Chapter 161

'If Onion dies, they... will they die too?'

Their parents, or the butlers, assistants, and so on sent by their families, all flocked to Middleton to rescue Onion.

In order to maintain Onion's absolute dominance and freedom, Middleton would naturally not arrange people with stronger backgrounds Pheromones, etc. than his own children in Onion's class. They already understood this fact when they were assigned to Class 6).

Previously, although they had always known that Onion was more important than anyone else here, that feeling had never been so 'real' as it was now.

Those who came with the Fourth Military Academy (First Military Academy Class 6 Fourth Military Academy Class 6) but did not escape with Onion and the others did not have much better expressions than those who went with Onion.

Despair enveloped everyone in First Military Academy Class 6.

Qin Su watched Middleton and the others silently. They arrived at an inopportune time, just as Kerr Armored Scorpion was at its peak.

Even with all our efforts, we cannot turn the situation around.

Although the fissures quickly swallowed Onion's body, and Middleton witnessed it all, he was clearly unwilling to accept the outcome.

Seeing Middleton's bloodshot eyes, and to avoid being caught in the crossfire, Qin Su immediately ordered his classmates in the Full-Band Communication of the Fourth Military Academy Class 6: "Retreat 500 meters."

While still stunned by the First Military Academy, the students of Fourth Military Academy Class 6, upon hearing Qin Su's command, acted faster than they thought.

One by one, the Warships retreated in seconds.

Qin Su noticed that all his classmates had retreated to the rear in an instant before he controlled his Warship to flash to a position slightly ahead of them.

Before leaving, Qin Su secretly took control of a Warship that had been launched from the First Military Academy's Spaceship.

Almost immediately after retreating, Qin Su saw Middleton, in a fit of rage, maneuvering his Spaceship to frantically attack the crack that was engulfing Onion.

Qin Su: "..."

That's why they say father and son are like family; they get carried away and forget the realities of the situation.

There's a sense of madness about it, as if it doesn't care about the lives of the locals.

Unfortunately, the Kerr Armored Scorpion showed no mercy to any human. Its frenzied attacks failed to close the collapsed gap and instead provoked an even fiercer attack from the Kerr Armored Scorpion.

The Kerr Armored Scorpion, having pulled both pincers out of the thick ice, swung its large pincers at the Warships while struggling to pull its hindquarters out.

The relentless bombardment loosened and cracked the frozen ice, easing the 'seal' pressing down on the rear half of the Kerr Armored Scorpion's body. Its body, which gradually decreased in size from head to tail, each segment covered by a massive armor shell, was stained with a brilliant color by the barrage of fire...

Through the controlled Warships that were 'fishing in troubled waters' among countless Warships, Qin Su could clearly hear Middleton's roars.

"What are you afraid of? Get the hell out of here! Get out!"

"Points, Location Map... Damn it, why aren't Onion's points listed?"

"A signal from the Optical Brain! Yes, that's right, this is Onion's Optical Brain serial code, locate it quickly!"

Qin Su: "..."

Onion didn't enter the location, of course it can't be found.

Judging from the depth of the crevice where Onion just fell, he has already exhausted the energy that supports his flight. Even if Onion has recorded his location, it is uncertain whether the signal will be able to connect.

Moreover, has Middleton forgotten that the Combat Suit was already damaged the moment Onion's legs were easily severed by the Kerr Armored Scorpion? The basic 'insulation' function was severely damaged, and even if the person is found, there is a 99% chance that it will only be a corpse.

That one percent uncertainty... is because the average lifespan in this world is three hundred years, and their physical condition is definitely better than that of ordinary Earthlings, perhaps even more resistant to cold? Qin Su dared not be absolutely certain.

They had witnessed Onion's situation firsthand. Those who were dominated by Middleton's roars were forced to understand Middleton's feelings due to various factors. Although they knew very well that Onion was unlikely to find such a situation, no one dared to refute it. Following Middleton's orders, they were doing useless 'work' while facing the constant danger of being crushed into pieces by a single pincer from the Kerr Armored Scorpion.

The moment the Spaceship forcibly emerged from the Jump Channel, they had clearly seen how a tiny 'barb' on the outside of the Kerr Armored Scorpion's pincers had easily severed Onion's legs as easily as a hair.

In the brief minute or so they obeyed Middleton's furious orders, more than thirty soldiers were crushed to death on the snow like mosquitoes by Kerr Armored Scorpion, and soon swallowed up by the ever-widening Abyss fissures, just like Onion.

However, their deaths didn't attract Middleton's attention at all; Middleton only hated them for being useless, dying for no reason...

They naturally didn't want to die either, and their performance was so genuine it was almost perfect. Their actions, voices, and expressions were all perfectly in line with Middleton's needs; they wouldn't give up even a fraction of their lives.

The students of Fourth Military Academy Class 6 witnessed the 'rescue' from a safe position.

"How long are they going to keep bombing? If this continues, the Kerr Armored Scorpion is too powerful to kill, and the area of destruction it causes will only keep expanding."

"What can we do then? Advise? You dare?"

"Forget it, I'm afraid I'll be indiscriminately bombed to death before I even get close. They don't even care about the lives of their own people, let alone ours."

"But... why doesn't Onion climb up? Of course, I don't mean to mock Onion, I just genuinely don't understand."

"Did you go too far?"

Is it possible that he can't climb up?

"What are you thinking? He's an Alpha with a high Pheromone level. Any random Omega in our class could climb up to that level, there's no reason why an Alpha couldn't. Besides, even the people from the First Military Academy couldn't save him, it's just so strange... Ugh!"

Before Anthony could finish speaking, Raymond quickly covered his mouth.

Raymond blinked at Anthony so hard his eyes were practically twitching, a frantic hint: You're so daring, you're asking for it!

Although Anthony didn't finish his sentence, the students of Fourth Military Academy Class 6 figured out what Anthony hadn't said based on Anthony line of thought.

'Yes, it's really strange. Onion holds an absolute dominant position in First Military Academy Class 6. Even if he has Pheromones but his physical abilities are terrible and he can't climb up on his own, the people of the First Military Academy won't just sit idly by.'

The only explanation...

'They dare not.'

Thinking of this, they couldn't help but recall the scene they witnessed upon arriving at the location:

Qin Su stared coldly at Onion; the students from the First Military Academy dared not step forward.

So...

The truth is most likely...

'It was Qin Su who prevented the First Military Academy from rescuing him.'

'Qin Su wants Onion dead.'

Thinking about it this way, Qin Su didn't seem surprised at all by the appearance of Middleton First Military Academy Principal, and others. Even when they were briefly unconscious due to the strong shockwave, he skillfully helped them control the Warship and indifferently watched Middleton's madness.

Going back further, Qin Su initially insisted that they bring out members of the First Military Academy to act with them, but later remained unmoved by Onion and his group's escape attempt...

'Qin Su did it on purpose.'

It can't possibly be because of that ridiculous '500-meter rule,' right? That's laughable. How could that be? Qin Su was able to lead them in reselling surplus weapons; clearly, Qin Su is arrogant and self-centered, and there's no way he would obediently follow rules set by others.

Moreover, this rule was formulated by the First Military Academy.

"..."

Fourth Military Academy

They watched Qin Su's retreating figure ahead and fell into a brief silence.

They even suspected that Qin Su deliberately timed the event so that the people from the First Military Academy would witness Onion's death.

'Qin Su... has been provoking the First Military Academy.'

'Furthermore, given the nepotism within the First Military Academy, if Onion dies, Class 6) is highly likely to be wiped out by Middleton.'

As a result of the chain reaction, the families behind Class 6, who were within the area of total annihilation, might be secretly harboring seeds of hatred, even though they appear to be smiling at Middleton.

How can this not be considered a form of sowing discord?

This touched upon the blind spot of the Fourth Military Academy Class 6. Based on their own experience... LOL, they had no experience at all. Apart from being shocked in silence, they didn't even dare to gossip in front of Qin Su.

[No, family members, are their inner thoughts accurate? Is this really the truth?]

[Following the line of thought of Class 6), it's terrifying to think about it carefully.]

[Absolutely true, have you forgotten? No one can understand Qin Su's thoughts better than Class 6. Of course, I'm referring to Fourth Military Academy Class of 26 Class 6.]

Stop with the conspiracy theories. The facts prove that you still need to practice. If Onion had been more diligent and hadn't been just coasting along, he would have climbed up the ranks himself and everything would have been fine.

[Yes, Onion relies on his superior foundation, and Temple and others always bring the bugs to him for him to shoot during Purge. He only goes to training when he wants to teach someone a lesson. He's all show and no substance, so it's normal that he can't climb the ranks. Pheromones don't represent everything, otherwise how would betas with low-level Pheromones or no Pheromones survive?]

"?"

Weren't they looking at the First Military Academy? Why are they suddenly trying to 'guess' his thoughts? And what exactly are they trying to guess? Can they explain?

Unable to return to the Real World to read comics and learn about his classmates' thoughts, Qin Su, feeling anxious, watched as the Kerr Armored Scorpions were almost all struggling out of the ice layer, and then made his classmates retreat another kilometer.

He Muzhi's thoughts were similar to his classmates', and his gaze couldn't help but linger on Qin Su and Middleton.

As expected of Qin Su, nothing he does is meaningless.

The First Military Academy's rescue of Onion lasted for seven minutes before a 'turning point' occurred.

Middleton was nearly smashed into a pulp by the Kerr Armored Scorpion, whose tail could have shattered two nearby icebergs. He only escaped death by being slapped by the tail because he managed to aim the Pulse Cannon on his Combat Suit arm at the soldier in front of him a second before the tail struck him. He relaxed his body and used the backward force generated by the pulse beam hitting the soldier's Combat Suit to successfully escape the danger of being slapped to death by the tail.

However, it was still grazed by the sharp white bristles on its tail, which pierced through the outer shell of its Combat Suit. Its body tilted and fell, where it was caught by a Warship.

The soldier hit by the Pulse Cannon wasn't so lucky. Caught completely off guard by the attack from his own side, he froze for a moment, then looked down to see his body, pierced cleanly from his throat down by sharp barbs, and his pupils dilated completely.

The white, bristly edges were instantly stained crimson with blood. The soldier, caught on the bristles of the tail, was pulled off by the Kerr Armored Scorpion's tail whipping around, and like the other soldiers who had died earlier, he was smashed to the ground, turning into a pool of mangled flesh, which was quickly buried and swallowed by the compressed ice crevice...

"How are you? Are you alright? What are you standing there for? Get back to the Spaceship!"

"What are you standing there for? Bring me the growth solution right now!"

Taking advantage of Middleton's 'injury,' countless people shouted words of concern and took the opportunity to surround Middleton, returning to their Spaceship with the Warship and leaving the danger zone with a clear conscience.

Having stayed in the 'Safe Zone' for so long, and having not experienced anything like this in a long time, the fear of being on the verge of death gripped Middleton's mind.

He knew perfectly well that the concern around him was all feigned, and that since the knife wasn't cutting them, they didn't want to waste their time on Onion's matter.

And he...

He had done enough for Onion; if he stayed any longer, he didn't know if he would be lucky enough to escape unscathed again.

He naturally Onion.

But... the choice between finding Onion's mutilated body and saving his own life...

Middleton's heart swayed towards the latter, and he did not refuse the people on the Warship's offer to take him back to the Spaceship. He only lowered his eyes and stared gloomily at his bleeding arm, without ordering them to stop.

Qin Su is guilty, as is the Kerr Armored Scorpion that severed Onion's legs, and so are those who failed to arrive in time.

'If the Kerr Armored Scorpion cannot be defeated, the more people who perish with it, the more peacefully Onion will rest in peace.'

[The contrast is more than just stark; it's downright horrific and disgusting, instantly raising my blood pressure.]

They should have known this day would come when they were bullying Middleton and helping Middleton.

[Everyone, wake up! This is a world where everyone is evil. Don't forget, Greyliff and his group also spoke up for Qin Su. They are clearly Qin Su's people. There are no truly good people here. It's just a matter of different stances.]

[Evil people will be punished by other evil people; being too soft-hearted will lead to your downfall.]

Is that right?

"You can do it like that?"

"How could this be..."

Having witnessed the actions of Middleton, the First Military Academy Principal, most of the students in Fourth Military Academy Class 6 found it difficult to accept for a time.

'If even the Principal is like this, then what's the point of the school rules?'

Seeing Middleton leave, Qin Su, who had been observing, silently breathed a sigh of relief.

The key figures have all given up; it seems the end is near.

Qin Su temporarily withdrew his attention from the Kerr Armored Scorpion. Regardless of Middleton's intentions in not stopping them, he took advantage of the fact that the Kerr Armored Scorpion was being restrained and had not moved towards the Safe Zone where the local residents of Erato were temporarily staying to quickly analyze the several 'gravesites' that the system-controlled Electronic Eyes had captured.

The First Military Academy Class 6) received no orders and stood there in fear.

Less than a minute after watching Middleton escorting Spaceship return to its Spaceship, they saw Middleton and the familiar faces behind him reappear. Seeing Middleton and the others heading in the direction of Qin Su, they couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Before the First Military Academy Class 6) could catch their breath, they heard an unfamiliar voice coming through the Full-Band Communication:

"Get over here, all of you."

"!"

Without introducing themselves or saying where they were going, the surviving members of First Military Academy Class 6 saw a Warship heading towards their location and knew what it meant.

With no other choice, they nervously boarded the Warship, their faces pale, and were led to a place they resisted but dared not refuse.

As they drew closer to Qin Su, Middleton clearly saw the Warship used by Fourth Military Academy Class 6, the one he had given to Onion as an admission gift.

"..."

Middleton's pupils contracted sharply, and a chilling emotion surged in his gray eyes as he looked at Qin Su.

Upon seeing the Principal of the First Military Academy leading a group of people toward their class, without Qin Su saying anything, the Fourth Military Academy Class 6 automatically entered a state of combat readiness and used their most skilled and lethal weapons to aim at the people from the First Military Academy who were coming toward them.

Middleton didn't care about the lives of the First Military Academy people, let alone those at the Fourth Military Academy.

Qin Su quickly selected the 'resting place' of the Kerr Armored Scorpion, his gaze shifting from the Optical Brain to Middleton.

After a thorough review, Qin Su realized that all his actions were completely reasonable and compliant with regulations. From beginning to end, there was nothing he should feel guilty about regarding the First Military Academy. On the surface, Qin Su showed no sign of guilt regarding Middleton's arrival.

Unable to guess what Middleton would do, they remained on high alert, ready to take control of the Warships of each group in Class 6) at any time, regarding the location of the Kerr Armored Scorpion as a 'safe zone' to which they could go in case of an accident.

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend, even if he is an insect.'

The First Military Academy's Fleets stopped some distance from the Fourth Military Academy Class 6.

Middleton's gaze remained fixed on Qin Su the entire time, not even glancing at the group of students behind Qin Su who were not worth his attention.

Before actually meeting Qin Su, everyone present at the First Military Academy knew about Qin Su through videos, texts, and pictures circulating on Forums and the StarNet.

Upon seeing Qin Su, their tense emotions were no less relaxed than when the Fourth Military Academy Class 6 saw them approaching.

From the moment he stopped, Middleton stared intently into Qin Su's eyes, trying to find a trace of emotion in Qin Su's dark eyes.

Five full seconds passed as Qin Su coldly met his gaze, showing not the slightest fear despite his age and seniority. In fact, he found no remorse in Qin Su's eyes for Onion's death.

"..."

It was impossible for Qin Su not to see the intense resentment in Middleton's eyes when he looked at him.

But so many people would stand by and watch someone die, so why hate him specifically?

Qin Su didn't quite understand and was speechless at this unexpected disaster.

For the sake of his image, Qin Su suppressed the subtle expressions of speechlessness he felt towards Middleton, such as pursing his lips and rolling his eyes.

Not knowing what Middleton wanted, Qin Su simply remained silent.

In the tense, suffocating standoff, Middleton, staring intently at Qin Su, spoke first, "Why?"

Qin Su: "?"

The anger was taken out on someone for no apparent reason.

Qin Su was speechless and was pondering how to respond when a sudden voice rang out.

"Lin Yin..."

"A Nan..."

Temple, who had narrowly escaped death, had no idea what had happened. He struggled to crawl on the bumpy, turbulent ground, his eyes pleading for help as he looked towards the crowd high above.

Wherever it went, it left long trails of blood.

The sound drew everyone's attention.

The students of First Military Academy Class 6 looked over and saw Temple, their eyes showing obvious astonishment.

Temple? He's still alive?

"He was dragged into that thing's belly along with Onion, and he actually managed to come out."

The students of First Military Academy Class 6 only sighed in hushed tones, showing no intention of offering a helping hand.

Seeing that someone was looking at him, Temple tried even harder to make his voice heard, hoping to get attention and be saved.

With both legs broken and his energy depleted, he had no way to get to his classmates on his own.

Upon seeing the other person's appearance, He Muzhi frowned.

The expression on He Muzhi's face when he looked at Temple drew Middleton's attention to him.

Thanks to Qin Su, He Muzhi also gained fame.

"Bring him up," Middleton commanded in a low voice, considering the relationship between Qin Su and He Muzhi.

"Yes."

Before long, Temple was dragged onto the Warship and left next to Middleton.

From a distance, Temple couldn't see who was on the Warship, but now, seeing this situation, even if he was slow to react, he could sense that something was wrong. He didn't dare to utter a sound and searched for Onion's figure.

'Onion cannot die, otherwise he will die too.'

In front of Qin Su, Middleton picked up a weapon with his uninjured hand, pointing the dark muzzle at Temple's head.

"?!"

Temple's pupils dilated in shock; she had no idea what she had done wrong, yet she showed no intention of resisting, gritting her teeth and lowering her head.

' Temple wouldn't actually let Middleton kill him, would he?'

'No, even if Middleton is the First Military Academy Principal, he shouldn't do something like this to harm his own students in front of so many people. Otherwise, what's the point of the rules the academy has in place that forbid them from harming any of their Military Academy students?'

Seeing Temple's bowed head, He Muzhi's heart tightened, and he swallowed hard.

Qin Su roughly understood Middleton's meaning, and when he glanced at He Muzhi's reaction, his eyes showed no emotional fluctuation.

He would be happy to see He Muzhi face off against Middleton.

Temple was his friend, and He Muzhi never intended for Qin Su to intervene. He silently relayed the message to the Fourth Military Academy Principal and his family, then stepped forward and said to Middleton, "Please wait a moment."

Upon seeing the message relayed by He Muzhi, Aiseboer's eyes widened.

The son of the First Military Academy Principal is dead?!

Aiseboer's eyes rolled back, and he completely collapsed.

'It's hopeless!'