When Meng Huai and his companions arrived at the finish line, the scene was chaotic. All eight military schools were present, with some pairs engaged in combat and others in free-for-alls.
Upon seeing Meng Huai and his group, those already fighting became cautious, fearing that the newcomers might seize the opportunity to capture the flag while they were occupied.
However, Zheng Yiran did not issue such an order. She deliberately stood a distance away, signaling that they had no intention of attempting a sneak attack.
Despite this, the others remained wary. Seeing their hesitation, Zheng Yiran glanced at Hui Xingxiu.
Hui Xingxiu felt a shiver from Zheng Yiran's gaze and asked, "What is it?"
Zheng Yiran's unexpected remark stunned the audience: "You're hungry."
Hui Xingxiu thought, *I'm not hungry!* But he reasoned that what the commander said was correct, so he nodded and replied, "I'm hungry."
【Is this the time to talk about that?】
【I'm f
The scene depicted was precisely this: while others were strenuously fighting for the flag, the Empire Military School contingent was actually eating!
"See those two groups closest to the finish line platform? The one in the blue mecha is Wu Fei, a soldier from the Fourth Military School. You should pay close attention to him. Wu Fei is one of the top solo combatants among these military schools in recent years. However, the person he's fighting seems to be from the Twelfth Military School."
The speaker was Zheng Yiran. The current free-for-all was an excellent opportunity for observation. Meng Huai had a preliminary understanding of those who had participated before, but the provided data only offered basic recognition. However, when it came to the combat habits of solo fighters, Zheng Yiran couldn't explain them thoroughly. Therefore, using this opportunity to let Meng Huai experience it firsthand was the best approach.
Moreover, with so many new teams participating this year, if not now, when would be a better time to observe the situation? Even Zheng Yiran herself wanted to see what these newly joined teams were capable of.
Some might argue that there was no need to waste time on the field like this, and that it could all be reviewed after the competition. However, a review often lacks the depth of real-time experience and can sometimes miss crucial details.
Jing Yuancheng watched the ongoing battles and pointed with a skewer from his roasted meat, saying, "That kid from the Twelfth Military School has some skills!"
Jing Yuancheng was speaking. He could confidently say that Wu Fei was slightly stronger than him, just slightly. But against the kid from the Twelfth Military School, Wu Fei seemed to be struggling somewhat!
The audience watching the "eating broadcast" couldn't see the situation on the battlefield. They switched to another military school's perspective.
They saw the battle between the Fourth Military School and the Twelfth Military School, as Zheng Yiran had mentioned. They were closest to the finish line platform but were mutually restraining each other. However, viewers who had been following the Fourth Military School had seen them fighting for a long time without a conclusion.
One might have assumed that the championship team, the Fourth Military School, would easily handle a new participating team. But the more they watched, the more something seemed amiss. Even viewers without keen eyesight could tell that the highly acclaimed fighter, Wu Fei, appeared to be losing!
"Oh dear, he fumbled!"
Hui Xingxiu, who was focused on the situation, mumbled as he bit into his meat. However, he didn't realize what had caused the solo combatant fighting Wu Fei to falter.
It was somewhat related to them. At this moment, Xiao Wu from the Twelfth Military School sniffed the air, his thoughts drifting away. He was trying to locate the source of the aroma. The commander of his team, seeing this, knew it was Xiao Wu's old habit. He couldn't resist when it came to food!
The commander used his perception to alert Xiao Wu: "Focus! Once the flag is captured at the finish line, you can eat whatever you want!"
Hearing this, Xiao Wu had no choice but to concentrate. Facing an opponent he was about to defeat and the temptation of a feast, his actions became even more fervent.
Wu Fei also fell decisively. Now was the time to act! Xiao Wu bypassed the fallen Wu Fei and pulled up the first-place flag.
Wu Fei also struggled to get up from the ground and pulled a flag as well.
"Congratulations to the Twelfth Military School for obtaining first place, awarded 200,000 bonus points."
"Congratulations to the Fourth Military School for obtaining second place, awarded 100,000 bonus points."
Upon hearing the broadcast, the remaining six military schools intensified their fighting, as there was still one last spot to claim.
"There's one flag left. Should we grab it?"
The group, having eaten their fill, looked at the finish line platform where one last flag remained uncaptured. Jing Yuancheng proposed this idea.
Zheng Yiran understood these individuals thoroughly, and Meng Huai was also clear on the matter. Zheng Yiran nodded, "Let's go then."
What followed was Jing Yuancheng charging towards the flag. However, all the military schools had positioned themselves to prevent the Empire Military School from a surprise attack. They certainly wouldn't let them take the flag so easily. At this point, all military schools ceased their fighting and formed a united front to block Jing Yuancheng alone.
"What's going on here?"
Jing Yuancheng felt that everyone seemed to have it in for the Empire Military School this year. They kept ganging up on them, as if there was no other way!
"Forget it. Why would I compete for these meager points with you when there's a feast waiting?!"
With that, Jing Yuancheng retreated to where they had just been eating the grilled meat. But was that really the case? Definitely not.
It was merely a feint. He executed a surprise return, disregarding who it was, grabbed the nearest solo combatant, and engaged in battle.
Seeing that the fight wasn't against their own military school, the others intended to capture the flag. But as everyone wanted to grab the flag, the conflict reignited.
At this moment, Xiao Wu from the Twelfth Military School tossed the flag to his commander and headed towards the source of the food aroma.
The commander, seeing the light in Xiao Wu's eyes, knew what had attracted him. He couldn't let Xiao Wu embarrass himself and quickly moved to intercept him.
So, Zheng Yiran and her group watched Jing Yuancheng's situation while they ate. If there was any danger, they would surely intervene. But if there was no danger, they would let him fight. It was possible to gain some points in the end!
Then, they saw a commander holding onto a solo combatant, saying, "Xiao Wu, Xiao Wu, what are you doing?"
Xiao Wu's eyes were fixed only on the grilled skewers on their barbecue grill, and then he struggled. Of course, if Xiao Wu had used his full strength to struggle, his commander would not have been able to hold him. In reality, it was just a bit of playful roughhousing.
Meng Huai looked at Xiao Wu's expression and offered him a skewer of grilled meat. Xiao Wu was taken aback.