Sunday, 1 p.m.
Testing Field One.
The desert wind seemed as though it would never stop, with sand and dust flying everywhere.
Atop the enormous dune, dozens of small desert off-road vehicles stood in a line, and all four teams had arrived.
Black Glasses had not arrived yet. Everyone stood beside their vehicles, wearing goggles and masks, arms folded as they whispered among themselves.
"The weather's awful! The wind is getting stronger!"
"With this much sand, it's easy to crash the drones. Our data might drop by several points."
"Don't panic. There's sand for everyone, so everyone's data will drop. Our First Team has revised the program so many times that we'll win with our eyes closed!"
"The Second Team shouldn't be underestimated either. They've got several veterans. The only teams we can be sure will come in last are the Third Team and Fourth Team."
"Isn't the Fourth Team taking the drone-modification route? Could those two come up with some kind of sand-resistant model?"
"Absolutely impossible! It's not that I look down on the two comrades from the Fourth Team, but the objective world doesn't change according to human will. Hundreds or thousands of drone professionals have spent years modifying these models, bringing them close to perfection. How could the two of them improve them just by saying they will?"
"True. Anyway, as long as we don't come in last, we're fine. If the two comrades from the Fourth Team draw the job of shoveling dung, they won't have to do anything else. It'll be a vicious cycle—they'll be shoveling until the project ends!"
At the far edge, Song He and Xie Yuanxun stood with their arms folded, observing the competitors from the other teams from a distance.
Sure enough, the two of them noticed that everyone's expressions looked