[The Romance/EQ category has been selected.]

[Random situational scenario: You are walking on campus, and a beautiful Omega classmate passes by. They say to you, “Your stud earring looks really nice.” What is their true intention? A: To compliment your earring. B: An attempt to get your attention. C: Hinting for you to pursue them. D: Trying to swindle you out of your earring.]

A prolonged silence fell over the shallow beach after the question appeared.

“The correct answer is B, right?”

“No, no, no, it’s C. Isn’t this just a textbook pickup line?”

“I think it’s B. Omegas nowadays are super proactive; you don’t even need to pursue them.”

Hearing a group of students discussing it so seriously, Qian Can rolled his eyes. The military academy truly was a gathering ground for straight men. He glanced at Song Jin, then looked back at Li Xiao.

What a coincidence; their boss had actually complimented Li Xiao’s earring before.

Seeing Li Xiao’s gaze shift over, Song Jin, who loved watching trouble unfold, helplessly shrugged. “Why not try your luck? Who knows, maybe you’ll win something useful?”

Even if there were good things among the rewards, the probability of drawing them was likely very low. Since Li Xiao’s original purpose wasn’t to clear the assessment anyway, it was better to avoid unnecessary trouble.

Options B and C carried similar meanings, so they could be eliminated first, leaving A and D. The words “beautiful” and “Omega” in the prompt were merely smokescreens; in essence, a “classmate” had simply complimented his earring, making A the standard correct answer.

Before the countdown ended, Li Xiao spoke calmly: “D. They want to swindle me out of my earring.”

Song Jin: “…”

Who exactly are you insinuating here?

Everyone else: “…”

How do you manage to say that with such a deadpan expression?

Da Bei failed to suppress his amusement and burst out laughing. With him leading the way, the other students broke into laughter as well.

Jiang Hao asked earnestly, “If he gets it wrong, we won’t have to do the lucky draw, right?”

A line of text materialized on the giant screen:

[Incorrect answer.]

[Li Xiao’s system score for the insect swarm assessment is 10. Granting one bonus lucky draw reward.]

Li Xiao: “…”

Everyone else: “…”

That is completely unnecessary.

The small robot flew over to Li Xiao. Qian Can, Da Bei, and a few others nervously crowded around.

“Big brother, choose the food category!”

“Bro, food! Let’s not take any risks!”

Sweeping his gaze over the assorted scrap metal littering the shallow beach, Li Xiao placidly selected the food category. The multicolored indicator lights flashed.

[Ding~ Congratulations on winning a sack of corn~]

A sudden rustling sound echoed from the dense bushes behind them. As everyone whipped their heads around, a large burlap sack flew out and crashed heavily onto the ground.

Jiang Hao walked over in a few strides, pulled a forearm-length corn cob out of the bag, and turned to Li Xiao. “Big brother, this has got to weigh over two hundred catties.”

Li Xiao: “…………”

All the students sucked in a breath of cold air. They had assumed the food category would be safer, but it turned out to be even more terrifying! Just imagining marching with two hundred catties of corn on one’s back was enough to make someone drop dead on the spot.

Song Jin: “Your luck is terrible.”

Li Xiao: “I hope yours is better than mine.”

Before Song Jin could grasp the underlying meaning of his words, the small robot flew in front of him.

[Song Jin’s system score for the insect swarm assessment is 10. Granting one bonus lucky draw reward.]

Qian Can wailed, “Boss, why don’t you wash your hands first? We really can’t take any more of this!”

Song Jin: “…”

Since all three reward categories were traps anyway, Song Jin selected the food category and pressed the lucky draw button.

[Ding~ Congratulations on winning a bundle of green scallions~]

A familiar commotion sounded from the same bushes, and a bundle of green scallions thick enough to require two people to encircle it flew out, crashing down right next to the burlap sack. Each scallion stood taller than a person and looked sturdier than a broom.

Qian Can screamed in despair, “Save me!”

Da Xi’s eyes went vacant. “This is a bundle? Isn’t it a mountain?”

Qin Le averted his eyes, unable to bear the sight.

It looked like the excavator would have to keep running until tomorrow.

Li Xiao looked at the bundle of scallions. “Your luck is pretty average too.”

Song Jin forced himself to say, “I’ve never had any luck with windfall wealth.”

With four questions remaining, no one else dared to answer. The system simply began targeting whoever made a movement, forcing a group of people to stand frozen, not daring to budge an inch. The food category was absolutely out of the question now; it was better to gamble on the tool or transportation categories.

Before long, two rusty wheelbarrows and two large iron weights were added to the collection on the shallow beach. Luck was an absolute impossibility—not in this lifetime.

The star was beginning to set. There was only a small patch of woods near the shallow beach, and since there was currently no movement from mutant wild beasts nearby, it was relatively safe.

Li Xiao immediately directed Jiang Hao and the others to gather firewood and start a fire, preparing to set up camp here. After observing the surrounding environment, the other students followed suit and decided to camp as well. Venturing further ahead would mean entering a dense rainforest, and if they couldn’t make it out before nightfall, it would be far too dangerous.

Li Xiao cut down a few stalks of bamboo and shaved them into skewers. Using the purified water from his canteen, he washed the corn and placed the skewers by the fire to roast.

Meng Tao passed by to fetch water and sneered, “You really ought to hurry up and eat it. Otherwise, how are you going to carry it on your backs tomorrow?”

Da Bei: “Do you want some?”

Meng Tao mocked through his swollen lips, “For something this good, you’d better keep it for yourselves.”

Da Bei said impatiently, “Since you’re not eating, can you shut your mouth?”

Meng Tao: “I’m talking to Li Xiao.”

Da Bei had long found Meng Tao an eyesore. He stood up, intending to hurl a few insults, but was held back by Li Xiao.

Li Xiao remarked casually, “Don’t make things difficult for Meng Tao. Look at how his mouth is so swollen he can barely open it. How could he possibly chew through corn?”

Meng Tao’s face twisted, and his smile vanished instantly.

Da Bei sat back down and rolled his eyes at him. “Can’t even open his mouth properly, yet he’s still so spiteful.”

Finding himself snubbed, Meng Tao went back to his own team in a huff.

The rewarded corn was not a mutant strain. After a simple roasting over the open fire, it released a rich, enticing aroma. The other students kept glancing toward Li Xiao’s side, swallowing hard as their stomachs rumbled loudly.

Seemingly oblivious to the ardent gazes around him, Li Xiao finished roasting a skewer, blew on it, and began to eat unhurriedly. He was handsome, making it look as though even the corn in his hand tasted vastly superior to ordinary food.

Song Jin sipped his nutritional supplement while admiring the beautiful view. Although the supplement was essentially junk food, it was clean at least. But seeing how happily Li Xiao was eating, his heart couldn’t help but stir.

Noticing Song Jin’s gaze, Li Xiao tilted his head to look at him. “Is there something on my face?”

Song Jin: “Is it sweet?”

Li Xiao: “Yes.”

Without another word, Song Jin snatched a cob over and bit into it, hissing sharply from the heat. Seeing his beautiful features contort, Li Xiao found it somewhat amusing. “I’m not going to fight you for it.”

Song Jin blew on it forcefully and chewed with puffed cheeks. The flavor was indeed excellent, far better than the nutritional supplements.

The four people sitting around the campfire: “…”

Somehow, the atmosphere between these two makes it very hard for anyone else to interject.

After taking a few bites and sensing that the bait had been sufficiently taken, Li Xiao gave Jiang Hao a look.

Understanding the cue, Jiang Hao took several roasted corn cobs and handed them to the adjacent team. “Would you like some? We can’t finish all of this anyway.”

“How could we impose?” Despite their words, the students reached out and took the corn immediately.

Qian Can turned around and waved to the others. “Anyone who wants to eat, come grab some yourself. Tonight, the two bosses of my team are treating!”

The others were amused.

“Thank you, big shots.”

“Then we won’t stand on ceremony.”

A crowd gathered to take the corn, picking up a few green scallions along the way. If they didn’t help consume some of it, marching with such a massive bundle of scallions tomorrow would be an absolute nightmare. With over a hundred people helping, the sack of corn was soon mostly cleared out.

Shortly after, a prompt popped up on everyone’s scoring devices:

[Your performance in the insect swarm assessment was exceptional. System score: 10. Instructor team average score: 9.9. Granting an additional bonus reward of +100 points.]

Li Xiao and Song Jin received 100 points, Qian Can and his group received 90, while the other teams ranged from 10 to 50 points.

Looking at the deduction prompt on his screen, Meng Tao was filled with rage:

[Improper judgment regarding the movement and hazards of the insect swarm. -20 points.]

With the deduction, it was equivalent to gaining no points at all.

The sky began to darken, and the students, now full and satisfied, prepared to pitch their tents and arrange sentries for the night watch.

Song Jin washed his hands and walked back. Seeing Li Xiao staring blankly at the sky, he teased, “Don’t tell me you’re homesick.”

“It’s about to pour,” Li Xiao said, scanning the surroundings. “The terrain here is too low. We need to find a higher spot to set up camp.”

He had already sensed subtle changes in humidity and atmospheric pressure when the insect swarm arrived, and the sensation was even more pronounced now. Song Jin couldn’t perceive anything out of the ordinary, but recalling the insect swarm that had suddenly fled, he felt the words carried some weight. “If we’re moving, our only option is over there.”

To the left was a small, bare hill that wasn’t very high. There were several natural rock caves nearby, making it easy to see at a glance if there was any danger.

Some students had already set up their tents, and when told they needed to relocate the camp, they expressed some confusion. The sky didn’t look like it was going to rain at all.

Li Xiao wasn’t obligated to drag this entire crowd along; the information had been given, and whether they chose to believe it was their own business.

Jiang Hao tossed the leftover scallions into the back compartment of the excavator and drove his team toward the hill. The remaining students exchanged glances, and a portion of them chose to trust Li Xiao, packing up their things to set out again.

The weather changed in the blink of an eye. Within a mere ten minutes, a blanket of dark clouds weighed down heavily across the sky. Just as they reached the foot of the hill, raindrops began to fall.

A torrential downpour ensued, causing visibility to drop drastically. The ground turned into a muddy, waterlogged slip-hazard, making the trek grueling.

Qian Can offered to let Song Jin inside the cabin but was rejected. He muttered softly, “Incredible, the earring bro’s mouth is more accurate than a weather forecast.”

Qin Le turned back to look at the shallow beach where they had originally camped; mountain torrents were cascading down, and the area was already completely submerged.

Upon reaching the hillside, Li Xiao was searching for a cave to take shelter from the rain when he caught the sound of faint shouts.

On a slope separated from them by a ravine, a group of students was fleeing in panic, pursued by a large herd of mutant wild boars rushing down the mountain to forage.

Li Xiao frowned slightly. There was no path ahead on that slope, and the ravine below was a churning torrent driven by the rain. They had hit a dead end.

“Their luck is even worse than ours.” Song Jin stood atop the vehicle roof in the heavy rain, watching that direction. “There are no trees nearby, the soil is loose, and the grappling hooks of the launchers won’t hold securely.”

Li Xiao: “Jumping down into the ravine is also highly dangerous.” Even if they deployed their emergency rescue airbags, there was no guaranteeing one hundred percent safety in such a torrential current.

The edge of the slope was already starting to collapse, and one student nearly tumbled down. Noticing two exchange students among them, Li Xiao tapped the roof of the vehicle and spoke to Jiang Hao: “Drive over to rescue them.”

The students behind also noticed the situation across from them and gasped in shock.

“It’s too dangerous! Should we call for rescue for them?!”

“But calling for rescue means elimination!”

Monitoring and Command Cabin, Military Warship

The staff member seated before the control console received a system alert and reported loudly, “A sudden rainstorm has hit Sector D9. Twenty-three students are trapped on a hilltop. Should we dispatch the rescue team?!”

Chen Xing and a group of instructors snapped their gazes toward the surveillance screen that had popped up, their expressions grim.

“This is tricky. Send the rescue.”

“How did they end up running blindly into that spot? Their usual training is still lacking.”

“Experience must be accumulated slowly through real combat. After all, they are only first-years.”

Catching sight of the excavator appearing in the corner of the frame, Chen Xing suddenly raised his hand to interrupt: “Wait! Have the rescue team stand by near that area for now! They are figuring out a way!”

Staring intently at the excavator drawing closer to the edge of the slope, Chen Xing repeated with suppressed excitement, “They are figuring out a way!”

Exam Room Q303

The excavator came to a halt right at the edge of the slope, its mechanical arm extending toward the opposite side. The mechanical arm spanned ten meters; while it wasn’t quite long enough to bridge the entire gap, the remaining distance of over three meters was close enough to leap across.

Amidst the downpour, everyone shouted toward the opposite ravine, “Come over! Hurry!”

The nearest students spotted the mechanical arm. Seeing wild boars continuing to stream down from the distant woods, they hesitated no longer. Taking a few running strides, they leaped onto the mechanical arm and crawled forward along it.

The heavy rain triggered a landslide, causing a section beneath the excavator to become hollow, and the mechanical arm lurched violently.

“Ah—!” Over a dozen students clung tightly to the arm, not daring to move.

Jiang Hao stabilized the vehicle body and said urgently, “Big brother, it’s too dangerous if we don’t back up a bit!” The weight of the excavator was pressing right against the edge of the slope; there was no telling how much longer it could hold, and it could very well overturn into the ravine along with everyone on board.

Li Xiao quickly scanned the surroundings. He spotted a modest-sized tree on both the left and right sides. Just as he pulled out his launcher to speak, he saw that Song Jin had already bound his rope to the tree trunk some twenty meters away on the left.

Noticing Li Xiao’s gaze, Song Jin urged, “What are you looking at? Hurry.”

Li Xiao said nothing more. He launched his rope to bind the tree on the right, threading the handle through the open rear window of the vehicle to lock it together with the handle of Song Jin’s launcher. The two interconnected ropes securely anchored the excavator.

Song Jin: “Tell them to hurry up!”

All the students shouted in unison through the rain.

The first student successfully crawled to the front of the vehicle, panting heavily with trembling legs, unable to even utter a complete sentence of thanks.

“Oh no, look at all the bugs!” someone in the crowd shrieked.

Countless ticks the size of washbasins were crawling out from stone crevices in all directions to escape the rain, covering the entire slope.

Qin Le: “Mutant ticks suck blood, be careful!”

A blur flashed in his peripheral vision. Li Xiao’s military knife left its sheath in a sweeping arc, and a half-human-high mutant lute frog crashed to the ground, its viscera spilling from the wound across the dirt.

“A huge number of mutant frogs are climbing up from the ravine!” Qian Can cried out. The lute frogs ate the ticks, but since they were caught in the center of the battlefield, they would inevitably be caught in the crossfire.

Li Xiao: “Watch out for the lute frog’s mucus, don’t stand directly in front of it!”

Song Jin: “Grab the scallions and sweep the bugs away! As long as the bugs don’t get close, the lute frogs won’t come over!”

The two hadn’t coordinated beforehand, yet each naturally organized the students on the left and right sides to combat the swarm.

The rainstorm persisted, and another chunk collapsed from the edge of the slope. Half of the excavator’s wheels were now suspended in mid-air, causing the mechanical arm to lurch wildly, even dragging the anchoring trees askew.

There were no more stable trees left in the vicinity. Seeing this, Qin Le called out to Qian Can and the surrounding students to tie their launcher ropes to the excavator and pull back with all their might. Upon seeing this, the other students pulled out their launchers to follow suit. The excavator was bound by dozens of ropes, suspended perilously over the edge of the slope.

Students scrambled across one after another, but a few on the opposite bank were still far away, pursued by wild boars and unable to find an opportunity to approach the mechanical arm.

With one hand gripping his launcher while dealing with the ticks and lute frogs, Qian Can’s vision was completely blurred by the heavy rain. He cursed, “Are they taking a stroll?! Why haven’t they come over yet?!”

A sharp, high-pitched screech echoed from high above. Li Xiao whipped his head up. Several mutant imperial eagles, with wingspans nearing five meters, were flying in from the distance, circling over the ravine. Imperial eagles possessed waterproof feathers and favored hunting on rainy days; all small animals were on their menu.

Li Xiao frowned, warning everyone, “Watch out for the imperial eagles!”

No sooner had he spoken than an imperial eagle swept past at a low altitude, its razor-sharp talons aiming directly for Da Bei’s head. If that strike connected, even a skull made of steel would crack open.

Da Bei’s eyes widened, and he dropped into a sudden crouch.

Song Jin drew his military knife and threw it with immense force, precisely piercing the imperial eagle’s neck. The eagle shrieked, fluttering its wings as it crashed sideways. Song Jin smoothly snatched a launcher from a nearby student, coiling the rope around the hilt of his knife to yank it back out.

Just as he caught his military knife, he heard a movement behind him. Before Song Jin could turn around, he was pressed down into a bend by Li Xiao. An imperial eagle’s talons narrowly grazed the top of their heads.

The scent of the lute frog’s blood would only draw more imperial eagles; continuing like this was not a solution.

Li Xiao took a launcher from the backpack of a student who had just crawled over, his peripheral vision catching Qi Ge following close behind.

Through the pouring rain, their gazes met.

Li Xiao suddenly caught a familiar scent of rotten tomatoes, and his chest tightened as if squeezed ruthlessly by an animal’s claw.

Qi Ge stared at him. As they brushed past each other, he spoke in a voice audible only to the two of them: “Jump down.”

Song Jin dispatched two lute frogs. Detecting a strange odor, he turned around in confusion, only to see Li Xiao bypass him and resolutely leap down into the ravine.

Before he could even process the thought, his hand shot out to grab him, but he was a step too late.

“Li Xiao!”

Song Jin realized something and snapped his gaze toward Qi Ge, but the latter was stepping off the excavator as if nothing had happened, a suspicious smile hovering at the corners of his lips.

Mental control?

Song Jin took two steps toward the front of the vehicle with a dark expression, preparing to head down to find him, when an imperial eagle screeched and swooped down from behind. Rolling along the ground, he brought his military knife across to block the eagle’s talons.

Out of the corner of his eye, a figure rapidly flew up from beneath the ravine. With a flash of blade light, blood sprayed from the imperial eagle as it plunged straight down into the chasm.

Song Jin looked up. Li Xiao was currently suspended high in the air, using a rope wrapped around the leg of another imperial eagle. The military knife in his hand was dyed crimson with blood, and a torrent of rainwater mixed with blood dripped continuously from the tip of the blade. That imposing, commanding aura did not look like someone under control in the slightest.