DHMB - Chapter 11
Chapter 11
Lei Kaiding indeed needed an ally to help him deal with Lu Que—a very important figure, a mountain he absolutely had to cross in his plan.
Several senior students who had sparred with Lu Que had seriously warned him before the tournament, saying that he was not an opponent to be underestimated.
The "not to be underestimated" here didn't just refer to strength. The consistent evaluation they gave Lu Que was: not quite normal. Those seniors, usually fierce and aggressive, could only sigh when mentioning his name. They even earnestly advised Lei Kaiding to respect Lu Que as much as they respected King Li, and absolutely, absolutely, absolutely not to run his mouth in front of him.
—Oh, King Li, who always extended class, was their coach, a cruel man who could drag a twenty-minute physical training session into two hours. The eternal nightmare of First Military Academy students. The unsolved mystery of why student satisfaction remained perpetually number one.
But that wasn't important.
The crucial point was, if they couldn't run their mouths, wouldn't their First Military Academy's legendary trash-talking skill be forced into disuse?!
Therefore, Lei Kaiding temporarily changed his plan, turning to win over Kai Yun and show her goodwill. After the dust settled, he would take his revenge like a gentleman.
Using an abnormal person to deal with an abnormal person, was there a more suitable method than this?!
Lei Kaiding's initial plan was to lure Kai Yun into a mutual attrition battle with Lu Que, and then he would seize the opportunity to reap the benefits. Of course, he didn't have high expectations for Kai Yun; even if she couldn't take care of Lu Que, he was confident he could fight the other party. Anyway, whether one of them died or was injured, he would be happy to see it.
The only thing he hadn't considered was... if both of them were abnormal, how was he, a normal person, supposed to arrange for them to follow his plan?
Indeed, he was wrong.
Those two guys... they wouldn't hit it off immediately, would they?
Lei Kaiding suddenly felt a bit hesitant and flustered. With Kai Yun's unpredictable personality, was teaming up with her really the right choice? Would she suddenly turn on him without warning and kick him into a pit?
Maintaining vigilance all the time was simply too much psychological pressure.
Just then, Kai Yun asked, "Do you have a team yet?"
Lei Kaiding's body stiffened, and he subconsciously replied, "The team is full!"
"Oh," Kai Yun replied flatly, "Why are you so agitated?"
Lei Kaiding shouted again, "I'm not!"
Kai Yun didn't say anything more, silently put away the notice board behind her, tidied her backpack, and slung it onto her back along with a large iron saber.
Seeing her stand up, Lei Kaiding realized the competition was about to start. His eyes instinctively darted towards the corner.
Five or six people were standing loosely in that area, and a two-meter vacuum zone had appeared around their team, as students instinctively kept their distance from them.
"Finally, time to enter."
A glasses-wearing boy next to Lu Que couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief; he was also suffocating from the high-pressure atmosphere.
"Senior, did you hear what I just told you?" The boy read from his small cheat sheet again. "Several students with higher point rankings in this test area. One is the girl standing over there, currently unteamed. Killed 4 people in the first match, has a double points card, was the first to reach the finish line, no past records, good Lightness Skill. The one over there is from First Military Academy..."
Lu Que merely glanced over, lazily said "Oh," and interrupted him.
Glasses Guy knew his personality and could only shrug helplessly, looking to another teammate for help.
Receiving the hint, Xue Chengwu smiled, unconcerned. "To sum it up in one sentence, there's no one here worth Lu Que's special attention. After all, it's the preliminary round, the participants are too diluted. Sanyao wouldn't allow seeded players to consume each other before they even get a chance to shine. Everyone just needs to be a little careful."
Although the test area arrangements were said to be random, each student's parameters were adjusted. To prevent accidents, the possibility of experts facing each other early on was very low.
"But slaughtering is also quite interesting," Xue Chengwu nudged Lu Que's arm. "Cheer up a bit, Lu Que, don't just stand there scaring the junior students."
Lu Que didn't respond, only staring intently at the light screen in the distance, silently counting down the changing data on it.
"Three..."
"Two."
"One!"
Lu Que curled his lips and smiled.
The next second, all the students disappeared from their spots, teleported into their respective camps.
Kai Yun turned her head, looking around.
All the examinees in the Rescue Army camp were in this place.
This should be a high floor of a large building. The area was very spacious, and the lighting was bright. There were floor-to-ceiling windows covering an entire wall, as well as over a dozen doors that led who knows where.
The examinees were all whispering among themselves. Kai Yun had no one to discuss with and was a bit unclear about the situation.
At this moment, a new plot development appeared.
【Attention! The Rescue Army has been betrayed, their hiding place exposed. The enemy has now taken control of the training building's electronic switches and is attempting to trap the Rescue Army using the training grounds. Breaking through the training grounds will allow you to leave the building.】
【The enemy is rapidly approaching this location, expected to arrive in 30 minutes! A fierce battle is imminent!】
【Our technical personnel will repair the vulnerability in half an hour. Please prepare for battle!】
Immediately after, over a dozen large doors opened simultaneously, and the depths of all the paths led to training grounds.
The surrounding clamor grew louder. The students weren't particularly panicked; they seemed used to it, but there was still dissatisfaction.
Kai Yun adjusted her backpack and began observing everyone's expressions. Her feet moved on their own, approaching a few students who were complaining.
"Holy crap, Lu Que seems to be in the opposing camp, right?"
"If Lu Que charges over with the main force, will we even survive?"
"We haven't even gotten any points at the start and we have to switch camps to save our lives? The numerical gap is so huge, we won't be able to grab any points. After this, it'll basically be the big shots' show."
"Let's see if we can rush out and find a place to hide outside first."
"Rushing out is for the experts. These training grounds are definitely set to high difficulty. How could Sanyao let us escape the traps it set so easily?"
Yes, the competition duration was only 24 hours, but there were over three hundred examinees in the test area. If there were no restrictions at the start, the competition would devolve into a aimless war of attrition.
—Weaker examinees would hide, while stronger examinees would have to search the entire area for people. What fun could a martial arts tournament with a cat-and-mouse theme possibly have?
Therefore, they first used training grounds with a certain threshold to differentiate the students' skill levels, giving top students a chance to leave the chaotic battlefield and make plans, while simultaneously forcing the remaining examinees to face the opposing camp's charge after half an hour.
After a large-scale chaotic battle, the numerical gap would quickly widen, determining the direction of the later stages of the competition.
After eliminating a batch of students with slightly weaker abilities, the remaining scene would naturally be a pursuit and duel among the experts.
One had to admit, Sanyao's setting, which forcibly created highlights, was truly disgusting... yet exciting!
Kai Yun's eyes darted around. After a moment, she finally found Jiang Tu's figure in the crowd.
She was in a good mood and moved over in small steps, wanting to create a mysterious encounter.
Over there, Lei Kaiding was also watching her. Seeing her start to move sneakily, he immediately became vigilant and tiptoed closer as well.
The two of them moved stealthily behind Jiang Tu.
Jiang Tu was standing with his teammates, forming a circle for internal discussion. The atmosphere within the team seemed very oppressive.
Kai Yun's eavesdropping skills were already superb. She turned her back, pricked up her ears, and looked up at the sky, pretending to be in deep thought. Lei Kaiding observed her for a while, then adopted the same posture and stood beside her.
The other party didn't seem to be trying to hide anything and wasn't wary of her appearance.
A boy who seemed to be the team leader said seriously:
"I just went to check, the difficulty of this training ground is very high, A+. There's a clearance guide posted at the starting point. As long as we prepare according to its requirements, there's a good chance we can break through. However, the biggest problem now is that we need a teammate strong enough to push open the mechanism. Our team's configuration is clearly not suitable; we need to replace someone."
The boy stopped speaking here, but the remaining teammates all looked at Jiang Tu, their meaning obvious.
Jiang Tu was a swordsman. From his first meeting with Kai Yun, he seemed to have little to do with being strong. He couldn't even compare to Kai Yun.
Of course, to be precise, their team didn't need a strong teammate; rather, they didn't need Jiang Tu.
The scene quieted down, forming a stark contrast to the noise elsewhere.
Lei Kaiding hadn't expected to stumble upon such a tense situation. For him, who usually had a fiery temper, this atmosphere was simply suffocating.
Kai Yun tilted her head slightly, looking at Jiang Tu's hand hanging by his side.
That hand was tightly clenched into a fist. Because his fingers were gripping too hard, the veins on his wrist began to bulge, and his skin was slightly red.
"Okay, then you guys find a new teammate."
Jiang Tu's voice was still gentle, seemingly very relaxed.
"I'll stay here and wait for half an hour, maybe I can..."
"Then it's decided."
The leading boy barely gave Jiang Tu a chance to change his mind, not even properly listening to the rest of what he said. He directly instructed the people in the team, "Time is tight, the other side will be attacking soon. We must leave the building within half an hour and find a place to set up an ambush. Let's go!"
The group turned around and left without a trace of reluctance, taking the new teammate they had just agreed upon.
Everyone in the team was a student from Alliance Military University. Even if they weren't close friends normally, they were still familiar faces. Doing this so obviously was already a form of humiliation.
Jiang Tu hesitated, seemingly greatly affected. Finally, he turned his face away and endured it.
It was his own lack of skill...
Lei Kaiding whispered in Kai Yun's ear, "Your close friend doesn't seem to be very trusted."
If it were him, he couldn't even imagine such a thing happening. He would probably fight the other party to the death, even if it cost him his life.
Kai Yun ignored him, following the footsteps of that team, trailing behind them unhurriedly.
The group walked to the front of the several open doors and randomly chose one, preparing to challenge the trial ground. They were still whispering among themselves:
"Is this really okay? We'll still see each other at school later."
"Someone who can't even hold a weapon steady, why apply for the individual combat department? Isn't he just asking for it?"
"We're in a competition, not a poverty relief fund. Who isn't here based on their own strength?"
"He's really not a qualified swordsman. He taught me what 'fancy footwork' means..."
"Stop chatting!" The leading boy shouted. "Hurry up and clear the stage!"
Kai Yun actually also felt that in the world of martial arts, strength was everything. Without strength, everything else was empty talk.
This world was just that direct and pragmatic. But she was still quite unhappy in her heart.
How could her distinguished guest from Rebuilt Barren Star, the close friend of the little king, have such little presence?
When Kai Yun returned, she found Jiang Tu was gone.
Lei Kaiding pointed in another direction, indicating that Jiang Tu was inside, attempting to clear the stage alone.
It seemed he was still unwilling to give up. Acting magnanimous was just to save face for each other.
However, being unwilling to give up was better than directly accepting fate. There was hope.
Kai Yun and Lei Kaiding squatted down together to watch. Before they could even evaluate Jiang Tu's performance, he ran out.
Lei Kaiding said, "...No way? He didn't even last two minutes."
This was typical of bottom-tier examinees, the first wave of cannon fodder.
"Based on his skills, this shouldn't be happening," Lei Kaiding rubbed his chin, puzzled. "His foundation is clearly good, and his movements aren't wrong, but something is just off. Are there really students like this?"
Being able to get into the individual combat department of Alliance Military University meant Jiang Tu had a certain level of strength. It was just unclear why he performed so miserably when it came to actual combat.
Kai Yun glanced at him. "Didn't you have a team? Why are you still here?"
Lei Kaiding said righteously, "I just quit. They said they weren't going to clear the stage, so I couldn't waste time here with them. What about you? Are you going to stay here and wait for the chaotic battle in half an hour?"
Kai Yun answered him with action. She stood up and ran towards Jiang Tu, waving enthusiastically, "My close friend!"
Jiang Tu raised a pale face and nodded at her. "Hello."
Kai Yun said, "I didn't expect to actually be in the same test area. Want to team up?"
Jiang Tu gave a bitter smile, thinking she had come to him for help.
"I can't lead you out of the map," he said. "You should have seen it just now... I'm not good at clearing these kinds of trial grounds."
Kai Yun encouraged him, "I'm not good at it either, so we can try together. Anyway, waiting here for half an hour is meaningless. Why not try again? It can't get any worse than it is now."
Lei Kaiding felt a fierce pang of jealousy in his heart.
Look at this double standard! This is completely unfair!
Was it because he was too enthusiastic? What you can't get makes you restless. Maybe he should be like Jiang Tu, a little more aloof...
Kai Yun turned her head and asked, "Do you want to come with us?"
Lei Kaiding lifted his chin. "If you beg me..."
Kai Yun quickly said, "Goodbye."
"I'm coming!"
Lei Kaiding gritted his teeth in frustration, finally trampling on his dignity. "I! Am! Coming!"
Kai Yun pointed in the direction Jiang Tu's old team had left. "Let's take that path. I think even that door looks prettier than the others."
Lei Kaiding replied grumpily, "Heh heh!"
Thank you for the update~~
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