"Captain Liqin, take a break."
Only one member of Liqin's First Squad remained alive besides himself.
But having suffered severe mental damage, that teammate had already returned to Tianshu Star aboard the starship for treatment, while Liqin himself stayed behind on the new planet to continue the exploration mission.
The one speaking was the mech pilot from the Seventh Squad.
It was already midnight, and Liqin was still sitting here. Even a man made of iron couldn't withstand going a whole day without rest!
Everyone was deeply grieving the loss of comrades they'd lived and fought alongside day and night, and the matter of "Qi Chengyan" weighed heavily on everyone's hearts too...
"Ah, I can't sleep either... how about we watch the livestream?" said the mech pilot.
Liqin pressed his lips together, remaining silent the whole time, while the mech pilot busied himself by turning on his optical brain.
"Let me check on how the First Military Academy students are doing. What tricks has Qilin come up with this time?"
From the nearby holographic screen came the sound of crashing waves. Liqin seemed drawn in, turning his head slightly to look, a flicker of darkness passing through his eyes...
Leola had felt unsettled ever since she boarded Qilin's so-called "pirate ship."
Leaving aside the seaweeds and salted fish drying all over the deck...
How were their hull so new? So thick? The metal wings under the ship definitely weren't original, and why were there two engines at the stern?
Combined with the earlier elimination announcement for the Second Squad... was Wang Tianwei even willing to screw over her own brother?!
Wang Kaiyu's entire ship had probably been stripped to refit her own squad's vehicle, hadn't it? Qilin really didn't give the organizing committee any chance to reclaim resources, did she?
What annoyed her most was that Qilin had gotten the jump on her again!
Why did others know to modify their ships in advance while she didn't?
This time, they'd been too fixated on earning points and eliminating others... and they hadn't even managed to eliminate anyone yet!
Wang Tianwei noticed Leola staring at the hull with that self-blaming expression again and shook her head. She sidled over and threw an arm around Leola's shoulders.
"Little Li, what are you overthinking now?"
Leola, who'd even had her hair touched a couple times while being hugged, didn't react for a long moment.
Slap!
"Wang Tianwei! Call me senior, no matter what you say!"
Wang Tianwei didn't seem at all embarrassed by the hand slap.
"Don't sweat the details... But think about it—our two squads have never worked together in a competition before."
Leola shot her a sidelong glance.
"We never ran into each other before, but this time we've really opened our eyes..."
Her gaze swept across the three multi-function artillery stations set up on the deck.
Everyone was fighting the insects. Standing on deck, they could strike the giant tube worms near the ship, while her own squad had to pilot mechs farther away and return periodically to resupply energy and firepower.
At first, she'd considered stealing the ship. But before they'd even landed, Wang Tianwei had pulled out several handwritten agreements and made the squad sign them...
The handwriting on the agreements looked like drunken scrawls, clearly drafted on the way over.
But the key parts, including the four bold characters for "First Military Academy," were very clear. She'd even refused to let them board without signing. Shameless didn't even begin to cover it!
After they signed, this person handed out four brooches, calling them symbols of alliance.
Now, even considering the reputation of First Military Academy, they couldn't possibly turn on each other... Sometimes Leola wished she could just live without shame like Qilin did once in a while!
Wang Tianwei naturally caught the resentment in Leola's tone and laughed dryly.
"You don't understand~ We're used to planning ahead..."
Back in the apocalypse, hadn't she had to prepare everything in advance? If she'd waited until the critical moment, who would have waited for her?
This was a skill she'd honed over ten years of struggling on the edge of life and death. Funny thing was, before the apocalypse came, she'd been a chronic procrastinator herself.
Leola couldn't stand listening to her anymore and cut straight to the point.
"Wu Fangyu said you've developed sealed mechs? Let me see."
Wang Tianwei immediately pulled out the blueprints.
"Speaking of which, I know you're best at assembling modular parts. Quick, tell me how I can improve this air filter valve?"
Seeing the two mech specialists once again sprawled inelegantly on the deck studying something, the commanders on both sides withdrew their attention.
It wasn't just the squads being hit by the tsunami—it was the seafloor creatures too.
Giant tube worms, originally adept at group combat, had been scattered by the tsunami and were now terrified. They clung tightly to anything they could reach—fish, star beasts, or driftwood—too panicked to coordinate.
This was good news for the squads. Best to take out as many as possible while they could, to avoid a worse assault after the tsunami ended.
"Fu Xingyuan, forty-five degrees ahead of you, giant tube worm cluster. Be careful."
Having said that, He Siyu cast a mental shield over her teammate, while Huang Yan stealthily crept closer.
As Fu Xingyuan and Wu Pingzhuo fought, they would occasionally feel another familiar mental energy poking and prodding at the edges of He Siyu's mental shield...
After a while, He Siyu grew thoroughly irritated.
"Mr Huang, this counts as mental harassment."
Huang Yan, caught red-handed, just shrugged.
"Squad Leader He, you usually keep things so well-hidden. I get the feeling your mental energy condenses at a... higher density than others? Is that the right way to put it?"
He Siyu had no intention of humoring him. How could she not hide it deeply?
Just look at Elizabeth and Hiranuma Yusho—in only two months, you've learned all their tricks, haven't you?
Anyway, they hadn't run into each other in the first two rounds.
At the camp, everyone mainly trained attack and defense techniques. But since it was already exposed... with this guy's persistent nature, he'd find every way to uncover the secret, or at least a way in.
And since they'd be on the same ship for the next two days, hiding it was impossible anyway. He Siyu's eyes flickered.
"Interested, Mr Huang?"
...
He Siyu putting it so bluntly put Huang Yan on guard. This script seemed familiar...
But this method of condensing mental energy would be beneficial no matter what attack technique they used later! The other three in his team definitely needed it too—learning it wouldn't hurt. He hesitated a moment before cautiously asking.
"And the price?"
He Siyu smiled slightly.
"Cancel one-third of the giant tube worm points."
...
He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. As expected of the First Military Academy's lead commander—the price was set right at the edge of what he could accept.
They were already solidly in first place points-wise. And looking at the giant tube worm kill counts, they were either leading or neck-and-neck with the others.
Plus, they still had the submersible mechs Ma Jie had modified, yet to be deployed. Barring accidents, the bonus hundred points for the next round were secure.
"...Deal!"
He Siyu immediately pulled out the agreement they'd both signed.
"Then please cross out this clause in the agreement and sign your name. Thank you."
Words are cheap. She'd learned that lesson now.
"..."
