Chapter 11

Chapter 11

The light dimmed, the rain continued, and the ground in the holographic environment became muddy almost instantly.

The Eternal Daylight Forest map seemed to simulate a primeval forest, but due to the inability to accurately recreate the extinct plants and insects from ancient records, it appeared like a mishmash in Meng Shijiu's eyes.

The map was vast. The area where the two were located grew a type of towering evergreen tree. The trunks were covered with fungi and ferns, and the dark green branches intertwined to form a dense, murky net.

The air in the rain carried the earthy aroma of wild grass and soil. Not a single shadow of a slightly larger creature could be seen around.

This area was on the outskirts, with few people around. As soon as a figure emerged, it was silently eliminated by a certain black mech.

Most mechs were primarily suited for long-range attacks, but Yue Xuanli's mech, Rong Yun, was clearly also adept at close combat. Its cold energy blade cut through metal like a hot knife through butter, taking out enemies with ease.

The traversing black mech gradually increased its speed—after all, the final score was tied to the kill count; merely enduring for a long time wouldn't yield a high score.

Meng Shijiu: Great, he's a try-hard.

The silver cocoon-shaped mech followed closely behind. The number displayed in the upper right corner of the blue screen had already dropped below three hundred.

Meng Shijiu: "Why are there so many people in this match? It didn't look this crowded in the venue."

See: "Just checked the network. Professor Lin probably notified everyone about the test. Most second-year freshmen are here, though many students have their own affairs and are logged in remotely from other locations."

There were also those who logged in via neural-link pods in private lounges, like Yue Xuanli. Of course, many also chose not to participate.

From the outside, the tall, swift black mech appeared low-key and luxurious, yet steady and restrained. It moved cautiously and efficiently. However, inside the cockpit, a conversation—or rather, the incessant chatter of the mech Rong Yun—had been ongoing.

Rong Yun: "Why did you accept the team invite..."

Rong Yun: "But it's Silver Cocoon, though! I haven't seen it in a long time."

Rong Yun: "Silver Cocoon's owner is a new account, level 0."

"..."

The Alpha sitting in the pilot's seat had dark green eyes, like ancient jade or the deep pools of a forest. The black curly hair on his forehead trembled slightly in disarray, but he showed little reaction, only carefully observing his surroundings.

Yue Xuanli ignored Rong Yun, focused like a black panther lurking in the shadows of the jungle.

Rong Yun: "But he seems pretty skilled, doesn't he~"

Of all the rambling, this one sentence was effective. Yue Xuanli: "How so?"

Rong Yun knew its owner was a total points-whore and a competitive tech nerd: "Just being matched with Silver Cocoon is impressive enough."

Yue Xuanli understood Rong Yun's meaning.

Silver Cocoon required at least A-level mental power to operate, and even simple control consumed a significant amount of energy. But this was also Silver Cocoon's advantage—speed.

—In a hundred moves, speed reigns supreme; only speed is invincible.

Being able to match under the system's mechanism indicated that this person also possessed sharp thinking—the capacity to remain meticulous and calm no matter what happened in a short time.

This was also the reason he had accepted the team invitation.

Rong Yun: "But he doesn't seem to move much, huh? Hard to gauge his strength."

Hearing this, Yue Xuanli's eyes darkened: "Then we'll make him move."

...

The two walked for a while longer.

The deeper they went, the denser the trees became, blocking out the rain. The steady drumming of the rain gradually faded away.

Rong Yun: "Someone's coming."

In the dim light, a lurking figure flashed by. The dull metallic sheen was inconspicuous but was still easily caught by Yue Xuanli. This was clearly a student.

From the other's angle, they should have just caught sight of the silver mech following behind him.

Yue Xuanli shifted sideways and stopped, the black mech concealed behind a thick tree trunk.

The silver mech stopped along with him.

After waiting for a while and seeing no reaction from Yue Xuanli, Meng Shijiu called out: "Bro?"

The black mech didn't respond. At the same time, the mech hidden in the shadows suddenly leaped from mid-air. The tall figure fired a brief particle beam that shot through the forest.

Leaves carbonized in the high temperature. Amidst the swirling mist, a blue light flashed, heading straight for the silver mech.

Yet—the silver mech remained firmly in place, unmoving, steady as a mountain.

As if the power had been cut.

It was about to be hit—

Rong Yun screamed inside the cockpit: "Why isn't it dodging?!"

Amidst Rong Yun's screams, the black mech suddenly lunged forward, grabbed the silvery-white cocoon, and dove to the side, barely avoiding the attacks.

Simultaneously, several particle beams fired consecutively from Rong Yun's left arm accurately struck the opponent in mid-air.

In mid-air, the massive mech, like a goose shot by a hunter's rifle, turned into a shimmer of light and disappeared before even hitting the ground.

"Eliminations: +1, Total Eliminations: 4"

Rong Yun: "He really didn't move? Did I misjudge him?"

The test yielded no results. Yue Xuanli glanced at the mech that slowly stood up like a tumbler doll.

Yue Xuanli: "Come here."

Meng Shijiu: ?

He didn't understand, but he should always listen to the words of his powerful ally.

Meng Shijiu: "Okay, bro."

Meng Shijiu: The last time I showed this much respect was when replying to my university advisor. Back then, though, he was the genuine try-hard. Now...

The silver mech wobbled over.

Yue Xuanli asked directly: "Why didn't you dodge?"

He saw that this time, the person on the other side couldn't even be bothered to use mental power, typing in the team chat instead—

[I'm so sleepy]: But I've got you, bro.

Rong Yun: Oh great, we've got a real slacker on our hands.

The three types of people Yue Xuanli hates the most: slackers, cheaters, and noobs.

The two of them stared at each other through their mechs.

The dark green eyes held a meticulous seriousness, while the light green pupils were filled with an utterly unconcerned calm.

The two mechs had no idea their pilots had just engaged in a psychic stare-down.

Yue Xuanli didn't say anything. He always respected people's choices. The Alpha withdrew his gaze and checked the map decisively.

"Head twenty meters west. There's a stone cave. Hide there for a while."

"Come out when it's over. Hit me up if anything goes down."

"Understood?"

Yue Xuanli kept his cool. Anyone realizing their teammate was a slacker would likely feel some personal resentment, but he just quickly found a sneaky spot on the map with good cover, getting him situated.

Meng Shijiu was very satisfied: *Yes, exactly. That's it.*

"Okay, bro."

"Hmm." The steady Alpha grunted in acknowledgment, turned to leave, then suddenly stopped and added another instruction.

"Stay hidden."

— Contrary to what Rong Yun thought, Yue Xuanli didn't hate slackers, and he didn't hate those three types of people. He just disliked having such people as opponents.

………

Meng Shijiu quickly found the spot Yue Xuanli mentioned.

The trees here were less dense, and the rain started pattering down again, a very hypnotic sound.

"Current Online Players: 276"

"Current Online Players: 241"

…

"Current Online Players: 194"

"Current Online Players: 176"

……

Meng Shijiu was woken up by the constant pings of the player count notifications.

When Meng Shijiu checked the panel again, the displayed number had reached an alarming 126: "Dropping this fast?"

More than half were already gone, and the match hadn't even been going for half an hour.

Before Meng Shijiu could tap See to ask what was happening, a loud, unconcerned conversation suddenly came from not far outside the stone cave entrance.

"...Go yourself if you want. I don't want to be dragged down." A blue-haired Alpha, piloting his mech, took out the core sensor of the opposing mech with a cannon blast, speaking disdainfully to his teammate.

"Kills +1"

"Zou Yun!" his teammate snapped unhappily. "I don't think Meng Shijiu is necessarily weak. He might actually be strong. Let's team up, please? I'm really curious."

Hearing his own name suddenly, Meng Shijiu blinked.

The previously silent Silver Cocoon suddenly spoke up to ask: "Is that the master's name?"

Meng Shijiu didn't answer.

On the other side.

"—Strong my ass. A forum celebrity?" The mocking voice of the Alpha named "Zou Yun" rang out.

The term "forum" felt somewhat distant to Meng Shijiu now. The Alpha hiding in the stone cave raised his eyebrows in slight surprise.

It sounded like he was quite famous on the forum.

I'll check after class ^^

"—Well, well, look who we have here?" The blue-haired Alpha's voice, laced with mockery, sounded.

Hearing this abruptly, Meng Shijiu's first thought was that he'd been spotted. His position had a relatively high vantage point; he had to look down to get a view.

He had just lowered his head when he saw that the lead gray mech was already standing five meters away.

Zou Yun forcefully dragged out a mech that had been hiding in the shadows, shoved it forward, and blasted it with a cannon shot, sending the bulky mech tumbling to the ground.

The mech slid a full five meters, half its body sinking into the mud.

Oh, nothing to do with him.

Meng Shijiu continued to lie back comfortably.

He glanced at the online player count—

"Current Online Players: 126"

Meng Shijiu: ?

Meng Shijiu: Why is it still 126?

Meng Shijiu: "Is Saint Maria's network bad too?"

See: "……"

Outside, there was a rustling noise for a while, then suddenly it fell silent.

A good while passed.

Meng Shijiu checked the online player count.

—126.

Still not resolved outside? Meng Shijiu raised an eyebrow.

Meng Shijiu looked over—

The person named Zou Yun was piloting his mech, forcibly dragging the person he had blasted to the ground out of their mech.

Meng Shijiu: ?

Meng Shijiu: "I still prefer my brother's direct and forceful style."

See: ...So now you acknowledge Yue Xuanli as your brother?

See remained silent, only reminding him: "Beep—One of the main characters, Zong Geman, has appeared."

At the same time, Meng Shijiu finally got a clear look at the face of the Beta being dragged out by Zou Yun—

It was the black-haired Beta who had been slammed against the wall by Zou Yun on the first day of school.

Meng Shijiu: So it's a case of past grievances.

Zong Geman, the commoner Beta who would mentally control Ye Lingxi in the novel.

And now, that Beta who was about to control the protagonist's life was merely like a shattered doll, his fragile neck firmly gripped by the hard mech, unable to even utter a dying moan.

Zou Yun tormented the Beta like a cat playing with a mouse for a while before tossing him like a rag back into the mech, whose alarm he had blasted apart.

See: "Forcibly pulling someone out of their mech in the holographic system is against the rules."

Meng Shijiu yawned: "Oh? Is that also written in St. Mary's Academy's 'Basic Rules for Students to Follow on Campus'?"

See rephrased: "It's illegal."

Meng Shijiu: "Wow."

His understanding of the nobility deepened a bit more.

He glanced at the online player count again, and the previously languid silver-haired Alpha abruptly sat up straight.

The Silver Cocoon linked with its owner's mental energy, emitting a faint glow from the alloy joints.

Meng Shijiu murmured: "Why is it still 126?"

From Zou Yun's appearance until now, a full ten minutes had passed, yet the number remained stuck at 126.

What about people in other places? Weren't any students eliminated?

He looked over—

The white mech where Zong Geman was had its metal shell peeling and dented, looking utterly battered.

Meng Shijiu frowned: "Can you measure the damage level of Zong Geman's mech?"

See: "Affirmative."

The white mech was knocked to the ground.

See: "Beep—32%."

The white mech was dragged out of the mud by Zou Yun and slammed against a tree trunk. Zou Yun raised his energy cannon and fired at the battered mech, which rolled several times on the ground along with its occupant before stopping.

See: "Beep—8%."

The nonchalant blue-haired Alpha raised his energy cannon again. The targeted mech lay helplessly on the ground, the entire structure looking like a pile of scrap, with even the cockpit exposed.

Meng Shijiu's expression turned cold.

—When mech damage reaches 50%, it forces a log-off. Why hasn't Zong Geman been forcibly logged off and disappeared yet?

Before he could ponder this further, Zou Yun's energy cannon was already aimed at Zong Geman.

—If that shot hit, Zong Geman, with half his head exposed, would be beyond saving even for a deity.

Meng Shijiu: "!"

Meng Shijiu's position was too far away. He instinctively wanted to activate his ability but suddenly remembered he was still inside his mech—he couldn't use his ability while carrying the mech yet.

Meng Shijiu decisively leaped down from the stone cave. At the same time, Zou Yun controlled his mech to fire—

At the cannon muzzle on the mech's right arm, a blue energy beam had formed into a blinding ball of light. Just as Zou Yun fired, before the beam left the muzzle:

The alloy cannon barrel suddenly jerked violently to the right. The fired photon beam struck the tall tree trunk beside the Beta, piercing straight through it.

See: "Beep—8%."

—It missed.

Zou Yun's face stiffened.

Unaware of the anomaly, his teammate teased: "Hey, Young Master Zou, how'd you miss? Showing mercy?"

Cold sweat broke out on Zou Yun's back.

—Because he knew he hadn't missed.

His mech had been controlled by someone else's mental energy.

—But how is that possible?!

How could that be?!

He had never heard of anyone controlling another person's mech. How many times stronger would that person's mental energy have to be to do it without him noticing? He'd rather believe his mech malfunctioned.

—But that overwhelming pressure in that instant, as if it were about to crush his bones, the agonizing breathlessness, every joint groaning under the strain, like a sudden brake failure, limbs nailed in place, the mech turning into a useless hunk of metal.

Like an insignificant insect trapped in amber.

Though it lasted only a brief moment, that feeling of being utterly helpless, like fish on a chopping block, was something Zou Yun never wanted to experience again.

Zou Yun relaxed his stiff shoulders and back, looked up, and frowned at the silver cocoon-shaped mech that had descended before him: Silver Cocoon?

The silver mech descending from above still made no sound.

A voice devoid of emotion came through.

"Are you blind?"

The teammate clearly didn't grasp the situation and shouted at the suddenly appearing mech: "Who are you?"

But Zou Yun understood what Meng Shijiu meant—Can't you see that Beta is about to die?

"I know," Zou Yun lowered his eyes, still lingering in the aftermath of that loss of control. The blue-haired Alpha's voice was like a leaf falling in the wind—

"Maybe his connection signal had an accident. Who cares? If he dies, he dies."

"Not just his," Meng Shijiu didn't want to waste words. "The player count was 126 fifteen minutes ago, and it still is now. We're trapped here."

At that, they both jumped and looked down at their info.

"Players online: 126"

Teammate: "You're right. What's going on? Is the system lagging?"

Zou Yun frowned: "Nope."

"It's because the mental transmission link for all of us has been cut from the outside."

Teammate: "Huh? So what do we do?"

Zou Yun was already annoyed from not figuring out what had happened. "Can you quit with the questions?"

He looked at the silver mech: "Just now... was that you?"

The cocoon-shaped mech, like a rugby ball, was seamless, giving no hint of the person inside.

The silver-haired Alpha ignored him, glancing at the unconscious Zong Geman—who knew if he was alive or dead. Betas, unlike Alphas, lack powerful regenerative abilities. Meng Shijiu remarked offhandedly on Zou Yun's technique:

"Second-rate skill."

He said.

"First-rate nuisance."

Zou Yun: "......"

Teammate: "Dude, you're a bit arrogant."

His teammate looked at Zou Yun, surprised. Had this guy changed? He wasn't angry at all?

Zou Yun, for his part, just stared intently at the silver mech without speaking.

These born-and-bred high-and-mighty nobles didn't give the matter a second thought.

But right from the start,

Meng Shijiu had been suspicious about the player count dropping so fast.

The map was so large, the students were randomly teleported, and not everyone was Yue Xuanli. The count shouldn't be dropping this quickly.

Most likely, they had encountered a hidden boss.

It hit Meng Shijiu.

That meant there was more than one boss.

"Look out—"

Before Zou Yun's warning was even out, the Silver Cocoon had already lifted off from the ground.

White-feathered arrows shot through the rain, skimming past the silver mech.

Cold weapons?

Meng Shijiu glanced over.

A shadowy crowd holding bows was emerging from the dim forest.

—The dungeon boss had appeared.

The holographic system had clearly amped up these arrows.

Meng Shijiu looked at the multiple tree trunks pierced through by the arrows, then at the NPCs clad in animal skins and holding bows.

The Alpha's mind raced.

Maybe they were why the player count plummeted.

But the ones trapping the students on the map were definitely not the data-constructed dungeon bosses.

The students at St. Maria were all elites; an accident of this level was highly unlikely.

The cut transmission link and the instructors' silence...

It had to be deliberate.

Meng Shijiu suddenly asked: "Is this part of the plot?"

See: "...Yes."

See had wanted to keep it secret but hadn't expected its host to catch on.

Meng Shijiu glanced at the data.

The number on it changed from 126 to 125.

—If the students can't get out, what does dying in the holographic system mean?

The real thing. Brain death.

If each digit stands for a human life,

then, to Meng Shijiu, it would always be a horrifying sight.

This isn't a simple fluctuation in numbers.

This is murder.

And whoever's behind this holds life in contempt from their lofty perch.

The temperature in the cockpit plunged.

The Alpha's pheromones spread like wildfire over dry grass, rapidly sprouting ice flowers. The entire cockpit was swallowed by an icy swamp.

Meng Shijiu: "If it's part of the plot, why wasn't I told?"

No wonder See had been quiet, like it had a different personality, ever since they entered this dungeon.

See: ".........This is an unalterable, pre-set background plot."

Meaning, even knowing it's coming, you cannot stop it.

Meng Shijiu: "How many died in the end?"

See: "Not many, ten."

In the original plot, this exam was merely the turning point that fully ignited the dark side of the commoner Betas.

Meng Shijiu briefly closed his eyes.

Meng Shijiu: "This isn't the plot."

The Alpha looked toward the dungeon boss holding the bow.

Zou Yun and his teammates had already unleashed their attacks, but a series of particle cannons hitting mortal flesh left it unscathed.

These NPCs were different from that blatant "125"; these were truly just data. Meng Shijiu wasn't one to be so merciful.

"Hey, Silver Cocoon." Meng Shijiu quirked the corner of his mouth. "Although it's our first meeting, I think we'll cooperate quite well?"

Silver Cocoon replied slowly: "Of course."

A vast psychic energy gradually enveloped them, like flowing clouds wrapping around the full moon, successfully activating Silver Cocoon's combat state: Metamorphosis.

The silver mecha soared into the air.

Metamorphosis, an extremely painful transformation. An insect turns into a soup of nutrients within the cocoon it spun itself, then grows razor-sharp, beautiful butterfly wings.

On the silver mecha, invisible cracks protruded, deformed, and finally formed crimson moth wings.

Half cocoon, half nascent wings. This was Silver Cocoon's combat form.

The red wings hung low like heavy dewdrops, with a full row of particle cannons at their trailing edges.

Seeing the prominent mecha in mid-air, the bow-wielding bosses' gazes were drawn to it.

Within seconds.

A rain of arrows soared into the air, aimed at Meng Shijiu. Under the curtain of rain, the arrows' outlines were barely visible, yet wherever each arrow fell, a tree was sure to topple.

The rumbling sounds intertwined with the fierce rain, creating a grand and brutal scene.

Even if it was fake, just data, this violence was still awe-inspiring.

Silver Cocoon's greatest advantage was indeed speed.

Like a dazzling meteor streaking across the sky, its red tail ignited the heavens.

—The boss's weakness was also easy to find.

Since the system had set up an impenetrable arrow rain and an invulnerable body,

Then there was only one possibility: their weakness was close-range attacks.

The agile red-and-white mecha, piloted by the Alpha, easily closed in on the bow-wielding crowd.

Sure enough, the NPCs who were invulnerable at long range were as fragile as ordinary people at close quarters.

They collided, deformed, then shattered, finally turning into starlight-like particles.

The intoxicating sense of bloodlust still sent shivers down Meng Shijiu's spine.

As cannon fire streaked through the air, data was annihilated.

Scattered specks of light rose bit by bit, dissipating in the rain and mist.

"Dungeon boss extra points: +1"

"+2"

"+3"

"+4"

...

"Extra points maxed: 10"

The mecha, half silver-white and half blood-red, hovered in mid-air once more.

Suddenly, Meng Shijiu asked See: "You said before that repairing the worldline could grant me one wish. This wish... to what extent can it be fulfilled?"