Chapter 65 Military Exercise Begins Parachuting
"Dear audience, this is the temporary command center of the Central Star First Military Academy. I'm your host, Xie Yun."
"I'm Special Observer Lewis. There are only three hours left until the 391st joint military exercise officially begins."
Barrage of comments floated across the screen:
[Has it started yet?]
【Wait while rubbing your hands! 】
The two sat in the studio, with a holographic projection of a three-dimensional topographic map slowly rotating behind them.
Xie Yun clicked on the virtual sand table, and a perspective view of the joint military exercise site was enlarged and displayed on the screen.
"This year's assessment continues the survival format of previous years. Teams are organized into small groups, and each member only carries a three-day supply pack, which will be randomly distributed throughout the venue."
Lewis continued, "The flashing red, yellow, and green dots on the map represent non-human creatures, proctors, and supply points, respectively. Of course, the students don't have a map, so they can't see this information."
Xie Yun: "This year, a total of 3,453 students participated. The competition uses a points system. Points can be earned by eliminating non-human creatures, enemy students, or challenging the invigilators. After ten days, the students who remain in the finals and rank in the top 70% will have the opportunity to enter the First Military Academy's inner courtyard."
Lewis smiled. "Of course, there are some hidden rules. Both the participating students and the audience are currently kept in the dark. Perhaps these hidden rules will bring some surprises to the students. Let us look forward to their wonderful performances."
[What a scary smile]
[I still remember last year's live broadcast. There was a lake on the grounds. The military academy officials said it was an important water supply point, but they ended up stuffing a high-level mutant into it without a word...]
[I remember that too! Who would understand? I was caught off guard when I saw the monster dragging the students away. People downstairs came to ask me why I was screaming in the middle of the night.]
[There are always a few unlucky people who will come across the hidden version]
"Next, let's cut to the frontline reporter. Hello, Zhao Yue."
"Hello, host."
Reporter Zhao Yue has a tall and straight figure and is wearing a tactical uniform. He looks more like a soldier than a reporter.
"The primeval forest behind me is the venue for this year's joint military exercise. This forest is extremely vast. For an offensive psychic, it would take three full days of non-stop work to travel from one end to the other."
"You can see that many trees are over a hundred meters high. When you are among them, your vision is extremely limited and it is very easy to get lost. This also poses a considerable challenge to the freshmen."
The schedule is set up this way to simulate the actual battlefield front.
It's different from what many people imagine.
Frontline soldiers will go to the contaminated areas in small teams to carry out medium- and long-term tasks, and they will be in a high-altitude and high-pressure environment for ten days or half a month.
Therefore, the joint military exercise venue also serves as a stress test.
[Flying spirits should have an advantage]
Why are there so many non-humanoid monsters on the map? Is it really necessary to make it so dangerous?
"As everyone knows, the annual invigilators are all students from the military academy's inner courtyard. The person next to me is one of the invigilators for this year's joint military exercise, Mr. Ji Xuanming."
"Mr. Ji, I heard that the military academy has made some changes to the safety protection mechanism for students this year. Can I interview you?"
The man next to him looked fierce and had a scar on his face.
It was Ji Xuanming who had appeared in the Fenrir family club before.
He took the microphone and said, "This year, we've added body-worn hidden cameras that can record more details. Security protection will primarily rely on the invigilators."
The host asked: "Will this bring some privacy issues?"
Ji Xuanming said expressionlessly, "When private information is involved, the live broadcast will be automatically cut off."
Host: "What if a wild star beast breaks into the venue?"
In fact, all the star beasts are wild, but the star beasts released into the venue have all been inspected and marked with their danger and corresponding scores, which is different from the star beasts outside the venue that have not been inspected at all.
Ji Xuanming pointed above his head.
"No. There's a skylight system, and there are troops blocking the edge of the field."
The skylight system has not been turned on yet, and there is nothing unusual in the sky above.
But in a few hours, when the game starts, the skylight system will be like a huge transparent cover, covering the entire venue upside down to prevent all wild star beasts that may invade the stadium.
Host: "I saw in the rules that students can attack the invigilators. Will this mechanism have a negative impact on the safety of the event?"
Ji Xuanming: "No."
The invigilator is equivalent to the yellow-named monster who maintains order in the wild in the game. As long as the contestants do not actively challenge him, the invigilator will hide his body and hide in the woods.
If the contestants are eager to score points, they can also choose to challenge the invigilator - but this is obviously much more difficult than killing the star beast.
If the challenge is successful, the invigilator will leave the venue and "refresh" at the original location after a period of time.
If they fail, the students will be ruthlessly eliminated by the invigilators.
Therefore, few people choose to challenge the invigilator.
The host waited quietly for Ji Xuanming to add something...but Ji Xuanming just stared at the camera with a stern face, and after he finished speaking, he said nothing more.
The host was also used to this group of bad-tempered psychics and responded naturally.
"Okay, thank you. The freshmen are now on the flying ship bound for the competition venue. Let's cut to the freshmen."
The camera faithfully recorded the scene above the joint military exercise site.
The military academy's dedicated flying ships are very large, with a total of ten ships, each heading to different routes to drop off freshmen at different locations.
The camera zooms in to capture a team on a flying ship.
Five freshmen greeted the camera with a countdown playing in the background.
“3, 2, 1.”
With a click.
Their feet were empty, and they were freely falling in the sky with bright yellow parachutes on their backs, their speed getting faster and faster!
It was not until it fell into the air and suddenly opened the parachute that its speed slowed down.
[WK, just throw it down like that, without giving me a chance to hesitate]
This is too brutal.
[That's nothing. You've never seen people jumping without parachutes. That's even scarier.]
Yun Fuyu was in one of the boats, with Zhou Bai and Seraphina sitting on his left and right.
Zhou Bai asked in a low voice: "Are you scared?"
Yun Fuyu gripped the armrest tightly: "A little bit."
All three of them were wearing parachute packs and goggles, and were fixed in place by shoulder-mounted safety bars.
When it is their turn to parachute, the system will give them a reminder ten seconds in advance and the metal pole will rise synchronously.
In ten seconds, the bottom of the hold would open—and they would go “whoosh” and fall in a parabola.
......It could also be an "ow".
Different teams are separated by opaque devices, so they cannot see each other and prevent each other's landing points from being revealed in advance.
On each route, the flying ship will only drop a new team after one team has completely landed, to ensure that the students will not encounter them before they land.
Zhou Bai: "If you're scared, just close your eyes. Hold onto Seraphina with one hand and me with the other. You'll be fine. The parachute will automatically open. Even if it doesn't, I can use my mental strength to cushion your landing and you won't get hurt."
Seraphina: "You should hold on to him. That way, he'll be more flexible. There's a tree below, and if two people hold on to him, I'm afraid it won't be safe when he lands."
As soon as the words fell, a mechanical voice prompt sounded: "Team No. 81, prepare to parachute."
“10, 9, 8,…”
The protective device slowly rises.
Yun Fuyu's heart rate suddenly quickened.
Zhou Bai grabbed Yun Fuyu's hand, and sweat broke out slightly where he was holding it tightly.
Because he was abducted by Chao Zhao for a while, Yun Fuyu only caught up with the tail end of the military academy's field survival training and did not try parachuting.
I don't know how high it is below.
“3, 2, 1.”
With a hum, the bottom of the cabin opened.
They didn't know how far they were from the ground, but the towering trees of the forest beneath their feet shrank to tiny dots.
So high.
Yun Fuyu's mind went blank for a moment.
Then, the feeling of weightlessness of free fall suddenly enveloped him.
Zhou Bai: “Woohoo——”
Amid the fierce wind, Zhou Bai's shouting could be faintly heard.
Zhou Bai grabbed Yun Fuyu's hand tightly.
The roaring wind vibrated the eardrums, all the blood in the body rushed to the top of the head, and the heart was gripped by the tightening feeling of weightlessness.
In the face of the huge wind resistance, the warmth of Zhou Bai's palm was the only anchor.
Zhou Bai yelled: "Close your eyes——"
The sound was barely audible, but Yun Fuyu did not close his eyes. Instead, he stared straight ahead without blinking.
The skyline was a strange deep blue, and in the distance it seemed as if there were glaciers spreading out, reflecting a glow that stretched for thousands of miles.
Yun Fuyu tried hard to look back.
The ancient forest stretches as far as the eye can see, lush green and deep, mysteriously covering the ends of the earth.
Black birds were flying at his feet, taking off and landing among the treetops in the forest.
The world that existed only on the screen was truly opened to him for the first time.
Amidst the huge noise, Yun Fuyu could actually hear his own heartbeat.
Boom, boom, boom—
Adrenaline takes effect quickly within a few seconds, filling the blood vessels and making the heart beat like a drum.
I couldn't hear anything in the wind, and as soon as I opened my mouth, my expression was blown out of control.
He couldn't tell whether he was shouting with Zhou Bai.
but.
So refreshing.
*
Teams of students jumped out of the flying ship like dumplings, then unfolded their bright yellow parachutes swaying in the air and floated into the deep forest.
In this kind of terrain, it is easy for unlucky people to get caught in the treetops.
Fortunately, for offensive psychics, jumping from the height of a treetop is not a big deal. If things don't work, they can slowly climb down.
As soon as they land, a portable recorder painted invisible and shielded from mental detection will float around the students.
During combat, the recorder will hide in the air and will not affect the action.
There are also hidden cameras everywhere in the forest.
The live broadcast room is divided into team live broadcast room and single live broadcast room, which will faithfully record the contestants' itinerary status.
The order of push notifications in the live broadcast room will change depending on the intensity or importance of the event.
Viewers can also switch to the main live broadcast room.
The host will select certain star teams for commentary, usually freshmen from each family, especially those with high mental power levels and outstanding appearance.
After all, the First Military Academy was funded by the families of the Seven Towers. Some nobles naturally wanted to take the opportunity to promote their own wilderness survival products, and the live broadcast of military exercises also had a certain commercial nature.
But no matter whether they are receiving attention or not, the faces on the screen are all young and full of vitality, whether excited or serious.
Every year's military exercises are fraught with danger. I hope all the new students return safely...they are the future warriors of the Alliance.
[The casualty rate on the battlefield is already high enough, is it necessary to make the admission requirements so strict?]
[There's no other way. After graduation, most of them will be assigned to polluted areas. It's no exaggeration to say that the First Military Academy is humanity's strongest line of defense.]
[Being eliminated due to lack of strength is not necessarily a bad thing]
*
Among the live broadcast rooms of hundreds of teams, Team 81 is undoubtedly at the bottom of the popularity list.
However, popularity does not affect whether or not one can pass the level, and it has nothing to do with these contestants.
Seraphina's suggestion was correct.
Because her parachute got caught on a branch, Seraphina was forced to land on the top of a giant tree. Fortunately, she used her mental power to cut off the parachute and landed flexibly.
Zhou Bai tried his best to protect Yun Fuyu and landed on the other side.
The ground was thickly piled with dead branches and leaves that had accumulated over the years. They felt soft to the touch and emitted a subtle scent of decaying plants.
Occasionally, the quiet chirping of birds can be heard.
Looking around, there was nothing.
All three of them were wearing the military academy's uniform combat uniforms, and each had a backpack filled with enough nutrient solution and clean water for three days.
There were no weapons, no medicine, no maps, and certainly no tents, blankets, or anything like that.
If you want to get these better supplies, you have to actively search for supply points or compete for airdrops.
Yun Fuyu turned the bracelet on her wrist.
This bracelet is only used to record scores or call the invigilator and cannot be used for communication.
The team's primary task is to survive the ten days safely, and their secondary task is to hunt star beasts to earn points.
As for attacking other students, I didn't even think about it.
There are only three people in the team, so it is best not to conflict with other teams unless absolutely necessary.
After three days, basic supplies will be exhausted, and the team must find a way to obtain supplies before then.
Lin Chaosheng's spiritual body split into two, like a green ring, wrapped around Yun Fuyu's little finger.
Zhou Bai asked awkwardly, "Can you feel where that guy is?"
Yun Fuyu shook his head: "Of course he can't feel it, but he can probably feel us."
At this moment, the sky above flickered a few times, and the flowing light outlined the contours of the sky system.
Sky screen system broadcast:
"All students have arrived at the venue, and the 391st joint military exercise has officially begun."
The fierce competition began instantly.
Score changes are not made public, and students only know their own scores, not others', which forces all students to persevere in their competition.
Elimination information will be broadcast in real time on the skylight system.
"Beep—Team 79 Youan, eliminated."
Above the distant deep forest, a line of flickering words appeared in the sky.
After a few seconds, the words were quickly replaced by new messages without a trace.
Everyone looked up and felt a tightness in their hearts.
This is the first unlucky freshman to be eliminated this year.
The audience watching the live broadcast in the live broadcast room couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.
[Luckily, the student was severely injured by the Star Beast and fell unconscious. His teammates promptly sought help from the invigilator, saving his life.]
[This luck is too bad. There are so many free-scoring Star Beasts, but he just happened to come face to face with a high-level Star Beast as soon as he landed.]
[You should have thought about this when you signed up. If you don't have the strength, don't try to force it. The death cases in the past are no joke.]
I hope there will be no more accidental deaths this year.
*
The far side of the forest.
Lin Chaosheng could indeed feel the approximate direction of Yun Fuyu.
...But this is too far!
Even though he had anticipated the size of the joint military exercise venue, Lin Chaosheng did not expect his luck to be so bad - he and Yun Fuyu were almost at the two ends of the venue.
Continuously and remotely maintaining the release of his mental energy caused Lin Chaosheng's mental energy consumption rate to increase exponentially.
But it’s not my limit, I can barely hold on.
The team that Lin Chaosheng is in is composed entirely of offensive psychics.
This also means that they must adopt radical tactics and search for potential supply points right from the start to obtain mental drainage potions as quickly as possible to make up for the lack of a drainage instructor in the team.
These people are of similar level to Lin Chaosheng and have straightforward personalities. They had agreed in advance to distribute team points according to contribution values, and there was no situation where four led one. Lin Chaosheng only needed to fight normally.
The forest was very quiet.
The area they were in seemed to be at the edge of the forest, with a moderate density of trees, making movement easy.
The five people sneaked swiftly and stealthily, skillfully avoiding dead branches and leaves with every step, and instead stepped on the tilted and exposed tree roots to prevent making any sound.
The captain turned his head slightly and looked at Lin Chaosheng.
It’s okay, I can actually keep up.
If Lin Chaosheng fell behind, they would definitely not care.
None of the teams have a map, but the people in charge of arranging the venue at the school will give corresponding hints.
For example, on the tree trunk, there will be a green arrow at intervals, which means that if you walk in this direction, you will reach the nearest fixed supply point in a straight line.
The numbers on the arrows range from 1 to 5. The larger the number, the greater the quantity and variety of supplies.
The larger the supply point, the wider the area covered by the guidance arrow.
For example, the guidance arrow for a level 1 supply point will only appear within a 2km radius of it.
The guidance arrows of the Level 5 supply station are spread over a radius of 30 kilometers and will attract as many students as possible.
They were targeting a third-level supply point where supplies were limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
The team members carefully surrounded the supply point, with two people guarding the door and the rest going in to search.
"Luckily, there's plenty of diversion aid."
They quickly packed the necessary supplies, prioritizing purified water, diuretics, and medicines for treating injuries, leaving the remaining space for nutrient solution.
Water and medicine are the most precious and take priority over food.
Theoretically, if you are hungry, you can also solve the problem by hunting star beasts.
"It's a pity that the backpack has limited space, so the things I can't put in there will just be given away to others."
They also have to hunt star beasts to earn points, so it is impossible for them to stay at the supply point all the time.
Some people will also adopt the tactic of surviving to the end, with a group of people occupying the supply point and relying on abundant supplies to resist other students who try to approach.
But this tactic is too cowardly!
As a team from the Chao family, there must be a lot of people watching the live broadcast room, and they don’t want to be cowards.
If you want to score points, hunting star beasts is the most satisfying way.
*
In comparison, Yun Fuyu's team had very bad luck.
It was quiet when we first landed, but soon, we heard the sound of intense fighting nearby.
Why are there so many people!
Zhou Bai cursed inwardly.
"Run over there!"
The three of them quickly changed direction.
Seraphina's spiritual body, the giant eagle, took the lead, Yun Fuyu was in the middle, and Zhou Bai was in the rear.
"No, there seems to be someone in front!"
Ying discovered that there were people blocking their way not far from the new direction, so the three of them changed direction again and fled. It was a chaotic scene.
From time to time, huge explosions could be heard from the dense forest far behind him.
"boom--!!"
A fight broke out, and it was unclear if the enemy was a star beast or another student.
A huge tree in the distance, its pointed top shook for a moment, and then collapsed with a loud bang.
Yun Fuyu looked back, but his view was blocked by the dense forest and he could not see anything.
The three of them ran even faster.
*
On the first day, the students were full of energy and the competition was particularly fierce.
In order to avoid the attack, the Yun Fuyu team was hiding all day long.
The sounds of fighting did not stop until night fell.
Seraphina's giant eagle carried the three people one by one to the slanting branches of the giant tree.
It is unknown how many years the ancient tree is, but the branches from the middle upwards are extremely strong, with many places like small platforms where people can stand, extending horizontally upwards, which are very suitable for leaning on.
They found an angle between the main trunk and a huge branch.
The platform here is a bit wider and is a good place to spend the night. Leaning against the main trunk or branches, you don't have to worry about falling.
After Yun Fuyu sat down, he took the initiative to propose:
"Let me give you some spiritual counseling."
In the past, Yun Fuyu would give guidance to his teammates after almost every battle, and he was already very skilled at it.
Seraphina: "No battle today, so I feel like it's okay if I don't vent?"
In the deep forest at night, it was pitch black.
The dense branches and leaves blocked the simulated moonlight from the sky, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that you couldn't see your hand in front of you under the forest.
They didn't have flashlights, and even if they did, they wouldn't dare use them at night.
The darkness and silence made the illusory roars of star beasts that came from time to time in the distance even more terrifying.
In this dangerous environment where the mind is extremely tense and you may be ready to fight at any time, if you are alone, it is easy to feel fear, and then become overloaded with stress, unable to bear the difficulties and collapse.
The purpose of the counselor in the team is to prevent this situation.
Taking this into consideration, Yun Fuyu insisted:
"Let's just vent as usual, just consider it as a way to relieve stress."
Yun Fuyu held the hands of his teammates one by one and gave them spiritual guidance.
First it was Seraphina, then Zhou Bai.
Yun Fuyu closed his eyes and concentrated, his expression calm.
In the vision of a high-level psychic, the white face and hands of the person in front of him were so clear in the dark that they could be seen at a glance, and they simply gathered all the light nearby.
As white as a light moon.
While Zhou Bai was accepting Yun Fuyu's spiritual guidance, his mind was wandering in the sky.
As the mind was being channeled, various fragments of memories flashed through my mind.
But in the end, all thoughts will fall back on the slender white hand in the palm of your hand.
Zhou Bai couldn't help but squeeze Yun Fuyu's hand.
It’s a bit chilly. Is it too cold?
So soft.
Yun Fuyu was pinched by him for a long time and was speechless:
"Stop pinching me. I'm trying to calm down, so focus."
Zhou Bai: "Oh oh."
Finally, the counseling session was over. Zhou Bai grinned heartlessly and called out to his teammates:
"Come here, it'll be a little cold at night, let's stay close together."
As he spoke, he gently pulled Yun Fuyu, who was nearby, and let her lean on his arms.
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