Chapter 148
Chapter 148: The blue is better than the blue
Thud!
The white-haired little boy bit his lip, tears shimmering in his eyes, not daring to move a single muscle.
Zhao Yan towered over him, looking down with a cold sneer.
"You actually dragged a wet-behind-the-ears little brat into a trial?"
"Is Eagle Nation really that short on people?"
"Cough…cough cough…"
Andre crawled down from the hood of the vehicle and grabbed his dislocated right arm with one hand.
Crack!
He gritted his teeth and forcibly snapped it back into place.
"Ngh!"
A muffled grunt, cold sweat seeping from his forehead.
He panted heavily, his gaze toward Zhao Yan having completely changed.
‘This old man…’
Was far stronger than he had imagined!
Not only was he immune to Imperial Edict, his physical constitution was on a whole other level of monstrous!
He might not specialize in close combat, but he was still a Tiger-Grade squad captain with an S-Grade physique!
And he couldn't even take a single strike?!
Andre let out a sigh and looked toward the 3 teammates still sitting inside the vehicle, completely indifferent.
Those 3 remained wrapped in black cloaks, seated in the back row without so much as a twitch.
As though the one who had just been sent flying wasn't their squad captain—just some stranger.
"Haah…"
Andre smiled bitterly.
‘As expected, this kind of extreme squad built entirely on individual personalities really isn't something you can just copy.’
‘If it were Rex's Black Shark Squad, those guys would've already charged out swinging.’
‘But these 3…’
‘Watched their own captain get beaten and didn't bat an eye.’
‘Fine.’
Not even family members were guaranteed to risk their lives for you, let alone squadmates who had only been thrown together for a few days.
Being a little selfish was perfectly normal.
Andre understood why they had no desire to provoke Zhao Yan.
After all, even God had pissed his pants in fright.
So he could only play the emotional card, turning to look at Xin An, who had just picked herself up from the ground.
"Hey, old friend…"
Andre rubbed his hands together, a placating smile pasted across his face.
"Put in a good word for me? What just happened—it wasn't intentional at all… It was a complete misunderstanding!"
Xin An patted the mud off her clothes and shot him a withering glance.
"Not intentional?"
"Weren't you the one who wanted us to feel the wrath of God?"
"Anyone would be pissed off after being forced face-first onto the ground like that."
Andre waved his hands frantically.
"I got beaten too!"
He pointed at his own abdomen, where a clear bootprint was imprinted.
"Your Chief of Staff nearly kicked his Magic Orb straight through my stomach!"
Then he pointed at the white-haired little boy, who was still being held at knifepoint by Zhao Yan at the side of the passenger door.
"And God over here—he practically wet a whole trouser-load out of fright!"
"If it weren't for not being allowed to talk casually, he'd absolutely be bawling and calling for his mom right now!"
Before the words had even finished leaving his mouth—
"Waaah!!!"
The white-haired little boy finally cracked, bursting into wailing sobs.
The crying was gut-wrenching and soul-tearing, snot and tears smeared all over his face, with his trousers still dripping.
There wasn't a single shred of the divine left in him.
He was plainly just a terrified little kid.
Xin An watched this scene, the corner of her mouth twitching.
It seemed…
The other side was actually worse off?
She looked toward Zhao Yan.
She said nothing, but the meaning in her eyes was unmistakable.
‘Why not just let it go?’
Zhao Yan glanced at the little boy who had cried himself into a complete mess.
He had no interest in bullying a child.
Even less desire to let internal conflict hand the Scarecrow a free victory.
And of course, more than anything, he found the kid repulsive.
That trouser-load of smell was already drifting over.
"Get back in the vehicle."
Zhao Yan withdrew his long blade.
"Take your laughable secret weapon and get far away from here."
"If there's a next time and you dare play tricks in front of me again, it won't be as simple as pissing your pants."
"I'll snap that little white head of yours clean off and kick it around like a ball."
Andre felt as though he had received a reprieve, nodding and bowing repeatedly.
"Yes, yes, yes! Sir! Your lesson is well taken! Absolutely no next time!"
He turned and shoved the little boy back into the vehicle, urging his squadmates to get away from this god of pestilence as fast as possible.
However—
"Wait."
Zhao Yan's voice rang out from behind Andre.
Andre had barely taken half a step forward when his foot froze, fresh cold sweat breaking out again.
"Sir, is there… is there anything else you'd like to instruct?"
He turned his head, his smile stiff.
Zhao Yan stared at him. "You—can't leave."
"What?!"
Andre was completely stunned, convinced he had heard wrong.
"The 2 squads must stay together."
Zhao Yan repeated the same sentence as before.
"This Battle Royale trial isn't right. In a place like this, where even Tiger-Grade squads can be wiped out in under 10 minutes—"
"Even with a Divine Chosen present, anyone who dares to split their forces is just asking to die!"
The smile on Andre's face collapsed instantly.
"This… this won't work!"
He pointed anxiously at the 3 cloaked figures in the back seat, lowering his voice.
"You already guessed their situation just now—this is Eagle Nation's highest classified secret."
"We absolutely cannot expose our abilities and full hand in front of squads from other nations…"
"No."
Zhao Yan cut him off with a cold snort.
"Do you think I actually want to team up with a schemer like you?"
"But right now we are at a life-or-death crossroads!"
"This is not the time for Eagle Nation's politicians to sit at a negotiation table and set their conditions!"
Andre jumped up in agitation. "But our mission—"
"There is no 'but.'"
Zhao Yan's stance was immovable, brooking absolutely no room for negotiation.
"Two options."
"Either, for the sake of survival, the 2 squads form a temporary alliance, share firepower, and move together."
"Or…"
Zhao Yan's large hand closed around his blade handle once more.
"I break all of your legs right now, tie you up like dead dogs, and drag you behind the vehicle."
"Your choice."
Andre: "……"
He was completely speechless. A scholar meeting a soldier—reason is useless.
He could only look toward Xin An beside him with a pitiful expression, his eyes full of pleading.
‘Old friend, do something about your unreasonable Chief of Staff!’
Xin An helplessly shrugged, spreading both hands open to indicate she was powerless to help.
The 2 of them remained deadlocked on the spot.
One adamant about leaving, terrified of exposing classified information.
The other adamant about keeping them, wanting to increase their survival odds.
The atmosphere that had just barely eased settled back into a knife-drawn tension.
And right in the thick of this grinding standoff—
"Wait!!!"
Xin An, who had been quietly maintaining her psychic radar, suddenly cried out in alarm!
"What is it?!"
Zhao Yan's combat nerves snapped taut in an instant. He turned his head, right hand already gripping his blade handle.
Xin An's expression was growing uglier by the second.
"Red dots… so many red dots…"
"Where?! Direction!"
Zhao Yan demanded sharply.
"Approximately 13 kilometers out, an open clearing!"
Xin An bit down on her teeth and gave shape to that radar image in her mind.
"I can see a faint blue dot…"
"It's been completely surrounded by dense swarms of red dots!"
"Conservative estimate—at least a hundred of them!"
At those words, no one could keep their composure.
Especially Iron Wall Squad. White Eagle was right here—the other squad went without saying.
"13 kilometers out…"
"A single blue dot surrounded by over a hundred monsters?"
"We, White Eagle are here, Rex's Black Shark Squad is confirmed wiped…"
"That surrounded blue dot can only be a surviving member of your Huaxia's Blade Squad!"
Andre's eyes lit up. He slapped his thigh.
"Perfect! Good lord! Now we don't have to argue about the alliance anymore!"
Xin An's brow creased hard, her gaze turning hostile. "What do you mean by that, you smug bastard?!"
"What I mean is—this is heaven's will!"
Andre grabbed Xin An's shoulders with both hands.
"Your Iron Wall Squad's mobility is terrible!"
"If you just run on two legs through 13 kilometers of wheat field, by the time you get there—"
"Blade Squad's people will probably already have been chewed down to bone fragments by the Scarecrows!"
He turned and slapped the hood of the SUV behind him.
"But we have a vehicle!"
"Full throttle, and we can reach the battlefield in under 10 minutes!"
"Let us White Eagle act as the vanguard and execute the rescue first!"
"Iron Wall Squad immediately gives chase at full speed behind us as backup!"
"By the time you jog over, we might have already dealt with that damned Scarecrow for good!"
"And even if we can't finish it off, you can serve as reinforcement for us, can't you?"
Hearing this sensible plan, Xin An fell silent.
She turned her head toward Zhao Yan.
Zhao Yan was running his own tactical calculations.
Andre's proposal really was the Optimal Solution.
Iron Wall Squad was on foot.
Accounting for the need to conserve energy for combat—
They would need at least 20 minutes to cover 13 kilometers on foot.
And Blade Squad was already down to a single blue dot, facing the encirclement of over a hundred Scarecrows…
They absolutely could not hold out for 20 minutes.
But White Eagle had a vehicle, had mobility, and had a Divine Chosen.
Even if they couldn't beat the Scarecrows, they could stall until Iron Wall arrived.
But from the standpoint of tactical doctrine, in a Battle Royale like this—
Splitting forces was almost always the beginning of being picked off one by one.
Especially against an enemy that had wiped out Black Shark Squad in under 10 minutes.
And Blade Squad apparently only had 1 person left…
"Chief of Staff."
Xin An spoke softly. "The blue dot signal over at Blade Squad's location…"
"Has already grown faint enough that it could go out at any moment."
"If we hesitate any longer, that person might genuinely not hold on until we walk over."
Under the crushing pressure of the decision, Zhao Yan clenched his jaw.
3 seconds later—
He made a difficult call.
"Xin An—sync the exact coordinates over to him."
Andre was overjoyed.
"Now that's what I like to hear! Old Huaxia friends, rest easy! Leave the rescue to us White Eagle!"
Xin An drew a deep breath and relayed the holographic map distances from her mind to Andre out loud.
"Due southeast."
After rapidly recording the coordinates, Andre pulled Xin An into a bear hug.
"Brother! Wait for my good news!"
"After the trial ends, you're coming to my daughter's 1st birthday!"
"We'll drink until we drop!"
He let go and spun toward the SUV, slapping the back of the little boy's head with one palm.
"God! Stop your damn crying! Wipe your trousers and get ready to work!"
"We're going to meet the bastard Scarecrow that killed my brothers!"
Vroom!!!
The SUV quickly vanished entirely into the vast darkness of the night.
"Move out! Full-speed march!"
Zhao Yan didn't waste a single moment. The 5 of them traced the tire tracks the SUV had pressed into the earth and pushed forward at full sprint.
Night wind howled, like the wailing of ghosts.
Zhao Yan cleaved through the wave of wheat at the very front as he moved, lowering his voice. "Xin An."
"Here, Chief of Staff."
Xin An kept tight on his heels, maintaining a close-range alert perimeter.
"Going forward… try to keep private contact with Andre to a minimum."
Zhao Yan's voice seemed to drift a little in the wind.
Xin An paused for a moment, her footsteps stuttering slightly.
"Chief of Staff, even if he talks too much, he's still a soldier who values brotherhood…"
"I know he's a friend you made during international trials."
Zhao Yan cut her off.
"But first and foremost, he is Eagle Nation's soldier."
"The nations look peaceful on the surface, but the undercurrents are fierce."
"The appearance of No Words Needed has made certain people green with envy."
He paused.
"Until the situation is completely stable, keep your distance."
"Especially you, Xin An."
Zhao Yan turned his head and gave her a long, deep look.
"You are currently at a critical juncture."
"Your ability… for all of Huaxia, it is far too important."
"You are the target certain people with ulterior motives most want to eliminate."
Xin An scratched her hair. "Understood, Chief of Staff. Don't worry."
Xin An wasn't stupid. How could she not hear the profound meaning behind Zhao Yan's words, and the protection of her future it contained?
Full Map Unlock—it was the only strategic-level, large-range reconnaissance support ability in all of humanity.
It was safe to say that ever since she awakened this ability—
Her special recruitment into Dragon Squad had been a foregone conclusion that only needed to go through the formalities.
But the problem lay precisely in those formalities…
The background investigation required to enter Dragon Squad was grueling.
There would always be people with ulterior motives who deliberately picked at sensitive issues like international relations, looking for weaknesses to exploit.
Zhao Yan was giving her a preemptive inoculation—telling her not to give anyone any handle to grab.
Xin An drew a deep breath of the night air, trying to force down the spiraling thoughts.
Before surviving this, talking about the future is pointless!
Right now the most important thing was to lead her teammates out of this man-eating wheat field alive!
But at this very moment—
She caught the smell of something burning!
"Something's wrong!"
Xin An's eyes snapped wide. She immediately deployed the full map!
She rapidly swept across every inch of ground within a 10-kilometer radius.
And then—
Xin An's eyes flew open!
"We're in trouble!"
"What is it?!"
Zhao Yan sensed the disruption in Xin An's aura and the long blade was out of its sheath in an instant, held protectively before her.
Xin An opened her mouth.
"We… around us…"
"There are red dots everywhere!!!"
Zhao Yan's heart seized! He swept his gaze around in all directions immediately.
As far as the eye could see, the wheat field was still the same golden sea swaying gently in the breeze.
Not a single monster in sight.
Nothing.
Quiet enough to make one's skin crawl.
But Zhao Yan knew perfectly well that Xin An's S-Grade holographic map was absolutely incapable of error!
If they couldn't be seen with the naked eye, it could only mean…
Those monsters either possessed a concealment ability, or…
They themselves were part of this wheat field!
"How many?!"
Zhao Yan's grip tightened on his blade.
"A lot… very many… at least a hundred! No—hundreds!"
Xin An's voice trembled more and more. "They're… they're forming an encirclement!"
"Closing in on us from all sides!"
"And—!"
Xin An's eyes suddenly went perfectly round, fixed on a particular direction in the mental map.
"There's one red dot with absurd speed…"
"It's broken away from the main force and is closing in on Andre's position at a terrifying pace!"
"What?!"
Zhao Yan's expression turned iron-grey in an instant.
Because he thought of someone!
Someone who ran extremely fast!
Xin An's cry rang out again!
"Something's wrong! Something's off!"
"Andre's side—"
"The blue dot… its trajectory is wrong!!!"
"What exactly is happening?! Say it all at once!"
Zhao Yan roared in fury.
"That blue dot…"
Xin An swallowed a mouthful of saliva in despair. "It's… it's not fighting back!"
"Those red dots haven't even moved! They're just surrounding it!"
"We've been tricked!"
"That is not a surviving Blade Squad member breaking through the encirclement!"
"It's bait!"
"A Blade Squad member captured by the Scarecrow!"
She finally understood what kind of terrifying dead end this was!
This was no sob story of Blade Squad being surrounded and calling for rescue!
This was a trap!
This was a monster with a level of human-like intelligence so high it even understood the tactic of division and disintegration!
A meticulously laid chain-kill formation!
From the very beginning, that blue dot had been deliberately left for Xin An to detect—it was Bait!
It deliberately let Xin An discover it, deliberately manufactured a sense of desperate, imminent annihilation!
Its goal had only ever been one thing!
To exploit human empathy and the instinct to rescue.
To forcibly split these last 2 fully-intact squads apart!
And then…
Use its overwhelming numbers to tear them apart…
One by one!
Crush them completely!
"Damn it… why the hell didn't I just hold firm from the start!"
"We all got played by that beast!!!"
"How did that beast know about Xin An's ability details?!"
Hu Xiaoxiao yanked the staff from her waist, eyes fixed on the straw that had begun to take shape all around them.
"Do you even need to ask?!"
Lu Qi raised his sniper rifle with one hand, locking onto the head of a Scarecrow that had just hauled itself upright a hundred meters away.
"Didn't Xin An just say there was an extremely fast red dot?"
"It must be Liu Feng! That arrogant idiot got his body seized!"
"The Scarecrow devoured him, which means it got all of our ability intel and tactical weaknesses!"
"Damn! This is a hellish opening!"
Mai Zijian let out a furious roar, slamming his heavy shield into the mud at his feet.
"Stop analyzing! Look after ourselves first! They're closing in!"
At the center of the formation, Xin An bit down hard on her teeth.
A wave of self-reproach threatened to consume her entirely.
This wasn't her fault—but this trap that had pushed 2 squads to the brink of destruction…
Had been made possible precisely through her Full Map Unlock!
She had been the one to deliver White Eagle Squad into the jaws of death with her own hands!
Smack!!!
Right at the moment Xin An was about to spiral into that spiral—
A hand came down hard on the back of her head, sending her stumbling forward!
"Snap out of it! Raise your head for me!"
Zhao Yan bellowed. "Look at yourself right now—is this any way for a squad captain to act?!"
"What we need to do now is break through!"
"At the fastest speed possible, go link up with White Eagle Squad!"
Zhao Yan's battle blade came out of its sheath.
"The Scarecrow's main force can't close an encirclement across that kind of distance!"
"The red dots on this side are absolutely just a feint to buy time!"
The slap fully jolted Xin An awake. She pulled the short blade from her hip. "Understood!"
Zhao Yan swept his gaze across the dense horde of Scarecrows closing in from all directions, the blade tip pointing straight at the night sky.
"All units, hold formation, southeast direction—break through!!!"
At the same moment.
Southeast. 13 kilometers away.
At the location that had shown as the "blue dot" on the radar.
Pinned face-down in the mud by countless Scarecrows was Iron Bull.
By now, the bootleg Tribulation Flame had stripped him of his youth, leaving him aged like a skeleton wrapped in skin.
But he had yet to breathe his last. His S-Grade Steel Body had granted him a ferocious tenacity for life.
It could only keep him lingering on in this endless pain.
Black blood spilled from the corner of Iron Bull's dried-up lips as he snarled.
"You beast… you fake…"
"If you've got guts, give me a clean death… playing dirty tricks like this… what the hell kind of thing are you…"
And directly before Iron Bull.
On a throne woven from countless withered yellow stalks of wheat—
The Watchful Scarecrow, having Simulated into the form of No Words Needed, lounged there sprawled at ease.
Its trousers had been dropped to the ground, and the Ling Yu Scarecrow was straddled across it.
On the left and right flanks of the throne, the Rex Scarecrow and the Yan Mo Scarecrow stood like 2 knights.
Holding blood-dripping scythes, standing in silent vigil through the dark night.
It was plain to see that while the Watchful Scarecrow had failed to perfectly replicate the man's power to shatter heaven and earth—
It had learned the personality to a perfect ten, and even surpassed the original.
The Watchful Scarecrow smiled.
It savored this pleasure, while mocking its former self.
'What a stupid idiot I used to be.'
It had only known to frighten people and then kill them.
This right here—this was true satisfaction!
Just as it was wallowing in this rapture—
Whoosh!
A gust of wind screeched to a halt before the throne.
The Liu Feng Scarecrow dropped to one knee, pointing toward the distant horizon.
Two headlights were approaching from afar.
The fish had taken the bait.
The Watchful Scarecrow's movements came to a stop.
It casually shoved the Ling Yu Scarecrow aside and pulled its trousers back up.
Buzz.
A wisp of crimson-black flame ignited once more in its palm.
"Warmup complete."
"Now…"
"It's time to hunt."
Bunny