Qilin wasn't the only team this busy.
All the teams that passed the first survival match were using this time to gather intelligence on their opponents, analyze personnel and tactics, and conduct mecha training.
"...Among these teams, Qilin is a dark horse. What are your thoughts on them?"
Selena pointed at the four mud-covered figures on the virtual screen, asking for the students' opinions.
Wang Kaiyu's eyebrows twisted into a frown. Was one of those two "mud rolls" from yesterday really his sister?
Why didn't she admit it when he asked her!?
"This squad has four people in total, and three of them have leveled up? Do they have some kind of quick-fix method for spiritual power?"
Lucas looked on with envy.
Such a rare occurrence happened to 75% of their team!? No matter how you looked at it, it was absurd!
Wang Kaiyu explained,
"I'm not sure about the others, but my sister's physical fitness was already at rank A before she went to Qilin, otherwise she wouldn't have passed our military academy's admission cutoff.
I heard their squad is extremely competitive and hardworking; they don't even rest during holidays..."
As soon as these words came out, several people's gazes subtly swept over Fu Xingyuan sitting in the middle, quickly shifting away before he could look back!
Who didn't know that Wang Tianwei had pushed herself to test into the First Military Academy back then just for Fu Xingyuan? But passing it was her own skill!
Tsk... why did she suddenly stop liking him?
"Leveling up right now might not necessarily be a good thing. Both combatants and the commander are S-rank, but the mecha master is A-rank. Unless she can build mechas above her rank, it will be very hard for Qilin to survive the next match."
Leola didn't care about the gossip and was the first to state her view from her own perspective,
"The survival match is different from the mecha match. Individual superiority doesn't always translate to the mecha.
Even if Huang Yan and the others manage to buy two S-rank mechas during this time, seven days might not be enough for modifications... Wait, I forgot they have Taihe helping them... But even if they are modified, if they get damaged in the middle of the match, they are completely done for."
Fu Xingyuan picked up where she left off,
"Leola is right. After the location of the second match is determined, we will still need to adjust our mechas according to the environment once we get there.
Moreover, a newly promoted S-rank still has a gap compared to us, who have been training under S-rank military standards all year round.
I think their squad's main combat power is still Jian Jingyu, though of course, the half-beastman Zhang Lyra is also worth watching out for..."
He Siyu thought for a moment,
"If we're talking about growth potential, Qilin definitely has the most, but at least for now, they haven't reached the point where they can threaten us.
On the contrary, Santorini's Elizabeth's team and Valk might compete with us right from the start.
We don't know the format of the mecha match yet, but I actually think that if we get the chance, we could cooperate with Qilin first... I'm sure they wouldn't refuse."
Selena smiled faintly,
"Very good! Whether it's a dark horse or a white horse, a horse we can use is a good horse! Sometimes, the enemy of an enemy is a friend."
Ye Yingxuan from the second squad turned around,
"We probably aren't the only ones with this idea. Currently, only our military academy and Santorini still have two teams remaining.
Valk, Qilin, Yuying, and Beichen only have one team left each. Their desire to form alliances might be even more urgent."
Lucas immediately looked at Wang Kaiyu,
"Your sister won't ally with them, right? If it comes down to it, you have to pull her over to our side!"
Wang Kaiyu rolled his eyes,
"Just this morning you said we should disown our own relatives on the battlefield..."
"Be flexible! Adapt! You know!? If we pull them over, they become our people!"
Selena clapped her hands,
"We'll analyze the specific situation on the battlefield as it happens. Let's put Qilin aside for now. It really depends on how long they can last in the second match.
Next, let's look at Yuying..."
Huang Yan thoroughly studied the live broadcast replays of the remaining seven teams.
He also browsed through the official websites and forums of the various schools, extracting a lot of useful information.
Halfway through, Fu Manli was invited by Zhang Lyra to the training room to guide her in physical combat. When she returned, she found that in addition to Huang Yan and Chao Hao in the flesh, there was a circle of holograms in the conference room...
Teacher Zhai and Teacher Xu from the command department, Zhou Yu, Ruan Yi, and Li Hece, who had just returned, were all on the virtual screens!
Everyone had a deeply furrowed brow, looking as if they bore a bitter grudge... A bunch of brainiacs gathered together; she decided it was better not to go in for now.
Everyone knew the upcoming match would be tough to fight, but they were all helping them figure out a way!
Huang Yan finally synthesized everyone's thoughts, separately organizing the suggestions he found useful.
He rubbed his aching eyes through his eyelids, and when he opened them again, the sky outside was already getting dark.
Carrying a thick stack of documents, he arrived at the training ground.
Zhang Lyra and Jian Jingyu were slumped in the center of the huge arena, having clearly drained all their stamina.
"Let's go get something to eat. While we're at it, I'll tell you about the people we need to watch out for in the next match."
"Phew, let's go!"
"Oh, Sister Zebra said she isn't going..."
"Wang Tianwei? She's not eating!?"
Zhang Lyra took a long time to support herself on the ground and stand up,
"She said she thought of a brilliant idea and just asked us to bring some back for her."
"Alright..."
When the three of them returned fully fed and watered, Wang Tianwei was still in the mecha room, tweaking her 3D design blueprints. Two half-assembled black mechas stood tall to the side.
"This, and this, need to be added here..."
"Sister Zebra, eat first!"
Jian Jingyu brought the dinner inside.
Huang Yan glanced at his own mecha,
"Tomorrow, Little Bear and I will leave the camp area to make them think we went to buy mechas. When we come back, we'll bring two S-rank ones to practice with first.
Isn't modifying two mechas in seven days too tight? Mine is already very good, so you can prioritize doing Lyra's."
His was a Super A-rank, with its defenses already maxed out; it was passable to use as a commander!
Even for Taihe, Super S-rank mechas required advance reservations, and ordinary S-ranks in his eyes were not as good as his own Super A...
After all, everything was designed according to his habits.
Wang Tianwei shook her head, swallowing the mouthful of food before saying,
"Don't worry, I was so wise to upgrade your mechas to the top specs right before the match!
I used a lot of growth-potential materials for both of your mechas! Now we only need to swap out a part of them!
It's just that there won't be much time left for breaking them in..."
"That doesn't matter, we'll figure out a way ourselves."
Jian Jingyu walked in a circle, looking at the two half-modified mechas,
"Sister Zebra has never let us down!"
"It's a pity the venue for the next match hasn't been announced yet, otherwise I could factor it in right now."
Wang Tianwei finished speaking and opened her second portion of rice.
She hadn't felt hungry at all just a moment ago, but now that she had finished one portion, her appetite had finally opened up!
"Based on the situation from the last match, it probably won't be revealed until the day of."
Huang Yan pulled out a design blueprint from the thick stack of documents,
"By the way, the upperclassmen said they saw you using the chainsaw very handily, and they had an idea..."
