Chapter 134
That was a good thing, don't do it next time.
Let's go.
Qin Su put on the helmet, and with a click, the streamlined red lines adorning the activated Underwater Combat Suit flashed red light for a moment.
Qin Su clearly remembered that he was currently in the Transport squad and did not need to activate the red light on his Combat Suit to attract fire. The moment the Combat Suit was activated, he would mentally shut down the red light and continuously drive the submarine through the outer circular defense circle of the Spaceship.
Although they are submarines, for the sake of convenient weapon delivery, underwater submarines are similar to Warships used in air combat, except for waterproofing. Unless they actively raise a transparent dome to cover the entire exposed upper half in order to avoid attacks, they are used much like air Warships.
The instant they passed through the Spaceship's protective layer and found themselves in the Abyss, all light vanished, leaving only endless darkness in all directions. Qin Su's figure disappeared from everyone's sight.
Without a second thought, the Transport Team members followed Qin Su's footsteps and successively crossed the Spaceship's protective layer.
As each submarine departed, faint, ethereal blue ripples repeatedly appeared on the surface of the arc-shaped protective aura.
As the submarine passed, the protective layer quickly returned to its original state, becoming transparent in the dark environment.
The members of Team 1 and Team 3 watched as Team 2, led by Qin Su, left one after another. At first, they didn't think anything was amiss. But after Transport Team 2 had all left, someone in the crowd spoke up, saying, "Let's go out too."
"Gogogo!"
"Keep up, don't fall too far behind."
Suddenly, a puzzled voice rang out. "Wait a minute, students, normally it should be the combat team, that is, our Team 1, walking in front, followed by Team 3 protecting us, and the members of Transport Team 2 walking at the very back. How come the entire Transport Team is in front now?"
Team 3: "..."
Hearing the puzzled voices coming through the Full-Band Communication, Qin Su thought to himself, "You've finally discovered the Reversal of Heavenly Gang."
"Let me clarify, we really didn't mean anything by it. We just didn't realize it and instinctively followed Qin Su."
"Whatever, this confidence of being the first to set off gives me the feeling that things are finally looking up for our Transport Team, which is pretty good."
"Hey, we're still here, tone it down."
"Exactly, without Qin Su, the Transport Team would be nothing."
"On the other hand, if it weren't for Qin Su, I never imagined that someone like me, who was becoming increasingly useless in the Transport profession, would one day pick up a weapon again and charge to the front lines."
The people in Class 66 already knew from the people in Class 6 that Qin Su generally wouldn't turn on Full-Band Communication to listen to their nonsense except when he was giving orders. So, they left the Spaceship's protective layer with the people in Class 6 chatted away with them without worry.
As arranged by Qin Su, the groups of three were mutually bound together.
Qin Su's team members are (Class 66) Richards and Lifi. Richards is responsible for combat, and Lifi is responsible for protecting Alec's safety.
The two men come from different planets, and their families have a certain influence in their respective local communities. Some of the goodwill he gained among the original comic book users was due to positive coverage from the media outlets controlled by both of them.
Although he made this rotation arrangement so that everyone would intersect and gradually weave a network of connections, he was a selfish person who also had to protect his own interests and obtain the 'rewards' he needed.
Richards is a beta, and his abilities in all aspects are at the bottom of Class 66.
Lifi is an Omega, and his overall strength is in the middle of Class 66.
If danger arises and Lifi is unable to handle it, he will have the opportunity to help.
Based on the coordinates of the team members linked together on the Optical Brain, Qin Su saw Richards leave the Spaceship's protective perimeter and controlled the submarine to move in Richards' direction.
Richards had just emerged from the protective perimeter, his mind still racing with tension because Qin Su was in his assigned group. Despite a long period of relaxation, he was still incredibly nervous when he heard a low, cold voice from behind him.
"Aren't you moving?" Qin Su stopped a meter away from Richards. Based on past experience, Qin Su could roughly understand that everyone was waiting for their group to make a move.
The fact is that as he moved quickly, he saw his classmates come out and their eyes involuntarily focused on him, as if they didn't see the different insects attracted from the surrounding area by the red light emanating from the members of Team 1.
Richards had been gone from the circle for three seconds and showed no sign of moving. Qin Su, determined to make sure everything proceeded according to his plan, including the timing, whispered a reminder.
After all, according to his arrangement, the combat team members held leadership positions within the group.
Unless there are special circumstances, he will issue instructions to all members based on the facts. Under normal circumstances, such as now when no accidents occur, he should act according to Richards' needs. He and Lifi should act in accordance with Richards' actions, and Richards must act first.
Lifi witnessed Qin Su and the submarine appear together, their figures like ghosts, flashing behind Richards, a member of the team, in the blink of an eye.
Even though Qin Su was in the Transport Team, the Class 6 and (Class 66, who had been trained to have conditioned reflexes, subconsciously looked for Qin Su's figure.
Using the red light emanating from the Team 1 members, almost everyone saw Qin Su teleport behind Richards.
"!"
Wow, so fast!
Even underwater, the water seemed to offer no resistance to the submarine controlled by Qin Su speed was so fast that they couldn't even see him.
As everyone gasped in astonishment, Richards visibly stiffened, swallowed hard beneath his Combat Suit, and stared at the combat route map Qin Su had clearly marked for each group. His mouth moved faster than his brain, and he quickly replied, "Let's move!"
Then he kicked his legs hard, wading through the water, and headed straight for his assigned Purge route.
Thanks to Qin Su's previous training, they were able to move freely in the water even without wearing special Underwater Combat Suits. Now, wearing specialized equipment, it's as if they have divine assistance.
According to Qin Su's prediction, given the students' condition during training, they should be as light as swallows even in the water.
Of course, all of this is based on the premise of controlling the Combat Suit via Neural Link.
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Richards kicked his legs wildly, but his body was floating in the water at a slow speed, clearly not using the aid of his Combat Suit, relying entirely on brute force.
Qin Su: "..."
Being young has its advantages; even underwater, it's full of boundless energy.
It was his fault; he hadn't considered things carefully. He hadn't realized that Richards, like himself, would be unconsciously affected in such a visually enclosed and suffocating environment, both physically and mentally.
His sudden appearance startled Richards. Now, he'd have to give Richards a heads-up before he acts, lest he interfere with Richards' performance, end up losing more than he gains, and cause Richards to have a worse impression of him.
"Ahem..." Lifi to the team channel and whispered a reminder, "Richards, this isn't training. We're wearing professional Combat Suit now, so we don't have to swim on our own."
Richards's bent legs, which had been kicking, froze in the water before quickly straightening. He used the 'buff' from his Combat Suit while muttering, "... Haha, sorry, I just got used to kicking."
Although he didn't know what he had done to deserve being assigned to the same group as Qin Su, he was secretly happy. However, the pressure was just too great. His skills weren't that great to begin with, and now, in his nervousness, he even embarrassed himself in front of Qin Su.
'Could Qin Su be feeling disappointed that all the training he received recently was for nothing?'
'No, no, no, this is just the beginning. As long as he calms down, he'll have plenty of opportunities to salvage his image!'
Through the Visual Helmet, Qin Su saw that the other students hadn't moved yet. As he moved towards Richards, he deliberately made a "hmm" sound, both to indicate that he had heard and responded to Richards' words, and to remind Richards of his presence so that he wouldn't be startled again.
Richards was flattered and overwhelmed by Qin Su's response. A spark of hope rekindled in his heart, and he quickly moved toward his destination while trying to calm himself down.
Lifi followed.
When the other groups saw Qin Su move, they rushed towards the coordinates he had marked for Qin Su.
Having learned from Richards's past mistakes, no one made the same mistake of "relying on brute force to kick the water".
Richards quickly arrived at the destination and mindlessly began the Purge according to the route he was assigned.
As the red lines on the Combat Suit emitted a streamlined light, they also began to silently emit light waves that were effective only against most of the underwater Zerg in Vagakupo, but had no Light Wave on ordinary underwater creatures that had not mutated and were classified as Zerg.
The insects that were originally swimming sparsely in the water were gradually attracted by the red light on the Combat Suit of Team 1 and gathered in groups.
Qin Su used the Spaceship's landing point as the center, and the Purge team circled around it. As the Purge gradually spread outward, the area of the school that was divided between Class 66) and Class 6) was gradually cleared.
The map, issued by the school and transferred by Alec to Qin Su, now only visible to Qin Su, shows a clear ring of red dots surrounding the Spaceship. Countless pale red lines of varying lengths with gray shadows radiate outwards. The blood-red dots representing the members of Team 1 have not yet begun to disperse.
'Here they come!'
As Richards saw the transparent, winding, ribbon-like worm moving forward along the trajectory towards him, its name flashed through his mind—it had appeared in Qin Su's test of their knowledge of the underwater Zerg in Vagakupo.
Before he could even think, Richards' hand had already swiftly reached for the weapon suitable to kill it, and he instinctively aimed the gun at its large, blue-gold pupil on its head—the only thing on its body with color, and also its fatal weakness.
Splat!
Particle Bullet, designed for long-range attacks, penetrate impenetrable water at a slower speed than on the ground, missing their target and landing near an eyeball the size of a human head.
The transparent skin of the Mottled-Robe Scales broke open, sending up wisps of white, fluffy material in the water. The blue-gold eyeballs, protruding from their white, fleshy sockets, bulged out by about a third. Below the eyeballs, a transparent, soft band more than seven meters long opened in the center, revealing transparent, flower-like tentacles. It then charged rapidly toward Richards.
"!"
Richards' first attack failed to kill him, and he saw the enormous eyeball and the long, flower-like abdomen coming towards him. Before he could even feel disappointed, he nervously fired several more shots in quick succession.
Most of the bullets missed their mark, a small number hit the Mottled-Robe Scale, and there was more fluffy material. Only three Particle Bullets hit three different spots in the Mottled-Robe Scale's eyeball.
The Mottled-Robe Scale's eyeball shattered and exploded, instantly killing it. Its body, which had been hurtling halfway, plummeted downwards.
Not far away, hidden in the darkness, Lifi, who was responsible for protecting Richards, breathed a sigh of relief.
According to Qin Su's arrangement, they should not take action unless it is a critical moment, and should try to let the Team 1 handle things themselves.
But...
She thought her aim was bad enough, but after seeing Richards, she realized that someone was even worse than her. She wondered what Qin Su would think when he saw this. Would he be disappointed in the people of Class 66)? After all, although they were considered weak by other classes, they were no different from other classes in Qin Su's eyes. Now that they had trained for a long time and were about to engage in actual combat, Richards' performance did not seem very good.
Although curious about Qin Su's reaction, Lifi didn't take her eyes off Richards for even a second. She firmly remembered that her task was to keep a close watch on Richards the entire time, ensuring his safety, and she couldn't afford to be distracted.
Whether it's Richards or her, they are both members of Class 66, and their words and actions represent Class 66.
Richards' accuracy has already left Qin Su speechless; she can't afford to mess up on her end either.
Before Richards could even catch his breath, he saw several more insects attacking him.
Having gained a deep understanding of his accuracy in actual combat, Richards dared not hesitate any longer. He switched to a weapon with a large attack range and began a barrage of charged attacks.
Boom boom boom...
Lifi: "..."
Could Qin Su think Richards is wasting resources?
Qin Su remained hidden in the darkness, keeping an eye on Richards and Lifi's movements while silently calculating the supplies Richards was consuming, ready to replenish them at any time.
As for the other groups, according to his arrangement, today Team 1 consists entirely of students from the lower-ranked classes, while Team 3, responsible for Transport and protection, are all students from the better classes. Each group has two pairs of eyes watching one person, so as long as they don't mess things up, there's a 90% chance that no one will have any problems.
He doesn't need to worry.
For now, he only needs to focus on his team members Richards and Lifi.
Seeing that half an hour had passed since Richards was attacked by the first insect, without even a moment to catch his breath, Qin Su silently sympathized with Richards and quietly replenished his supplies.
The combat team had to both Purge the enemy and destroy their own nests; it was quite a tough job.
Fortunately, he was a master of fairness. Since everyone was already there, he made sure everyone got a turn, regardless of the activity, so everyone could take turns resting and adjusting.
Richards only needs to work hard today; the rest of the time he can enjoy easy, carefree days like him.
Richards' aim was poor, and the group consumed more supplies than the others. Qin Su's submarine ran out of supplies after half an hour. Before leaving to return to the Spaceship to replenish supplies, Qin Su made sure to tell Lifi and Richards.
Every team strictly followed Qin Su's orders. The members of Team 1 only saw Qin Su leave, but the continuous swarms of insects left them no time to pay attention to anything else. The members of Team 3 saw Qin Su's submarine disappear in an instant, but their eyes didn't leave their own Team 1 members for even a moment.
Their eyes were busy, but their mouths were. Taking advantage of Qin Su's absence, the tense atmosphere eased somewhat, and they chatted idly.
"Qin Su is gone. Richards's energy consumption rate... Could Brother Su have a problem with our (Class 66?"
"I don't know, Qin Su moved too fast, I couldn't see him at all in the corner of my eye."
"Compared to this... I've realized how easy it is to be underwater; it feels different from the underwater Transport I did before."
"That's true. Without comparison, there's no difference. We've never had it this easy when we were doing underwater Transport before."
Why are the lengths of everyone's combat routes different?
"Have no idea."
"Oh right, why is mine so short? He Muzhi's group's are so long?"
"Wait a minute, have you noticed that the Spaceship is getting smaller and smaller?"
Upon hearing this, most of the people in Team 3 focused their attention and looked behind them through their 360-degree Visual Helmets. They discovered that the Spaceship, which had appeared enormous when combined in the Abyss, now appeared tiny in the Abyss even with their scopes magnified to the maximum, without any external light.
As they get further and further away, even with the aid of their Visual Helmets, they eventually won't be able to see the Spaceship with their naked eyes and will have to rely on the punctuated routes on their Optical Brain to reach Spaceship location.
"The Spaceship can shrink so much, no wonder I always feel like I can't breathe even though the oxygen level is full... Shh, Qin Su is back."
The previously noisy channel immediately fell silent.
Qin Su: "..."
How could he tell his classmates that he had kept Full-Band Communication on the whole time, and that he had heard everything, whether he should or shouldn't have?
Qin Su, who was secretly monitoring the situation, estimated Richards' consumption and replenished Richards supplies.
Lifi: "..."
Based on their past experience, Richards would discover the shortage of supplies himself, and then send a request for replenishment to the Transport team, namely Qin Su, listing the required supplies.
Richards clearly wasn't interested in that now, and Qin Su easily noticed this, silently and accurately tracking Richards' movements. The supplies she replenished were so precise that even she, as an observer, was amazed.
They didn't show the slightest disdain for Richards' food.
'Qin Su truly... meticulous and thorough in his planning regarding Richards' supply replenishment! What makes Richards so capable?'
'Wait... does this mean that Qin Su has absolutely no Richards issues with wasting resources and having extremely poor aim?'
Lifi: "..."
Anyone who comes to their senses afterward will envy Richards.
--
Meanwhile, in other areas of Vagakupo, the Full-Band Communication among the classes was filled with discussions about Qin Su as the battles continued.
Although the other classes had trained with Qin Su for almost a week, upon arriving at their destination, they habitually adopted the traditional Purge method. If there was a Transport class, the Transport major would still be responsible for Transport; if not, the two classes would compete against each other, with the class with stronger overall strength taking charge of the front-line battle, or the senior class Class Monitor would directly assign the junior class to be responsible for Transport, with absolutely no room for negotiation.
Regardless of the method or the specific tasks involved in the Purge, the platoons that trained with Qin Su all clearly felt the significant difference shortly after entering the water.
"Now I understand why Qin Su didn't let us wear Underwater Combat Suits during training, but rather regular Training Uniform. With the previous comparison, I feel like a mermaid in the water now. Moving around is so much more comfortable. My movement speed and kill rate have improved significantly, and my fear of water has greatly decreased."
"The only pity is that we still don't know what Qin Su's plans are."
"Regardless of the plan, given Qin Su's strength, Qin Su will definitely be fighting on the front lines, just like us now."
"Isn't that obvious? Do you think Qin Su would do something as pointless as Transport? That would be a complete waste of his abilities."
"That's not necessarily true. Do you think you can guess Qin Su's thoughts with your level of expertise?"
"Instead of being curious, you might as well just send a private message to someone in Class 6 or Class 66 and ask, or check on the Forum. If you can't find it, start a thread. Given the way those people in Class 6 are obsessed with showing off Qin Su, they simply can't hold back from showing off anything about Qin Su."
"Oh right, I'll go send it."
"Hey, my friend's in Class 66). How about we start a betting game while there's not much news on the Forum?"
"We have to open it! We'll be getting Star Coins soon anyway, I'll buy Qin Su to handle the fighting!"
"I like niche markets; I'll have Qin Su handle the Transport."
"Laughable! Those hoping for an upset victory are just waiting to lose."
Hearing this, the lower-level class responsible for Transport was dissatisfied but remained silent. They silently resolved to try their best to choose a combat class when selecting their major, otherwise they would end up like this, timidly suffering in silence. They also silently bought Qin Su in charge of the combat team.
Transport and such... even ordinary students like them wouldn't be interested, so why would Qin Su choose it?
--
At 6 p. m., the students in Team 1 of Class 6) and Class 66) saw that it was already the end time marked on the schedule, and then they heard Qin Su's voice coming through the Full-Band Communication.
"Fall back."
Qin Su appeared indifferent, but in reality, seeing that the students in Team 1 had completed the Purge route he had given them for the day as he had predicted, he secretly gave himself a thumbs up.
'The data wasn't wasted; he calculated it correctly, and all his effort wasn't wasted. He's truly amazing.'
He needs to leave quickly to give his classmates space, let them discover what happened, and then, in their shock, increase their goodwill towards him out of admiration, thus increasing their Life Points. Otherwise... his plans would have been for nothing.
After pondering for a moment, Qin Su simply teleported away.
The members of the three teams heard Qin Su's voice and came to their senses only to see Qin Su's figure disappear before their eyes, his speed still astonishing them.
"Did you guys notice that Qin Su accurately calculated our Purge progress for today?!" Just as Qin Su expected, after chatting for a short while on the way back, someone easily discovered the fact that Qin Su wanted them to see by following today's Purge route.
"Holy crap! Really! What is Qin Su doing... Wait a minute, my friend asked me a few hours ago whether Qin Su is in charge of Transport or combat?"