**Chapter 20: Beheading Action – “You Guys Are Shameless!”**
Seeing that Lin Shuang was being sensible, Yan Changfeng retracted her gaze and yanked up Jiang Qi, who was currently wearing a dark expression and lost in thought. “Now, can we have a proper talk about cooperation?”
Yan Changfeng was being perfectly amiable, but Chang Jiu and the others didn’t have that kind of patience. Looking fierce and malicious, they stripped the dozen or so Mech Combat Department freshmen of everything they had. They confiscated a pile of ammunition and health recovery items, and even snatched away the Space Nodes where their mechas were stored.
The group of Mech Combat Department freshmen turned green with rage.
“You guys are shameless!”
Chang Jiu cheekily patted his own face, flaunting a string of necklace-like Space Nodes in his hand. They clinked together with a crisp, rhythmic sound. “You can’t win the fight, so you’re just going to run your mouths, huh? Your mechas are right here in my hand. Why don’t you come and take them? Is it because you don’t want to?”
The Mech Combat Department freshmen tied up on the ground: “…”
*He’s so damn annoying!*
Even the other freshmen from the Single Soldier Department couldn’t bear to watch. They covered their faces, unwilling to admit that this person was their teammate.
Jiang Qi’s current state wasn’t too pathetic. Because Yan Changfeng wanted to “get on good terms” with him, she only snatched his Space Node and didn’t restrict his movements.
“Representatives, shall we discuss cooperation?” Yan Changfeng waved her hand, and the others from the Single Soldier Department formed a circle around them, leaving enough open space in the center.
Lin Shuang sensibly sat down nearby. “If it’s Representative Yan, the Command Department is willing to offer fifteen percent of our points to seek cooperation with the Single Soldier Department, along with providing full-scale support.”
Beside her, Jiang Qi shot her a ghostly look.
“That’s not what you said just now.”
Lin Shuang replied righteously, “Times have changed.” Now, her only hope was to avoid being beaten. Due to the nature of the Command Department, the sensitivity of their combat suits was different; they weren’t as durable as the Mech Combat or Single Soldier Departments. She was afraid Yan Changfeng might “kill” her with a single punch.
Yan Changfeng threw an appreciative look at Lin Shuang. “You have good vision. We aren’t the type to act like a lion opening its mouth wide; ten percent is enough.”
She then turned to Jiang Qi, offering a blatant threat. “Representative Jiang, the Mech Combat Department is the same as the Command Department. Ten percent of your points. If you don’t agree to cooperate, we’ll eliminate all of you.”
Facing “death” and being insulted at the same time, Jiang Qi’s composure finally shattered. He leaned back with his arms crossed, looking like he was ready to just give up. “Cooperation? Don’t forget, we are competitors.”
Yan Changfeng arched an eyebrow. “Sometimes, when faced with an even trickier enemy, former enemies can become temporary allies.”
*Only the Pharmaceutical Department and the Mech Manufacturing Department are left. What’s so tricky about those two majors?* Jiang Qi muttered to himself.
“Fine.” He couldn’t gauge Yan Changfeng’s thoughts, but the current situation didn’t allow him to negotiate further. At worst, right before he was eliminated, he would rush forward and take a chunk out of Yan Changfeng.
Once the consensus for cooperation was reached, Yan Changfeng smiled with satisfaction. She tossed the Space Node back to Jiang Qi, then pulled out the map from her combat pack and spread it on the ground.
Seeing the familiar map, Lin Shuang instinctively asked, “Representative Yan, where did you get that map?”
Yan Changfeng: “Borrowed it.”
Lin Shuang: “…” *I wonder which poor soul from our department ran into her.*
While Jiang Qi and Lin Shuang were still bewildered, Yan Changfeng picked up a few pebbles from the ground and quickly placed them on several distinct landmarks to mark them. After a moment of thought, she placed stones of different colors at several positions in the dense forest.
“These spots are where distinct gunshots occurred after the assessment began. The firing was scattered and messy, mostly involving several shots in a row.” She moved her hand to the differently colored stones. “But the gunshots in these areas were very strange. In most cases, there was only one or two clear shots, but occasionally, there would be a burst of concentrated fire. Yet, when I moved closer to investigate, I found no signs of a large-scale commotion.”
Jiang Qi frowned. “What’s so strange about that? Maybe other people grouped up just like we did.”
Yan Changfeng didn’t look at him, turning instead to a pensive Lin Shuang. “9:37 AM, 9:45 AM, 10:21 AM.”
Lin Shuang snapped her head up, the shock on her face beyond words. She stared intently at Yan Changfeng, suddenly realizing something. Her lips trembled imperceptibly. “Eliminations of 17, 34, and 65 people respectively.”
This number didn’t seem like much—it hadn’t even reached half of the total eliminations—but how could so many freshmen have gathered in the early stages? Even now, there were only about sixty people present. Even if they really started fighting, they might not necessarily eliminate half of them.
It was only around 10:30 AM now. This meant that while they were confronting each other just now, a group of freshmen nearly equal to their own numbers had been eliminated simultaneously.
Lin Shuang’s gaze swept over Yan Changfeng and Jiang Qi. The representatives of the Mech Combat and Single Soldier Departments were both right beside her. Was there some even stronger combat force in this Jungle Hunting Ground?
Yan Changfeng spread her hands. “Do you believe me now? While we were killing each other in the hunting ground trying to eliminate our rivals, it seems someone has treated all of us as prey.”
Chang Jiu and the others, who had been listening with pricked ears, finally understood. He asked blankly, “Representative, are you saying that besides our thousand-plus freshmen, there are other people in the Jungle Hunting Ground? And their goal is to eliminate all the freshmen? But the instructors didn’t say the rules of the freshman assessment had changed.”
Yan Changfeng: “Did Instructor Yan ever say that only freshmen exist in the Jungle Hunting Ground?”
Chang Jiu: “Well, no.”
Yan Changfeng narrowed her eyes, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on her lips. “From the very beginning, the broadcast said they hoped we could strive to survive until the end of the assessment.”
“So that’s what that sentence meant.” Jiang Qi’s expression also became dangerous. He squeezed the Space Node in his hand and looked toward Yan Changfeng. “This is why you sought us out for cooperation. Your Single Soldier Department alone isn’t enough to deal with an unknown enemy.”
Yan Changfeng shrugged and patted Jiang Qi’s shoulder like they were old buddies. “Of course. With the help of Representative Jiang and the Mech Combat Department, we freshmen can win easily. Representative Jiang wouldn’t fail to give his best during the cooperation just because of that unpleasant experience earlier, right?”
“What nonsense are you talking about?” Jiang Qi glared at her. “Am I, Jiang Qi, that kind of person! Don’t judge a gentleman’s heart by your own petty standards!”
Yan Changfeng didn’t care about hearts or standards; she just knew that someone with Jiang Qi’s personality needed a bit of a prod. Taking advantage of his worked-up state, she immediately said, “Right now, there’s something I need Representative Jiang and the entire Mech Combat Department to help with.”
“What is it? Speak.” Jiang Qi felt his previously slumped spine straighten up again.
*What Single Soldier Department? At the critical moment, isn’t it still our Mech Combat Department that has to step up?*
Yan Changfeng picked up a stone, dipped it in some mud, and began drawing directly on the map. She drew three directions starting from their current location and marked several dots at the ends.
“The enemy is in the dark, while we are in the light. Our only advantage is numbers, but unfortunately, the freshmen are still fighting amongst themselves. Therefore, the top priority is to gather as many people as possible. Your Mech Combat Department will split into three groups and spread out in these three directions to find the remaining freshmen and spread the news about the hunters as much as possible.” Yan Changfeng spread her hands again. “If you accidentally run into a hunter along the way, well, you’ll just have to pray for your own luck.”
Someone from the Mech Combat Department asked, “Then what will the Single Soldier and Command Departments do? You can’t give all the dangerous tasks to us. What kind of cooperation is that?”
“Us?” Yan Changfeng arched an eyebrow. “Naturally, we are going to lure away the nearby hunters.”
She gave a look, signaling Lin Shuang and Jiang Qi to come closer. After the two confusedly leaned in, she scanned the surroundings before pulling Chang Jiu in as well.
“That task just now was for their ears.”
“Next, what we are truly going to do is a decapitation strike.” Yan Changfeng drew her palm across her throat, her gaze slowly shifting toward the high tower standing at the very center of the Jungle Hunting Ground.
As early as when Yan Changfeng was deducing the hunters’ movement routes, she realized that this group seemed to have an all-seeing eye, always able to timely detect the densest clusters of freshmen. There must be a “brain” among the hunters. Judging by how arrogantly they conducted their near-blatant massacres, they were clearly confident in their own strength and wouldn’t feel the need to hide that brain.
“Task allocation complete. However, subsequent tasks may change at any time. I hope everyone stays lucky.”
After Yan Changfeng exchanged a few words with Jiang Qi’s group, she led Chang Jiu and the others back the way they came. According to her deduced route, after those people finished off the stray freshmen nearby, their next target would be the group that had just gathered.
Luring them away wasn’t the ultimate goal, but it was a crucial step.
Yan Changfeng patted Chang Jiu’s arm. “Are you ready?”
Chang Jiu: “Representative, I’m already rubbing my fists together. It’s just some hunters, right? I want to see just how much stronger they are than us.”
*I hope you don’t get beaten into tears.*
Yan Changfeng silently lit a candle in her heart for Chang Jiu.
*Buzz—*
An insect commonly seen in the rainforest flew near the group at some point. It buzzed its wings in the air, then suddenly flew toward a nearby large tree, seemingly wanting to rest on a branch.
*Smack!*
The next second, a pair of hands clapped the stray insect dead.
Chang Jiu shook his hands, and the insect’s corpse fell straight into a mud puddle, quickly sinking in.
“This dump just has too many bugs. I don’t know why the academy couldn’t pick a place with a better environment for the assessment. I don’t want to go back covered in bites.”
Yan Changfeng narrowed her eyes as she watched the insect’s “corpse” completely disappear. She glanced at the innocent-looking Chang Jiu, her mouth twitching. “Don’t your hands hurt?”
Chang Jiu: “They don’t hurt. But that bug was pretty prickly. I wonder if it was a mutant.”
***
In the camp outside the Jungle Hunting Ground.
The directors and teachers of various departments stared at the surveillance feed, which had turned into static, and looked at each other in dismay. The insect-shaped surveillance camera, designated as Number 037, had just been smashed like a common bug by a student.
And it was smashed into such tiny pieces that it couldn’t even be recycled.
Ren Baifeng was silent for a moment before suddenly asking, “Ahem, when the assessment is over, should we contact this student to compensate us for the cost of the monitor?”
Upon hearing this, Yan Wenzhi looked over expressionlessly.
Ren Baifeng: “Actually, I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s just one monitor, and besides, the kid didn’t know. It wasn’t intentional, right?”
The other teachers: “…”