Chapter 79 - I Hear I’m a Battle God (16)
Chapter 79 I Hear I’m a Battle God (16)
Close to half a month had passed.
With the help of this group of youths, the Zerg who had infiltrated the base had already been mostly eliminated.
Every day, there would be people dropping out of the training. A small amount were because of injuries, most were because of hunger, edema, fever, exhaustion, and the huge psychological pressure.
Fortunately, not a single member of Ji Zuoshan’s team of four had dropped out.
Ji Zuoshan himself had a very strong survival ability. Even without salt, he could pick out non-toxic salt fruits from innumerable poisonous wild fruits. They could not only be mashed up and used as seasoning, they could also be used to supplement the nutrients needed in the body.
Now, whenever they ate, they needed to have at least two people on lookout duty.
After half a month, a lot of people were unable to catch any wild animals, and could only eat wild fruits to survive. However, if they only ate wild animals, they wouldn’t have enough energy, not even enough to pilot their mecha. Hence, their only option left could be summed up in one word: Steal.
The training on “The Scar” was already almost at its end. Many people were gritting their teeth and bearing it, solely because they wanted to win. In order to win, there was nothing anyone wouldn’t do.
This had already become a tacitly accepted rule. Fortunately, this group had Ji Zuoshan, so they were getting along rather comfortably.
On the last night before the end of the training, they collected and handed in the claws of twelve aquatic Zerg very early, then caught a wild chicken and climbed onto a high cliff.
Over this half a month, they had always rested at the highest point they could find within a kilometre to avoid people moving into their space, occupying the higher ground, and robbing them.
After the chicken was seasoned with the salt fruit and absorbed the taste of saltiness, Chi Xiaochi dug up some yellow mud, and picked two big leaves with a light scent like that of bamboo off of an unknown tree. He wrapped the chicken in the leaves, then wrapped that in the yellow mud. After that, he buried it in the ground and cooked it. Not long after, the fragrance of meat emanated from the ground in clouds of steam.
Blue dug up the chicken
and peeled off the outer layer of leaves. The meat had a strong fragrance, along with the slight scent of minerals and a wisp of bamboo fragrance. Placed in a washed leaf that had been folded into the shape of a boat, then adding two or three bright red wild fruits, against the red and contrasted with the green, it looked incredibly attractive.
The three young masters and young misses who had never been touched by the sun or been stained by fresh water were all stunned.
This dish was made with Ji Zuoshan instructing and Chi Xiaochi carrying it out. He used a tree branch that had been washed clean to tear the chicken apart and split it with the three people, while he himself, blowing on his burnt fingers, shamelessly stole a chicken leg.
After spending half a month together, the four could be considered to be very familiar with one another. No one questioned this distribution method.
It could be said that without Ji Zuoshan, the portions the three of them would have would just be wild fruits.
At first, Wang Xiaoqing also had a few fantasies about Ji Zuoshan, just like Rosie in the beginning. After all, his combat power was strong to the point of being alluring. However, after knowing him for a long time, Wang Xiaoqing found that this person was a beautiful, human-shaped block of ice.
After some self-examination, she realised she didn’t have the green snake’s talent of enticing monks, nor did she have the patience, and simply chose to settle for the next best thing, being his friend.
Barring any unexpected incidents, this would be their last day together. Once they left the base, they would be going their separate ways. The next time they would meet, they would probably already be in the army.
Wang Xiaoqing straightforwardly opened up about her intentions, “Xiao Ji, I’m the younger sister of Wang Jingqiu, the deputy commander of the South Road Army. Would you be willing to join the South Road Army?”
Chi Xiaochi asked Ji Zuoshan. Ji Zuoshan hesitated for a moment, then answered, as long as he could fight, anywhere was fine.
But the reply Chi Xiaochi gave Wang Xiaoqing was: “Let’s talk about it when the time comes.”
061, “……I don’t think that’s what the person himself, Xiao Ji, said.”
Chi Xiaochi said, “Trust me, I said the same thing he did. People always need to have some idea of their own worth. There’s no need to promote yourself, you just need sufficient attractiveness. Xiao Ji is the most valuable treasure on this planet, he can’t just be bought by anyone with an offer.”
Ji Zuoshan was a little uneasy. “Xiaoqing is my friend……”
Chi Xiaochi, “Your friend came up to you with the intention to recruit you from the beginning.”
Ji Zuoshan, “But……”
Chi Xiaochi, “Friends don’t give each other whatever the other asks for. They’re your peers, not your younger siblings. You’re not their parents either.”
Ji Zuoshan was silent.
These words lightly pointed out the main crux of the issue with Ji Zuoshan: He always treated the people around him like his younger siblings, not rejecting a single request of theirs. He was like this to Zhan Yanchao, and was like this as well to Wang Xiaoqing.
In shock, he realised that even after his death, his mentality of nurturing baby birds hadn’t changed.
On the other hand, Chi Xiaochi didn’t much of it. In his point of view, most of those who thought that after rebirth, they could instantly shed their mortal body and exchange their bones, and shake off all the bad habits left by their past life were all just dreaming.
Even after dying and coming back to life, one would still be the same person. If they didn’t consciously avoid it, most would inadvertently walk down the same path as before.
Chi Xiaochi didn’t want to say too much to Ji Zuoshan. This child had a reserved nature, and had a lot of things weighing on his mind, just giving a reminder every now and then would be enough.
Unexpectedly, Wang Xiaoqing, who’d been refused, wasn’t too upset. She patted him on the shoulder, and didn’t continue the topic. Instead, she asked a question that she had been pondering over but hadn’t been able to answer for this half month, “With your ability, why did you have to become Zhan Yanchao’s human sacrifice?”
Wang Xizhou tugged at her. “Jie.”
Chi Xiaochi reduced all Ji Zuoshan’s difficulties into four words, “To support my family.”
With nothing better to do at the moment, he told them Ji Zuoshan’s story. Although he had rarely added any details, it was still enough to fill Wang Xiaoqing with fury. She picked up a piece of the flaming firewood and beat it against a nearby rock. “What even is he?! Fucking destroy him! Beat him into an Omega!”
After these few days, the girl who originally still had a slight air of nobility had already been pretty much entirely corrupted by Rosie.
Chi Xiaochi said indifferently, “I know the score.”
Wang Xiaoqing didn’t doubt him in the slightest. Given Ji Zuoshan’s ability, even if he didn’t use a mecha, and just used his spiritual power, he would be able to trample anyone who’d tyrannised him in the past under his feet, and strip away all the energy in their body.
Achieving his revenge would truly be too simple for him. She patted Chi Xiaochi on the shoulder and said firmly, “I believe in you!”
Chi Xiaochi declined to comment. “Miss, go and sleep. Tomorrow is the last day,”
It was indeed the last day.
Their topographic map was complete. As long as they collected the task items that would be announced at 6 am, they would be able to finish this training.
At about 5:50 am, the four woke up and waited for the orders that would be sent over to their transmitters.
Ten minutes later, the sound of a middle-aged man clearing his throat came from their transmitters, then, the incredibly warm voice coming from the direction of headquarters was transmitted to all four corners of the base.
“Congratulations to all one thousand and three hundred students left participating in this exercise. Together with your comrades, you have accomplished the training task excellently. Now, what I’m going to announce, will be the last task you have to complete……”
Speaking up to here, he deliberately paused for a moment.
Wang Xiaoqing was a little nervous. As she clenched her fists, all she could her was her own breathing and the sound of her heart thumping.
“Firstly, if you still have your comrades by your side, please hug them.”
Wang Xiaoqing almost forgot to breather, but she didn’t dare disobey the command from her earphones.
……Hugging was a military order.
She lunged over and hugged Wang Xizhou. Instantly, an immense sense of satisfaction rose up from her heart.
Even though these days had been surrounded by perils, this younger brother of hers who she had always thought to be weak to the point of not being worthy of her respect had been guarding her in front of her this entire time. Ever since she had left her mother’s womb together with him, this pair of brother and sister had never been this close.
Rosie raised an eyebrow at Chi Xiaochi. “How about the two of us have one too?”
Before Chi Xiaochi could raise his arms, he was seized by Blue and rather firmly brought into its embrace.
Rosie didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “Hey, are you protecting your food? You used to be my family’s cleaning robot, alright?”
Chi Xiaochi stroked Blue’s head. “You don’t ask heroes where they come from. Even if it was an automatic toilet before, now, it’ll still be my Blue.”
As he spoke, in a good mood, he gently stroked Blue’s face.
Blue’s joints stiffened.
And 061 couldn’t help it as well, releasing a long breath as he rubbed his slightly hot face, but the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but rise.
The person on the transmitters left enough time for everyone’s emotional exchanges. After about three minutes, that gentle voice sounded once more. “Now that the emotional exchanges are over, the next thing you need to do, is to take a mecha key that’s not yours and get to the nearest monitoring point. The first ten people to bring the key and the topographic map will be the winners of this competition. Jiayou, everyone.”
Upon hearing these words, Wang Xiaoqing’s smile instantly stiffened.
“A mecha key that’s not yours”……
The energies within each mecha and their master were linked, and the activation key was the backup for the mecha, when the mecha’s master didn’t have enough energy, to remain capable of maintaining their ability to move.
Giving your own key to another required strong trust, because once the other party wanted to make a move, they could use the key to activate the emergency device, force the mecha to stop, or even make the mecha fire on itself.
……And in order to get “a mecha key that’s not yours” in the shortest amount of time, you could only snatch it from the comrade you’d just hugged.
But before Wang Xiaoqing’s heart could go cold, she heard Ji Zuoshan’s extremely cold order, “Let’s go.”
Wang Xiaoqing stared over. Ji Zuoshan had actually already gotten Rosie’s key and hurried over to the side of the cliff. His every order was direct and efficient. “Jump.”
While Wang Xiaoqing was still stunned, Wang Xizhou lunged over, pushed his key into her hands, and shouted, “Jie, let’s go! Go!”
After jumping off the cliff, the four stretched out their feet and bounded hurriedly towards the monitoring point they remembered from yesterday.
On the way, they saw a pair of fallen, smoking mechas. It wasn’t clear if their owners were dead of alive.
Wang Xizhou’s compassion surged. Just as he was about to go over and check, the mantis’ legs were stopped with a grab of Chi Xiaochi’s hand. “Come back. Run the path you’re supposed to.”
Wang Xizhou was dragged along, staggering. “It’s fine, I run fast. I’ll just check on them and come back. ……They didn’t put out a distress signal, they may be hurt!”
Chi Xiaochi sneered. “They’re not hurt. That smoke isn’t caused by damage from battle.”
After saying this, he quickly turned back, raised a hand, and took aim. Two rockets burst out, directly exploding the two mechas’ main systems to pieces.
The originally dead quiet mechas’ sounded with clear swears of rage from inside.
While Wang Xizhou was still surprised, Rosie briefly summarised, “……It’s bait.”
Wang Xiaoqing continued for her, “Their detectors should be able to show thermal images within half a kilometre. They were deliberately waiting for us on the route that we would have to take. If we wanted to rob them of any extra keys they had, they would be able to take the opportunity to steal our keys.”
Wang Xizhou was stupefied. “Are they crazy?”
Wang Xiaoqing’s forehead was sweating. In a small voice, she said, “Those who have gone crazy shouldn’t be just them.”
The hard life of the past half month had sucked the competitor’s heart’s blood dry, tormenting them till their eyes turned red.
They’d all made it to this point, who would be willing to admit defeat?
As Wang Xiaoqing sprinted down the path, she was thinking.
If there was only one person left in a team, in order to seize victory, would they do their utmost to seize the keys of another team?
Even if there were two or three people remaining in a team, their situation wouldn’t be optimistic as well.
In this short half an hour, the Wang siblings saw an extremely dense collection of fireworks, one bloom after another, one sheet after another, blossoming one after another in the clear of dawn, dyeing the sky with brilliant lights and vibrant colours. It was breathtakingly beautiful.
It wasn’t hard to imagine that the first thing most of them did after grabbing their partner’s key was to light the distress fireworks stored in their mecha, helping their partners give up their chance at winning.
……Fortunately, she was her younger brother,
Wang Xiaoqing’s thoughts ran wild the entire way there. Only when the outline of the monitoring office appeared before her eyes did an enormous swell of ecstasy replace the panic, engulfing her heart.
However, when they were still seven or eight hundred metres away from the monitoring office, Wang Xiaoqing clearly heard a cold announcement from the loudspeaker handing by the door of the office, “Nine people have already arrived at the other monitoring points! There’s only one place left!!”
Wang Xiaoqing’s blood ran cold. She inadvertently glanced at Chi Xiaochi.
……It was over.
With him here, what could they hope to snatch?
Unexpectedly, in her stunned daze, her back was given a harsh shove by Chi Xiaochi, “Let’s settle the accounts. ……What are you doing, stunned there?! First, run!”
Then Chi Xiaochi rushed towards the other three and said, “What’s the prize for last place?”
Wang Xiaoqing hurriedly said, “The first place gets a complete military-grade mecha, second place to tenth place gets a smaller military-grade reconnaissance mecha, which is similar to the mechas on use right now, the only difference is that it’s military-grade!”
Chi Xiaochi asked, “Who wants it the most?”
Before Wang Xiaoqing could speak, Wang Xizhou quickly spoke for his older sister, “My sister wants it!”
Wang Xiaoqing, “Xiao Zhou, you……”
Chi Xiaochi said straightforwardly, “Don’t talk nonsense, your younger brother’s mecha’s speed is the fastest out of all of us here, if he wanted it he’d have long since ran. What about you, Rosie?”
Rosie glanced at Wang Xiaoqing. Currently, they were only one hundred metres away from the monitoring point. “I don’t want it. If Xiaoqing gets it, just let me study it a little.”
Chi Xiaochi expressed his position to Wang Xiaoqing, “I also give up. Just pay me half the market price.”
Wang Xiaoqing didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “I won’t slight you, full price.”
Chi Xiaochi grabbed Wang Xiaoqing’s arm. As he stopped his mecha, he pushed her forwards. “Wang-daxiaojie, remember your words!”
With Chi Xiaochi’s strength, Wang Xiaoqing broke through the designated finish line.
While Chi Xiaochi and the rest leisurely strolled across the finish line.
Immediately after, the person in charge came out of the tent and grabbed Wang Xiaoqing, who had just come out of her mecha. With a brilliant smile, he said, “Congratulations, our first place!”
He looked around, and greeted Chi Xiaochi and the rest one by one, “Second place, third place, fourth place!”
Wang Xiaoqing had rushed too fast, and was now still a little confused. “What? Am I not……”
Before she could complete her sentence, a pair of mechas supporting each other appeared on the sand dune a kilometre away.
The monitoring point’s loudspeaker began to play the contents it had just announced again from the beginning, “Nine people have already arrived at the other monitoring points! There’s only one place left!!”
The two stiffened slightly. One of them tightened his grip on the key in his hand.
And in the next second, the mecha next to him stumbled, falling to the ground.
……The few people looked at the loudspeaker, and sincerely felt a chill from the bottom of their hearts.
They went to the rest station and got food and water.
After sitting down, the Ji Zuoshan who hadn’t spoken since yesterday night said, “What the planet wants isn’t soldiers, but wild beasts.”
Crazed wild beasts that would do anything to achieve their goals. Those people were trained in “The Scar”, and placed into every army division. Their desire for victory was so strong that they could even make a move against their partners, let alone their enemies.
Ji Zuoshan thought of the distant past, of those unforgettable humiliations.
After slaughtering those Alphas, Zhan Yanchao didn’t receive too severe a punishment, not even having to go to military court.
The reason for this was very simple. Zhan Yanchao was a genius in terms of fighting. Keeping him would be of great use.
And if not there wasn’t a Zhan Yanchao to take revenge for him, those Alphas probably wouldn’t be punished very severely as well. After all, the victim was just an Omega.
Alphas threw themselves in head first and spilt their blood to protect this planet, what did the dignity of an Omega matter?
After he asked this question, however, Chi Xiaochi laughed and said, “Going by the rules of survival, an Omega’s dignity indeed doesn’t matter for anything.”
Helpless, 061 reminded him, “That’s politically incorrect.”
But Chi Xiaochi said, “To the planet, with the neighbouring Zerg planet, they bring their lives on their waistbelts everyday. What correct?”
Ji Zuoshan didn’t speak again.
Chi Xiaochi’s hands supported his body from the back. He said to Ji Zuoshan, “If you’re dissatisfied with that, then just become the person who makes the rules.”