CH 45

Xiao Zhenyun must be grateful for the fact that there were no horse-type spiritual bodies among these special individuals, like Xiao Jingfeng. Although cheetahs and other animals are swift, they are not strong enough to carry a person; otherwise, every tiger and leopard would have a sentinel on its back. Otherwise, he estimated that he would have been forced to stop and pressed to the ground long before.

Of course, Xiao Zhenyun’s purpose in causing this commotion was merely to leave the moldy and dust-filled wooden cabin, not a genuine attempt at a high-stakes escape. After running for a while, Tian Lu began to slow down. Soon, as it leaped onto a hillock, spiritual bodies pursuing and intercepting it surrounded them.

Students, after all, were still students and couldn’t control their emotions and powers well. This was why Di Li and Yue Xin advised Xiao Zhenyun to stay in the cabin. During the chase, the cheetah spirit form had displayed its animalistic nature, and its owner seemed overly excited, lacking the self-awareness to transition from the pursuer to the protector. Hunting instinct drove the cheetah to leap, extending its sharp claws to pounce on a stag’s back.

However, just as it was about to bite through Tian Lu’s round buttocks, a piercing eagle cry resonated throughout the forest. A massive gray eagle dived from the sky, using its razor-sharp talons to scratch the cheetah’s nose and ears. The cheetah had no choice but to retreat hastily, disappearing with a loud thud.

The rabbit, alert, stood on top of the tiger’s head, its nose constantly sniffing the air.

A fully armed camouflaged sentinel with an assault rifle stepped forward, deep gray feathers behind his ears. A large horned eagle circled above his head, emitting a piercing and intimidating screech, before slowly landing on the sentinel’s shoulder.

Although his face couldn’t be seen clearly, from the spiritual body, it was easy to deduce that the newcomer was Xiao Jiali.

Besides the eagle, there was also a leopard at his side, it was a snow leopard. It was the spiritual body of the sentinel who was sitting next to him during the mobilization meeting.

“Teacher Xiao, it’s really you!” Xiao Jiali yelled with excitement. “As soon as my friend saw the words ‘beautiful,’ he asked if it was you. I even argued with him, saying it couldn’t be you, but it really is you!”

The snow leopard sentinel was equally thrilled and shouted, “Beauty, don’t be afraid, come over here, we’ll protect you!”

Xiao Jiali looked back in horror. “…”

“Assistant Xiao!” Suddenly, another voice came, a guide with rabbit ears cautiously revealed her head from a distance. “Do you remember me? I’m a student from your fifth-grade class, Ji Miao, the one who sits in the last row by the window. My classmates call me Shuishui, and you used to call me that too. Assistant Xiao, come to our team. I’m your student, an A-level guide, I know everything, and I’ll definitely protect you.”

“Ji Miao, you have no shame!” A guide with black antelope horns suddenly jumped out on the opposite side. She angrily shouted, “Assistant Xiao, I’m a student from the ninth-grade, class three. You might not remember me, but I’ve always admired you. You once reminded me in the cafeteria that I left my student card on the table, and I still remember it. Ji Miao claims to be A, but she’s actually just A-, while I’m an A+ guide. In our team, there’s another A+ sentinel and many outstanding military academy students. Teacher Xiao, come to our team!”

What was initially a situation where only strong individuals could save innocent civilian turned into a competition to establish relationships because the civilian had saved himself single-handedly.

Xiao Jiali, the rabbit guide, and the black antelope were able to build such relationships, but the other teams who were unable to establish friendship were extremely angry.

Lily, who had been quietly listening in the corner, asked the man beside her, “Captain, what do we do? Do we have anything we can use to bribe him?… I never thought our team would be in such a disadvantageous position because we don’t have any special individuals.”

“This person will join the sentinel’s team with eagle spirit form,” the man said objectively. “His spiritual form has been looking at the eagle all along. This person already has a preference in his heart.”

“What do we do, kill the hostage?” Lily picked up the sniper rifle behind her, ready to take orders at any moment. “But to be honest, I’d rather take him away. I really want to get to know this guide.”

The man said nothing, silently observing the situation for a while. “…Then let’s take him away. Lily, lead Team 2 towards 6 o’clock. You don’t need to get too close. Just redirect attention to the team in the north. Fire a few shots and let the two largest teams in the east and north fight  first.”

Lily didn’t quite believe it, “Are you sure this clumsy plan to sow discord will work?”

The man didn’t respond but said coldly, “Quickly. Go.”

“Make sure to complete the mission!”

The analysis of this team was indeed correct. Xiao Zhenyun had a bias in his heart, especially since Xiao Jiali was ‘one of his own.’ He had the mentality of keeping the rewards within the family. However, he also knew that reality was hard to control, and even if he wanted to go to Xiao Jiali’s team, there was still a full day and night before the end of the competition. So, having him on their team didn’t necessarily provide a significant advantage.

Until it was certain that their team had no chance of winning the challenge, no one would easily open fire on Xiao Zhenyun.

Although the 2,500 points were tempting, they weren’t overwhelmingly superior, and capturing someone wouldn’t be useful at this moment. The most important thing was the ownership of civilian before the competition ended. After capturing him, they would have to go to great lengths to protect him, so some small teams left the scene early after observing for a while. It was better to do something else than waste time here.

In the end, only four teams remained in the vicinity, corresponding to the four directions: east, south, west, and north.

The rabbit guide and the black antelope guide’s teams were close, and it seemed like they had long-standing grievances. While Xiao Zhenyun was still waiting, a fight broke out there, with the winners seemingly not caring about their life and just wanting to eliminate the other side. As soon as the battle broke out, Xiao Jiali seized the opportunity amid the chaos and dashed towards Xiao Zhenyun. Simultaneously, a volley of bullets struck his shoes as a well-trained team with a clear numerical advantage positioned themselves behind cover. He ran forward, rapidly closing in on Xiao Zhenyun.

Xiao Jiali made a feint to advance, then swiftly rolled sideways, narrowly avoiding another barrage of bullets.

Although these training bullets weren’t lethal, a hit to a critical area meant being considered ‘out,’ and they still stung a bit when hit.

The leopard and the horned eagle had also joined the fray, but it was only when the fighting began that Xiao Zhenyun realized that Xiao Jiali and the leopard sentinel were operating as a team of two, with no other teammates to support them.

This situation was actually common in joint military exercises; regular soldiers and special individuals often couldn’t get along. Sometimes, the situation could escalate to the point where both sides despise each other, with special individuals thinking that regular people were a group of primitive apes who hadn’t evolved, and regular people considering special individuals as a group of lunatics who have failed in evolution.

Xiao Jiali, as an S-level sentinel, had reaction speed and strength several times that of a regular person. In single combat, there was no one who could match him. Even if the opponent was a sentinel, it would have to be someone like Si Di, also an S-level sentinel, or an A-level sentinel with far more combat experience.

The leopard and eagle joined the battle, but the strength of the animals was still much weaker in the face of real bullets and live ammunition. The leopard quickly disappeared into the spiritual domain after being kicked in its fragile abdomen. The eagle, relying on its flight advantage, lasted longer, causing significant interference to the enemy. Just as Xiao Jiali was on the verge of a breakthrough, a gunshot sounded in the forest. The leopard sentinel was keenly aware that the situation was not good. Special individuals were always sensitive to the situation of spiritual bodies, but Xiao Jiali was still in the early stages of awakening and far less vigilant. However, with the situation urgent, the leopard sentinel didn’t have time to warn him. In just an instant of pupil contraction, a bullet struck the eagle’s abdomen. With a mournful cry, its gray feathers scattered and disappeared.

This was the first time Xiao Jiali’s spiritual body had been injured. He felt as though a thousand-pound hammer had struck his brain, leaving him momentarily disoriented, almost stumbling to the ground.

Xiao Zhenyun was already surrounded by members of another team. He observed the battle, appearing as a calamity-loving beauty, indifferent to the chaos he had caused.

The black antelope and rabbit teams were now in a heated fight, completely disregarding Xiao Zhenyun’s well-being and aiming to exterminate the other side.

Xiao Jiali and the leopard sentinel, two individuals who didn’t know how to work as a team, found themselves unable to withstand the enemy’s numerous regular soldiers, who lacked even a guide. The leopard sentinel glanced at Xiao Zhenyun with reluctance, carried Xiao Jiali on his shoulder, and quickly retreated from the battlefield.

They couldn’t win the fight, so they chose to escape swiftly.

“Hello, my name is Duan Fei. I’m a second-year student at the National Defense University. You’re safe now.” When the dust settled, the commander of the victorious team finally stepped forward, confidently appearing before Xiao Zhenyun with steady steps.

He was a young man in his twenties, with black hair and black eyes. He looked up and down at Xiao Zhenyun, his eyes landing on his legs. Then, he subtly furrowed his brow. It seemed he realized his behavior was somewhat impolite, and he lowered his head, saying, “Sorry… please follow us. We will protect you.”

“Protecting me isn’t an easy job. Those ‘fugitives’ will periodically reveal my whereabouts for other teams to come and fight over,” Xiao Zhenyun said with a smile.

“Thank you for the reminder,” Duan Fei calmly replied. “We’re prepared for any incoming threats.”

Little crazy… 

Xiao Zhenyun was quite impressed by this spirited young man and smiled even more, “Also… my deer can’t carry me anymore. You’ll need someone to carry me.”

Lily excitedly rushed forward, jumping crazily with her 158 cm tall body, “I’ll do it, I can.”

Xiao Zhenyun, who was 185 cm tall, didn’t think she could.

This bold girl openly stared at Xiao Zhenyun’s face and asked happily, “Hey handsome, can I touch your antlers? Are you special individual’s fused forms not allowed to be touched casually? I will just touch them gently, okay?”

“I’ll carry you,” Duan Fei helplessly pushed Lily aside and raised his hands to pick up Xiao Zhenyun. Xiao Zhenyun also supported himself from the back of the deer, extending his hand towards him.

However, just a second before he touched Xiao Zhenyun, a bullet pierced through both their fingertips, and with a ‘plip,’ it entered Lily’s thigh. Lily was caught off guard, her eyes wide, and she collapsed to the ground.

Tian Lu noticed something keenly and lifted his hoof, pushing aside the person blocking the way, and rushed straight in one direction. Duan Fei, ruthless and decisive, immediately pulled out the tranquilizer gun and aimed it at Xiao Zhenyun’s back.

“Tranquilizer darts…” Lily anxiously said, “Don’t shoot, he’s an examiner!”

But before she could finish her sentence, a black wolf with half of its face black and half white had already launched an attack from behind Duan Fei. It bit the tranquilizer gun and then disappeared into thin air.

Two other soldiers who were also taking aim with their guns were shot, just like Lily, and lay motionless on the ground.

“Special individual’s fused forms shouldn’t be touched casually.” 

A male voice almost sounded from a nearby location. Duan Fei turned in shock, and there were rapid footsteps and a gust of wind. He quickly turned around and finally saw the real person after the sentinel removed his disguise.

This person had only his eyes exposed, with most of his face concealed by a metal mouthpiece, and a red electric shock collar on his neck that flickered.

“So, don’t mess with his antlers,” he warned.

In an instant, several dark gun barrels were aimed at him.

Lily struggled to move her fingers, her face twisted in pain. She wanted to regain her mobility quickly and get up from the ground.

Even with so many people pointing guns at him, the visitor smiled casually, raised his hand, and stroked the chin of the male deer at his side. “I’m not like those two rookie sentinels from before. You can’t beat me. If you don’t want to be picked up by other teams, it’s best for you to retreat.”

The wolf with the dual-color face appeared behind him, crouching down slightly, its heavy black claws on the ground, and its sharp, sinister eyes staring directly at anyone daring to make a move.

Xiao Zhenyun didn’t expect to encounter Si Di here. He was about to ask about Si Di’s spiritual domain and whether he needed a place to hide for mental grooming when his right wrist was grabbed. Suddenly, he was pulled off the deer and into the arms of the sentinel.

“You…”

A familiar strip of cloth covered Xiao Zhenyun’s eyes. Si Di skillfully wrapped it around twice and tied a knot behind his head, then, before the long-haired guide could speak, he stuffed a square piece of thick cloth into his mouth, completely silencing him.

“You’re not behaving well,” Si Di said with a smile, his tone tender yet laced with a chilling aura, as if he were a heartless sadist. “I told you it’s dangerous outside, but you just ran out of your home and got caught by bad people, didn’t you? Ah Yun, remember… the only safe place is by my side.”

Xiao Zhenyun: “…”

Mental grooming, my foot. This guy seems to be having quite the fun.

No need to say more; the next step was his wrists, which were tied tightly and mercilessly. Xiao Zhenyun felt like it was a pig-tying knot, leaving him no room to struggle.

“You’ll never escape,” Si Di carried Xiao Zhenyun on his shoulders and walked away.

Duan Fei: “…”

Duan Fei: “???”

The second day of the competition, 17:01.

Mission Prompt Refresh—

A beautiful and innocent civilian smartly escapes from the clutches of a brutal fugitive, only to stumble from the frying pan into the fire as he was caught and imprisoned by another murderous maniac during his getaway.

Mission: Rescue the civilian and ensure his safety until the exam concludes.

P.S: The killer possesses incredibly high combat skills and an army of vengeful spirits under his command. Furthermore, the civilian is highly likely to develop Stockholm syndrome during the kidnapping, potentially aiding the murderer. Proceed with caution, dear candidates.

Mission Points: 250×2 for rescue; 2525 upon successful civilian handover at the end.

The author has something to say:

Xiao Jingfeng: I hereby declare that, apart from the tasks related to Xiao Zhenyun, the style of this military exercise is quite normal… It’s only abnormal if it involves him.

Xiao Zhenyun: Thank you.

Hello, everyone ヾ(＾∇＾). I hope you enjoyed the story! If you’re feeling generous, please buy me a coffee, share/comment on my translated works! Check out the link below for early chapters.  (๑>ᴗ