novelraw Chapter 87 : Sultry Red Forest
Chapter 87 : Sultry Red Forest
On the third day of the Sultry Red Forest competition, Chen Sui and Puluo arrived at the Silent Monument forest landmark.
This landmark was displayed on the map with a very obvious stele pattern. The forest here generally had thin leaves with abundant light. Entering from the broad-leaved forest, one could clearly feel a brightening of vision.
The name "Silent Monument" came from a special type of energy body there: the Stele Mushroom.
These mushrooms were tall in shape, even comparable to the surrounding giant trees. Their stems were firm but more brittle and easily broken than ordinary trees. The mushroom cap resembled a stone tablet, with patterns on the cap surface resembling inscriptions on a stele. From the gills hung many thin, long branches like vine tentacles, which entangled the surrounding trees and could extend tens of meters outward.
Stele Mushrooms moved in response to sound. Loud noises would send them into a frenzy, causing them to attack all surrounding creatures indiscriminately.
Upon entering the Silent Monument Forest, Chen Sui and Puluo turned off their mecha propulsion to prevent the sound from enraging the Stele Mushrooms.
The two passed through the Stele Mushroom forest with thrills but no danger. Emerging from the Silent Monument Forest, at the end of the broad-leaved forest on the other side, a meteor tree mingled among the broad-leaved trees.
Chen Sui and Puluo looked at the top of the meteor tree as a black and gold mecha leaped down from the upper branches.
"Team Leader!"
Chen Sui called out.
Seeing Zhu Jing Fu finally reunited, the comments couldn't help but be happy for them.
[How nice, one digs up meteor trees, one cuts down meteor trees, you two big bosses meeting]
[What about this meteor tree, dig it up or cut it down?]
[With Chen Sui here, definitely dig it up!]
[To be honest, this meteor tree looks quite nice]
[Feels like it's the largest among several meteor trees, probably receiving the most light, its leaves are a bit greener too]
[Would be a pity to dig it up...]
[Not digging it up would be what Zhu Jing Fu finds a pity (dog head)]
Sure enough, after exchanging a few words with Xie Chunshi, Chen Sui reached out to touch the sturdy trunk of the meteor tree: "This tree..."
Xie Chunshi thought she had detected something unusual and looked warily at the huge tree.
"So big, it'll take a long time to dig up, right?" Chen Sui sighed.
Xie Chunshi relaxed his nerves and suddenly smiled, "With three people digging, it should be a bit faster."
Chen Sui looked up at the meteor tree, feeling that it seemed excessively tall.
But she didn't think too much about it. Xie Chunshi had come through the broad-leaved forest, while Chen Sui and Puluo had emerged from the Silent Monument Forest. This area could be used to set ambushes for the arrival of the red rain.
Especially the Silent Monument Forest.
"When someone comes, fire a shot into it."
Chen Sui patted Puluo. The powerful rumble of the quantum gun would be enough to drive all the Stele Mushrooms into a frenzy.
After surveying the surrounding terrain, the three began to occupy high vantage points in the meteor tree.
Xie Chunshi inquired about Zhou Chen and Gu Qinxue's situation. The two were still some distance from this location.
Zhou Chen finally saw a mecha on his route and eagerly engaged in a fight, nearly encountering Golden Tower in the process. After eliminating the mecha, he immediately left the pillar of light coordinates. As he was heading in this direction, hiding in the forest, he watched a vermilion Golden Tower mecha flash past in front of him.
"Xin Yan, I saw him walking from the northeast direction. Where are they gathering?"
Xie Chunshi looked at the map, "Base Station B, Golden Tower is preparing to gather there."
At this point, Chen Sui asked about their mecha damage levels.
Zhou Chen was doing fine. With Jacques Delot clearing the way ahead and Golden Tower cleaning up behind, he hadn't even touched his mecha much. He was even able to find a meteor tree before the red rain came, truly a child of fortune, with mecha damage at only 27%.
Gu Qinxue wasn't so lucky. She had practically fought her way through, with mecha damage as high as 52%.
Chen Sui and Puluo's mechas also had significant damage, at 57% and 43% respectively.
Xie Chunshi was heavily affected by the red rain. Not only did he scrap the dust shield, but his damage level increased to 49%.
"We also need to visit a base station," Chen Sui turned to look at the Team Leader. Xie Chunshi had the same intention; the effect of repair devices was limited, and Zhu Jing Fu's opportunity to reduce damage might be a key to victory in the later stages.
"After we meet up, we'll go to a base station."
Xie Chunshi's gaze was fixed on the map, his expression somewhat fluctuating. "Golden Tower is going to Base Station B. Their analyst should be near Base Station B in the upper or lower quadrants. Jacques Delot's analyst is on my side; they won't pass by the closer option to go to Base Station A."
Xie Chunshi was in the upper right quadrant. Logically, Jacques Delot's first choice for a meeting point would also be Base Station B.
But it depended on how the two Commanders would choose.
Zhu Jing Fu determined that their next target location would be Base Station A.
The three waited on the spot. They had met after noon. After confirming the ambush locations for mechas in the surroundings, they heard the coordinates refresh once more.
[This refresh coordinate: 1602 (832, 571)]
As soon as this coordinate was announced, Chen Sui immediately looked at Xie Chunshi. His gaze was directed into the distance. Noticing her stare, he turned back and nodded in agreement: "Looks like Jacques Delot is also going to Base Station B."
"Not necessarily now," Chen Sui said, "If Golden Tower knows that Jacques Delot will also go to Base Station B, will they still go?"
The answer to this question was easy to guess.
After Jacques Delot's coordinates were made public, if Golden Tower was closer, they would definitely occupy the base station first and ambush Jacques Delot.
But if the opposite was true, if Golden Tower was the one farther away, they might not go for fear of being ambushed.
Similarly, now that Jacques Delot's coordinates were exposed, other teams would certainly guess they would gather at Base Station B.
Now, it was a gamble.
It depended on which team Commander had more courage.
Fortunately, Xie Chunshi knew Xin Yan and Bai Ruohua well enough. Bai Ruohua was already indecisive; he wouldn't take the risk. In this situation, Jacques Delot wouldn't go to the base station.
Xie Chunshi looked at the map, marking several coordinates anew, "Jacques Delot will likely go to one of the landmark points near Base Station B."
Most of these positions were close to Zhu Jing Fu's meeting landmark.
Similarly, after border army training, Xin Yan had become much more steady, with a more cautious style. Whether he went or not, Golden Tower and Jacques Delot wouldn't fight.
Chen Sui spread her hands regretfully: "Looks like we won't see them fight after all."
Xie Chunshi shook his head with a light laugh, looking up at the sky: "If they won't fight, let's see if we have any opportunities here."
The sky was already dark.
The red rain's fishy smell permeated the air, and the forest moon poured down.
The ground was mapped with a layer of frost white.
At this moment, Jacques Delot, heading toward Base Station B, passed directly beyond it and continued in another direction.
Bai Ruohua reminded the analyst and agile attacker in the team: "The red rain is about to fall, quickly find a meteor tree for shelter."
"Are we really not going to Base Station B?" Ye Kaiyun asked, "This Silent Monument is quite far; we can't get there that quickly."
Bai Ruohua shook his head, "With the coordinates refreshed, we were already near Base Station B. I'm afraid some teams have already guessed our position. Several landmarks around are too close to the positioning. Only the Silent Monument is a bit farther away."
Ye Kaiyun sighed, "It's really too unlucky; how did it refresh to me?"
The coordinate refresh was also unexpected; when Ye Kaiyun's coordinates refreshed, Bai Ruohua's heart skipped a beat.
"It's okay, we'll avoid it first. Once we meet up, we won't need to be so careful."
Bai Ruohua glanced around. Sisir was closer to the Silent Monument position, and Zhuo Yun was nearby, so they should be able to meet up with the analyst soon. "You and Zhuo Yun meet at a nearby landmark, then go together to the Silent Monument. Now there are Golden Tower and Zhu Jing Fu on the map, be sure to watch out for mechas around."
"Especially Zhu Jing Fu, their analyst likes to target fellow analysts."
Hearing him mention Chen Sui, Ye Kaiyun couldn't help but shudder, "Better not, Zhu Jing Fu's analyst is very fierce."
Jacques Delot replanned their route forward.
Meanwhile, unaware that their destination was the Silent Monument, Zhu Jing Fu had already settled in the meteor tree.
The red rain fell once more, seemingly more violent this time. The sound of rain was deafening, making Chen Sui, hidden in the broad leaves, peer out for a look, "Is this rain getting bigger?"
On the ground, the water splashes from the rain were more intense than before and covered a wider area.
Chen Sui suddenly frowned, wondering how the red rain would change next.
Would there be red rain during the day as well?
Thinking of this, Chen Sui touched her spatial button, remembering the few meteor tree stumps inside it, and suddenly felt reassured.
"It does seem to have gotten bigger," Puluo agreed. He had extended his mecha out to test it, and the pain from the burning corrosion of the red rain was intense, making him involuntarily draw in a sharp breath.
Chen Sui looked at the traces of burning corrosion on him, "The damage level is even higher. If we had fought in red rain like this on the first day, the damage level would have directly reached 50%."
The energy factor in the red rain was getting stronger. This wasn't good news.
Chen Sui's expression became somewhat grave.
Xie Chunshi suddenly looked at her, his clear, moist voice carrying some undefined emotion: "Those three mechas you eliminated in the red rain?"
Chen Sui nodded, not picking up on his emotion. Afraid he was concerned about the mecha damage, she explained: "This way was quicker, decisive. And I also wanted to dig out the meteor tree, afraid the root system would be damaged and the meteor tree would easily die."
"Though the mecha damage is high, we can repair it in the repair room when we enter the base station later."
Xie Chunshi pursed his lips, still hearing Puluo waving his hand, trying to use the wind from his movements to soothe the pain of the red rain burns.
Chen Sui didn't feel this was a big deal. She was only thinking about one problem: with such heavy red rain, it seemed they couldn't go out to eliminate mechas like before.
"No need to fight in the red rain," Xie Chunshi, seeing her looking thoughtfully at the Silent Monument Forest, seemed to read her mind, immediately guessing Chen Sui's thoughts. "My energy can stretch a rain curtain ten meters away, is that enough?"
Chen Sui was stunned for a moment, suddenly realizing that when he asked if it was enough, he meant not damaging the root system of the meteor tree.
"That's enough," although the meteor tree's root system was larger, but, "We don't have to take this one with us either; we still have a whole forest, you know."
Chen Sui said very sincerely: "Although it's a bit bigger, it's not worth the trouble for just one tree. There's a whole forest waiting for us later, which wouldn't be very cost-effective."
"Ten meters is enough to deal with other competitors. As for this tree's root system, whatever."
Chen Sui waved her hand. She already had enough meteor trees and only needed to repair the mecha damage at the base station before taking on the Purple-Winged Golden Butterfly forest.
Xie Chunshi nodded, confirming the next route.
They would definitely go to the Purple-Winged Golden Butterfly forest.
Not to mention the meteor trees, Zhu Jing Fu couldn't pass up those energy crystals alone.
As they conversed, Chen Sui's energy perception left in the Silent Monument Forest was triggered.
"Someone's coming," she lowered her voice.
Puluo immediately aimed at her marked point in the Silent Monument Forest, "Quantum gun fully charged."
Chen Sui sensed the energy fluctuations.
In the distance, two mechas passing through the Silent Monument Forest were cautiously eyeing the huge mushroom stems around them.
The Stele Mushrooms' caps were contracted, looking like bare columns, but many tentacles hung down from above, making them look somewhat eerie.
Xi Yanhui and Wu Xiaoqing cautiously stepped over the tentacles. The red rain hitting them was painfully obvious, but the two didn't dare gasp out loud. When they saw a light in the distance, their eyes suddenly lit up with enthusiasm.
Just as they were about to walk out of the Silent Monument Forest, Xi Yanhui held back Wu Xiaoqing, and the two hid behind a giant Stele Mushroom stem.
"Wait a moment, let's fire a shot to see if anyone's there."
Wu Xiaoqing nodded in understanding, setting up the gun and beginning to charge.
Puluo, who originally could see the shadows of two mechas in his vision, suddenly lost sight of them as they moved behind cover. He looked at Chen Sui: "They've found shelter."
"No need to aim, follow my point," Chen Sui watched the two mechas' movements, suddenly realizing the Commander's caution. Seeing a light flash behind the Stele Mushroom, she reported the position, and Puluo fired the quantum gun first.
Wu Xiaoqing had just finished charging her focus cannon but hadn't fired yet when she saw a shot of raging flame and powerful energy coming straight for her face.
She tensed, her pupils contracting, and immediately fired the cannon forward.
The two shots exploded directly outside the Silent Monument Forest.
The massive impact rippled outward, the tentacles in the Silent Monument were blown back by the air wave, and the air rolled with surging heat waves.
A loud explosion awakened the sleeping Stele Mushrooms in the Silent Monument Forest.
The tentacles that had been floating like rootless duckweed suddenly stabilized.
A series of rustling sounds arose from the ground as the tentacles moved, frantically whipping around.
The mushroom's tentacles directly pierced through the trees, creating a large hole in the trunk. On the ground, tentacles quickly moved about, constantly slapping, curling, and whipping in all directions.
In an instant, all the tentacles were in motion, like a frenzied dance of snakes!
Xi Yanhui felt a chill run down her spine.
"Get out quick!"
She shouted to the strong attacker Wu Xiaoqing. The two turned on their mecha propulsion, the roaring sound further intensifying the Stele Mushrooms' frenzy.
The tentacles behind them whipped at the location of the mecha sounds, hitting giant trees and splashing deep purple mucus, which mixed with the red rain washing it away, the two combining to release a tremendous corrosive smell.
Xi Yanhui only looked back once before quickly escaping from the Silent Monument Forest with Wu Xiaoqing.
Just as they emerged from the Stele Forest, the two mechas were exposed in the flashy, rotating light of the meteor tree. Red rain pounded heavily on the mechas from above. A giant elephant figure appeared behind Xi Yanhui, its appearance covered with a layer of lightning, while on the other side, flames rose behind Wu Xiaoqing, with black sparks floating around her entire body.
"Seventh Ring Third Academy, Commander Xi Yanhui, spirit body SS-level Thunder Elephant, strong attacker Wu Xiaoqing, spirit body SS+ level Black Flame."
Chen Sui sensed the energy fluctuations, identifying their spirit bodies and sharing the information with her teammates, "The other three from Seventh Ring Third Academy were just eliminated by us. Looks like they were also planning to gather in this area."
Unfortunately, before they could meet up, they encountered the Purple-Winged Golden Butterflies and ran into Chen Sui and Puluo while escaping.
Xie Chunshi noticed from the corner of his eye that green light flashed over her hand. She already had the quantum gun in hand and was quickly determining where to throw the mist bombs to create a fog environment.
Seemingly having found the right spot, she looked at Xie Chunshi, "Puluo and I will go. Commander, rain curtain!"
As Chen Sui's words fell, the two from Seventh Ring Third Academy, who were preparing to charge forward to compete for the meteor tree, each drew their own weapons!
Just as both sides were poised for battle, a blue light burst from within the meteor tree. The red rain in mid-air paused, followed by an invisible light curtain forming outside the meteor tree, rolling toward the two from Seventh Ring Third Academy.
Wherever the light curtain passed, the red rain was intercepted, and the rainfall below temporarily ceased.
Xi Yanhui felt the burning sensation on her body lighten, but her vigilance didn't relax one bit. Lightning flashed on her broad-faced axe, while Wu Xiaoqing's focus cannon remained trained on the meteor tree.
As the rain curtain fully spread out, several shells flew from the meteor tree, getting closer and closer. Wu Xiaoqing's pupils contracted, her focus cannon firing to intercept the first one. Immediately after, the linear black flames surrounding her body flew out in clusters, like small shells, directly colliding with the mist bombs.
All the shells were detonated, exploding directly in mid-air, without hitting Xi Yanhui and her companion.
However, at that moment, amid the red rain furiously beating against the rain curtain and the sounds of Stele Mushrooms frantically whipping and destroying the broad-leaved trees behind them, a sharp whistling sound came from the direction of the meteor tree.
Xi Yanhui looked ahead and saw that where the intercepted shells had been, dense white mist suddenly spread, like water vapor instantly covering the space in front of them. The entire view was obscured by a gray-white blanket, making it impossible to see!
She instinctively moved back-to-back with Wu Xiaoqing, each vigilantly watching three directions in front of them.
In Xi Yanhui's field of vision, the green mecha shadow that flashed from the meteor tree, though only glimpsed before it quickly hid in the layers of mist, was still recognized by her.
"It's Zhu Jing Fu!"
Xi Yanhui's tone was grave.
Wu Xiaoqing was stunned. A layer of flame covered her light sword, its blade sharp with rippling crimson light flowing over it, layer upon layer, spreading out as she swung the sword, the weak light helping them see in the pitch-black white mist.
"They set up this rain curtain to block the red rain; their mecha damage must be high, and they don't want to risk the red rain."
Wu Xiaoqing quickly decided, and Commander Xi Yanhui nodded, "We can only fight! Maybe there's a chance to kill them!"
Behind them were the frenzied Stele Mushrooms. Once stuck by the tentacles, there would be absolutely no escape. The tentacles of the Stele Mushrooms could summon other tentacles to entangle and kill mechas, with slime as corrosive as the red rain. Retreating was not an option.
But moving forward, where a Zhu Jing Fu mecha with high damage awaited, plus a ready-made meteor tree for rain shelter, Xi Yanhui didn't need to think much to make the decision.
As her words fell, arcs of lightning crawled along the exterior of her mecha, then extended outward, striking fiercely to probe the positions of opponents around them.
Chen Sui and Puluo, one in front and one behind, descended from the meteor tree into the white mist. Her energy entwined around Puluo, and the two arrived on either side of the Seventh Ring Third Academy pair, with Chen Sui able to guess their positions through energy perception.
She swung her long spear, gripping the butt, and flashed inside the defensive circle of the two, feeling lightning exploding right in front of her. Chen Sui didn't advance but timed the long spear to swing violently down at the closely pressed backs of the two.
"Whoosh—"
A piercing wind sound came from far to near, exploding directly in their ears. The spear wind came from behind, directly splitting the pressed-together backs of the two, and then the entire spear shaft trembled violently, the force of the vibration propelling the two in opposite directions.
Wu Xiaoqing and Xi Yanhui's mecha forms swayed several times, separating an arm's length apart, and then their lightning and black flames simultaneously charged toward the end of the long spear.
Chen Sui slapped the butt of the spear, shooting the long spear out from the other side.
One strike successful, she immediately leaped up, flipping in mid-air to the other side, grasping the long spear that had been shot out.
The spear head was cold. The mecha hand gripped the spear, swinging it to lash out on both sides.
That speed was extremely fast. Xi Yanhui and Wu Xiaoqing had just directed their energy attacks toward Chen Sui's original position, the energy directly hitting the ground and raising black soil, when they realized the attack had missed. Before the two could press close again, they each felt a powerful lash at their waists, directly flinging the two mechas outward.
"Little Qing!"
Separated from her teammate, Xi Yanhui felt a flash of panic in her heart. She called out loudly for Wu Xiaoqing.
The strong attacker Wu Xiaoqing was about to respond when a sharp wind descended on her face from above. She instinctively swung her sword to block.
"Clang—"
The dual scythes struck the light sword!
Puluo didn't make a sound, but the force in his hands instantly increased.
Wu Xiaoqing grunted as she resisted. Xi Yanhui's face changed, realizing she had been separated. Her expression became extremely focused, with lightning crawling from her body outward, electrifying the air, not missing any spot.
However, just as she relied on her spirit body's giant shadow, with lightning all over her body, Chen Sui, completely wrapped in green light, directly crashed into her lightning.
Energy perception feeding back, accompanied by a violent thrust to the chest, the long spear directly penetrated the lightning to heavily strike Xi Yanhui's chest.
The mecha was knocked flying, with Xi Yanhui crashing into a surrounding tree trunk.
The heavy impact stopped her momentum, and facing a fierce wind, she instinctively rolled to the side to dodge. The spear chopped like a knife, clashing with the tree trunk!
The tree cracked with a sound, directly breaking.
Xi Yanhui's eyes flashed with surprise, a chill crawling up her back, almost instinctively, her broad-faced axe chopped down in front of her!
"Clang!"
The axe blade struck the long spear. Xi Yanhui caught a glimpse of the mecha, her face flashing with a hint of joy: "Caught you!"
She rallied, the axe face tilting, directly slicing along the spear shaft, preparing to heavily strike the mecha at the end of the battle.
"Is that so?" Chen Sui heard this and said softly.
Who caught whom?
Watching the broad-faced axe slicing swiftly, she flipped her wrist, power coming from her waist, the long spear directly flipping from below to above, pressing against the broad-faced axe with tremendous force, holding the axe in place!
Xi Yanhui's eyes flashed with surprise. She immediately reacted, wanting to flash away!
However, Chen Sui was faster. As Xi Yanhui was pulling her weapon back, the green mecha delivered a flying kick, sending Xi Yanhui flying!
Chen Sui herself also leaped backward, her feet stepping on the tree trunk to rush forward quickly.
"Thud!"
Puluo's dual scythes were pressed against Wu Xiaoqing's light sword, with the opponent's energy flames instantly burning from the light sword onto the dual scythes, momentarily spreading to his mecha.
Puluo directly retreated, leaning backward to avoid the light sword attack.
At the same time, he threw one scythe, gripping the other to heavily slash at Wu Xiaoqing's legs.
The pain transmitted, and Wu Xiaoqing instinctively pulled her sword to stab downward, not guarding against the returning scythe that hit her spine with a clang.
The scythe spun back, with Puluo gripping the dual scythes to disengage.
Just as he retreated three meters away, he felt a gust of wind coming straight at him!
Puluo instinctively turned, his dual scythes frantically swinging in mid-air, instantly delivering dozens of critical hits, the scythes creating afterimages!
"Swish! Swish! Swish!"
The scythes had a somewhat crescent shape, each time they passed over Xi Yanhui's body, they made the mecha rotate slightly.
Under Puluo's continuous critical hits, Xi Yanhui only felt herself constantly rolling, with pain like knife cuts all over her waist and back. She had no time to distinguish.
As an extremely fast approaching sound of wind came, her back was heavily struck.
Chen Sui delivered a knee strike, flinging Xi Yanhui's mecha under Puluo's scythes toward the base of a tree.
She passed by Puluo, reporting a position point. Puluo raised his gun, and the quantum gun fired a flash of light.
Xi Yanhui felt the heat and instinctively covered her front with a layer of lightning. The quantum gun hit the lightning network surface, disturbing the energy flickering, and a huge explosion occurred, just as a gigantic white light burst forth!
The white light directly illuminated the white mist, allowing Wu Xiaoqing, who had just caught her breath, to clearly see the mecha rushing towards her.
The blue-green mecha had a long spear on its back, that red spear like a flag, drawing a shadow as it moved.
Wu Xiaoqing's eyes were full of vigilance, hearing the sound of the Commander's mecha damage level and elimination.
She knew that defeat was now inevitable, but looking at Zhu Jing Fu analyst's blue-green mecha, Wu Xiaoqing felt more relaxed than at any other time!
Come on, let her witness what kind of prowess this strong attack analyst who dominated the competition field really had!
Saying this, she swung her light sword, flames blazing over the blade, her mecha directly rising from the ground, facing Chen Sui's attack head-on.
The two collided in mid-air, with the long spear and light sword clashing with clear, competing sounds.
Chen Sui advanced and retreated quickly. Wu Xiaoqing had already been hit by the long spear several times, but whether the opponent was holding back or for some other reason, she hadn't been knocked flying.
This allowed Wu Xiaoqing to go through more than ten moves with Chen Sui. In mid-air, through the white mist, several flashes of light appeared, seemingly indicating that the battle had reached a white-hot stage.
Until finally, Chen Sui used a classic military combat move, the long spear from behind Wu Xiaoqing's mecha, thrusting back, using not the spear head but the butt.
The butt of the spear came with tremendous force, as if Wu Xiaoqing's back had been violently punched, her entire body uncontrollably smashing toward the ground.
In the instant she crashed into the black soil, her mecha damage crossed the critical threshold.
[Number 7303 eliminated]
Seventh Ring Third Academy's entire team eliminated!
"You..." Wu Xiaoqing, with protection mechanisms already activated, looked at the blue-green mecha walking toward the rain curtain from the elimination light pillar.
The opponent neatly put away her spear, one hand wiping the spear head, the silver-white four-edged blade glinting like stars.
She walked past silently. Hearing Wu Xiaoqing's voice, she instinctively looked back: "Hmm?"
The blue-green mecha tilted its head slightly.
Wu Xiaoqing could tell she had held back at the end, even deliberately practicing a few moves with her, making her feelings somewhat complex.
Before entering the competition, she had never taken Zhu Jing Fu's analyst seriously. Even after the White Sand Sky Pillar Sea Domain, Wu Xiaoqing didn't believe the analyst's combat skills could surpass her own.
In fact, when she heard the analyst was using a strong attack flow, she had even subtly sneered.
Strong attack flow—how many reckless analysts draped themselves in this banner, beautifying and disguising their recklessness.
She didn't believe it.
But now, she had to admit, Chen Sui was very strong. Setting aside her identity as an analyst, just in terms of combat ability, she was an exceedingly formidable opponent.
On the Sultry Red Forest competition field, there were hardly any who could surpass her in close combat.
Wu Xiaoqing could already predict the outcome of this elimination round.
"Thank you," Wu Xiaoqing said softly, for the combat lesson Chen Sui had given her at the end.
Chen Sui waved her hand, saying unconcernedly: "Small matter."
She had seen through Wu Xiaoqing's intention; the opponent's attacks carried a strong exploratory purpose, appearing like a desperate last stand before elimination.
Chen Sui didn't look down on Wu Xiaoqing because of this.
She thought, this might be one of the meanings behind the elimination round's existence, giving teams a full opportunity to learn and complement each other. Military academy students needed to encounter powerful opponents to have the chance to continuously improve.
The elimination pillar of light from Seventh Ring Third Academy affected not Zhu Jing Fu the most, but Jacques Delot, who was about to head to the Silent Monument.
Looking at the elimination information on the map, Bai Ruohua sighed helplessly, "Looks like someone reached the Silent Monument first."
"Should we still go there?" Analyst Ye Kaiyun had already met up with Soldier Zhuo Yun.
Bai Ruohua frowned in thought for a while. There would definitely be people lying in ambush near Base Station B, now there were also people at the Silent Monument Forest, and other landmarks without signals might not necessarily be safe.
Bai Ruohua agonized intensely, finally calculating the refreshed coordinate points, and still nodded "Go!"
They had no choice. Having already given up Base Station B, with everyone now heading to the Silent Monument, rather than avoiding again and again, why not gather early!
Jacques Delot might well be able to take on the team in the Silent Monument Forest!
Meanwhile, Zhu Jing Fu, having ended their battle, returned to the meteor tree.
Chen Sui directly leaned against the trunk, slowly swallowing a nutrition fluid in the cockpit.
She and Puluo both had some consumption. "How much longer for you all?" Chen Sui asked on the team channel.
Xie Chunshi jumped down from the meteor tree, one hand retracting the rain curtain energy. The red rain poured down like a waterfall, followed immediately by the sound of rushing water.
Zhou Chen and Gu Qinxue were already in the central area, waiting for the red rain to end before heading to the Stele Forest. Hearing this, they roughly estimated the range and meeting time.
Chen Sui nodded, having a clear understanding: "Then we can meet before noon, reach the base station by tomorrow afternoon, and stay at the base station at night, without needing to find a meteor tree."
Just as she finished speaking, the lanterns on the meteor tree suddenly began to rotate, like blooming star tracks, drawing circles of flowing light in the ink-blue night.
Xie Chunshi put away his energy, looking at the rain curtain. Red rain splashed in the lanterns, bursting into flickering points of light.
He stood beside the blue-green mecha, noticing the black scorch marks on Forest Envelopment, his finger tracing them.
The mecha sensation transmitted to Chen Sui, and she couldn't help but look up. With nutrition fluid still in her mouth, she only made a vague sound.
"Hmm?"
"The corrosion marks from the red rain are quite deep," Forest Envelopment's shell and the metal joints beneath all had deep black marks, looking no less severe than stabbing someone with a knife, with the blade embedded.
Chen Sui nodded, her chin gesturing toward the more torrential rain curtain: "The red rain is getting heavier day by day. If this trend continues, a night in the rain might be enough to reach critical damage levels."
After speaking, she thought of something, "By the way, did the coordinate refresh cycle change once before?"
Xie Chunshi nodded, sharing his analysis: "Five fully staffed teams in the field, a total of 50 mechas, refresh cycle 5 hours. With 40 mechas in the field, refresh cycle 4 hours. The refresh time will shorten as the number of mechas decreases."
"That means, at the end when there are only a few teams, a single-digit number of mechas, the refresh time might be even shorter."
Chen Sui couldn't help but shake her head, "In a 10-to-1 elimination round, it's about defeating one opponent after another. It seems anyone who can stand out must be truly capable."
She thought back to previous Zhu Jing Fu school teams who had won such selections—how could it be purely luck?
They certainly had strength, just slightly inferior compared to other Seven Schools. But undeniably, every Zhu Jing Fu school team had worked hard enough to ensure their place in the regular competition.
Xie Chunshi made no comment.
Following her gaze, the meteor tree was famous for these bright, dancing lanterns. Now rotating around the meteor tree, they resembled a meteor shower, quite spectacular in the red rain night.
Puluo, who had taken time to carefully wipe his dual scythes, looked up. The scythes gleamed with golden light. He looked at Chen Sui, then at Xie Chunshi, and finally at the lanterns in the rain curtain.
He suddenly felt confused.
He had just cleaned a weapon, how had they already finished their conversation?
Chen Sui replenished her nutrition fluid, filled the energy for Puluo's and her mechas, and prepared to rest briefly before the upcoming melee.
But just as she leaned against the meteor tree and lay down, the hand on her raised knee suddenly paused. She quickly opened her eyes, "The surrounding temperature is a bit high."
The burning from the red rain would raise the surrounding temperature, but the heat under the meteor tree was unusually obvious.
As soon as she spoke, Xie Chunshi and Puluo both opened their eyes.
The meteor tree was still dancing, but the lantern fruits' movements now had fiery trails.
This excessively tall and sturdy meteor tree began to glow red through its cracked bark, as if it would split open any second to reveal the inner core.
Just as the red rain stopped and before the daylight cleared, a powerful wave of energy suddenly swept outward.
"This meteor tree has high-level energy body fluctuations?!"
Chen Sui exclaimed in shock.
The three Zhu Jing Fu mechas quickly rose and rushed out from under the meteor tree's shade.
Just as the mechas flashed away, the meteor tree seemed to come alive, its branches whipping around, swaying gracefully.
The lantern fruits didn't disappear with the end of the red rain but continued rotating, except now the flames burning in them grew larger, scattering countless sparks as they danced.
[What? Isn't the meteor tree an energy field anomaly plant? How can it have high-level energy body fluctuations?!]
This situation was truly bizarre. In the control room, Mo Qiu'an, familiar with every resource distribution in the energy field, narrowed her eyes and involuntarily frowned.
Ji Qing, watching through the screen, couldn't sense the energy fluctuations but saw the meteor tree's movements, as if it had "awakened."
"Zhu Jing Fu, hard to say if they're lucky or unlucky," Jian Run commented, his voice drawing unanimous agreement from the comments.
At this moment, after retreating from the meteor tree, the three from Zhu Jing Fu were met with sweeping broad leaves from the meteor tree.
The huge leaves brought not wind, but waves of fire!