Chapter 44

A small number of Anthony's team members didn't want to offend him, so they quietly left their settings unchanged instead of adjusting them along with everyone else.

Through their helmets' visual settings, all they could see was a white light so dazzling they couldn't keep their eyes open.

At first, they were utterly bewildered and instinctively asked their classmates.

"What's going on?"

"What are you all so excited about?"

"Wait, what are you shooting at? Can you actually see?"

"The bugs, what else? Adjust your settings and you'll see them." Busy boosting their kill counts, the students answered in their spare moments without even looking back.

At that, the few students who hadn't adjusted their helmet visuals finally came to their senses and quickly changed their settings. Those who had forgotten them swallowed their pride and asked their classmates for the values.

[Case solved! I strongly suspect Qin Su had been plotting all of this since the moment Anthony got the Z-X307. Otherwise, there's no explaining why Qin Su said those things to Anthony's teammates too! It looked like Anthony was unhappy with Qin Su because of Plague God, but in fact, his every move was part of Qin Su's plan!]

[Master strategist, everything under control! No matter when Big Shot 1 started planning all this, I only have one rule: what a sexy brain, I'm stealing it!]

[Phew... (pats chest and breathes a long sigh of relief) That scared me to death. I thought Anthony had secretly caught my precious 1's attention somehow. Who said Anthony was so lucky earlier? You're killing me here. I really want to see Anthony's face when he finds out the truth (doge)]

[Anthony: You want this good fortune? You can have it.]

[Anthony chums the water while the other students frantically reel in fish and fill their keepnets. In Big Shot 1's plan, everyone has a bright future~]

As he killed, Qin Su kept an eye on the Kisslip Tree Armadillos caught in the blast of the Particle Pulse Cannon Anthony was operating. Just as he'd expected, more and more people were "sharing the feast," and fewer and fewer bugs were dying at Anthony's hands.

After all, kill counts didn't account for "splash damage" at all. Only the final kill counted.

Forget the barrage; he himself was curious to see what wonderful expression would appear on Anthony's face when everything settled down and he checked his "results."

At the thought, Qin Su's excellent mood made him hunt even faster. He had plenty of caution when it came to others, and plenty of willingness to "harm" them too.

In the middle of combat, Anthony had to operate the mech and had no attention to spare for switching to his kill recordings to check his count.

Seeing the people on the two warships firing one shot after another, Anthony wore a look of utter disdain inside his mech.

Tch, what did it matter how many shots they fired? How could they compete against absolutely overwhelming firepower?

Watching their rankings climb steadily from zero at the bottom, the students on the warship Qiao Yue piloted were filled with excitement.

And to the members of Team 1, the Kisslip Tree Armadillos, more agile and ferocious than those in the previous two battles, were so much easier to hit now that they'd been burned by the Particle Pulse Cannon and slowed as they fled!

Rounding it off, the kills were practically free.

Knowing they had Anthony's mech, Qin Su had chosen a third battlefield where the Kisslip Tree Armadillos were more densely packed. With the huge commotion the mech caused, the affected area was even wider.

Naturally, the killing lasted much longer than in the previous two battles.

After a fifteen-minute hunt, the clamor finally died down again.

Qin Su noticed that the smell in the air had grown even worse, and saw a python larger than any he'd seen before slowly poke its head out of the water.

The platinum-colored python opened its cavernous maw, and the heaps of mangled red-and-black flesh were slowly swallowed whole.

Qin Su: "..."

He couldn't imagine how deep the water had to be to accommodate such an enormous creature, or how severe the pollution had to be to cause such a terrifying mutation.

With the fighting temporarily over, everyone busied themselves checking their kill records. Seeing their rankings in the group climb steadily, they couldn't keep the smiles off their faces.

After checking their own, both Team 1's members and Anthony's team members turned toward the top of the list in unspoken agreement.

Qin Su's name remained firmly in first place.

His kill count was far ahead of theirs.

As expected of Qin Su, he never disappoints! Only after that heartfelt exclamation did Anthony's team members belatedly look for their captain's name.

When they did, they discovered that Anthony, who had the most destructive mech on the trip, was actually ranked behind more than sixty people on his team.

And their team only had seventy-five people in total.

Their captain, Anthony, was practically at the bottom.

Even several Betas and Omegas in the class had more kills than him.

Anthony's team members: "..."

Remembering how Anthony had loudly declared during recruitment that he only wanted Alphas and told Betas and Omegas to get out of his team, they fell into an eerie silence on the team channel.

They wanted to laugh at Anthony, but no one wanted to be the first and earn his resentment.

Though they had a hard time keeping their mouths shut, they couldn't restrain their eyes and all glanced toward Anthony.

Unfortunately, Anthony was hidden inside his mech, so they couldn't see him at all.

Meanwhile, inside the mech.

Anthony didn't even glance at the automatically playing kill recordings. Full of confidence, he opened the real-time kill rankings in the class group and started at the top.

The name in first place was still Qin Su.

Anthony: "..."

Qin Su had fought three battles altogether, while he'd only fought one. It was normal that he hadn't caught up yet.

Thinking that, Anthony looked farther down. The next four were still Qin Su's teammates.

Anthony: "..."

It was fine. Those four were Qin Su's teammates and had also been through three battles. That was normal. Anthony kept looking down.

But...

He wasn't in the top ten.

He wasn't in the top twenty.

He wasn't even in the top seventy.

Finally, when Anthony saw his own name in 94th place, he completely lost it.

Anthony: "???"

How was he so far down the rankings?! Anthony stared blankly at the class group's ranking screen, questioning his life.

So after all that fierce effort, when he looked at his results... he hadn't even killed as many as the Omega named Qi Xingwen ranked ahead of him!

That made no sense!

He was piloting a mech!

With a dark expression, Anthony clicked the request to "file an objection and submit for review."

Soon, after the system checked, the rankings refreshed. Anthony took a deep breath and checked again, only to find that he had dropped to 109th place, behind a Beta.

While they'd stopped killing, members of other teams had caught up.

[This is shit... Sorry, Anthony, typo. I just wanted to ask what this is (doge)]

[Anthony: I don't dare open my eyes. I hope I'm hallucinating.]

[You dropped again. @Anthony, surprised? Shocked?]

[Ranking: Didn't expect that, did you? I can get even worse (doge)]

[So what if he has a mech? He's up against Qin Su.]

"...Fuck!"

Anthony tried to hold it in, but finally lost his temper and slammed a fist into the auxiliary screen in front of him.

Anthony accidentally switched off the Z-X307's hover mode, and it plunged straight toward the python's gaping, bloody maw in the water.

The students who had been secretly waiting to enjoy Anthony's humiliation hadn't expected this.

Seriously? Was he so embarrassed he wanted to die?

Qin Su could override Anthony and control their communication channel, so he must be able to take over the Z-X307 too! Almost simultaneously, the thought flashed through everyone's minds, and their gazes flicked between Qin Su and the mech.

But Qin Su remained unmoved, watching the falling mech with an indifferent expression. Everyone's hearts sank, but then they remembered what Anthony had said on the channel and understood.

Qiao Yue cursed Anthony furiously in her heart and quickly spoke up on the channel. "Anthony, is this really necessary? Leave the mech behind!"

"Anthony, are you crazy?"

"Get a grip!"

For a moment, Anthony's team channel was filled with people shouting warnings at him, and the scene descended into chaos.

[I just noticed a lot of people are saying "leave the mech behind." If Anthony had treated his classmates a little better from the start and hadn't been so arrogant and overbearing, it wouldn't have come to this.]

[Anthony: ? So I should just go?]

Qin Su hadn't expected this to happen to Anthony either, but he didn't act. Judging by the personality Anthony had displayed in class, he wasn't the sort of person to try to kill himself over a loss.

The only explanation was that he'd realized he hadn't achieved what he wanted, lost control of his emotions, and started smashing things in impotent rage, accidentally causing the mech to go out of control.

In that case...

Guessing what his classmates meant by their gazes, Qin Su seized the opportunity. He lowered his eyes and watched Anthony fall coldly, showing no sign of taking over the Z-X307 and piloting it back up with Anthony inside. He displayed his cold, heartless attitude toward those who harbored "divided loyalties" toward him to the fullest.

Using both kindness and intimidation, he wanted Class 6 to know that he was "cold and merciless" toward those who "offended" him. That way, if they had other intentions while he was commanding them in the future, they would think twice.

In any case, judging by Anthony's performance in mech piloting class, nothing would happen to him.

"!"

Anthony broke out in a cold sweat all over. Too frightened to stay angry, he swallowed and quickly put the mech back into hover mode.

When it was just over a meter from the water, the mech rose into the air again.

"Phew..."

Anthony still hadn't caught his breath. He gradually reined in the pheromones his fright had released, and as the pungent scent of tobacco faded from his nose, he seemed to notice something and abruptly looked up ahead.

Everyone was looking at him.

Including Qin Su.

"..."

He wanted to die. Anthony clenched his fingers into fists.

Qin Su contacted the system through his Optical Brain:

[Let my next words be heard on Anthony's team communication channel. This time, don't block Anthony.]

777: [Leave it to me!]

After receiving the system's reply, Qin Su seized the moment when Anthony's mech froze facing the place where he stood and spoke in an even tone. "Classmates, shouldn't you hurry and thank Anthony?"

"After all..."

Qin Su deliberately paused there, giving Anthony time for his face to twist before continuing, "Without Anthony's enthusiastic help, none of you would have achieved such good results."

As he delivered his "lines," Qin Su thought of all the saddest things in his life just to keep any trace of his delight from leaking into his words.

In an instant, Qin Su's cold, utterly flat and emotionless voice rang through both Team 1's and Anthony's team's communication channels.

Members of both teams: "!"

The voice was chilling, but the words were so... humorous! Though Qin Su's sudden voice was as cold as ever, it gave everyone an inexplicable sense of pleasure.

Anthony: "?"

Qin Su... Wait, how was Qin Su speaking on his channel? Anthony immediately checked the temporary team group.

Qin Su wasn't in it at all, so how...

After a brief moment of shock, one thank-you after another rang out over the channel, interrupting Anthony's thoughts.

"Pfft, cough, cough, thanks!"

"Anthony, you're such a nice guy. Thanks~"

"Thank you, Anthony~"

No matter whose voice it was, every one of them sounded mocking and sarcastic to Anthony.

The fact was, everyone in both teams really was holding back laughter as they thanked Anthony after hearing Qin Su's words.

The barrage was laughing too.

[Pfft hahahaha, "enthusiastic help," my ass. As expected of precious 1, mockery level max. Anthony must be furious.]

[Wuwuwu, never forget the person who dug the well when you drink the water. Who wouldn't marvel at how polite our Brother Qin, Big Shot 1, is? Really, I'm crying! To meet such a gentleman as Big Shot Su, @Anthony, you should count yourself lucky (covers mouth and snickers)]

[A world where only Anthony gets hurt has been achieved.]

[Anthony: Thank you, □□□□]

[No, no, no, He Muzhi got hurt too, physically. He blocked an attack for an Alpha and ended up getting bitten. It's also because He Muzhi is the protagonist: wherever he is, danger follows. He thought he'd chosen a "retirement spot" where he could take care of his teammates and fight at a leisurely pace, but he never expected to encounter a three-meter-tall Kisslip Tree Armadillo that bit through his protective suit.]

[Poor thing. If he hadn't given Samuel the combat suit his family sent him, he wouldn't have been hurt.]

The chorus of "thank-yous" on the channel grated terribly on Anthony's ears. Unable to stay any longer, he suppressed his anger and issued an order. "What are you all standing around for? Follow me!"

He couldn't afford to provoke Qin Su, but couldn't he deal with the others Qin Su wouldn't even bother with? If they wanted to keep benefiting from his mech, they'd all have to obediently do as he said.

Once they got somewhere else, he would secretly check the kill replays and see what had gone wrong. Qin Su... fine, but what right did the others on his own team have to climb above him?

With that thought, Anthony quickly turned his mech around and headed away from Qin Su.

After traveling for a while, he noticed no movement behind him and saw that everyone's positions in the team group were getting farther away. Only then did Anthony come to his senses, stop, and look back. The warship Qiao Yue piloted was still parked beside Qin Su, showing no intention of moving.

Anthony: "?"

"Are you all deaf?"

He hadn't achieved his goal, had no idea what had happened to throw his plan into disarray, and was still embarrassing himself in front of Qin Su. With his emotions out of control, Anthony's words were far from pleasant.

"Sorry," Qiao Yue, the vice-captain, spoke up first. "Anthony, I'm leaving the team."

Anthony frowned so hard he could have crushed a fly between his brows. "Qiao Yue, you..."

Qiao Yue couldn't be bothered to listen to Anthony's nonsense and ignored him. Although she didn't know whether Qin Su was still listening to them on the channel, she thanked him anyway. "Thank you, Qin Su."

With Qiao Yue leading the way, a stream of thank-yous rang out on Anthony's team channel.

Every one of those thank-yous was heartfelt, without the slightest trace of insincerity.

As they spoke, everyone instinctively looked toward Qin Su.

They understood that Qin Su was the reason they'd achieved such good kill counts. Judging by Anthony's performance in this battle, even with the most powerful weapon, he wouldn't protect them as they'd imagined; he only cared about himself.

If not for Qin Su, Anthony's repeated rapid-fire attacks, launched solely for his own satisfaction without regard for them, would have left them so dazzled they couldn't even open their eyes.

Though Qin Su wasn't on Anthony's team channel, he seemed to have guessed something from their reactions and asked the system to confirm it: [What are they saying?]

[They're all saying "thank you" to you,] 777 reported truthfully.

Qin Su: "..."

The truth was, he had been scheming against them from beginning to end.

No wonder people always said the truth was cruel. Still, everyone had gained kills, so he wasn't entirely undeserving of their thanks.

After this lesson, Anthony, who bullied the weak and feared the strong, knew he couldn't do anything to Qin Su even with a mecha in hand. He wouldn't come looking for trouble with him again.

Having dealt with Anthony, it was time to "part ways" with Anthony's team. Qin Su spoke again in Team 1's channel. "Go."

The other four members of Team 1 basked in reflected glory as everyone aboard the warships of Anthony's team gave Qin Su admiring looks.

Jeffrey was raising a hand to wave when Qin Su's familiar, cold voice suddenly reached his ears.

The next second, his body and warship became an afterimage in a flash, vanishing from in front of Anthony's team along with the warship controlled by Qin Su's Optical Brain.

Jeffrey: "..."

"Pfft, hahaha—"

"I'm telling you, Jeffrey, you're seriously hilarious, hahaha..."

"I can't take it, I'm laughing so hard I want to roll on the floor, hahaha..."

Wearing the military academy's specially made helmets, which gave them a 360-degree view without any blind spots, Sheng Shuang, Sophia, and Zhong Lin caught sight of Jeffrey's comical display and burst out laughing.

"Hey, enough!" Jeffrey stole a glance in Qin Su's direction.

Good. Not only had the captain refrained from laughing at him in the communication channel, but he stood as straight as ever, without a single mocking gesture.

Listening to his teammates' relaxed laughter, Qin Su smiled beneath his helmet.

Everything was heading in a good direc...

Wait.

Without slowing the warship, Qin Su pulled up the Optical Brain recording he'd caught a brief glimpse of as they left the battlefield.

The earlier oddity of the trees having different leaves but identical trunks had made him instinctively look over all the strange giant trees within his field of vision.

He remembered clearly that when he'd first chosen the battlefield for dealing with Anthony, every tree he could see had roots of varying sizes, thick at the bottom and tapering toward the top, tangled and stuck together to some extent.

But...

Qin Su stared at the enlarged screenshot he'd pulled up, a slight frown creasing his brow.

There wasn't a single one of those fine, densely packed roots growing along the main trunk of that giant tree.

There was only a smooth main trunk, somewhat dark in color.

Qin Su: "..."

With the others there, he obviously couldn't take them back to investigate.

Looks like I'll have to wait for a dark, windy night when no one's around.

Alone in this otherworld, where the slightest mistake could cost him everything, Qin Su didn't dare let even the smallest anomaly pass without investigation.

Having made up his mind, Qin Su marked the anomalous location and searched for the next site, his expression unchanged.

He couldn't appear before others in the Comic World before twelve, and he didn't want to spend Life Points forcing himself to stay there.

Judging by the number of bugs killed in those three battles, combined with his other classmates' current kill counts and the time, starting tomorrow, as long as he followed the plan between 12:00 and 22:00 Comic World time, he could ensure that by the fifth day he would not only maintain a commanding lead in first place, but also keep his four teammates firmly in the top five.

He Muzhi...

Qin Su had watched his kill count increase. It wasn't slow, but it wasn't fast either. According to the bullet comments, his protective suit had been torn, and he'd been bitten, restricting his movements... Wait, protective suit?

Inside his helmet, Qin Su lowered his eyes slightly to the intact combat suit he was wearing.

"..."

Although he had been waiting for a chance to remove his outer protective suit and "dispel the rumors," if he gave it to He Muzhi...

The "viewers" would surely read too much into it.

I'd better pick someone else.

With that thought, Qin Su stopped at a new site and began making arrangements for the fourth battle based on the four teammates' fighting habits. "Sophia, you and Zhong Lin..."

Qin Su had left, but the fleet led by Qiao Yue was now in a standoff with Anthony.

Anthony heard the repeated thanks over the channel, so clearly different from those directed at him. Before he could lose his temper, he saw Qin Su leave coldly and ruthlessly with Sophia and the other three. He changed what he was about to say into a sneer at his team members:

"Heh, you're all so loyal, but Qin Su didn't even spare you a glance. Interesting, isn't it?"

"So what?" Qiao Yue shot back.

The others chimed in one after another. "We can judge for ourselves whether Qin Su cares about us."

"Anthony, you just don't understand. Well, of course someone Qin Su didn't even consider choosing couldn't possibly understand."

"I'm afraid Anthony still doesn't understand what happened."

The barrage of sarcasm showed none of the obedience they had initially shown him. Anthony, who truly didn't understand why everyone had changed, completely lost it. "You..."

Qiao Yue cut Anthony off and addressed the team. "I, Qiao Yue, would like to be the new captain. Who's in favor and who's against? If there are no objections, please leave Anthony's team and join the temporary 'Team 2' group controlled by my Optical Brain."

Qiao Yue didn't know what Qin Su's team was called, but she couldn't be bothered to come up with a name and had no talent for it either. Thinking of the string of ones in Qin Su's Identity ID, she quietly avoided it and chose the number two as her team's name.

Qiao Yue was the first to leave Anthony's team.

In less than a minute, Anthony was the only person left on the team controlled by his Optical Brain.

Not a single person stayed. Anthony had become a commander with no one to command.

Before Anthony could recover from the successive devastating blows, Qiao Yue's newly formed "Team 2" had already left him behind.

"...I □□□□..." Having completely lost it, Anthony raged helplessly in his mecha for a while, then opened the kill count record replay, his face black as the bottom of a pot.

He didn't know why everyone had suddenly sided with Qin Su, and he couldn't accept it without finding out why he ranked near the bottom of the team.

[He got the best mecha and still ended up like this. There's really no one like him.]

[Doesn't anyone think it's hilarious that Anthony lost it, then quietly opened the kill replay to look for the reason he failed?]

[Qin Su made one small move, and Anthony's team fell apart.]

At ten that evening, night had fallen, and the battle around them was still "lighting up the sky with flames." Qin Su said decisively, "That's enough for today."

Today's kill count was high enough that the other teams' members couldn't catch up no matter how hard they worked tonight. The four members of Team 1 had no objections, nor did they dare object in front of Qin Su, whose word was final and whose cold, dictatorial manner was on full display.

"Roger!"

The four answered in unison, their voices strong and forceful.

Qin Su had thought Team 1 would be the first to return to the Jump Point Platform.

But as he led the way into the spaceship, with Jeffrey and the other three flanking him two steps behind, he came face-to-face with He Muzhi, who was tending to his wounds.