novelraw Chapter 100 : Break Period (Revised)
Chapter 100 : Break Period (Revised)
"[Red Moon Snow Plain] energy field, high-risk SS-level, containing two types of energy storms: aurora state and red moon state."
At the farewell party, the five members of Zhu Jing Fu stood in a corner. In the center of the banquet were the teams about to leave Zone Eleven, saying goodbye to the teachers who had come in response to the recruitment.
Xie Chunshi pulled up the information about the Red Moon Snow Plain.
The early announcement of the energy field required Commanders to find all intelligence about it from complex information, complete energy field maps and resource arrangements, testing their intelligence gathering and tactical arrangement abilities. This wasn't difficult for Xie Chunshi; his understanding of energy fields exceeded even some Border Army personnel.
"Aurora state, thunderstorm? Seriously?" After looking at the StarNet video about the Red Moon Snow Plain, Zhou Chen quickly turned to Chen Sui: "I think we don't need to enhance the Four-sided Mace after all. How about we add some defense instead?"
His expression was very sincere. As a lightning attribute awakened individual, Zhou Chen understood too well how powerful lightning attribute energy storms could be.
He only liked using lightning to strike others, not being struck by lightning himself.
Chen Sui looked at the video data, nodding thoughtfully: "The transformation between aurora state and red moon state—this energy field's attributes are quite complex."
"High-level energy fields usually have multiple attributes," Xie Chunshi said. "The higher the level of the energy field, the more complex the energy bodies and energy field environment within."
Chen Sui nodded, beginning to check the common types of energy crystals inside.
While Zhu Jing Fu was discussing the energy field, a figure silently walked up behind Zhou Chen as he was concentrating on thinking about countermeasures with his teammates.
The person behind him suddenly blew a breath on the back of his neck, his voice ethereal: "Snow~ bud~ branches... you~ still~ haven't~ given~ me!!"
Zhou Chen felt a sudden chill down his spine, instantly jumping up in shock.
"Damn, why are you acting like a ghost?" He jumped up and was immediately caught by Puluo. The single combat unit's strong arms turned him around and set him down in front of Qi Songhuai.
Zhou Chen, his heartbeat skipping a beat from the scare, immediately showed his displeasure. He rolled up his sleeve, making a gesture to hit him. "You're something, Qi Songhuai. You're leaving tomorrow but still had to come provoke big brother tonight. I see you haven't been to the combat platform and don't know my skills."
"Is that so?"
The Golden Tower and Jacques Delot groups arrived a step behind, with Xin Yan and Bai Ruohua raising their eyebrows at Zhou Chen, speaking in unison.
With the two tall Commanders standing in front of him, backed by the gathered students from both schools, Zhou Chen immediately shrank back, seeing the disadvantage: "Puluo! Protect me!"
The single combat unit extended his long arm, throwing him behind him. Gu Qinxue glanced at him, reminding: "You just climbed out of the medical pod, and you want to go back in?"
"That was just a joke," Zhou Chen touched the back of his head, explaining quietly. Seeing Gu Qinxue's cold face with a hint of concern, he quickly said: "I'm just playing around, don't worry."
Gu Qinxue glanced at him, then looked away.
Seeing Zhu Jing Fu pondering the Red Moon Snow Plain footage, Xin Yan walked over and couldn't help but sigh: "Is this necessary? The energy field was just announced, and you're already preparing?"
"You don't understand, we need to see which parts of the energy field are good for harvesting."
"Oh~," when Zhou Chen said this, Xin Yan understood. "No wonder Zhu Jing Fu always comes out fully loaded; you prepare in advance."
"Fully loaded" was an incredibly accurate term.
In the two elimination competitions, none of the five members of Zhu Jing Fu had any empty space in their spatial buttons.
Zhou Chen nodded approvingly at Xin Yan.
"Hey, Zhou Chen, are you giving me the snow bud branches or not?" Qi Songhuai hooked Zhou Chen's shoulder, pulling him out from the crowd.
Zhou Chen shook off his hand while arguing: "Be reasonable, you said you didn't want them yourself!"
"I changed my mind!"
"You have no shame!"
"That's right, I have no shame. Give me the snow bud branches!"
"No!"
The two scuffled and chased each other around the crowd.
Bai Ruohua looked at Qi Songhuai with a complex expression, nodding to his team's analyst. Ye Kaiyun keenly noticed the Team Leader's relieved look and explained: "Don't look at me, I have dignity."
He generally didn't act up in public.
But if Zhou Chen also promised to give him snow bud branches, Ye Kaiyun could also abandon his dignity.
Bai Ruohua turned to look at Xin Yan, who put his hand to his forehead and said resignedly: "Forget it, it's just for tonight."
"Tonight's jump flight?" Xie Chunshi asked.
They nodded, and Xin Yan explained: "Your sub-team should go together, right? We're going to Yuguang Star first."
"Going to Yuguang Star?" Chen Sui and Gu Qinxue, initially hiding behind the crowd, poked their heads out from behind the Team Leader upon hearing this. "Looking for us? What for?"
Xin Yan looked at her with a complex gaze, seeming to sigh: "Golden Tower and Zhu Jing Fu's internship groups are in the same energy field cluster. We're directly taking the groups to the energy field management department, not returning to school."
He explained.
Second-year internship tasks synchronized with the Star League competition. The seven schools' groups were divided according to Border Army energy field mission recruitment.
Chen Sui and others participating in the competition also earned corresponding mission points. After the competition ended, they would directly join those finishing second-year internships to be incorporated into the Border Army rookie camp.
She understood and nodded, not expecting it would happen so quickly—from just leaving the competition field to entering the energy field.
"This competition won't be easy for you," Bai Ruohua looked back.
On the field, other academies were chatting with teachers they hadn't seen in a long time.
Seeing this configuration, Bai Ruohua felt an invisible pressure. "Director Zhao said this time's energy field selections were found in Border Army clearing records. These are energy fields reaching their clearing cycle, containing many thorny energy bodies. No wonder the rescue team's numbers are several times more than usual."
"In recent years, energy field activities have become more frequent. Even without reaching the clearing cycle, they're hard to complete," Xin Yan added.
"Hey, I just met Director Mo," Qi Songhuai and Zhou Chen returned from afar, his loud voice joining the topic. He looked at Chen Sui and the others behind him. "Seems like there's a result about the Magma Beast."
Chen Sui looked at him, her expression prompting him to continue.
Qi Songhuai quickly said: "I passed by and overheard a bit. It seems to be saying that high-level energy bodies' habits have all been disrupted. It's as if energy bodies were transferred from another energy field to here. The Magma Beast's source was traced back, and it should originally have been an energy body group from the SSS energy field [Volcano Magma]. The snow melting stone is even more outrageous, also transferred over and assimilated by the Magma Beast's energy."
"Based on this, if energy bodies undergo such migration, wouldn't the energy field environment also change?" Bai Ruohua looked toward the other two Commanders.
Energy fields, especially those that descended long ago, actually formed their own specific ecological stability and species types.
In recent years, after establishing base stations upon first entering energy fields, the Border Army could clearly connect all aspects of the energy fields, with subsequent clearing and control showing significant effects.
If such changes occurred, causing energy field environments to change, then all data detected by the base stations would be invalidated. All energy field information recorded by the Star Alliance would undergo a major shift.
"Looks like your competition really won't be so easy."
Qi Songhuai turned back to Zhou Chen, then looked at Xie Chunshi, his expression suddenly becoming serious. "To be honest, we got eliminated, but there's always next year. You Zhu Jing Fu really can't afford to lose. Do your best, get a good ranking, and we'll see you in the Border Army Zone."
With the old aristocracy constantly interfering from the front and Zone Eleven's forces divided from behind, if Zhu Jing Fu couldn't achieve good results in the Star League competition to secure enough resource inclination for the distant Star Ring and Song family faction, they might truly be kicked out of the Star Alliance center by the old aristocracy.
"First place in the league, easy peasy."
While Qi Songhuai was worrying for Zhu Jing Fu, Chen Sui, who was pouring a little wheat beverage, took a sip and spoke casually.
Xie Chunshi looked at her, watching the small analyst try the taste, her eyes immediately brightening, then drinking it down like nutrition fluid, her eyes unconsciously carrying a hint of smile.
"Our analyst said it: first place in the league," he nodded, his brow revealing a faint air of flamboyance, vaguely displaying the style of a young genius.
Qi Songhuai choked, about to say he shouldn't pretend, but suddenly thought of how Zhu Jing Fu had eliminated them, and felt it wasn't impossible.
"Hey, Little Sister Chen Sui, let me ask you something. Are you really Master Song's student, just taken as a disciple?"
Seeing Zhu Jing Fu's immense confidence, Qi Songhuai felt relieved and sat down on the banquet hall's bench next to Chen Sui to gossip about this.
He sat close to the Zhu Jing Fu analyst, not noticing a tall giant figure sneaking up behind him.
Chen Sui was sharing her newly discovered delicious drink with Gu Qinxue. Hearing him, she handed him a cup: "Yes, the discipleship was confirmed during the break period."
Qi Songhuai took a deep breath, his gaze fixed ahead. Chen Sui followed his gaze, right toward the group of senior analysts.
Next to Song Xingzhang was someone Chen Sui knew well: Yang Qinhe.
Yang Qinhe had been recruited as a teaching analyst for the Zhu Jing Fu area. Honestly, he hadn't expected to encounter Song Xingzhang.
Seeing his old friend prematurely gray, Yang Qinhe felt very complex emotions.
Song Xingzhang's leg had been treated at the medical ward with a new mechanical prosthetic. He no longer needed a wheelchair and could move freely.
"When I saw this child Chen Sui doing analyst assignments, I glimpsed her style. I wondered then, Zhu Jing Fu clearly had no strong-attack analyst, where did she learn this approach?"
Yang Qinhe shook his head, sighing: "Now that you've come out, I'm not surprised."
"She was meant for the strong-attack school. No one is more suitable than her," Song Xingzhang said slowly.
In the center of the crowd, this elder was gradually recovering his spiritual countenance. Chen Sui could vaguely glimpse a bit of his youthful, spirited appearance in his sharp, penetrating eyes and vigorous demeanor.
She couldn't hear the distant conversation but could see her name from their lip movements, making her quickly look away.
It was really awkward to see the teachers gathered discussing her.
"Speaking of which, how does Master Song plan to arrange your training?"
Chen Sui suddenly heard a voice beside her ear. Her first thought was that it was Qi Songhuai, but the different voice made her immediately react. She turned to meet a pair of puppy eyes close by.
The tall boy was crouched behind the long bench, squeezing his body into the narrow gap, popping up like a ghost from behind the two.
Qi Songhuai was startled backward, suddenly understanding how Zhou Chen felt when he scared him. He swung his hand at He Shuangmu: "What are you, a bloodhound? You smell gossip and come running?"
"I was just passing by and happened to hear," He Shuangmu's long arm reached past Qi Songhuai to grab a cut melon, taking a bite. Looking up, he saw Chen Sui and introduced himself: "Hello, Student Chen Sui, I'm He Shuangmu, Saint Laurent's single combat unit."
"I know you, melon-eating genius," Chen Sui had a strong impression of certain socially terrifying individuals among the seven schools.
He Shuangmu curiously asked: "By the way, will Master Song's teaching plan for you be especially difficult? In his youth, he was a generation's heartthrob, super cool on the battlefield."
In his youth, Song Xingzhang was a strong-attack analyst, acting decisively and striking cleanly. Each battle with energy bodies was a feast of violent aesthetics. Moreover, his arrogant demeanor and flashy battlefield style were eye-catching, creating a strong filter in the hearts of young men and women.
This was also why Zhou Chen had a deep impression of Song Xingzhang.
Well-versed in the art of showing off, he had studied many seniors, and Song Xingzhang was one of them.
"What are you thinking? Is this something to be discussed? You don't seem to be here to gossip; you're secretly probing for tactics, aren't you?"
Qi Songhuai narrowed his eyes, smiling at He Shuangmu.
Chen Sui also raised an eyebrow, looking at him suspiciously.
He Shuangmu felt a moment of guilt, standing up with a whoosh. His robust physique was like a small mountain, instantly blocking the light behind him. Chen Sui's view darkened as she saw his flickering eyes: "How could that be? I, He Shuangmu, am open and honest. Do you think I'm like Noya, that black sesame rice ball?"
Chen Sui saw the blonde shota walking toward them and suddenly smiled, peaceful and friendly: "Indeed, not everyone is like Commander Noya."
He Shuangmu agreed: "Exactly, exactly. Only a black sesame rice ball like Noya would do such things. Student Chen Sui, you can completely trust me. I, He Shuangmu, am upright, like a lotus rising from the mud without being stained, completely different from Noya. I would never deceive people like he does!"
"Is that so?"
A crisp voice asked from behind: "How does he usually deceive people?"
He Shuangmu was about to launch into a lengthy discourse when he felt a chilling wind behind him. His words halted as he turned around.
The blonde, green-eyed shota boy stood in the light, arms crossed over his chest, chin raised arrogantly looking at him: "Go on, tell us. I'm curious too. See how righteous you, He Shuangmu, really are. Trying to extract information before the competition is one thing, but why slander me?"
He Shuangmu hadn't expected to be caught red-handed and quickly waved his hands in explanation: "Leader! It's a misunderstanding, all a misunderstanding."
Noya snorted with laughter, threatening: "Just you wait. After the farewell party is over, I'll deal with you!"
Though his words were fierce, his expression was smiling, without much destructive power.
In reality, regarding He Shuangmu's question, Chen Sui could only answer after the preparation period began.
Many tasks Song Xingzhang had arranged for her during the break period were at the foundational stage.
Only during the preparation period would her formal training begin.
Chen Sui's spiritual body values were very special. Even with Song Xingzhang's experience, he was puzzled for a while by her value changes.
But subsequently, he was convinced by Chen Sui's account of her energy overflow during the awakening period.
His training plan was comparable to when Chen Sui was rushing through analyst progress courses before the competition. Every day from the moment she opened her eyes, there were countless training sessions: physical training, energy field resistance training, positioning and slaying training, perception training, and so on. She didn't even have time to go to the jump port to see off the departing teams.
It was in the evening when Xie Chunshi returned that he brought a message for Chen Sui.
At that time, she had just come out of the simulated energy field training room. Song Xingzhang held her time data, his brow deeply furrowed.
Looking at the line of physical strength and endurance values, he sighed, observing Chen Sui's build: "Are you still taking nutrient supplements?"
Chen Sui nodded. Since her previous mental threshold deficiency, she had been consistently taking nutrient tablets.
"Physical strength is temporarily lacking. Additionally, insufficient energy resistance. Once in an environment with large amounts of energy storms, it's easy to increase your physical energy consumption. To fight for extended periods on the battlefield, you must improve your physique."
Song Xingzhang modified his teaching plan. "Zhu Jing Fu's teachers have told me about your situation. You're completing the school team's summoning body design and mecha modifications?"
Chen Sui nodded, sending him the completed summoning body design. "Yes, Teacher."
While Song Xingzhang was still examining Chen Sui's summoning body diagrams, Xie Chunshi arrived.
"Great Uncle."
Hearing his address, Chen Sui still felt a moment of discomfort.
Who could have imagined that Master Song was Song Baining's uncle, making him Xie Chunshi's great uncle?
Looking at it this way, she instantly moved up a generation.
Chen Sui's gaze toward Xie Chunshi couldn't help but carry a hint of benevolence.
Receiving such strange scrutiny, Xie Chunshi felt small areas of goosebumps rise on his skin. He touched the back of his hand and said to Chen Sui: "Golden Tower has returned. Xin Yan asked me to give you a message."
"See you in the Border Army Zone. Next time we fight, he won't lose."
About being pressured by Chen Sui on the competition field, Xin Yan still cared somewhat.
But hearing this, Chen Sui just smiled, saying calmly: "Coincidentally, I won't lose either."
Xie Chunshi seemed to have anticipated this, immediately breaking into a smile.
"Alright, that's it for today. You two go to evening training first."
Evening training was a military school tradition. In the Border Army Zone, it generally aligned with the Border Army's evening training time. Chen Sui's evening training also included physical training designed specifically for her by Song Xingzhang.
Hearing this, Chen Sui and Xie Chunshi left the training room early.
Song Xingzhang remained in the room, looking at Chen Sui's design diagrams, gradually changing his teaching arrangements based on her situation.
Song Xingzhang's understanding of Chen Sui mostly came through oral accounts from Zhu Jing Fu teachers who had taught her. These narrated exploits made him deeply realize that the student he had taken on was a child with extremely high talent in the analyst field.
No wonder Yang Qinhe kept sighing about him becoming Chen Sui's teacher.
Strong-attack analysts faced much higher risks on the competition field than other analysts, with the highest mortality rate.
The fall of such a genius was something no one wanted to see.
He already had too profound a lesson from the past, and thus was extremely vigilant to prevent Chen Sui from following the same path.
He did his utmost to insert training related to energy body combat for her within her already packed preparation period schedule.
At present, Chen Sui didn't yet understand what she would face.
Following Xie Chunshi to evening training, she finally had the opportunity to raise a topic she had been pondering for a long time.
"Most parts of Black Execution have been repaired, but the parts forged with white satin gold gilt still lack replacement materials."
"If we could find these missing components, we should be able to extract white satin gold for repairs."
"That would require going to the rust-red sea in the God-Abandoned Domain," Xie Chunshi answered. "Red rust should be energy adhesion from the rust-red sea."
"Rust-red sea?"
Chen Sui pondered these words, then asked: "What is your spiritual body prototype?"
This part of Xie Chunshi's awakening report was blank.
Chen Sui's gaze fixed on him. The young man's silhouette stretched in the light along the path, casting a shadow on the ground.
Xie Chunshi's black pupils calmly looked at Chen Sui, as if trying to observe her attitude when asking this question from her demeanor.
But Chen Sui's face maintained its usual calmness, without any ripples.
"Are you curious about my spiritual body, or about the God-Abandoned Domain?"
Xie Chunshi sensed Chen Sui's intention from her two probes.
Chen Sui had no intention of concealing anything and stated plainly: "I'm curious about that human-faced energy body in the God-Abandoned Domain."
"I joined the league competition to kill it."
She didn't hide anything. Her aversion and hatred toward energy bodies as a group might stem from many aspects, but for this specific energy body, it was simply the notion of 'those who harm me, I must kill.'
Hearing this, Xie Chunshi's eyes flashed with contemplation. He didn't pursue the matter; given Chen Sui's character, if she could speak about something, she wouldn't beat around the bush. Only what couldn't be said would be deliberately skipped or covered up.
He said: "My spiritual body prototype is the guardian of the rust-red sea in the God-Abandoned Domain, an SSS-level energy body, the sea demon."
"The God-Abandoned Domain is an extremely special energy field. It defies the law that energy field ecology stabilizes after formation, changing its energy storms and energy field environment every year. The only constant is the rust-red sea, which is the center of the God-Abandoned Domain. At the bottom of the rust-red sea is a huge undersea city, and the energy bodies living there—"
"Are indistinguishable from humans."
"This was discovered by the Border Army six years ago."
Xie Chunshi explained in a lowered voice.
These words continued to echo in Chen Sui's ears.
—The entire undersea city, full of humanoid energy bodies.
And that energy body on the starship even possessed the ability to exist outside the energy field.
These human forms, according to Chen Sui's own speculation, should be a kind of parasitism.
But not everyone met the requirements for parasitism; people possessing spatial energy were an extremely small minority.
From the information Chen Sui had found, those people Ji Qing mentioned with unique talents in spiritual healing all had spatial energy characteristics.
This was also her speculation about one condition for energy bodies to parasitize human spiritual domains: space, or rather, an independent space that could protect it from being discovered by other energy fluctuations.
What could be determined was that not all energy bodies would exist in human form.
But these humanoid energy bodies capable of leaving energy fields could turn the entire Star Alliance into an energy field.
This thought immediately made her heart palpitate. Though currently under the bright sun and warm daylight, she suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
It was too terrifying.
Chen Sui shook her head, dismissing her thoughts.
In her ear, Zhou Chen's voice came through, calling her name.
"What's wrong? Tired from training these past few days?"
"I just said Master Song is pushing too hard. We don't just have this one preparation period. Cramming everything for you—how can you handle it?"
"Ah Sui? Little Sui? Chen Sui!"
"Here," Chen Sui returned from her thoughts to see Zhou Chen waving his hands in front of her. Her eyes focused, gaze falling on the jump port.
The team was jumping from the Border Army Zone to the planet containing the [Red Moon Snow Plain] energy field.
The preparation period passed quickly, perhaps due to being filled with busy training. Chen Sui felt like in the blink of an eye, it was time to enter the energy field.
The defender was determined on the second day of the preparation period. As the highest-scoring team, Zhu Jing Fu declined to defend, as did the next three teams in succession, with the defender position being passed down.
The last-place team, Saint Laurent, became the defender holding the monitoring instrument for the first match in the [Red Moon Snow Plain] energy field.
And now, everyone was about to jump to Crimson Snow Star in the Ninth Star Ring.
The curtain had risen on the first match of the Star League official competition.