"Valtvar Military Academy, Squad One, plus thirty-three points."
The point announcement came late, only after the scorekeeper had confirmed through the live-stream cameras that the four students were safe, had no intention of withdrawing, and had not encountered any further dangerous situations.
Taking advantage of the warmth down below, Wu Fangyu was repairing Barry's mech. It had taken quite a beating from the fall, and only a super-S-class machine could have kept its pilot this well protected.
Taylor looked up at the opening above.
"It's too twisted down here—going back up is going to be a problem. We'd definitely get stuck in our transformed state. Captain, what if we just blast a tunnel out?"
Hiranuma Yusho switched on the floodlights and did a full sweep. The space down here was huge, and it seemed to lead somewhere else...
"Hold on."
He pulled out a map and compared it to the several tunnels before them. The directions seemed to line up?
The underground route was flatter than the surface above, with no blizzards, a higher ambient temperature, and solid ground—no risk of sudden collapses or ice-volcano eruptions. Setting up camp would be much easier too.
Given the organizing committee's usual style of placing school-point bonus triggers, it was hard to say whether the goal was above or below ground...
But going underground had its downsides too.
First, there was no telling whether this path would actually lead to the school-point bonus trigger—or if there was even an exit. They could walk a long stretch only to find the way blocked and have to turn back.
Second, warmer areas meant more star beasts and mutated flora and fauna. If high-tier organisms clustered together, they'd be in serious danger.
Third, underground was darker than the surface, requiring floodlights the whole way. Though with radar and infrared detectors on their mechs, plus night-vision scopes as a backup, that wasn't much of a problem.
After laying out all the pros and cons of both routes to the team, Wu Fangyu thought for a moment, glanced at Barry, and said:
"I think we should try going underground. It's a lot warmer down here, less demanding on our stamina, and if Barry starts feeling unwell, we can catch it early or find a place to rest.
Besides, up top, once a blizzard hits we can't see anything anyway... and we might even get trapped. I don't think we'd necessarily be faster up there."
Taylor chimed in:
"Yeah, and if we run into mutated flora or fauna, we can rack up more points. If we can't find an exit, worst case we sprint back at full speed—or, like in the Kashiir mine tunnels, we just blast our way out!"
Barry was holding a packet of nutrient fluid, replenishing his energy:
"I was thinking... the exit up top might already be clogged by those worms..."
At the mention of those bouncing mutant worms everyone went silent.
"Alright, that settles it. Once Wu Fangyu finishes repairing the mech, we'll all extend our spiritual energy as an early-warning net.
Barry, keep an eye on your own condition. We'll start with the underground route.
Since energy isn't a concern, whether we rack up more points or cover more distance, it's all to our benefit. When there's truly no road left, that's when we consider digging through or heading back."
"Got it!"
"Understood."
Wu Fangyu waved the tools in her hand and turned back to her work.
Taylor came over to her side.
"Little Wu, let me help!"
Hiranuma Yusho still worried about Barry and handed him another pouch of nutrient fluid. Yirada Tech's specialized quality was trustworthy.
At the same time, he was also mentally planning to always keep a simple medical kit in the spatial button from now on.
As Qilin would say, it’s empty anyway, and better safe than sorry.
Once Barry’s mech was mostly repaired, the four of them finally got ready to set off.
“I’ll take point, Barry second. The two in back stay unchanged. Everyone stay alert.”
Hiranuma Yusho gave orders with seasoned composure.
The moment he finished speaking, the live-stream “little bee” camera inside the cockpit suddenly spoke up.
“Hiranuma?”
That sudden voice startled all four members of the Valkyrie team.
Wu Fangyu stared at the camera in shock—how can you make sound?
One of the problems under the ice layer was poor signal, probably due to some kind of interference. He had spent a long time trying to fix it with no luck, so the team was relying on speakerphone to communicate.
And yet the military’s live-stream camera was completely unaffected? It could even talk to them from outside? No wonder Sister Zebra was so interested in it!
Ugh, the tournament rules said you weren’t allowed to take it apart… but maybe there was a loophole? He’d have to see if there was a chance later.
The safety officer suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. On second thought, they were monitoring the Valkyrie team, not Qilin, so the risk should be minimal… He cleared his throat and continued what he had been about to say.
“We are the safety officers for the Valkyrie team. Please note that the aircraft cannot go deep into the ice cave. If you choose to take the route beneath the ice layer, our rescue may be delayed if you encounter danger. Please consider this carefully.”
There was nothing they could do about it. Even if they sent people down in mechs, they couldn’t follow too closely, or they’d risk directly interfering in the contestants’ battles.
Besides, the principle for safety officers was to have no impact whatsoever on the competition’s outcome, so they had to avoid any interaction with Bliztar’s star beasts or mutated flora and fauna.
The Valkyrie team had fallen into the ice cave by sheer accident—no one had expected them to decide to travel underground.
So warning them of the risks in advance was the safety officers’ duty.
Hiranuma Yusho exchanged glances with his three companions.
“We understand, sir. We’ll be careful from here on.”
“Thank you, sir. You can rest assured.”
“We’ll take responsibility for ourselves.”
“That’s right, that’s right.”
Since they had already made their decision, they weren’t going to change it lightly.
And none of them forgot that they were still reserve soldiers—they were supposed to take responsibility for every choice they made.
As adults, there would be no future—and they didn’t want—others to have to cover for their lives.
“Alright. We’ll be monitoring your status at all times. If necessary, we’ll use firepower, so listen for the command. Wishing you all the best.”
“Yes, sir.” “Yes, sir.”
“Understood.”
“Thank you, sir.”
In the camp’s live-stream room, Chao Hao crossed his arms and glanced at the Valkyrie team’s feed.
“Those kids have some guts.”
Lin Youfu and Gaskell clenched their fists and nodded politely.
“…You flatter us.”
In the past, they had played the tough guys every day, pushing the students to train on schedule, face difficulties head-on, and confront risks.
There was no way around it—it was the tradition of military academy instructors, because real strength was what kept you alive on the battlefield.
Now that the students had actually done exactly that, it was the teachers who were the ones worrying!
The risks above ground and below ground were both considerable. Hiranuma and his team were clearly doing well, so why couldn’t they just put their hearts at ease?
At our age, can't you just stay calm?
The two teachers exchanged a wry smile in unison. Ah, the life of a teacher isn't easy!
