The two squads braved the wind and snow for over two hours without finding any trace of the First Military Academy.
Seeing the wind growing stronger and the temperature dropping further, they had no choice but to set up camp on the spot and get through the night first.
Wang Tianwei volunteered to help Valk with some mech repairs, and Wu Fangyu was deeply grateful—in weather this cold, Sister Zebra was basically his honorary older sister now!
"Sister Zebra~"
He turned his head and suddenly saw a figure covered head to toe in black metal climbing down from the mech, and nearly dropped to his knees in shock.
"...That look of yours is still way too avant-garde."
Wang Tianwei waved a hand dismissively and told him to get into the tent quickly. With just that basic insulation gear, he'd freeze into an icicle within minutes if he stayed outside any longer.
Wu Fangyu was freezing and scrambled into the tent, where Captain Hiranuma Yusho, along with Jian Jingyu and Zhang Lyra from Qilin, were already waiting for him.
Hiranuma Yusho originally didn't want anyone leaving their mechs, but since Wang Tianwei offered to modify them... there was no help for it.
Leaving Wu Fangyu alone in the tent wouldn't do either—too dangerous.
So after discussing with Huang Yan, they decided that for now, Taylor, Barry, and Huang Yan would remain on standby in the mechs outside, ready to detect and attack any situation at a moment's notice.
He had come inside out of concern that insects or something else might suddenly burst out from underground—they'd had experiences like that before...
Zhang Lyra and Jian Jingyu were sent over by Huang Yan. The two of them had fast reflexes and plenty of strength, so in case of an emergency, they could quickly haul Valk's mech pilot and commander out of harm's way.
"Don't look so glum, Wu Fangyu. We placed in the top two in this competition!"
Jian Jingyu nudged the man beside him with his elbow—the one who couldn't seem to relax around the "little bees" no matter what.
Wu Fangyu forced a bitter smile.
"...I'm nervous."
Insects everywhere—how could he not be nervous?!
Both their squad and Qilin had compromised safety officers, and the First Military Academy had likely suffered the same.
The problem was that the enemy wasn't revealing their hand. They were still broadcasting live and racking up points. Who knew whether the organizing committee had caught on yet?
"Pfft, a few insects and the First Military Academy has you this scared? You need to fight more matches!"
"...Not everyone's like you guys—joining Zero Boundary teams while still in school? 'Qilin's Biggest Headache'? You really are something."
"What's wrong with Zero Boundary? Their facilities are top-notch! My dad already checked them out—it's a licensed venue, and we're LV2 now!"
And you're proud of that?
"Word is Qilin's already banned students from going to outside arenas for matches without reporting first. That rule was made just for you guys, wasn't it?"
"...You're spying on our Qilin!"
"It's all over the forums..."
Seeing that Wu Fangyu was gradually loosening up, Hiranuma Yusho felt a bit more at ease. When it came to acting, Qilin certainly had the experience.
His gaze swept over Zhang Lyra, who wore a relaxed expression but was constantly positioned on an escape trajectory. At this distance, in this position...
She really did seem ready to hoist him up and haul him out at any moment. Though he was reluctant to admit it, with Barry still not fully recovered, having the two of them nearby was genuinely reassuring.
What Zhang Lyra was actually thinking, however, was somewhat different.
Someone like Sister Zebra would be easy to carry given her build, but both Hiranuma Yusho and Wu Fangyu were taller than her!
So she'd been eyeing angles the whole time—trying to figure out from which direction she could fling the two of them like javelins. Ideally straight to the cockpit hatch of their mechs...
Unaware of the truth, Hiranuma Yusho quietly layed two extra layers of mental barrier over the two of them. Sensing this from within his mech, Huang Yan was momentarily surprised, then paid a bit more attention to Taylor and Barry.
By the time Wang Tianwei finished modifying all four mechs and repositioned all their broadcast cameras, Huang Yan had already worked out the night watch rotation with Hiranuma Yusho in case they couldn't move tonight.
Two people would remain in the mechs outside, maintaining mental early-warning and patrolling, while another two stayed in the tent to guard against anything emerging from underground.
The remaining four would get proper rest and swap out in the second half of the night.
So far, the insects hadn't shown any signs of attacking. Before things came to a head, they needed to bank as much sleep as possible.
When it was time to sleep, Wang Tianwei deliberately pulled her sleeping bag into the corner, facing the tent fabric, wrapped herself up completely, and left only a bit of hair sticking out.
Then she switched on the voice-signal jammer she'd cobbled together while repairing the mechs, and only after the indicator light lit up did she speak.
"Everyone, heads up—I've blocked the 'little bees' voice sync, but to avoid detection, the cameras are still rolling! Remember to watch what you say."
Inside the mech outside, Hiranuma Yusho also heard Wang Tianwei's voice. His expression only flickered for a moment before returning to normal, and he casually let out an "Mm," which was picked up by the jammer in Wang Tianwei's hand.
Hearing this, Jian Jingyu turned over outright and buried his whole face in his sleeping bag.
"Sister Zebra's a legend!"
Huang Yan, eyes closed, turned to the side and used his sleeping bag to cover the lower half of his face.
"The insects haven't just taken control of the safety officer teachers—they've also parasitized the star beasts and mutant beasts. Planet Blizza has most likely fallen...
So far, there's been no broadcast of the First Military Academy gaining twenty points. Tomorrow might be the final deadline. Either way, we have to find them."
"If Planet Blizza has fallen... do the people outside know? How do we send a distress signal?"
Barry pretended to yawn, covering his mouth with both hands, and rattled off all his questions at once.
Hiranuma Yusho stayed silent in front of the cameras for the moment.
They'd already pointed out the insects, and the broadcast hadn't stopped—it wasn't impossible that the outside world already knew what was happening.
But even now, no one had come to rescue them? The Federation...
Huang Yan was thinking the same thing.
"The Federation should be able to see that we've encountered insects."
Wang Tianwei chimed in at the right moment.
"I was monitoring the flyer's comm channel and heard them reading the live-stream comments. The Federation's viewers already know."
"Something's definitely wrong!"
Taylor pretended to cough and voiced his thought.
Both inside and outside the tent went quiet for a moment.
"I've installed listening devices on each mech. Everyone remember to wear earpieces when you get in the cockpit tomorrow—don't play anything out loud.
I'll pick the right moment to attack, and you'll all be able to hear what they're saying."
"Sister Zebra, can't you contact He Siyu and the others directly?"
"Signal's limited, and Leola seems to have upgraded their mechs too... If we could get a bit closer, maybe it'd work—I'm just worried the insects will detect us."
Huang Yan thought for a long while before speaking.
"Either way, everyone, be prepared. Tomorrow might be a big battle..."
