The four members of Valk had blasted their way through with thermal weapons!
They had no choice. The ore-devouring bugs and rock-scrap ants were chasing them too closely. Without even a protective shield, they could only rely on firepower when the swarm got near!
By a stroke of luck, they had just blown through a wall with a mortar, scattering most of the bugs outside!
There was probably some high-level energy source over there attracting them, which kept the bugs from coming back.
But even so, a good number of ore-devouring bugs were still trailing behind the group...
Heavy machine gunner Barry Myers ran for his life, pushing his mecha's mobility to the absolute limit!
The load he had to carry was simply too heavy. He knew the vanguard, Taylor, had already slowed down his pace at the front, but he was still struggling to keep up...
This was also the first time in Hiranuma Yusho's life that he had been chased so miserably by star beasts. The signal-dampening crystals in the underground mine severely restricted the use of his spiritual power.
Unable to see the route and unable to predict danger in advance like he used to, everything made him feel unfamiliar, as he was someone who always planned ahead...
Just like now, he didn't even know how many more shells it would take to blast open the mine tunnel in front of them.
Would the wall open up first, or would the roof cave in?
Boom!!
Along with flying dirt and crystal ore fragments, a hole large enough for a mecha to pass through finally appeared before them. Vanguard Taylor leaned out to take a look.
There is a way! Let's go this way!
Hiranuma Yusho stepped through the opening, simultaneously brushing off a few ore-devouring bugs from his body and crushing them underfoot.
We are finally out!
Those bugs seem busy eating the ore right now. Can we block the entrance?
Block it with what? Blowing up the tunnel would block it.
...Never mind then.
Wait, what is that!?
Taylor suddenly stopped in his tracks, pointing forward in surprise.
Captain... look, is that the academy bonus point button!?
Hearing this, the three people behind him immediately poked their heads out and looked where he was pointing.
A massive red button was sitting right in front of them in the pitch-black cave!
Holy crap!? Is it really an academy bonus point button!? It is so obvious!
Wu Fangyu clicked her tongue. They had searched for ages without finding their own, yet they stumbled upon someone else's first!?
Taylor took a few steps forward. There was even a cover over the button, presumably to prevent accidental activation, and it was actually wireless!
He simply picked up the entire button and brought it back.
It says Qilin Military Academy on it. This is Qilin's bonus point button!?
...So it is useless even if we press it!?
Who knows, it might even give Qilin points...
Hiranuma Yusho took the button and observed it carefully. He had not heard any broadcast, and there were no signs of the protective shield being opened... So Huang Yan and his team had not found this thing yet?
If he destroyed it now, Qilin's three hundred bonus points would be gone...
In just this brief moment of delay, the distinctive rustling sound of a large swarm of crawling insects appeared again.
Run, there are bugs here too!
Taylor turned around and hit the accelerator. Hiranuma Yusho stuffed Qilin's bonus point button into his spatial button and closely followed.
At the very back, Barry Myers refused to give up and peeked back at the insect tide, opening fire with his machine gun for a sweeping barrage before catching up with Wu Fangyu ahead of him.
The four of them scurried around the mine tunnels like headless flies. It was a long time before they spotted a fluorescent mark on the wall.
It is freshly drawn! It is probably Qilin!
Looking at the large arrow on the wall, Wu Fangyu was moved to tears of excitement. Finally, someone could point the way for them!
Without hesitation, the group charged forward following the direction of the arrow! As they ran, Taylor, who was at the very front, slammed on the brakes.
Captain, there are bugs ahead too...
On the path ahead, a Tunnel-Throat whose body completely filled the mine tunnel was moving rapidly. It was even fatter than the one they had encountered before!
Behind its rear followed a dense, swarming tide of bugs! Having sensed the four of them, they were now surging toward the back!
Taylor immediately opened fire with his machine gun, and Hiranuma Yusho also attacked with both his spiritual power and machine gun.
Ugh... so disgusting!
Seeing this through her infrared detector, Wu Fangyu could not help but gag.
Later, realizing there were too many bugs, Taylor had no choice but to fire two more rockets. Even more sand and rocks rained down from the roof of the tunnel...
Keep moving forward.
Hiranuma Yusho gave the order after only a moment of thought.
Qilin should be in front of the Tunnel-Throat. It seems the two underground mining areas are very close to each other...
Taylor shook the bugs off his body and shot them dead.
Are we still following?
Follow. We can only get out by following them.
Wu Fangyu was somewhat doubtful.
But... with such a massive thing blocking the tunnel, can we still get out!?
If nothing goes wrong, the other party is luring the Tunnel-Throat out. I am guessing they want to kill it...
This aligned with his initial thought.
If necessary, we can lend a hand. If it really does not work, we will blow it up, or blast out another exit.
Hiranuma Yusho had already formulated several backup plans in his mind! If the other party could completely lure the Tunnel-Throat out, that would naturally be the best!
If not, even if they had to suffer a bit, getting out was all that mattered!
Valk absolutely could not be eliminated just like this... At a critical moment, they could also choose to join forces.
Mu Ning's gaze shifted back and forth between the live broadcasts of the two military academies.
From the video, one could clearly see the different situations of the two teams at the front and rear of the Tunnel-Throat, as well as their two completely different mindsets and modes of operation.
Qilin's side leaned more toward a mature combat squad; the four of them trusted and relied on each other.
They all possessed a bold trait. None of them overly relied on their mechas, but instead believed that relying on their own strength was also viable!
This was especially evident in the mecha maker! It could be seen from how she dared to boldly modify her own mecha into a transport vehicle!
Other than her, no squad so far was willing to give up their mechas and firepower.
So the most valuable thing was not the appearance of a cross-level ultra-grade mecha maker, but her ability to help the squad solve problems.
The teachers from both military academies were also fully engrossed, extremely nervous.
Chao Hao and Fu Manli were anxious because their academy's bonus point button had fallen into Valk's hands, while Valk's leading teacher was worried about the mine tunnel collapsing or Hiranuma Yusho and the others failing to get out...
Actually, even if they could get out, energy was also a significant problem...
On the surface, the safety officer responsible for protecting Qilin's fourth squad looked up and saw an old acquaintance.
Oh!? The team you are watching ran over here?
The safety officer looking after the Valk students nodded, walked over, and shared his screen.
Look, they are chasing right behind the Tunnel-Throat's butt.
Hahahaha!
The safety officer on this side also showed Qilin's situation.
Those guys are fishing in front!
Valk's safety officer could not help but laugh.
Qilin is really something! It is dark now, so they should be able to fish the Tunnel-Throat out.
Who knows? That thing is huge, but it is a coward...
What is that flying vehicle?
The student made it herself, a transforming mecha. Did you not see it?
I scrolled past a few clips, but I have been too busy to watch during the day. So this is the transforming mecha...
