Chao Hao and Fu Manli received a notice early in the morning, asking them to gather at the military district conference room to watch the live broadcast of the competition together.
Upon arriving, they realized that the leading teachers from all six military academies were there, along with several leaders from various military districts.
"Commander Shan!"
"Commander Shan!"
The commander of the First Military District, Shan Yuantao, had just greeted Selena from the First Military Academy. Turning around and seeing his two former subordinates, he was momentarily taken aback.
"Fu Manli! Chao Hao! Long time no see. Are you here with Qilin this time? How have things been on Planet Shuomo lately?"
"Very well, thank you for your concern!"
"We brought our students to participate in the league tournament. I can't believe you have free time today!"
"Haha, I just finished my work. I dropped by to see these kids! I heard your Qilin team was outstanding in the last match? And two of them even leveled up?"
"It was just good timing! The little brats have been working quite hard in their usual studies and training."
Shan Yuantao saw a hint of pride on his former subordinate's face.
"You brat, you finally look like a proper teacher now. How is your leg? Does it still hurt as much as before? I heard there is some new technology out recently, you should go try it."
"Sigh, I've already got a mechanical leg installed, how much more could it hurt? I'm not interested in bionic ones; they have no muscle at all and look like someone else's leg..."
Shan Yuantao punched Chao Hao on the shoulder.
"You brat, still as stubborn as ever!"
"Marshal, I'm almost forty..."
Shan Yuantao paused upon hearing this.
"Little Chao is almost forty? That's true, how many years has it been since you retired... Perfect! I was busy a while ago and only watched the live broadcast off and on! Today, let me take a good look and see if the soldiers you trained are just like you!"
For some reason, Chao Hao suddenly felt a bit guilty.
"Marshal... some of it is just the students' personal behavior, you know? It's not necessarily all taught by me!"
Shan Yuantao looked over suspiciously.
"You didn't go to Qilin just to lead students astray, did you? Manli? What do you say?"
If Qilin had another team present, Fu Manli wouldn't have found this question so hard to answer!
Thinking about the Blood-Bathed Pig Butcher circulating on the Star Network right now... the risk of vouching for them was too high. After struggling for a long time, she said,
"Marshal, our four students are indeed a bit special... Although every one of them is excellent, they truly... have rather prominent personalities."
Hearing Fu Manli say this as well, Shan Yuantao's curiosity was suddenly piqued.
What was going on?
When these two were in the First Military District, they spoke as bluntly as could be! When had Chao Hao ever cared about what others thought?
This was the first time he had seen such a complex, worried, yet fiercely protective expression on both of them. Little Chao had matured!
"Hehe, it seems there's a surprise waiting!"
The organizing committee finally came in.
"Please take your seats, everyone. The live broadcast is about to begin."
The eight squads arrived at the starport of Planet Kashle at six in the morning.
Just like the first match, everyone was blindfolded, put onto different aircraft, and then scattered and dropped at pre-arranged locations.
Before the drop, the safety officer gave each squad a simple map. It only briefly used colors and dots to mark their drop zone, the finish line, the location of the academy bonus point buttons, and some red-marked places indicating high-risk areas.
As for which route to take, it was entirely up to their own choice.
The camera drones were taken out of their boxes, and the live broadcast screen finally lit up.
"Here it comes! The second mecha match has finally started!"
"Victory for Valk!!"
"Planet Kashle!? Are they really just stubbornly finding these godforsaken places?"
"I've waited for a whole seven days! Seven days!! Do you know how I survived these seven days!?"
"Two people from Qilin leveled up to S-class! Good heavens, I was stunned when I saw the news!"
"Holding it in until the military academy league to level up, that must have been hard on them."
"What Qilin! This is a koi fish lucky charm, right!? Please bless me to level up too! [Emoticon]"
"This time we can finally see the top-tier mechas from the various military academies! Hahaha, this mecha master is already dying of thirst for it!!"
"How hot must this place be! It's pitch black?"
Wang Kaiyu and the others from the First Military Academy felt a wave of heat rush at their faces the moment they stepped off the aircraft!
"Who threw us into a furnace!?"
Lucas felt a bit desperate. Was this Planet Kashle? The surface temperature had to be at least forty degrees Celsius, right!?
The others also took off their blindfolds one after another. As far as the eye could see, the ground was pitch black, and only the sky was a dazzling blue!
The sun had just risen over there, and fine blowing sand continuously hit their faces, feeling hot and painful...
Everyone took out their dust masks and goggles and put them on.
"Lucas, can you modify the mechas under these conditions?"
"I can."
The scorching temperature made Lucas lose the desire to speak.
He couldn't wait to quickly finish modifying the mechas and then get inside to escape the foot-scalding black sand!
"How long do you need?"
"To replace the remaining filters and reinforce the outer shell and central hub... another four hours."
After learning the competition location yesterday afternoon, he had already modified a portion of them. Now, with another four hours, they would be just about done.
"You guys set up the tent first to give me some shade, it's too hot!"
"Set up the tent."
At Ye Yingxuan's command, everyone sprang into action.
It was only eight in the morning, and the surface temperature had already reached forty degrees. By noon, it would definitely be even higher...
But sharpening the axe doesn't delay the chopping of wood. They had enough energy; modifying the mechas first was the top priority!
When the time came, everyone could get into their mechas, reducing the risk of personnel being exposed to the high temperatures.
According to her and He Siyu's estimates, three energy blocks were fully capable of supporting them to drive the mechas, travel, and fight continuously for seven days.
"Wang Kaiyu and I will keep watch, the rest of you rest first."
"Yes."
It was a similar scene over at the other military academies.
The first thing everyone did after getting off the aircraft was to pitch tents and modify their mechas. Some teams weren't as familiar with deserts, so there were those who, finding it too hot, didn't put on their masks and goggles right away!
Before long, their scalps ached from the sun, their faces burned, and even their respiratory tracts felt hot!
Only then did they obediently put on their protective gear, wrapping themselves up so tightly that even their own mothers wouldn't recognize them!
Even so.
Students from academies like Yuying, who had never been in a desert before, subconsciously took out their water pouches and began to hydrate.
The two teams from Santorini had protective shields, so they didn't need to modify their mechas. Thus, they set off earlier than the other teams.
But if this continued, energy would also become a major problem...
The mecha master, Lian Sheng, looked at the energy consumption for ten minutes of pure traveling.
"Elizabeth, if we drive the mechas the whole time, our energy might not hold up in the later stages."
"I know. Let's find a few star beasts to farm some points first, calculate the energy consumption, and check the temperature again at night. Everyone, watch your step."
"Yes."
