novelraw Chapter 33 : Speed Race
Chapter 33 : Speed Race
Chen Sui was unfazed by its fangs.
Seeing the golden snake open its mouth wide, she was quite interested, quickly raising her flash blast gun to fire a shot at its forehead.
Behind her, black mist rapidly reached toward her.
A blue light rose around Liao Ruyi, forming behind Chen Sui. Although her brain transmitted pain from her damaged core crystal, she remembered Chen Sui's division of tasks.
She had to block the black mist, creating combat space for Chen Sui to kill the black snake.
"Bright Light!"
Liao Ruyi called out softly.
Chen Sui turned her head at the sound, seeing through a layer of huge blue light screen the somewhat unstable phantom behind Liao Ruyi.
A blue crystal-feathered crane spread its wings behind her. As water elements gathered, the air seemed to become much more humid.
The surrounding water mist converged in midair, water droplets forming lines, blocking the spread of black mist.
Chen Sui only took one glance, then swung her long spear and began fighting with the golden snake.
Golden snake, a dark system energy body with concealment attribute.
She dodged the black mist spewed by the golden snake, darting around in midair, trying to lure the golden snake's body away from above its tail.
However, this golden snake was extremely cautious. Even when her mecha landed on the swamp, where just a bit of black mist pulling from below the swamp could make her fall, the golden snake remained unmoved, withdrawing its body and coiling again on its tail.
Chen Sui admired its vigilance but was frustrated by the inability to attack.
The black mist rose again around them. Though Liao Ruyi blocked some in midair, the black snake could quickly regenerate. Without resolving the energy body itself, they would only be consumed by the black mist.
Chen Sui looked at its tail hidden in the swamp, a flash of inspiration crossing her mind, and she suddenly revealed a cold smile.
Regeneration 3?
Let's see what's faster—your regeneration or my strike.
Her eyes turned cold. Below her feet, the green energy blocking the black swamp's miasma dissipated, and the mecha leaped upward.
Free from the sinking sensation, the mecha rushed quickly toward the golden snake.
The golden snake spat black spines from between its fangs. Chen Sui spun to avoid them, but one after another, the black spines quickly regathered, turning to track her shadow.
Chen Sui circled past the snake's head, her mecha stepping on its thick body. She gripped her spear and stabbed downward fiercely!
The golden snake howled in pain, its body twisting frantically, yet still protecting the area above its tail extremely tightly.
The spearhead penetrated the snake's body. With a thought from Chen Sui, the dried branch with the four-edged blade began to rotate rapidly, cutting open the golden snake's flesh.
The snake's struggling intensified, causing the mecha to shake. Chen Sui thrust downward forcefully, the long spear almost piercing through the snake's body, but the golden snake was simply too large—the spear inserted halfway and could go no further.
The spear flicked upward, and the golden snake rolled in pain. Most of its body reared up, carrying the mecha on its body with it. Chen Sui held onto the spear to barely avoid falling off the golden snake.
Just as she looked down, she saw the golden snake raise its head to midair. Seeing this, Liao Ruyi aimed at the golden snake, firing flash blast projectiles repeatedly, exploding on the golden snake's forehead. Enraged, the snake frantically tried to bite the mecha moving in the black mist.
Chen Sui's eyes showed a smile. Her mecha made a gesture toward Liao Ruyi, who may not have seen it clearly but busily leaped in midair, causing the golden snake's body to rise vertically from the ground, moving the tail section away from above the swamp.
Chen Sui seized this opportunity, gripping her spear, stomping down with her feet, and jerking her wrist. As the blade whirled rapidly, the long spear pulled free from the golden snake's body.
The green mecha ran quickly along the snake's elongated body, rushing toward the tail.
The golden snake opened its fangs wide to bite down on the mecha in midair. Sensing something wrong on its body, it seemed about to turn back, but Liao Ruyi sent first an ice spike, then a shell from her cannon, disturbing the golden snake so much that it opened its mouth and spewed a long black spray. The black swirling gas rushed toward Liao Ruyi.
An ice wall instantly formed, surrounding the mecha.
By now, Chen Sui had reached the lower section of the golden snake's body. Her mecha leaped into the air, the long spear sweeping through the air, a green light condensing at its tip.
The green mecha, dozens of meters away, glanced at her companion in midair.
Liao Ruyi gritted her teeth, pushing her energy to the maximum. The blue ice wall, covered by black gas, glowed even brighter.
The mecha watched below.
Around Chen Sui, countless green energy particles gathered like fireflies. The surrounding trees began to grow wildly, extending frantically toward the black swamp below. Black gas corroded the plants, but countless stems spread across the jungle like spider webs, advancing one after another into the swamp.
At this moment, Chen Sui thrust her spear upward violently, lifting half of the golden snake's body from the mud swamp.
This sudden attack made the golden snake sense danger. Its vertical pupils glanced back, then it immediately reared up, flicking its long snake tongue as if containing fury.
It tried to turn its head to deal with the mecha on the ground, while the surrounding black mist rushed toward Chen Sui.
Chen Sui remained motionless. Her long spear lifted the snake's body, and her mecha leaped into the air, charged with green energy, thrusting downward fiercely.
The long spear pierced through the snake's body. With a chop of her wrist, the long spear enveloped in green energy cut through the snake's body as if slicing tofu, severing it at the waist.
"ROAR------"
The golden snake howled frantically, its entire body shaking violently. Its upright body twisted, and its tail began to retract into the swamp.
Chen Sui's eyes turned cold. Seeing the wound beginning to heal, she immediately redirected her spear. The plant root systems already deep in the swamp wrapped around the snake's tail and yanked hard------
The snake's body separated!
The part that lost its energy crystal was immediately engulfed and devoured by the surging black mist. The golden snake's body transformed into a cloud of black smoke, merging into the black mist.
The black mist, blocked by the ice wall, sensed the threat and crashed repeatedly against its surroundings. The powerful energy particles broke through the ice wall.
The crane spread its wings behind Liao Ruyi, countless ice spikes shooting outward.
But they were all devoured by the black mist. The black mist howled past, the huge energy wave directly tearing apart the ice crane's silhouette.
Liao Ruyi's brain was suddenly in extreme pain, her core crystal shaking frantically, blue energy scattering uncontrollably.
She bit her lower lip tightly, avoiding making any sound that might distract Chen Sui.
However, the noise of the ice wall shattering had already caught Chen Sui's attention. She looked up and saw Liao Ruyi's spiritual body phantom being torn apart.
Chen Sui's eyes turned cold, then she looked at the half of the snake's body that was quickly regenerating, killing intent flashing past.
"Net!"
She commanded quietly.
The root systems remaining under the swamp formed a giant net throughout the entire swamp bottom, like a sacrifice. The corroded root systems disappeared, quickly replaced by new ones. The dense, interwoven giant net—vines wrapped in black mist carrying deathly energy, their surface showing a faint green light—rose at Chen Sui's gesture.
The black tree net wrapped around the remaining half of the snake's tail, rising from the swamp.
The regenerating half of the snake's tail squirmed rapidly.
Black mist approached Chen Sui, the gas already enveloping her mecha.
But as a hint of green floated up, Chen Sui twisted her wrist, thrusting her long spear into the unhealed cross-section of the half snake tail, cutting lengthwise.
The tremendous force pushed the snake's tail forward several meters, finally blocked by the tree net woven in midair.
Between these two great forces, the long spear penetrated the giant snake's skin and flesh.
With a collision-like soft sound,
The dried branch instantly exploded into countless tiny branches, enveloping a black crystal.
As Chen Sui stepped on the tree net, flipping backward and withdrawing her spear, the entire mecha gracefully left the snake's body, hovering in midair.
At the tip of the long spear, the black energy crystal wrapped in branches fell. As the mecha rushed, a large hand swept out, grasping the energy crystal while a burst of green light exploded, cutting through layers of black mist.
The half snake body and the swirling black miasma gradually merged into the black swamp.
Chen Sui quickly approached Liao Ruyi, reaching out to grab her mecha and carrying the rigid mecha body to the other side of the lake shore.
Liao Ruyi's heavy breathing could be heard.
"Are you all right?"
Chen Sui asked with a frown.
She had seen core crystal damage before, during a training match when Fourth-One Academy's Team Leader Chun Fan was in such agony just from damage to his core crystal merged with a summoned body.
Liao Ruyi's spiritual body was damaged, and her core crystal injury was severe.
Chen Sui's energy, imbued with green, enveloped her.
Following the theory from the analyst core crystal guidance basic course, green energy traveled through, entering Liao Ruyi's spiritual threshold.
Within the spiritual threshold, a powerful energy surged in. Its pressure quickly made the core crystal stop moving. Then, gentle green energy, carrying the breath of life's sprouting, smoothed the chaotic spiritual threshold.
A crack on the core crystal stood out prominently.
Chen Sui withdrew from Liao Ruyi's spiritual threshold.
After experiencing brief intense pain, Liao Ruyi opened her eyes, drenched in sweat. Her mecha moved tentatively.
Chen Sui pressed down on her shoulder.
"Feeling better?"
The calm female voice asked.
Liao Ruyi reacted with a delay, then looked at her with an incredibly indescribable gaze.
"You, you can do spiritual guidance?"
Chen Sui nodded, saying flatly.
"Isn't this one of the analyst basic courses?"
Chen Sui remembered seeing it in a first-year analyst assignment she ghost-wrote, and not understanding it well, she had supplemented with courses in this area.
Analyst basic courses included energy perception, energy manipulation, energy analysis, energy crystal positioning, spiritual guidance, and more.
Chen Sui couldn't practice in her unawakened state, but after awakening, she eagerly tried everything.
Spiritual guidance was the course Chen Sui practiced the longest.
A full three days before she could gently enter a spiritual threshold without causing her energy fluctuations to trigger the core crystal's expulsion.
Liao Ruyi didn't know Chen Sui's mental activity; she just felt amazed: "You've only transferred to the Analyst Department a few days ago, yet you've already learned spiritual guidance."
The second-year top student recalled her own struggles when learning the basic courses.
"Is this... the talent of having a high threshold?"
Liao Ruyi felt somewhat dazed.
Many first-year students were held back by spiritual guidance, with many only passing supplementary exams in their second year. Even she had practiced for a full year before barely managing it.
Yet Chen Sui so easily entered her spiritual threshold, so effortlessly calmed her core crystal, and filled the energy particle gaps.
Liao Ruyi had never felt such an enormous gap between herself and those with high thresholds.
For analysts, the spiritual threshold value, once determined, decides an analyst's upper limit.
Liao Ruyi never believed this; she always thought her efforts could compensate for any lack of natural talent.
But an energy field internship in a border military zone made her understand that the range of spiritual threshold determines the energy level she can perceive. Energy beyond her threshold range becomes invisible to her.
This was the second time Liao Ruyi clearly saw what the threshold upper limit truly represents.
And now, she couldn't help wondering if analysts with high thresholds could really easily surpass all her efforts, reaching peaks she could never attain simply because of those two words—natural talent?
Chen Sui noticed her staring blankly, only catching fragments of Liao Ruyi's disheartened murmurs.
She lowered her eyes.
"Is it possible that, I mean, I had already studied this before transferring to the Analyst Department?"
Liao Ruyi looked up at her. "You studied analyst courses while in the Combat System?"
Chen Sui nodded, openly telling her about accepting ghost-writing assignments.
Liao Ruyi was even more surprised after hearing this.
"Weren't you afraid? Afraid the assignments would have problems?"
Even students in the Analyst Department wouldn't accept assignment orders, fearing they might mislead others.
A Combat System student not only accepted orders but also included teaching?
Chen Sui shook her head.
"If you learn it well, there's nothing to fear. I did each one very seriously."
Liao Ruyi was confused by her matter-of-fact tone: "But the Analyst Department assignments are really difficult, don't you think?"
In analyzing energy fields, finding the most suitable routes, the quickest ways to resolve energy bodies, and even the most appropriate summoned body forms for energy fields.
Many required simulation before knowing.
Chen Sui wasn't even awakened—how did she manage to complete them?
Liao Ruyi was genuinely puzzled now and couldn't help but ask.
Chen Sui's answer was even more explosive: "Maybe because I only accepted the easier types? Like analyzing how to resolve energy bodies most quickly in this type of environment."
As a vanguard, quickly and accurately killing alien species was a skill she always needed to improve.
Replace alien species with energy bodies.
Replace contaminated zones with energy fields.
Analyst assignments became immediate battle plans, familiar to Chen Sui.
The feedback she'd received so far, apart from "too aggressive, not advisable," was mostly positive.
Liao Ruyi was completely speechless.
This is considered easy?
"Is it possible that these assignments are truly not easy to do?"
Liao Ruyi helplessly climbed onto her mecha, walking toward the placement point with Chen Sui's support.
Chen Sui didn't understand and chatted with her about this.
In the end, Liao Ruyi finally confirmed one point: "Your methods, although effective, are all too risky. Like this time, we could have escaped from the golden snake, rather than needing to kill it, because this is a speed race—the objective is to place the energy monitoring equipment."
Saying this, Liao Ruyi glanced at her, her tone somewhat low: "Which route did you come from?"
Chen Sui drew on the map.
"The shortest distance between two points is a straight line."
Chen Sui had taken the most direct route.
Liao Ruyi held her forehead: "Didn't you find there were an extraordinary number of energy bodies on this route?"
Chen Sui thought for a moment, counting how many she had killed, but because there were simply too many, she gave up and just nodded: "A bit many, but manageable."
"Analysts can't be like this," Liao Ruyi sighed. "You're an analyst, the eyes of the team. You must learn to avoid risks, ensure your own survival, which ensures the team's survival probability."
Thinking Chen Sui was new to the Analyst Department and might not understand, she explained in detail why analysts must protect themselves.
Chen Sui had heard such views too many times. She understood them all, but did this mean everyone must necessarily follow this approach?
"Then why, when I was fighting the golden snake, didn't you go place the monitoring equipment, but instead stayed to help me deal with the black mist?"
Liao Ruyi choked for a moment, quickly explaining: "That's because you were saving me..."
At this point, she paused, "Well, I saw you seemed very confident..."
Liao Ruyi admitted that for a moment she had thought about retreating.
But Chen Sui's actions were so confident that they unconsciously made her follow.
"See, you trusted me," Chen Sui's tone rose. "Analysts retreat because they're uncertain about their teammates, or rather, they don't trust themselves and their teammates to overcome energy bodies."
"But just now, you stayed."
"Not all analysts need to follow the defensive style. Trusted analysts, meeting trusted teammates, can equally be a sharp blade."
Chen Sui concluded.
Liao Ruyi's voice caught, then she added: "But defensive-style analysts face lower risks. You never want to see what happens to a team that has lost its analyst in an energy field, Student Chen Sui. You're still too young. Once you've been in an energy field, you'll understand."
"No analyst can bear the consequence of causing teammates' deaths through their own mistakes."
"Even the great Master Song Xingzhang, who created the entire offensive-flow analyst approach, is no exception."
Chen Sui noticed this name and silently noted it down.
But she neither agreed nor disagreed with Liao Ruyi's words.
If analysts start with the mentality of 'my elimination will cause the entire team's elimination,' then from the very beginning, they cannot defeat energy bodies.
Ultimately, as long as she was strong enough, she could be the one who kills energy bodies and remains until the end.
She was a vanguard after all, and a vanguard must be the sharpest blade.
Chen Sui didn't speak. She and Liao Ruyi finally arrived at the placement point.
Liao Ruyi stopped in front of the energy placement device, instinctively glancing at Chen Sui.
Chen Sui made no move.
"If it weren't for you, I might not have made it out of the swamp, so you win."
Liao Ruyi reminded her, then stepped back.
Chen Sui stood still for a second, looking at her, saying seriously: "Are you sure?"
"If I lose, people will only say a new Analyst Department student was overconfident."
"If you lose, they'll say the Analyst Department's top student was badly defeated."
She didn't care about winning or losing, but would Liao Ruyi be indifferent to those voices?
Liao Ruyi's answer was: "Losing is just losing. I can afford it."
"I never care about what others say. Since I took the top position with my low threshold, countless negatives have attacked me. One more doesn't matter. I've already done my best; outside voices cannot affect me."
Hearing this, Chen Sui laughed softly.
She detached the energy monitoring device from her chest and forcefully inserted it into the placement device.
"Placement successful, time used: 1 hour 27 minutes 35 seconds"
"Speed race ended, battlefield reclaiming..."
As the system voice sounded, the energy field projection disappeared.
The two returned to the holographic battlefield's team homepage.
Chen Sui looked at Liao Ruyi again. She had a very clean appearance, with particularly bright eyes and proper features, giving an extremely righteous impression even without speaking.
This quality instinctively reminded Chen Sui of the teacher who had checked her entrance examination, as well as the school Team Leader, Teacher Yan Mingyu.
"I think the Border Army would definitely welcome you."
Chen Sui said instinctively.
Liao Ruyi had a strong sense of discipline. She was upright, genuine, able to make the most rational decisions, extremely similar to the pine and cypress of Zone Eleven.
Hearing this, Liao Ruyi gave her a very bright smile, showing small tiger teeth, saying somewhat reservedly: "How did you know?"
After saying this, Liao Ruyi took small steps closer to Chen Sui. "I'll tell you secretly, although I can't participate in the Star League Competition, after being selected for the school team, I passed the Border Army internship examination. The military zone made an exception and gave me a spot, inviting me to participate in the energy field clearing recruitment!"
After saying this, she made a gleeful expression. "Later I thought, although my spiritual threshold isn't high, people with high thresholds are still a minority. People with thresholds like mine are the majority in the interstellar world. Doing my best among them can still lead to success. See! Now the Border Army has recognized my talent."
"So I don't care about participating in the league competition anymore. After the competition, we all go to military zones anyway, but I'm actually one step ahead!"
She laughed heartily, hands on her hips.
Chen Sui quietly listened, glimpsing from her expression a trace of melancholy not easily detected.
How could she not regret it?
She understood that the Star League Competition was the dream of countless military academy students.
It was a stage to shine, an opportunity to prove oneself, an arena for geniuses, and also the most eye-catching gathering place for stars across the interstellar world.
Chen Sui pressed her lips together.
"Well, the competition is over," Liao Ruyi looked at Chen Sui, reminding her, "Tomorrow the holographic battlefield opens. Will you and the school team participate in the five-person competition?"
The holographic battlefield opens every April for over two months of competitive events, until ten days before the league competition begins at the end of June. It closes as a team integration project for the league competition, covering various energy fields, with data-modified energy field intensities adapted to the league competition's structure.
It's generally essential simulation practice for all military academies.
Each holographic battlefield ranking can also serve as a reference for predicting Star League Competition rankings.
Chen Sui nodded, recalling the project Xie Chunshi had examined her for, confidently reviewing her performance in the speed race, then nodding without any concern.
Seeing this, Liao Ruyi offered friendly: "If you have any questions, you can come talk with me."
After saying this, she pressed her lips together. "Although some of your approaches are quite wild, I still look forward to sparking academic ideas with you."
Wild was Liao Ruyi's assessment of Chen Sui.
Because she often had operations that exceeded her understanding of analysts.
Liao Ruyi frequently felt that Chen Sui didn't seem much like an analyst. Setting aside this kind of spiritual threshold value, she seemed more suited to be an output.
But on second thought, that wasn't quite right either. This person actually very properly judged energy levels and energy crystal positions, but these judgments were all based on wanting to quickly and accurately kill energy bodies.
Equivalent to one person doing both analyst and output work.
Understanding this point, Liao Ruyi's attitude toward Chen Sui changed from disapproval to amazement.
One aspect of the holographic battlefield, although it comprehensively reflected physical conditions and could fully simulate spiritual bodies and resonance, essentially couldn't truly use energy bodies or offer the possibility of training resonance.
Liao Ruyi's core crystal, damaged in the virtual world, returned to normal after leaving the holographic battlefield.
This was a relief for Chen Sui.
After finishing the speed race, Chen Sui and Liao Ruyi parted ways.
To welcome the upcoming Border Army internship training, Liao Ruyi needed to continue her efforts.
And Chen Sui, about to face the school team assessment, decided to review today's match.
As she reviewed, she directly extended from the golden snake energy body to dark attribute energy crystals and rare attributes.
Chen Sui eagerly conducted several energy crystal attribute and battlefield analyses.
By the time she completed all this, it was already the next morning.
At the beginning of April, news of the holographic battlefield opening ignited the entire StarNet, becoming a hot topic as the conclusion of the previous league competition and the opening of the next one.
And just as all forums were buzzing with discussion, Chen Sui began her verification match with the school team.
That is, the first holographic battlefield five-person group competition.