Chapter 45

It’s quite apparent that the instructors didn’t pick a good day for the showdown.

Early in the morning, the Central Galaxy issued a severe storm warning. As expected, even after getting up at six o’clock, the entire sky remained dark, with occasional eerie winds, instead of the expected sunrise.

Yawning and getting dressed, Xia Mengrou checked the weather forecast on her holographic screen, “Today, there’s a thunderstorm. Even the weather prediction system is malfunctioning. It’s quite rare.”

“No problem,” Yuan Hanshuang, sitting on the edge of the bed putting on her socks, exuded confidence. “Our tactics are already arranged. Whether it’s a thunderstorm or hail, it doesn’t matter.”

Not only the new recruits from both academies, but even the senior students from both schools also flocked to the scene.

At eight o’clock, the Silver Star forum became lively, with posts popping up one after another.

【Showdown between the new recruits of Silver Star Academy and the Empire’s First Military Academy begins】

【Live broadcast: Today’s showdown, taking you through the popular new recruits】

【Breaking news! Silver Star invites the Chief of the Agility Department, Gu Dong, the Empire Military Academy’s President fails to show up】

【Place your bets, who will win the showdown】

Without the school leaders and administrators on the Silver Star forum, there was no one to stop the students from engaging in gambling. Helpless, Zuo Zitao had to entrust Meng Mingcheng with his administrator account to monitor and set a limit of 100 star coins for each person to bet for entertainment.

Even so, the odds on both sides reached an astonishing 1:10. What’s even more absurd is that the side with the higher odds was actually Silver Star.

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m telling you guys, don’t be ridiculous. Look at the Silver Star badges on your chests. You’re all betting on the Empire Military Academy. Have you no shame?!”

“Oh, you just don’t understand. I’m betting on the Empire Military Academy. If they win, I’ll reluctantly take the money. If they lose, I’ll gain the joy of Silver Star’s victory. It’s a win-win situation, folks!”

“That’s right. I’ve placed my bets on the Empire Military Academy, but my heart is with Silver Star!!!”

Leaving the crowd of talkative and well-spoken gambling posts, those who clicked into the casual chat posts were mostly serious individuals discussing the content of today’s showdown, showing that they had done their homework.

“The weather isn’t looking too good today. If there’s a thunderstorm later, the visibility will be low, making the showdown more challenging. In this situation, according to the Third Legion’s style, they probably won’t request to activate the weather protection.”

“That’s right. I wonder what tactical arrangements our Silver Star new recruits have made. But the fact that they were able to invite the Chief of the Agility Department is something I didn’t expect. I remember that Gu’s family young master is usually nowhere to be found, like a ghost.”

“Do you know who the senior students invited by the Empire are? They have an S+ Chairman who’s keeping a low profile. But since the S+ isn’t participating, we have a good chance with Silver Star.”

“hey, hold your horses. The S+ isn’t participating, but their Chief of the Melee Department, Bian Yu, is. You’ve probably heard of him. He has an S-level manifestation, and saying he’s at the peak of Tier Four isn’t quite accurate. It’s more like he’s on the verge of Tier Five, ready to break through at any moment. He’s quite a hotshot within the military academy and is a key member of the qualifying tournament next year.”

Immediately, someone expressed disbelief: “Tier Four peak, so what! Our Chief of the agility department Gu Dong is also at the Tier Four peak!”

“That’s right.”

“You guys are too optimistic. There are different levels even within the Tier Four peak. I’m a bit worried. If Bian Yu is really on the verge of Tier Five, then we at Silver Star can basically forget about taking the badges.”

It must be said that the analysis on the forum was quite accurate.

For example, at this moment, the Silver Star group was gathered together.

Xuan Yuansheng opened the floating map and marked several locations, “Five minutes ago, we received the unlocked showdown map from the instructors. The central areas of both Silver Star and the Empire Military Academy have been designated as the competition venues.”

He furrowed his brows, “If we follow this map, we’ll easily find ourselves in a passive position right from the start. Even a three-year-old knows the importance of occupying high ground. However, given the difference between the two sides, in the first step of the battle, we probably won’t be able to secure the advantageous position of the central teaching building’s high floors, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack.”

As predicted, at the beginning of the showdown, the students from Silver Star were forcefully pushed out of the central teaching building by the students from the military academy with extremely rapid firepower.

“Why are the military academy students so aggressive this year?”

Wei Wenwei, who had just returned from the Council, raised an eyebrow as he served tea.

He and a group of instructors from the Third Legion were standing in the central command room of the Empire Military Academy, where holographic projections in pale blue were vividly displaying the frontline situation within the school.

Zuo Zitao chuckled, “General Wei probably doesn’t know. In the two weeks since the departure of the Major General, the new recruits from both academies have completely formed a rivalry. It’s rare to give the students a chance to fight. Today promises to be quite a spectacle.”

“What kind of spectacle can there be?” Gu Nong snorted. “The winner will only be our Empire Military Academy.”

Dark-skinned and stern-faced, Gu Nong was a figure of real power exchanged to the military academy by the Gu family of the Federation.

“This is just the first encounter, and Silver Star has been thoroughly defeated. It will be difficult for them to turn the tables,” he added.

At this, Feng Bai pushed his glasses up. “Not necessarily.”

“Have you not noticed that, despite the intense clash in the first round, the number of casualties for Silver Star remains at zero?”

The people in the command room were surprised and turned to look at the screen.

Sure enough, the number of casualties on both sides remained at zero.

The reason was simple.

In the first round of the battle, Silver Star was forced to retreat.

Xuan Yuansheng calmly commanded over the school’s radio, “Change formation, retreat according to the original plan!”

As rehearsed, the defense and close combat departments of Silver Star took the lead, holding their ground, while the other departments with slightly weaker combat capabilities evacuated from the central teaching building.

Outside the central teaching building, the overcast sky finally responded with a downpour of rain.

Seeing such heavy rain, anyone would be taken aback. However, the footsteps of the Silver Star recruits did not falter. They charged into the pouring rain, heading directly towards the flowerbed corridor on the other side.

“Chief, Silver Star is retreating!” came the voice of a new recruit from the Empire Military Academy through the earpiece.

“Casualties at zero? It seems they are somewhat prepared. Send out the scouts from the Agility Department to investigate and see where they are hiding,” Bian Yu pondered. “Given the situation, they…

Bian Yu pondered for a moment, “Given the situation, they dare not confront us head-on.”

“Right, where are the badge holders now?”

“The holographic display shows them outside, but it is moving at high speed. We may not be able to catch up.”

“Okay, understood.”

After cutting off the radio, Bian Yu rubbed his temples, “They actually invited Gu Dong to be the badge holder.”

The seventh-floor staircase lecture hall of the central teaching building, which was usually crowded during public classes, was now empty. The military academy’s new recruits had arranged all their tactical deployments on the lower floors, blocking Silver Star’s attempts to use the terrain to bypass them and directly attack the badge holder.

With the current weather, Silver Star would have to endure the rain, making it clear who had the upper hand.

“I never expected… Although Gu Dong has become the badge holder, it’s still difficult for the Empire to directly seize the badge. So, is Silver Star trying to compete in the number of casualties?” Bian Yu found it somewhat incredulous. “In terms of sheer strength, the military academy students are far superior to Silver Star, and we also have the advantage of favorable terrain. Are they seeking a dead end?”

The rest of the room was filled with rows of seats, with Lou Jia sitting in the front row, busily handling documents.

Hearing Bian Yu’s muttering, the Silver-haired Saint glanced up discreetly from the mountain of paperwork.

On the floating holographic screen beside him, the number of casualties quietly rose.

However, the increase was not for Silver Star, as many had speculated, but for the Empire Military Academy!

A few minutes ago.

The Silver Star team retreated to the corridor near the central flowerbed, all of them drenched and in a sorry state.

This was a simple corridor, with a variety of colorful flowers planted in the center, blooming all year round, serving as a landscape display.

However, due to the showdown between the two academies, the instructors intentionally did not activate the weather protection shield over the academy, resulting in a torrential downpour, as if a floodgate had been opened, with occasional thunder echoing.

“With such heavy rain, are we still going to proceed as planned?” a new recruit inquired.

“The rain does hinder our movements, but on the other hand, in extremely low visibility, it can conceal our actions. If used well, it can catch them off guard,” Yuan Hanshuang tied her shoelaces and estimated the distance using the holographic screen. “Close combat group, agility group, ranged group, and control group, let’s go!”

At her command, the members of these groups responded promptly.

In an instant, the support-class new recruits also activated their support abilities, showering the members of these groups with colorful light and enhancement effects.

“Stay safe!”

“Got it.”

Without any hesitation, Yuan Hanshuang led them, swiftly disappearing into the pouring rain.

Watching their retreating figures, Xuan Yuansheng spoke in a deep voice, “Defense group, guard both sides of the corridor; Agility group, report any movements from the Empire Military Academy as soon as possible. Be careful not to let them discover our positions in the backline.”

In fact, not only the badge holders of both sides needed protection, but the backlines of both sides also required safeguarding.

After all, while it’s widely acknowledged that the combat abilities of the support class are not strong, the long-range and control classes can only do so much.

In response to this strategy, Xuan Yuansheng took an unconventional approach. Instead of dividing the new recruits into basic teams of six, he grouped individuals of the same class together, forming dozens of smaller teams evenly dispersed across different positions. Each position was strategically arranged, making it difficult for the Empire Military Academy to swallow them up all at once, even if their positions were discovered.

He understood that relying solely on defense would not lead to victory in the showdown. Silver Star had to overcome their fear of the Empire Military Academy, take the initiative, and catch them off guard before they could react.

Thinking this through, Xuan Yuansheng pointed out a few more individuals, “Each of you leads a team and communicates via radio. Once Yuan starts moving, you immediately join in.”

“Understood!” Several more teams departed.

For instance, at this moment, Yuan Hanshuang led several groups, taking advantage of the rain to quietly maneuver to the rear of the teaching building.

While the teaching building was indeed a defensible position, each classroom had windows. Clearly, the military academy students were not foolish; they had stationed heavy guards at each window.

However, all of this was within Yuan Hanshuang’s expectations.

She bypassed the heavily guarded large classrooms and headed towards the restroom at the side of the central teaching building.

Compared to the heavily guarded corridors, it was evident that the military academy students had not paid as much attention to the defense of the restroom, with only two guards stationed inside, just a few steps apart.

As lightning flashed across the sky, she gestured to her team members.

After a silent countdown of several seconds, a thunderous boom echoed.

“Boom—”

At the moment the thunder roared, the team members swiftly shattered the restroom’s glass, catching the military academy students off guard. The control team’s skills were the first to hit the guards accurately through the shattered window, followed by the agile team’s attacks from above, and then the melee team’s powerful strikes.

To prevent casualties in the showdown, each student wore a safety bracelet, which not only displayed their affiliation and name above their heads but also automatically activated a restraint shield when they were deemed unable to continue fighting. This shield not only protected the students’ safety but also prevented them from rejoining the battlefield after leaving.

Caught off guard, the military academy students had no time to warn their teammates and could only watch as their shields were triggered, forcing them out of the battlefield.

The thunder served as the perfect cover for the sound of the glass breaking.

After incapacitating the two military academy students, Yuan Hanshuang moved them to the corner of the restroom and lightly shook her hand.

“Silver Star eliminates two Empire Military Academy students, Silver Star eliminates two Empire Military Academy students.”

Listening to the broadcast from outside, she smiled faintly, her eyes burning with intensity. “First kill secured.”

“The real show has just begun.”

Author’s Note:

Today’s update is here!

Comment if you want more updates.. thanks for reading!!

————