"Riding in our Sister Zebra's mecha? I feel a bit sad for them, yet somewhat envious..."
"Sir Huang executes a brilliant chain of schemes, and Valk blindly steps onto the guillotine!"
"Commanders really are manipulative to the core!"
"Please remember how relaxed they look right now. The young folks from Valk clearly have no idea what they are about to experience..."
"Hiranuma Yusho, you fool!!!"
"You three, put your grinning teeth away! Goldfish, what right do you have to laugh at them!?"
"You actually believe Qilin's nonsense!? Isn't Quincy a living example of what happens?"
Bitter warnings flooded the screen, but unfortunately, Hiranuma Yusho didn't have a god's-eye view.
Ever since Wu Fangyu saw Wang Tianwei's mecha transform, he hadn't been able to close his mouth. What kind of technology was this!? A transforming vehicle!?
"Wait, you're a transcendent-grade mecha master!? You built this mecha yourself!?"
Wang Tianwei flicked her ponytail.
"Why so conservative!? Guess bigger!"
"Tch... who isn't transcendent-grade around here? Even among S-ranks, I've never seen anyone as arrogant as you."
Though Wu Fangyu voiced his disdain, his eyes couldn't stop staring at the transformed "vehicle."
Boxy and blocky, yet somehow a little handsome? Had his aesthetic preferences been warped this quickly!?
But how did this person dare to completely abandon the firepower system... Did she trust her teammates that much? Layering two protective shields did indeed increase safety, however.
Hiranuma Yusho looked at the seats on the vehicle and twitched his lips. There was actually enough room for them to sit...
Heavy gunner Barry couldn't hold back and blurted out,
"This defies science!!"
Wang Tianwei was displeased hearing this, slapping the front hood of the car until it smacked loudly!
"How does it defy science!? I even factored in the anti-gravity suspension index and air resistance. Are you insulting the professional integrity of a mecha master!? Careful, I'll sue you!"
"No! I didn't mean that kind of science..."
Seeing the girl's indignant expression, Barry's voice weakened.
Transforming and all... did it really have to be at least Super A-grade?
Once this match was over, he'd have Wu Fangyu study it, though he didn't know if the guy would be willing.
"Alright, down to business,"
Huang Yan interrupted the group.
"While it's still dark, how about we let our only A-grade team member take you down into the mine one more time?"
The words were quite mocking, but they were also the truth, leaving the Valk team with absolutely nothing to rebut.
Hiranuma Yusho pulled open the "car door." The Qilin squad's collective way of thinking was extremely bizarre... so it actually made sense that they could create something like this.
It seemed that, going forward, they needed to watch out for Qilin in addition to the First Military Academy. Or maybe they could just wipe them out after getting the bonus points button, if they got the chance...
Taylor and Barry exchanged a glance and also boarded the "vehicle."
Riding in someone else's mecha for the first time, the Valk members felt somewhat out of their element.
Wang Tianwei was the last to get into the driver's seat.
"Is everyone's seatbelt fastened?"
"...Are you referring to this rope?"
Wang Tianwei turned her head to look.
"Yes."
"Does the assaulter need to tie it too?"
Thinking back to Jian Jingyu's miserable state just moments ago,
"...Don't blame me for not warning you. Make absolutely sure it's tied tight."
Hiranuma Yusho didn't hesitate much; sitting in the passenger seat, he fastened the "rope."
"Sir Huang should have told you. Only when we find Valk's academy bonus button will you get Qilin's."
Wang Tianwei started the vehicle and gave a faint smile.
"I know. It's all being live-streamed, so I hope you Valk folks can keep your word."
Otherwise, Qilin wouldn't just take it lying down!
Wu Fangyu couldn't shake the feeling that something had exceeded his understanding, but with three of Qilin's S-grades watching him, he didn't dare make a rash move.
Especially that Huang Yan, his spiritual energy was circling right above Wu Fangyu's head. Did he think he hadn't noticed!?
But since it was the captain's decision...
"Captain, be careful down in the mine."
Jian Jingyu, on the other hand, said loudly and carelessly,
"Sister Zebra, come back early! If they try to backstab you, just toss them into the mine shafts."
Zhang Lyra also spoke bluntly,
"Or just blowing up the mine shaft to collapse it works too."
"..."
The three Valk members in the car almost doubted their own ears. Did they really say things like that right in front of them? An open and blatant threat!?
Compared to the two combatants, Huang Yan was slightly more tactful.
"Don't worry, just perform as usual. They wouldn't dare... but if they really lose their minds, handle it as you see fit. I'll cover for whatever happens."
Wang Tianwei stuck one hand out and gave a thumbs up.
"Got it! I guarantee the mission will be accomplished!"
She turned her head to look at Hiranuma Yusho beside her, whose expression was unreadable.
"Shall we set off then?"
"...Yeah."
"Are you holding on tight?"
Hiranuma Yusho looked around in confusion.
"Holding onto what?"
Wang Tianwei sighed and turned on the high beams.
"Grab onto whatever you can, and if you can't take it, close your eyes. Oh, right, you guys need to look for something, so it's best to keep your eyes open.
If we run into bugs, don't scream too loudly! Especially don't scream right into my ear."
Barry scoffed.
"Do you think we've never ridden... Ah!~~"
Before he could finish his sentence, Wang Tianwei's mecha shot out like a cannonball toward the entrance of the Valk mine shaft.
Jian Jingyu listened to Barry's trembling scream with satisfaction.
"Mhm, nice loud voice! I knew I definitely wouldn't be the only one."
Zhang Lyra also nodded silently.
"A catapult start is Sister Zebra's basic operation. She seems to really like doing that?"
"Driving like that in the Federation would get you arrested... From now on, during competitions, we should just let Sister Zebra drive a few more times to satisfy her cravings."
"Then keep your voice down next time."
"I don't like the sound of that! My voice isn't anywhere near as loud as Valk's!?"
Huang Yan checked the time. It was just past midnight.
"I wonder how long it'll take them to find it. Let's pitch the tents first."
Wu Fangyu stared at the taillights and muttered,
"At that speed... it should be very quick."
Jian Jingyu and Zhang Lyra grabbed Wu Fangyu by the arms and turned him around. "Let's go, you!"
"Even though I'm a hostage... there's no need for this, right? Where is your decency? What about dignity!?"
Jian Jingyu gave him a surprised look, his tone sincere.
"We don't have that kind of thing."
Zhang Lyra finally had the chance to ask the question that had troubled her for years.
"I've always had a question. Does your Valk academy actually have a course on acting pretentious?"
"Why are you insulting people!?"
"Don't misunderstand... I also wanted to ask, if there really is such a course, can students from other schools audit it?"
Hearing this, Jian Jingyu got excited.
"Yeah! Don't military academies all have those public lectures? Do you guys have them?
I always feel like I can't quite hit the mark when trying to act cool. At this rate, I'll fall too far behind Sister Zebra and Sir Huang!"
Wu Fangyu's steps grew increasingly heavy.
"...Are you guys being sarcastic, or...?"
"No! We're praising you, don't overthink it!
Although I feel the way our two schools act pretentious is a bit different, each has its own merits!
Drawing on others' strengths, we really love to learn!"
"...I'm begging you, just let me have some peace and quiet."
