Chapter 134

Chapter 134

The starship eventually halted about five hundred meters above the ground, deploying students department by department. To prevent early-landing students from ambushing others, the academy released the weaker departments first, ensuring a significant distance between each deployment.

In previous years, the Medical Department was always the first to be deployed in such competitions. This year, however, perhaps due to a reason everyone implicitly understood, the Medical Department was moved down the order, with the Weapons Department being the first to descend.

Following the Medical Department came the Reconnaissance Department, then the Mecha Department, and finally the Melee and Command Departments. The later the deployment, the greater the distance between landing zones.

Parachuting into the rugged, mountainous terrain was no easy feat. After securely bandaging her arms, ankles, and other vulnerable joints, Eve leaped from the starship's exit amidst a low hum.

The high-altitude wind lashed her face like knives. Only when she was about a hundred meters above the ground did a green parachute unfurl with a soft *thump*, swaying gently in the air.

Low-altitude drops were risky in this terrain, yet surprisingly, after Eve’s initial descent, every Mecha Department student who followed also opted for a low-altitude landing.

After the Mecha Department came the Melee Department. Its Chief, Anthony, was not participating in this competition, but Vice Chief Mu Huanzhu stood by the viewport, hands clasped behind her back. The girl had a broad, round forehead, and when deep in thought, she exuded an air of resolute composure. Watching the small green dots briefly hover before vanishing among the dark mountains and verdant branches, she couldn't help but sneer, "They prioritize winning over their lives."

"So, should we still stick to the plan and eliminate the Mecha Department first?" a student behind her inquired.

"Of course."

Mu Huanzhu had once been among the study companions chosen by the Cavendish family for their young lady. This afforded her the privilege of meeting Eve two years prior during a joint training exercise between the Medici and Cavendish families.

Though she didn't know how this person had returned from the dead, Mu Huanzhu had deemed her an unstable element that needed to be eliminated as soon as possible. "If we encounter her, focus all efforts on attacking Eve. She must be eliminated first."

If mechas were permitted in this competition, she might have taken the Mecha Department more seriously. But without their mechas, this group was like a declawed tiger—nothing to fear.

Even the "little princess" was only remarkable due to her Mythological Mecha. Now, without a mecha and with her spiritual state restricted, she likely couldn't stir up much trouble.

From the very beginning, Mu Huanzhu's primary focus had been the Command Department. Other departments, at most, had one or two individuals worth noting.

But how could one person turn the tide alone?

The rule that "a department needs only one survivor to qualify" was misleading from the start.

-

Meanwhile, Eve had already led the Mecha Department students to a safe landing.

As far as the eye could see, a green labyrinth stretched before them. The gurgling of running water sounded eerily haunting in this environment. With the dim sky and leaves rustling like forest spirits, everyone fell silent, instinctively looking toward Eve at the front.

Eve didn't use the flashlight in her equipment pack. Instead, she slowly expanded her psionic energy, sharpening her senses to their peak before turning around and saying, "Does everyone know who their squad leader is? Follow your squad leaders first, and then the squad leaders follow me. Report your numbers within your squads in thirty seconds. Once we've confirmed the headcount, we'll set off."

A somewhat scattered, robotic chorus of count-offs immediately echoed through the dark forest.

When they had split into squads earlier, Jessica, despite her initial reluctance, had done a commendable job. She, Eve, and a few other highly capable students each led a small squad, totaling six. Likely anticipating that Eve would be a prime target for other departments, her squad had the fewest members but the strongest overall combat power, with even Liz placed in Eve's team.

Ironically, the squad with the most members was led by Jessica herself.

Liz, naturally, was in tears about the team assignments: "Princess… Princess, I don't want to leave you…"

"Get lost," Jessica said, pushing her away with a look of disgust. "Putting you in the Chief's squad is an honor. Don't be ungrateful."

Hearing a compliment from Jessica, even a backhanded one, was a rare occurrence. Both Eve and Liz looked at her with surprise.

"—After all, if we're attacked, they'll target the Chief first. You two can take the hits and lead the chase away. Just don't draw the fire toward me."

Eve: "…"

She should've known better than to expect anything else from her.

She cast a cold glance at Jessica before turning and advancing deeper into the forest. "Follow me."

The multi-functional wristband issued by the academy could not only suppress spiritual states and monitor students but also share locations. Additionally, the wristband's information was bound to the wearer's biometric data. Once activated, it could not be transferred or removed; if detached for more than five minutes, it would automatically self-destruct, counting as an elimination.

Since landing, Eve had exchanged location information with Dick, who was leading the Reconnaissance Department. The two departments were not far apart, and with their positions known to each other, they managed to link up after just over twenty minutes.

"Hey, over here!" Dick, who had somehow clambered onto a low, wild hillock, waved excitedly at the Mecha Department members below. "Friends, come up!"

"Is this… the Reconnaissance Department?" Jessica scrutinized him doubtfully. "I thought everyone in the Reconnaissance Department was stealthy and silent, like living shadows—or like their Chief, a smirking fox hiding daggers behind smiles. Why does this leader act like a monkey?"

Eve: "…Don't say that in front of them."

She took another path to climb up. Dick reached out to help her, but she politely declined: "No need, I can manage."

It wasn't until she reached the top that Eve realized the Reconnaissance Department had only about thirty students—not many more than the perpetually under-enrolled Medical Department. Aside from the eager Dick, the rest were scattered in small groups, observing the Mecha Department members climbing up from a distance.

*Too scattered*, she mused. *It seems Dick's leadership over the Reconnaissance Department isn't absolute.*

"Alright," Dick withdrew his hand and scratched his head, seemingly oblivious to the cautious silence of his department mates. He still grinned and said, "So what’s the plan now? It’s been almost half an hour. The first location broadcast for all players will be announced soon. If other departments see us so close without any casualties, they’ll easily figure out we’ve allied, right?"

"Let them figure it out. Whether they eliminate the Mecha Department, the Reconnaissance Department, or both, it makes no difference to the top two departments."

Dick hesitated. "That's true…"

"Besides, have they sent anyone to approach you?" Eve tilted her chin and pointed at Luo Wenzhou, who was hiding in the shadows under a vine-covered tree. "Or you? Basically, to discuss cooperation."

Luo Wenzhou had been keeping his head down, hiding behind Dick. Given what he’d heard about this princess’s aide, he didn’t dare deal with her directly.

To his surprise, Eve called him out right away. Luo Wenzhou awkwardly glanced around before murmuring, "N-no, they haven't."

Dick smoothly added, "We've only discussed cooperation with you. We haven't made any moves about the other departments."

Luo Wenzhou, who had just suggested paying a visit to the Command Department yesterday: "…"

He pretended not to understand Dick’s sarcasm and lowered his head further.

"That means you're quite lucky. The Command and Melee Departments wouldn't consider allying with us. If you'd agreed, you'd probably have walked right into a trap and gotten wiped out by now," Eve shrugged. "If I were the Chief of either department, I'd either ally with the Medical or Weapons Department to counter the other strong department, or form a powerful alliance to clear the field before settling the final battle."

—Though the latter was less likely, since the Command Department’s Vice Chief was Cecil, whose *Silver Moon Clematis* was known as the most powerful supportive spiritual state. With him, it was like having a non-stop support buff. As long as the Melee Department wasn’t utterly foolish, they probably wouldn’t ally with the Command Department.

Eve kept this thought to herself. It was best not to say anything that might hurt morale.

"So what should we do now?" Jessica grew impatient. She kicked a small stone on the ground, her dark red curls damp and limp from the forest’s nighttime moisture. "Can't we just fight back when they come at us? What's the point of analyzing those two departments? Let's just decide what to do now."

Eve didn't answer immediately. Instead, she stared thoughtfully at her wristband.

Thirty seconds later, everyone’s wristband screens lit up simultaneously!

The dark forest was suddenly dotted with glowing lights. Different departments were marked with different colored dots on the digital map. The purple dots representing the Reconnaissance Department and the blue dots representing the Mecha Department were extremely close, almost overlapping. Farther away were the green dots of the Medical Department and the red dots of the Melee Department.

The white dots representing the Command Department weren’t too far from the Medical Department, but the orange dots of the Weapons Department were more enigmatic—they maintained a balanced distance from everyone, exuding an air of aloof reclusiveness.

The students of the First Empire seemed quite "courteous before combat," at least judging by the digital map, where the dots showing how many were left hadn't decreased much.

With just a glance, Eve had already made a decision. Or rather, the situation shown on the map—except for the oddly distant Weapons Department—was pretty much what she’d expected.

"Let's go. We'll go after the Medical Department first."

She turned off her wristband and hopped down from the dirt ledge. The other students looked confused.

"Hey, why go after the Medical Department first?" Jessica hurried after her. "At least tell us what you're thinking."

"Because the Command Department wants to eliminate the Medical Department first."

A faint female voice drifted from the depths of the dense forest, draped with vines and oily-surfaced leaves, ethereal like fireflies in the night or a lost ghost.

"—And the Melee Department wants to eliminate us first."

In the deep darkness, only the faint glow from the alchemical potions barely illuminated the path ahead.

In this competition, the Medical Department should, in principle, be prohibited from using alchemical potions and tools. However, considering this department's practical combat ability was pathetically weak, the academy looked the other way—they were allowed to use alchemical products, but only under the condition that they did not employ high-lethality items, and the quantity each person could carry was limited.

Of course, anything improvised during the competition wasn't subject to these restrictions. Just like the neighboring Weapons Department, if they could manage to craft a high-performance ion gun in this desolate wilderness, that was considered skill, and the academy imposed no limits.

The Chief, Lu Qing, had made it clear from the moment she descended that she wouldn’t be sticking with the team, and the Vice Chief, Luo Lin, surprisingly made no effort to stop her, letting her go just like that.

The Chief, top-ranked in martial virtue for the past three hundred sessions, simply brushed herself off and left without a trace, leaving the remaining students with no choice but to gather around Luo Lin.

"Hey, Qi Cheng, what did you bring?"

Qi Cheng, who had been lost in thought, was caught off guard when his companion called his name. He stammered for a moment before replying softly, "Just some healing potions, really. Anything more dangerous, the school wouldn’t allow."

"Same here," said the classmate, also from the Oliver Family, turning his head and lowering his voice. "I brought some support-type potions too. I originally planned to offer them all to the Chief, to let her know our entire department is her strong backup. Who knew she’d abandon us right at the start of the competition and leave on her own?"

The classmate’s mention of the "Chief" brought the image of that figure shrouded in black robes back to Qi Cheng’s mind.

Lu Qing was indeed tall, but that person in black robes… was unusually tall, more like a male frame than a female one.

Qi Cheng’s teacher specialized in alchemical research focused on the human body and medical applications, so he trusted his judgment in this area. But when that person turned around, with black hair, black eyes, and a distant silver mask, it was unmistakably Lu Qing’s appearance.

In such a strict competition, the Chief wouldn’t resort to using a substitute, right…?

Qi Cheng felt uneasy. He dismissively replied "mm-hmm" to his classmate and accidentally bumped into Luo Lin’s back ahead of him: "!"

Before he could even say "sorry," he saw Luo Lin’s beautiful, slender eyebrows furrow deeply.

At some point, the sound of the wind had gradually faded away.

Looking around, everything was eerily quiet. The night was thick as ink, and even the leaves hanging from the branches had stopped swaying. In this extreme silence, however, there was a sense of something even more unstable, as if a bear were hidden deep in the forest, its gleaming beastly eyes staring ominously at the backs of passersby like ghost fire.

Luo Lin’s azure blue eyes shifted, suddenly catching an unusual white light in the forest. Without time to think, she immediately stowed the illuminating alchemical potion inside her clothing, turned around, and barked sharply:

"Enemy attack—scatter and run!"

The moment her voice fell, a sudden rustling of leaves erupted abruptly, the cold glint of weapons crisscrossing, and the ambushers hidden in the forest swarmed out completely!