Because of the commotion caused by Xiahou Hetian, Lian Qiguang was able to enjoy considerably more peace. Although many people were still dissatisfied that Lian Qiguang had a room all to himself, his mysterious identity and background made them afraid to cause trouble or provoke him again.
Before dawn the next day, a shrill, urgent alarm suddenly rang throughout the entire competition zone. The students who were jolted awake suppressed their anger and began hurriedly fumbling with their clothes. For a while, the entire competition zone was in complete chaos.
The instant the alarm sounded, Lian Qiguang’s eyes snapped open. His dark eyes were cold and alert, without the slightest trace of sleepiness.
He quickly changed clothes and hurried out of his room.
Following the sound, Lian Qiguang arrived at an open assembly area. Under the faint moonlight, there was not a single person in sight. It was so quiet that it seemed as though only his own steady breathing remained.
Inside the monitoring room, Xuan Lang shook his head.
“If these little brats really get recruited into the military, they’d already have been wiped out by now.”
“Isn’t Sister-in-law here?”
“That’s Sister-in-law.” Xuan Lang rolled his eyes at Chong Mu. “Can they possibly be the same? Sister-in-law can wipe them all out with one hand.”
As time passed, the students arrived in twos and threes. Before long, the assembly area was packed with countless heads.
Lian Qiguang stood silently in the front row with his hands folded, completely ignoring the noisy voices around him.
Because of what had happened yesterday, the other students’ gazes toward Lian Qiguang were clearly different. A large empty space had formed around him.
It was obvious that Lian Qiguang had been isolated.
“Idol!”
Shentu Sihao pushed through the crowd and ran over to Lian Qiguang’s side, smiling ingratiatingly.
“Shentu Sihao, stay away from him!”
Xiahou Hetian also came over and wedged himself between Lian Qiguang and Shentu Sihao, glaring fiercely at him.
“Hetian! Idols belong to everyone. Why won’t you let me talk to my idol?”
“I have to guard him for my brother. Who knows what you’re scheming in that little head of yours?”
“Shut up!”
Irritated by the two of them arguing, Lian Qiguang expressionlessly shot them both a glance.
Intimidated by Lian Qiguang, the two immediately lowered their heads and obediently stood on either side of him.
Just as the students were making a great deal of noise, white light suddenly illuminated the surroundings.
The blinding light stabbed painfully into everyone’s eyes. They instinctively covered their eyes with their hands, and cries rang out one after another.
The moment the white light appeared, Lian Qiguang’s body instantly tensed.
He stepped forward and blocked Xiahou Hetian and Shentu Sihao behind him.
Frost formed a shield and spread outward. An ice spike materialized in his hand and was held horizontally before him as he coldly watched his surroundings.
About twenty minutes later, the students’ cries gradually subsided. The white light slowly weakened.
A group of well-trained soldiers in military uniforms ran over in orderly formation and surrounded the assembly area. The guns in their hands simultaneously aimed at the students.
Xuan Lang and Chong Mu sauntered over leisurely.
Looking at the students below, who had been thrown into complete chaos, the mockery on their faces was unmistakable. The sight made the students burn with suppressed anger.
When Xuan Lang saw the frost spreading around Lian Qiguang and the ice spike in his hand, the corner of his mouth twitched.
His poor little heart trembled.
When Lian Qiguang saw Xuan Lang and Chong Mu appear, he immediately understood.
He put away the ice spike, dispersed the frost around him, stepped back two paces, and returned to his place.
“All those so-called elite students, and this is all you’ve got? I could kill every single one of you just by moving a finger.”
Chong Mu snorted coldly and mocked them loudly.
“It isn’t even dawn yet, Commander. You woke us up in the middle of the night. Is there some important enemy situation?”
One student suppressed his anger and spoke.
Chong Mu shot him a sideways glance and sneered.
“Here, I’m your evaluator. Your only job is to obey orders. No questions.”
“Why?!”
The students glared angrily at Chong Mu and shouted.
“Why?”
Chong Mu snorted coldly before turning toward the soldiers surrounding them.
“Remember the names of everyone who just asked why. When the competition begins, they will depart one hour later than everyone else.”
“You!”
The student’s expression changed instantly.
Seeing that Chong Mu had successfully established his authority, Xuan Lang covered his mouth with one hand, concealing the smile at the corner of his lips. He then turned toward everyone with a solemn expression.
“I have some good news for you. The survival training officially begins now! In this inter-academy survival competition, the final results will be judged by Xiahou Shaoxuan.”
Xiahou Shaoxuan!!!
An uproar erupted.
Everyone stared at one another in disbelief.
Xiahou Shaoxuan?
Which Xiahou Major General?
Could it be…?
Even Lian Qiguang showed a rare change in emotion. He raised his head and looked toward Xuan Lang on the platform.
His deep gaze made Xuan Lang’s spine involuntarily turn cold.
Under everyone’s expectant gazes, Xiahou Shaoxuan slowly walked out from behind.
He wore a black military uniform. His expression was stern, his black eyes steady, and his overwhelming aura instantly suppressed the entire assembly area.
The small commotion caused by everyone’s excitement immediately died down. Everyone lowered their heads and dared not make a sound.
Xiahou Shaoxuan stepped onto the platform and swept his cold gaze downward before speaking.
“I am Xiahou Shaoxuan.”
“Brother?”
Xiahou Hetian widened his eyes and murmured softly. He stared blankly at Xiahou Shaoxuan, his mind somewhat muddled.
Knowing that getting Xiahou Shaoxuan to say more words was even less likely than getting him to give birth to a child, Xuan Lang resignedly stepped forward to take over.
“This competition will last three days. Starting from here, you will cross the desert behind you. We will wait for you at the finish line.”
“For this competition, unlike previous years, there will no longer be team divisions by academy. This will be an individual battle!”
Xuan Lang’s words immediately caused a wave of shocked cries among the students.
“During the competition, killing and plundering are permitted. At the end, the first three students to arrive will each receive a Warrior Medal. Even in the military, this represents absolute honor!”
“During the competition, all personal spatial devices, food, intelligent equipment, and weapons on your person must be handed over. We will collectively distribute enough food for one day.”
“Report!”
A student interrupted Xuan Lang.
“The competition lasts three days. How can one day’s worth of food possibly last that long? And all our personal belongings have been confiscated.”
“That’s your problem. Solve it yourselves.”
Chong Mu snorted coldly, his voice full of disdain.
Xuan Lang glanced at the student and curled his lips.
“That’s why plundering is permitted during this training.”
One sentence completely silenced everyone.
Indeed.
As long as you had the ability, forget three days—even food for an entire month would not be something you needed to worry about.
Lian Qiguang looked toward Xiahou Shaoxuan on the platform.
Yet Xiahou Shaoxuan’s gaze had not lingered on him even once from beginning to end.
Lian Qiguang knew Xiahou Shaoxuan’s abilities. There was no way Xiahou Shaoxuan could fail to notice such an obvious gaze.
Then there was only one possibility.
Xiahou Shaoxuan was deliberately ignoring him.
Lian Qiguang did not know why Xiahou Shaoxuan was doing this, but he believed that whatever Xiahou Shaoxuan did, he had his reasons.
Therefore, Lian Qiguang did not think too deeply about it. He calmly withdrew his gaze and looked back at Xuan Lang, who was still speaking.
The moment he sensed that the gaze upon him had moved away, the chill on Xiahou Shaoxuan’s face became even heavier.
Inside, he gritted his teeth furiously, wishing he could drag Lian Qiguang over and give him a thorough beating.
This heartless little bastard!
Ignoring Lian Qiguang was far more painful for Xiahou Shaoxuan than anyone could imagine.
Heaven knew how badly he wanted to pull this little bastard into his arms and kiss him until he could barely breathe, until he begged for mercy.
But a few days ago, Lian Qiguang had gone to a bar behind his back and gotten completely drunk. Not only had he nearly encountered danger, but afterward he had not even given him an explanation. He had even ignored his optical computer.
Every time Xiahou Shaoxuan thought about it, anger surged through him, impossible to suppress.
He had submitted a request to his superiors, volunteering to judge this survival competition involving the various districts and military academies.
This was not originally within his jurisdiction.
But in order to see Lian Qiguang, he had been willing to put aside his dignity and abuse his authority to snatch this assignment.
Yet Lian Qiguang’s indifference had angered him.
He had originally planned to deliberately act cold so that Lian Qiguang would realize his mistake and come to him to apologize.
Who would have thought the little bastard would not even look at him?
The sudden drop in Xiahou Shaoxuan’s icy aura made Xuan Lang, who had been thoroughly enjoying bullying the children below, shudder.
All the mischievous ideas in his head silently died.
“Now! The survival competition for all districts and academies officially begins!”
“Everyone, hand over all your equipment, take your assigned nutrient agents, and board the aircraft! You will be deployed from the air!”
“We haven’t eaten yet!”
“Eat?” Xuan Lang snorted. “Didn’t we give you enough food for one day? And don’t try to be clever. If you’re found to be secretly carrying any prohibited items, you will immediately be removed from the competition, and the military will never recruit you.”
That threat was ruthless enough.
Immediately, no matter how furious or aggrieved everyone felt, none of them dared say another word.
“Oh! One more thing. Everyone whose name was recorded just now will remain here and rest for another hour.”
Looking at Xuan Lang’s infuriating face, some people wished they could rush up and punch him hard.
Xiahou Shaoxuan stood on the platform.
When he saw Xuan Lang order everyone to disperse and Lian Qiguang leave without even looking back, flames rapidly ignited in Xiahou Shaoxuan’s eyes.
His face became frighteningly dark.
But as Lian Qiguang’s figure gradually disappeared, the anger in Xiahou Shaoxuan’s heart slowly subsided.
What replaced it was worry.
Did I go too far? Did I make him angry?
Xiahou Shaoxuan put himself in Lian Qiguang’s position and thought about it.
If one day Lian Qiguang suddenly appeared on Buluo Star without telling him, then saw him afterward and pretended not to know him, what would he do?
Just imagining such a situation made Xiahou Shaoxuan furious.
He would definitely drag the man over, pin him onto the bed, and give him a good beating.
Meanwhile, after undergoing an inspection in which not a single “prohibited” item was discovered, Lian Qiguang received three nutrient agents amid the surrounding people’s gazes as though they were looking at a monster.
Without changing expression, he boarded the aircraft.
Inside, Lian Qiguang leaned against the window and looked out at the endless golden desert, his thoughts beginning to drift again.
The discomfort in his abdomen had improved considerably after a night’s rest and some lake water.
But when he woke that morning, another strange occurrence had made Lian Qiguang even more uneasy.
His supernatural ability was disappearing.
Or rather, “shifting” would be more accurate.
The supernatural energy within his body was slowly spreading away and gradually gathering in the area of his abdomen.
It was clearly still there.
But whenever Lian Qiguang tried to touch it, he was violently repelled.
Then the rate at which the energy dispersed would suddenly double.
This made Lian Qiguang somewhat panicked.
If one day all of his supernatural ability gathered in that one place…
Would he truly become a useless person?
“After we get down, why don’t we stick together?”
Xiahou Hetian had somehow moved over beside Lian Qiguang and spoke quietly.
Lian Qiguang glanced at Xiahou Hetian, then continued looking out the window.
He gave no response to Xiahou Hetian’s sudden suggestion.
“I know you’re powerful, but you’re still only one person. If we stick together, I can take care of you.”
Seeing that Lian Qiguang remained silent, Xiahou Hetian became anxious.
“Idol! I’ll go with you too.”
Shentu Sihao also came over, looking excited.
“I’ll protect you.”
“Who needs you to protect him!” Xiahou Hetian snorted. “Go play somewhere else!”
“No! I want to go with my idol!”
“Believe it or not, I’ll beat you up!”
“Go ahead!”
“I…”
They had arrived.
The aircraft stopped, hovering in the air.
Lian Qiguang expressionlessly pushed the two arguing men aside and stood up, walking toward the aircraft door.
The door opened.
An endless desert stretched below them.
The scorching, dazzling sun gave off an overwhelming sense of boundless despair.
A soldier crouched beside the aircraft door, glanced at the people inside, and lifted his chin.
“We’re here! Get down.”
“T-This is way too high! Why aren’t we landing?”
A woman poked her head out and looked at the height of at least twenty or thirty meters. Her face instantly went pale.
“If you want to get down, get down. Otherwise, go back and be eliminated!”
The soldier impatiently snorted.
Lian Qiguang glanced at the ground below.
He reached up and pulled his collar higher, casually slipped the nutrient agent back into his pocket, and without saying a word, leaped from the aircraft.
“Hey!”
“Ah!!”
“Don’t!”
…
Various screams erupted.
Xiahou Hetian tried to grab Lian Qiguang, but he caught only a black blur.
Lian Qiguang had already disappeared from the aircraft.