The host, barely suppressing a laugh, glanced at Qilin while reading the final line.
In all five editions of the military academy league, never had so many new rules been added mid-competition. In a way, Wang Tianwei had truly made herself the "first" to achieve that dubious honor.
"What does this mean? Targeting me? I swear, I'm about to throw a fit."
Wang Tianwei carefully kept her facial muscles still, speaking only through the movement of her lips.
Zhang Lyra mimicked her expression and said, "Sister Zebra, stay calm. It's fine. Don’t we have a new trick up our sleeve this time?"
Jian Jingyu added, "Exactly, we’re already in the finals. Once it’s over, they won’t be able to ban anything!"
Wu Pingzhuo from the First Military Academy couldn’t hold back. "Do you have any idea why so many things are being banned?"
After waiting for a moment with no response, he turned his head and saw all four from Qilin looking utterly unabashed. He sighed, withdrawing his gaze.
He was too naïve—these people really had no clue!
Wang Tianwei, of course, felt fully justified. She had strictly followed every competition rule in every match.
Sure, she might have darkened the cameras a few times to sneak in some mining, and maybe dismantled a couple of mechas—but let’s be real, she’d been a scavenger in the old days; it was practically a habit. If something was practically handed to her, refusing it would be a crime!
Still, even she had to admit that having a camera in the cockpit was pretty inconvenient...
But then she shrugged it off. She’d prepared well this time. As long as she didn’t break the new rules, she could probably still dance a little along the edge, right?
Meanwhile, Chao Hao and Fu Manli were overwhelmed by the swarm of media drones and cameras around them.
Looking up at the questions projected on the media’s light screens:
"How do you feel about the last-minute rule changes, teachers?"
"Do you think this has anything to do with Wang Tianwei from your academy?"
"May I ask..."
Questions filled Chao Hao’s vision, but his lips remained tightly sealed. These people might only be projections, but damn, they were loud!
Fu Manli’s mind began to wander. If she ever brought another group of students to compete, the first thing she’d say when explaining the rules would be, "This is all because you once had a ridiculously talented senior..."
The host finally finished reading the lengthy list of new rules and announced the finals' location:
"...Blizza."
The moment the words left her lips, the teachers and students familiar with Blizza gasped.
Shen Jie, chairman of the organizing committee, once again found himself under hostile glares from all angles. No worries—he was used to it by now.
Blizza: the only planet in the Federation with permanent temperatures below -60 degrees Celsius. Oxygen levels in its atmosphere were critically low, and the planet’s surface was almost entirely barren plains and glaciers, with ceaseless blizzards—the only question was which direction they were blowing.
Only a few small areas near geothermal fissures maintained relatively higher temperatures, enough to support human survival, and some hot springs dotted the landscape. But those spots? They were the planet’s most dangerous zones...
Beneath the thick frozen soil, however, lay incredibly rare crystalline ore. Ninety percent of the Federation’s superconducting crystals were mined from this planet.
The final match would not let the teams choose their own equipment. Instead, the organizing committee provided all three teams with standard military-grade freeze-resistant sealant and external armor equipped with fixed-point infrared ice-melting arrays.
Both items were essential for operating in extremely low temperatures. But beyond that, no other energy or defense supplies were mentioned—not even the protective shields from the first two rounds. It was, essentially, a hell-mode start...
No wonder they’d been so thorough with the checks beforehand. If anything went wrong, those kids might literally freeze solid!
Selena remembered that during the second academy league, the finals had been held on the same planet. The first team eliminated didn’t even last twenty-four hours, and even the champions never made it past seven days.
But that was years ago, when mechas and equipment were far less advanced.
The committee’s decision to return to Blizza for this finale was likely a show of confidence in modern Federation technology—maybe even a little demonstration. Still, no one dared to underestimate that white planet.
The one bit of good news for Wang Tianwei was that the finals allowed teams to bring their own food, with no restrictions on type or quantity.
The organizing committee had finally done something human!
Netizens figured it was because there was simply nothing edible to find in that frozen wasteland.
Students from all three academies breathed a sigh of relief.
"That’s not right... why is Valkr this happy?"
"Are our kids all turning into foodies now? When will the academy cafeteria get an upgrade!?"
"Is Qilin about to bring their hotpot to every corner of Blizza?"
"Let’s kick off the food party!"
The competition also retained the academy bonus buttons.
In order of who pressed them first: first place received 500 points, second place 300 points, and third place 100 points. These points, combined with points from hunting mutant beasts and astral beasts, would form the final score.
If you couldn’t find the buttons, the alternative was to hunt more astral beasts—like the First Military Academy had done in the previous round. If you were desperate enough, you might still catch up.
That is, if you had enough energy and could find plenty of prey.
Thanks to coming in first last match, Qilin started the final with a 100-point lead, a significant advantage.
He Siyu and Hiranuma Yusho exchanged a fleeting glance.
Huang Yan suddenly sensed a threat. The other two academies seemed to be eyeing them like predators.
If it were him, he’d take out the team holding the bonus points first, leaving the remaining two to fight for first and second.
Last round, the First Military Academy had shed its "lone wolf" label, only for Queen Elizabeth to lose to Hiranuma Yusho.
Looks like this match wouldn’t be easy...
On the stage, the host continued to drone on about formalities, pretending to stay engaged. But the twelve contestants, though physically present, were light-years away in their own heads.
As soon as the word "Dismissed" rang out, the twelve competitors sprinted in different directions, racing against time.
The mecha engineers were calculating the best modifications for their machines, while the commanders needed to absorb all available intel and devise strategies to prepare their teammates.
The infantry took on logistics duties, rapidly sifting through and ordering supplies, equipment, and food. Everyone had a job.
Yu Qian and Raymond watched their students’ retreating figures with a sense of pride.
"This is the fastest-growing batch of students the league has ever seen. We’ve seen prodigies in previous years, but never anyone as hardworking as these..."
They’d only recently found out that people from the Institute of Science and the military headquarters were also stationed in the camp.
The kids were training harder than active soldiers—it had to be linked to headquarters’ "Super S-Class Soldier Development Program."
Raymond’s eyes followed the backs of Qilin’s four students as they disappeared into the distance.
"Having children push this hard is our failure... But that’s just how these times are. No one can change it."
Yu Qian let out another sigh. "Let’s not dwell on that for now. I just hope they get the results they deserve this time."
