“What should we do now? What should we do?” Jin Na kept murmuring to herself helplessly, staring at the chaotic yet empty forest. If anyone had paid attention to Jin Na at this moment, they might have noticed that her face had turned as pale as a sheet of white paper, her eyes revealing a deep, unshakable fear.
In this survival competition, Jin Na had not bet the 50,000 Imperial Marks she publicly declared to others, but a staggering 500,000! She had wagered her entire life savings and secretly borrowed 450,000 Imperial Marks in high-interest loans from the casino. As Goldfish-Eyed Frank had guessed, the reason behind Jin Na’s actions was simple—she had grown utterly tired of Taler.
In fact, anyone familiar with Jin Na would know that back in Moore Academy, she was famously known as a heartbreaker. Dozens of boys had fallen for her charms. Jin Na herself thoroughly enjoyed playing the field, basking in the attention and admiration of many admirers.
These young boys, captivated by Jin Na’s seductive beauty, couldn’t understand that a woman like her, with her personality, would never truly care for anyone but herself. Even the reason she had become Taler’s girlfriend was simply because he was one of the most outstanding boys around. Having him as a boyfriend satisfied her vanity when comparing herself to other girls. Soon after establishing their relationship, Jin Na quickly grew bored. Moreover, Taler’s intensely possessive nature became unbearable for her.
However, Jin Na, coming from a commoner background, had already grown accustomed to a luxurious aristocratic lifestyle. She knew clearly that if she broke up with Taler, her meager salary from Moore Academy would never be enough to maintain her extravagant lifestyle. Thus, she had never dared to utter a single word about ending their relationship.
But this survival competition had finally given Jin Na her chance!
Upon learning about Princess Sofia, the casino operators at Casares generally believed that under Governor Temiso’s strict orders, even if the Almishus Academy couldn’t rise to the top this year, they at least wouldn’t dare to fall to the bottom. Therefore, the odds for Almishus being the first academy eliminated had increased significantly compared to previous years.
However, Jin Na, knowing the inside information, was fully aware that with the help of Vent and several other bounty warriors, Almishus’ elimination as the first team was practically a certainty. So, as previously stated, Jin Na not only bet her entire life savings but also secretly borrowed a large sum in high-interest loans from the casino.
Jin Na’s clever plan was that if Almishus was eliminated first, she would earn a massive sum of one million Imperial Marks by the end of the competition. With that money, she could finally say goodbye to poverty forever. Even if she openly left Taler, she could still live exactly the same—or even better—than she did now.
However, as a certain famous saying goes, anything can happen. Jin Na had never imagined in her wildest dreams that Almishus Academy would completely shatter her seemingly flawless plan in the blink of an eye! And the one responsible for this miracle was none other than the despicable nobody she despised the most—Zhang Wen!
Of course, Jin Na no longer had the heart to hate Zhang Wen now. The 450,000 Imperial Marks in high-interest loans she had borrowed from the casino loomed over her like a mountain, filling her with nearly suffocating fear. When Jin Na borrowed the money, the loan shark had clearly explained the consequences of failing to repay it. Every time she recalled the sinister tone in which that loan shark had spoken, Jin Na’s face paled even further.
“What’s wrong with you?” Seeing Jin Na’s deathly pale face and her increasingly erratic behavior, Taler finally asked in a grim tone.
“Nothing… nothing at all,” Jin Na dared not tell Taler about the high-interest loan. In truth, even if she did tell him, it wouldn’t have mattered. Taler had also bet 300,000 Imperial Marks at the casino. If he still had money to help her repay the loan, then something was seriously wrong.
“Hmph! Pathetic woman,” Taler sneered coldly. “Alright, don’t look so down. Almishus Academy surprised us with a twist, but we haven’t lost everything yet!”
“What do you mean?”
“You don’t understand yet?” Taler’s face darkened as he whispered to Jin Na, “Our bets at the casino were divided into two parts. The first was betting on which academy team would be eliminated first—that is, all three squads of a single academy being eliminated. The second part was betting on which squad would be the first to be eliminated from the competition.”
“Although Frank and his idiots messed up, if we can eliminate all three squads of Almishus Academy before any other academy is eliminated, we can at least recover our principal investment,” Taler explained grimly.
“Really?” Jin Na’s face lit up like she had grabbed a lifeline. She eagerly asked, “But… but Frank and his group have already been eliminated. Zhang Wen and his people must have long disappeared. With Almishus Academy’s psychic abilities, how can we even find them?”
“Hmph! How could you be so foolish?” Taler shot Jin Na a disapproving glance. “Although Frank and his group were eliminated, Vent is definitely still following them. As long as Vent is there, tracking them down won’t be difficult for us.”
“Oh right! That’s right! Vent is still following them!” Overcome with hope, Jin Na’s voice trembled with excitement. She kept murmuring to herself, her expression constantly shifting.
Suddenly, Jin Na looked up, gritting her teeth, and said to Taler, “Then what are we waiting for? Why don’t we chase after them immediately and eliminate all those bastards from Almishus Academy? And as for that bastard Zhang Wen, when we catch him, you must make sure he suffers! Let him pay dearly!”
Jin Na’s furious attitude toward Zhang Wen greatly pleased Taler. For the first time, he showed a rare smile before turning serious again. “Don’t worry! When the time comes, how we deal with that useless fool will be entirely up to you. But right now, the most important thing is to take care of those who just escaped.”
“Alright!” Jin Na nodded firmly, grinding her teeth.
“Sorry about earlier, Taler,” while Jin Na and Taler were talking, two instructors from Nancy Academy had regrouped their students and approached with gloomy expressions.
“It’s nothing,” Taler waved his hand magnanimously. “No one could have predicted that Almishus Academy’s useless brats would actually defeat Frank and his group. Their morale must have soared, allowing them to escape. But even if they escape, it won’t matter. I’ve already asked Popoca to continue tracking that physical combat instructor. As for the rest, everyone can just chase after them and eliminate them.”
“Right! Exactly!” Encouraged by Taler, several instructors from Nancy and Boca Academies nodded in agreement.
Indeed, although they hadn’t completely wiped out the Almishus Academy team, they had at least successfully scattered them. A squad that had fled in disarray wouldn’t get far in the Sandra Forest!
With this thought in mind, the teachers and students from the three academies quickly regrouped. After a brief search, they determined three directions to pursue.
However, just as Taler and his group were preparing to split up and intercept the scattered members of Almishus Academy, a loud buzzing suddenly came from the communicator inside Taler’s coat.
“Frank?” Taler frowned and opened the communicator, placing it near his ear.
“It’s me! Damn it, Taler, what kind of useless information did you give me?” Before Taler could express his dissatisfaction, Frank angrily cut in.
“What do you mean, Frank?” Taler was caught off guard by Frank’s sudden outburst.
“What do I mean? This is all your fault, Taler! You told me that the guy named Zhang Wen was a fool with some ability but a one-track mind, right?”
“That’s right. I did say that,” Taler admitted without hesitation. To be honest, based on his impression of Zhang Wen from their years as classmates, describing him as such was already being quite generous.
“Damn it! One-track mind? What nonsense!” Frank’s anger only grew as he shouted at Taler. “That guy is nothing but a cunning and despicable bastard! I don’t know exactly how strong he is, but his personality is definitely not what you described! Do you know how we got defeated?”
“How would I know?” Taler was beginning to get angry at Frank’s reckless attitude.
“Hmph!” Frank seemed to sense Taler’s irritation and, with a cold snort, slightly softened his tone.
“We were defeated entirely because your friend Vent fell for that guy’s trick! At the start of the competition, both Francis and I trusted Vent’s abilities, so we left all the psychics behind and even entrusted all the badges to them. But your friend failed to notice that Zhang Wen abandoned everyone from his academy and secretly maneuvered behind us to attack our psychic squad! At that time, all our badges were with Ali. That guy captured them all in one fell swoop! By the time we engaged Almishus Academy’s team, we realized that he had sacrificed all his companions like pawns! Otherwise, do you think we would have been defeated by those bastards from Almishus Academy?” Frank angrily explained, not forgetting to blame Taler at the end.
“Oh?” After listening to Frank’s account, Taler began to understand why his “old friend” had been so furious at the beginning. Anyone would be upset if they were defeated by an opponent much weaker than themselves without even getting a chance to fight properly. However, what intrigued Taler more was that he detected something in Frank’s words that excited him greatly.
“So you’re saying that Zhang Wen’s team now only has Zhang Wen left? All his other teammates have already been eliminated by you?” Taler suppressed his rising excitement and asked in a low voice.
According to the rules of the survival competition, any contestant would be considered eliminated under two circumstances. The first was when their competition badge was taken by someone else. The second was when they were defeated in a direct confrontation and temporarily lost their ability to fight. In such cases, regardless of whether their badge was taken or not, they were considered eliminated.
“Do you even need to ask? What resistance could those useless brats from Almishus Academy possibly put up? Hmph! The most infuriating thing is that we eliminated those useless bastards from Almishus Academy, but we didn’t even get any reward points! I wonder who the hell ended up benefiting from those badges!” Frank angrily snorted, his words making Taler feel slightly awkward.
Taler was currently considering chasing down Zhang Wen and seizing all his badges. If his plan succeeded, wouldn’t he become exactly the “bastard” Frank was cursing?
However, Taler knew this wasn’t the time to argue with Frank. He coughed and cleared his throat. “Alright, I admit my intelligence was incorrect, and you were tricked by that guy Zhang Wen. I take responsibility for that. But now is not the time to assign blame. The important thing is that we still have a chance to turn things around. Are you sure that, aside from Zhang Wen, all the other members of his squad have been eliminated?”
“Hmph! Of course! They had it all planned out. That guy Zhang Wen secretly sneaked behind to attack our psychic squad, while the remaining psychic female teacher and four female students in his group stayed behind to distract us. When we cornered them at the Dream River, they probably already knew their fate and surrendered without even resisting! Tsk!” Frank spat in frustration, clearly upset that he hadn’t had the chance to vent his anger on the remaining five members of Almishus Academy.
“Alright, I understand,” Taler nodded gravely.
“Hmph! Anyway, you better hurry up and chase that guy down! We’re counting on you now!” Frank quickly calmed his anger and gritted his teeth as he implored Taler.
“Relax, leave it to me. He won’t escape. But I can’t sense the location of those badges on him. Do you know which direction he fled?” As Taler spoke, his voice finally betrayed an unmistakable tone of impatience.
“Hmph! How would I know where he ran off to? As for you not sensing the badges… Pfft! If we can find people like Went to track the Almest Academy team, don’t you think Almest Academy can find help too? Alright, I can’t talk to you any longer. If the competition committee discovers we’re still in contact after being eliminated, things will get complicated.” Frank ended the conversation decisively and abruptly.
The moment Frank cut off communication with Taler, Went’s voice rang in Taler’s ears.
“Taler, what the hell are you doing?!” Just like Frank, Went’s tone was a mix of shock and anger right from the start.
However, unlike his reaction to Frank’s scolding, this time, hearing Went’s voice didn’t anger Taler at all. Instead, he nearly crushed the communicator in his hand out of excitement.
The goddess of victory hadn’t abandoned him yet! Taler thought joyfully, and playfully retorted, “What about me?”
“You ask what about you? The guy you had me tail met me at the arena! Damn it, are you trying to get me killed?”
“Tsk… That’s not my fault! How could I have possibly known that a useless dropout from our academy would actually become a martial arts instructor at Almest Academy? Also, how could you let him slip away right under your nose?”
“What? Are you blaming me now? He’s seen me before, how could I dare get too close? If it weren’t for my quick wits, I might have been spotted! Hmph!” Went’s voice rose an octave at Taler’s accusation. “I’ve already done what you asked. I even watched Almest Academy’s group of pretty girls being caught by your people. This has nothing to do with me anymore! Don’t try dragging me into this again!”
“Okay, let’s not dwell on the past. It was wrong of me to put you at such risk. I’ll double the reward I promised you! Went, you’ve got to keep helping me! Follow that guy. I’ll catch up soon! Went, we’re old friends, you wouldn’t want to see me in trouble, would you?”
Taler knew that with Jina’s abilities, it would be nearly impossible to sense Zhang Wen’s whereabouts in the short term. Therefore, Went was now his only hope. To persuade Went to help, Taler resorted to every means at his disposal—pleading, threatening, and appealing to their friendship—all packed into a single short sentence.
However, what Taler didn’t know was that at the very moment he asked Went to continue assisting him, Went on the other end of the communicator let out a breath he’d been holding.
Zhang Wen had made it very clear: if he wanted to save his own life, he had to rely on Zhang Wen’s plan succeeding. Continuing to feed false information to Taler was an important part of that plan. If Taler hadn’t asked Went to keep helping, Went wouldn’t have known what to do next.
“Well… I mean, even if the reward could be doubled…” Of course, to completely lure Taler into the trap, Went deliberately hesitated and spoke in a doubtful tone.
“Went, you’re already involved in this. It’s too late to back out now. Why not see it through with us? With your abilities, surely you’re not afraid of that coward who only knows how to run away?” Taler tried the tactic of goading him again.
“Hmph! When have I ever been afraid! Fine! I’ll help you this once. But don’t forget to double my reward!” Went snorted coldly and shut off the communicator.
“That should do it, right?” Went turned around helplessly to look at Zhang Wen.
“More or less,” Zhang Wen shrugged, then pulled out a small pouch from his body. With a smile, he handed the pouch to Went.
The pouch gently shook, and the crisp sound of badges clinking together came from inside.
“I know,” Went sighed, taking the pouch from Zhang Wen’s hands. “I’ll act as bait for you and feed false information to those chasing us. That way, you can take the chance to launch a surprise attack on their rear team. Right?”
“You’ve got it down pat,” Zhang Wen nodded with a smile.
“Hmph!” Went snorted angrily and turned away.
“Zhang Wen, is it too reckless to let him go with all the badges except yours?” Watching Went’s figure quickly disappear into the depths of the jungle, Linoar couldn’t help but frown.
“There’s an old saying in my hometown: if you suspect someone, don’t use them; if you use someone, don’t doubt them. Went’s life is now tied to ours, so we don’t have to worry about him not trying his best. Besides, he’s our biggest advantage now. If we don’t make good use of him, wouldn’t we be letting down all those fools who conveniently delivered him to us? Next, you’d better hide your badge carefully and not let anyone find it.”
“Hmph! Do you think you’re talking to just anyone?” Linoar scoffed and pouted.
“Hehe! I’m glad you’re so confident. We have to keep moving. Ladies, have you rested enough?” Hearing the dissatisfaction in Linoar’s voice, Zhang Wen smiled slightly and called out to the four female students waiting nearby.
While Taler’s group from Almest Academy was entangled in their own affairs, the survival competition was gradually beginning in other areas of the Sandra Forest. For most academy instructors, this was a great opportunity to show their abilities to the empire’s highest-ranking nobles. They wouldn’t give up the chance to win just because Almest Academy was no longer their target.
Those who knew the inside story understood that this survival competition was of great importance. Therefore, to ensure the smooth running of the competition, Governor Temiso had invested considerable effort.
As early as three days before the survival competition began, the most luxurious Basaya Hotel in the center of the small town of Weiyin had been completely booked by the governor’s office. Dozens of huge machines, resembling incubators, were carried into the rooms on the first and second floors of the hotel. Under the operation of many staff members dressed in blue uniforms, these massive machines were all connected via special metal-made telepathic conduction lines to the equipment placed in the hotel’s basement.
In the hotel’s grand hall, the wall that originally displayed countless photographs of celebrities to showcase the hotel’s glorious history had long been completely covered by a massive screen.
On the day the survival competition began, dozens of high-level psychokineticists simultaneously entered the Basaya Hotel and lay down inside those massive machines. These psychokineticists were all elite personnel specially transferred by Governor Temiso from the Kasares mining area’s defense force—don’t underestimate their strength just because of the name “mining area defense force.”
As one of the empire’s most important resource planets, the mining areas of Kasares were the most crucial part of the planet. Every year, a large portion of Kasares’ tax revenue was spent on the mining area defense force.
In terms of personnel, equipment, and military supplies, the Kasares mining area defense force was maintained to the same standards as the empire’s strongest legions. The strength of this mining area defense force was almost comparable to the empire’s main forces. Psychokineticists who were considered “elite” within such a fiercely competitive military force naturally surpassed their second-rate urban counterparts in ability.
As soon as the survival competition started, these psychokineticists from the mining area defense force began reflecting all the information they detected through the “badge network” onto the large screen in the center of the grand hall.
Looking at the clear images on the large screen, Falken Major, the liaison officer sent by the mining area defense force, proudly lifted his head and secretly cast his gaze toward the governor’s secretary beside him—a beauty so stunning that she made one’s mouth water uncontrollably.
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