On the afternoon of the sixth day, the three teams met on a narrow path at the exit, feeling somewhat awkward amongst themselves...
So the exit provided by the tournament was actually the exact same place!?
Elizabeth from Santorini gritted her teeth.
"Are you kidding me?"
She had tried so hard to stay hidden for so long, only to run into them on the final day? If she had known, she wouldn't have rushed here so frantically!
Wang Kaiyu stared at the four mechas of his sister's team, unable to snap out of his daze for a long time. How did everyone... become so square!?
His sister's aesthetic had changed far too drastically. Did her three teammates really not have a single objection?
"Yuying Military Academy's First Squad is eliminated. Points cleared to zero."
The elimination broadcast eased the tense standoff between the three teams...
"Yuying got eliminated at a time like this..."
"All three of our teams are here, so it seems they were eliminated either by Valk or by the other squad from your school."
Ye Yingxuan chuckled softly.
"It could also be star beasts, or they might have encountered a special situation."
Hearing this, Elizabeth nodded absentmindedly. Their energy reserves truly couldn't support another fight...
Huang Yan looked back and forth between the two sides. This was an eight-to-five elimination match, so was it over now or not?
Before they could figure out whether to fight or just stay put, three rescue aircraft in the sky deactivated their stealth modes and landed.
"Students, a star beast horde has erupted from the M19 Black Hole. We have received orders to head over and provide support."
A star beast horde outbreak!?
The first reaction of all the students present was: This has to be fake, right?
What kind of new trick was this? Acting out a play in the middle of a tournament?
But whether it was the solemn expressions of the soldiers or the words that followed, their hearts sank.
"Planet Kashgar is within the outbreak range of this star beast horde, so high-tier star beasts that slip past the front lines might flee here.
We just received notice from the organizing committee that although there are still 24 hours until the end of the competition, the top five advancing teams have already been finalized.
Currently, starships cannot take off, so you might not be able to return to Planet Tianshu for the time being... Would you be willing to help purge the star beasts on Planet Kashgar?"
Hearing this, how could the three squads still care about advancing or not?
They had entered the military academy precisely for a day like this.
"No problem!"
"We will do everything we can."
"Leave the star beasts on Planet Kashgar to us!"
Every squad answered without a moment's hesitation.
Meanwhile, the tournament camp on Planet Tianshu was in an uproar!
"I disagree! They are still students. This is equivalent to sending students straight to the front lines before they even graduate. If something happens, how are we supposed to explain it to their parents?"
"Exactly! After several days of competition, those students have nearly exhausted their energy, stamina, and firepower! Making them face high-tier star beasts right now is just sending them to their deaths!?"
The leading teachers from Valk and Santorini were the first who couldn't sit still!
The students at their military academies were all wealthy or noble. Although everyone knew that sooner or later they would have to go to the battlefield.
But it definitely shouldn't be under such completely unprepared circumstances. Wasn't this forcing them into an impossible situation?
Everyone's optical computers were vibrating non-stop, but no one had the time to stop and reply.
Even Chao Hao and Fu Manli's first reaction was "Absolutely not"!
Purging star beasts and the Zerg was the duty of every Federation soldier, indeed, but right now the soldiers of the Third Military Region were heading to the front lines to provide support, leaving only safety personnel and those kids on Planet Kashgar.
They had all come down from the front lines and knew that in critical moments, star beasts had to be forced onto empty planets to weaken their combat power...
When the time came, could the kids really handle swarms of high-tier star beasts? If things went wrong, it would ruin their lives forever!
Chao Hao's right leg began to ache faintly again.
Huang Yan and Zhang Lyra had just advanced, and there was also Wang Tianwei, an A-rank cross-level super mecha mechanic. He was certain that these kids would have infinite possibilities in the future!
Shen Jie, the chairman of the organizing committee, finally spoke up.
"I understand everyone's concerns. But right now, with the star beast horde outbreak at the M19 Black Hole, starships simply cannot take off from Planet Kashgar.
Even if they force a takeoff, they would have to pass by the black hole, which might be even more dangerous."
Hearing this, Fu Manli shakily exhaled a breath of stale air.
"No matter what we say here, they must survive this beast horde on Planet Kashgar. If they don't fight, their safety will be even lower.
More than half of you present have experienced beast horde purging operations. I believe you should know that every word I say is true."
The teachers from Santorini and Valk finally fell silent.
Shen Jie paused before continuing,
"Mu Ning, the Commander-in-Chief of the Third Military Region, has already activated the full contingency plan. The nearby Fourth Military Region is rushing over to provide support, and personnel from the Second Military Region will arrive shortly.
We hope that every child and soldier can remain safe.
Even if we tell the students they don't need to fight now, are we supposed to let them stand there and wait when the star beasts arrive?
In critical moments, the more people involved, the greater the chances of survival."
The room fell completely silent. Everyone looked worriedly at the screens showing the six teams receiving the notice.
The public live broadcast had already been cut off just moments ago; now, only they could see these images.
The four members of Yuying Military Academy had finally found the mine entrance with great difficulty, only to be chased down and eliminated by the star beasts inside. They had just been rescued by the safety personnel.
Just like that, they were informed that they couldn't return to Planet Tianshu anytime soon and instead had to stay here to continue purging star beasts?
At first, the kids were visibly a bit stunned, but none of them hesitated too much. Once they understood the situation, they immediately agreed.
Wen Tuo no longer showed the confusion from last night, and the other three didn't have the frustration of just being eliminated.
Seeing this, the leading teacher Peng Shuang felt both gratified and worried. Selena from the First Military Academy took a long time before speaking,
"Can the military region's starships take us along when they go? We can also help."
After reading the frontline news he just received on his optical computer, Shen Jie looked solemn.
"I completely understand how everyone feels, but please do not add to the military region's burden at a time like this.
Even if you all go, it would be a drop in the bucket. It is better to trust your students."
"How long do they have to stay on Planet Kashgar?"
"The star beast horde has just erupted, so it cannot be determined yet. Based on past experience, it will be at least a week, and at most a month."
Fu Manli quickly added,
"Can their optical computers be returned to them? And what about supplies..."
"Of course. The top five teams for the next round have already been selected, so the competition is considered to have ended early.
Since they will be purging star beasts on Planet Kashgar, as reserve soldiers, they will receive the same treatment regarding nutrient solutions and necessary firepower supplies as the other soldiers.
We won't let the kids wait around to die."
"...That's good."
The teachers from the various military academies finally felt a bit relieved.
It was manageable as long as there were supplies; otherwise, if the conditions were as harsh as before, they truly didn't know if the kids could hold on.
