A sticky sound emanated from the carcasses of the Blue Shadow Butterflies scattered everywhere, and brown heads began to drill their way out. Slime dripped slowly from long, thin tentacles.

Li Xiao quickly scanned the vicinity and realized this wasn’t an isolated incident. Suddenly, the sense of discordance he had felt throughout the journey clicked into place.

He opened the team channel and spoke to everyone: “We need to leave this area—now!”

Although they had passed the densest part of the ant colony, there were still plenty of worker ants ahead. The students hesitated, not daring to jump down just yet.

“Shouldn’t we wait a bit?”

“Yeah, wait for the Blue Shadow Butterflies and the worker ants to consume each other a bit more.”

“If we go down now, we’ll likely be chased by worker ants the whole way. If we get poisoned by the butterflies on top of that, we’re done for.”

Li Xiao kept his eyes on the countless things crawling out of the corpses: “We don’t have time.”

Jiang Hao, piloting the excavator, couldn’t see the full picture and asked on the team channel: “Big Brother, what’s going on?”

“Bad news—those Blue Shadow Butterflies were parasitized!” Qin Le whispered, his voice tinged with alarm.

Song Jin gripped his military saber tight, his gaze locked on a butterfly carcass hanging from a tree branch. Three moths, each the size of a human forearm, were crawling out from within.

“Mutant Tiger-Striped Moths, parasitized by the Ichneumonidae family.”

Qian Can, sitting in the excavator, watched the Tiger-Striped Moths breaking out of their cocoons at close range and nearly threw up.

“These things look dazed and stupid—not exactly the brightest creatures. If we’re careful, we should be fine, right?”

“The toxic powder attached to their wings causes skin to become red, swollen, and ulcerated. The stinger on their tail releases venom; a single drop is enough to paralyze the nervous system, and then they lay eggs inside your stomach or brain,” Li Xiao said, his face expressionless. “Compared to these, the Blue Shadow Butterflies are nothing.”

When Tiger-Striped Moths invade an ant nest to lay eggs, they release pheromones that make the worker ants slaughter each other. Outside, there were necrophagous bacteria releasing hunting scents, and inside, a massive number of Blue Shadow Butterflies were breaking their cocoons. All these factors combined were causing the worker ants to go into a frenzy.

Qian Can imagined his insides being hollowed out by bugs and couldn’t help but retch.

“Stop talking, just run!”

Li Xiao: “It’s too late.”

The swarm density was too high. For this group of students, running blindly would be suicidal. Other students began noticing the anomaly, and a wave of panic rippled through the group. In this Level 2 Danger Zone, aside from the beast herds, these poisonous insects were the most lethal threat.

Song Jin slashed down three moths flying toward him with two swift strokes. He struggled to suppress the urge to scratch his face, his patience rapidly evaporating: “Are we really going to let ourselves be pushed into a corner by bugs?”

Li Xiao: “What’s your plan?”

The Tiger-Striped Moths’ pheromones confused the worker ants, protecting the moths from being attacked, and many were already taking flight from within the ant swarm. With danger right before their eyes, there was no time to formulate a detailed tactical plan.

Military Academy Warship, Monitoring Command Cabin.

Chen Xing and the instructor team were reviewing the constant stream of surveillance footage, busy grading each group’s performance.

“Oh my, Song Jin’s team ran right into the ant swarm in Zone D8.”

“That pass is highly dangerous. If they don’t discover the Blue Shadow Butterflies in time, I’m afraid they’ll all be disqualified.”

“Wait—they’ve already spotted the Tiger-Striped Moths!”

“Using Sichuan peppercorns to make the butterflies and ants kill each other? I have to give it to them for coming up with that, but the Tiger-Striped Moths aren’t as easy to deal with.”

At this, Chen Xing and a group of instructors crowded around to get a better look.

Chen Xing: “What did I tell you? Li Xiao is still holding back! I suspect his actual strength isn’t any lower than Xiao Qin’s.”

The beta instructor next to him nodded: “You can see that his practical combat experience is far richer than the others. He acts with a seasoned, decisive manner, and his judgment is precise.”

Chen Xing hummed: “He’s an exchange student from Danse, after all. How could he possibly be just a pretty face?”

An alpha instructor sitting nearby: “Here it comes! Song Jin is making a move!”

Chen Xing was both nervous and excited: “They wasted time being indecisive earlier, so retreating isn’t the best option now, but holding their ground won’t be easy.”

Q303 Exam Hall, Tianqi Constellation.

Song Jin had Qin Le pull all the nearby students into the public channel. Standing on a tree branch, he overlooked the entire battlefield, twirling the handle of his launcher between his fingers.

“If you want to run, you can get lost now.”

Most of the students were heartsick from the series of events. Running was an instinct, but seeing the leaders from Song Jin’s team present made them feel safer staying put. Tiger-Striped Moths flew fast, and the ground was teeming with ants; if they got caught in a pincer attack, it would be impossible to escape.

Meng Tao and Zheng Lin exchanged a glance, weighed the options, and turned to run. Several nearby exchange students followed suit.

Meng Tao said pointedly: “You have to know when to stop showing off. Without area-of-effect weapons, how are they going to handle so many bugs?”

Zheng Lin: “If we waste any more time, it’ll be dark.”

Many students in the public channel began to waver.

“Who said we don’t have area-of-effect weapons?” Song Jin surveyed the surrounding trees, his voice cool and detached. “For those who don’t want to be disqualified, listen to my command.”

Students: “Copy that!”

Li Xiao observed Song Jin’s actions, having already guessed what he was planning. The little Golden Lion really does go for big plays the moment he makes a move.

Song Jin confirmed the orientation, fired his nano-rope, and secured it to a distant trunk: “Form a net with this rope as the central axis.”

Following Song Jin’s instructions, the students acted swiftly, fine-tuning their positions and firing ropes to the designated trunks. Under their efficient execution, a massive web quickly formed over the swarm.

Song Jin: “Electrify.”

Everyone simultaneously anchored the ends of their launchers to the trunks and pressed the activation button.

As the Tiger-Striped Moths passed through the electric net, they were instantly knocked out by the high-voltage discharge, sending sparks showering down. The public channel erupted with the sound of students cheering.

“We did it!”

“That was intense!”

“Be careful not to touch the ropes!”

An acrid, scorched smell filled the air, mixed with the slime of the Blue Shadow Butterflies, making Song Jin dizzy. On the ground, Qian Can clung to the car window, watching the charred moths falling like rain, and felt deeply nauseated.

“Xiao Jiang, let’s go! We’re about to be buried in bugs!”

Jiang Hao’s attention, however, was entirely on the air. He sighed, watching the sparks flickering on the electric net: “Who knew you could use a launcher like that?”

Seeing the plan succeed, Qin Le let out a breath: “You need guts to pull this off.”

The utility of a tool depends entirely on how the person uses it. The riskiest part of Song Jin’s plan was the coordination and execution of the others, yet he seemed completely unconcerned about that possibility.

Alphas are born dominators. Regardless of status or rank, this trait was perfectly manifested in Song Jin.

As expected, Li Xiao thought.

The electric net could block most of the moths; the greater the swarm density, the more effective the net was. Even if a few moths managed to pierce through, they would be much easier to handle.

Suddenly, a thread-thin rope emerged from a gap in the foliage across from him and flew straight toward Song Jin. Song Jin dodged, and with a sharp clink, the rope coiled around the military saber Li Xiao was holding in front of him.

Li Xiao snapped his gaze toward the source of the shot. The position was obscured by dense leaves, and he only managed to catch a glimpse of a black military boot retreating behind a tree trunk.

The ropes were electrified. Being entangled would result in instant paralysis—even if not a severe injury—causing one to fall right into the swarm.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw another rope coming for him from the lower right. Li Xiao swung his saber, caught the rope, and with a violent yank, pulled it taut. Both ropes came loose, and the handles of the two launchers fell out. Li Xiao hurled the ropes far into the swarm and scanned the nearby surveillance cameras; those two spots were perfect blind spots.

He could understand being targeted, but why target Song Jin?

Song Jin secretly observed Li Xiao and thought: Here we go again. This kid is looking at strange things again.

Li Xiao: “Looks like someone is very dissatisfied with you.”

Song Jin: “The feeling is mutual.”

After blocking several waves of moths, the ones behind them fluttered and dared not fly upward, instead battling the Blue Shadow Butterflies until both parties fell into the ant swarm below.

The three-way brawl raged on, drastically reducing the number of insects, but it was almost dark, and they couldn’t afford to wait any longer. Li Xiao and Song Jin observed the situation, preparing to find the right moment to retract the net and run.

But before they could move, the swarm seemed to take an intermission, and with lightning speed, they all retreated to their respective nests.

The ground was covered in a thick layer of charred corpses—there wasn’t even a place to step. Jiang Hao drove the excavator, carving a path straight through the mess.

The students retracted their launchers in an orderly fashion, jumped down from the trees, and looked on in bewilderment.

“What’s happening? Why did they all leave?”

“This isn’t right. Maybe there’s a natural predator nearby.”

“An Insect King?! Please, let’s not go there!”

Li Xiao sensed a subtle change in the environment and told them: “Let’s leave this place first.”

There was only one way out of the valley, and over a hundred students followed behind the excavator. Song Jin felt his right cheek getting itchier. He used his military saber as a mirror and saw that a patch had turned red. Recalling Li Xiao’s mention of “rotting faces,” he grimaced and pulled out an antidote, preparing to inject himself.

Li Xiao pressed down on his hand and took his medical kit: “For this level of inflammation, applying some ointment is enough. Save the antidote for later… turn your face a bit.”

Song Jin snatched the ointment from his hand: “I’ll do it myself.”

Li Xiao didn’t insist, watching as Song Jin fumbled with the medicine; his dexterity was clearly no match for his skill in killing. This helpless, unable-to-care-for-himself appearance finally made him look a bit like royalty.

A foot covered in sharp thorns slowly descended from high above, right over Song Jin’s head—it was a Red Widow Spider over a meter long. Li Xiao casually drew a short military saber from his leg pouch and threw it.

Just as Song Jin was preparing to dodge, he saw a flash of steel before his eyes. The Red Widow was pinned to a nearby tree trunk, struggling violently until it went still.

Such fast reaction speed.

Just as he had suspected, Li Xiao’s skill level was in a completely different league compared to the other exchange students. Watching Li Xiao jump off the roof of the car to retrieve his saber, Song Jin’s eyes darkened.

If that blade had been aimed at me, would I have had a way to dodge it?

“Isn’t that Meng Tao?” Qian Can poked his head out of the car window, waving cheerily toward the front right. “Yo, took you a long time to get here, huh?”

There was a clearing before the foot of the hill, with a stream winding down from the mountain. Meng Tao and a few exchange students were bandaging themselves and resting by the stream. Several of them were bruised and swollen, looking as if they’d been beaten. Meng Tao’s mouth was more swollen than a sausage, and his looks had plummeted.

Seeing the water, Li Xiao signaled Jiang Hao to drive over. The car was covered in filth—not to mention the stench, there was also the risk of infection if it touched any wounds.

The students behind followed suit to rest. After a fierce battle and a full day of traveling, their energy was nearly exhausted. Some students who had touched the fluff of the Blue Shadow Butterflies had red, swollen skin, and others had scrapes; they sat down to apply medicine and change bandages.

But even the worst among them didn’t look as bad as Meng Tao’s group.

“Didn’t you guys leave first? How’d you end up like this?” Qian Can rested his arm on Jiang Hao’s shoulder and walked over with a cheeky grin.

Meng Tao turned his head away, not wanting to engage at all.

Jiang Hao: “Thank you for bearing so much for us. You’re such a good person—no wonder Big Brother likes you so much.”

Qian Can nearly burst out laughing, secretly giving Jiang Hao a thumbs-up. Truly worthy of being the earring-guy’s lackey.

A ripple of suppressed laughter broke out around them. Meng Tao was nearly exploding with rage, his teeth clenched as he spat out word by word: “You’re… welcome.”

Jiang Hao: “He often says you have the most potential among the exchange students and have great character, and that I should learn from you.”

Hearing this, some of the students looked at Li Xiao with different eyes. Meng Tao had turned hostile in public, yet Li Xiao wasn’t even angry; his temperament was magnanimous, and his strength was formidable—he was simply too reliable.

Zheng Lin didn’t feel so good hearing this. He kicked a stone into the stream and walked away angrily.

Li Xiao noticed the fervent gazes around him and waved at Jiang Hao: “Meng Tao traveled alone and suffered such heavy injuries; he must be exhausted. Don’t bother him anymore.”

“Alright.” Jiang Hao turned around calmly to wash the car.

Meng Tao couldn’t take it anymore and walked away in a huff.

Qian Can buried his face in Qin Le’s shoulder, nearly snorting with laughter: “I give up, I really do.”

Qin Le pressed his lips together: “Stop laughing, don’t drag me into this.”

Song Jin squatted by the stream to wash his hands. Seeing Li Xiao sitting down to wipe his saber, he asked in a low voice: “Did you see those two?”

They had ambushed them during the chaos while dealing with the Tiger-Striped Moths, and those two were still in the ranks.

Li Xiao wiped his blade unhurriedly: “I don’t have X-ray vision.”

Song Jin: “Then what kind of eyes do you have?”

Li Xiao tilted his head to look at him: “What kind of eyes are you looking at me with?”

Being so close, Song Jin saw himself reflected in those pitch-black pupils and said in a low voice: “I’ve heard there’s a type of person whose eyes have a wider electromagnetic and visible light wavelength range than ordinary people, allowing them to see things that normal people can’t.”

Li Xiao: “A race from your Shengya?”

“No, Danse,” Song Jin stared straight into his eyes. “This small tribe is treated as an outlier and marginalized; they’re almost extinct.”

Li Xiao asked casually: “You’re so knowledgeable about other countries’ races?”

Song Jin: “I saw it online occasionally. You’ve never heard of it?”

Li Xiao: “Never.”

Song Jin was about to probe further when a massive virtual screen, a hundred meters high, suddenly popped up in the clearing.

【Congratulations to everyone for passing the swarm assessment. The instructor team is evaluating your performance. We will now enter the buzzer-quiz session. The first candidate to answer correctly will receive an additional reward.】

The students walked closer. Song Jin turned his head, his peripheral vision catching three exchange students instinctively looking up at the sky, focusing on a spot that was completely empty.

The first question was on military theory. An alpha student raised his hand and answered correctly.

“I choose transportation!”

A stone near the beach emitted a clicking sound, quickly transforming into a small robot that flew to the student. The student pressed the lottery button, and multicolored lights began to flash. Qian Can, Jiang Hao, and the others craned their necks to watch.

【Ding~ Congratulations on winning a bicycle~】

Alpha student: “…”

Others comforted him: “Not bad, a mountain bike is more convenient than walking.”

A giant, moss-covered boulder split open, and a broken, vintage bicycle was tossed out. As it landed, the front wheel rolled far away.

Everyone: “…”

Can you even ride this thing?!

Qian Can shrank his neck and retreated behind Qin Le: “Lele, you must stop me! Whatever you do, don’t let me buzz in!”

The second question was a practical application problem. A beta student answered correctly and decisively chose a tool-class prize.

【Ding~ Congratulations on winning a 10kg shot put~】

The beta student went frantic: “Is this meant to be used as a cannonball?!”

Everyone shrank their necks and took a step back: “…”

This lottery is too dangerous.

The third question was also practical application. A student, unwilling to give up, chose transportation after answering correctly and got a push-style dump truck. He was completely numb.

The fourth question was military theory. Zheng Lin, refusing to believe in bad luck, chose tools and received a 20kg jack.

Qian Can glared at the jack: “Is the teacher who set these prizes crazy?”

Qin Le: “…Compared to this, your luck is actually pretty good.”

At least you don’t have to carry an excavator to get around.

After the jack, they produced a 15kg sandbag, a 30kg barbell plate, a non-motorized tricycle…

The screen displayed the questions again, but no one dared to buzz in.

Qian Can complained: “Why are there so many questions? We don’t want to answer anymore.”

【There are 118 students who passed the barrier. The number of questions is set at 10% of that figure.】

Qian Can counted on his fingers—damn, there are five more questions! Who could handle this?

Seeing no one answering, the question selection page appeared on the screen, allowing them to choose the type of question freely for the buzz-in.

Everyone: “…”

Is the question the problem here?!

Li Xiao finished wiping his saber, returned it to its sheath, and stood up to help Jiang Hao wash the car. The moment he stood up, the nearby voice-activated system triggered, and a prompt appeared on the screen:

【Exchange student Li Xiao has qualified to buzz in. Please select the question type to answer.】

Li Xiao: “…?”

Everyone: “…?!”

They’ve already started using any means necessary.

Li Xiao: “I forfeit.”

【Forfeiture invalid. Please select the question type.】

Li Xiao: “…”

Song Jin stood up and said with a straight face: “You only got a 3 on your last exam. You can only pick a romance question.”

Li Xiao: “…”