NOVPUB(Sorry, the chapter order was reversed; everyone saw Chapter 67 before, which has now been adjusted.)
Twenty thousand meters above the ground, a warship about four hundred meters long was silently hovering.
At this moment, the student observer group from Jilan Arena and the military’s top brass that were present there before had all appeared inside this warship.
This was a Near-Earth Heavy Transport Ship specially dispatched by the military, a ship class that not only surpassed any existing ship aboard the Purple Jade Star but was also equipped with firepower equivalent to that of a Missile Destroyer.
Within the transport ship, there were three levels; right now, the military personnel were on the very top level, sitting in a circle, watching the ten screens being projected.
There were panoramic views of the ground below and surveillance of key terrains.
The remaining screens displayed battle layout maps with a professional touch.
At this moment, the grid-like map was densely packed with little green dots representing the one hundred candidates.
The middle-aged military officer with the rank insignia of a colonel looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "Make sure to record the data for this round, and promptly evacuate the candidates each time the area is reduced."
Suddenly, he saw someone raise a hand to signal, and the colonel paused for a moment.
"Major Liu Ze, please speak!"
A major dressed differently from the other officers stood up, "Sir, what is the death quota to be maintained for this competition? Also, should the armored troops be deployed regularly to clear any unidentified threats?"
The colonel pondered for a moment before responding, "Do not deploy armored troops for now, keep the death quota for this final round to twenty..."
Twenty!
Major Liu Ze’s eyes instantly widened, and even some of the younger officers around him showed shocked expressions.
A death quota amounting to one-fifth of the participants!
This was the highest ever, even double that of the previous year.
"The higher-ups in the military have already planned for this, and there will be no further explanation. Major Qian Chen, ensure proper monitoring of biological activity and report immediately if energy levels exceed grade 25."
"Yes, sir!"
A young and valiant-looking officer stood up and saluted.
The colonel then turned to the person beside him to instruct, "Deploy those twenty failed candidates at 11:00 tomorrow."
"Remember, this final round is about selecting the elite; this is not child’s play."
"Yes, sir!" the officers chorused.
Separated by a three-meter-thick partition, the academy area below had no idea that the military above had already entered the phase of situational analysis. The space below was more than twice as large as the one above.
Still divided into five areas, each academy had its own separate zone, and some were quite pleased not to see those annoying faces.
Like that annoying big bald head.
A high-ranking observer from Dawn Academy was instructing his subordinates: "These damned military types haven’t given us complete data access; now we’re limited in information, so do your best to compile the statistics and keep an eye on any new data released by the military."
After finishing his official statement, he muttered under his breath, "After so many years in recruitment, what the hell is the military trying to pull this year! If it weren’t for the simultaneous directives from both Councils, I wouldn’t be dealing with this thankless task. What do they think our academy is! A bunch of damn military!"
Next to him, a young assistant with a pale face was diligently categorizing the information on the screen, not daring to join the conversation.
This big shot’s family was in the military, and for a small fry like him, even a casual comment could lead to an untimely and mysterious demise.
Seeing no one respond, knowing the concerns of these smart folks, the senior observer cursed a few more times and then settled back into his own dedicated seat. Indeed, the soft comfort of the sofa was far superior to the stiffness of the chairs below.
Just a wall away was Dingchuan Academy’s area.
At the moment, a group of observers were bustling about frantically, yet amidst them all, one person sat sprawled out without any intention of standing.
Seeing that shining bald head and the bear-like physique, there was no doubt it was Instructor Ruan.
The people around didn’t dare to disturb this VIP; with his demeanor, he hardly seemed like a high-ranking observer from an academy, more like a mob boss here to keep everyone in line.
Currently, Ruan Xiongfei rested his head on a cushy seat, looking up at a large screen projected at a 45-degree angle above, absentmindedly chewing on a toothpick he had pulled from nowhere.
"I really couldn’t believe it, back when I was fighting tooth and nail, I never saw such a heavy transport ship appear. If the top brass dare to say there’s been no change, I sure as hell don’t believe them. Things are getting more and more interesting now, and those idiots actually think it’s just a normal academy recruitment?" Thinking of the dissatisfied expressions on the faces of the heads of the neighboring academies, Ruan Xiongfei couldn’t help but snicker to himself.
"Let’s see what kind of splash the military can make this time." Saying this uninterestedly, Ruan Xiongfei propped his legs up and began to watch the area map projected in front of him, clearly intrigued by the rules of this occasion.
...
Down below, the candidates had no clue about the situation they were in, and some were even chuckling as they unpacked that mysterious backpack.
The flight was tedious, even if it was just for a minute.
"Damn! Are you kidding me? A plunger in the backpack? Fuck fuck fuck! How the hell am I supposed to find a toilet in the Primitive Forest?"
One of the candidates, bored in the transport, unwrapped the backpack to find a wooden-handled, shiny plunger that nearly blinded him, followed by a burst of cursing that echoed beneath the clouds.
Scenes like this were unfolding all over the transporters ejected in midair.
"Hmm, let’s see what’s inside this... Canned food? Tuna cans, beef cans, sardine cans, chicken breast cans, oh, and a can of peaches..."
Another candidate, just ejected from the mountainside with the transporter, couldn’t wait to open the backpack and found this collection of cans.
The Federation military had even added a metal box inside the backpack to prevent tampering, with all the items stowed inside.
At that moment, he thought the heavy backpack was filled with grenades!
Can I curse now?
This candidate felt like crying then and there.
Surviving the Primitive Forest... with only these five cans?
The candidate following Mu Fan also unpacked his backpack.
He found that inside the metal box in the backpack, there was only a waterproof lighter wrapped in thick newspaper.
"A lighter?"
Why would they give out something like this in a competition? It’s insane!
This candidate, quite hot-tempered, threw the lighter under the seat in frustration.
Most of those who couldn’t wait and opened their backpacks in midair were like this, but there were some, like Mu Fan, who took the chance to observe the environment below from the high altitude, who didn’t pay much attention to the backpack in their hands.
The first batch of ejection transporters had already started to fall.
Mu Fan placed his left hand on his chest and gripped the side wall tightly with his right.
The view zoomed in rapidly!
A swift descent!
At this distance, a further fall would be deadly.
Mu Fan’s palms finally started to sweat, and the feeling of not being able to control life or death in this flimsy small transporter was making him exceedingly anxious.
Boom!
A guiding parachute suddenly popped out from the back of the transporter, followed quickly by a large buffer parachute. At this point, they were less than five hundred meters from the ground.
Drifting wobbly downwards.
Mu Fan, looking through the transparent canopy, saw a river with rapid currents below.
Am I... about to land in there?
No wait, there’s a waterfall ahead!
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PS: Thanks to the book friend "Xuanguoguo" for the 200 coin reward! Thanks to book friends "⒈⒎岁的雨季" "Huangquan11111" for the 100 coin reward!
Thanks to book friends "Da Sute" "Mephi" "Is Like an Old Friend" "HORNTAIL" "Young Master Yang Grandpa" "Soviet Armored Infantry" for the 10 coin reward!
