Chapter 135

Chapter 135

Suddenly, the sky opened up with a torrential downpour, rain lashing down in sheets. The already low-visibility dense forest became practically pitch-black; you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.

The Melee Department team moved through the forest in an orderly fashion, a four-person reconnaissance squad scouting ahead while Mu Huanzhu followed with the main force.

Compared to the other departments at this moment, the Melee Department's pace wasn't the fastest, but it was remarkably steady.

Halfway through, Mu Huanzhu frowned slightly, pushing aside the almost waist-high fern plants in front of her. The smooth, cool texture seemed to seep through her tactical gloves and reach her palm. In the damp night air and the rustling sound of the downpour, she heard the scouts ahead exclaim: "Vice Chief! Come quick, look!"

"—There are so many scattered wristbands here!"

As if in response to his words, a new round of wristband location updates was announced. On the electronic map, the over twenty green light points from moments ago had instantly dropped to just three, scattered in different directions.

The Medical Department had been completely wiped out!

Some department had gone crazy. Although the Medical Department was weak, the 24-hour competition wasn’t that long but not exactly short either. The protective shield on the wristband only activated when it was damaged. Normally, even if other departments wanted to eliminate rivals, they wouldn’t go after the Medical Department first, since no one could guarantee they wouldn’t suffer injuries—big or small—during the competition.

So, was it the Command Department?

They had a Vice Chief with a powerful healing-type Spiritual State, so perhaps they wanted to eliminate the Medical Department first to cut off other departments’ safety net?

Moreover, based on the locations, it made perfect sense.

Mu Huanzhu’s mind worked quickly, but regardless of who took out the Medical Department first, she had already made a new decision.

On the electronic map, only three green dots remained: one had moved to some remote wilderness, while the other two happened to be lingering not far from the Melee Department.

Those who survived must be the most capable members of the Medical Department. This worked out perfectly.

The black-haired leader’s expression was resolute. She raised her hand high and brought it down decisively, giving the order: "Track down those two Medical Department members near us. Once found, do not eliminate them—bring them to me first!"

-

Rewind to twenty minutes earlier.

The joint forces of the Investigation Department and the Mecha Department ambushed the Medical Department. The latter’s combat ability was notoriously weak, practically negligible. When attacked, they could only panic and scatter like frightened rabbits. In the dim surroundings, many ended up running right into the hunters’ arms. Those who managed to flee didn’t get far before their wristbands were forcibly disabled.

When the incident occurred, Qi Cheng happened to be standing behind Luo Lin. Terrified, he made to turn and run when a cold gleam flashed from the shadows, resting squarely against his neck. His heart nearly leaped out of his throat, and he stammered, panicked: "H-hold on—the school doesn’t allow malicious injury or killing in the competition! Please, put the knife down! If you want my wristband, I’ll take it off myself—just please lower the knife, ahhh—"

Before he could finish his plea, someone kicked him in the rear. An impatient female voice sounded from behind: "Shut up! Keep screaming and I’ll slit your throat!"

Qi Cheng immediately fell silent, as if fate had grabbed him by the neck.

"Don’t worry, they won’t kill us," someone whispered beside him. Qi Cheng turned tearfully and saw Luo Lin also had a sword at her throat.

The silver-haired girl stared ahead calmly, her composure unlike someone with a sword to their throat—more like she was participating in a solemn negotiation: "Wiping out the Medical Department but keeping me and Qi Cheng... Chief Eve, what is it you want?"

Hearing this, Qi Cheng craned his neck to look behind him. Perhaps wary of actually cutting his neck, the person behind him "tsked" and moved the blade away slightly. But Qi Cheng didn’t notice this small concession. He stared in shock at the tall girl threatening Luo Lin, and upon receiving his gaze, she actually freed one hand to turn and wave at him with a smile.

"..."

She looked... seriously creepy.

After scaring Qi Cheng, Eve turned back as if nothing had happened and said, "It’s nothing major. We just want to ask the Vice Chief to help us with something."

"What kind of help requires eliminating the entire Medical Department?" Luo Lin asked. "Aren’t you afraid I’ll betray you after you’ve gone this far?"

Eve only chuckled lightly in response to her accusation: "You won’t turn on us. Not if you still want your department to achieve good results."

"After all, the most suitable role for solo operatives is that of a spy."

Luo Lin went quiet. Qi Cheng watched as his Vice Chief was silent for a long moment before giving an almost imperceptible nod. Eve then gestured for the person restraining Qi Cheng to lower their weapon. Only then did Qi Cheng realize the girl behind him had burgundy hair, her face full of impatience yet obedient to Eve’s commands.

"Pr-Princess?!" Qi Cheng exclaimed in shock.

"What?" Jessica glanced at him and sheathed her lightsword at her waist. "Looking for an autograph?"

Qi Cheng: "......"

Meanwhile, other students were still busy chasing down the remaining Medical Department members. Eve had likely had her sights set on these two from the start, swiftly capturing them and bringing them to a secluded corner. After coolly observing for a moment, Luo Lin finally spoke: "You’ve teamed up with the Investigation Department?"

"Yeah," Eve replied casually. Though she had released her restraint, she hadn’t put away her sword, still wary of Luo Lin’s powerful Spiritual State. "More allies, more options. Aren’t I negotiating cooperation with you right now?"

Luo Lin only let out a noncommittal hum, unclear whether she was dissatisfied with this method of "cooperation" or something else.

Seeing that they were short on time, Eve didn’t bother with small talk and spoke rapidly: "The Command Department is closing in on your location. Even if we didn’t attack you, the Medical Department wouldn’t survive the next half hour. Or are you counting on that Chief who left the team to carry the department's hopes and survive alone till the end?"

Qi Cheng looked at her in horror. Seemingly reading the confusion in his eyes, she took a moment to explain: "It’s pretty obvious when you’re one person short."

Qi Cheng: "!!!"

How did she count everyone in this complete darkness?

"We genuinely want to cooperate with you. It may seem like we left no survivors, but we actually spared two."

As she said this, Eve gave a comforting pat to Luo Lin’s tense shoulder: "When the Command Department arrives later, hide well. After confirming you’ve been eliminated, they won’t stick around for long. They’ll most likely follow our trail to pursue us. With luck, you should run into the Melee Department shortly after the next location update. As long as you insist the Command Department wiped out the Medical Department, the Melee Department will take you in. But honestly, telling the truth doesn’t matter much—the Melee Department needs medics, and with just the two of you, you’re hardly a threat combat-wise."

"So you want me to act as your insider, coordinating an ambush on the Melee Department?" Luo Lin finally spoke. "With all due respect, what’s in it for me? The moment the Melee Department is ambushed, they’ll realize we’re behind it and eliminate us immediately."

"Don’t you still have a Chief wandering out there?" Eve feigned surprise.

Luo Lin: "."

She fell silent, simply watching Eve’s act calmly.

"Mu Huanzhu of the Melee Department has a steady personality and favors tactics involving overwhelming numbers. When I did online sandtable exercises with Cavendish before, she was the opponent," Jessica suddenly interjected, her brows furrowed as if recalling an unpleasant memory. "But sometimes she’s also clumsy, sharing the common tactical flaw all Cavendish have—they like to position themselves as the sole brain of the team. So if we want to ambush the Melee Department, it’s best to take out Mu Huanzhu first. The rest of the Melee Department students can be easily rounded up after that."

Eve looked at her in astonishment, as if seeing Jessica in a new light: "Wow, Jessica, I didn’t know you could be so useful."

"Cut the crap," Jessica rolled her eyes, then arrogantly turned to Luo Lin. "As for you, I know your Spiritual State is S-rank Mist Cloud Vine, right? As long as you can manipulate your Spiritual State to hinder the Melee Department when the time comes, our Chief can guarantee your Medical Department will rank above the Melee Department in this competition."

Eve: "Wait, why are you making promises in my name? Aren’t we on the same team...?"

Before she could finish complaining, Luo Lin looked directly at Jessica and calmly replied: "Deal."

Among the group, only Qi Cheng dared not make a sound, though he pricked up his ears secretly.

They’re... planning to ambush the Melee Department? Good heavens, three mid-to-low combat departments actually want to take out the Melee Department, one of the top two strongest departments!

He didn’t dare blink, feeling both nervous and exhilarated, afraid to miss any details of the plan.

-

To avoid raising the Melee Department’s suspicion, Eve led the Mecha and Investigation Departments away immediately after briefing Luo Lin and Qi Cheng on their tasks.

They ran nonstop for nearly ten minutes, almost until the next location update. Estimating that the Melee Department wouldn’t suspect them anymore, Eve finally called for a stop and began a headcount.

During the entire operation to wipe out the Medical Department, only one Investigation Department student was accidentally eliminated when their wristband was damaged by a teammate in the darkness. Everyone else was unharmed.

The weakness of the Medical Department was truly evident.

The eliminated Investigation Department student had already been teleported away during the operation. The remaining members had been on the move for almost an hour. While waiting for the new map update, Eve allowed them to take a short rest.

Soon, the electronic map refreshed. Eve lowered her head to observe for a moment and was quite surprised to find that, after leading the team on a random run away from the Command Department and Melee Department, they had ended up not far from the Weapons Department.

"What a coincidence," she mused, stroking her chin thoughtfully. "Is it fate that the Weapons Department is destined to come in last for the Melee Department? Ah, but I still wish the Melee Department led by Cavendish would come in last."

"......" Dick, sitting cross-legged on the ground, let out a dry laugh. "Boss, there are starships watching us from above, you know."

Those starships were packed with Cavendish officers!

"So what? It’s not like they’re going to drop a star-system-level weapon on us and pulverize us, right?" Jessica smoothed her disheveled hair, completely unfazed. "Those people are so arrogant; humbling their arrogance would do them good."

Dick: "...As you command, Your Highness."

His mayfly and the spiritual manifestation of another Investigation Department student appeared near their temporary resting spot, providing concealment and recovery support for their companions.

The surroundings grew quiet for a moment. Breathing in the forest’s thick, damp air and gazing out at the silent night and rolling mountains, many of the youths present suddenly felt a sense of openness. In this mutual resonance, an indescribable force seemed to draw their hearts closer together.

Eve was leaning against a tree trunk with her eyes closed, resting, when she felt someone tug at the hem of her clothes from behind.

She opened her eyes, and a "?" slowly appeared above her head.

The culprit was none other than Luo Wenzhou. Considering his strategic importance, Eve didn’t say anything but instead turned her head and asked, "What is it?"

"Can you spare the Weapons Department for now?" As soon as the words left his mouth, Luo Wenzhou suddenly realized he shouldn’t have said that. He sighed in frustration before lowering his head and speaking softly, "I... I have a way to persuade Orange—no, I mean, I have a way to persuade the Weapons Department Chief to cooperate with us?"

His abrupt remark reminded Eve that, at the beginning of the semester, Qin Mengde had mentioned to her that the Luo family had a way to secure the Weapons Department Chief position.

It seemed now that Chief Orange, shouldering heavy responsibilities, was likely an old acquaintance of Luo Wenzhou’s.

"That’s possible. After all, more allies mean more options," Eve nodded slightly. However, before Luo Wenzhou could fully relax, she leisurely added, "But I already have two allies. I can’t exactly ally with every department, can I?"

"—What’s the necessity of cooperating with the Weapons Department?"