over while we were fighting a star beast was bad enough, but you even launched a sneak attack!?"
Hiranuma Yusho's expression didn't change at all.
"It's called tactics. As a commander, if you haven't heard of it, you should go back and read more books."
"You!!!"
Cheng Qian's teammates were so furious they wanted to fight, but the organizing committee's aircraft had already descended to pick them up.
The paintballs splattered on their red uniforms made them look rather pathetic. The four youths had bloodshot eyes, and every single one of them was grinding their teeth so hard they nearly shattered!
They hadn't been in the rainforest for long, yet they were eliminated because of these despicable and shameless people!
They couldn't even last a single night!
"Oh right, before you go, remember to leave your paintballs behind."
Cheng Qian forcefully suppressed his anger, panting heavily, and looked questioningly at the safety officer who had come to pick them up.
"According to the rules, you are 'dead,' so the opposing team can indeed directly inherit your supplies."
Hiranuma Yusho slightly lifted the corners of his mouth.
"Eighty paintballs in total. Don't short us a single one."
"Absolutely shameless! I'll be waiting to see you get eliminated by someone else!!"
The heavy gunner was the first to slam his paintballs onto the ground and board the aircraft!
The remaining competitors also threw their paintballs onto the ground one by one.
"You Valck guys better watch your backs from now on!!"
"Shameless!"
Cheng Qian was the last to unload his paintballs.
"This is a live broadcast. You will be despised!"
Hiranuma Yusho didn't care at all about what the Asahi people said. He calmly picked up all the paintballs and distributed them to his teammates.
Mecha mechanic Wu Fangyu stepped forward and took twenty rounds.
"Thanks to Asahi for gifting us these paintballs. Don't worry, there will soon be other teams going back to keep you company."
Another teammate also spoke up.
"Your own strength is lacking... You're not sore losers, are you!?"
Hiranuma Yusho bypassed the stiffened Cheng Qian and stored away the star beast's corpse.
"Let's go. Next location."
The safety officer waited for a long while.
"Student, let me take you back."
Cheng Qian clenched his hands into tight fists, took one last look at the backs of the Valck squad, and only then did he unwillingly follow the safety officer onto the aircraft.
The Asahi students huddled together, crestfallen.
"It's my fault... I didn't expect them to be so completely unhinged on the very first day. We should have abandoned the star beast and just ran..."
"Sigh, if we ran, wouldn't it have chased us?"
"Valck had it all planned out! Even if we ran, they would have used some other underhanded method against us!"
"If only I had spotted them earlier..."
"It's fine... Asahi still has other squads. They will avenge us!"
Meng Chongyun sat in the press room watching the live broadcast, surrounded by numerous virtual screens.
Seeing the situation with Cheng Qian and the others from Asahi Military Academy, the other people couldn't help but comment.
"These kids are still too naive. Knowing that competitors were nearby, they still dared to start a fight! Enemies never care about saving face!"
Meng Chongyun shifted his gaze away from the screen that had already gone black.
"They learned their lesson this time. They won't make the same mistake in the future."
"The students from Valck Military Academy certainly have quick minds..."
"Yeah, using this trick on opponents who are also students isn't a pretty sight, but if the opponents were star beasts or the Zerg, it would be quite a beautiful move!"
"Hiranuma Yusho's squad also has a very high level of marksmanship. Four paintballs, and every single one hit the mark!"
"The two all-S-rank squads from the First Military Academy have already accumulated fifty points combined!"
Meng Chongyun's mechanical eye swept across the screens.
The real test for the First Military Academy wasn't now. The true trial would only just begin three days later, once they had gathered enough points.
