Team Six had two S-ranked members—Xia Yan and Ludwig—making their team one of the strongest among the ten. Unsurprisingly, the Zerg they faced were also particularly fearsome.
One of the most dangerous among them was a long-tailed, vicious lizard-like Zerg with a camouflage ability that allowed it to disappear into the surroundings. It would strike suddenly, then vanish back into the shadows, making it nearly impossible to counter.
Xia Yan operated his mecha steadily, delivering consistent firepower.
He made sure not to lag behind but also avoided standing out too much. From the very start, he was determined to leave the stage to the protagonist gong.
And at first, things unfolded just as Xia Yan had intended.
As one of the protagonists, Ludwig was favored by the world’s will. Hailing from a war-torn, desolate planet, he had clawed his way out of death’s grasp, becoming a formidable warrior.
Every move he made was sharp and efficient, maximizing the potential of his mecha.
Initially, the upperclassmen who came to watch Xia Yan, found themselves unwittingly shifting their focus to Ludwig, whispering amongst themselves:
“Who’s that?”
“Ludwig… second in the grade.”
“Impressive skills. Get me his profile… We need to recruit him.”
Ludwig was set to shine during this battle if nothing went wrong, overshadowing Xia Yan and cementing his reputation as a rising star, attracting attention from all the major factions.
But then—
In the final phase, a one-clawed camouflaged Zerg, sensing its imminent death, erupted with a desperate burst of strength. It lunged at the team’s weakest member, a B-ranked fighter.
Betty’s mecha was built for speed and agility, sacrificing defense for mobility.
Caught off guard by the lizard’s tail strike, her mecha’s outer shell began to fracture. The cockpit flashed ominously with red lights as the AI’s cold voice announced:
“Mecha damage at 40%… 45%… 63%…”
The warnings grew faster and faster. Though mechanical, the urgency in its tone was suffocating.
Betty’s delicate face paled as she stared, wide-eyed, at the Zerg’s menacing mandibles bearing down on her. Her heart raced in terror.
Am I… going to die?
Outside the battlefield, the patrolling guards silently observed.
Ludwig glanced at the situation and analyzed it coolly.
One Zerg was dead. Zhao Jiang and Edwin were holding off another. Xia Yan was locked in a duel with the S-ranked Zerg and couldn’t escape.
Betty’s mecha could hold out for one more minute.
At that minute, she would be trapped by Zerg’s constricted tail. The shrinking cockpit would crush her internal organs, causing massive hemorrhaging.
But… she wouldn’t die.
At precisely the one-minute mark, the guards would intervene to save her. Of course, the team’s score would take a significant hit.
And knowing a certain someone’s personality, that was probably something he wouldn’t tolerate.
Despite the dire battlefield, Ludwig’s lips quirked up in a faint smile, his eyes softening with affection at the thought of the young man.
Thirty seconds.
It was enough time for him to resolve his current fight.
He wanted to dedicate the team’s first-place finish to Xia Yan.
He wouldn’t let anything ruin that.
Finally, Ludwig steeled himself and prepared to intervene. But to everyone’s shock, someone else was faster.
The young man, who had seemingly faded into the background, suddenly unleashed a powerful burst of energy. He exploited the Zerg’s weak point with a swift, precise strike, decisively taking it down.
The spectators were dumbfounded.
“Whoa! That scared me.”
“What happened?”
“Look at the screen…”
The arena was equipped with intelligent cameras, strategically placed to capture every moment of the battle. The footage showed Xia Yan’s stunning move, leaving the audience in awe.
These videos would later be archived in the Central Military Academy’s database for students to review.
–
To be honest, Xia Yan was utterly confused at the moment.
He stared blankly at the scene before him: a blurry, dismembered Zerg. A lightsaber had pierced through the lizard’s throat, straight through its skull. Its body below the head had been blown to pieces by modified missiles, leaving blood and gore splattered everywhere.
Betty leaped out of her nearly dismantled mecha, looking up at the young man with immense gratitude.
The audience erupted in thunderous cheers.
“Whoa! So strong!!!”
“How is he so fast? As expected of the top student in his year, he’s one of the best even among the S-ranks!”
“He stabbed the Zerg first to stop it from biting his teammate, then followed up with firepower. If anyone says Xia Yan doesn’t care about his teammates, I’ll rip their heads off!”
…
Xia Yan: “…” dead inside.jpg
Three minutes ago, when Betty was in danger, Xia Yan stared at the patrol team, completely baffled.
What the hell?! Aren’t they going to do anything? Don’t they see someone’s about to die?!
As Betty’s mecha continued to deteriorate, his anxiety grew.
Even though he knew from inherited memories that in the Academy’s thousand-year history, no student had ever died during combat training…
But what if?
What if the patrol team didn’t react in time?
No, no, no! He should trust the school… but the situation looked so dangerous! Xia Yan would carry the guilt if anything happened to Betty for the rest of his life.
After all, he was the team leader in this exercise. Every plan was his responsibility.
…Even though his “plan” was basically no plan.
Still, he should be accountable for his teammates.
In the end, the young man clenched his teeth and charged in without hesitation!
Frankly, it all boiled down to his lack of experience. The original owner didn’t care about his teammates, and he himself rarely faced life-threatening injuries. Thus, he couldn’t gauge the exact tipping point of a crisis.
The patrol team, however, was different.
They had saved countless students before, always intervening perfectly at the brink of death. Their goal was to let students experience the brutal realities of battle to the fullest.
Out of the five Zergs, three were now dead.
The battle was nearing its conclusion, and the remaining two Zergs were quickly dispatched through teamwork.
Xia Yan jumped out of his mecha, comforting himself with the thought that the battlefield was so vast that not many people would notice his actions. Ludwig was the true standout, so surely…
What utter nonsense!
Every high-definition screen around the training ground replayed his movements in detail.
His short, jet-black hair mischievously stuck up in two places. Beneath his smooth forehead was a pair of striking golden eyes that gleamed brightly under the training ground’s lights.
His skin was exceptionally fair, and every facial feature was flawless.
A face so stunning it bordered on perfection, with vivid, painting-like colors. It felt as though a blade had pierced straight through the hearts of everyone present.
The crowd was momentarily dazed.
Did Xia Yan… always look like this?
