novelraw Chapter 80 : Sultry Red Forest
Chapter 80 : Sultry Red Forest
It was Ji Qing who arranged the awakening test for Chen Sui.
More precisely, Chen Sui found Ji Qing to get certification for an awakening test.
Ji Qing looked at her deeply, seeing this student's calm eyes. In the office with just the two of them, through the clear floor-to-ceiling windows, one could see the Border Army's buildings with their heavy metal feel, bright neon lights, and the sound of gears turning from the automatic cargo transportation devices moving up and down.
"Why did you suddenly think of doing an awakening test?"
Ji Qing asked exploratively.
Children of this age all have their own ideas, perhaps wanting to hide some small secrets. Ji Qing worried Chen Sui knew something but, for certain reasons, hadn't reported it.
But Chen Sui was very candid, answering his question with a perfectly reasonable response: "In the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain, I felt the spiritual body resonance getting much stronger, the energy seemed fuller. Since you mentioned before that my spiritual body level might change, I wanted to come for a test to see."
With the word "resonance," Ji Qing frowned. He hadn't heard that resonance could affect spiritual body level. Logically, the detected energy level of the core crystal shouldn't change because of resonance.
What resonance determined was the energy level the awakened one could mobilize.
But Chen Sui's eyes were clear, with no sign of concealment, dispelling Ji Qing's suspicions. Based on current information about awakening, Ji Qing noted this point.
Subsequently, he issued the certification, allowing Chen Sui to complete the awakening test.
These test results, once presented, were quickly uploaded to the Competition Committee.
On the first day of the preparation period, at the Border Army competition area, all fifty teams saw Zhu Jing Fu's information update.
Some curiously clicked to find the analyst information had been updated.
[Test Subject: Chen Sui]
[Age: 19]
[Identity: Fourth Star Ring Yuguang Star temporary resident, Ninth Star Ring Talo Star registered interstellar nomad]
[Spiritual Body Level Analysis: S+]
The Competition Committee backend could see more.
[Spiritual Body Value Assessment: Attack 79, Defense 53, Agility 78, Life 55, Rare Attribute (Affinity 93......)[Click to expand]]
[Spiritual Body Level Analysis: S+]
[Mental Threshold Value Assessment: 95]
[Mental Threshold Level Analysis: SSS]
When Chen Sui returned to the Zhu Jing Fu area's conference hall with this report, all four school team members and five division members looked at her intently.
Zhou Chen suddenly showed a complex expression: "Your examination report... we saw it."
After all, Chen Sui had uploaded it to Zhu Jing Fu's data first.
Chen Sui nodded, her steps toward the maintenance room pausing: "So?"
She raised an eyebrow. Why were these people looking at her so strangely?
"This is the first time I've heard of someone's mental threshold value increasing. No, aren't you curious at all?"
Zhou Chen, looking at her calm, unruffled face, was internally itching with curiosity.
"What's there to be curious about," Chen Sui laughed lightly, emotions suppressed in her eyes. "Besides, isn't this a good thing?"
"It might be related to the overflow when I awakened? The overflowed energy gradually gathered back, it should be like that."
Chen Sui used the same excuse she had given Ji Qing after the test results came out. The others seemed somewhat convinced.
Even He Lanxi, who was extremely knowledgeable about analysts and mental threshold values, couldn't help nodding: "Looking at it that way, your overflow was really a setback. Maybe your mental threshold value could approach one hundred. Speaking of which, the Star Alliance hasn't had anyone reach one hundred in years."
A mental threshold value of one hundred and 100% resonance were similar legendary upper limits, said to be potentially achievable peak values.
In recent years in the Star Alliance, there had been threshold values of 99, resonance of 99%, but no one could break through to perfection.
Chen Sui laughed lightly, not taking it too seriously.
"Don't dwell on it. It's preparation time. Teacher Yan said the Border Army has opened a combat area for the competition, with Border Army members practicing with us. Are you going?"
Everyone nodded, "What about you?"
Chen Sui shook her head: "I won't go. I want to modify my mecha and deal with weapon matters."
She looked at her teammates, finally at Xie Chunshi, exchanging a glance with him. Chen Sui's arrangements had been discussed with the school team before the preparation period.
For instance, fixing Zhou Chen's mecha—with his strong agility attribute and fast movement speed, adding concealment materials like Blue Fin would be suitable for breakthroughs. He would definitely not be inferior to that agile attacker from First Ring Fourth Academy.
Gu Qinxue's burst damage was strong. With the thorny fire whip's enhancement, she could produce greater explosions and also had control effects. Chen Sui designed an energy-gathering cannon for her using the To-Water Fish Bone's energy concentration, ten times more powerful than an ordinary energy cannon. Using Puluo as an experiment, it could blast through a single combat unit's energy shield.
While making this cannon, Chen Sui couldn't help thinking that finally she wouldn't have to punch through energy shields by hand. Actually, her fist would hurt a bit after punching, but shaking it off right after would seem undignified.
As for Pure Blood, due to its special energy control, it was made into cannon energy liquid, which could create large-scale confusion when combined with mist bombs.
Even Puluo's shield had been modified by her.
Chen Sui's precisely scheduled preparation period ended, and by the time she completed all weapon production, it was time for the track announcement.
The last day of the preparation period, morning.
Under the full StarNet's watch, the Competition Committee selected five tracks, all teams exchanged materials with their points, and the top five from the previous elimination match selected their tracks.
The Border Army didn't have a venue suitable for opening ceremonies like the space station, so the final drawing was conducted in the martial arts arena.
Border Army members in light training clothes, showing their solid muscles, were gulping down nutrition solutions while watching the situation inside through the energy-flickering light net.
"Wow, SS-level [Sand Dune] energy field, not bad. The quicksand in this energy field is terrifying."
Seeing the energy field image appear, familiar Border Army members immediately began discussing.
Chen Sui looked at the track selection, "Are all the second elimination match fields SS-level?"
Xie Chunshi spoke quietly: "The prototype is SS-level energy field. The Competition Committee will weaken the impact of energy bodies. The overall difficulty is higher than S-level, but still lower than a true SS-level."
"Oh, S+ then," Chen Sui made up this classification, though no such energy field categorization existed.
Xie Chunshi laughed a bit: "That's not wrong. There are fewer high-level energy bodies in the energy field. Basically, they prioritize energy fields that have been recently cleared."
After all, the teams participating in the elimination match varied in quality. High-level energy bodies might pose a threat to the students of these teams.
Hearing this, Chen Sui showed a hint of disappointment: "Cleared? Doesn't that mean there won't be many materials to take away?"
Zhou Chen, who had been saying how simple the energy field was and how there would be chances to shine, immediately became unhappy upon hearing this: "Ah, it won't be worse than the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain, right? That would be our loss."
Starting with conditions like fire nitrate, cold nitrate, Pure Blood, Blue Fin, To-Water Fish Bone—Zhu Jing Fu would lose out if the subsequent resources were inferior to these.
Chen Sui didn't contradict, clearly thinking the same: "Indeed."
Xie Chunshi consoled them: "It's okay. The Border Army prioritizes clearing energy bodies. As for materials, if we squeeze, there should still be some."
Oh, so there would be some after all.
Chen Sui became interested again.
Zhou Chen was also drawn into the topic, and the two huddled together, discussing which energy fields had what materials.
"This [Sand Dune] energy field has broken gold sand, which is expensive!"
"[Mermaid Valley] has silver snow scales, but they're probably not as good as Blue Fin. We don't want those."
"Hey, hey, this [Silver Mine New City], on planet Koris, that's a famous mining planet!"
"This one, let me check this energy field, oh, it really has black milk stone!"
"[Sultry Red Forest]! What's in that one!"
"Sultry Red Forest, it seems to have quite a lot: snow bud branches, a holy item for control release, and purple-winged golden butterflies. This is good, these are all expensive!"
Just at that moment, the broadcasting equipment slowly swept over the military school students' faces, moving to the Zhu Jing Fu area. The voices of the analyst and agile attacker were picked up not only by the judges in front, but also by the StarNet comments for a second.
Following that, Mo Qiu'an, the person in charge of energy field management, suddenly put her hand to her forehead!
Heavens, someone save her, please don't let Zhu Jing Fu choose Sultry Red Forest!
She hadn't had time to collect the resources there yet!
Mo Qiu'an's gaze swept sharply toward Zhu Jing Fu.
Chen Sui noticed, thinking her and Zhou Chen's voices were too loud, so she deliberately lowered her voice.
But the broadcasting equipment, still not far away, captured part of their voices.
Zhu Jing Fu's analyst was teaching the agile attacker how to dig up snow bud branches, and that the wings of purple-winged golden butterflies had to be pulled off first to preserve the material.
[Family, I'm speechless]
[Stop talking! Director Mo's eyes look like they could eat someone!]
[She really, she never forgets about materials, I'm crying]
[Please! That's snow bud branches! The wings of purple-winged golden butterflies are good for making analyst instruments too!]
[Family, while you're saying Chen Sui is unscrupulous, you're all checking out the online store]
[Hmm? Online store? What online store?]
[Don't know, saw it on the Zhu Jing Fu forum, seems like they sell all their materials to this StarNet store. I've bought from there, the items are really good!]
[Is Zhu Jing Fu also promoting an online store?]
[Don't know, their school forum said so themselves]
[Damn, they're exchanging resources now, don't know where to go. How to exchange resources?]
[This is the Competition Committee's sinister part. These energy fields all have some environmental traps, but countering such traps isn't cheap. It depends on whether you're willing to spend the points and take the gamble]
[Zhu Jing Fu and Golden Tower don't have many points, right?]
Xie Chunshi wasn't too conflicted about what resources to exchange with their points; he had a plan from the beginning.
The second elimination match was a survival match where 10 would be reduced to 1, with no resource battles. The Competition Committee increased mecha resource capacity to three days, with one energy tube sufficient for three days of use.
Points were used to purchase necessary resources, including energy, nutrient solutions, spiritual body feed, etc. The few points left at the end were only enough to buy one special resource.
"Wonder which track we'll be assigned to," Zhou Chen stood with hands on his hips, looking at the resources on the panel.
It was exciting—which track they were assigned to wouldn't be known until after the transit was complete, the moment they landed in the energy field.
"Sand Dune energy field's dust shield, Sultry Red Forest needs a rain shield, Mermaid Valley's anti-poison mask, Silver Mine New City's magnetic field shield..." Chen Sui recited. After thinking for a moment, she suddenly looked at several special resources: "We can buy one of these three. Apart from different materials, I can modify the structure. The effect might not be great, but it should work."
She pointed at the dust shield, the rain shield, and another similar resource.
Zhou Chen looked at the silvery-white rain shield: "Wow, this looks nice. We probably won't go to Sand Dune, I have a feeling."
Xie Chunshi's finger, which was about to select the rain shield, twitched at these words and directly clicked on the dust shield instead.
By the time he realized, the transaction had already been confirmed.
"Commander..." Zhou Chen silently stared at Xie Chunshi, "Do you have something against me?"
"Or are you holding a grudge? Like when I hit your sore spot in the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain," Zhou Chen's face fell.
Xie Chunshi's fingers curled, pretending nothing had happened: "You're overthinking."
Chen Sui knew Xie Chunshi was wary of supernatural forces, so she raised her hand helplessly, saying with practiced ease: "Puluo."
The burly single combat unit stepped forward, bent down to smile at Zhou Chen, and before Zhou Chen could react, covered his mouth with one hand.
"Mmmmmmmmm (why am I being muted again)?!!"
Chen Sui and Gu Qinxue exchanged glances, both shaking their heads, "You don't need to express your opinions until we transit."
Chen Sui said wearily.
Zhou Chen looked miserable: "Huh? I didn't say anything wrong, did I?"
He reflected a bit.
But Chen Sui gave him no more chances to speak.
While Zhou Chen was muted, the top five schools had already drawn their tracks.
Several teams looked at their track assignments, exchanged glances, then turned to look at Golden Tower and Zhu Jing Fu, who were waiting to transit.
Noya, considering himself well-acquainted with Zhu Jing Fu from the previous match, greeted them familiarly: "Commander Xie, Sister Chen Sui, we're going ahead first. Hope we don't see each other again for a short while!"
Other teams felt the same way.
If there were no other academies in a track, the Seven Schools could basically walk through it unopposed. If there were, then they'd really need to be vigilant.
After all, each track had only one qualifying spot. Two of the Seven Schools were destined to be eliminated, and no one wanted to be among them.
Next came the random assignment of numbers and corresponding transit channels, transmitted to the participating teams' channels.
"We're 17, at transit point three," Xie Chunshi checked, reminding those behind him, "The elimination match format isn't clear, but one thing is certain: this elimination match will eliminate nine teams, not all of them weak ones. The goal is to select one from ten. This time, everyone should be prepared. We'll face continuous battles, so pay attention to support and tactical arrangements."
Everyone nodded cautiously.
Arriving at the transit point, Zhou Chen peeked out from the side of the team, "Hey, does the Competition Committee have some new idea? Why do these people all have such strange expressions?"
His curiosity piqued Chen Sui's interest, and she couldn't help looking too.
At the front, people preparing to transit seemed to have heard something from the person in charge, showing shocked expressions, then frantically discussing with their teammates.
"What's happening?"
At the very front, a light screen blocked all sound. People behind could only see their expressions but couldn't hear their conversations.
After instructing the transiting team, the person in charge smiled at the observing crowd behind, making Chen Sui vaguely sense something was amiss.
This sense of unease continued until Zhu Jing Fu's transit.
The person in charge secured the mecha protection devices and told them: "According to Competition Committee regulations, teams can bind two people together. After binding, they will have the same landing point."
"What?! Binding?" Zhou Chen exclaimed in surprise, then immediately looked at Xie Chunshi, "Damn, what does binding mean? And the same landing point?"
The wolf-tailed boy frowned, looking at the data in his hand, then suddenly said: "Let's discuss this."
The person in charge was accustomed to this: "Alright, you have one minute to consider."
After speaking, he pressed the stopwatch in his hand.
Xie Chunshi turned, speaking extremely fast: "Binding positions means this elimination match's landing points are not only random."
"All teams will be scattered?" Chen Sui voiced his suspicion.
Xie Chunshi nodded: "Not just that. Going to such lengths to scatter teams makes it easier to pick them off one by one. But for teams to regroup, they need to know each other's coordinates."
"Don't forget, there's no resource competition this time. If the Competition Committee wants to promote elimination, they need to set traps in positioning."
Scattered teams were certainly easier to take down than grouped ones. Teams that regrouped first would gain the initiative, and multi-person regrouped teams could potentially pick off Seven Schools' strong teams one by one.
The Competition Committee had disrupted the Seven Schools' vision of dominating the field, throwing all plans and tactics into confusion.
Now, after entering the field, whoever could regroup first and seize the opportunity to pick off others one by one would be key to victory.
Team scattering wasn't bad news for Zhu Jing Fu.
Everyone present, upon hearing this, burst with excitement. Even Zhou Chen realized: "Then we have a big advantage. Other teams bind to protect their analysts, but our analyst..."
Zhou Chen glanced at Chen Sui—did she even need protection?
If she didn't go one against five, the other teams should count themselves lucky.
Xie Chunshi nodded: "So we bind our analyst—"
Chen Sui completed his sentence: "And the single combat unit."
Chen Sui herself was a high-output player, needing no output match for her. Binding with the single combat unit not only allowed better coordination but also freed up Zhu Jing Fu's outputs, creating more possibilities in the field.
"It seems this time we'll be operating separately."
She tilted her head, looking at the Commander and two outputs.
To be precise, Zhu Jing Fu actually had four outputs.
In the final seconds of the countdown, Xie Chunshi selected the binding quota.
The person in charge raised an eyebrow slightly but made no comment, maintaining silence as he opened Zhu Jing Fu's transit channel.
A quiet forest, lush with branches and leaves.
At the top, plants blocked the sky and sun, with broad leaves growing in layers, obstructing most of the sunlight.
Even in daylight, the forest interior remained dim.
Frail plants grew in the severely light-deficient environment. The soil was moist; stepping on it caused slight sinking.
Moss covered the black soil surface. Near large trees, on the wet ground, variously shaped saprophytic organisms leaned against the huge tree trunks, growing wildly.
[Welcome to the third track of the elimination match]
[Your arena is: SS-level Sultry Red Forest]
[This elimination match map has been sent to your team channel, please check promptly]
[This match is divided into 1000*1000 coordinates. Each cycle randomly refreshes the coordinates of a mecha on the field. The cycle varies with the number of surviving mechas. Please note the coordinate refresh information. This information is available for 10 seconds]
[Arena reminder: The red rain in Sultry Red Forest has severe corrosive and burning properties, being concentrated high-level energy that mostly falls at night. If you didn't bring rain shields, please quickly find meteor trees. The huge leaves of meteor trees can help avoid rain erosion]
[Sultry Red Forest transit of ten teams completed]
[This elimination match is about to begin. Please confirm the Competition Committee rules and match details]
[Countdown 10, 9......3, 2, 1]
[Sultry Red Forest elimination match, now begins—]
As the system prompt disappeared, broadcasting equipment flew and descended throughout the energy field, and the protective shield outside the mecha shattered in response.
Chen Sui awoke from the dizzying transit, opening her eyes to see the dense rainforest.
Simultaneously, the broadcast screen opened. An overhead camera swept across the entire Sultry Red Forest rainforest, capturing it. The broadcasting equipment descended, hiding in the dense forest. The screen showed two mechas with their protective shields breaking, a flash of golden light in the dim forest.
In just this instant, comments surged like a tide, immediately filling the screen.