TL: hua

Chapter 68

[Military Academy League Official Tournament Forum > Casual Chat Section]

[Thread Title: Let’s have a rational discussion. Is Mars Military Academy actually trying to market star contestants after learning their lesson? Several of the guys who showed up this year are insanely handsome.]

[1L: As per the title, I just saw the speech by the Mars team leader, Shen Que, on the main livestream. His speech was flawless, and his aura is cold as hell, but his face was undeniably striking. The aloof, unattainable beauty is indeed the best fashion item for Alphas. However, not long after, I accidentally clicked into the off-site stream, and the three who skipped out were even more stunning, especially Ji Xuan… Tsk, is it even legal for an Omega to look like that? Mars has had a total change in style this year. It makes one wonder if they finally turned to the dark side after being stepped on for years, deciding to win with their faces… ah no, I mean winning with a mix of comprehensive strength and image.]

[2L: Thanks for the invite. I just came from Leon’s stream, dying of laughter. But seriously, someone who becomes a contestant can’t just be a flower vase[1], right? It’s honestly hilarious how some people in the livestream cry about Omega equality one second and then question their strength the next.]

[3L: Replying to 2L: LOL, Omega equality doesn’t mean Omegas are fit for high-intensity military combat, okay? Look at Ji Xuan’s physique, skinny arms and legs; his waist isn’t even as thick as my thigh. Is he playing house in the league? It’s probably just a publicity stunt by Mars to grab attention; he’d be the first to fall in a real match.]

[4L: 3L’s comment is a classic. How many years into the New Star Calendar are we, and you’re still stuck on stereotypes? Have you forgotten about mental power, combat skills, and reaction speed? Just wait to be proven wrong.]

[5L: 3L, bro, maybe you should lose some weight.]

[9L: Am I the only one worried about Shen Que finding out his team members skipped out to have a verbal sparring with the host academy’s ace? The thought of him giving a serious speech representing the school inside while his teammates are causing chaos outside is just too funny.]

[11L: These contestants are each unique in their own way, especially Ji Xuan. That face is truly peerless; he looks even better in motion than in photos. He looked so obedient eating ice cream, but the moment he looked up and started roasting people… I’m calling him wife right now!]

[12L: Hey upstairs, you should tone it down. This is the League forum, not some fan app or social media site.]

[19L: Reject visual marketing! The League relies on strength; otherwise, they should have just gone to an interstellar idol audition like Leon said!]

[20L: I’m so fed up with marketing. Having Eagle as a cancer is enough already. Please, Mars, stop learning from this, okay? Okay.]

[21L: Hee-hee, we’ll see the truth when the main event starts tomorrow. I hope some people’s wife isn’t the first to be eliminated. I bet he’ll look even better crying than he does roasting people.]

[26L: What? Is someone seriously questioning the strength of our annual assessment champion and the only Omega in the Combat Department? How would you react if I brought out the notice for his Second-Class Merit?]

[27L: What Second-Class Merit?]

[28L: North Star Fortress kept the publicity quiet, but everyone inside Mars Military Academy knows now. Ji Xuan and Pei Yingye went to North Star Fortress for training and not only assisted the Azure Bird Guards in capturing a smuggling ringleader but were also personally awarded the Second-Class Merit by General Ying Xun.]

[29L: As for what Leon said in the stream, it’s beyond ridiculous. Anyone who’s seen the assessment videos knows Ji Xuan’s level. In the melee combat, he beat Pei Yingye to take first place. His full-domain simulation performance was also impressive. Countless people in the Combat Department stayed up all night to study his replays. Only those Straight-Alpha-Cancers who don’t know shit would spout nonsense here. Just wait to get beaten up, lol.]

[32L: Fuck? He’s that badass? I love him even more.]

[33L: Ji Xuan, Ji Xuan… my fated wife.]

[39L: Am I the only one who thinks Ji Xuan’s face looks familiar?]

…

[98L: The roster for the first half is out. Let’s see how many events Ji Xuan signed up for… It’s actually zero!]

[99L: Told you he’s just a pretty face, and you didn’t believe it. Why aren’t those people from floor 20-something coming out to explain?]

[100L: Is there a possibility that not just Ji Xuan, but even Shen Que and Pei Yingye’s names haven’t appeared in the first half?]

…

[150L: The contestants Mars chose this year are actually quite impressive. Even the technical specialists are hidden talents. That guy Lai Zhou, when he was testing the weapon’s power, was actually startled by the Gatling gun he assembled himself. It was hilarious.]

[151L: Right? The other contestants are also beastly. Basically, the top spots in the first half were monopolized by Mars and Eagle.]

[152L: Did no one notice a dark horse? If I remember correctly, Valkyrie Academy was at the bottom for the last few years, but they’re so strong this year. They have a contestant who swept a bunch of events alone.]

[153L: I have to admit, that Valkyrie contestant is also very handsome, he’s just a bit robotic.]

…

[263L: Top sixteen out of thirty in the first half. Currently, Eagle is in first place for points. There’s no other way. Mars, pull yourselves together!]

[264L: Eagle is playing on their home turf. Let’s give them a break. What can you say when they even had a false start in the obstacle race?]

[265L: And that Beta next to Lai Zhou seemed to know the questions way in advance. Their state was clearly off.]

[266L: Stop making excuses. This is just the consequence of Mars choosing a pretty face to compete.jpg]

[272L: The roster for the second half is out! Mars Military Academy’s order is Shaikh, Ji Xuan, Pei Yingye, and Shen Que. My new wife actually chose shooting!]

[273L: Shooting, the event that requires the least technical skill, is indeed very suitable for a flower vase.]

[274L: It is a bit strange. Ji Xuan’s combat scores are clearly better, so why choose shooting?]

“Because I didn’t want to pass through Eagle Military Academy’s egret grove,” Ji Xuan said flatly, looking at the campus reporter in front of him.

“But you could have chosen the third event, melee combat, instead.”

“Pei Yingye didn’t want Shaikh delivering the encryption key to him. He said it would affect his performance.”

Reporter: “You’re surprisingly indulgent of him, haha.”

The first half of the preliminaries lasted from the afternoon after the opening ceremony until last night. All the major contestants from Mars achieved good results. However, just as Pei Yingye had initially guessed, Eagle Military Academy had already hired online trolls. As soon as the rankings for the top 30 to 16 were announced, the StarNet was filled with arguments that were pessimistic about Mars and praising Eagle.

Ji Xuan occasionally felt a bit curious about the public opinion environment of this world. Were there really that many stupid people who could be swayed by this AI-generated, bot-like rhetoric?

As it turned out, there were.

Outside the shooting range, a light screen had been specially placed so that the contestants for the second event could observe the progress of the first event. The images on the screen were relayed from the main live stream, and the contestant would inevitably see the evaluations in the bullet comments.

It was hard not to suspect this was intentionally designed to mess with their mental state.

Ji Xuan actually had no interest in Shaikh’s mecha combat. After all, he had already watched the combat videos between Shaikh and Pei Yingye over and over again. Basically, as soon as Shaikh made an opening move, Ji Xuan could guess the follow-up.

But the referee wouldn’t let him enter the shooting range.

—The contestant for the next event must wait outside the field for the contestant from the previous event to deliver the encryption key before they can pass the inspection and enter the competition grounds.

Very inhumane.

The countdown on the screen ended, and the mecha competition officially began. To ensure they secured a spot in the preliminaries, some academies arranged for more than one group of members to participate in the second half. Consequently, over thirty mechas descended onto the simulated map at the same time.

Both the mecha and shooting competitions tended to be races. Dozens of flags were distributed across the map; the first contestant to capture three flags and reach the finish line would obtain the physical encryption key, which they would then deliver to the shooting range to activate the next contestant’s entry eligibility.

After entering, the shooting contestant had to independently face dozens of moving targets with chaotic trajectories. Only after clearing all targets could they obtain the key to the third event, the combat arena.

The combat arena only accepted the first eight encryption keys delivered, so simply finishing the match was not enough for the first two stages.

Ji Xuan leaned boredly against the railing of the waiting area, his gaze fixed on the light screen. His ears were filled with the nervous or excited discussions of other academy contestants, mixed with snickers at some brainless bullet comments. He didn’t bother to pay attention, simply counting the time in his head. Little did he know, the campus reporter who had just interviewed him was quietly directing the filming drone to move its lens onto him.

[Can the camera stop focusing on him all the time? Is there no one else to film? If I wanted to see a pretty face, I’d go watch idol shows or dramas myself, thanks.]

[No, his teammate is competing, and he’s just spacing out like that? Look at his posture… was that combat uniform altered? Why is it so tight around the waist?]

[What kind of pose is he striking? Who is he trying to show off to?]

[Where did the closet fans above come from…]

The mecha piloted by Shaikh wove through the abandoned urban area, quickly utilizing the complex terrain to shake off several mechas attempting to harass him. However, Eagle Military Academy’s Samuel lingered nearby, clearly looking for an opportunity to intercept him.

“Sending more than two teams to participate usually has two purposes,” the contestants nearby were discussing the battle. “One is to increase the chance of entering the next event, and the other is to trip up opponents. But the first event doesn’t involve elimination, so the extra teams are mostly there to delay the main forces of other academies.”

“Provided their own main force doesn’t screw up, or the losses will outweigh the gains.”

Ji Xuan glanced at the person who spoke. He seemed to be an Alpha. Sensing his gaze, the other party tilted his head and offered a smile.

It was strange; he had clearly never seen this face before, yet he felt a vague sense of familiarity.

Ji Xuan scanned the contestant tag on his chest—Valkyrie Academy, Peniel.

A long and tongue-twisting name, Ji Xuan thought.

“Beautiful!”

The cheering in the waiting area drew Ji Xuan’s gaze back to the light screen. In the image, Shaikh made a sharp, sudden turn and dove into a half-collapsed skyscraper. Samuel followed closely behind, the massive mecha body crashing through the broken walls and debris with a deafening roar.

The cramped terrain was extremely suitable for an ambush. Shaikh hit a dead end in no time, and Samuel’s mecha had already driven up behind him, the twin-linked cannons on its shoulders deploying with a “boom.” Just when everyone thought Shaikh was going to be cornered and killed inside, he burst out from a window on the other side of the staircase. The mecha thrusters went to full power, pouncing straight onto a flag on a distant rooftop before immediately turning toward the next target.

Samuel cursed under his breath, taking a shortcut from the other side to catch up, not forgetting to mock him on the public channel: “Mars’ little pretty boy, you sure run fast!”

Shaikh didn’t respond. He manipulated the mecha along the wall to complete a tricky mid-air slide-jump, narrowly avoiding the capture net fired by his opponent. Simultaneously, in the gap where the opponent’s attack missed, he swept back with a burst of fire, instantly blasting Samuel’s mecha leg into scrap.

With a “screech,” the crippled mecha rubbed against the ruins, making a sharp, piercing sound, before falling to its knees with a “thud.”

“I’m sorry, I’m currently very desperate to find my teammate. If I go late, it might make him angry,” Shaikh said with a beaming smile, yet his voice carried a trace of inexplicable chill. “So… could I trouble you to stop blocking my way?”

It sounded like a polite, somewhat sarcastic inquiry, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he didn’t give the other party a chance to agree or refuse, directly blasting off the mecha’s other leg as well.

“F*ck you little [Censored][Censored][Censored]!” The live stream was filled with Samuel’s curses.

He was answered with another barrage of fireworks from Shaikh.

In the next ten minutes, Shaikh utilized the mobility of his light mecha to the extreme, moving through the city ruins with ease. He even managed to forcibly seize the third flag under a three-man siege.

Finally, he successfully ambushed the mecha in front of him as they crossed the line, becoming the first contestant to burst through the finish line.

The number of bullet comments in the live stream spiked, with many people discussing his treacherous act of firing from behind.

But Shaikh didn’t care at all. He didn’t even wait for the auxiliary ladder of the simulation pod to deploy; he propped himself up with one hand and flipped down nimbly.

“The key.”

The staff member only felt a blur before their eyes as the physical key was snatched from their hand. Shaikh shot out of the mecha arena like an arrow leaving a string, his black combat uniform pulled taut by the wind.

Contestants from other military academies tried to intercept him along the way, and many robots randomly deployed by the organizers acted as one roadblock after another, but they were all either brutally evaded or directly crashed through by Shaikh.

Mental power was rapidly depleting during the mecha competition, and the long-distance sprint was further squeezing what little physical strength remained. The exhaustion brought about a physiological dizziness, which in the next moment transformed into an even more paranoid and fervent excitement.

The distance was rapidly closing, and the silhouette of the shooting waiting area gradually became clear.

Until Ji Xuan appeared before him.

On the huge light screen to the side, the tenth contestant to cross the finish line had only just set off, while the second-place Eagle’s student was smoothly arriving at the final hundred meters from the shooting range.

“…Brother, sorry to keep you waiting.” Shaikh braked to a sharp halt a meter away from Ji Xuan. After catching a few breaths, the corners of his mouth curved upward.

Ji Xuan lowered his eyes, glancing at the key that Shaikh presented like a precious treasure, then raised his hand and took it away with indifference.

“Well done.”

His tone was very flat, sounding less like praise and more like he was casually treating a stray dog on the side of the road.

Having said that, he turned and walked toward the entrance of the shooting range without looking back, leaving Shaikh with only a cold and distant silhouette.

[1] 花瓶 huā píng (lit. Flower vase), when used to describe a person, refers to someone who is attractive and beautiful but perceived as useless, dumb, or lacking any real skill or substance.

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