novelraw Chapter 83 : Sultry Red Forest
Chapter 83 : Sultry Red Forest
"Holy crap, what's going on?" In the Sultry Red Forest, teams at different coordinates all received three elimination signal flashes. Someone looked at their teammate in surprise, "Three teams got eliminated at once? The competition just started and it's already this intense?"
"It must be one of the Seven Schools, I wonder which one we're grouped with."
"Do the Seven Schools teams mobilize this quickly?"
"It's even scarier if they haven't grouped up yet. If they can take out three teams while separated, when they join forces we won't even be appetizers for them."
"Their position seems pretty far from us, so we probably won't run into the Seven Schools."
Still unaware that there was more than one Seven Schools team in the energy field, after the three elimination flashes, everyone became more anxious and acted more cautiously, afraid of encountering the hidden boss.
Meanwhile, the creator of those elimination signals, Chen Sui, silently declined the invitation for a real-life battle from the opponents, but didn't forget to take their rain shield.
When the blue-green mecha returned to the meteor tree with the rain shield, the white mist was just starting to disperse. The mecha emerged from the fog, and in front of it, illuminated by the rotating lantern light of the meteor tree, stretched a dark shadow that appeared tall and terrifying, giving off an extremely oppressive aura.
[Folks, I don't know why, but this mecha looks scarier the more I look at it]
[I went to check out Zhu Jing Fu, and everyone in their Soldier System calls her Emperor Sui. Sharing the post "Your Emperor Sui, Running Wild in the League"]]
[Emperor Sui... damn, a true tyrant]
[Ahem, reminder everyone, the Empire has already fallen!]
Chen Sui, who had just gained a new title on the StarNet comments, collected one rain shield, plus coordinates, and a meteor tree.
Puluo watched as the coordinates lit up, confirming his position, just as the refresh cycle came, and new coordinates were announced.
[This refresh signal is 1501, coordinates (259, 501)]
"1501?" This number sounded familiar. "Jacques Delot?"
First Star Ring Sixth Academy, also known as Star Sixth Academy.
"We've been drawn into the same track as Jacques Delot," Xie Chunshi's voice came from the other side, sounding somewhat distorted in the rain.
"When teams are eliminated, a light pillar appears on the map—it's set by the Competition Committee. Your position flashed with three elimination red lights."
This information made the Zhu Jing Fu team members breathe a sigh of relief.
Xie Chunshi continued: "If that's the case, then there's a slightly easier way to know your coordinates."
Zhou Chen, sitting on the meteor tree, was bored out of his mind: "Watching others fight?"
"Yes," Xie Chunshi lowered his eyes, in his line of sight was a familiar dark yellow mecha with the Jacques Delot Mountain paintwork glowing in the dark night, "Like near me."
"I see Jacques Delot."
His voice carried enormous information.
Chen Sui immediately raised an eyebrow: "How many people?"
"Two, an analyst and a strong attacker," Xie Chunshi said.
Those who choose to bind with an analyst are usually strong attackers or Commanders. The mecha's movements in front of him resembled the style of a strong attacker.
"Wow," the analyst and agile attacker sighed, enjoying the show.
"Let's wait and see," Xie Chunshi didn't rush to engage, instead waiting at his position. Through his signal, the Zhu Jing Fu team channel could hear some chaotic fighting sounds.
Seeing this, Chen Sui put the channel on hold and began to check the mecha's condition.
Puluo looked at the marks on the mecha's shell, "How's the damage level?"
"27%, and still rising?" Chen Sui found it strange. Looking at the mecha, she suddenly reached out and touched the corrosion marks caused by the red rain. "This corrosion gets worse the longer the rain stays on it."
As she spoke, she glanced at the meteor tree. Inside the tree shade were well-protected dry leaves. Chen Sui pulled some down and used them to wipe the rainwater off the mecha. The rate of damage slowly stopped, stabilizing at 30%.
Seeing that Puluo seemed to be gathering resources, Chen Sui immediately shook her head: "No need for repair devices yet, I'll fix it when we reach the base station."
After speaking, she looked at the red rain outside.
The rain was heaviest when Chen Sui went out to fight.
Now the rain was gradually weakening, but strangely, there were still no mechas appearing nearby.
"We're being contained," Xie Chunshi suddenly said before Chen Sui could speak, observing Jacques Delot's attacks. "If I'm not mistaken, we should be at the edges of the map, in four different directions."
He marked the four corners of the map.
"These places are far apart, maximizing team separation. The Competition Committee's division standard probably uses teams' comprehensive strength," Xie Chunshi thought of the data on the staff's devices when they entered the jump channel. He guessed it was for random adjustment. "Strong teams are placed far apart, weak teams closer together, so you can see teams quickly grouping up."
"And the random number in the same area should be specific."
His speculation matched the Competition Committee's style perfectly. Chen Sui also figured out what determined these random numbers.
"It's the meteor trees," she patted the trunk below her. "The team proportions are probably divided according to the number of meteor trees, with random drops in each area."
Xie Chunshi agreed with her explanation.
"Jacques Delot is about to finish the fight," after a long silence on the team channel, Xie Chunshi suddenly said softly.
Chen Sui knew he was under the meteor tree, and if the battle was in front of him, then the opponents would be coming to the meteor tree.
"The elimination coordinates have refreshed."
Chen Sui looked at the map, and sure enough, at her diagonal opposite, an elimination light pillar lit up.
Xie Chunshi's coordinates (782, 795)
"If that's the case, wouldn't it be best for us to find the central area to meet up?" Zhou Chen didn't know his coordinates, but he trusted Xie Chunshi's judgment.
Chen Sui looked at the map. She was in the lower left, Xie Chunshi in the upper right, and the central area had a conspicuous landmark. "Here, the landmark position."
She marked the area on the map labeled [Silent Monument].
"So, if me and Zhou Chen know one person's position, the other can move accordingly."
Gu Qinxue's cool voice came through.
"That's right."
Chen Sui replied.
While they were sheltering from the rain under the meteor tree, there was a long silence from Xie Chunshi's end.
Chen Sui observed the surrounding situation and, noticing this, asked him: "Team Leader, what's happening over there?"
Xie Chunshi was in an unresponsive state.
Zhou Chen exclaimed in surprise: "Don't tell me he's fighting with Jacques Delot?"
"But Jacques Delot only has two people," Puluo looked at the analyst. "Wouldn't the Team Leader be at a disadvantage?"
[...Coming from Jacques Delot's side, I don't know what to say for a moment]
[No disadvantage. Your Zhu Jing Fu team just flips the table when others won't let you eat. I see it now]
[Your Team Leader is fine, Jacques Delot is going crazy]
[This is killing me! Jacques Delot ran for half a day, found the only meteor tree, had a 2v2 fight with another team, and when they got to the meteor tree, suddenly someone greeted them]
[I've noticed Zhu Jing Fu always greets people at the start]
[Must be academy culture. Gotta say, it's weirdly polite]
[What you call polite is when Jacques Delot was about to beat up Xie Chunshi, and he smiled and said, "I can't stay, so how about neither of us stays?"]
[Who said Xie Chunshi is rational and calm? I think he's a bit unhinged too]
Chen Sui listened to Puluo's words and thought for a moment: "It's not really a disadvantage, but it's still better not to engage. Running is the best option."
"I ran."
Just as she finished speaking, Xie Chunshi's voice suddenly came through.
"However, we might be short one dust shield," along with his words came the sound of gunfire from the environment on the other side, followed by an angry shout: "F*ck, are you insane?! If you have a problem with me, come at me directly! Why did you cut down the meteor tree? You're crazy!"
Chen Sui: ......
"You... cut down... the meteor tree?"
Xie Chunshi, while dodging and moving quickly, still took time to reply to her, his tone quite apologetic: "Sorry, I didn't have time to dig it up, so I just cut it down."
"So, to prevent Jacques Delot from benefiting, you just cut the tree down?"
After Chen Sui finished, she added admiringly, "Well done!"
[Just saying, I suddenly have a bad feeling]
[Meteor trees in danger!]
Xie Chunshi's eyes curved slightly, guessing her reaction.
"Team Leader, take your time running."
"It's fine if we lost the dust shield. I'll see if there are extra rain shields on the field, or failing that, extra meteor trees will do in a pinch."
[......]
[When you say extra rain shields, do you mean you'll find teams that have them, then take them, and they become yours?]
[How can you call it stealing when military academy students do it? It's friendly gifting, carrying on with their share of glory]
[Zhou Chen, you can't use your light brain during the league. You should turn yourself in]
[Meteor trees... make do... I'd say, let the meteor trees rot in the ground]
After speaking, Chen Sui could hear that Xie Chunshi was in a cat-and-mouse chase with Jacques Delot. Seeing that he still had the energy to speak on the team channel, the situation didn't seem too dire.
She observed the red rain, seriously contemplating how to dig up the meteor tree intact.
Puluo didn't dare disturb the analyst with her grave expression. Mainly because he needed to process what was happening too.
Why was it always others who came up with these shocking ideas?
He wanted to shock everyone like that too.
Both of them were lost in thought in the treetop.
Meanwhile, lying on the tree, flicking a meteor tree lantern with one finger and feeling the heat of the light, Zhou Chen sighed, rolled over to the other side, and sighed again.
"Why isn't there a single competitor around me? What's wrong with the Competition Committee, underestimating my strength?"
At that moment, both the person who had just finished fighting and the one currently fighting clenched their fists.
Yet this chosen lucky one had no idea how rare such ease was.
After Chen Sui finally figured out a way to take the meteor tree, she remarked: "If Zhou Chen were here, it would probably be much easier."
Zhou Chen heard his name and immediately became proud, "Oh, now you realize my value?"
"A Four-sided Mace would dig up the soil faster."
Zhou Chen's body jolted, and he immediately hugged his Four-sided Mace protectively.
Chen Sui seemed to anticipate his reaction and laughed.
The red rain continued on and off, varying in intensity throughout the night, until it finally stopped its rhythm as dawn approached.
The ground was covered with black corrosion marks, as if it had been completely renovated. The leaves slowly stretched out, the lanterns on the meteor tree extinguished and gradually fell from the tree, and the ground was covered with broken fruits.
Chen Sui leaped down from above, crushing rotten fruits under her feet. A burst of plant scent exploded, dispersing the bloody smell of red rain in the air.
Looking back at the tall meteor tree, Chen Sui glanced at Puluo, her tone eager: "Come on, Puluo!"
The soldier pulled out his long staff and opened his shield umbrella, then handed it to Chen Sui.
The analyst sat cross-legged to the side and began using the limited conditions to dismantle Puluo's shield umbrella.
The comments immediately screamed.
[Ahhh, what are you doing?!!]
[Why are you taking it apart?! Is this meteor tree really so necessary?!!]
[No, sis, you're being too harsh. Such a good shield... After you're done showing off, who's going to hold an umbrella for you?!]
[Puluo! Say something! You're just letting her dismantle it?!]
Puluo himself was quite pleased with the situation.
Because this is how Chen Sui had persuaded him.
"Puluo, want to try a critical hit build? See someone you don't like, just shovel them out."
It was too tempting.
What soldier doesn't have a heart that yearns for critical hit output and showing off?
Even if they didn't before, after seeing an analyst dealing damage, they should have one now.
Puluo definitely had one, especially since all his teammates were so impressive. He couldn't fall behind.
So he nodded in agreement, even though the first thing Chen Sui did after modifying the weapon was to shovel soil for the meteor tree.
Chen Sui's goal was to turn the shield umbrella into a crescent-shaped wide-faced scythe that could dig when stood upright, and to cut the staff in the middle to make dual scythes.
As the shield umbrella was dismantled into parts on the ground, and she put it back together, the comments changed from initial screaming to rapt attention.
[This analyst has skills]
[Sis, why don't we switch careers to mecha repair technicians? I think you have a bright future]
[? What's the issue? She's an analyst]
[Really impressive. How long does it take to learn this hand-crafted weapon-making skill?]
[Repair System, currently a few masters in our association can do it, I haven't seen anyone else do it]
Chen Sui swung the dual scythes, the sharp blades cutting through the air, bursting with piercing wind sounds.
Puluo's eyes lit up at the sight. As Chen Sui handed them to him, he eagerly took them and tried them out. Just then, Chen Sui drew her gun: "Want to practice a few moves?"
Puluo's testing motion paused, then he swung the scythe and quickly gripped it, thrusting it toward Chen Sui.
"Whoosh—"
The blade wind cut through the space in front of Chen Sui. Forest Envelopment leaned back, the long spear smoothly turning from behind, gripped reverse-handed by the other hand, thrusting forward and blocking the dual scythes.
The scythes slashed at both sides, cutting across the spear shaft. Seeing this, Chen Sui twisted both hands, using tremendous force to spin the long spear, the vibrating air pressure spreading out, pushing back the slashing scythes, then the massive force shifted away from the blade edge, thrusting straight at Puluo's mecha.
As it approached the soldier's mecha, the spear tip suddenly stopped, the momentum of the air current slamming into Puluo's mecha chest, the metal glinting coldly before a silver light burst from the spear tip.
"Not bad!"
Feeling Puluo's skill, Chen Sui smoothly released the force.
The suddenly aggressive soldier startled the comments.
[Damn, I thought you two were fighting for real]
[Your Zhu Jing Fu team is crazy!]
[Is that even fighting? That's my heartbeat]
The dual scythes retained their staff handle, becoming long-handled scythes. When Chen Sui stabbed them into the soil, there was a crisp collision sound.
The scythe blade easily cut through the black soil. The moist soil was perfect for transplanting, and Chen Sui dug out the entire root system of the meteor tree following along the roots.
In daylight without red rain, the meteor tree looked like the surrounding broad-leaved trees, and the lantern fruits hadn't grown out yet, but it was still vigorously growing.
Tired from digging, Chen Sui straightened up holding her waist, unconsciously wiping her forehead with her hand. She looked up at the sky and seemed to muse unintentionally: "Why do I feel like I've just been digging and digging ever since joining the league?"
First mining, now digging up trees.
Puluo accepted it well, viewing it as a new skill he'd learned, happily saying: "What you dig up is profit!"
Chen Sui nodded, showing her approval: "You've got the right attitude!"
[......Control Room, Director Mo]
[I heard that on the day the jump results came out, Director Mo went to the medical center for blood pressure medication]
[Director Mo's fists are clenched tight]
In the control room, seeing this comment, Jian Run's tightly furrowed brows relaxed slightly, and he smiled as he looked at Mo Qiu'an on Ji Qing's other side: "Director Mo, don't look so miserable. The meteor trees aren't valuable, Zhu Jing Fu won't be interested."
He even spoke very directly.
If the meteor trees couldn't block the red rain, they wouldn't even make it onto Zhu Jing Fu's list.
Mo Qiu'an gritted her teeth: "Right, the trees aren't valuable, but do you know how much effort it takes us to grow one tree? She just digs it up whenever she wants!"
Jian Run laughed: "After the competition is over, you can make Chen Sui help you with rapid growth, and get it all back."
Mo Qiu'an was about to nod when she remembered another matter: "If I ask her to come, I don't know if she'll be helping me or if I'll be giving her resources. That's really uncertain."
Staying up at night to mine, Chen Sui's spirit was something Mo Qiu'an greatly admired, but when she thought about how all these mined materials were the protection fees Chen Sui collected for the energy field, her admiration turned 100% into heartache.
These words made Jian Run imagine the scene, and as he watched Chen Sui's actions, his eyes darkened as his smile faded.
There were many high-level energy bodies in the Sultry Red Forest, and the Border Army's cleanup hadn't been thorough. He also wanted to see how, without a summoned body, Chen Sui's energy use and combat skills differed when dealing with energy bodies.
This would be the best opportunity to clearly see Chen Sui's strength.
In the image, Chen Sui frowned slightly in apparent discomfort. She looked up from her work, her sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, her energy perception spreading out in circles.
No abnormalities.
Chen Sui lowered her head again, seeing the meteor tree's root system dug out. She decisively swung the scythe, violently chopping at the lower part of the tree trunk.
"Crack!"
"Crack!"
One chop, two chops.
The meteor tree was directly cut off from its root system, and the trunk crashed down with a thunderous sound.
Leaves flew everywhere, dust filled the air.
The sound was like a muffled thunderclap, startling distant teams who looked toward the forest depths.
As Chen Sui pushed over the giant tree, her mecha hugged the remaining trunk. She yanked it forcefully, while the comments were still urging Puluo to pull the tree, not expecting that it would be the slender analyst carrying out this task.
For a moment, they couldn't quite accept it.
[The analyst, with those thin arms and legs......]
[Honestly, when she was hitting the energy shield, maybe due to lack of comparison, I didn't feel it, but now... this is too ridiculous]
[Sui, you, this......]
[Now I know how much strength it takes to punch through an energy shield]
Chen Sui didn't use much force. A blue vein bulged along her arm, and after a few pulls, the entire root system was pulled out. A layer of green light covered the tree stump, the abundant wood-attribute energy protecting the meteor tree, preventing it from withering too quickly.
After packaging the meteor tree root, Chen Sui stored it away, wiped the dual scythes clean with broad leaves, and tossed them back to Puluo.
Their objective was clear: go to the landmark point, meet up with the school team, and then start eliminating other teams.
In a 10-to-1 track, the competition was so intense that it wouldn't even take ten days to determine the winner.
"Let's go along this path," with Xie Chunshi absent, Chen Sui couldn't calculate the routes of other academies. Her method of determining the route was simple and direct: find the one with the strongest energy fluctuations.
"Getting more energy crystals won't hurt," Chen Sui calculated mentally, confirming there were no issues, and moved along the route with Puluo, pushing their mechas.
Zhou Chen waited on the meteor tree for a night without encountering other teams, lamenting that this place seemed forgotten.
Chen Sui guessed that the teams assigned to the same area as him very likely had rain shields and were weak teams, hiding without showing themselves to gain more survival time.
After all, in the energy field, surviving one more day meant gaining extra resources for free.
By noon on the second day, the random coordinates in the energy field refreshed again.
Fortune smiled upon them—
[This refresh signal is 4704, coordinates (259, 501)]
Zhou Chen sat up with a jolt. Gu Qinxue, who was burning energy bodies with her fire whip, also quickly confirmed her position.
"My position," Zhou Chen opened the team channel, "it refreshed to my location."
Chen Sui saw his coordinates flash for ten seconds, "Good, we'll meet at the landmark."
If Zhou Chen was in the upper left, Gu Qinxue was undoubtedly in the lower right.
So, converging toward the central landmark gathering point, all five members of the Zhu Jing Fu school team had their directions set.
The Zhu Jing Fu school team positions were gathered, and everyone advanced toward the target area [Silent Monument]!