The two commanders sat to the side discussing matters, while their respective team members stood about ten meters apart, eyeing each other warily.
"Sister Zebra, I just feel like they're up to no good..."
Jian Jingyu shifted his weight to one leg, splaying the other out at an awkward angle.
"To be honest, me too."
Wang Tianwei crossed her arms over her chest, casting a suspicious glance toward the Valkyrie side.
Discussing cooperation with this bunch? Are they even trustworthy?
Zhang Lyra combined the traits of both, standing with her legs apart and arms crossed, staring defensively at the three people opposite her.
They didn't hide their distrust in the slightest, leaving the Valkyrie team members feeling somewhat speechless.
"...Let's just fight it out."
Taylor's newly raised arm was pushed back down by Wu Fangyu.
"Fight what? The captain already said—cooperation! Relax."
That was easy to say, but who could stay in a good mood being stared at like that!? The three people opposite them were being way too obvious about their guard, weren't they?
They were right under their noses and none of them were wearing mechas. What could they even do?
...Wonder how things are going on the captain's side?
Wang Tianwei's side was equally anxious.
Their history with Valkyrie was anything but shallow.
In the first rainforest survival match, the other three Valkyrie teams had all been eliminated by them.
If the other side held a grudge... She glanced over at Huang Yan's direction. That Hiranuma Yusho wasn't going to play dirty, was he?
However, she still had faith in Sir Huang!
After all, when it came to brainpower, she had never seen anyone better than Huang Yan.
Taking advantage of this time, she should get some other things done!
"Goldfish, Little Bear, come here~"
What Hiranuma Yusho had his eyes on was naturally Qilin's energy blocks, which were currently a rigid necessity for them.
The opposing team's tactics were quite good; they had lured out the ore-devouring bugs, rock-debris ants, and tunnel-throats, and annihilated them all.
After hearing this, Huang Yan gave a fake smile.
"Heh, yeah. If it weren't for you guys, we could be heading back into the mineshaft right now to find the bonus points button. After all, there are no threats left inside."
If it weren't for their terrible luck, having the other side meddle and grab their weak spot, would he be here discussing cooperation with Valkyrie? Not eliminating them in the chaos was already him being polite!
Hiranuma Yusho didn't panic in the slightest.
"300 points is not a small number. With the button, given your team's strength, the top three is definitely guaranteed."
Before his voice even faded, a bonus point announcement rang out.
"First Military Academy, Team One, plus 300 points."
"..."
Did the broadcast have to come at such a coincidental time!? Was the First Military Academy really having it that smooth!?
Huang Yan took a moment to glance at the sky; he knew the stealth rescue aircraft was right up there.
The soldiers of the Third Military Region were watching from above, chuckling at the sight of the two military academy commanders huddled together!
"Two little foxes discussing cooperation, it's hilarious no matter how you think about it!"
"I saw the last rainforest battle, Valkyrie must be dying to kill Qilin, right?"
"They're almost out of energy. If they waste any more, they might not last the full seven days."
"So that's what's going on, I knew it... But I don't think Huang Yan will end up on the losing end."
"It just depends on who comes out on top."
"Compared to them, the First Military Academy's luck is seriously good! They only searched two mine caves and didn't even run into a tunnel-throat!"
"That's just fate! Hahahaha."
Down below, Huang Yan didn't keep the live-stream audience waiting for too long.
"Now even the bonus points have been snatched up first."
"Bonus points aren't about who gets them first; the final score is what really matters."
He didn't get bypassed... Huang Yan's gaze turned to Hiranuma Yusho.
"So what you're saying is, you want four backup energy blocks?"
Hiranuma Yusho nodded calmly.
"Yes, we need to return to the mineshaft to find Valkyrie's bonus button. This way, it can be considered fair for both of us."
Huang Yan looked at him as if he were looking at an idiot.
"Where is the fairness in that? Right now, every team has at most one backup energy block left.
You guys just want the energy but are afraid you can't snatch it. Even star pirates have more sincerity than you!"
A vein popped on Hiranuma Yusho's forehead.
"...Your words are a bit harsh."
Huang Yan stood up from the ground.
"It's just 300 points anyway. Even if we don't get them, there are still two days left. If we work hard, we can save up some more, as long as we don't get eliminated."
After saying that, he reached out and patted his pants.
"But it's different for you guys. You don't have enough energy, and you don't have any bonus points.
Even if you grit your teeth and go down the mineshaft one more time, you might not necessarily find it.
After all, we've been going in for two consecutive days, and there have been special circumstances every day..."
This wasn't just fear-mongering; sometimes he also wondered if there was some sort of curse on his team's luck.
Huang Yan turned his head to look at his team members' positions... What were Jian Jingyu and Zhang Lyra doing crowding around Wang Tianwei?
Standing in that formation at this time didn't feel quite right.
Hiranuma Yusho finally spoke again.
"Then in your opinion, what are these 300 points worth?"
Huang Yan curled his lips slightly, turned around, and pointed his index finger in the air at the red button in Hiranuma Yusho's hand.
"My idea is very simple: one button for one button, how about it?"
Hiranuma Yusho frowned and stood up.
"You want to go down the mine for us to find Valkyrie's bonus button?"
Unwise. It would be better to just give the energy.
Huang Yan gave him a light glance.
"Would you be at ease with that?"
"..."
Hiranuma Yusho didn't speak. Of course, he had no intention of handing his lifeline over to someone else.
"So what do you mean?"
"You don't want to consume more mecha energy, right? I have a method that will allow you to consume absolutely zero energy."
Huang Yan curled up a wicked smile.
"My teammates will be responsible for escorting you into the mineshaft to find the bonus button, and they won't touch the button at all during the entire process.
The speed will definitely be faster than you piloting your mechas, but if you encounter star beasts or mutated beasts, you'll need to handle it yourselves.
You can use hot weapons or cold weapons... Of course, the mineshaft on our side has already been collapsed by you guys, so I hope you can take it easy on your side.
If we encounter a tunnel-throat blocking the way, we'll lure it out just like we did just now, until we find your bonus button. How about it?"
Hiranuma Yusho stared straight at Huang Yan for a long time.
"Is that how you lured out the tunnel-throat just now?"
"Yeah, didn't I say that? If you guys hadn't blown up the mineshaft, we would have found it by now."
"...Doesn't that still require piloting a mecha? Or are you saying you'll let us pilot yours?"
Hiranuma Yusho didn't think Qilin would be that generous.
Huang Yan waved his hand.
"No, no, no, we'll only pilot one of our mechas, and you won't need to provide the energy.
You can just sit on it peacefully and look for the item. Of course, that also depends on whether you have the confidence for hand-to-hand combat.
If there are a lot of star beasts in the mineshaft, it might not necessarily be easier than the previous rainforest match."
"We... all sit on one mecha?"
"Don't worry, there are seats."
"...We'll give yours back to you after we get our bonus button."
"...Then we want a hostage."
