Chapter 71: Protects Him So Damn Well. Cooperation / A Play Between Frenemies…
The light in the maze was dim. Concrete walls dozens of meters high pierced the sky, their surfaces mottled and covered in dark green moss, exuding a scent of decay. Aside from their own team, not a single other figure was in sight.
Jiang Chenyan couldn’t stop thinking about Kai Lan outside. Should he praise him or scold him? How on earth did he sneak in? Don’t tell him it was just to appreciate the competition.
Ji Xuan gave a click of his tongue. “This place is pretty creepy.”
Jiang Chenyan and Shen Shiyue didn’t respond. They both knew that in this competition, they not only had to destroy all obstacles within the maze but also successfully find the exit to enter the next stage. However, they were currently surrounded by airtight high walls on all sides; getting out didn’t look easy.
Duer scratched his head. “So, how are we supposed to get out?”
“Get props,” Jiang Chenyan said succinctly. “I heard that killing obstacles will randomly drop items. We’re bound to run into something useful.” He glanced at Duer. “Did you not read all the rules?”
Duer felt a bit guilty. “That rule was at the bottom; I didn’t see it…”
Jiang Chenyan: “…”
Many troops and mutated beasts were hidden in the maze. The group had no choice but to bite the bullet and move forward, hoping for luck to find a breakthrough.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, an iron door appeared ahead. A strong smell of rust mixed with a hint of fishy blood rushed into their nostrils.
Jiang Chenyan gave a slight nod to Shen Shiyue. Shen Shiyue raised his leg and kicked the iron door open.
Clang—!
The iron door fell heavily, kicking up a cloud of dust.
The dust made Jiang Chenyan and the others cough, and it also completely startled the monsters lurking behind the door.
“!”
What came into view were all strangely shaped interstellar beasts. They had thick tentacles covered in slime, stood over three meters tall, and possessed paws as large as palm-leaf fans that could crush a person with one blow. There were five or six of them, their slimy skin a greenish-black color—disgusting and terrifying.
Ji Xuan frowned, tightening his grip on his laser sword. “Why did we have to run into these things?”
It wasn’t exactly terrifying, just purely disgusting.
These creatures had a foul, rotting smell while alive, and after death, the stench was even more overwhelming.
The beasts roared and lunged. The group reacted quickly, flashing to the side to dodge. In the first stage, all teams were equipped with standard laser guns and laser swords, specifically designed to attack the beasts’ weak points.
For a time, the fight was chaotic and fierce.
Ling Yi’s foot slipped, causing him to lose balance and fall wretchedly onto the gravel-strewn ground. Duer reached out and pulled him up.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m… fine.” Ling Yi shook his head, instinctively looking toward the other side.
Beside him was Jiang Chenyan.
He tilted his body to avoid a beast’s claws, flipped his wrist, and his laser sword sliced through the air, accurately piercing the beast’s throat.
The beast let out a shrill wail, its massive body crashing to the ground. A drop of blood splashed onto Jiang Chenyan’s pale cheek, slowly sliding down his jawline.
Sometimes Ling Yi couldn’t help but wonder: with that slender build, how did Jiang Chenyan manage to kill beast after beast without any expression?
Those hands, which looked pale, slender, and carried a hint of fragility, could end the lives of one enemy after another without hesitation.
The slaughter soon ended, and none of them suffered any serious injuries.
Like opening a blind box, items were randomly refreshed.
Props lay on the ground: a roll of climbing rope, an alloy hook, and a matching gun.
Jiang Chenyan stared at the items for a moment. These things were a bit too “modern.”
Ling Yi leaned over and exclaimed, “Aren’t these climbing tools from the ancient era? They can actually still be used!”
Jiang Chenyan: “…”
He already had a plan. He quickly assembled the hook and the gun, aimed at a protrusion at the top of the high wall, and pulled the trigger. After the hook caught firmly, he turned and said, “I’ll go up first.”
The others nodded.
Climbing to the heights, his vision instantly broadened, but what met his eyes were maze alleys that seemed to have no end. The high walls were like hideous giant beasts, snaking toward the horizon under the grey sky.
The cold walls seemed to come alive, carrying a malice that wanted to swallow everything, trying to drag every intruder into a bottomless hell where survival was a luxury.
Shen Shiyue and the others soon followed.
“We’ll jump along one direction,” Jiang Chenyan pointed ahead. “We can avoid the obstacles below and solve the beasts we encounter along the way. That’s the fastest.”
If nothing went wrong, it wouldn’t take long to reach the exit.
Shen Shiyue nodded. “Okay.”
Just then, the broadcast suddenly rang out, and a cold electronic voice reported in succession:
[SE team has passed the first stage…]
[LA team has passed the first stage…]
Ji Xuan froze. “Did they use cheats? How are they so fast?”
This speed was indeed no different from cheating; it was excessively absurd. Jiang Chenyan originally thought his team’s efficiency was high enough, but compared to these teams, they were lagging significantly.
The gaps between the maze walls were huge, and every jump was an extreme test of explosiveness and precision.
The abyss beneath them was pure black, with no visible bottom. Only a cold, gloomy wind rushed up from below, carrying the fishy smell of decay. Occasionally, the dull thud of a falling object could be heard, along with faint screams and the roars of unknown creatures.
Jiang Chenyan had no doubt that if they slipped and fell, they would be swallowed instantly, the beasts devouring them until not even bones remained.
The group exchanged glances and, without any further hesitation, leapt.
With their training foundation and attribute bonuses, this level of jumping wasn’t a difficult task for them.
In the alleys below, many troops and interstellar beasts were indeed lying in ambush. Coordinating with their laser weapons, the group was able to handle almost all of them.
By the time they finally reached the exit, the broadcast had already announced most of the teams’ names.
The difficulty of the first stage was set extremely low; otherwise, there wouldn’t be so many teams passing in a cluster.
Listening to the continuously updating list of passers on the broadcast, Jiang Chenyan’s face darkened slightly. His team had actually fallen to the bottom.
Outside the venue, the people in the spectator stands merely watched the screen with indifference. Only Kai Lan had his brow tightly furrowed; Jiang Chenyan’s team was a bit slow.
But it didn’t matter, as long as they reached the exit within the allotted time.
Kai Lan looked back, his gaze sweeping over the high seats in the stands. Those Alpha commanders, who were rarely seen on ordinary days, had actually all arrived in person. This competition’s weight was indeed extraordinary.
Discussions in the venue gradually increased, with lowered voices intertwining in the air.
[The fastest in the first stage was that one from the Mu family, right? Quite impressive.]
[An SS-grade Alpha, how could he not be impressive? That operational style is too easy to recognize…]
[On the other hand, Jiang Chenyan’s team—how did they fall so far behind?]
[Wasn’t it just bad luck? The climbing tools they got at the start were lousy, and none of the props dropped from killing monsters later were practical. It slowed their rhythm quite a bit.]
[To be honest, this batch of freshmen is quite good. They haven’t lost face for the military academy… After all, they are all Alphas; it’s normal to have this much strength.]
[That’s true. Aren’t those who can go to the battlefield all Alphas or some Betas?] Omegas are still too weak as a species.
…
Ariel sat in a secluded spot in the spectator stands. His face was as calm as a sunless pool, and his eyes were firmly locked onto Jiang Chenyan’s figure on the screen, ignoring the clamor around him.
Cyrus turned his head toward Ariel, offering a comment that sounded like a joke: “You have that much confidence in your disciple? Aren’t you afraid he’ll stumble at the end?”
Ariel was silent for a moment before spitting out a few words: “He’s quite stubborn.”
Cyrus let out a low laugh. This evaluation was incredibly precise, perfectly fitting Jiang Chenyan’s temperament.
“I’m actually quite looking forward to him entering the Alliance.”
Ariel didn’t respond, his fingers merely rubbing the armrest unconsciously, his expression remaining calm.
“You’ll send him in, won’t you?” Cyrus followed up, his gaze landing on Ariel.
Ariel looked up. “That is none of your concern.”
Cyrus’s brow arched slightly, and he didn’t continue the topic. He fell silent, the curve of his mouth faint but clear. A hint of intrigue flashed in his eyes; Ariel’s reaction hadn’t exceeded his expectations.
Cyrus turned his head toward the live broadcast screen, his gaze fixed on Jiang Chenyan’s team, which was currently catching up.
By the time Jiang Chenyan and the others finally completed the first stage, gasping for breath, the passage leaderboard was almost filled.
They really had become the tail end.
As soon as they stepped into the gathering point for the second stage, almost all teams instinctively looked over. With their bottom ranking, they successfully became the center of attention.
To be honest, this wasn’t what Jiang Chenyan wanted.
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
Mu Sian leaned against a stone wall to the side, radiating a cold aura that warned everyone to stay away.
Traces of undried blood remained in the gaps between his fingers, and his wrists were splattered with dots of crimson. A few drops slowly slid down his forearm, the smell of blood mixing with the scent of sweat.
His gaze suddenly shot toward Jiang Chenyan. Strange emotions churned in his eyes—a fleeting sharpness mixed with an indescribable gloom, like an undercurrent stirred by the wind, surging but silent.
However, within a few seconds, that bit of strangeness completely vanished. He moved his gaze away expressionlessly, as if the gaze just now had been nothing more than an unintentional glance.
The scene was a bit chaotic. Xie Huaijin walked slowly out of the crowd and went straight to Jiang Chenyan under everyone’s watchful eyes.
Mu Sian didn’t understand what Xie Huaijin meant.
He only saw a half-smile on Xie Huaijin’s lips. He deliberately moved close to Jiang Chenyan, his voice kept extremely low, audible only to the two of them: “Jiang Chenyan, want to cooperate? If we team up to take Mu Sian down, it’ll be better than you struggling at the bottom as you are now.”
Jiang Chenyan’s brow furrowed slightly. He took half a step back imperceptibly, creating distance from Xie Huaijin.
Aren’t Xie Huaijin and Mu Sian friends?
Why was he suddenly wanting to team up with him to deal with Mu Sian?
This play between frenemies was somewhat laughable.
“After all, you have a bet with Mu Sian, don’t you?” Xie Huaijin spoke unhurriedly. “Teaming up to pull him down is a guaranteed win for you.”
Jiang Chenyan fell into a rare silence.
To be honest, falling behind in the first stage was just an accident; he had confidence he could stage a comeback later. But Xie Huaijin’s proposal was indeed tempting. Taking the opportunity to eliminate his strongest opponent, Mu Sian, was truly a rare chance.
He turned to look at Shen Shiyue, Ji Xuan, and the others to consult their opinions.
After exchanging glances, they all nodded.
Somewhat unexpectedly, Shen Shiyue also agreed.
Jiang Chenyan looked up at Xie Huaijin. “You better not change your mind halfway.”
“Don’t worry.” Xie Huaijin let out a low laugh, his eyes carrying an undisguised interest. As he spoke, he raised his hand, wanting to touch the top of Jiang Chenyan’s head. Just thinking about that soft texture made his heart itch.
Just as his hand was halfway extended, a cold shadow suddenly flashed. Shen Shiyue grabbed his wrist with precision, his strength so great he almost crushed the bone.
The smile on Xie Huaijin’s face instantly vanished, replaced by an intensifying coldness.
Shen Shiyue remained expressionless. Without saying a word, his fingers suddenly released. Xie Huaijin’s wrist lost its support and swayed uncontrollably for a moment.
With a red mark rapidly appearing on his wrist, Xie Huaijin’s knuckles turned white, and his expression became extremely unsightly.
Damn it, he protects him so damn well.
The atmosphere was incredibly stiff. The discussions of the nearby teams instinctively lowered as they stole glances toward Jiang Chenyan’s side.
Jiang Chenyan frowned, feeling some resistance toward the conflict just now. He silently moved closer to Shen Shiyue’s side, creating distance from Xie Huaijin. His attitude was self-evident.
At this, Xie Huaijin’s face grew even gloomier. He trusts Shen Shiyue that much?
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