Chapter 94
Chapter 94: Don’t Cozy Up, The Blade Is For Your Neck, It’s Meant To Kill You
Jiang Tea Tea did not hesitate at all. She drew on her spiritual power, used the Shrinking Ground to Inches technique, flashed to Cheng Lin Yue’s back, and swung the dry yellow twig in her hand at that extremely long, forked tongue.
The long forked tongue snapped. The aberrant beast under the sand let out a roar, and the collapsing sand churned even more violently.
Without the tongue coiling around her, Cheng Lin Yue had nothing to grab or pull on and still fell straight toward the collapsing sand.
Jiang Tea Tea twisted around and took a closer look. In the sunken area where Cheng Lin Yue was falling, several giant lizards the same color as the sand were hiding in it, their bloody mouths wide open, waiting for Cheng Lin Yue to drop right into them.
Cheng Lin Yue fell downward, completely unable to protect herself. The dry twig in Jiang Tea Tea’s hand suddenly met spring. Dead wood revived, and thin, tender green branches sprouted from it.
Just as Cheng Lin Yue was about to fall into a giant lizard’s mouth, the thin, tender green branch that Jiang Tea Tea whipped out wrapped around Cheng Lin Yue’s waist. Jiang Tea Tea yanked and flung her upward, shouting: “Cheng Xiao Ting, catch her!”
In beast form, Cheng Xiao Ting let out a wolf howl, sprinted over at top speed, and steadily caught the Cheng Lin Yue who was flung back up.
The giant lizards waiting to eat Cheng Lin Yue bit only air. They roared in anger and moved their legs, crawling out of the sand.
Jiang Tea Tea’s body dropped downward. She stepped on a giant lizard’s head with one foot and used the force to leap upward again.
Sui Xuan Chu shot over, caught Jiang Tea Tea in midair, let out a dragon roar, and flew toward the ocean.
Huang Da Zhuang, Cheng Xiao Ting, and Yan Yu answered with beast cries from below. They ran across the sand, chasing after Sui Xuan Chu in the sky.
The aberrant beasts – the giant lizards that had crawled out of the sandpit – swung their long tails and moved their legs. They did not chase or bite anyone else at all. They only chased behind Huang Da Zhuang and Cheng Xiao Ting’s group.
All the people from the drill instructor group at the scene had admiration flashing in their eyes for the members of the “Beat The Other Twenty-Nine Military Academies” squad. Their reactions were too fast, and they refused to let go of or give up on any teammate.
Students from the other military academies were dumbfounded, unable to believe it. The members of “Beat The Other Twenty-Nine Military Academies” had rescued their teammate from the mouths of several-ton mutated desert giant lizards?
They themselves, living human beings, were that close to the mutated desert giant lizards, yet when the lizards crawled out of the sandpit, they did not even look at them, did not attack them at all. Who were they looking down on?
No one knew who shouted first: “Why are you all standing there in a daze? Hurry up and chase them. Those eight people are worth ninety thousand points!”
Someone shouted, and others followed: “Yeah, yeah, taking them down means points. Killing desert giant lizards is also points. Charge!”
“Hurry, hurry, change into beast form. Catch up to them in beast form and then change back to human to hunt them. With the desert giant lizards there, they’ll definitely be too busy to take care of everything.”
Other than the pure humans who could not transform, all the students from the military academies turned into beast form, carrying their pure human teammates on their backs. Beast roars rose and fell one after another as they chased after Jiang Tea Tea and the others.
The drill instructor group drove flying devices and sand buggies, following behind them and hovering above their heads, yelling and shouting.
From time to time they even dumped dirty water on them or threw down some ice cubes, making them feel the malice and pressure from the drill instructor group as they ran.
Far away on the Capital Planet, at the Imperial Military Headquarters, Chong Ming was meeting Aceras’s fiancée, Atuya, one of the Insectoid Race’s top ten High Generals.
To rescue Aceras and bring him back to the Insectoid Race, Atuya kept talking, kept backing down, kept making promises and offering benefits.
Chong Ming sat in the main seat, watching on the light-brain wrist terminal screen the footage of Jiang Tea Tea’s squad escaping from the mouths of the desert mutated giant lizards.
He even took a screenshot of the moment when the dry twig in Jiang Tea Tea’s hand sprouted new branches and was lashed out into a long branch that was extremely tough and flexible.
He was zooming in on the image when he heard Atuya say: “Commander in Chief Chong Ming, Aceras is a great imperial prince of the Insectoid Race and deeply trusted by Her Majesty the Queen. The ores we promised you – as long as you release His Highness Aceras, we will offer the ores.”
“There are also rare energy stones and some rare potion ingredients. We will offer them as well. What do you say?”
Chong Ming put away the light-brain wrist terminal screen and stood up: “High General Atuya, I understand that you are eager to take your fiancé back.”
“But you need to be clear about one thing. It was your fiancé who first broke the peace armistice treaty between our two countries, placed members of the insect clan in my military academies, and sent insects to try to kidnap and murder our crown prince.”
“He even drove a warship, gathered troops, fully armed, with bullets loaded, and came to my 8th Galaxy.”
“Since he likes our country so much, I invited him to my Nation. It has not even been three months, and he has not properly enjoyed the beautiful scenery of our country. I do not feel in a hurry to send him back.”
As a High General of the Insectoid Race, Atuya’s form was human. She was not an otherworldly great beauty, but she was full of heroic spirit, with sharp features and a strong presence.
But in front of Chong Ming, she was the passive one. She had no confidence, and her presence was much weaker: “Commander in Chief Chong Ming, if you are still dissatisfied with our concessions and the promises we have given, and if you have anything else you want to add, you can tell me directly. I will communicate with Her Majesty the Queen and try my best to satisfy you.”
Chong Ming walked toward the door of the meeting room as he spoke: “I still have some matters to deal with on my side. Let us end here for today. Secretary Wen, see High General Atuya to the hotel. Do not slight her.”
Secretary Wen replied: “Yes, Commander in Chief!”
“Commander in Chief Chong Ming…”
Secretary Wen blocked Atuya, who wanted to chase after Chong Ming, and cut her off: “High General Atuya, please come with me.”
Atuya could only watch Chong Ming walk away, getting farther and farther until he disappeared from her sight. Only then did she pull back her gaze, look at Secretary Wen, and say: “Sorry to trouble you.”
Secretary Wen gave her a perfectly polite, professional smile: “Not at all. This way, please.”
Atuya followed Secretary Wen out, already thinking about how, when she got back to the hotel, she should ask Her Majesty the Queen for more things to exchange for His Highness Aceras.
She was even very worried about whether His Highness Aceras was being abused by Chong Ming, this ruthless, iron-blooded war maniac who always meant what he said.
Chong Ming returned to his own office, opened the light-brain wrist terminal’s holo projection screen, and started replaying the video of Jiang Tea Tea’s squad getting off the ship and running through the desert.
Jiang Tea Tea stood on Sui Xuan Chu’s body, her clothes fluttering in the wind as they moved through the clouds. When she dropped down in midair, she fully felt what it meant to look down on all mountains from above and see everyone below as ants.
She even could not help thinking: [Just standing on a dragon that is only a dozen meters long already feels this domineering. If I stood on Chong Ming’s giant dragon that is two or three hundred meters long, wouldn’t that level of dominance kill me alive?]
The sun rose. Brilliant rosy light swept away the sudden chill, and the temperature gradually climbed and became hot.
By around nine or ten in the morning, the sun felt like a furnace, the sand like burning coals, and Huang Da Zhuang and the others’ speed-type ability got slower and slower.
Even though Cheng Lin Yue kept using her water element ability to pour water on them and let them drink while they ran, it was useless. It could not ease the heat at all.
The desert giant lizards that had been chasing them had already been left far behind and could not catch up.
The military academy students who wanted to hunt them also had all disappeared from sight. Only the drill instructor group was still flying in the sky and driving sand buggies on the ground.
“Almost there.” Jiang Tea Tea shouted down to the people below: “Zhang Ting Zhou said if we hold on for another half hour, we’ll reach the sea.”
The four boys – Cheng Xiao Ting, Huang Da Zhuang, and the other two – had almost reached their limit. When they heard there was only half an hour left, they opened their mouths and panted with their tongues hanging out. Their speed-type ability did not slow down but instead sped up as they ran and ran.
Jiang Tea Tea looked at the drill instructor group and really wanted to smack them down with a stick, rob their flying devices, and steal their sand buggies.
But there was a special rule that they were not allowed to smack the drill instructors or rob their things. She could only stare at them, her hands itching.
After about half an hour, the salty smell of the sea blew straight into their faces. Huang Da Zhuang and the others, almost exhausted, clenched their teeth, swung their legs, endured the burning sun and the scorching sand under their feet, and dashed straight toward the ocean.
At the shore of the endless, surging sea, there were coconut trees and sea pineapple trees. Every tree was large and full of fruit.
The shade was wide, and there was a sea breeze. Huang Da Zhuang and the others reached the shade, flopped onto the ground, stuck out their tongues, and panted hard.
Jiang Tea Tea jumped from Sui Xuan Chu’s back onto a coconut tree and started picking coconuts and tossing them down.
Sui Xuan Chu took Zhang Ting Zhou and dove straight into the sea. One was a dragon, and the other was an octopus Zhang Yu. Entering the ocean was like walking on flat ground for them.
Jiang Tea Tea hopped from one coconut tree to another. She picked several dozen coconuts in total before she jumped down from the tree.
There were no knives, but one punch to the coconut was enough to crack the hard shell. With a pry from the stick and a strong pull from her hands, the big coconut split in two. Some of the coconut water spilled out, but more than half remained.
Huang Da Zhuang and the others turned back into human form. Their faces were red, and sweat poured off them. Cheng Lin Yue used her water element ability to wash their faces and hands and ease their pounding hearts. Only then did they take the coconuts, drink the coconut water, and eat the coconut meat.
Jiang Tea Tea also drank coconut water and ate coconut meat, and she casually threw a few coconuts to the drill instructor group.
The drill instructor group took the intact coconuts and were both angry and amused. They had followed behind them for so long, wanting to watch them make fools of themselves, beg them for food, water, and rescue. They had not seen any of that. Instead, they were the ones being fed.
After Jiang Tea Tea and the others finished eating the coconut meat and drinking the coconut water, Sui Xuan Chu and Zhang Ting Zhou came out of the sea. One was carrying tuna and yanggui fish, and the other brought back sea grapes, sea urchins, abalone, and lobsters.
Jiang Tea Tea and the others instantly stood up, cut down coconut leaves, washed them with water, and spread them layer by layer on the ground.
Cheng Lin Yue used her water element ability again to wash the sea grapes, sea urchins, abalone, lobsters, tuna, and yanggui fish.
The eight of them sat down and started on their breakfast plus lunch. The fresh seafood could be eaten raw. Those who did not want to eat it raw had Sui Xuan Chu call down a small bolt of lightning to strike it once. Fish and shrimp struck by lightning were crispy on the outside and tender inside, even more delicious.
The drill instructor group following them finally understood why their own army corps commanders were fighting over Jiang Tea Tea and her squad members.
Just looking at the way they ate and their carefree mindset, if they were brought into an army corps, things would definitely be lively.
Jiang Tea Tea and the others ate and drank for half an hour, then lay under the coconut trees, letting the sea breeze blow over them. They felt wonderful and threw the idea of hunting military academy students out of their minds.
After sleeping for more than an hour, they finally heard footsteps running toward them. The eight of them opened their eyes, quickly got up, and pulled out their red soft blades, ready to slice any neck that came near.
But when the people running over got closer, Jiang Tea Tea realized it was Lu Ling’er’s small team of ten from their class.
Huang Da Zhuang darted to Jiang Tea Tea’s side: “Sister Tea, it’s Lu Ling’er and Lin Feng Feng. Are we slicing their necks or not?”
Jiang Tea Tea turned her head and looked at him in surprise: “Why wouldn’t we slice their necks? Aren’t they points?”
Huang Da Zhuang chuckled: “I thought you had become friends with them and would go soft.”
Jiang Tea Tea shook the red soft blade in her hand: “Soft-hearted? Who would be soft-hearted, me? What a joke. There are no friends on the field training ground.”
Sui Xuan Chu nodded hard: “Yeah, Sister Tea is right. There are no friends in wild training. Other than teammates, everyone is an enemy. Go!”
“Jiang Tea Tea, it really is you, I’m Lu Ling’er!” Lu Ling’er’s shout rang out just as Sui Xuan Chu charged forward.
Right after that came Lin Feng Feng’s voice: “Jiang Tea Tea, we’ve been following you and calling you, wanting to unite with you and form a team with you, but you ignored us…”
Before Lin Feng Feng could finish, her neck was sliced by Yan Yu, the half-beastman boy who had level S blink step abilities.
Her voice cut off. She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, opened her mouth, and actually questioned and blamed her: “Jiang Tea Tea, we wanted to unite with you and form a team to fight others. How could you let your squad member slice our necks?”
Jiang Tea Tea had not even attacked yet. She lifted her voice and answered: “Other than my teammates, I will not team up with anyone. You came over here, so you’re just points delivered to our door.”
“As your enemies, when we see walking points like you, how could we not farm you, not hunt you?”
Lin Feng Feng was so angry she cried: “You…”
A tiger roar rang out.
Their squad member, a white tiger beastman boy, ran over panting. He had been chased and beaten. Seeing that he could not win, he changed back to beast form, planning to run away.
How could wolf-beastman Cheng Xiao Ting possibly let him escape? He blocked him head-on and swung his elimination red blades at the mane on his neck.
The rules for the drill instructors’ hunting said that they could escape in beast form but could not attack in beast form. They did not say they could not be hunted in beast form.
When the white tiger beastman saw he was blocked and could not run away, he dodged Cheng Xiao Ting’s red blades and turned into human form again to fight him head-on.
Cheng Xiao Ting, who had eaten his fill and rested well, was far more ferocious than the white tiger beastman, who was panting, heart racing, and somewhat dehydrated.
In the first few minutes, the white tiger beastman could still resist. After a few more minutes, he fell into a disadvantage. In less than ten minutes, his neck was sliced, and he was eliminated.
Lu Ling’er was also sliced on the neck by Huang Da Zhuang. She burst into tears: “Jiang Tea Tea, Huang Da Zhuang, we are classmates. We should look out for each other, unite with each other, and beat others and kill others. How could you kill me?”
“Boo hoo, and to think I told my teammates that I’m good friends with you two, that you would definitely form a team with us to kill others.”
“I never thought you two would treat me like this. You’re too mean. I won’t be friends with you anymore.”
As Jiang Tea Tea listened to her, she felt that Lu Ling’er sounded even more like a green tea girl than she was herself.
She clicked her tongue, walked over, squatted down in front of her, and added another cut to her neck: “Little Deer, you’re already dead, so stop rambling and hurting people’s ears. The dead need to learn to shut up!”
Lu Ling’er’s crying stopped at once. She looked at Jiang Tea Tea with tear-filled eyes: “You, you, you… I really won’t be friends with you anymore.”
And to think she had told her teammates that Jiang Tea Tea was so A and so explosive, the easiest classmate to talk to in the whole interstellar space, and that if they joined up with their team, they would definitely be able to farm tons of points.
Jiang Tea Tea patted her head and said in a voice that could infuriate people to death: “If you don’t want to be friends with me, then don’t. If you keep crying, I’ll slice all your teammates’ necks and send them over to keep you company.”