“A captive?” Lancelot was so furious he actually laughed. “You really think I’m as useless as those two?”
Pei Liang gestured for him to keep his voice down. “Don’t say that. Military academies may value strength above all else, but when it comes to seniors who are about to enter the army and serve the Empire, we should still show them the utmost respect.”
“And your idea of respect is provoking them in public, mocking them, and then treating them like livestock?” Lancelot raised an eyebrow as he sneered at his sister by blood.
Pei Liang smiled. “That’s different. It was just pre-match banter. I bet on myself to win, after all. This has nothing to do with personal grudges.”
As she spoke, she glanced at Brian and Hodgson. Both men’s backsides clenched at once, and then they heard her loudly declare, “See how close we are in private?”
The two immediately nodded.
“Yes, yes, Pei Liang is very easy to get along with. We’re honored to be teamed up with her.”
Lancelot looked at the two of them with contempt, then turned back and glared at Pei Liang. “I don’t have time to argue with you.”
“But if you think you can capture me as easily as you captured those two, you’re gravely mistaken.”
Pei Liang knew that the boy wasn’t saying this out of blind confidence.
He was only sixteen, after all, while the usual age for entering a military academy was eighteen or older.
It wasn’t unheard-of for prodigies to skip grades and be admitted ahead of time, but such exceptions were generally made for technical, academic, or command-oriented talents.
Mecha pilots, however, were not so easily granted such exemptions.
It was true that a 3S-rank Alpha would normally possess an enormous combat advantage even at a young age, and passing the qualification examination for a military academy would be no problem.
But unlike other types of talents, the higher a mecha warrior’s genetic rank, the stricter the requirements for skipping grades became.
That was because the value of humanity’s most powerful warrior genes was measured over the course of an entire lifetime. For that reason, solid fundamentals were considered even more important.
For Lancelot to be standing here at his age meant that his abilities had already been recognized. He had completely surpassed other Alphas of the same age and rank and was ready to move on to the next stage.
Seeing that Pei Liang seemed to be considering something, Lancelot snorted.
His mecha bracelet instantly transformed into something resembling an arm guard. It did not fully deploy; instead, a soft yet incredibly tough metal cable sprang from within.
One end of the cable pierced into a towering tree that was difficult to make out in the darkness. Lancelot’s entire body was pulled into the air.
In an instant, he vanished from everyone’s sight.
Brian and Hodgson watched his agile figure and practically cried with envy.
The viewers watching the livestream also breathed a sigh of relief—or, to be more precise, those who had bet on an outcome contrary to what was unfolding did.
If Pei Liang managed to capture another 3S-rank Alpha, she would practically be invincible on the entire battlefield.
Unless one of the four elite military academies got absurdly lucky and managed to regroup early on, it would be extremely difficult for 3S-rank contestants from different academies to cooperate.
[Wait, what did they mean by “little brother” just now? Is there some gossip?]
[Probably mocking his height and age.]
[Insider information: the two of them are half-siblings through their mother.]
[But their bloodlines are completely different, aren’t they?]
[Their mothers are both that renowned Madame.]
[????]
[????]
[What kind of gossip are the people above talking about? Did I miss something?]
[Yeah, I’m completely lost too.]
[Let’s just say that those who understand will understand. If you don’t, explaining it won’t help anyway, so it’s better not to say anything. Since I have a stake in this, I can’t reveal too much. And you shouldn’t ask, either. Knowing too much won’t do you any good. Just pretend you never heard it. (Note)]
[For fuck’s sake, where did this wannabe know-it-all come from? You’re making my fists itch.]
Just as another flame war was about to erupt, someone suddenly noticed the key point—
[Wait a second. Lancelot has successfully escaped, right?]
[Then where’s Pei Liang?]
Everyone was startled. They hurriedly pressed their eyes to the screen, trying to locate the Alpha who had given them so many shocks.
At first glance, there was no one.
It was fine, it was fine. The night was simply too dark. Everyone was wearing pitch-black combat suits, so it was easy to overlook someone.
But to give the audience a better viewing experience, the livestream cameras automatically adjusted the image in low-light conditions. The colors were somewhat dim, but that did not hinder viewers from observing the contestants’ every move.
Then the final sliver of hope was destroyed when the camera switched angles.
Lancelot was seen swinging through the jungle with the aid of his metal cable, as nimble as an elf.
His lips were tightly pressed together. His expression had not relaxed now that he was out of danger; instead, he looked as if he were deep in thought.
His beautiful eyes seemed unfocused, and even those sensitive to emotions could clearly tell that he was not in a particularly good mood.
Suddenly, a voice entered the livestream—and Lancelot’s ears.
“I’ve never seen a captive this spoiled and full of himself over his looks. You ran off just because you felt like it. If you were anyone else, I’d have broken your legs already.”
When Lancelot heard this, he nearly lost his balance.
He turned around and stared at the person who had followed him as if he were looking at a ghost.
“How—” How was this possible?
No matter how distracted he was, Lancelot was not so slow that he could fail to notice someone catching up to him.
There had been no sound of a mecha activating, nor the noise of a metal cable shooting into a tree as there had been with him.
Everything had happened in complete silence, yet the other person had still caught up and was now moving alongside him at the same altitude.
How high above the ground were they? Even the lowest point was nearly twenty meters up. How had this person floated up here?
He was like a fucking ghost.
Lancelot’s eyes widened in shock. Countless livestream viewers were just as dumbfounded.
But perhaps the organizers had other plans, or perhaps an even more exciting battle had broken out elsewhere. The main livestream suddenly moved away from them and switched to another group of contestants.
[Holy shit!]
The viewers erupted in curses.
Then they hurriedly searched for Pei Liang’s or Lancelot’s individual livestream channels.
In the chaos, by the time they returned to the scene, they happened to see Lancelot being dragged back to the ground by Pei Liang.
His face was filled with disbelief, and he looked as if he had a thousand things to say but couldn’t get any of them out. Countless viewers were ready to curse the organizers to hell.
They were dying to know how Pei Liang had managed to drag him down, but if they wanted to rewind the footage, they would have to wait until after the competition ended and subscribe to access it.
A small number of viewers who had been watching the split-screen broadcast—or had simply kept both the split-screen and main feed open—had seen the entire process clearly.
But when they eagerly shared what they had witnessed online, they were mocked for spreading lies and exaggerating.
[He was flying? In a mecha tournament? Are we supposed to believe we just witnessed humanity evolve wings on the spot?]
[No wings? He just flew anyway? You try flying like that and see how it goes. That’s fucking ridiculous.]
[Forget it, forget it. There are too many people riding the audience’s curiosity for attention. Just wait until the post-match subscription becomes available.]
The viewers who truly knew what had happened but could not convince anyone: […]
Perhaps they had seen wrong? Maybe Pei Liang was using some kind of auxiliary tool too; they simply hadn’t noticed.
The others were skeptical, but Lancelot had seen it all clearly.
That woman really had been flying through the air by borrowing a little momentum here and there. The jungle was filled with towering trees, and there were countless trunks, branches, and leaves to use. Even at the very last step, Lancelot had clearly seen her step onto a startled bird as it took flight, using it to propel herself forward once more.
Each time she borrowed momentum, her “flight” lasted no less than the time he spent being launched and swinging through the air with metal wires. She was even more agile, and wasn’t restricted by the arc of a swing.
Lancelot had to admit that his mind was in complete disarray. He stared at Pei Liang in disbelief. “How did you—how did you manage that?”
Pei Liang raised an eyebrow. “Want to learn?”
Originally, Pei Liang had assumed that with the little black cat’s proud and aloof personality, he would probably bristle and deny it.
Unexpectedly, he answered without hesitation. “I do.”
Pei Liang looked at this nominal little brother in surprise. His green catlike eyes stared at her stubbornly, and his entire demeanor showed that his competitive spirit had been roused.
The smile on Pei Liang’s face deepened. “Even if you want to learn, I’m not teaching you. Since when can a captive learn skills from their captor?”
“You—” Lancelot’s face flushed bright red.
Then the woman added, “You don’t even call me Sister, and you don’t know how to act cute. Why should I teach you?”
Lancelot pressed his lips tightly together, his eyes almost turning red. At last, he gave Pei Liang a deep look, turned his head away without saying anything, and trudged back.
Seeing this, Pei Liang wondered whether she had bullied the child a little too much.
Lancelot’s return was greeted enthusiastically by Brian and Hodgson.
The two of them even leaped to their feet and surrounded him, beaming as they fussed over him.
“What made you run off in the first place? You had to come back anyway. Wasn’t it exhausting wasting all that energy in the middle of the night?”
“Not to hide anything from you, Junior Lancelot, but from the moment I first saw you, I had a feeling we’d become comrades fighting side by side in this competition.”
“This is where you belong. See? After going out for a while, you finally realized it yourself.”
Lancelot glanced at the two of them and sneered. “Could you stay a little farther away, seniors? Your smell is assaulting my nose.”
Brian and Hodgson: “…”
With Lancelot joining them, the team became more formidable than ever.
At least in the eyes of the audience, if they ran into any organization’s forces on the field right now, they would be guaranteed to win.
Of course, this gain far exceeded Pei Liang’s expectations as well.
With three 3S-rank fighters at her disposal, everything that followed would be twice as effective with half the effort.
After a night had passed, the mecha’s automatic environmental scan was complete.
Pei Liang was the first to obtain a map of the entire planet. Although it wasn’t detailed enough to show every feature, she now had a rough understanding of the planet’s size, the distribution of its landmasses, its climate, and its geological conditions.
“It’s somewhat similar to the layout of the capital planet,” Pei Liang said. “Seventy percent ocean and thirty percent land. The planet is much smaller, but walking all the way around it would still be enough to drain the mecha’s power.”
“It’s an undeveloped, uninhabited planet. That means the entire planet is part of the arena, and there’s nowhere to replenish our mecha’s energy. If our power runs out before we pull down the flag, we’re eliminated.”
“Our current coordinates on the arena planet are twenty-three degrees south latitude, while the flag is at the center of the arena, which is…” Pei Liang tapped a point on the projected globe. “Here.”
“It’s quite far away. We’ll have to hurry from here on out.”
This was standard practice in the arena. 3S-rank contestants had powerful mental strength, so their mecha naturally gathered information faster than those of ordinary contestants. To ensure fairness, 3S-rank contestants were invariably dropped relatively far from the flag platform.
After determining their direction, the group set off toward the center.
This was where having captives became useful.
The combat soldiers needed to keep their mecha ready to fight powerful opponents, but people naturally couldn’t travel as fast as mecha.
So as they journeyed, the mecha belonging to the ordinary contestants took turns transforming into aircraft and carrying everyone forward.
Of course, contestants with a conscience would also deal with some of the stronger insectoids or high-value beasts along the way, offering the points to their captors as compensation.
After all, anyone capable of ordering captives around and entering the military through sheer ability would naturally become a leader-type soldier. The mecha league showcased a person’s talents in every respect.
Leaders who knew how to secure benefits for their “subordinates” were naturally more popular as well.
Even so, none of them had expected Pei Liang to be this generous.
Whenever they encountered insectoids along the way, she would carve through them with ease, leaving them barely alive before ordering the others to step forward and deliver the killing blow. The points naturally went to them.
Several times, they even encountered 2S-rank insectoids, and she generously divided those points among them too.
Brian felt a pang of reluctance. “Just give them the S-rank and lower ones. The points for 2S-rank and above are worth a lot.”
“These points will have a significant impact on the rest of the competition and our final rankings. They’ll even affect our evaluations when we enter the military.”
Pei Liang looked at the two of them. “I captured both of you. Do you really think my evaluation is going to be low?”
The two of them: “…”
Damn it, how had they forgotten that?
Before entering, her publicly announced rank had only been S. The fact that she had captured three 3S-rank contestants in succession was enough on its own to attract the attention of the military’s top brass.
For years to come, neither the military nor the audience would forget her existence.
Ultimately, an evaluation record was simply the military’s impression of an individual. Did this woman still need such things now?
By this point, the group had reached the edge of the rainforest. The rainforest was roughly the size of a major nation from the pre-interstellar era. Its ecosystem was rich, but danger lurked everywhere.
There were also numerous cunning insectoids that had been dropped into the area. The fact that they had made it through in only three days already spoke to their efficiency.
Pei Liang said, “There’s plenty of food inside the rainforest, but that may not be the case outside. So tonight, we need to gather as much as possible—at least five days’ worth of food and water.”
“Understood!” everyone replied with a nod.
It was not unusual for mecha soldiers to fight for long periods in harsh environments, so every mecha came equipped with a dedicated food compartment.
It wasn’t large, but it contained enough nutrient solution and solid water for a single soldier to survive for more than a month.
Since the mecha league was meant to test the military students’ survival skills, it naturally didn’t supply them with nutrient solutions. Still, the food compartments with spatial storage were more than sufficient to hold several days’ worth of provisions.
Because they had been beaten so thoroughly, Brian and Hodgson had been forbidden by Pei Liang from touching the food the entire time.
Now, they were assigned other manual labor instead.
Gathering food was not difficult. Even ordinary contestants could manage it with ease. The group picked some juicy, tasty fruit, edible nuts, fish to provide protein, and small animals.
Lancelot was the first to return. He carried a large pile of fruit in the metal case formed from his mecha.
He dumped it in front of Pei Liang, then dismissed his mecha, turned around, and leaned against a massive boulder with his eyes closed, resting.
Brian nudged Hodgson and motioned for him to look back.
Hodgson glanced over and immediately felt his teeth ache with envy.
He muttered under his breath to Brian, “This guy’s practically turning the liquid properties of his mech’s outer shell into an art form.”
Lancelot’s mech had barely been deployed these past few days, but just look at what he had used it for. At first, he had transformed it into metal wires and launched himself away. The two of them had admired his decisiveness and agility—he hadn’t wasted any energy and had achieved maximum efficiency.
But ever since he’d been captured, Pei Liang had been ordering him around as well. Kitchen knives, saws, barbecue grills, pliers, axes, fishing forks…
She had bullied him to the absolute limit.
The key point was that after getting over the initial humiliation, the guy had actually started giving up on himself. He completely ignored his status as a nobleman and had even developed new functions for the mech without anyone teaching him.
Anyone who knew better would recognize it as a 3S-class mech. Otherwise, they might mistake it for some kind of all-purpose household toolbox.
An all-purpose toolbox made of liquid metal from a mech—it was ridiculously extravagant.
Brian curled his lip. “Wasn’t he always claiming that he was going to escape?”
Hodgson instantly flew into a rage. “Escape my ass. Haven’t you noticed? He’s turned himself into a foreman.”
The two of them were still muttering when Lancelot frowned and spoke up from nearby. “What are you two doing?”
The pair froze. “What?”
Lancelot walked over unhappily. “I don’t smell any mosquito-repelling herbs. Didn’t I tell you to find some and burn them?”
Brian couldn’t stand his fussiness anymore. “This is a survival competition, not some camping trip! Do you think we’re out here having a picnic? Do we really need mosquito-repelling herbs to stay alive?”
Lancelot stared at him sternly. “There’s no way there aren’t any. I saw plenty nearby when I was picking fruit just now.”
“Gentlemen, I feel obligated to remind you that we are currently on an undeveloped, unfamiliar planet. Although most of the species here are known to us, that doesn’t mean the microorganisms on this planet are suitable for long-term human habitation. And as for the pathogens carried by the animals, there’s a high probability that we have no corresponding antibodies.”
“You two are tough enough that insects may not be interested in you, so naturally you don’t care. But she—the others and I—aren’t willing to take that risk. If I were eliminated not because of a powerful opponent or the Zerg, but because of a mere mosquito, it would be a lifelong disgrace.”
Hodgson immediately cursed at him. “Oh, give me a break. You’ve just gotten addicted to waiting on people.”
“Look at the fruit you picked.” He pointed at the pile Lancelot had brought back. “Which one isn’t something Pei Liang likes?”
“Before you left, I reminded you three times that I wanted those red, elongated fruits with the texture of pears and a taste like durian. I asked you to pick some for me. Did you listen?”
Lancelot turned his face away. “I didn’t see any.”
“Bullshit! Do you dare say that while looking me in the eye?” The fruits in question grew exceptionally tall and could be seen from a great distance. In the direction Lancelot had just returned from, there were clearly several trees bearing them.
Lancelot continued, “The taste is unpleasant. The fruit is being stored communally, and several contestants dislike it. Senior, please exercise some restraint for everyone’s sake.”
“Who are you talking about when you say ‘everyone’? Apart from Pei Liang, who else have you heard complain?”
“The other seniors merely don’t dare say anything.”
“You—! We’re all prisoners here. Do you really think I’m going to bully them? Have Brian and I not been ordered around the most these past few days?”
Brian nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Don’t push it too far.”
“All day long, you keep shouting that you’re going to escape, that you’re going to defeat Pei Liang, and that you’ll never abandon your dignity when she orders you around. And what happens in the end?”
“Damn it, we spread out her sleeping bag, and you complained that we hadn’t done it properly, forcing us to put a layer of soft grass beneath it. When we helped hand her food, you were even quicker than she was, saying our hands were dirty and insisting on taking the food from us, cutting it up, and handing it to her yourself. Everyone else bathes in cold water, but you not only insist that we waste precious mech energy heating water for her—you even turn your mech into a bathtub so she can soak in it.”
“I’ve never seen a bootlicker like you. Be honest—are you trying to cling to her because she’s so powerful? Whatever your ulterior motive is, just say it plainly. Considering how diligently you’ve been serving her these past few days, I’d say Pei Liang might agree to it if she’s in a good mood.”
Lancelot’s face flushed crimson. He put on a fierce expression that failed to hide his embarrassment. “Shut up! Who’s trying to curry favor with her?”
Just then, he felt a gaze fall upon him.
Lancelot turned around and saw Pei Liang holding a piece of fruit in one hand, chewing on it as she looked at him with an amused smile.
His scalp went numb. His face burning with embarrassment, he turned around and ran.
Pei Liang hurriedly called after him, “It’s time to eat! Where are you going?”
“To escape!”
It sounded almost like a tantrum. Since they had said he couldn’t do it, he had to escape and show them that he could.
Pei Liang stood up and gave Brian and Hodgson each a thump on the head. The two men crouched on the ground clutching their heads, tears of pain streaming from their eyes.
Only after they watched Pei Liang chase Lancelot out of sight did they dare speak again.
“Damn it. It really is the two of us who are at the bottom of the pecking order.”
Unlike the first time, when he had left decisively, Lancelot didn’t get very far this time before Pei Liang caught up with him on foot.
Perhaps because he hadn’t eaten dinner, or perhaps because he was running out of stamina, he was moving somewhat slowly.
His attention was clearly still focused on what was happening behind him. The moment he sensed someone catching up, he sped up.
Pei Liang smiled, exerted herself for an instant, and appeared in front of Lancelot the next second.
He couldn’t stop in time and nearly ran straight into her.
After steadying himself, Lancelot snapped angrily, “Why did you run in front of me?”
Pei Liang looked at him with a smile. “What, is there a particular technique for catching prisoners now?”
Seeing that the boy was so embarrassed he looked ready to burrow into the ground, Pei Liang stopped teasing him.
She reached out and rubbed his head. “Didn’t you say you wanted to learn my abilities? How are you supposed to learn if you run away?”
Lancelot’s body stiffened, but gradually relaxed beneath the warmth of her palm. He turned his head away. “I can defeat you even if I don’t learn from you.”
“Yes, yes, of course. I see that your bones are extraordinary and your talent unparalleled. You’re a once-in-a-generation prodigy, and I’m the one crying and begging to pass all my abilities on to you.”
One of them dared to say it, and the other actually dared to believe it.
Lancelot lifted his chin proudly. “That’s right. I’m destined to become the strongest Alpha of this generation. My father and my teachers have all said so.”
But when he mentioned his father, a trace of sorrow crossed Lancelot’s eyes.
Pei Liang knew that his biological father had been killed in battle the year they first met. Without saying anything, she gently stroked his back, soothing him like a cat.
On their way back, the two of them spotted the other two contestants responsible for gathering food standing beside a pond.
Both of them were soaked from head to toe, staring at something in the water.
Pei Liang and Lancelot were puzzled and walked over.
“What are you looking at?” Pei Liang asked.
The two said nothing.
Lancelot frowned and reached out to tap one of them on the shoulder.
The man slowly turned around. His eyes were completely black, with no whites visible at all.
Then he gave the two of them an eerie smile.
