SCOM - Chapter 53
Chapter 53
Leye Town was under the jurisdiction of the Capital. While the surface was in ruins, the underground had been extensively excavated. Staff members hid below, waiting for the opportune moment to bring eliminated cadets down and escort them out.
Typically, the staff would receive a notification, emerge from below, signal the eliminated cadets to follow, and the entire process would take less than a minute.
However, this time, the four members of the blue team weren't just smoking helmets; they were knocked unconscious on the ground. Only Luo Shaoyuan, a 'dead' player, was still able to walk.
“Classmate Zuo, next time you 'kill' someone, don't knock them out,” a staff member earnestly advised the only conscious participant. “Earning points isn't easy for us.”
Zuo Luohuan glanced back and replied, “Senior, our teammates are coming.”
Only two staff members, both third-year students from the First Military Academy on assignment, were stationed here. Hearing this, they each quickly hoisted two unconscious blue team members and slipped below. Luo Shaoyuan reluctantly followed, turning back to give Zuo Luohuan the middle finger.
The gunfire from the east ceased, and Ji Yuezhi led everyone in that direction. Guan Xue and Jiang Hong stayed behind to cover them.
“Where's our captain?” Hui Bing asked, seeing only Zuo Luohuan. She had been providing cover for the two. After Zuo Luohuan and Luo Shaoyuan reached the eastern slope, Hui Bing's view was obstructed, and she lost track of their movements.
“Ambushed,” Zuo Luohuan said, pointing in another direction. “The blue team has a sniper watching this area.”
Following Zuo Luohuan's direction, Hui Bing carefully examined the ground and indeed found similar traces.
Hui Bing didn't doubt Zuo Luohuan's words. Since the Gashro attack, they knew Zuo Luohuan's skills far surpassed other cadets. It was perfectly normal for her to survive two eliminations.
However, the Northern Military Academy team's morale plummeted. Sometimes, luck played a role in competitions, and clearly, their luck was abysmal in this exercise. Their entire team was eliminated in the first round, and now, three more were out in the second.
The blue team seemed to realize they were all fleeing east, focusing their fire on Jiang Hong and Guan Xue, who were still behind, preventing them from moving.
“Circle around to their rear and attack. Let Guan Xue and Jiang Hong fall back,” Ji Yuezhi told Zuo Luohuan.
To any captain, Zuo Luohuan was the sharpest and most effective weapon.
As expected, Zuo Luohuan delivered. In the end, only Luo Shaoyuan was eliminated from the red team, and they successfully escaped.
However, once the red and blue teams clashed, future encounters were inevitable. Leye Town was too small, and they needed to search for food and water hidden by the organizers daily, increasing the chances of running into the blue team.
On the morning of the sixth day, Yan Yan, Ding Wuming, and a Northern Military Academy cadet triggered a mine while searching for food and were eliminated.
By the time the others arrived, they were already out, and a faint poppy scent lingered in the air.
It was An Yingjing.
The blue team was quietly eliminating the red team.
On the seventh day, the red team deliberately reappeared in the blue team's sight. It was two members of the Northern Military Academy. An Yingjing couldn't resist using his pheromones to confuse them again, but Zuo Luohuan suddenly appeared, armed with the spoiled, foul-smelling food Qian Mao had previously stored in his backpack. She used this pungent concoction as a physical attack against An Yingjing.
Omegas had sensitive noses. Even Qian Mao, with his average rank, couldn't help but vomit when he smelled it, let alone An Yingjing.
He was physically assaulted by the stench, his mind reeling, his eyes going blank.
“Ugh! Zuo Luohuan! Ugh! Do you have… ugh! any decency?!” An Yingjing's eyes watered as he retched, covering his nose.
Hui Bing hid in a half-collapsed building opposite them, setting up her sniper rifle, aiming, and lying motionless by the window, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
An Yingjing was surrounded by several blue team members, all Omegas or Betas. Because of the stench, they only focused on Zuo Luohuan in front, their formation gradually loosening.
Now!
“Bang—”
Hui Bing fired, hitting An Yingjing in the head.
The blue team immediately turned their fire towards Hui Bing, but Zuo Luohuan was still in front. She didn't even need a gun, rushing forward and disarming the blue team, giving Hui Bing the perfect opportunity to fire.
…
Five blue team members were eliminated, including An Yingjing.
“Despicable!” An Yingjing pointed at Zuo Luohuan, his hand trembling. “Treating an Omega like this, aren't you afraid of divine retribution?”
Although he was outwardly berating Zuo Luohuan, his eyes lacked the expected disbelief and were even calm.
Zuo Luohuan stared at An Yingjing for a moment, then suddenly turned and ran back, so fast that Hui Bing, who had just come down to regroup with the last two Northern Military Academy members, was stunned.
“What happened?” Hui Bing asked, chasing after her.
“Half of the blue team is missing.”
The cadets participating in the exercise were not fools. Upon hearing this, Hui Bing felt a chill down her spine.
They had been so focused on An Yingjing that they forgot about Cha Lili, the master strategist of the blue team.
When Zuo Luohuan and Hui Bing arrived, they found Cha Lili leading the remaining blue team members in an attack against Ji Yuezhi and the others.
Cha Lili had used An Yingjing to ambush Yan Yan and the others the previous day. Knowing this, the red team would be extremely wary of An Yingjing today and might even try to eliminate him. Attacking the remaining red team members at this point would be much easier.
Cha Lili hadn't expected such good luck. Zuo Luohuan had been sent out, and the sniper was also absent.
When Zuo Luohuan and Hui Bing teamed up to eliminate An Yingjing, the red team was immediately put in a difficult position. Jiang Hong and another Northern Military Academy cadet were eliminated, and Qian Mao's leg was injured.
“Don't go in yet,” Zuo Luohuan stopped Hui Bing, who was about to rush in.
“If we don't help, the rest of the red team will be eliminated!” Hui Bing said anxiously.
Zuo Luohuan looked towards the distant exchange of fire. “There's still time. Go to the west window of that building up ahead, facing diagonally across, and take the high ground.”
She would take care of the two blue team snipers.
One of the blue team snipers immediately sensed something was wrong. His teammate beside him had vanished without a trace. The only person capable of such a feat was Zuo Luohuan.
He only had time to shout towards Cha Lili before Zuo Luohuan appeared beside him, grabbing his neck. She slightly applied pressure, mimicking a neck snap, then smiled and mouthed, “You're dead.”
The blue team member froze. For a second, looking into Zuo Luohuan's eyes, he thought his neck had actually been broken.
With the two snipers eliminated, Ji Yuezhi immediately noticed. He looked up towards a window on the highest floor of the opposite building, and after a moment, Zuo Luohuan appeared.
The two looked at each other across the street. Zuo Luohuan held the sniper rifle she had taken from the blue team member. She looked down at Ji Yuezhi, pointed in a direction, and signaled them to move that way.
Ji Yuezhi gave her a long look, then led the team towards Hui Bing's position.
Seeing their attempt to escape, the blue team intensified their fire.
This was where Hui Bing's skills shone, using her sniper rifle to block the blue team's advance.
Guan Xue carried Qian Mao, who clutched the parts he had collected these past few days. Zuo Luohuan had already climbed down and grabbed the large bag of parts from Qian Mao, hoisting it onto her shoulder.
“An Yingjing and the three with him have been eliminated,” Zuo Luohuan said to Ji Yuezhi as she pulled him aside, both taking cover against the wall to avoid Cha Lili's shots. She spoke close to his ear.
Their proximity reminded Ji Yuezhi of the days when she often held him, speaking in the same intimate and gentle tone.
Ji Yuezhi turned his head slightly, creating some distance. “What about the situation?”
At that moment, Cha Lili seemed to notice the silence of the patrolling members. He signaled to the other blue team members, quickly grabbed his weapon, and walked out.
Zuo Luohuan and Ji Yuezhi pressed themselves against the wall in the shadows. As Cha Lili emerged, they swiftly moved, closing the distance to prevent the blue team from firing their weapons.
Zuo Luohuan was particularly formidable in close combat. Even a broken twig could become a weapon in her hands. She single-handedly held off two blue team members, eliminating them within ten minutes.
Cha Lili didn't engage further, quickly retreating with his remaining members.
“Don't chase them,” Ji Yuezhi said, grabbing her hand and quickly releasing it. He pointed to the abandoned weapons. “Take these back.”
With the additional weapons, the blue team's advantage diminished significantly.
Using these weapons, the red team eliminated another blue team member. Including Cha Lili, only three remained on the blue team, fewer than the red team.
“We just need to make it through today to win,” Guan Xue said, squatting nearby.
Ji Yuezhi, having been awake for two nights, had been resting with his eyes closed against the wall. Hearing this, he opened his eyes and said, “The announcement didn't specify a time limit for the second round.”
This was a bolt from the blue for Guan Xue. Her face went blank. “The announcement didn't… what does that mean?”
“It means the second round could last longer than ten days,” Ji Yuezhi's words stunned everyone.
“We just need to eliminate the rest of the blue team,” Qian Mao said, looking up. He had found another part yesterday, and now the skeletal armor's arms and legs were assembled, but the upper body parts were still missing. According to the diagrams, it should be a complete set.
However… even in its current state, it was somewhat usable.
Qian Mao placed the skeletal armor in front of Ji Yuezhi. “Captain, this skeletal armor, with an energy block placed near the legs, is operational. Although it lacks the upper body plating, it's sufficient for now. It can enhance speed and provide some protection.”
They had found an energy block next to the last part they located, so it was ready to use.
Ji Yuezhi looked down at the thin, cloth-like armor pieces, picked up the incomplete skeletal armor, and turned to Zuo Luohuan. “Put this on and deal with the blue team.”
His tone was matter-of-fact, exceeding the usual captain-to-teammate dynamic, but no one noticed at the time.
“Okay,” Zuo Luohuan accepted the half-finished armor, smiling in agreement. Then she asked Qian Mao, “How do I put it on?”
“Place it on the ground, slip your feet in, step on it, and it should react and transform,” Qian Mao explained, adding, “It should.”
Zuo Luohuan threw the armor on the ground, slipped her feet in, and felt a slight protrusion at the bottom, which flattened as she stepped down.
“…Nothing seems to be happening,” Guan Xue's eyes widened, still not seeing any change in the so-called skeletal armor. “Qian Mao, are you sure you assembled it correctly?”
For a moment, Qian Mao also doubted himself, but he had followed the instructions in the document.
Just as everyone was skeptical, the pile of material beneath Zuo Luohuan's feet suddenly transformed, expanding and wrapping around her body at an impossible speed.
Her feet, arms, all the way up to her neck were encased in a thin layer of dark gray skeletal armor.
If Qian Mao's legs weren't injured, he would have rushed over to touch it.
“This is the skeletal armor?” Hui Bing stepped forward and poked Zuo Luohuan's arm, feeling a strange softness to the plating.
“It can withstand bullets,” Qian Mao said. “Last time, I was holding a part and it saved me from a fatal shot to the chest.”
The blue team was getting impatient. Cha Lili hadn't considered the second round's time limit. He believed today was the last day, so he was prepared to fight to reclaim the data drive.
Wearing the skeletal armor and holding a gun, Zuo Luohuan turned to Ji Yuezhi with a casual smile. “Captain, give me half an hour.”
Ji Yuezhi met her gaze and nodded slightly.
…
“Is that… Zuo Luohuan?” a blue team member next to Cha Lili squinted at the distance. “What is she wearing?”
Cha Lili glanced back at their remaining ammunition. “Fire at will.”
The three of them set up their guns, using the terrain for cover, and aimed at Zuo Luohuan in the distance.
Faced with a barrage of bullets, a normal person's first reaction would be to dodge. However, to Cha Lili's surprise, Zuo Luohuan didn't evade. Instead, she accelerated towards them.
She sidestepped, maintaining her speed, occasionally raising an arm to protect her head. The bullets struck her, leaving no visible marks.
“What the hell? What's on her arms and legs? Why can't we penetrate it?” The blue team member panicked as Zuo Luohuan drew closer.
“Retreat,” Cha Lili decisively ordered.
The three of them retreated with their guns, but Zuo Luohuan pursued them relentlessly.
The weight of the skeletal armor had little effect on Zuo Luohuan. From the moment the blue team retreated, they were trapped.
…
Half an hour later, Zuo Luohuan returned, holding a gun.
“How did it go?” Guan Xue asked nervously.
“Cha Lili's team has been eliminated,” Zuo Luohuan replied. A scratch marked her cheek from the fight.
“That's great, I don't have to fake my limp anym—” Qian Mao stopped mid-sentence as Zuo Luohuan raised her gun, efficiently shooting both Guan Xue and Hui Bing.
Colored smoke puffed from Guan Xue and Hui Bing's helmets, their stunned expressions adding to the bizarre scene.
Qian Mao watched as Zuo Luohuan shifted the black barrel towards him, bewildered. “What are you doing?”
Zuo Luohuan tilted her head, her usual smile sending chills down their spines. “Taking the data drive, of course.”
Zuo Luohuan's first shot had been aimed at Hui Bing. Both were skilled marksmen, and hitting one would inevitably alert the other. She chose Hui Bing first because of Guan Xue's trust in her.
Guan Xue never suspected Zuo Luohuan would betray them, so she was completely caught off guard.
Now, only the immobile Qian Mao and Ji Yuezhi remained.
Zuo Luohuan looked at Ji Yuezhi, her expression strangely gentle. “Sorry, the third round started a while ago.”
Ji Yuezhi stood his ground. From the moment Zuo Luohuan made her move, he had raised his gun, aiming it at her.
Zuo Luohuan tilted her head, looking at Ji Yuezhi with a hint of recklessness. “Captain, who do you think… has the faster gun?”
“You're out of ammo.” Ji Yuezhi fired at Zuo Luohuan's forehead without changing his expression. She raised her arm, blocking the shot with the skeletal armor.
“Captain, you guessed right… too bad.”
While Ji Yuezhi fired, Zuo Luohuan closed in, knocking his gun away.
Ji Yuezhi kneed Zuo Luohuan in the abdomen, but she blocked it with her hand. There was a significant difference in their abilities, especially with Zuo Luohuan wearing the skeletal armor.
“Captain, where's the data drive?” Zuo Luohuan pinned Ji Yuezhi, reaching for his waist, her tone intimate, as if she hadn't just betrayed her team.
Qian Mao finally snapped back to reality. He lunged at Zuo Luohuan, pulling hard on her leg.
The imperfect design of the armor now became the key to disabling it.
Zuo Luohuan frowned slightly, kicking Qian Mao away, but it was too late. The skeletal armor deactivated, the plating clattering to the ground.
“Not bad reflexes,” Zuo Luohuan glanced down at the discarded armor, bent down to pick up Ji Yuezhi's gun, and pointed it coldly at Qian Mao's head. “But you realized too late.”
Meeting Zuo Luohuan's cold, murderous gaze, Qian Mao felt a chill, momentarily forgetting this was just an exercise.
Although the shot was non-lethal, the moment it hit Qian Mao's helmet, it shattered something within him.
After firing, Zuo Luohuan tossed the gun aside. It had been the last bullet.
“The third round started on the first day of the exercise?” Ji Yuezhi asked.
“Captain,” Zuo Luohuan looked up at him. “Why don't you answer my question first? I'll tell you everything after we're out.”
Neither yielded. Ji Yuezhi attacked, his moves swift and cunning, but to her, they were too slow, easily countered.
Zuo Luohuan grabbed Ji Yuezhi's arm, twisting and throwing him forward.
As Ji Yuezhi was about to fall, he pulled Zuo Luohuan down with him.
Zuo Luohuan could have dodged, but her gaze lingered, and she let herself fall, placing her hand behind Ji Yuezhi's neck as they landed.
“Who has the data drive?” Zuo Luohuan asked, pressing down on Ji Yuezhi. “Qian Mao or Guan Xue?”
Ji Yuezhi turned his head away, seemingly catching a scent, trying to identify it, but Zuo Luohuan gripped his chin, forcing him to face her.
“Let me rephrase. When did you realize something was wrong?” Zuo Luohuan asked softly.
Ji Yuezhi looked up at her, his voice cold. “There are many ways to interrogate an enemy. Why don't you see if you can get the answer before the exercise ends?”
Zuo Luohuan stared at him for a long time, then knocked him unconscious, triggering his elimination device.
Now, she was the only one left on the field.
Zuo Luohuan helped Ji Yuezhi up. Her palm, which had been shielding his neck, was pierced by a nail. She looked at her bleeding hand, ripped a strip of cloth from her inner shirt to bind it, and propped Ji Yuezhi against a nearby pillar.
“Damn, ruthless,” Hui Bing, already eliminated, muttered under her breath, witnessing the scene.
Guan Xue and Qian Mao hadn't noticed this detail; they were still reeling from the betrayal.
Zuo Luohuan searched the three eliminated cadets thoroughly but found no sign of the data drive.
Ji Yuezhi must have hidden it somewhere.
“Classmate Zuo, can we take them now?” The staff members, the same two from before, waited for her to finish searching before asking.
Zuo Luohuan nodded. “Yes.”
From the moment she drew the backpack in the first round, the third round had begun—find the spy.
Inside Zuo Luohuan's backpack was a mission card. Whoever drew that backpack was the spy, tasked with assisting the Gashro Empire in the second round, effectively joining the blue team.
The exercise lasted a month: ten days for the first round, five days of rest, and the second round, which had no announced time limit. Both red and blue teams assumed it was ten days like the first, but it was actually fifteen, as the five-day rest period after the first round was also considered part of the exercise.
Zuo Luohuan looked back at the empty area. She had five days to find the data drive.
Since Ji Yuezhi hadn't kept it on his person, he must have hidden it somewhere. Zuo Luohuan retraced their steps.
She focused on the places she had been absent from during her outings, but still found nothing.
When did he realize? Zuo Luohuan stood on the roof of the mall where they had first set up camp, looking down.
She had been observing him constantly while they were together and hadn't seen him hide the data drive.
Leye Town wasn't large, but discarding the data drive and retrieving it later wouldn't be easy.
…
Four days were enough for the cadets to recover from the shock. Now, gathered in the monitoring room, they debated where Ji Yuezhi could have hidden the data drive.
“He must have thrown it away somewhere,” Luo Shaoyuan said, watching Zuo Luohuan alone on the monitor. “Let her be arrogant. She won't find it.”
“Captain Ji, where did you hide it?” An Yingjing asked curiously.
Ji Yuezhi didn't answer, quietly watching Zuo Luohuan's crudely bandaged hand on the monitor. Was that… an injury she sustained for him?
Comments
Post a Comment