Chapter 59

“This is so sudden.”

“Yeah, it seems like the time hasn’t come yet. By my calculations, it’s only been four days since the Empire entered.”

Hanhai’s entry was without any warning, unlike the Empire’s fixed schedule. The announcement was made just three minutes before their entrance.

Many were taken aback by the notification.

In the interstellar academy group chat, Li Yunyi instructed: “Everyone, return to the base immediately.”

Hanhai’s early entrance caught everyone off guard.

Tan Xi explained in the group chat: “Every year, the interstellar exam has hidden tasks. Completing them can earn you different rewards.”

“Hanhai must have completed a hidden task early, which allowed them to enter the exam venue so quickly.”

With all the excitement around the Interstellar and Empire academies, most viewers had missed that Hanhai’s live stream had started three hours earlier.

A large number of netizens flocked to Hanhai’s live stream and finally understood what had happened.

In the first exam, a Hanhai student had found a clue to a hidden task but failed to solve it during that round.

After Interstellar entered the exam venue, that student received a new clue.

But he didn’t immediately reveal it.

Since each exam is part of the individual score tally, experienced participants knew that solving hidden tasks could earn high points.

He kept it to himself, hoping to score big.

But even after the Empire entered the venue, he still hadn’t solved the hidden task.

Under pressure, he eventually handed the clue to Shen Qinglan.

Shen Qinglan realized that completing this hidden task could help them turn the tables in the second exam.

He gathered Hanhai’s elite class, explored the task, and found the mission location and transport ship.

Three hours ago, led by Shen Qingxue, they successfully completed the hidden task, earning the right to enter the exam venue early.

“Too bad the student who first got the clue wasted so much time. Otherwise, Hanhai could have entered earlier.”

“It might not be a bad thing. Entering early… to get chased by the Dwarf Shue?”

“Plus, the rewards for the hidden task are substantial. It’s not a loss.”

Hidden tasks rely heavily on luck and aren’t guaranteed.

However, completing it did help Hanhai regain some ground.

Despite unlocking early entrance, Hanhai students couldn’t watch the live stream until this exam ended.

Thus, they had no idea about the current situation of the two military academies inside.

They could only infer from the reopened interstellar exam leaderboard.

“How did Interstellar get such a high score?” Hanhai’s elite class was shocked upon seeing the leaderboard.

The overall score includes both exams, with a separate score for the current exam.

Interstellar Academy topped both the overall and current rankings.

Jiang Wencai looked grim: “It seems our expectations were off.”

They had assumed the Empire wouldn’t tolerate Interstellar for long and would act within three days.

But now…

Shen Qinglan’s eyes flickered with emotion: “Notify everyone to release their mechas and prepare for battle once we enter the venue.”

Aboard the transport ship to the exam venue, Shen Qinglan opened his communicator.

His last conversation with Ji Fu was before Interstellar entered the venue.

The transport ship quickly delivered all Hanhai students to the exam venue.

Before landing on the planet, Shen Qinglan sent Ji Fu another message:

“How’s the job going?”

At the same time, a unified announcement sounded in the venue: “Hanhai Academy has entered the venue.”

Ji Fu didn’t reply immediately, which left Shen Qinglan visibly displeased.

He knew she wouldn’t obediently follow orders, but Interstellar Academy had no choice, caught between two giants.

“I wonder how Interstellar managed to score so many points,” Jiang Wencai mused. “Should we still cooperate with them?”

In a prolonged battle, Interstellar couldn’t compete with the two major military academies.

Moreover, the hidden task they completed provided an abundance of supplies.

With these supplies, the gap with Interstellar was nearly closed.

Shen Qinglan spoke calmly: “Let’s wait five minutes.”

If Interstellar didn’t respond satisfactorily within five minutes, they would become Hanhai’s first target.

Unexpectedly, before the five minutes were up, Shen Qinglan received a warning from his mecha.

“Alert! Top-tier mechas approaching, distance rapidly closing…”

Shen Qinglan glanced at the distance of the mechas, his expression darkening.

The next second, there was a massive explosion.

Boom!

Superstar-level shells, fired at an extreme range, launched a fierce attack on all Hanhai personnel before the mechas had even landed.

Shen Qingxue’s expression was cold: “They’re superstar-level mechas, more than one.”

Jiang Wencai exclaimed, “Is it the Empire? Why are they attacking us directly?”

The two military academies had been confronting each other for years and were well acquainted. The collective interstellar exam was usually a warm-up, not yet the stage for full-scale conflict. But this time, the Empire seemed to have gone mad, targeting them right from the start.

“Unaware of it? This is the allure of Duan Dwarf Gilding.”

“Hahaha, more accurately, the entire Hanhai is worth 120ml.”

Shen Qinglan frowned slightly and nodded to Shen Qingxue, who then piloted a Star+ mecha into the sky and began to retaliate.

Seeing this, the other Hanhai students followed suit.

Only Jiang Wencai and Shen Qinglan remained on the ground. Shen Qinglan, with a stern expression, dialed Zhou Xingyu’s communicator.

It took several seconds before someone answered.

Shen Qinglan got straight to the point: “What does the Empire mean by this?”

His tone was grave: “Are you planning to start a war on the first day?”

Zhou Xingyu paused: “Shouldn’t you be asking Ji Fu this question?”

Shen Qinglan received the answer he least wanted. He asked, his face darkening, “So the Empire chose Interstellar over Hanhai?”

“Mr. Shen, you’re a businessman. Shouldn’t you understand these things better than us?” Zhou Xingyu chuckled without humor. “Choosing between Hanhai and Interstellar depends on who can offer more benefits.”

Zhou Xingyu hung up.

Jiang Wencai said coldly, “So, Interstellar handed over all the supplies they had collected to the Empire?”

Shen Qinglan’s eyes darkened: “A few supplies wouldn’t be enough to move Zhou Xingyu.”

Moreover, before they entered the venue, Interstellar had the upper hand.

Shen Qinglan quickly deduced.

Interstellar had something that even the Empire coveted.

He paused slightly and initiated a school-wide communication: “Avoid the Empire’s people as much as possible and retreat. Qingxue, locate the position of Interstellar Academy.”

“Got it.”

As they spoke, the Empire’s sudden attack had eliminated five Hanhai students.

The expressions of Hanhai’s students grew increasingly grim.

Among the three major military academies, Hanhai had the fewest participants.

The Empire had deployed two superstar-level mechas. Even with Shen Qingxue defending, some students were still eliminated.

Fang Yuan also received the news.

“Hanhai doesn’t seem to want to fight. Shen Qingxue hasn’t even switched to a superstar-level mecha. Judging by Hanhai’s movements, they seem to be heading towards Interstellar’s base.”

Si Fan asked him, “Should we pursue?”

“Yes,” Fang Yuan said.

He and Zhou Xingyu had already reached an agreement. Interstellar hadn’t handed over all their Broken Dwarf gilding, and Hanhai had just entered.

Their goal was to further complicate the situation, to the point where Shen Qinglan had no choice but to reach out to them.

Interstellar only had a top-quality gilded gold, while Shen had the largest business and auction house in the galaxy.

For once, Fang Yuan had a smile on his face.

Numerous mechas took to the sky, making the previously quiet, remote planet extraordinarily lively.

On Hanhai’s side, Shen Qinglan piloted his superstar-level mecha at high speed, quickly reaching Interstellar Academy’s base.

But what he saw wasn’t Interstellar Academy’s students, but…

Jiang Wencai activated the mecha’s vision and was startled by what he saw.

It was a giant mimetic mechanical spider.

The mechanical spider was enormous, almost the size of two mechas combined, with twenty-some spider legs flying erratically, making one’s scalp tingle.

Not only were Hanhai students startled, but even the viewers in the livestream were taken aback.

“What is this? Where did this monster come from?”

“This… isn’t a monster. Remember Dwarf Shue? This is it.”

“What???”

After Dwarf Shue died, all usable materials were scavenged.

Ji Fu had collected all the remaining limbs of the Dwarf Shue, the giant mechanical tentacles.

She had pieced together all usable limbs with mechanical parts to create this mimetic spider.

It’s ugly, but its destructive power is top-notch.

The mimetic spider was equipped with Wan Feng’s system. Once any mecha approached the base, the spider would activate and enter a frenzied mode, attacking anything in sight with its giant spider legs, crushing and shredding!

Bang!

A Hanhai student, while evading pursuit from the Empire’s military school, accidentally entered the spider’s territory and was immediately knocked out by a raised spider leg, leading to his elimination.

“…Indeed, even superstar-level junk isn’t just junk.”

“But with this ugly thing occupying the base, doesn’t Interstellar Academy have no base now? Where are their people?”

“Uh, you might want to check the Empire’s side.”

Those who raised the question switched to the Empire military school’s base, and were both amused and frustrated by what they saw.

Interstellar Academy, at some point, managed to set up a mobile base. When Hanhai and the Empire started fighting, Interstellar used several advanced mechas to tow their base over to the Empire’s side.

They even placed their mobile base right next to the Empire’s base.

They called it—friendly cooperation.

The students remaining at the Empire’s base heard the commotion, came out to see, and almost went mad with anger at Interstellar.

This wasn’t friendly cooperation at all; it was blatantly using the Empire as their personal bodyguard.

The livestream was filled with question marks, as viewers were stunned by Interstellar Academy’s bold move.

“Aren’t they afraid that the Empire might lose its temper and wipe them out?”

“…Look at the mecha standing in front of their base before you speak.”

Standing guard was Zhou Lu Hai’s Deep Sea mecha, blatantly facing the Empire’s military school base.

Empire military school students: …

Interstellar’s audacity didn’t stop there.

On top of the mobile base was a terrace where Ji Fu was sunbathing.

Everyone in the Empire’s military school knew that anyone could be eliminated—except this pharmacist.

…How could they possibly act against them?

And it wasn’t just the Empire that couldn’t act; Hanhai was also stymied.

Interstellar parked their base next to the Empire’s, exploiting the superstar-level defense system personally built by Han Siyi for the Empire.

The system’s extensive coverage meant that by staying nearby, Interstellar was effectively using the Empire’s defense system for free.

Any attack on Interstellar would be intercepted by the Empire’s system.

This left Hanhai unable to bombard Interstellar or even look too closely, as Zhou Xingyu himself was stationed at the Empire’s base.

Any major movement would not bring Interstellar but Zhou Xingyu’s formidable Rose.

The Empire considered reducing the range of their defense system, but as soon as they did, Interstellar moved in closer.

The strength of their defense system lay in its wide coverage; reducing it would undermine their own advantage.

So they had no choice but to let Interstellar leech off their system.

Hanhai was even more frustrated. They had been in the exam field for several days with no gains and were constantly besieged by the Empire.

After their initial retreat on the first day, the Empire still didn’t let up, so Hanhai launched a counterattack.

Hanhai didn’t have as many superstar-level mechas as the Empire, but their elite class had plenty of Star+ mecha soldiers. In direct combat, they managed to eliminate some Empire students.

But compared to the Empire, Shen Qinglan was more eager to target Interstellar.

For several consecutive joint exams, Hanhai had never been this embarrassed.

Over the past few days, the Empire and Interstellar had also engaged in talks. Interstellar sent a few people to the front lines, and together they pushed Hanhai back into the base previously used by Interstellar.

Shen Qingxue had violently cleared out the mechanical spider in the base.

Hanhai’s losses so far were acceptable, but continuing like this was unsustainable.

However, Shen Qinglan, a businessman by nature, saw excessive losses for a joint exam as unprofitable. Partnering with the Empire wasn’t a cost-effective solution.

They soon realized the root of the issue was Interstellar’s pharmacist, Ji Fu.

Shen Qinglan didn’t understand the Empire’s strong protection of Ji Fu but didn’t want to remain passive.

So, early the next morning, Hanhai changed tactics.

Shen Qingxue handled the front lines, while Shen Qinglan personally led a team to the Empire’s base.

Upon arrival, they immediately launched an attack.

Being a superstar-level mecha pilot himself, Shen Qinglan’s assault was unstoppable inside the Empire’s base, save for Zhou Xingyu.

Watching the Empire’s defense system shatter under high-speed artillery, Shen Qinglan activated the communicator: “As suspected, Zhou Xingyu is indeed injured.”

The logic was simple: if Zhou Xingyu weren’t injured, he would have intercepted Shen Qinglan by now.

But Zhou Xingyu hadn’t.

Shen Qinglan’s eyes darkened. They had refrained from attacking the Empire’s base due to Zhou Xingyu, but after so many days, his continued absence signaled something was off.

“Attack and eliminate every Empire and Interstellar student you can see!” Shen Qinglan activated the mecha’s indiscriminate fire mode.

Maximizing all turrets and missiles, he bombarded the Empire’s base.

Shen Qinglan’s attack was intense. Without the defense system, the students from the Empire and Interstellar in the base were instantly eliminated.

The elimination notification echoed across the exam field.

Alarms blared in both bases.

Before attacking, Shen Qinglan had observed personnel movements and knew Zhou Lu Hai was on the front lines today.

He expected to face no resistance except from two Star-level students left at the base.

But he didn’t anticipate Bai Yemeng, who had been on the front lines, staying back at the base today.

After the bombardment, Bai Yemeng piloted his mecha straight at Shen Qinglan.

Both being superstar-level mecha pilots and dual-trained in mecha combat and mechanics, their clash was intense.

Another superstar-level mecha pilot from the Empire, Fang Yuan, wasn’t as strong as Shen Qinglan, but Bai Yemeng had given Shen Qinglan trouble in previous encounters.

Bai Yemeng had sensed the lack of personnel at the front and returned to the base.

Shen Qinglan’s timing was perfect. On the eve of the attack, Zhou Xingyu experienced discomfort, a side effect of a new drug.

Ji Fu, who had also headed to the battlefield, returned to readjust the medication, applying it just before Shen Qinglan’s bombardment.

Shen Qinglan arrived at a critical moment; Zhou Xingyu was still unconscious, and even if he woke up, he had just taken medicine and couldn’t resist Hanhai’s attack.

The timing of this counterattack was so precise, it was as if someone on their side was feeding information to Shen Qinglan.

On the front line, with only Shen Qingxue, there wasn’t a need for so many people.

Bai Yemeng arrived just in time to relieve the pressure on the base.

Ji Fu, after administering the medicine to Zhou Xingyu, walked out of the rest area.

The rest area of the Empire’s elite class was specially made, and Hanhai’s other members couldn’t break in.

No one expected her to come out voluntarily.

From a distance, Jiang Wencai locked onto Ji Fu. He bent down and handed over Li Yunyi, Tan Xi, and others to the rest of the Hanhai team.

Unlike the previous Han Qianqian, he was a genuine mecha soldier with a talent level of Star+.

Flying at low altitude, he set up a high-speed bombardment turret.

Knowing Ji Fu had a powerful unmanned mecha, he didn’t engage in close combat but immediately went berserk, maxing out the bombardment turret and firing at Ji Fu’s position!

Boom!!!

When the plasma cannon fired, the space seemed to distort momentarily.

Everything on the ground was blasted to pieces.

Jiang Wencai didn’t stop, firing the cannon again, maxing out the turret and launching four or five more shots at that spot.

The deafening roar made countless people’s faces change color.

Ji Fu was only S-level; there was no way she could withstand such continuous bombardment.

All of Jiang Wencai’s attacks were concentrated within half a minute, giving the Interstellar team no chance to react.

By the time people reacted, Ji Fu was nowhere to be seen.

“Eliminated?”

No.

Jiang Wencai’s expression changed; there was no elimination notification.

This meant…she had dodged all his bombardment shots.

He immediately maxed out his mecha’s defense mode and even went berserk, pulling out his heavy weapon.

The Twisted Bombardment Cannon.

A Star+ heavy weapon, each shot shredded everything along its trajectory with space-distorting destructive power, hence the name Twisted Bombardment Cannon.

But even in berserk mode, he couldn’t find Ji Fu.

Strong Interference Mode.

After Jiang Wencai’s first shot, Ji Fu activated flash defense and strong interference.

Simultaneously, she deployed her mecha and Yan Yan.

Over the past few days, she had repaired two damaged mechas, modified several settings on Jiaoyue, and upgraded the mecha.

The materials used included the core of a star-level beast and Duan’ai gilding.

Duan’ai gilding, a material of Ultra Star+ grade, greatly enhanced a sub-star level mecha.

With the beast core replaced, Jiaoyue’s level approached star level, and with Duan’ai gilding, it upgraded from S+ to star level.

This cross-level upgrade was a top-tier operation among mecha engineers.

Moreover, Jiaoyue integrated mecha soldier traits.

Jiaoyue was a custom mecha designed by Ji Fu for herself. Though the mecha’s level was now star, her talent remained S-level.

Normally, she wouldn’t be able to pilot this mecha.

But the integration of mecha soldier traits allowed her to perfectly control the star-level mecha.

Perfect control enabled near-damage-free piloting of high-level mechas.

This was usually impossible.

Otherwise, low-level mecha soldiers would all pilot high-level mechas.

Low-talent individuals forcing control over high-level mechas faced life-threatening risks, not just control issues.

Uncontrollable.

If the mecha couldn’t synchronize with the pilot, there was no operation to speak of.

But Jiaoyue was different.

Ji Fu’s unique upgrade method involved only replacing the mecha core, retaining the original perfect synchronization, and upgrading the mecha level.

By maintaining synchronization and upgrading, she could pilot a star-level mecha with S-level talent and utilize 75% of its performance.

75% was a terrifying figure.

Han Qianqian, an Ultra Star-level pilot, could only use 50% of a lower-level mecha’s performance in berserk mode.

Ji Fu was controlling a star-level mecha beyond her talent level.

This explained why she could evade Jiang Wencai’s bombardment.

The upgraded Jiaoyue executed perfect evasions.

At star level, under strong interference mode, even a Star+ pilot like Jiang Wencai couldn’t track her.

Ji Fu, concealed in mid-air, used her mecha’s traits to lock onto Jiang Wencai’s cockpit.

Then she noticed Jiang Wencai pulling out a special-grade nutrient fluid.

The mecha cockpit had both transparent and privacy modes, facilitating mecha soldiers’ performance adjustments. Transparent mode was better for mecha engineers to observe operations from outside.

Many mecha soldiers also liked transparent mode, enjoying a superior sense of domination.

Jiang Wencai was clearly one of those, confident enough to keep his cockpit in full transparency, allowing Ji Fu to catch his actions from a distance.

Her eyes moved slightly. The moment Jiang Wencai grabbed the special-grade nutrient fluid, she deactivated her concealment.

Seeing her form appear in his field of vision, Jiang Wencai immediately activated the Twisted Bombardment Cannon.

The Twisted Bombardment Cannon ripped through space, creating a massive, twisting tear that tore apart the planetary surface as it passed. The power was terrifying and it fired instantly.

Although Jiang Wencai’s personal strength hadn’t reached Star+, this Twisted Bombardment Cannon certainly had.

Yet, in the eyes of the star-level mecha Jiaoyue, the instantly fired Twisted Bombardment Cannon seemed to move in slow motion.

Ji Fu activated her mecha’s berserk mode, raised her eyes, and at extreme speed, dodged the radiation range of the Twisted Bombardment Cannon. She grabbed two slender long swords at her side.

With unbelievable speed, she darted to Jiang Wencai’s cockpit. As Jiang Wencai’s face filled with panic, she struck twice, one sword piercing the engine above the cockpit, the other slicing through the mecha’s control chamber.

The sword hilt tilted, and with immense mechanical force, it pierced through the entire control chamber, stabbing into Jiang Wencai’s right arm.

Jiang Wencai didn’t even have time to scream before he was directly transmitted outside.

Using a blind spot in his perspective, Ji Fu silently retrieved the special-grade nutrient fluid that Jiang Wencai had dropped after his right hand was pierced.

At the same time, a broadcast announcement sounded: “Jiang Wencai from Hanhai Academy, eliminated.”