After Bai Yue left, Cao Xun still stood in place, unable to regain his composure for a long time.
An S+ level alpha.
An S+ level alpha had appointed him as the commander for the final round.
Although it was still the same person, once he realized the other's identity, everything started to feel extraordinary.
Cao Xun steadied his mind and reconnected the communication device.
By now, his mood had calmed down. He decided that even if some teammates didn't listen to him, he would still calmly issue commands.
Cao Xun: "Let's summarize the situation on all fronts."
Cao Xun: "Top lane, Mu Sihan; mid lane, Shen Da Li; bottom lane, Xu Cheng Dong and Mr. Bai Yue."
Bai Yue, who was hurrying to the bottom lane, almost stumbled when he heard this last address.
He could let Qin Fei's address slide, but this one was even more exaggerated.
Cao Xun: "The current basic strategy is to prioritize attacking from the bottom lane. If you encounter the enemy, please inform us immediately, to assess the number of people guarding their camp."
Everyone except Mu Sihan replied, "Received."
And now, Cao Xun had completely leveled his mentality. Even if he couldn't see eye to eye with someone, at least their goals were aligned. As long as this person didn't act in a way that would affect their progress, that was enough.
"Enemy encountered!"
At this moment, the booming voice of a bearded man came through the earpiece.
"Two here in the mid lane."
Simultaneously, Mu Sihan finally spoke up: "One on the top lane."
Xu Cheng Dong: "I've spotted an enemy here too, there's one."
Meaning, their enemy had adopted the same strategy as them, opting for four to push and one to guard.
Cao Xun steadied his mind and ordered: "For now, try to entangle the enemies in the mid lane as much as possible, to buy time for the bottom lane."
Cao Xun: "Mr. Bai Yue, have you arrived yet?"
Bai Yue was about a minute later than the others in setting off. By now, he could already see Xu Cheng Dong's figure, who was engaged in combat with the enemy.
"Just call me Bai Yue," he couldn't help but correct the address, "I see the person."
Cao Xun: "There's still one person guarding the enemy's camp. So, Bai Yue, ahem, the two of you together take down the bottom lane enemy, then continue advancing."
Bai Yue: "Received."
Afterwards, Cao Xun went on to inquire about the situation on the top lane. But this had little to do with Bai Yue now; he needed to focus all his attention on defeating the enemy with his teammate.
The enemy this time looked different from the previous round, the only similarity being their expressionless faces, showing no emotion even when facing two adversaries.
Xu Cheng Dong was having a hard time. Compared to the enemy encountered in the first round, this one's attacks were more ferocious.
He almost couldn't keep up, and was abruptly hit in the abdomen. Although he barely managed to block the attack, he hadn't had time to twist his body away when the opponent leaped high, his fist about to smash down—!
Shit.
He crossed his arms over his forehead.
At all costs, he had to protect his head from the attack.
In the nick of time, suddenly a dark figure darted out, fiercely kicking the enemy's waist, sending the person flying.
Xu Cheng Dong was stunned, only to realize the newcomer was Bai Yue.
The man landed steadily before him, turning his head to ask, "Are you okay?"
"I'm, I'm fine!" Xu Cheng Dong quickly straightened up.
After the enemy was kicked away, he rolled on the ground and stood up again. But sizing up the two, he didn't immediately attack.
But Bai Yue wouldn't give the opponent time to maneuver, charging forward: "Let's end this quickly."
Xu Cheng Dong nodded, hastily following suit.
Although it was their first time cooperating, the 2-on-1 advantage was clear. The enemy soon became overwhelmed and was knocked unconscious.
Xu Cheng Dong was elated and quickly reported the situation: "Enemy on the bottom lane taken care of, we continue advancing."
He was about to move forward when he saw Bai Yue squat down, lift the unconscious enemy's head, and with a snap, twisted the neck.
Xu Cheng Dong froze.
After standing up, Bai Yue noticed his teammate watching him, and awkwardly smiled: "I was worried he'd wake up midway."
Xu Cheng Dong: "Oh, oh... you have a point. It's not a real person anyway."
These were just virtual data, killing them didn't really hurt or harm. But Xu Cheng Dong had only ever killed in games before, so actually doing it himself was something he had never considered.
Bai Yue thought for a moment and said, "If it were a real person, it would actually be better to kill them."
Xu Cheng Dong froze again.
Even though he logically understood that killing someone in the virtual training ground meant the person would just log out of the scenario and not truly die, hearing Bai Yue say it so nonchalantly still sent a chill down his spine.
.
On the mid lane, the bearded man was being forced to retreat step by step. But remembering his critical role in buying time, he pressed on despite the difficulty.
It wasn't until he heard Xu Cheng Dong's voice, announcing they had broken through the bottom lane, that he breathed a little easier.
Bearded man: "I can't hold them off for much longer, hurry up!"
On the top lane, Mu Sihan was also facing a tough opponent.
Although there was only one, their strength surpassed the enemies from the first two rounds.
Not that he couldn't defeat them.
It just, needed some time.
He narrowed his eyes and charged again.
Though the situation on the top and mid lanes seemed dire, in Cao Xun's view, their path to victory was still bright. As long as the two on the bottom lane reached the enemy camp, victory was not far off.
Suddenly, a cry of alarm came through the earpiece, the voice of the bearded man.
"Fuck, what's going on, these two are pulling back?!"
Hearing this, Cao Xun was taken aback.
Could it be they've figured out their plan and were trying to return to their camp to intercept Bai Yue and the others?
But based on the previous rounds, these virtual enemies weren't highly intelligent, sticking to their programmed behaviors without change. Now, they were actually retreating in defense?
Bearded man: "I'm chasing after them. But they're too fast, I might not catch up."
Cao Xun snapped back to reality: "Where's the bottom lane now? Wait a moment, match the speed with the mid lane."
No sooner had he spoken than a burst of static came through the earpiece, followed by a scream that seemed to tear through the sky.
Even without the earpiece, from this distance, Cao Xun could vaguely hear that wail.
It was still the bearded man.
He hurriedly asked: "Mid lane? What happened there?"
But this time, there was no response. Then click, the sound cut off, leaving complete silence.
Was he... taken out?
Cao Xun couldn't help but freeze.
Bai Yue was on the run when he connected his earpiece and also heard the abnormality on the mid lane.
"Did the bearded guy get taken out?" Xu Cheng Dong doubted, "Should we turn back?"
With the mid lane now out of contact, it was impossible to know the exact situation. Whether the two enemies had returned to their camp or continued advancing after taking out the bearded man was unknown.
If it was the latter, their blue camp, with only one commander left and weak combat strength, would be in danger.
After a moment, Cao Xun's voice came through the earpiece again: "No, continue advancing on the bottom lane. Every second counts now."
Since the commander had said so, although worried, Xu Cheng Dong didn't say anything more.
Bai Yue: "Something's strange."
Hearing this, Xu Cheng Dong couldn't help but turn to look, feeling nervous: "What's, what's wrong now?"
Bai Yue glanced at him, then turned his gaze back: "The sound before the cut-off just now, it was like the earpiece being crushed."
Xu Cheng Dong felt it was similar: "It's because they don't want us to communicate, right?"
The reason was easy to guess, but to Bai Yue, this action felt off.
Because there was no need.
From their previous experiences, the virtual enemies were just data, not requiring communication. Moreover, having already taken out the bearded man, destroying the communicator seemed overkill.
In other words, it was too human-like.
Xu Cheng Dong remembered something Bai Yue had said before: "Do you suspect that the final round is set up for us to face other teams? But the enemies just now didn't seem like real people."
Their expressions were stiff, and they looked unfamiliar.
Bai Yue didn't respond.
That was exactly why he found it strange.
If the enemies they had just faced were capable of communication like them, he would naturally assume that the opponents in the third round were other newcomers.
However, that wasn't the case.
He shook his head.
Thinking further was of no use now; better to focus on the task at hand.
.
Not long after, the two had already approached the enemy camp.
Not far away, a crystal clear crystal floated in mid air, emitting a faint red glow. Contrary to what they had expected, the camp was deserted.
Based on the previous conjecture, there should have been at least one person remaining here.
Bai Yue relayed the intelligence back, and Cao Xun immediately responded: "No one has come over on my side yet."
The enemy might not have arrived yet, or perhaps they were lurking nearby in the middle.
Cao Xun pondered for a moment, then said, "We can't afford to waste time. Xu Chengdong, you go ahead and test the waters. It would be best if you could take down the crystal, but if an enemy appears, retreat to the lower lane promptly."
Being entrusted once again with the task of taking down the crystal, Xu Chengdong rubbed his hands together in anticipation: "Leave it to me."
This way, out of three rounds of games, he was responsible for taking down the crystal twice, which must be a significant bonus point.
Bai Yue squatted in the bushes: "Be careful."
"Don't worry."
Xu Chengdong limbered up and then charged out boldly. Among the students of the Comprehensive Military Academy, his fighting skills might not be the most outstanding, but he was full of confidence in his speed.
In just a few seconds, he had sprinted to the front of the red crystal, his prey within easy reach.
Got it—
Xu Chengdong reached out his hand.
But at that moment, suddenly a dark shadow flew out, swooping down fiercely, and pinned Xu Chengdong to the ground.
Xu Chengdong was stunned.
What? Where did that come from?
Insiders are blind. But Bai Yue, not far away, saw everything clearly.
That person had been hiding in the tree all along, only jumping down as Xu Chengdong approached the crystal.
The trees around were actually a certain distance from the crystal, but this person's jumping ability was astonishing, pouncing on the target in an instant.
It seemed he couldn't wait for Xu Chengdong to retreat. Bai Yue got up, ready to go forward and help.
"Ah!!!"
Then came a scream.
The dark shadow was incredibly swift, directly breaking Xu Chengdong's neck. In the blink of an eye, the blue team's numbers had sharply decreased to three!
Cao Xun's voice came through the headset, seemingly anxious: "What happened? I heard a scream!"
Bai Yue was silent for a while before answering: "Xu Chengdong is 'dead.'"
"What, what?" Cao Xun couldn't believe it.
The situation had started off well, but within a few minutes, the tide of the game had been instantly turned?
In Cao Xun's view, his position as commander was currently the most perilous. The situation in the middle lane was now beyond knowing, and if those two enemies were indeed making their way here, it likely wouldn't take long for them to arrive.
At that point, whether or not they killed him, pushing down the crystal would be effortless.
Bai Yue said, "It doesn't matter."
Cao Xun: "What?"
Bai Yue looked at the person not far away. After killing Xu Chengdong, the enemy had stood up, locking eyes with him. But they just stood there, without coming closer.
Instead, two others emerged from the middle lane, likely the ones who had just killed the bearded man.
Bai Yue: "Now, all three are staying in their camp."
It seemed the enemy intended to catch them all in one fell swoop.
This put the blue team's camp in a very awkward position.
Cao Xun's brain was working overtime.
He might revere S+ rank, but he also knew the greatest advantage of gene levels was pheromone suppression. Now, this ability was restricted by the rules. Relying solely on melee combat, it would be difficult for Bai Yue to take on 3 enemies alone.
But asking him to retreat would inevitably leave one lane open.
With three enemies free to move, just selecting one to go down the vacant lane would allow them to reach their camp and push down the crystal immediately.
In that case, their defeat was certain.
Should they keep Bai Yue here to hold them off while waiting for Mu Sihan to arrive?
Cao Xun was looking ahead and behind, unable to decide for a moment.
Bai Yue: "Our target this time doesn't necessarily have to be the crystal."
Hearing this, Cao Xun blinked in surprise.
Bai Yue, hand on his headset, lowered his volume: "Do you remember the rules mentioned before we entered?"
The rules before entering?
Reminded, Cao Xun suddenly recalled what team captain Fu Cheng had said—if the number of deaths in the team exceeds half, it is considered a full team knockout.
"I remember, but..." Cao Xun said, "that rule applies to us. These are virtual enemies; they probably don't have such restrictions."
Bai Yue smiled: "Preconceptions can be dangerous."
Cao Xun was taken aback. The other side had mentioned this before.
Bai Yue: "You're not on the scene, so you might not be able to judge accurately. But the behavior of these enemies is indeed odd."
They resembled virtual enemies and didn't communicate with earpieces like them. But even without ever communicating, they seemed to make judgments as if they knew the situation on each lane and their opponents.
What made Bai Yue most suspicious was these people's action of sabotaging the communicators.
No matter what, if his guess was correct, then they actually had two methods to win the game now. One was to take down the crystal; the other was to reduce the number of enemies to less than half.
Bai Yue, although communicating with Cao Xun, was actually paying attention to his surroundings all along. Except for the person who took out Xu Chengdong still standing in the original spot, the other two were slowly approaching him. They didn't launch an attack immediately, seemingly observing the situation. But it should happen soon.
Bai Yue's gaze landed on one of them. The person was wearing a uniform from the Pheromone Research Institute. But he only glanced briefly before turning to face another enemy.
"I'll take this person down quickly."
Cao Xun then came back to his senses: "But... even with this person, that's only two, still not less than half."
Bai Yue suddenly said: "There's one more at Mu Sihan's place."
Cao Xun: "Eh?"
Bai Yue: "He's very strong, he can definitely defeat that person."
All five communicators were connected, so Bai Yue's words were also clearly heard by Mu Sihan. He retracted his foot, coldly staring at the tall enemy in front of him. The person was almost two meters tall, muscular and brawny. Although Mu Sihan had a slight advantage in skills, the difference in weight class meant his attacks didn't have much effect. However, after so many rounds, he had figured out the opponent's attacking habits.
Mu Sihan coldly said: "Within half a minute, I'll settle this."
Hearing the reply, Bai Yue smiled, placed his arms in front of him, and with a push of his back foot, he charged directly at the enemy. The enemy was clearly flustered for a few seconds by his sudden aggression, which slowed down their movements.
This reaction made Bai Yue even more certain that these were real people. Although some method had been used to disguise their appearances, that wasn't the point. What he needed to do now was to take this person down as quickly as possible!
Just as his back foot was about to kick the enemy's chin, an ally of the enemy blocked it. Bai Yue noticed the killing intent from the corner of his eye and dodged in time.
As expected, they came. The opponent was aggressive. Although from the Pheromone Research Institute, their skills were not weak.
To Bai Yue, the current opposition hardly seemed worthy of notice.
Dodging a blow, he stepped back, only for the enemy to immediately press their advantage. Then, as if hearing a command, they paused abruptly and turned to look behind themselves.
Bai Yue's gaze followed theirs, landing on a figure standing before a red crystal.
Was that their commander?
The thought flickered through his mind. The enemy hesitated only for a moment before resuming their charge.
Bai Yue halted, counterattacking with a backhanded strike.
It was exactly what he'd been aiming for.
From the start, his target had been this individual from the pheromone research institute.
Another enemy quickly reacted, attempting to assist by aiming at Bai Yue's side.
Bai Yue neither dodged nor evaded, taking the hit squarely. Without pausing, his hand shot out, fiercely grabbing the researcher's shoulder and smashing them down to the ground—!
Dust rose in clouds. The soft mud beneath their feet kicked up a considerable amount of dust.
Bai Yue pinned his opponent beneath him, knees pressing against their shoulders, hands holding the back of their head, ready to snap the neck.
Yet, even as their life hung in the balance, the enemy's expression remained unchanged. They were eerily calm, like a doll.
Suddenly, with no one approaching, Bai Yue's arms were twisted backward as if seized by an invisible force.
His palms began to tremble imperceptibly, and a scent of fresh grass filled his nostrils.
Bai Yue looked down at the enemy beneath him.
A pheromone attack?
Up until now, Bai Yue had experienced the pheromones of other alphas. But apart from the female leader's, no one's pheromones had affected him.
This enemy's genetic rank was probably A-grade, but their application was incredibly flexible.
If the release of pheromones by an untrained person could be likened to a downpour—indiscriminate but varying in effect from person to person—
Then, after training, it could condense into a force, forming two droplets that fiercely penetrate rock!
However, despite the flexible application, the significant difference in rank meant that Bai Yue still found it more annoying than painful.
His fingers tightened, ready to twist at a 90-degree angle.
"Defeat the top lane enemy."
Mu Si's cold voice came through the headset.
As long as Bai Yue takes down this enemy, they would pass the final round of assessment.
Du Qin looked at everything before him, somewhat infuriated.
He was so close to getting rid of that annoying bastard.
He had already warned the student from the Pheromone Research Institute not to get too close. But the guy, having won two rounds, seemed to have misunderstood his own combat skills.
Winning up to this point was clearly due to his command, yet the person failed to see the reality. Easily caught by Bai Yue.
Originally, Du Qin didn't want to bother with this person. After all, besides being good at using pheromones, he was of no real use.
But with victory so close, only needing to defeat Bai Yue to win, he had to step in to help.
The blue camp still had three people left. Bai Yue was here, another was in the top lane, and the whereabouts of the last one were unknown.
He stood in front of the crystal to prevent any tricks, thinking that with Bai Yue's skills, sending two people should easily handle it.
However, the reality was vastly different.
The Bai Yue he saw now was almost a completely different person from the one he had seen at Luo Hua Academy.
Despite not much change in appearance, the aura was worlds apart.
After taking control of the enemy team member, he didn't hesitate to kill the person.
Du Qin pulled out the pistol from his waist.
Originally, he didn't want to use this weapon in the preliminary selection. It was a military item exchanged for military honors, with only 5 bullets.
Even if he had to use it, it should have been in the final selection.
But now, he had no choice but to reveal his trump card.
Suddenly, a scream came through the headset. It seemed like the top lane teammate had been killed.
But Du Qin could not be bothered with that now. His entire focus was on Bai Yue.
Even if it was just a facade, he wanted to personally kill this person.
He aimed the gun.
At that moment, the opponent seemed to sense something and looked over.
When their eyes met, Du Qin felt as if he was completely seen through.
Discovered, the person would dodge, right?
Though filled with doubts, he had no choice but to shoot. Du Qin pulled the trigger.
"Bang!"
The bullet tore through the sky, swiftly flying out, piercing the enemy's temple in an instant.
The enemy's body stiffened, then fell to the side.
Du Qin slowly lowered the pistol.
With this, the enemy's numbers were reduced to less than half. They had won.
He finally defeated Bai Yue.
A smile was about to form on Du Qin's face uncontrollably.
"Wait, Li Hao is also dead!"
Li Hao was from the Pheromone Research Institute. The only remaining teammate checked the breath and immediately came to this conclusion.
Hearing this, Du Qin's smile disappeared.
Did Bai Yue, having noticed his move, deliberately not dodge just to kill this person?
So what does it mean now? Did he kill Bai Yue first, or did Bai Yue kill Li Hao first?
This time, the mechanical female voice did not make an appearance.
Du Qin stepped forward, wanting to investigate the situation. However, just as he was halfway there, the surrounding scenery dimmed.
Whether it was the dense forest, the soft soil, or the teammates not far ahead, all merged into the darkness.
The visibility suddenly darkened.
After a moment, the lights slowly came on. Bai Yue found himself back inside the cylinder.
The cold walls surrounded him, with pale light overhead. Beside him stood his four teammates.
Everyone seemed to have just returned, looking at each other with bewildered expressions.
"I lost consciousness," the bearded man scratched the back of his head, "What happened after that, did we win?"
However, no one could answer his question.
Cao Xun's expression looked somewhat ugly.
In the last second before returning, he heard a gunshot. No one in his team had such a weapon, so was it an attack from the enemy?
To prepare for the assessment, he had also purchased a small knife as a weapon for self-defense. But firearms were considered high-grade items, only exchangeable with military merits. His accumulated military merits were far from enough.
Mu Sihan looked towards the hatch: "Someone is coming."
Hearing this, everyone looked over simultaneously.
Sure enough, a moment later, the hatch opened to both sides. Standing outside was a member of the patrol team.
The person stood with hands behind his back, expressionless: "The preliminary assessment is over, please follow me."