Chapter Ninety-One: First Encounter with the Gale

"The ranking battle for the Direct Command Team will begin in ten seconds. All participants, please take your positions. Countdown starting: ten... nine... eight..." Listening to the broadcast outside the room, Xie Liu and the others closed their eyes, waiting for the neural transmission to start. When the countdown reached one, Xie Liu felt a sharp pain in his temples, then opened his eyes.

The world before him had completely changed. The roar of airplane engines echoed in his ears, the turbulence and the pungent smell of machine oil filled the air. Xie Liu realized he was now aboard a giant helicopter. When he opened his eyes, he saw that everyone was here.

"Attention, you're about to pass over the battlefield. In three minutes, we will fly across it. Within these three minutes, simply press the button behind your seat to be ejected and parachute down. You may choose your landing site freely. Note: Anyone not ejected within three minutes will be considered to have forfeited."

"Now, you must choose one of the following three basic pieces of equipment." Xie Liu turned his gaze to a small box in front of him. One box displayed the standard saber used by the Hunting Team—cheap, reliable, and frequently wielded by Xie Liu himself. Aside from its toughness, it had no distinguishing features. The second weapon was a white energy Desert Eagle pistol, also a favorite of Xie Liu. The third was a universal combat gauntlet, again something he often used.

"Have I become so ordinary that all my weapons are basic gear?" Xie Liu thought, amused and frustrated. His usual weapons were all standard issue, but perhaps this was his advantage: he was familiar with them, while others might not be.

What to choose? Xie Liu pondered. He wanted to see where his teammates were, but everything before him was blacked out—screened, impossible to reference their choices.

"Li Shizhu and Xu Xiong aren't good at close combat; they'll definitely pick the pistol. Lin Yang will go for the saber, no question. Gong Hou should choose the gauntlet. As for Ye Ling... well, let's not consider her for now. The item I pick must play a crucial role. The gauntlet is pointless; Gong Hou alone can handle it. Lin Yang is dual-blade, so he needs two sabers. Li Shizhu and Xu Xiong aren't frontline fighters, so their pistols could end up in my hands."

With this logic, Xie Liu decided to maximize benefits and chose the saber.

Ten seconds until departure!

Once everyone had made their choices, the darkness vanished. Xie Liu saw his teammates nearby, but no other squads. "So the opponents can't know our departure time?" Xie Liu thought. "Seems this competition is fairly set up."

As the ten-second countdown ended, the broadcast announced the battle's start. Xie Liu shook his head, "Don't rush to jump out!"

"Most people will wait a bit before ejecting, but some aggressive teams might go immediately," Xie Liu predicted. "I bet the Azure Dragon Team has already ejected."

"If we fight others early on, it's a disadvantage—our team isn't strong enough. From thirty seconds on, people will start ejecting." Xie Liu watched the countdown; twenty-something seconds had passed. "From thirty seconds to a minute and a half, probably sixty percent will jump."

Everyone nodded, trusting Xie Liu's reasoning. Time inched forward, and as it reached halfway, Xie Liu continued, "Weaker teams usually wait till the end. So at least three teams will jump in the last thirty seconds. They're not strong, but we should avoid clashes to prevent losses."

"We'll jump at two minutes and ten seconds," Xie Liu concluded. "Maybe others will make the same choice, but not many—at most one team. With luck, maybe none. Xu Xiong, start the psionic link; we need to regroup fast after landing."

Time ticked on. Xie Liu and his teammates watched the countdown. With fifty seconds left, Xie Liu said, "Let's go." He pressed the button, and his comrades followed, ejecting together.

The wind howled in his ears as Xie Liu plummeted downward. He opened his eyes and saw the battlefield below. Even he was somewhat amazed: a twenty-kilometer radius, neither too large nor too small, yet packed with every imaginable setting—lush forests, ruined cities, massive factories, damp wetlands and marshes, rugged hills. Xie Liu glanced up and saw his teammates following him, but soon, a gust of wind sent them drifting in different directions. He knew it couldn't be helped; as long as they landed in roughly the same area, it would suffice.

He looked at his landing spot, then paused, surprised to see four or five small black dots falling in the sky ahead.

"As expected, we've encountered other teams," Xie Liu sighed. His mutated eyes gave him the advantage—he could spot others before they noticed him. He saw the group aiming for a gas station along the highway, so Xie Liu changed direction, leading Ye Ling, who was still following, toward a racetrack on the other side.

At about a hundred meters above the ground, Xie Liu and Ye Ling opened their parachutes, steering to land on the racetrack roof. After landing, Xie Liu detached his parachute, seeing Ye Ling land behind him. He quickly folded up his parachute, bundled it, and ran toward Ye Ling.

Ye Ling had landed a bit off, near the pond outside the racetrack. Luckily, Xie Liu arrived in time to guide her away, preventing her from plunging into the water. Once they packed up their parachutes, Xie Liu beckoned Ye Ling over. They bundled them carefully and hid them in a secluded spot.

Then, they headed to the racetrack stands. From here, Xie Liu could see the solitary gas station ahead.

"Can you see anything?" Ye Ling crouched behind a chair, not daring to poke her head out. Xie Liu peered through a gap. "Four people in total, can't tell which team. Looks like they've found a vehicle."

He turned and sat down. "I don't know their abilities, and at this distance, we can't strike. By the way, Ye Ling, what weapon did you choose?"

Ye Ling pulled out a pistol, and Xie Liu nodded. Having a ranged weapon was better than none, though regular firearms weren't much use against Hunting Team members. "Do you know how to use it?" Ye Ling shook her head. Xie Liu sighed and reached out; Ye Ling handed him the pistol cooperatively.

"Search this place for any usable equipment. I'll keep watch on them," Xie Liu instructed. Ye Ling nodded, ran down the aisle, and began checking rooms one by one.

The group ahead seemed to be discussing something, standing before their jeep as if arguing. But the distance was too great; Xie Liu couldn't hear a thing. He estimated they were at least eight hundred meters away. With no obstacles in between, if he had his sniper rifle, he could have picked one off easily. But that was out of the question now.

After their debate, the four finally got into the vehicle, apparently heading toward the racetrack.

"They're coming. Are you ready?" Xie Liu urged. Ye Ling hurried upstairs, carrying a compound bow. "I found this."

"This is an 'Air Bow,' but only Gong Hou could draw it. Let's leave—nothing worth staying for. Put everything back and close the doors, so they'll think we never came." Seeing the group approaching, Xie Liu ordered Ye Ling to retreat. They swiftly left the racetrack, arriving at the pond where Ye Ling had landed. On the far side, Xie Liu spotted a small viewing platform. Suddenly, he had an idea and led Ye Ling along the pond into the woods.

"Step hard, leave footprints," Xie Liu said. Ye Ling was confused but knew this wasn't the time for questions. They ran into the woods, leaving a trail of moderately deep footprints.

"Won't this expose us?" Ye Ling asked hesitantly. Xie Liu shook his head and, just as they entered the woods, pulled Ye Ling close and leapt into the pond...

...

The jeep's roar gradually ceased, and four people disembarked—three men and one woman. As they got out, one rugged-looking man grumbled, "What is this junk? No one's used cars like this for centuries."

"Alright, Wolf Fang, stop complaining. Parrot can drive, can't she?" A refined-looking man coaxed him. The woman called Parrot shook her head, "I've only read about it in old books. I can barely manage."

"Enough, let's check inside. That gas station only gave us an automatic rifle. By the way, Albatross, did you see two people land behind us?" The burly man in front asked. The refined man nodded, "I couldn't see clearly, but my ability detected two superpower responses nearby."

"Good thing we brought you." The leader nodded. "Stay alert—we don't know who they are. Let's contact Tiger Roar and Panther Shadow, regroup as soon as possible. This time, let's aim for the top ten. Gale Team's been second to last for two years; I don't want to be here a third. Let's go."