novelraw Chapter 82 : Sultry Red Forest
Chapter 82 : Sultry Red Forest
She looked up. Though it was clearly night, visibility in the jungle was better than during the day.
The leaves of the plants at the forest canopy suddenly began to curl, contracting inward like sensitive mimosas.
The huge leaves started from the edges, folding inward layer by layer, then drooping down from above. Some leaves were so large that when they fell, they piled up on the ground.
As Chen Sui watched the leaves falling from above, she turned to look at Puluo. With a swing of his staff, the single combat unit opened his shield umbrella with a swish.
Just as a golden glow lit up above the shield umbrella in the forest.
In the dark sky, a crescent moon hung high.
Red rain fell like blood, drifting down in sheets.
The scent of blood and heat began to spread through the forest.
The night's moisture dispersed, the coolness driven away by the red rain carrying scorching heat, causing the temperature to rise abnormally.
A pitter-patter of impacts sounded on the metal shield umbrella, followed by faint sizzling noises.
Chen Sui didn't look up, her gaze falling to the ground where she saw the red rain making small concave holes when it hit the soil. Subsequently, the soil covered by red rain displayed a refreshed blackness.
"This corrosiveness is indeed strong," Chen Sui remarked.
As she observed, in the forest-covered area in the distance, amid the dim night, a golden light suddenly pierced the darkness, immediately drawing attention. Looking up, Chen Sui's gaze focused: "It's a meteor tree!"
When meteor trees ignited upon contact with red rain, the emitted light could attract all eyes in the vicinity.
Almost the second after spotting the meteor tree, Chen Sui led Puluo rushing toward the target location.
The shield umbrella closed with a swoosh, mecha propulsion maximized.
Red rain fell on the mecha, its corrosiveness quickly increasing the mecha's damage level. The mecha's outer shell burned, synchronizing sensations to the cockpit. The pilots felt as if their skin was being scorched, their brains constantly registering pain, urging the two to drive toward the meteor tree's light.
In the rainforest, all tree leaves were curling up. Even the strange saprophytic organisms, as tall as humans, retracted their tentacles.
Only the meteor tree's leaves remained spread out, catching the red rain. As the rain washed down, the surrounding temperature became scorching, yet the meteor tree's leaves grew brighter, its lights more dazzling.
Before the rain intensified, Chen Sui and Puluo dove under the meteor tree's massive leaves.
"Whew," the two exhaled, each easing the pain brought by the rain. Chen Sui quickly looked around; the forest was quiet, with only the sound of rain hitting the ground and their breathing breaking the profound silence.
With no disturbance detected by her spiritual perception, ensuring the surroundings were safe, Chen Sui turned to Puluo while also speaking on the team channel: "Meteor trees are too eye-catching. Teams that see them will all rush in their direction."
"Let's hide here and see if we can catch lone mechas. Eliminating them can give us coordinates."
This was beyond doubt, and the Zhu Jing Fu members quickly rushed toward nearby meteor trees, entering combat mode as soon as they took shelter under the meteor trees.
Zhou Chen, being the lucky one, watched his teammates struggle while having the most preparation time: "Don't worry, this tree has already been nested with my lightning. Whoever comes here will get a shock. I just don't know how far my lightning can spread when it meets the red rain."
Chen Sui drew her spear, looking at Puluo: "In that case, a fight is unavoidable. If we're not lucky enough, it might be more than one."
Puluo nodded at her, and the two climbed along the tree trunk onto the branches.
Because the meteor tree's leaf coverage spread too wide, potentially blocking the view below, Chen Sui didn't climb too high.
"At this time," Zhou Chen waited in the tree, feeling somewhat restless, his mouth not stopping in the team channel, "there should be many teams scattered like us, right?"
"I don't know when we can regroup. It's annoying. I've been looking for half a day and haven't seen a single mecha. This random coordinate refresh won't even refresh to my location."
Listening to Zhou Chen's chatter, accompanied by the pitter-patter of rain around, the meteor tree's huge broad leaves perfectly blocked the red rain, preventing any water from flowing in.
Chen Sui curiously looked up, only to discover that these leaves would seal together when they encountered rain.
Who needs a rain shield with this?
Chen Sui's fingers twitched.
Perhaps it was the habit from mining in the last elimination match, but looking at this tree, she suddenly really wanted to dig it up.
"When the rain stops, let's dig up the meteor tree."
Though Puluo had long adapted to her habit of never letting go of materials and energy crystals, these words still made him pause for three full seconds.
Not to mention the others in the team channel, separated by considerable distances.
Zhou Chen pondered for a few seconds, his tone uncertain: "You didn't include this in your materials list, did you?"
"It's useless to take it away anyway."
The meteor tree was truly massive, so large that it would need to be sectioned to barely fit into a spatial button.
Chen Sui shook her head: "No, it's not a material, but it is a rain shield."
Understanding her reference, Xie Chunshi's eyes flashed with a gleam, considering the feasibility of this plan.
"Trees die when moved," Zhou Chen still thought it somewhat unreliable. "It can serve as a rain shield? No way, right?"
Zhou Chen didn't remember Chen Sui mentioning that meteor trees could be used as rain shield material. If they could, she would have said so earlier.
"It itself is already a rain shield," Chen Sui explained. "We dig up the tree, carry it with us, and open it when it rains. It's a walking rain shield."
Zhou Chen finally understood. She wanted to use the entire meteor tree as a rain shield.
"This tree is so big, digging is a problem."
"And won't it die if you dig it up?!"
Zhou Chen felt Chen Sui must have gone crazy. Because of unclear coordinates and inability to find materials, she had finally fallen into obsession.
The comments, hearing this idea, collectively froze for a moment before discussing.
[Zhu Jing Fu's analyst, you have some ideas, but next time, don't have them]
[Meteor trees... shouldn't be too hard to find, right...]
[They are pretty hard. I looked at the Competition Committee's map. There's only one in a 100*100 area]
[So big...]
[Wait, isn't the problem that meteor trees die easily? Wouldn't the tree die once dug up?!]
[That's not a problem, is it...]
Chen Sui also felt this wasn't a problem, "I have a wood-attribute spiritual body."
For her, nurturing and planting a tree wasn't very complicated—much simpler than finding a meteor tree.
As for size, it was even simpler. She just needed to cut off the meteor tree's root system and directly nurture it. She didn't need to take the entire tree.
Zhou Chen fell silent, as he found no argument to refute her. Then, following Chen Sui's line of thought, he finally realized this plan wasn't just feasible, but very feasible.
"Damn! Are you really a genius?!"
"Should I dig up mine too?"
Zhou Chen successfully joined Chen Sui's thought process.
Just as he was actively responding, Chen Sui heard, or more precisely, sensed spiritual body fluctuations.
"A team is approaching my position."
Her tone remained consistently calm, but listening carefully, one could hear her suppressed excitement.
Zhou Chen instinctively quieted down, listening to the situation on her end.
Chen Sui drew her weapon. Her mist cannon contained energy liquid with Pure Blood, which when activated could explode like an energy cannon, but instead of sparks, it dispersed mist composed of diluted Pure Blood and energy liquid.
Holding the mist cannon, Chen Sui's fighting spirit surged. She had searched for half a day without finding a single mecha. Now, just by hiding under a meteor tree, mechas delivered themselves to her door—this was like a gift falling from the sky.
Puluo drew his quantum cannon, ready to coordinate with Chen Sui.
"Don't let them get near this line."
Chen Sui still remembered her tree-digging plan. She visually estimated the location of the meteor tree's root system, ensuring the upcoming battle wouldn't damage it. As long as the root system remained intact, her nurturing wouldn't be too difficult.
She drew a line in front, and Puluo nodded firmly, responding reliably: "Don't worry."
What concerned Puluo was another issue: "You're going out to fight, but won't the red rain's damage..."
"It's fine. I've observed that the red rain's damage is controllable. If we eliminate them quickly, the damage can be kept under 30%."
The red rain's damage to the mecha wasn't troublesome for Chen Sui. Although the burning and corrosion caused pain that transmitted to the pilot, Chen Sui had always had a strong tolerance for pain.
If it could be easily resolved, there was no need to delay, she thought bluntly.
Puluo's concern wasn't just about mecha damage, but also the pain from the red rain. After all, he had gasped softly in pain when running through the rain into the meteor tree.
But hearing the analyst's determined tone, he couldn't say anything more, only thinking inwardly that he must coordinate well with Chen Sui, acting quickly to minimize the rain's impact on her.
"Be careful of other approaching teams. Currently, the fluctuations coming should only be..."
Chen Sui was setting up ambush points with Puluo and discussing several places where they might be ambushed, but as she spoke, her energy perception scanned out again. She paused, then continued: "Three mechas?"
Chen Sui raised an eyebrow.
"Are they together?"
Her hand holding the spear paused.
Now the lone one... had become Chen Sui herself.
She gently reached out, brushing aside the broad leaves in front of her. Some red rain slanted in from outside, falling on the mecha's fingertips with a sizzling sound of corrosion.
In the distant view, three mechas each with a rain shield on top, approached the meteor tree.
"Wow, they have rain shields," Chen Sui remarked without any emotion.
The comments, hearing this voice, were reminded of her remarks about Blue Fin, To-Water Fish Bone, and every kind of mineral.
[Which team is this? Regardless, run!]
[I don't know why, even though the opponents outnumber them, I'm thinking they'll get hammered]
[Family, the other side has bound their analyst and strong attacker, meeting their own team's single combat unit. I think...]
[In the last match, Chen Sui dealt with strong attackers, agile attackers, and single combat units, with Zhou Chen covering. Think about it]
[This is Fifth Ring First Academy. To be honest, they can't win...]
[One second, Chen Sui: Find a lone mecha to fight. Next second, Chen Sui: I've become the lone one? Fight!]
[Impressive, text games understood by everyone]
[Brother, she's got the three of you surrounded all by herself]
[Kids, run quickly!!]
However, the mecha observing from the treetop merely glanced at them. After clearly sensing the fluctuations from the other side with her energy perception, her gaze quickly scanned the surroundings, and in her palm, a faint green light flickered.
"We can take them."
Puluo only heard this whisper by his ear.
Then before he could react, the analyst's green mecha shadow flashed past his eyes.
With a flash of silver from the spear, she was already stepping on the tree trunk, violently bursting out from the leaves.
Puluo's brain processed a beat slower, one hand holding the long staff ready to spin out the umbrella to protect Chen Sui at any moment, the other hand gripping his cannon, listening to Chen Sui's position reports, attentive to supporting her.
In the distance, three mechas looking at the rain curtain were talking without any concealment. The analyst and single combat unit were even laughing: "We're so lucky to be this close!"
"I've already given the coordinates to the leader. Once the leader and the others arrive, we'll be at full strength. Being at full strength this early, there should only be us. We can take on anyone!"
The strong attacker nodded along, "Yeah! We should be the first to regroup, completely seizing the initiative!"
After speaking, he looked at the meteor tree ahead, "We're really lucky!"
The single combat unit, being very cautious, immediately wanted to observe, "I'll fire a shot to see if anyone's lying in ambush."
The analyst nodded, "That makes sense. We arrived late, maybe someone got here first. Good thing we have rain shields with this rain falling for so long."
The strong attacker was unconcerned: "It's fine. There are three of us. Teams are scattered now. If they see us, they should run away."
The analyst, hearing this, also found it somewhat reasonable.
Just about to nod, seeing they were still some distance from the meteor tree, the information from his energy perception hadn't even returned yet.
A figure directly burst out from the layered leaves of the meteor tree.
Moving like a shooting star, she plunged headlong into the red rain.
So fast that all three couldn't even see the mecha's appearance clearly.
In the analyst's eyes, he only saw the other party quickly raising her cannon. He was so startled that his body seemed to freeze, and he shouted with his head down: "Shit!"
"Someone's there!!"
The strong attacker and single combat unit reacted a second later. The single combat unit thrust his energy shield forward, and the strong attacker fired his energy cannon toward the mecha's direction.
Chen Sui moved very quickly, in the blink of an eye distancing herself from her previous position, causing the energy-gathering cannon to miss.
She leaped up with her mecha, firing the mist bomb at an angle, directly impacting the energy shield.
The single combat unit holding the energy shield felt his hand slightly shake, followed by a tremendous "boom!"
A damp mist exploded and diffused, mixing with the blood-filled red rain.
White mist visibly covered the scene before them.
[Goodness, fog has risen!]
[Zhu Jing Fu's analyst has changed weapons. Didn't she use ice bombs before?]
[This should be a mist bomb, but I feel like this mist isn't simple]
[Agreed. Wait, hasn't anyone noticed that mist bombs are perfect for Zhu Jing Fu's analyst? Environmental concealment + high movement speed]
[Zhu Jing Fu really has bad luck this time. Except for Zhou Chen being slightly better off, their positions are really far apart]
[Mainly because... this track has three Seven Schools...]
[The distance is based on the team's overall strength, right? I see all three Seven Schools are far apart]
[I don't know how they determine it. I just want to know if Chen Sui feels pain doing this? The burning sensation of Sultry Red Forest's red rain is really strong]
Red rain poured down, seeping into the black soil, mist diffusing like a miasma.
Hit by the mist bomb, the single combat unit peeked out to look.
Before him was a vast whiteness. When red rain fell through the white mist, it carried burning mist, with red smoke dispersing like flames. The falling red rain formed continuous red lines.
Chen Sui moved through the white mist like a ghost, rushing to behind the three, her spear from behind, with imposing sharpness, piercing forward to strike the energy shield in the single combat unit's hand.
The three huddled together, their eyes narrowing. Before they could turn to look, the spear pressed against the energy shield suddenly exerted force.
With a heavy strike, like the pillar striking a bell, a "dong" sound resonated as the silver spearhead thrust forward, directly flipping away the energy shield.
Simultaneously, the spear pierced through the gap between the three.
The spear suddenly emitted an intense vibration, stirring the surrounding air into waves, directly separating the three.
The energy shield moved forward, leaving the single combat unit's hands. Behind him, a swift shadow from the white mist made the mecha's appearance unclear. The single combat unit was shaken to the left by the spear, while the analyst and strong attacker moved to the right. Both sides felt a rushing wind pass through the central passage.
The mecha glided through the corridor formed by the three flashing aside.
"What's happening?!"
The white mist completely blocked the view ahead. Besides the red rain lines penetrating the mist, the entire view was covered in whiteness.
The comments could only hear the sound of Chen Sui firing mist bombs around, unable to see her silhouette.
[Ahhhh my infrared!!]
[Help, you can use infrared! The Competition Committee is online! Look at the control room! Turn on the bottom right corner!]
Only with infrared turned on could the comments see Chen Sui's position clearly.
She stood at the edge of the white mist, red rain lines penetrating her silhouette, terminating on the mecha, making it look like a marionette being controlled by strings.
However, the blue-green mecha broke free from the surrounding red lines, rushing forward quickly, grabbing the spear shaft. As the energy shield flew out, she turned back with her spear.
She first controlled the isolated single combat unit, delivering a flying kick. The single combat unit felt a tremendous pain in his chest and found himself flying several meters, yet still within the white mist's range.
Sensing something wrong, the single combat unit quickly drew his weapon. His light sword lit up, carving traces through the white mist.
Brown light flashed behind him, red rain falling into the white mist, red lines filling the front. Behind him appeared a giant bear figure.
The single combat unit instinctively activated all defenses, setting warnings to maximum.
However, after waiting for several seconds, the subsequent attack never came. Instead, he vaguely felt dizzy, but in this critical moment, he didn't pay attention.
Chen Sui disengaged after one strike, immediately firing three mist bombs toward the analyst and strong attacker's position.
Within the analyst's energy protection, the strong attacker recovered from his dizziness and immediately noticed something strange about the mist. "Be careful of this mist!"
He promptly summoned his spiritual body, with golden spikes covering his surroundings.
A black shadow suddenly flashed in his view, crashing into the white mist. The strong attacker raised his energy cannon and fired.
"Boom!"
The single combat unit was hit from behind, instinctively swinging his light sword back.
Just as he turned, a white light flashed behind him.
The spear penetrated the red rain lines, directly piercing the back of his mecha.
The silver spearhead penetrated the spiritual body's phantom, stabbing into the mecha.
[Damage level: 57%]
The single combat unit felt immense pain in his back, but his heart was filled only with shock: "Damn, aren't you over here?"
"Can you teleport?!"
Chen Sui withdrew her spear. The analyst, hearing the sound, hurriedly called out: "Little Ji! Where are you?"
The single combat unit swung back, distancing himself from the invisible enemy. Hearing his teammate's voice, he responded loudly, "It's no use! This mist is too thick. I can't see your positions at all. She's with me now!"
The strong attacker sensed something strange about the mist and was about to warn him.
But Chen Sui had already quickly retreated and was now behind the strong attacker holding his cannon.
Among the dense golden spikes, she moved like a specter through the red rain, watching the golden spikes rotating behind the strong attacker.
Chen Sui kicked the analyst from the side. The mighty force drove the mecha forward, causing the analyst severe pain in his waist. He instinctively gasped, then felt his body flying out.
The mecha crashed toward the strong attacker, who was already alert. Hit by the sudden attack, his golden spikes flew out.
The analyst felt the energy fluctuation and hurriedly called the strong attacker's name: "Sheng Yang, wait! No! Damn!"
"She's tricking us into killing each other!"
The strong attacker recognized the analyst's voice, but the golden spikes couldn't be stopped in time and directly pierced the analyst's mecha.
Pain spread throughout his body. The analyst drew in a sharp breath, but internally he was burning with rage. "You f*cking coward! Come out! What kind of skill is this, striking from the shadows?!"
[Damage level: 39%]
Hearing the analyst's angry voice, the strong attacker also understood, "Seriously, you fight so dirty? Come out and let's have a 1v1!"
Chen Sui disengaged after one strike. Standing directly in front of the three, she tilted her head at their words, and just as the three were wary of each other, she finally spoke: "Are you sure?"
The comments watched as she, like a ghost, touched one side then the other, making both sides fight each other. Meanwhile, her energy vines had already passed through the red rain and entered the black soil below.
In the white mist, in the infrared display area, three mechas stood to one side, while the blue-green mecha picked up their rain shields, elegantly standing in the red rain.
Outside the white mist, vines coiled layer upon layer, just one pull away from binding them all.
[You... have walked a narrow path]
[Wait, why is it over so quickly? Wasn't it a 1v3?]
[How to fight? I ask you. This mist bomb is practically a cheat, you can't see anything clearly]
[The mist bomb also has the confusion effect of Pure Blood. Don't you see Chen Sui's vines about to wrap around them? Hasn't the analyst noticed yet?]
The analyst indeed hadn't sensed anything unusual. The energy fluctuations in the white mist seemed blurred too. At this moment, he could only discern position by the other's hoarse female voice.
Severely hit by his own strong attacker, the analyst hadn't even recovered before struggling to stand up with the strong attacker's help.
The strong attacker, hearing her speak, while supporting the analyst, charged his cannon, gritting his teeth: "Do you dare to play fair?!"
"No, I don't. If you want to play fair, next time," Chen Sui replied candidly. As she finished speaking, a green light floated from her hand. Before the three could react, they heard her shout: "Vine Entanglement!"
The strong attacker was choked by such a frank admission of cowardice, a breath stuck in his throat. He very much wanted to curse but forcibly held back.
The rustling sounds around were covered by the red rain.
But a cold sensation quickly crawled over their entire bodies, like cold-blooded snakes. The three, just calming down, felt a chill run through them, vaguely cursing a few times, but their words were scattered by the rain sounds.
They struggled, but these "snakes" were very troublesome.
In an instant, they slithered upward. By the time they noticed, the vines had already reached their chests, then quickly bound their arms, suspending them, making them immobile, before binding the three mechas together.
The vines coiled around the three mechas in circles, with one main line held in Chen Sui's hand. She pulled hard, and the three mechas were yanked toward her position.
All this happened so rapidly.
The strong attacker's golden spikes couldn't even stab the vines in time. With the pull, the spikes followed their owner's movement, flying toward Chen Sui's position.
Chen Sui's eyes flashed as she sidestepped onto a nearby tree, dodging the golden spikes while quickly climbing up the trunk with the vines. As the vines tightened, Chen Sui's arm suddenly exerted force.
The vines entangling the three mechas, like a huge boulder, were lifted by the analyst's slender arm.
Then they traced a perfect arc in the air, a parabola, crashing down on the side away from the meteor tree—
"THUD!!"
A heavy impact on the ground.
The mecha damage suddenly soared.
"Actually, I don't like 1v1. I prefer group fights."
After saying this, Chen Sui turned back to report the position, shouting: "Puluo!!"
From the meteor tree, a charged quantum cannon fired an extremely thick white light projectile, with a roar from the cannon mouth!
The cannon fire, like a shooting star, crashed toward the targeted position.
The three mechas, violently slammed into the ground, had barely reacted, had just turned over, when they saw a dazzling white light descending from the sky, followed by—
"BOOM!"
"ZHENG—" a tremendous ringing in their ears, losing sound.
A drop of red rain fell on the face of a mecha in the massive crater.
The opposing strong attacker blinked, with his teammates' two mechas on top of him.
Sound gradually returned to his ears.
His lips struggled to move: "...You call this... a group fight??"
Who would call one good person fighting three a group fight?
This f*cking called a dimensional strike!
[Number 5502 eliminated]
[Number 5503 eliminated]
[Number 5505 eliminated]
Three light pillars rose.
Chen Sui felt the burning of red rain flowing over her mecha. The blue-green mecha slowly picked up the rain shields from the ground.
Looking at the flashing lights on the map at the huge crater, corresponding to position (203, 115)
She approached the large pit, looking down at the stacked team, friendly saying: "Classmates, thank you for your coordinates."
Then looking at the rain shields in her hand, she added: "You won't be needing these anymore, so I'll take them."
"You..." the strong attacker began weakly. His entire body ached terribly, his chest feeling as if crushed by a boulder, unsure if it was from being beaten or from his teammates' weight. Despite the difficulty in speaking, he still directed his voice upward: "Which academy are you from? Tell us your name..."
"After the competition ends, I, I will find you for a real fight. Damn, that was too dirty!"
Without even seeing a face! He was already eliminated?!
Was there any justice?!
And in the distance, Puluo, hearing this voice, couldn't help but look out to see which brave soul dared to challenge Chen Sui to a real fight.
A real fight with her? That would probably be even worse.
Because Chen Sui would pound you into a meat patty.