Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Roy was uncertain about the purpose of these questions but was sure that they posed no harm to his interests.

"We've encountered two high-level insectoids: an Antee Turtle and a Chrysalis Eater. The Antee Turtle is level seven, while the Chrysalis Eater might have reached level eight, or it's at the pinnacle of level seven."

The Antee Turtle is a beetle-like creature, massive and turtle-shaped, with an outer shell that's quite cumbersome in battle.

The Chrysalis Eater, on the other hand, is a crawling worm-like creature adorned with dense, dazzling patterns resembling wildflowers. Small in size, it's highly camouflaged when buried in the grass, relying on its tentacles to crawl and attack. The mucus hidden within its tentacles is highly corrosive.

A level eight could be troublesome, but the task of killing one wouldn't be too difficult with two teams working together.

Moreover, this was the count over half a year.

Yan Yan watched Roy's eyes, inquiring gently, "Is that all?"

Roy frowned and countered, "This is the Barren Star Contest, not a battlefield. How many more do you expect to encounter?"

Indeed, the Barren Star Contest targets "reserve soldiers," not actual soldiers.

A large emergence of high-level insectoids would require the intervention of senior officers even on the real frontlines. These individuals are laden with military honors from the battlefield, and their combat capabilities are leagues beyond those who have never seen battle.

If a multitude of high-level insectoids were to appear in the Barren Star Contest, it wouldn't be a trial; it would be murder.

Everyone's encounters were within the normal range for the Barren Star Contest; although stricter than previous years, it was within an acceptable scope.

Only the Artemis Military Academy and the Sun Lion Institute had encountered a large number of high-level insectoids, as if by accident.

But the two strongest military academies being deployed too close to each other and both falling into that cave was a significant issue in itself.

Roy, in a good mood, said, "Do you have more questions? Ask them all at once."

Yan Yan responded warmly, "Of course, there are more, but asking them all at once would take too long and raise suspicion. Let's conclude the initial questioning for now."

As his words fell, the invisible thin film quietly dissolved.

Roy subconsciously searched for the origin, but found nothing.

It was as if that burst of spiritual force had emerged out of thin air.

He couldn't even discern whether it was the work of several Artemis members inside the barrier or from outside it.

Lin Fu blended into the crowd of a hundred, concealing his presence and becoming inconspicuous.

The dispersed spiritual threads were retracted, but in his mind, the system was helping him monitor everything happening within a ten-meter radius.

The audience was completely unaware that a coercive exchange had just taken place right under their noses.

The Saint Mountain Academy and the Mencalton Academy, as if seeing through the situation, ceased their struggles, adopting a laissez-faire and friendly coexistence, seeking a dry resting place together, and then preparing food.

The members from Saint Mountain Academy and Mencalton Academy lacked enthusiasm, showing little interest in eating, treating it merely as a necessary task, no different from refueling mechas with energy stones.

The Artemis Military Academy and Hui Lion Academy, on the other hand, were excited, their spirits lifted at the mention of eating.

The barrage of comments shared their excitement, equally animated.

"Here it comes!!"

“

A feast

"The show begins!! Sob sob sob, I'm so hungry, I've already camped out at the restaurant, ready to eat along with the video!!"

"I'm begging you! Lin Fu, please open a restaurant after the Huanxing competition!! It's sure to be a hit!! I just want to crawl inside and take a whiff, it must smell heavenly!!"

"What should we have for dinner tonight!!? How about fish? I think the Longwool Beast would be a great choice, how about Longwool Beast and fish!?"

One by one, they discussed what to eat with great enthusiasm, as if they could actually taste the dishes themselves.

On the screen, the people of Artemis and Hui Lion had already conscientiously begun to divide tasks, with some hunting for food, others searching for seasonings, and those preparing the fire and stoves were already selecting an auspicious spot, planning the shape of the pit they would dig.

Roy watched their actions: "…?"

He retrieved the previously hunted exotic beast meat from his storage device, which had been air-dried to become jerky. The texture was much improved compared to fresh meat, and the gaminess was significantly reduced.

Milton turned his head and saw him gnawing on the jerky with a look of slight sympathy in his eyes.

Ever since she met Lin Fu, even underground, her food was better than Roy's. How pitiable.

Roy: "???"

Why look at him with pity in those eyes?

Yan Yan politely invited, "Would you like to join us for a meal?"

The barrage, upon hearing the invitation, went wild.

"Yes, yes, yes!! I'm coming, I'm coming right now!! Woo-hoo, open up the starship route, I'm rushing over!!"

"Agree, please!! Ah, you're killing me with anxiety!! Such a golden opportunity!!"

"If a super long-distance warp wormhole appeared right now, I'd jump into it immediately, right this second!!"

Unfortunately, Roy couldn't hear their heartfelt cries.

Not understanding what they were really offering, he cautiously replied, "Thank you, but no need. We still have a sufficient supply of food."

Yan Yan smiled slightly, not surprised.

It was just a polite offer, after all. With over a hundred people and only Lin Fu handling the food, there was no need to add to his burden.

Milton looked at him again with a sighing gaze, filled with even more pity, sending shivers down Roy's spine.

Soon, the hunters returned with freshly processed meat and fire-resistant wooden sticks, all sharpened and ready for use.

Lin Fu began processing the meat.

As the scent of various seasoning plant juices spread, fragments were stuffed into the meat alongside the fire, and chopped bones were thrown into a huge shell to simmer into a broth, people from the Saint Mountain Academy and Menkar Carlton Academy gradually realized something.

The fragrance in the air slowly dispersed, becoming richer and richer, relentlessly burrowing into everyone's noses.

Roy, halfway through his jerky, struggled to swallow the slightly fishy meat in his mouth and, looking at the sizzling, oil-spitting beast meat, said, "You guys... can cook..."

Milton, leisurely leaning against a high rock with his long legs crossed and toes wagging, said: "Not us, but Lin Fu. Don't you think he's a little treasure, and you'd love to take him home?"

Yan Yan cast her a glance.

Milton's wagging toes came to an abrupt halt: "..." What are you staring at? What's there to look at? Did she say something wrong?!

They were oblivious to the sudden, strange atmosphere that had developed between them.

Roy put away his jerky, his small tiger teeth flashing a bright and adorable smile: "So, can I perhaps..."

Milton was merciless: "No."

Roy: "..." Sometimes, happiness slips away just like that.

Lin Fu, the eye of the storm, watched his meat quietly.

The group of four sat closely together, refusing any distractions during mealtime.

For a moment in this live broadcast, time seemed to stand still, nearly making all viewers forget that this was a perilous, desolate star racecourse.

*

Time flew, and four out of the five major military academies had gathered.

Everyone speculated a fight would break out, but surprisingly, nothing happened. Not only did they coexist harmoniously, but they even planned to search for the remaining energy cores together.

The viewers expressed their incomprehension through the barrage of comments.

It wasn't just the viewers; even the teachers from the major military academies couldn't understand how such a situation had come about.

The rivalry between the five major military academies intensified with each passing year. Given their current relationships, no benefit was worth losing face over to invite the other for a cooperative scheme.

However, as incomprehensible as it was, it was indeed happening right before their eyes.

And they were getting along quite harmoniously.

Lin Fu subsequently used the psychic barrier again, in the dead of night.

The stars were brilliant in the indigo sky; even in the deep night, one could see the cold white radiance.

Before sleeping, Roy saw Yan Yan deliberately lie down near him, guessing that the night might continue earlier conversations.

He was highly alert to the changes around him, and if possible, he even wanted to release his spirit body to help him pinpoint the source of the psychic energy.

Unfortunately, it was not feasible.

His abilities had yet to reach the level where he could release a spiritual entity without anyone noticing.

Yan Yan looked through the gaps in the branches at the fragmented sky above, his voice gentle and soothing, "No need for probing, the psychic barrier is already up. We wouldn't have approached you if we weren't confident."

Roy was startled, sending out his psychic energy to probe and, indeed, found it blocked.

Every word they spoke here could not be heard by anyone outside the barrier, except for the one who had erected it.

He tried to calm his startled heart, "With such a powerful ally, why don’t you explore on your own instead of approaching us?"

Yan Yan remained composed, his voice so gentle it could disarm one’s vigilance, yet a careful listener would notice it devoid of his personal emotions, extremely restrained.

"Time is precious, let’s move on to more substantive matters."

Yan Yan inquired, "Had you encountered the Royal Military Academy before you met us?"

Roy replied, "No, but we did come across people from the Xuanjian Academy. They mentioned having encountered the Royal Military Academy along the way."

Yan Yan continued, "Where did you encounter the Xuanjian Academy, and in which direction were they heading?"

Roy responded, "In the plains. They were heading inland from the coast."

With that question concluded, Yan Yan introduced a new one, "Any news on the remaining energy cores?"

Roy’s face gradually paled, "Do you think I would divulge such information?"

Yan Yan smiled slightly, "Yes."

Roy’s playful demeanor vanished, his lips pressed tightly in a reluctant smile, "We’re all in the same area now. If anything happens to any of us, both the Artemis Military Academy and the Hui Lion School would be held accountable. The council and numerous nobles would intervene. Do you think your classmate with the peculiar psychic ability could keep it a secret?"

Yan Yan replied, "Thank you for your concern, we’ll handle it ourselves."

Roy was left speechless; it was like talking to a wall.

Outside the psychic barrier, Lin Fu listened to their conversation.

Every question Yan Yan asked was carefully selected, essential information interspersed with irrelevant questions to obfuscate their true intentions and prevent them from being discovered.

Evidently, though Roy Marvin was sharp-minded among his peers, he wasn't adept enough to pinpoint the key issues after multiple layers of obfuscation, nor was he persistent enough to fixate on certain questions with Yan Yan.

The fact that the Royal Military Academy encountered the Xuanjian Academy along the coast suggests their initial deployment was near the seaside.

The drop zones for the Holy Mountain and Mencalton Academy were also on the plains, not far from the coastal areas.

This barren planet was not large, its volume merely one percent of the Imperial Capital Star.

If one were to mentally map out the area, it would be evident that the drop zones near the coast were overly concentrated.

It was hard not to be suspicious.

He pondered further.

Without the system, if his psychic strength couldn't recover further, and Yan Yan chose to rescue the Hui Lion School upon discovering their plight, the Artemis squad falling into the subterranean would likely have meant certain death, if not immediately, then slowly, unable to escape from beneath the ground.

The two strongest factions among the five military academies would be compromised, creating a significant gap in the fresh blood sent to the front lines. Missing a batch of graduates wouldn't hugely impact the war effort, but one couldn't guarantee that before the next influx of recruits, an unforeseen event wouldn't arise that would sorely miss those few individuals' presence.

Of course, all these were just hypotheses.

After all, if the front lines were in disarray, the entire rear wouldn't be at peace.

Lin Fu closed his eyes, turned, and rested his arm under his head.

Early the next day, the entire team set off, moving towards the desert.

The only substantial area yet unexplored and likely hiding the energy cores, according to the information extracted so far, was the desert region.

Powerful military academies like Xuanjian Academy began to march toward the desert, attempting to seize the remaining energy cores.

Holy Mountain Academy and Mencalton Academy originally had the same destination, but now their planned route had been unpleasantly altered by the forceful insertion of Artemis Military Academy and Hui Lion School into the group.

Although Artemis Military Academy's initial drop zone was in the wasteland, they knew less than the others.

At the rear of the group, everyone from Artemis Military Academy cursed inwardly upon learning that the remaining energy cores might be located there.

"What a mess this is," they grumbled.

Within the team, Lin Fu and his three companions murmured quietly to each other.

Albert was particularly frustrated, "They’ve really lucked out!"

Although they didn't fall into the abyss at that time, they were subsequently single-mindedly obsessed with hunting down the family of crawling armors after presuming Lin Fu and Yan Yan were dead, neglecting to exchange information with other military academies, knowing little more than Lin Fu and his team.

Lin Fu whispered, “It’s not too late now.”

They didn’t take the same route back, opting instead for a river, following the valley to reach the plateau, and then the desert dunes lay beyond.

The other side connected to the coast.

To save time, they willingly shared the energy ore stored in their storage devices, driving their mechs swiftly towards the desert.

This mitigated the dissatisfaction in the hearts of the two military academies significantly, acknowledging that Artemis and his team were sensible enough not to offend them too harshly.

Lin Fu glanced at the storage space he had freed up, where only the most top-tier energy ores remained.

Upon reaching the desert, their giant mechs could take in a vast expanse of the landscape, drawing considerable attention from others.

Suddenly, the density of people in the desert greatly increased.

The team leader from Xuan Jian Academy took the initiative to bring people close to the four military academies, sizing up their massive troop and their amicable alliance demeanor.

Four out of the five major military academies… had actually formed an alliance?

Cameras from various teams converged overhead, capturing the grand scene of the military academy students congregating.