Chapter 102

The school... to be precise, the last time he exchanged Star Coins, there were over a billion points, which led some people in the Federation to specifically change the rules for exchanging Star Coins based on kill counts. Even though the rules have been changed, some people in the Federation are afraid that he will affect their interests, so they are very likely not very at ease with him.

Paying close attention to his kill count is just one indication of concern.

Other examples include not informing the two teams of the true situation on Maikafuleike Planet, attempting to distract them from the unfamiliar environment and prevent them from plotting to exchange kills for Star Coins.

It was he alone who dragged down the entire Class of 26 graduating class.

Knowing from the system that the Principal was simply unlucky to have chosen Maikafukeclai Planet as the combat location, Qin Su did not believe that the Principal would be completely ignorant of Maikafuleike Planet.

However, even after they had been there for more than ten hours, no one had told them that the entire planet, except for the prisons where Prisoners were held, had been occupied by the Zerg, and that the Zerg were breeding at an abnormally high density. They also hadn't told them about the daily 'Prisoners' exercise' at noon.

The time between him discovering the anomaly and the school shifting the blame onto him during his first real-world experience was far shorter than this time.

If the school didn't care about their lives from the start, it would have announced the rules as soon as they arrived.

This time it's different. During this long wait, perhaps the school is struggling, or perhaps they are trying to do something for them?

'The school assumes they have weapons, and since only ten prisoners come up at a time, they won't die?'

I still think...

'The rules for clearing the map don't explicitly require both teams to completely clear the designated area. They've cleverly adapted; even if both teams remain completely still until the Purge time ends, since both sides Purge zero Zerg, it's considered a draw without any penalty.'

That way, they can return unscathed.

The only problem is that you can't get Star Coins.

If it's really as he thinks, then this is indeed the best result the school believes they can achieve for them right now.

The other party probably agreed because if the Class of 26 graduating class did that, they could reduce an expense.

This would have been a negligible expense in the past, but now, after two real-world experiences where they've been ripped off twice, they're determined to save wherever possible.

It's also possible that he's overthinking things, and the school doesn't care about them as much as he imagines.

No matter what the school thinks, he can't do things their way; that would make it seem like his actions are entirely under their control.

He wanted to show those who were secretly watching him and hoping he would behave like an honest kid this time what it means to be disappointed when expectations are high.

It's okay that he's at 0 now; he'll create suitable opportunities for himself later, instantly killing all 6.66 million exchangeable Star Coins when they think he's at 0.

He not only had to keep himself stuck at 6.66 million Star Coins, but also had to do his best to ensure that the classmates he had affected reached the same exchange amount.

Within the rules, they use Federation money to buy the hearts and minds of those who belong to them.

In retrospect, he should also thank the Principal for his bad luck, as he drew so many local bugs that if he accidentally fell off the Warship, he could kill them.

In order to achieve his goal, even if his classmates are now wondering why his kill stats are consistently at the bottom, he has to remain calm.

Given the incredibly high density of insects, how can he not maintain a 0-kill count? That's another kind of 'amazing' skill.

In fact, in order to maintain a score of 0, every seemingly rapid and fierce attack he made while manipulating the Mecha was actually a careful and focused selection of the attack surface. When the first attack began, he had already quickly thought of the 'landing point' of the second attack based on the range of the first attack that caused people to be startled or shaken off.

Hidden inside the Mecha, his eyes became bloodshot from looking at it so intently.

Furthermore, if this situation continues, both the online comments and the students will become extremely curious about his behavior, and the number of comments about him will only increase.

After observing his surroundings, Qin Su glanced at the noticeably increased number of bullet comments.

[I sense there's a huge conspiracy going on]

[Can't you speak properly? What kind of conspiracy is this? Whatever Su Bao is thinking, it's a great idea!]

[Maintaining 0 kills under these circumstances, falling from first to last place, is quite remarkable in a sense.]

[A scene of excessive pampering of Qin Su]

The roots of the fallen giant tree.

Qin Su only told them to report the surrounding situation, but didn't say to clear out the insects around them. He Muzhi estimated that he was different from the insects that had fallen heavily from a height and were writhing in pain on the ground. He stopped at a height of more than a meter away from them.

He Muzhi suppressed the urge to feel nauseous and, remembering that he was the Group 1, concentrated on carefully observing the damp and cold depths. Following the instructions Qin Su issued to each group leader's Optical Brain, he conducted a detailed real-world scan during the observation.

After the observation was completed, the captured images were sent to Qin Su's Optical Brain, and he immediately spoke into the Communication Channel: "Reporting to Commander 1, this is He Muzhi, the leader of Group 1, reporting on the situation in Zone 1."

He Muzhi's voice interrupted Qin Su's thoughts.

"No need to answer. Everyone who can hear me now, please listen carefully to what Group 1 Leader He Muzhi has to say later."

Based on the assigned positions, Qin Su adjusted He Muzhi's voice so that it could be heard by a specific person.

He Muzhi then saw on the Optical Brain that he and a group of classmates with varying levels of strength were connected in a Communication Channel named '1'.

He now uses Full-Band Communication in his left ear and 'single-band' communication in his right ear.

After a one-second pause to make sure the students who were about to listen were paying attention, Qin Su said to He Muzhi, "Speak."

One second he noticed the change in the Communication Channel, the next he heard Qin Su's voice granting permission to report, He Muzhi hurriedly described the situation truthfully.

The others who were excluded only heard He Muzhi's initial voice, followed by Qin Su's voice, but they didn't hear what He Muzhi said. They quickly realized that Qin Su must have opened a different Communication Channel, and that they would be in the same situation soon, so they held their breath and waited.

After He Muzhi finished his report, the group leader of Group 2 immediately took over.

The other eight group leaders followed suit.

During He Muzhi's presentation, everyone had prepared their remarks. The presentations were brief and took less than ten minutes in total, and all ten group leaders finished their presentations.

"Did you all hear that clearly?" Qin Su asked over the Full-Band Communication.

Qin Su's cold voice reached everyone's left ear, and they responded in unison, "Yes."

Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Qin Su quickly created a complete combat map and segmented diagram based on the real-world images scanned and photographed by the ten group leaders, and sent them to each student's Optical Brain.

After a three-second pause, giving each student time to check, Qin Su spoke again, "According to your respective positions, arrive at the designated locations in turn within three minutes."

Every step was meticulously planned, and Qin Su Nian gave everyone ample time, as this was their first time encountering such a dense concentration of insects.

"Receive!"

Upon hearing the students' unanimous answer, the Ten Team Leaders saw countless students maneuvering Warships of varying sizes from the top of the Mecha, orderly filing into the 'hole' they had previously torn open with brute force through bombing, and immediately finding their respective positions.

The students who arrived first took their places, and subconsciously looked at the areas that Qin Su had assigned them.

Directly above, the airspace at a 45-degree angle perpendicular to the ground; the airspace below, the ground, the water...

Every student felt their scalp tingle as they looked at the area they would be responsible for.

They finally understood why Qin Su had instructed the team leaders to blast open the breach and then enter through it.

Simply targeting the airspace from above is not enough to completely eradicate the virus.

Even if they don't understand the specific rules of this practical exercise, they can't just go through the motions...

It's true that 90% of the students came because of the bug kill count for Star Coins, but this doesn't conflict with their goal of eliminating the bugs that threaten human survival and destroy human homes.

Qin Su doesn't care about money, but his desire to eliminate the Zerg and protect humanity's home is definitely the same as theirs.

The overhead view was gone. From their current vantage point looking up from below, apart from the gap that had been blasted open earlier and was temporarily empty, the undersides of the giant leaves of the expanded canopy and the crisscrossing branches were densely covered with different kinds of insects.

As far as they could see, on the massive trunks of the trees, so large that a dozen people could not encircle them, different kinds of insects clung and climbed at close intervals.

They were of different kinds, occupying different positions, their eyes, of different colors and shapes, gazing at them intently.

The leaves and branches drooped under their weight.

The surface appears calm, but beneath it lies a lurking crisis.

On the ground were various insects that had recently fallen and were injured, wriggling around before they could escape.

The thick layer of insect corpses that had fallen to the bottom after being attacked weighed down the damp, fluffy twigs and leaves, making it rise much higher than the other untouched areas.

The surface of the Maikafukeclai Planet is perpetually shrouded in darkness. It is a rainy planet, with rain falling day and night for two-thirds of the year's 300-plus days. Underneath the giant tree, which is over 400 meters tall, most of the ground is covered in water, except for the surface that is raised up by the tree roots.

There are deep, Deep Pools, and also clear puddles where decaying leaves are clearly visible.

In the puddles, there are either clusters of eggs of different colors in their larval stage, or long, wriggling larvae that are about 1 to 5 centimeters long and have already hatched.

The insects all around were arranged in layers upon layers, and the strong visual impact was quickly fed back to the brain, giving everyone who received the image goosebumps.

Everyone: "..."

This was a precious scene of harmonious coexistence among the Zerg, something they had never witnessed before.

It's just... not very friendly to their eyes and stomachs. Let's not even talk about whether we can beat them, it's definitely disgusting.

'We're all classmates; we can't let them be the only ones causing trouble. The others need to be affected too.'

Before the three minutes were up, countless students coordinated to take photos and videos, executing a smooth, rapid-fire sequence.

When they first saw Qin Su's comprehensive attack plan, they thought Qin Su was being overly meticulous and cautious, wondering if he didn't trust their abilities.

Now, faced with the reality they've witnessed, they realize how foolish they had been to think that way.

'It still has to be Qin Su; he's too authoritative.'

If Qin Su hadn't made such meticulous arrangements, each of them would have had to face countless insects on every page and every branch in the sky, on the ground, and in the water. Not only would they not be able to switch weapons, but their eyes would be overwhelmed, and their minds simply wouldn't be able to process them.

It's alright in the short term, but in the long term, they are only truly safe at noon.

Because something bad was bound to happen sooner or later.

Three minutes is usually a short time, but now it feels so long that it makes everyone irritable, wishing they could destroy all the insects in front of them to avoid feeling uncomfortable just looking at them.

[The place was swarming with insects; the density was so high that I dreamt I'd lift the covers in the middle of the night and find my bed covered in them.]

[The scene is very relatable; it starts with the elderly person on the subway looking at their phone and subconsciously reaching for their slippers.]

[How many years has this planet been abandoned? Were all the original inhabitants eaten by these insects? Why not release Prisoners to kill them? Why let them multiply so unchecked?]

[Perhaps... you know about raising Gu worms? What if it's a supply for other planets?]

[What does this mean? After the other planets' insects were wiped out, they secretly transported some over from here? Then why were they added to the Purge team? It doesn't make sense. Is it because the winner of the power struggle is uncertain? Are the rules frequently changed?]

Qin Su could tell from the students' body language that they were resisting, but he still didn't build up their 'anger' towards the insects beforehand.

Three minutes later, Qin Su, in a serious tone, gave the order to launch the attack, "Begin!"

Just as everyone's tolerance for the insects reached its breaking point, Qin Su's order was like opening a floodgate.

In an instant, the people who had been holding their positions and staring intently at their assigned Purge Zone no longer had to endure it. They unleashed a torrent of fire, carrying, hugging, or tucking in different types of weapons.

The top is too completely shaded from the sun, and apart from shade-tolerant plants that can still grow, the rest of the area is practically bare, except for the ground where insects infest and a few trees of varying sizes.

At that moment, the rest of the previously empty and gloomy places were filled with countless insects of all sizes flapping their wings and leaping high into the air in the blink of an eye as the sounds of shooting and bombing rang out.

From everyone's own perspective, the air is so thin that the already dim and dark surface space, blocked by sunlight, is now even more crowded and dark.

'They were really surrounded by bugs.'

Without weapons to fight their way out, and without protective clothing to withstand a certain degree of damage, they would be devoured one by one by these insects that were slapping and biting them all around them.

In less than a minute, they will be completely devoured, leaving not even a skeleton.

Fortunately, under Qin Su's harsh demands and training, they had unknowingly developed a "test-taking mindset."

No matter what insects flew by, the first reaction of the students in the midst of the 1st Brigade battle was not fear, but rather a flash of knowledge about their characteristics and what weapons would be more suitable to deal with them.

More often than not, they act faster than they think, attacking their weak points. Due to the difference in strength, the success rate of a 'one-hit kill' is not high, but it has increased significantly compared to before.

These techniques are only effective against large, troublesome insects that exceed their own size. For smaller insects that lack the powerful attack capabilities of larger insects and are easily provoked if a single hit misses, regardless of their species, they can be blasted away without any skill.

The area is clearly divided into zones, with the entire squad as the center and each surrounding area having a 'master'.

Before the attack began, the Ten Team Leaders, following Qin Su's orders, piloted their Mecha, standing taller than their classmates. Their Mecha possessed greater power and defense, and they focused on protecting the students below, using their enormous mechs capable of easily swallowing a group of people in one gulp.

When things get busy, the Protagonist Group's perspective won't be on him, so Qin Su activates the solo capture camera in advance, maneuvering his Mecha to stand at the highest point, focusing on the students in 1st Brigade who, despite their hard work in past training, are lacking in various physical qualities and abilities due to their innate abilities.

His task was to ensure that no student in the entire team died.

Without killing any of the insects, Qin Su' delivered' the insects that threatened the students' lives to their doorsteps based on proximity.

As the circular formation expanded outwards with each wave of Purge, Qin Su's figure could be seen constantly moving about in his Mecha.

From the perspective of the bullet screen, wherever Qin Su went, every student who was about to die not only escaped danger thanks to Qin Su's irresistible command, but also successfully earned the kill count of the insects that were originally meant to kill them.

The comic page displays not only the constant clanging of weapons and various sounds uttered by the group during the Purge operation, but also Qin Su's calm commands interspersed throughout.

"Lin Saifan, raise the muzzle twenty centimeters upwards, fire."

"Samuel, stab him from directly behind with N-d26 Military Saber."

Samuel suddenly heard Qin Su's voice. Without even turning his head, he saw a 50-centimeter-long, round, sharp club-shaped knife piercing straight into the center of a long, white, slimy worm that had emerged from the dead branches and leaves.

"!"

Shocked as he was, Samuel dared not think too much, his heart pounding as he moved towards his assigned area on the ground, expanding outwards with the rest of the group.

"Wang Rui, eyes horizontally upward at a 35-degree angle, boom."

The student who was called upon hadn't quite processed what was going on, but his body had already honestly carried out Qin Su's orders and earned a kill.

Despite the dense swarms of insects, everyone was doing their job according to Qin Su's precise arrangements tailored to individual abilities, and at the very beginning, they were managing to cope fairly well.

Later, as time went on, most students' movements became noticeably slower.

Seeing that the stronger students in groups 1 to 3 had achieved a sufficient number of kills, Qin Su instructed the group leaders to lead their respective group members, pilot the Warships to a certain altitude, and join in protecting the other weaker students.

Using this method, Qin Su continued the Purge for over two hours until 10:30 PM. No one in the 1st Brigade died, and the expected cleanup objective was achieved.

Qin Su immediately ordered a halt to the attack. The group on the outermost edge of the circle was responsible for dropping energy-consuming nets from the sky to prevent the cleared area from being reoccupied by the surrounding insects after they left.

Other students with weaker physical fitness should rest where they are.

The protective netting was very heavy, and the Warship's energy could not support it. Qin Su and Ten Team Leaders used Mecha to hold the protective netting above the ground at a height of more than 400 meters, waiting for the people below to set up support.

While waiting, Qin Su didn't sit idle. Based on the actual battles of the previous few hours, he gained a new understanding of his classmates' strength. He busied himself calculating the number of Star Coins that could be exchanged for the kills in the group and readjusting everyone's afternoon seating arrangements based on their strength.

Every cloud has a silver lining. Thanks to the absence of humans before, the Zerg reproduced unchecked, reaching such a dense population that even their natural enemies were 'gathered together'.

They've all eaten their fill, so even when they're overlapping in the same spot, they're too lazy to bite each other, which greatly reduces their attack power, making them far less powerful than insects from other planets.

The 1st Brigade had just undergone a month of training that could barely be considered comprehensive before they arrived.

By combining these two factors, Qin Su could roughly predict the situation for the next few days.

The battle ceased, the dazzling visuals of the previous battle vanished, and the Viewers, with their God perspective, finally had time to reflect and reminisce.

[!! Brother Su's kill count is still 0]

[There's definitely a secret hidden in the heart of this Boss 1]

[The groups' positions and divisions spread outwards, truly resembling a triangular, curved cake cut into equal-sized, outward-extending layers, each decorated with a different type of fruit.]

[The corpses of the insects below Corpse Mountain and Sea of Blood; that gluttonous girl really has a good appetite, she can even make that connection.]

Is Samuel really that strong? His kill count is so high?

With the protective netting in place, Qin Su thought of the Jump Point Platform and ordered a return trip without hesitation.

This order caught everyone off guard.

In their view, there's still plenty of time; why go back now?

"Commander 1," Lailisi, who never kept secrets, declared loudly, "We can still fight."

"I know," Qin Su said calmly.

This isn't a question of whether or not they can fight; it's about him getting everyone back to see the Prisoners on the Jump Point Platform.

Qin Su could roughly guess what the Prisoners would do.

In that appalling environment, the group of antisocial Prisoners had long since gone mad; for them, death was nothing.

Moreover, for Prisoners who have been fanatically fond of these things for decades or even centuries but have never touched them, the sight of so many Spaceships, Warships, and weapons on board is an extraordinary delicacy.

They will never stay put.

He's already won people's hearts, so naturally the students won't stay in the insect-exterminating army forever. He'll naturally let the students see these things in advance.

"Let's go, let's go back." Qin Su said, and took the lead in leaving.

Behind him was the 1st Brigade, who, though puzzled, obediently followed.

--

Fourth Military Academy.

Aiseboer stormed into Zhang Minglang's office, and the first thing he asked was about Qin Su's kill count.

Zhang Minglang stared at the last number, 0, and said in a low voice, "0."

Hearing that Qin Su had zero kills, Aiseboer's heart sank slightly. He patted his chest and said, "It wasn't for nothing that I argued with the others for so long. Qin Su finally behaved himself for once. Now our school can finally get back some ground... wait."

At this point, Aiseboer belatedly realized something was amiss. "How much did you say?"

"See for yourself." Zhang Minglang didn't say much, showing his Optical Brain interface.