Chapter 32: The First Officer is Out
Xu Nuo ran on the weed-covered hillside, with the pursuers chasing him closely.
She quickly rolled into the dead bushes and slid down the hillside.
"Why are you running? We're not going to eat you." said the pursuer behind him.
He waited for the girl to reach the bottom of the slope, then gathered his strength and leaped forward, landing in front of him. He turned and said, "Alright, now you can't escape."
Xu Nuo was trapped at the foot of the hillside. He spat out a blade of grass from his mouth, sat up from the ground, and looked at me unkindly: "You've been chasing me for a long time. What do you want?"
"I simply lack a guide to fight alongside me," the young man extended his hand. "The time I've been pursuing you is time for you to think. How are you thinking, my temporary partner?"
Xu Nuo slapped his hand away and stood up. "I don't need a partner. Let's go. If we walk faster, maybe we can find our next target."
She shook off the leaves and walked around him. The young man followed slowly behind her. "What's there to disagree with? I'm an A-rank Sentinel. There aren't many people in the entire region who can beat me."
"So? You could just go find an A-level wizard and form a powerful alliance. Why are you chasing me?"
The young man laughed. "If I could find an A-rank guide near the landing site, I'd be delighted. Unfortunately, A-rank guides are even rarer than Sentinels, and I don't know if there's one in this competition... I'm not picky, a B-rank guide would be nice too."
Xu Nuo quickened his pace.
"You rushed to the base without stopping the moment you landed. You must be eager to win the competition. Unfortunately, a lone guide encounters those Sentinels of varying quality, and their ranks are so high... They'll either force you to become a partner or just kill you... Don't forget, the Phino Group is the least lenient with guides. We signed a life-or-death agreement when we came in. If anything goes wrong, there's no one to deal with you."
Xu Nuo stopped and asked, "Is it as scary as you say?"
"Don't believe it? You'll know when you meet him."
"……May I have your name?"
The young man walked briskly closer, extended his hand toward her again, and smiled triumphantly: "Nice to meet you. Let me introduce myself. I'm Zhou Xuanyi, the chief sentry of the Tai'an Base Academy."
Xu Nuo hesitated for a few seconds, then extended his hand: "First year at the Capital Military Academy, Xu Nuo."
"Only a first-year student? As expected of the capital's military, I really found a treasure."
Xu Nuo: "... Let's go to the nearest stronghold first. I don't have a map."
"Coincidentally, I don't have any either."
"...Then how did you know I was heading towards the base?"
"I made it up. As soon as you landed, you picked a random direction and hurried off, constantly glancing at the surrounding terrain. It was really hard to guess where you were going."
“…”
Xu Nuo shook him off and continued walking in the direction he had just chosen. Suddenly, his neck felt tight. Zhou Xuanyi was pulling at his collar from behind and said, "Why are you charging in? Do you still need to walk when there are sentries?"
A loud and long cry was heard from the horizon, and a dark brown eagle broke through the clouds and flew into the sky. The airflow from its wings when it landed kicked up a cloud of dead leaves and dust.
"Cough, cough, cough, cough..." Zhou Xuanyi fanned the air vigorously and complained, "Nanfeng, please be gentler next time when you land..."
The super-enlarged raptor stood on the ground, turned its flexible neck, and stared at Xu Nuo with its dark eyes without blinking.
"Is he handsome? As handsome as me, right?"
Xu Nuo: "..."
She silently stopped calling the little Gu who wanted to come out and have fun.
The eagle...seems to be its natural enemy.
Zhou Xuanyi made a "please" gesture to her: "You can board your fighter plane, Miss Partner."
Xu Nuo took his hand and used it to climb onto the eagle. Zhou Sunyi also sat astride him and muttered mysteriously, "Dear passengers, it's an honor to have you on this Nanfeng flight. I am Captain Zhou, as handsome and dashing as ever today."
The eagle flapped its wings and quickly soared into the sky.
"Haha—we're rising at a breakneck speed. Doesn't this perspective overlooking the mountains, rivers, and lakes offer a unique experience?"
Xu Nuo, whose expression was blown out of control by the wind, said: “…@%*#.”
"Look here, the mountains coming towards us are—"
"Look at the location of the stronghold!!" she finally shouted.
"Okay, okay, I've been watching."
The eagle flew for a while, and Zhou Xuanyi pointed to the top of the mountain below: "Look, there is a Fino logo on the platform over there. It should be a stronghold."
It was a square stone platform with a symbol of a sword piercing a shield painted on the ground with green paint. It was indeed the pattern that Fino had printed on the nutrient supplement.
"Wait, someone's fighting over a treasure chest," he said cheerfully. "It's pretty intense. Wanna go down and warm up?"
Xu Nuo asked, "How far can you see?"
Zhou Xuanyi was stunned: "About two thousand meters."
"Alright, let's not go down yet. Start a two-kilometer-diameter patrol around this stronghold, searching for other strongholds or key clues nearby. Also, keep an eye on this area. Once the battle is over, we'll seize the fruits of victory."
"That's a great plan. As you command, my co-pilot."
…
The battle has entered a white-hot stage.
The Sentinel roared and rushed towards the opponent together with the spiritual form of Black Bear.
The bear was running with a loud noise, and its sharp claws flashed coldly in the air. The bear was not willing to be outdone, so it gathered strength on the spot, grabbed a large rock from the ground, and smashed it at him.
The wounded black bear was unable to dodge and took the heavy blow. Its already damaged body fell to the ground and was about to collapse.
He was too tough. Although his level was higher than the opponent's, he was lucky and found the guide's support as soon as he landed. After being linked to the guide, the sentinel could exert its maximum potential, which slightly suppressed him.
Fighting alone would be too disadvantageous, but he has been holding on to this stone platform for a long time. Only a few minutes are left to capture the stronghold and get the treasure chest. By then, he will have the bargaining chips in his hand and be qualified to compete with other sentinels for the assistance of a more advanced guide.
He was just one step away from success, but he... was unwilling to give up.
Feeling confident of victory, the opponent slowly approached with his hands behind his back, a sarcastic expression on his face: "Oh, you've come to this day. Weren't you quite impressive in the academy? How come you don't even have a guide?"
"You're not going to be eliminated right after landing, are you? Really? You're already injured like this, you'd better get out and heal quickly. Remember to find an excuse to stay around for a few more days. Going back so early would make a fool of yourself."
With every word he spoke, the sentry lying on the ground clenched his fists a little tighter, and the black bear spirit crawled on the ground, roaring unwillingly.
"Haha, you're not willing to give up? I'm really sorry, but I'll take the treasure chest you helped occupy first."
The occupation deadline has expired, and a stone table rises in the center of the stone platform, with an exquisitely shaped metal box on the table.
The sentry sauntered over to the treasure chest and reached out his hand toward the box.
"Ah--!!" The black bear lying on the ground suddenly burst out with tremendous strength and rushed towards the guide standing in the distance, with its claws raised high.
The wizard who was still concentrating on the connection looked up in horror, and the sentry holding the box in front of him finally reacted, but it was too late to return to defend.
"Bang!"
The thin guide flew out like a kite and fell on the grass, unconscious.
“Black Bear!!!”
The two sentries started fighting again, yelling.
"Did you see that? If you encounter a sentry like this who leaves the guide directly to the enemy, your life will be in danger." Zhou Xuanyi broadcast live from the sky.
He said earnestly: "It is very important to choose a good partner."
"What are you still standing there for?" Xu Nuo said coldly, "Land and save them."
The brown eagle spread its wings, casting a large shadow above the stone platform. Sensing the dangerous aura of the senior sentinel, the two sentinels who were wrestling with each other separated and looked at the two men vigilantly while guarding the metal box behind them.
Zhou Xuanyi clapped his hands absentmindedly: "Interesting! Just now they were fighting fiercely over the box, and now they can unite to face the outside world. What a good show."
Xu Nuo ignored them and ran straight towards the guide who was lying on the side.
She leaned over to check her breathing and pulse, and frowned when she saw the blood flowing from the back of her head: "Zhou Xuanyi!"
"Here I am, my smart and kind partner." He readily agreed.
"She looks seriously injured. It's definitely too late to fire flares and wait for rescue now. Send her to the nearest medical center!"
"Uh... don't want the box anymore?"
As soon as he said this, the two sentries looked at each other and retreated simultaneously, forming a united force to block the metal box.
Xu Nuo was a little angry when he saw this: "Your guide is dying, why don't you save her!"
The sentry who was questioned did not answer, but looked at Zhou Xuanyi warily, as if he was the biggest danger.
Zhou Xuanyi shrugged and walked towards her with a smile. "You're really new, and you're competing without even understanding the inside story? In a competition of the Vulcan Cup's caliber, a temporary low-level guide isn't a valuable resource, especially since they've signed a waiver. They want the generous reward that belongs to the top ten Sentinel combinations—the chance for a low-level Sentinel to ascend."
He squatted down and picked up the unconscious guide on the ground. "But I'm not that vulgar. Since it's the dear co-pilot's request, the generous captain is of course happy to oblige. Wait here for me, and don't run around within two kilometers."
He jumped up, and Nanfeng spread its wings and flew to his feet, flapping its wings and quickly left.
Xu Nuo wiped the blood off his hands with the grass on the ground. The two sentinels saw that the crisis was over and only a guide who posed no threat was left, so they immediately started fighting again.
Gravel and sand flew up from the ground as they fought, and the noise of the battle between the giant spirits soon reached Xu Nuo's vicinity.
The girl slowly stood up and looked at the two men.
They are all below B level.
"Miss Guide, be careful, stay away!" The black bear shouted towards us while fighting.
This is a high-level guide. If I can get the treasure chest later, maybe I will have the chance to invite her to be my partner!
Xu Nuo's lips curled up slightly, but the smile did not reach his eyes.
It is normal for evolved people to have good and bad people, warm-hearted people and cold-blooded people.
But she really couldn't stand it - one person hurt her kind and still expressed concern shamelessly, while the other person used people until they were no longer valuable and watched them die without helping.
Isn't it said that guides can't fight, only assist? She'd long wanted to dispel that rumor, so why not—today, taking advantage of the opportunity, practice with these two guys.
Let them see how the guide, who poses no threat and is regarded as a discarded pawn, can eliminate them with his own hands.
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