The live streams of all the major military academies suddenly went black. Shortly after, the official website of the Fifth Military Academy League posted the names of the top five advancing teams.
At first, the audience had no idea what was going on. The teams clearly hadn't reached the finish line yet, so why was the broadcast cut?
It was only after watching the Federal Breaking News that they flooded the forums with posts and comments:
"No way! A star beast horde has erupted from the M19 black hole! Isn't that black hole under the jurisdiction of the Third Military Region?"
"The competition is on Planet Kashgar, which is right nearby! Ahhh!"
"No wonder the stream went black... I was just wondering why the competition didn't last the full seven days."
"Oh my god, with a star beast horde breaking out, the starships won't be able to return, right? What are Sister Zebra and the others going to do?"
"...I hope everyone stays safe!"
"Hope everyone returns safely! [Emoticon]"
"Elizabeth, be careful!"
"I don't care! They have to bring our Valkyrie students back!"
When Wang Yi and Cheng Yin heard the news, it felt like the sky had fallen.
Both of their children were on Planet Kashgar, and the star beast horde just had to break out right there. What were they supposed to do?
They sent several messages in a row to the teachers at Qilin Military Academy, but it was like dropping stones into the ocean. They simply tried calling directly, but the other end was constantly busy.
"Let's not scare ourselves first... So many students are on Planet Kashgar. The teachers are definitely trying to figure something out, and so is the organizing committee!"
Cheng Yin comforted Wang Yi, though she was also trying to comfort herself. Little did she know that the hands supporting her husband were shaking like a leaf.
Wang Yi sat in his chair, his entire body limp.
"Tianwei and Kaiyu are both on Planet Kashgar... The military region! Quickly, look through our contacts for anyone in the military region..."
Huang Taihe immediately contacted an acquaintance in the Third Military Region, hoping to ask them to bring Huang Yan back.
After receiving a negative answer, he asked if he could personally send an aircraft to pick him up. The response was an equally firm no.
Huang Taihe took a few deep breaths, forcing down his near-explosive emotions.
Huang Yan hadn't even graduated yet, but he was being forced to participate in a star beast extermination. As a father, he had to at least provide his son with some assistance...
"My child is trapped in the Third Military Region's territory because of a competition. He can't leave, and we can't go there. Surely it isn't too much to ask for you to help deliver some supplies?"
The person on the other end remained silent for a long time, only saying that the star beast horde had just broken out and the specific situation was still uncertain. It was entirely possible that everyone would be back soon.
If the front line dragged on, they would discuss it with the military region later to see if they could help bring some things over.
Huang Taihe knew that everyone in the military region must be incredibly busy right now, so he had no choice but to accept this vague response.
Hanging up the call, he took a family photo out of the drawer and stared blankly at the two people in the picture...
Those cursed black holes and wormholes. The Federation had already developed such powerful mechas and weapons, so why did those star beasts and Zerg keep coming in endless swarms?
Shen Xi, please, watch over our son and ensure he returns safely...
Back on Planet Kashgar, the safety officers immediately gathered all the students in one place.
They distributed their respective optical computers and the spatial buttons containing competition contraband, followed by the supplementary energy blocks and nutrient fluids from the aircraft.
Out of everyone there, only the four from Qilin hadn't really gone hungry; the others had visibly lost a significant amount of weight.
"Time is limited. We don't know when the first wave of the beast horde will hit, so everyone hurry up and restock your supplies. Those who are severely injured, go lie in the medical cabins on the rescue aircraft right now."
"Yes, sir!"
The moment they put on their optical computers, everyone received countless messages. However, they were all too tense about dealing with the impending beast horde to have time to reply.
The first to get busy were the mecha masters. Whether it was handling energy blocks or repairing mechas, their skills were needed.
"Mika, go lie in the healing cabin for a while."
Elizabeth assessed the personnel status of the six squads.
The best off was Qilin, who appeared entirely healthy. The other teams all had members who were sick or injured to varying degrees.
Lying in the healing cabin took time, and as the main combat power of the team, Mika needed to return to her usual level as soon as possible.
"Yes, Captain."
At the same time, Wen Tuo from Yuying also spoke up.
"David, you go too."
"Alright."
The safety officers were still calculating the supplies and mecha parts the students lacked for holding their ground on Planet Kashgar. Some components weren't available on their aircraft and would need to be coordinated with the Third Military Region later.
Right under the noses of the five teams, Wang Tianwei grabbed a toolbox and got to work!
With two spatial buttons in hand and all her belongings present, she was absolutely fearless!
When the members of the other squads saw this, their eyes nearly popped out of their heads.
"You're a cross-grade mecha master!!?"
"Wait, no, you're a cross-grade super-tier mecha master!?"
"Wang Tianwei??"
"Sis!? You?"
Wang Kaiyu's mind went completely blank!
He knew Jian Jingyu and the others were strong, and from the Qilin forums, he knew his sister definitely wasn't weak either. But when did she become a cross-grade super-tier mecha master!?
Did Mom and Dad know? Why didn't anyone tell him? Did he even still have a place in that family!?
The mecha masters from the other squads couldn't take their eyes off the four mechas.
What kind of design was on Qilin's mechas? All sorts of energy auxiliary systems... which meant they hadn't lacked energy this entire journey!
And why were there serrations on the outside of Huang Yan's energy nexus? Which company produced that component? It looked so familiar.
Most importantly, why was their entire squad getting hands-on with repairing a mecha!?
"Sister Zebra, I've cleared the sand on my side. Could you help me look at that bent cannon barrel in a bit?"
"Sure, right away."
"There's nothing wrong with my mecha. The competition is over, right? Sister Zebra, toss me a pack of Yida nutrient fluid first!"
Wang Tianwei didn't even turn her head. She threw three packs of nutrient fluid at Goldfish to distribute to their teammates, while dangling one in her own mouth.
They were going to the battlefield soon. How could they fight on an empty stomach?
"Wang Kaiyu, do you want some nutrient fluid?"
Wang Kaiyu was still immersed in the shock of his sister being a cross-grade super-tier mecha master.
"...No need, I just drank the one the safety officer handed out."
Hearing this, Wang Tianwei didn't worry about it anymore. Her mecha's firepower system wasn't fully installed yet!
The other five commanders were also incredibly alarmed... They had thought that after Huang Yan and Zhang Lyra leveled up, Wang Tianwei would be the most unremarkable one. Little did they know, she was Qilin's true trump card!
Amidst their surprise, Elizabeth and Ye Yingxuan both secretly rejoiced that they hadn't run into them along the way.
"You Qilin folks... really know how to play."
"You flatter us."
Huang Yan was busy clearing sand and applying lubricant to his mecha. He couldn't let something like that affect his performance when the star beasts arrived.
Goldfish and Little Bear buried their heads in reloading firepower for the mechas.
"Sister Zebra, we've finished loading. We need calibration."
"The machine is right here. You guys calibrate it yourselves first, I'll be right there!"
"...What's their deal? Is the whole team made of mecha masters?"
"I have no idea..."
