Chapter 269

Xu Jintang immediately stepped forward, raised his hands, and smiled warmly, "We're all on the same side."

Shi Anyu also recognized Xu Jintang's voice and immediately stepped forward. After confirming that it was Xu Jintang, he solemnly pulled Xu Jintang aside and gestured for her to talk.

Xu Jintang nodded, then turned and said, "I'll discuss the next steps with him. You guys go and get the supplies first."

Song Tianqi understood and immediately nodded, "Yes!"

The two quickly arrived at the nearby woods.

By this time, the snow beneath their feet had almost completely buried their calves.

Xu Jintang kicked away the snow at his feet and looked up at Shi Anyu, "Was the sudden malfunction of the simulated battlefield system's core also part of your plan?"

Shi Anyu shook his head gravely. "No. This matter also surprised us. The information our undercover agent in the Federation General Bureau reported was that Jing Hongyi would team up with the monster to wipe out the principals of the five military academies in the league finals. So we infiltrated the finals as team members, planning to expose Jing Hongyi's true colors during the live broadcast of the finals. But now the system malfunction has directly interrupted all our plans."

Xu Jintang fell silent. "So now, there's nothing you can do."

"Hmm." Shi Anyu pursed his lips and replied, "However, the people we arranged to meet outside can still keep in touch with me. They said that the area outside the simulated battlefield is also in chaos, and many demon beast clans outside the Border Defense Star City of the Central Star Domain are starting to stir. Also, the league venue seems to have been sealed off from the inside for some reason; people inside can't get out, and people outside can't get in."

"What happens outside is beyond our control. Our top priority is to find a way to get out of the simulated battlefield safely. Since you were able to develop an operating system that could counter the simulated battlefield, you should also be able to figure out how to repair this core system, right?" Xu Jintang went straight to the point.

Shi Anyu pursed his dry lips. "It's possible, but to repair the system core, we need access to the core control room. Our people tried to approach the core control room, but failed. There are too many alarms and traps around the control room, and Jing Hongyi seems to be inside. It's not feasible for our people to force their way in."

"However..." Shi Anyu raised his head, then changed the subject, "Besides that, there's another way to leave the simulated battlefield safely, but it's a bit risky."

Shi Anyu looked at her as she spoke, and Xu Jintang immediately realized that he might need her help. "Go on," she said.

"Generally speaking, advanced simulated battlefields also have a backup core system. There are two ways to activate the backup core system: one is for the person operating the simulated battlefield to actively activate it, and the other is to completely destroy the still-operating simulated battlefield to force the backup system to activate."

Shi Anyu quietly explained, "The simulated battlefield is still operational now because only the core system has malfunctioned; the other components are still working normally. But if all the other components are also destroyed, the new backup system will automatically activate."

Xu Jintang pondered for a moment, then immediately asked, "What does 'completely destroy the simulated battlefield' mean?"

"We can do that by forcibly damaging the simulated battlefield," Shi Anyu replied.

Xu Jintang quickly realized, "With so many of us combined, can we really do it?"

Shi Anyu shook his head, "Not necessarily. This league uses the Federation's highest-level simulated battlefield system, which is extremely defensive. Even ordinary high-level ability users might not be able to harm it. But since things have come to this, we can only try our best."

That sounded rather tragic.

Xu Jintang, disregarding any sentimentality, immediately made a decision. "Alright, let's do as you say and try our best."

After their conversation, the two returned to where the main force was stationed and resting.

Gao Xinran and Song Tianqi have already led their team back with the supplies, which this time consisted of heating fuel and other items that could keep people warm.

"Squad leader, the supplies have been distributed, but there are too many of us, and there aren't enough supplies to go around. We'll have to let a few people share one supply for now," Yan Yuting reported as she walked over, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Natural disasters will only increase, but the amount of supplies will definitely not be enough to cover so many people. We don't know what we'll do then.

Xu Jintang didn't say anything, but turned to face everyone, "There's something I need to share with you all."

Immediately afterwards, she ruled out the possibility that Jing Hongyi might be colluding with the demonic beasts and recounted the entire situation to everyone.

After listening, everyone fell silent.

The sheer volume of information left everyone somewhat bewildered.

Xu Jintang omitted mentioning Jing Hongyi because he didn't want to cause further confusion.

"So now... we can only rely on ourselves?"

"What if we hold on a little longer and we can get Federation aid?"

"But what if we can't completely destroy the simulated battlefield?"

Xu Jintang glanced around at everyone and explained, "First, so much time has passed, and there's still no news of rescue efforts coming in, proving that they're likely also facing trouble outside. Relying on external aid is no longer realistic. Second, there's already a shortage of supplies. If we wait any longer, and the natural disaster worsens, without sufficient supplies, some people will inevitably break down, and internal conflicts will become unavoidable."

As he spoke, the snow fell even more heavily.

Xu Jintang had only been standing there for a short while when he was covered in a layer of white snow.

A moment of silence followed.

Chu Er spoke first, "In that case, we have no choice but to give it our best try."

Everyone else understood that they had no other choice at this point.

The expressions on everyone's faces gradually turned serious, and they all nodded in unison, "Okay."

Before long, the Xihe Alliance Military Academy troops and the Imperial Military Academy troops also joined Xu Jintang's group.

Having dealt with Xu Jintang before, Song Ziqian immediately nodded in agreement to follow Xu Jintang's instructions after hearing her explain the current situation.

Just as the group was discussing their next steps, the last team from the Quiet Moon Military Academy unexpectedly broke through their ranks.

At this point, all the teams that had advanced to the finals were assembled.

"That's the current situation. Regardless of any past conflicts, at this time we're all in the same boat, and we hope everyone can unite as one."

"Understood, we'll follow your instructions," Captain Quiet Moon Military Academy replied, looking at Xu Jintang.

By this time, the snow had become so heavy that it obscured everyone's vision.

The outdoor temperature also dropped to tens of degrees below zero.

Heating supplies were extremely scarce and could only be allocated to the less capable team members. The others who could manage were temporarily keeping warm by using their mental powers to possess the spirits of the spirits.

"We're almost there. Our people waiting outside said this area has the weakest security." Shi Anyu said in a voice only he and Xu Jintang could hear.

Because Shi Anyu's identity was too dangerous, they didn't tell anyone else for the time being, so as not to cause too much trouble.

"Okay." Xu Jintang turned around and stopped. "This is it."

"Here? Why did you choose this place?" someone asked curiously.

"My ability has the effect of detecting areas within a region. I can sense that the energy is weakest around here, so it should be better to break through here," Xu Jintang explained.

Song Ziqian forward. "There's another question. Where should we aim to destroy the simulated battlefield system?"

"We don't need to destroy anything to break the system; we need to use excessive force to make the simulated battlefield collapse automatically." Xu Jintang raised his hand and made a circle. "Simply put, the simulated battlefield is like a balloon. Once the air pressure inside the balloon exceeds its maximum capacity, the balloon will burst."

Chu Er's expression turned serious. "Our finals will utilize the highest-level simulated battlefield system in the entire Federation. This... is it going to work?"

Xu Jintang continued, "The energy intensity varies at every location on the simulated battlefield. We're currently in the weakest position. Moreover, the Federation probably didn't expect all ten of our teams to come together and attack with all their might, so they definitely haven't taken any corresponding precautions. As long as we can gather energy exceeding the protective energy here in a short time, we can break this balloon."

"Alright." Chu Er nodded. "Then let's give it a try!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and winked at the team members behind him.

In an instant, the entire Clifford Military Academy team simultaneously activated their mental power, and the energy gathered on their bodies formed a powerful airflow that blew the surrounding snowflakes into a frenzy.

Chapter 269

After the Clifford Military Academy acted decisively, they quickly infected others around them.

Gao Xinran activated her supernatural power, "Let's go together."

The team members behind her also sprang into action, each channeling their inner spiritual energy.

Following closely behind, Quiet Moon Military Academy, Imperial Military Academy, and other teams also launched their operations simultaneously.

A massive energy surge instantly gathered, creating powerful air currents that began to swirl around them.

The nearby trees and bushes were blown about, leaning and swaying.

"Me too!" Song Tianqi shouted at the top of his lungs, then forcibly activated his divine beast bloodline state.

His blood and qi surged instantly, and in the blink of an eye, an even more terrifying energy erupted from his body.

Without saying a word, Jiang Shiyi summoned a rocket launcher and immediately activated the strongest bombardment mode.

In less than a few seconds, the energy damage that had gathered at the scene had reached an extremely terrifying level.

Everyone gritted their teeth, their faces tense, exuding an aura of impending doom.

Xu Jintang slowly raised his hands upwards, and his spiritual power was instantly activated.

Endless energy surged from the sea of consciousness, infusing even greater power into the energy sphere that was brewing on the horizon.

"Boom--"