Chapter 52

Chapter 52

Mo Xiaotian also heard their conversation. He suppressed his breathing and quietly asked, “Should we eliminate them?”

Eliminate...

Hearing this word, Su Bei’s eyelid twitched as an earlier thought flashed through his mind.

It’s always good to think through the worst possible outcome when faced with danger. Along the way, he had been pondering this issue. If this event really was part of a conspiracy targeting all the first-year students, what should they do?

Logically, they should be safe in this alternate space. After all, breaking the fragile glass on the watch face would immediately teleport them out. Even if someone ambushed them, as long as they were in mortal danger, they could instantly escape the space.

So the only scenario where danger might arise was if the teleportation system malfunctioned. If they couldn’t leave the alternate space, they would be like lambs to the slaughter when facing advanced ability users.

But could the mastermind really go that far? Tampering with the life-saving measures provided by the academy? If that were the case, the academy must be riddled with security holes.

This was the worst-case scenario, and Su Bei could only hope it wasn’t true.

Sighing, he nodded. “Let’s give it a try. Besides, we haven’t seen what it looks like to eliminate someone yet.”

After a moment’s thought, he added, “Let’s use the method of breaking the glass on their watch.”

He worried that if the teleportation system really was malfunctioning, killing someone wouldn’t just send them out of alternate space—it would result in their actual death.

To make them break the glass on their own, they would either have to feel a significant threat and voluntarily leave or be subdued so Su Bei could break the glass for them.

The first option was unlikely; the second seemed more practical.

After thinking it over, Su Bei asked, “How many air blocks can you create now?”

“Ten!” Mo Xiaotian answered excitedly, pleased that Su Bei had asked about something he excelled at. He was quite proud of the first ability he had developed.

Ten would be enough. Su Bei nodded. “I’ll sneak attack from behind and drive the others away. You just need to trap one person.”

The two had cooperated several times before and worked well together. Su Bei launched a few gear attacks, easily scaring most of the group into fleeing. At only 15 or 16 years old, the students weren’t particularly brave, especially in a dark, ominous forest. They quickly scattered in panic, abandoning their group.

Meanwhile, Mo Xiaotian had already targeted a boy and surrounded him with several air blocks, preventing his escape.

The boy was clearly terrified and tried to call for help, but his teammates were too busy running for their own lives to bother with him.

Once the others were gone, Su Bei emerged and easily subdued the boy.

“It’s... it’s a person!” The boy, restrained but oddly relieved, smiled nervously. He would much rather be eliminated by classmates than haunted by ghosts.

“Yes, I’m human.” Su Bei stepped into the moonlight, letting the boy see his shadow. “Will you leave on your own, or should I help you?”

Hearing this confirmation, the boy breathed a long sigh of relief. He hesitated for a moment before asking cautiously, “Brother, could you let me go?”

“What do you think?” Su Bei asked with a faint smile.

Yeah, that wasn’t happening. The boy sighed in resignation. “Fine, I’ll leave on my own.”

He knew he wouldn’t contribute much in a team battle anyway, and becoming someone’s captive was just the logical outcome. As the teachers had said earlier, the sooner you’re out, the sooner your vacation begins. To him, that didn’t sound too bad.

Before the boy left, Su Bei gave him a final instruction: “Once you’re out, go find Mr. Meng Huai from Class F and tell him that Feng Lan disappeared right after entering this space. He might be in danger.”

“Got it. You’re eliminating me and still making me run errands for you? What an inspiring display of friendship.”

Grumbling, the boy decisively broke the glass on his watch. The next moment, he disappeared into thin air.

“Wow, that’s amazing!” Mo Xiaotian exclaimed, eyes wide with wonder. “You can just leave like that? Breaking the glass was so easy, too! I was worried I wouldn’t be able to break it if I needed to.”

Su Bei’s expression softened with a hint of relief as he nodded. “Yeah, it’s really convenient.”

Since breaking the glass still worked to exit the alternate space, there wasn’t much to worry about. Maybe he had overthought things, and the enemy’s conspiracy wasn’t related to this.

Wait... something’s wrong.

Su Bei’s expression froze. Suddenly, he remembered—Feng Lan had also disappeared as soon as they entered. Who said disappearing meant returning to the academy?

And as he had considered earlier, this was only the first day of the group competition. Even if the enemy planned to make a move, wasn’t it too soon? Maybe today’s teleportation system was working fine, but who’s to say it wouldn’t malfunction later?

we can't let our guard down.

"Alright, it’s better to regroup with Jiang Tianming for a long-term solution." Su Bei sighed, glanced at his watch, and said, “Let’s go. We need to find Jiang Tianming and the others quickly. It’s already so dark, and we still don’t have a place to sleep.”

After realizing their pursuers had disappeared, Jiang Tianming and Mu Tieren stopped running. They were already exhausted after running for so long, and the night wasn’t safe. If their pursuers continued chasing them, even if they felt they might lose, they would have no choice but to fight back.

Bad luck had struck Jiang Tianming earlier—he ran into an opponent he had deeply offended during the individual matches. Worse yet, that opponent had teamed up with another rival for some reason, creating a group of over ten people. There was no way Jiang and Mu could win against that.

Escaping should have been easier in the dense forest, where the thick trees provided plenty of cover. However, one of the members of the pursuing teams specialized in tracking, relentlessly chasing them down.

Now that the group had given up, Jiang and Mu could finally catch their breath. But they were also curious—why did the group suddenly stop after chasing them for so long?

"Swish... Swish..."

Just as they started to rest, the sound of movement in the bushes nearby put them on high alert. Jiang Tianming and Mu Tieren exchanged wary glances, preparing to fight back.

Even though it was two against twelve, the pair, who had both ranked in the top ten during the individual matches, stood a decent chance when working together.

But to their surprise, the figures emerging from the bushes had one golden and one red head of hair.

The snake hissed, its upper body swaying as it searched for the best angle to strike.

“It’s fast,” Su Bei warned, his eyes sharp. “Xiaotian, trap it!”

“On it!” Mo Xiaotian shouted, creating ten transparent air blocks to serve as protective barriers around the group.

Meanwhile, Mu Tieren used his extracurricular knowledge to assess the threat. “This Nightmares probably isn’t venomous. According to the books, venomous Nightmare Snakes have disproportionately large heads. But I’m not sure what its ability might be.”

The lack of venom was good news, and everyone visibly relaxed. Jiang Tianming asked Su Bei for a few gears, and together they launched a coordinated attack. Keeping the saying “hit a snake at its seven-inch weak point” in mind, they aimed their attacks with precision.

Although the snake was fast, it couldn’t dodge all their attacks, especially with Mo Xiaotian’s air blocks limiting its movements. Before long, the Nightmare Snake was defeated.

Even after it fell, the group remained cautious, checking their watches to confirm they had gained the 50 points for killing the Nightmares before approaching.

Su Bei grabbed the snake by its tail and lifted it, inspecting it. “How about roasted snake for breakfast?”

Even ordinary snake meat was considered a delicacy, and Nightmare Snakes were renowned for their flavor.

Jiang Tianming couldn’t help but laugh. “With a snake this big, it’ll probably last us through lunch too.”

Mo Xiaotian cheered, “Awesome! Let me cook it! You’ll all see my grilling skills in action!”

“You know how to barbecue?” Mu Tieren teased with a smile. “Now I’m looking forward to it.”

Jiang Tianming, who was also a skilled cook, decided to let Mo Xiaotian take the lead this time, seeing how eager he was.

As Mo Xiaotian took the snake from Su Bei's hands, the excitement on his face gradually faded, replaced by a troubled expression.

“What’s wrong?” Mu Tieren asked considerately. “Is it because you’ve never prepared a snake and don’t know how to handle it?”

Mo Xiaotian shook his head, looking frustrated. “No, it’s just... it needs to be cleaned!”

A snake this big couldn’t simply be roasted directly. At the very least, it needed to be thoroughly cleaned with river water. Using bottled water like they had done before would be wasteful.

“We passed a river yesterday,” Jiang Tianming offered. “I still remember the way—it’s not too far from here. Let’s go together.”

Hearing this, Mu Tieren looked surprised. “You can still remember the route in this forest? I do recall seeing a river yesterday, but I’ve completely forgotten how to get there.”

Jiang Tianming gave a faint, complicated smile, one that hinted at a story behind it. “Yeah, remembering the way is important.”

Sensing his tone, Mu Tieren hesitated but chose not to press further. Although they were friends, they hadn’t reached the level where they could freely ask about each other’s private matters. If someone didn’t want to share, it was best not to ask.

Following Jiang Tianming’s lead, they walked for half an hour before the sound of rushing water reached their ears. However, it wasn’t just the sound of water—they could also hear voices.

“It seems there are quite a few people near the river,” Su Bei remarked knowingly.

This was understandable. Water was essential for survival, and even those with little wilderness experience would instinctively set up camp near a river.

Using his mental abilities, Su Bei sensed the situation and raised an eyebrow. “There are 15 people by the river, split into two groups.”

The others weren’t curious about how he knew this, and they collectively breathed a sigh of relief. Since the two groups there were coexisting peacefully, adding their team to the mix shouldn’t cause any issues.

As they emerged from the forest, they were immediately met with 15 pairs of eyes. Among them, a green-haired boy’s jaw dropped in surprise when he saw Su Bei. “It’s you!”

This was someone Su Bei had defeated in the first round of the individual battles.

Seeing a familiar face, Su Bei remained unbothered. He casually waved and greeted him, “Oh, what a coincidence.”

“Coincidence, my foot!” the green-haired boy shouted angrily. “Don’t you feel even a little guilty when you see me?”

Apparently, having been eliminated in the first round had left him resentful. After following Su Bei’s subsequent matches, he realized Su Bei wasn’t just reliant on trickery, as in their match—he was genuinely skilled.

Now, the green-haired boy didn’t feel as humiliated about losing to Su Bei. Though Su Bei was from Class F, his abilities clearly exceeded that rank. Losing to a Class F student was embarrassing, but losing to someone in the top 10 was not.

Still, the question lingered in his mind: why had Su Bei resorted to trickery in their match instead of using his true strength to secure a convincing win? It felt like mockery.

“You clearly could’ve beaten me outright, but instead, you chose to humiliate me,” the green-haired boy said, his voice tinged with both anger and hurt.

Su Bei: “...”

Was it possible that he really had no other option at the time?

Unfortunately, he couldn’t explain the truth, leaving the green-haired boy none the wiser. Su Bei sighed inwardly, ignored the accusations, and crouched by the riverbank. Looking at Mo Xiaotian, he said, “What are you standing around for? Come clean the snake!”

“Oh, right!” Mo Xiaotian snapped out of his daze, hurriedly carrying the giant snake over and starting to clean and prepare it.

The massive snake drew everyone’s attention, and those by the river couldn’t help but gulp. The green-haired boy stared at the Nightmare Snake, then back at Su Bei, his expression filled with disbelief. “Did you kill this?”

“It was a team effort,” Su Bei replied modestly.

Even so, his words were enough to leave the others stunned. While they could only flee from Nightmares, Su Bei’s team—comprised mostly of Class F students—had managed to kill one. It was incredible.

Realizing he had just been berating someone so powerful, the green-haired boy suddenly felt small. Clearing his throat, he said awkwardly, “Ahem, well, uh... you’re impressive. Let’s forget about what happened before.”

Having said that, he smugly thought he had both ensured his safety and saved face. However, his companions looked at him with disdain and quietly stepped away, for fear others would associate them with this guy.

Note: For sure, when the world’s in chaos, it’d be wild! But honestly, having an OP power would be the ultimate vibe ????✨—but like, it only works if we read about it in books, tho. ????????