novelraw Chapter 136 : Off-Season
Chapter 136 : Off-Season
"Little Sui, what did Master Song want with you?"
On the second day of the off-season, Zhou Chen walked into the conference hall, yawning.
Zhu Jing Fu was about to begin their routine post-match analysis.
Chen Sui had her hair neatly braided, swaying it slightly above her head. She had added a few inconspicuous leaves among her strands, blending them with her extremely realistic knitted hair accessories, making them completely undetectable.
"Teacher said my synchronization condition isn't good, and I still need to strengthen it," Chen Sui said nonchalantly.
Xie Chunshi happened to enter with the recorded information: "The Competition Committee has decided that all five schools will conduct the analysis together, and the teaching team will help us examine the issues."
Before Zhou Chen could express surprise, his attention was drawn to this news: "Huh? Analyze together? Won't they just beat us up in person after we sabotaged them on the field?"
Zhou Chen leaned back. He had made up plenty of remarks about Noya, and they had almost continued to sabotage other academies. He could already imagine how Chi Buyu and Noya would sarcastically mock him during the joint analysis.
"The teaching team will also participate, so at least they won't fight on the spot," Xie Chunshi said, tapping his knuckles on the table. "Let's go to the teaching room."
As the Zhu Jing Fu team headed to the central teaching room, Zhou Chen responded to Chen Sui's earlier comment: "Master Song said your synchronization isn't enough?"
"Then what does that make me?" Zhou Chen's expression was complicated.
Although Chen Sui's synchronization had indeed been poor during the early stages of the league, as the competition progressed, her mastery of energy manipulation and utilization was evident to the entire Star Alliance.
Chen Sui pressed her lips together, a hint of gravity flashing through her eyes, quickly concealed, revealing nothing.
Master Lalnuo and Song Xingzhang weren't surprised about her being parasitized. Or rather, as soon as she displayed a portion of her spatial attribute energy, the two analysts already understood.
Lalnuo's teacher was a spatial attribute awakened one.
The elderly man completely calmed Chen Sui's inner anxiety. He stated directly that Chen Sui was the first successful case of energy body parasitism since its emergence, as she hadn't shown symptoms of mental domain withering syndrome. However, this also meant that the energy body had taken root in Chen Sui's mental domain. She was constantly battling the energy body, and to win this invisible struggle, there was only one path.
—Synchronization.
Chen Sui's initial direction was correct, but after crossing the initial establishment stage of spiritual body synchronization, further strengthening became a major threshold.
What Chen Sui needed to do was cross one threshold after another, completely transform the energy body's power into something she could control, suppress the energy body's resistance, and even completely annihilate its consciousness.
The central teaching room's joint analysis task contained much information. After participating, Chen Sui learned the reason the Competition Committee had arranged this.
The other mirages found in the Song of Sand and Mirage differed from the information collected during the Border Army's sweeps, and the bas-reliefs and murals seemed to contain information about energy bodies.
When viewing Zhu Jing Fu's perspective, Chen Sui was repeatedly asked about the energy field's conditions and which points were abnormal. The Border Army meticulously recorded her words while comparing with colleagues.
After the contestants withdrew from the energy field, the Border Army conducted a second investigation.
"Wow, this is so serious," Zhou Chen muttered quietly from the back of the crowd, resting on his crossed arms.
To his side front, Chi Buyu glanced back, then quickly turned away. He seemed about to say something, but He Chigui beside him carefully looked back and tugged at his sleeve.
Chi Buyu didn't turn around. Covering his lips to hide the movement, he whispered: "I'm saying, why has Colonel Lu been staring at you guys? He's been staring for ages."
From the opposite seats, among the teaching team crowd, a man at the back revealed eyes bearing scars, his somber gaze sweeping across occasionally. Chen Sui noticed that Lu Cuining often looked at her hair. Before learning about the parasitism, Chen Sui might have felt anxious, worried he would notice something amiss, but now she was completely at ease.
No matter how Lu Cuining looked at her, she was a proper, legitimate Star Alliance resident, observed by the Star Alliance.
Therefore, when he looked over again, Chen Sui unflinchingly stared back.
It was currently the mid-session break. Lu Cuining's usual clothing style was somewhat casual, with his jacket loosely draped over his shoulders. Only when wearing the Border Army uniform did he meticulously smooth out every wrinkle and sit as straight as the surrounding Border Army personnel.
When Chen Sui looked over, a deep meaning suddenly appeared in his eyes, and he gestured across with a look before standing up.
Chen Sui's eyes flashed with surprise, understanding that Lu Cuining wanted to speak with her privately. Just right, Chen Sui's eyes glimmered—she also had some questions for him.
As Chen Sui stood up, she only told her teammates: "I'll go out for a bit. Call me on the light brain when the second half starts."
Zhou Chen sat up straight. "Yeah, sure."
Before he could understand what was happening, the gaze that had been fixed on the Zhu Jing Fu team suddenly disappeared, and Zhou Chen's shoulders relaxed.
"Man, so this is what a joint analysis feels like? It's as tense as being watched by teachers in class."
Seeing Lu Cuining leave, Chi Buyu finally dared to turn around. Hearing this, he nodded in deep agreement: "Seriously, I didn't dare to say a word."
"You two should be grateful. If the teachers weren't watching, I would've come over and punched you both during the analysis," Noya's golden eyes were deep as he turned to stare at Zhou Chen, making a throat-slitting gesture. "You're something else, aren't you? I had no idea I was so powerful that I could pin you to the ground and beat you."
"And you," Noya was truly moved by Chi Buyu's intelligence, "you believe whatever he says. I saw how fierce Zhu Jing Fu's attacks were later on—you must have contributed a lot, acting like some rich guy."
Chi Buyu knew he was guilty and covered his head when scolded. "Wuwu, how was I supposed to know Zhou Chen was this scheming? He seemed too stupid to lie."
Zhou Chen: "?"
"Weren't you fooled because I acted convincingly?"
His tone was extremely surprised. Could it be that Chi Buyu thought he was too dumb to come up with a scheme, and that's why he believed him so easily?
Noya wrung his hands in frustration: "I don't know if Zhou Chen is stupid, but you certainly are! He might not have the brains, but don't the others in Zhu Jing Fu? Look at Chen Sui, that black-hearted rice ball, and..."
As Noya spoke, he glanced at Xie Chunshi. The black-haired wolf-tailed student lifted his eyelids and gave him a clear, cold look.
Noya coughed awkwardly: "And Zhu Jing Fu's Commander, so resourceful. Besides, if you looked carefully at Zhou Chen's mecha, you'd know it wasn't lightning energy traces!"
Those were all Gu Qinxue's kicks!
What did it have to do with him!
This was the most uncomfortable praise Noya had ever received. Although Zhou Chen's words were all about how strong he was, Noya just felt completely irritated.
So frustrated!
Having been inadvertently pulled into the conversation, Xie Chunshi didn't have the mind to participate. He glanced at Chen Sui's empty seat and suddenly stood up: "I'm going to get nutrient solutions. Do you want any?"
The analysis meeting still had half a session to go, not ending so soon.
Hearing this, Zhou Chen slowly raised his hand: "I want one!"
Several people from Xitisi and Saint Laurent in front also raised their hands in succession: "Commander Xie, please bring us some too."
Xie Chunshi didn't refuse and also nodded to Xie You and Zhang Yingjie, indicating they should bring some as well.
As soon as he left, he turned away. Noya, in the middle of chatting, looked over: "Where's he going to get them? The central hall only has a few new flavors."
For so many nutrient solutions, Xie Chunshi would have to go to the logistics room, but he was walking in the opposite direction.
"Don't worry, our Commander is reliable. We'll have food soon."
From Saint Laurent's row, Xie Yi poked her head out: "I wonder if little brother Chun is getting me some food."
She said it softly, thinking Xie Chunshi hadn't heard.
Gu Qinxue, however, looked at Chen Sui's spot, guessing the Commander had gone to find Chen Sui. She just wondered why Colonel Lu had sought out Chen Sui.
The girl's frost-like gaze swept over Xiao Er at the front. The young man's expression remained unchanged as he listened to his teammates.
[Snow: What does Colonel Lu want with Chen Sui?]
[Garbled Code: Just asked Xiao Er, he doesn't know either. Don't your Zhu Jing Fu people know?]
[Snow: …]
Gu Qinxue lost her interest in investigating.
Behind the central hall was an extremely long mechanical corridor, generally not open as it served as an evacuation route.
The door revealed a crack.
Chen Sui and Lu Cuining entered one after the other.
The man in the Border Army uniform still looked somewhat fierce, very tall and imposing when standing.
Chen Sui and Lu Cuining had only interacted once on Hundred-Day Star, then mostly on the combat platform, rarely having this kind of peaceful face-to-face communication.
The man carried a killing aura related to his years of traversing energy fields. Chen Sui felt his gaze like a blade, inch by inch roaming over her hair, clearly examining.
"What were you doing in the God-Abandoned Domain?"
Lu Cuining wasn't skilled at probing; he got straight to the point.
As he spoke, his memory involuntarily recalled days earlier when Chen Sui, newly become an analyst, stood at a Hundred-Day Star stall asking if he had seen the material on her light brain.
At that time, he immediately recognized that the image was a mecha figure created using virtual battlefield mecha construction, but Lu Cuining hadn't paid attention then. Looking back now, it was so similar to the mecha material he had salvaged.
Upon seeing the parasitism news, Lu Cuining's mind suddenly exploded, belatedly recalling this point. All his suspicions about Chen Sui's anomalies seemed to have found a definite target.
—He could confirm that Chen Sui was in a parasitized state, and the energy body's assimilation had reached the point of external manifestation.
"Is the Competition Committee still asking about the purpose of choosing energy fields?" Chen Sui raised her eyes to meet his gaze, seeming somewhat amused. "I just wanted to experience how extraordinary the annually changing energy field was."
This was also what Lu Cuining had told Chen Sui at Hundred-Day Star.
How could he have imagined that the little girl before him would truly step onto the league battlefield one by one, and even go to the God-Abandoned Domain?
"Ha," Lu Cuining laughed somewhat self-mockingly. "Chen Sui, I'm very curious how your mecha appeared in the God-Abandoned Domain?"
"Also, although this Lu doesn't have much experience, I know," Lu Cuining's smile faded, "not all awakened ones have awakening externalization phenomena, right?"
Chen Sui's expression remained unchanged as Lu Cuining suddenly bent down, his sharp gaze fixed on her expression, his tone low: "So, you were parasitized when you entered the God-Abandoned Domain that time, correct?"
Chen Sui didn't remember when she had ever been to the God-Abandoned Domain, but her mecha had indeed fallen into the energy field. This made her wonder if perhaps her first traversal location was the God-Abandoned Domain, and only during her entanglement with the energy body did she arrive at the starship in her memory.
Faced with Lu Cuining's tense questioning, Chen Sui curled her palm slightly, her expression unchanged.
"Colonel Lu, where in the energy field did you find the mecha materials? May I ask?"
Chen Sui didn't answer but asked in return.
This was also what she wanted to learn from Lu Cuining.
Seeing her calm demeanor, Lu Cuining's gaze only passed over her crown, where the cluster of grass leaves blended into the woven hair accessory without any abnormality.
"God-Abandoned Domain, Rust-Red Sea, A3 Sea Area."
Lu Cuining stated the location. His expression completely cooled as he seemed to understand that Chen Sui wouldn't answer his question. He straightened up, his tone extremely harsh: "Whether or not you're parasitized, I won't allow energy bodies to rampage freely on Star Alliance territory."
"I won't let any dangerous factors develop."
Lu Cuining stared at her intently.
Chen Sui heard the threat in his words. Lu Cuining seemed to believe she had been assimilated by the energy body. Chen Sui closed her eyes somewhat resignedly.
"You should know," Chen Sui looked at him, her gaze sincere, "if possible, no one wants to be parasitized."
If possible, she wouldn't want to fuse with an energy crystal of unknown origin, pushing her future toward the abyss of a high-stakes gamble. But she had no other path.
Lu Cuining's brow twitched several times, his expression unmoved. "But that doesn't change the crisis that parasitized people can transform into energy bodies at any moment and trigger energy storms."
Failed parasitism leads to mental domain withering syndrome.
Successful parasitism turns one into an energy body's puppet, positioned to release massive storms, giving birth to new energy fields.
These were the two outcomes Lu Cuining understood.
"I will be watching you. Once you lose control, the Star Alliance will immediately eliminate any dangerous factors."
Chen Sui immediately looked at him, her eyes showing some severity, waiting for Lu Cuining to continue: "Student Chen Sui."
"I hope you understand, standing from the Border Army's position, I must do this."
The parasitism wasn't Chen Sui's fault. Strictly speaking, she was also a victim. But now, Chen Sui was showing trends of successful parasitism, and according to Lu Cuining's perception, the energy body parasitizing her was not ordinary.
Lu Cuining pressed down like a massive boulder.
"Fine," Chen Sui fearlessly looked up. "Then watch me."
She wouldn't lose to the energy body. If Lu Cuining wanted to watch, let him.
Lu Cuining stared at her for a few moments. The analyst wore a faint smile, her eyes bright and clear, neither avoiding nor hiding.
The man in the Border Army uniform relaxed his tightly knit brows slightly and retreated from the mechanical corridor door, walking out.
Chen Sui inside the door watched his back.
Lu Cuining certainly wasn't wrong. From the Star Alliance's standpoint, Chen Sui couldn't say he was wrong.
But she had been inexplicably parasitized, her own power stripped away, burdened with things not her own.
She wanted the energy body dead.
She wasn't wrong either.
Chen Sui lowered her eyes, her emerald pupils seemingly brewing a storm. With just a light blink, she immediately returned to her harmless, pure appearance.
Chen Sui composed herself and reached to push the door open.
Outside, a slender figure leaned against the side. The white light from above stretched his shadow long. The young man was holding a square nutrient solution storage box.
Hearing the sound of the mechanical corridor door pushing outward, Xie Chunshi raised his eyes to look over.
Chen Sui's expression flashed with slight surprise: "Commander?"
"Mm, Xie Chunshi."
He suddenly spoke, quietly looking at Chen Sui.
"?"
Chen Sui's expression went blank for a second before she suddenly remembered something—she had urgently called him by his full name. She couldn't help but smile: "I was quite anxious then, I called you that instinctively."
"Mm, you can call me that now too," Xie Chunshi calmly looked at her as they walked back together. "Don't worry about Lu Cuining's matter."
As they reached the corner, Xie Chunshi looked down at the top of Chen Sui's head and suddenly said.
Chen Sui paused: "You heard?"
Xie Chunshi didn't conceal it. He looked back: "The mechanical corridor doesn't have good soundproofing."
Because the door had to remain partially open, there was always a crack.
Lu Cuining's thoughts weren't hard to guess. Xie Chunshi thought Lu Cuining was like Song Baining—both forces guarding the Star Alliance's edges, viewing energy bodies as irreconcilable, mortal enemies.
But Chen Sui was different from them.
Xie Chunshi thought.
She wasn't an energy body. She was Chen Sui, Zhu Jing Fu's analyst, their teammate...
Xie Chunshi thought, if Chen Sui wanted to go to the God-Abandoned Domain, he wouldn't let anything stop her.
"I don't know what Uncle told you, but since Uncle didn't stop you, it means you're fine."
Being fine meant Chen Sui wouldn't fall into a mental domain withering syndrome state.
Chen Sui lowered her eyes. The Commander was always perceptive; she had hidden many things well, but he could always discover traces from the slightest clues.
"I'm not worried."
Chen Sui said. She knew what Lu Cuining was concerned about, but Chen Sui would absolutely not let that situation happen.
At worst, she would die together with the energy body in her mental domain.
Xie Chunshi didn't say anything more, only shielding Chen Sui's figure with his body as they entered the teaching room, passing by the teaching team.
As soon as Chen Sui sat down, she saw her teammates' pale faces.
Xie Chunshi put down the nutrient solutions and handed one to Chen Sui: "Here, eat this first."
Chen Sui realized he must have used getting nutrient solutions as an excuse to leave. She passed the nutrient solution around: "Are you this hungry, or is it—"
"Hell no," Zhou Chen looked up with a sour expression. His eyes directed Chen Sui to look over. Several unfamiliar figures had joined the teaching team at the front. "I'm going to be sick."
"The Gu family sent someone to the review panel."
When the Gu family name came up, Chen Sui narrowed her eyes: "Oh, which one?"
She sat down, tore open the nutrient solution seal, and looked to the other side.
"Gu Pingyang, Gu Haichuan's brother."
Gu Qinxue pointed to a gentle-looking man in an immaculate white shirt among the crowd. He smiled warmly, looking nothing like the notorious Gu family. But when he raised his eyes toward them, Chen Sui detected the scrutiny and calculation within, giving her the exact same chill.
"Why is the Gu family suddenly adding people to the review panel?"
Gu Qinxue sneered: "Energy field disturbances—the council is making trouble for Director Zhao. Several Zone Eleven military units are demanding redistribution of energy body jurisdiction."
Gu Qinxue explained briefly. Chen Sui was somewhat confused but generally understood—it was about resource redistribution to maximize one's own benefits.
"At a time like this, they're doing this?"
She gulped down some nutrient solution. No wonder Zhao Loulan had recently appeared somewhat subtly fatigued in every movement.
Xie Chunshi looked over. Not only had the Gu family joined, but this batch of people from the Competition Committee, the reactivated family officers from the Border Army Zone, and even the frequent movements of various family principals from the council all indicated one thing.
The old nobility couldn't hold back anymore. They wanted to use the energy body disturbances as an opportunity to firmly grasp all resources in their own hands.
But these matters were unrelated to military school students and the league. Xie Chunshi relaxed his brow slightly, though his gaze passed over Lu Cuining with some deep thought.
The analysis meeting proceeded without any disruptions due to these conflicts. The entire process focused on analyzing the energy field and evaluating the behavior of military school students from various academies.
After the analysis, teachers from each academy redrafted new training plans based on the military school students' performance.
The off-season that should have included a holiday was suddenly filled with various tasks. The busy military school students completely forgot about their holiday demands.
Before the preparation period, Chen Sui returned from the Poplar Star open energy field. It was now late night. She organized the training video content from the off-season and packaged it to send to Song Xingzhang.
Passing by the Competition Committee's central tower, she saw a broad back on the open terrace.
The young man wore an exaggerated uniform adorned with various pendants and tassels, appearing extraordinarily luxurious.
Chen Sui glanced inside. The only person who would dress like this could only be Na Luo River's strong attacker, Simos.
She had originally intended to pass by quietly, but perhaps his glance was too obvious. Simos suddenly turned his head and, seeing Chen Sui in combat attire, showed some surprise: "Little Sister Chen Sui~"
Simos greeted her enthusiastically.
Chen Sui nodded and politely walked over to him.
Reaching the terrace, she realized Simos was watching the Sand and Mirage replay, specifically from Zhu Jing Fu's perspective.
"Didn't we already analyze this at the meeting?"
Chen Sui pointed at the light brain projection.
Simos was watching a part near the beginning, right when Zhu Jing Fu encountered the oasis and dug out the sand armor beast.
Chen Sui still remembered the sand armor beast's teeth, which she had used to reinforce Gu Qinxue's thorny fire whip.
"Yes, we analyzed it," Simos squinted and smiled, gathering his extravagant cape. Though smiling, his tone seemed somewhat sad. Chen Sui was startled and looked up at the screen.
In the night, their silhouettes cast clear size differences—Simos was much taller. The screen at his eye level required Chen Sui to tilt her head to see completely.
"Sorry," Simos noticed her stretching to see and lowered the screen.
Chen Sui watched for a while before realizing this wasn't a replay but an edited segment repeatedly playing the part near the oasis: "It's fine. You've been watching this part—did you notice something unusual?"
"Oh, nothing," Simos smiled awkwardly. With his arm on the railing, his eyes flickering in the changing light seemed to shimmer. "It's just that this is right at my doorstep."
"Huh?"
Chen Sui showed some surprise.
Zhu Jing Fu's landing point was around Flo City—could it be such a coincidence?
Seeing her undisguised surprise, Simos saw the usually sensible, even somewhat mature and composed analyst with her mouth slightly open. Simos should have felt some sense of achievement at this moment.
Even Zhou Chen hadn't made Chen Sui show such an expression, so how could he not count this as saying something shocking?
"Yes, the vines that caught Zhou Chen are a type of star beast called Thousand Day Vines. My family used to run a breeding farm. These star beasts liked to climb on metal fences. Whenever I passed by the entrance, they would curl up and suddenly stretch out, trying to trip people."
Simos recalled, his eyes showing some nostalgia.
Star beasts had become a very unfamiliar term now.
In the Kamanna Empire before the Star Alliance, star beasts were enemies that made people pale at the mention.
After the Star Alliance was established, with the arrival of fractures and the spread of energy storms, unevolved star beasts suddenly became unusually docile, no different from ordinary creatures. Thus, people attempted star beast breeding to improve the biological ecology that had been completely destroyed by fracture arrivals.
Many humans established pet-like emotional bonds with star beasts during this process.
Chen Sui looked up at Simos's expression, somewhat insensitively saying: "If you miss them, I can give you Thousand Day Vine energy crystals."
She must have killed quite a few.
Simos's expression froze as he suddenly looked down at her with a strange look: "Little Sui, has anyone ever told you you're like a wooden block?"
Chen Sui: "?"
"Then how should I comfort you?" Chen Sui sincerely asked.
She wasn't very good at comforting people.
Simos sighed, seeing some helplessness in her eyes. "It's fine, you don't need to comfort me. I'm just a bit sad."
"In the Sand and Mirage were many of my old friends. But after they evolved into energy bodies, we became enemies."
Chen Sui wanted to pat his shoulder, but Simos was too tall for her to reach. She could only pat his cape hanging on the railing: "It's okay, you still have a chance to remember them through the energy crystals."
Simos: "..."
Seemingly noticing his speechlessness, Chen Sui tried to rephrase: "I mean..."
She quickly thought in her mind but couldn't find a good way to save face. So she just looked up at Simos, deflated.
"Hahaha," Simos was amused by Chen Sui's helpless expression. Chen Sui watched as he raised his hand to wipe away a tear.
She thought, who gets red eyes while laughing out loud?
"My home used to be beautiful. If it hadn't turned into an energy field, I might have invited you all to visit. It was truly no worse than Wisteria Star."
Simos suppressed the choke in his voice.
The nearly two-meter-tall man tilted his head back to look at the sky, pretending to be cheerful.
Looking at the energy field in the screen, eroded into yellow sand by energy, Chen Sui thought, there aren't so many "ifs" in life.
So humans and energy bodies are truly irreconcilable.
"That's why I really hate energy bodies. Tsk, no wonder I felt such a connection when I first met you."
Simos clapped his hands together, suddenly understanding.
Chen Sui was famously hostile toward energy bodies, treating them as mortal enemies.
"Don't think about it anymore," Chen Sui sighed, looking at Simos's expression and offering pale comfort: "In the future, perhaps there will be a day when the energy is completely absorbed, the mirage dissipates, and Flo City is restored."
The situation Chen Sui described might not be impossible to achieve, but with the Star Alliance covered by numerous energy fields, what she said seemed more elusive than a dream.
Simos nodded with a smile: "I hope for such a day."
But even if that day came, his former star beast friends would forever remain mortal enemies.
Chen Sui bid him farewell, watching the back of the man in his luxurious attire, suddenly detecting a sense of desolation.
It will definitely happen, she thought.
On the first day of the preparation period, seeing Simos again during the energy field drawing, he still appeared carefree, joking around with those nearby. If Chen Sui hadn't seen him secretly wiping tears in the night, she might not have thought him so sad.
[Star League Competition Third Match]
[Selected Energy Field is—]
[Tenth Star Ring, Tata Mine Star]
[SSS-level Energy Field]
[Mechanical Tower]
Looking at the image behind the haggard-faced Border Army chairperson, murmurs spread through both the review seats and contestant seats.
"Damn, SSS-level?"
"Ah, Mechanical Tower? A metal-property energy field? Is this going too far?"
As soon as the Mechanical Tower selection was announced, Zhao Loulan rubbed her brow. "This competition venue is set as the SSS-level Mechanical Tower. Any academy with contestants carrying mechanical organs or prosthetics should go to the Medical Ward for special material replacements."
Hearing this reminder, Chen Sui instinctively raised her hand to touch her artificial eye.
"Should I go too?"
She looked at Xie Chunshi. The Commander nodded: "Metal-property energy fields are special. Besides organ replacements, mechas also need special coatings."