The three members of Xing Bin’s group were eating around the campfire when Qian Min’s faint voice suddenly appeared in their mecha's communicator, startling all three.
“Squad leader? What’s Teacher Qian doing? Showing up this late at night, is he trying to mess with us!” a male classmate in the same group grumbled.
“You scared me to death, *hoo*~ I’m still trembling,” a girl in the same group said, her voice quivering.
Xing Bin remained silent, thinking for a moment before saying, “Teacher Qian is a kind person. He wouldn’t play a prank like this. He must be warning us about what might happen tonight.”
“What could happen that requires such a warning! Honestly! He even scared Chu Dan into gasping for breath,” the male classmate teased.
Chu Dan chuckled and asked, “Niu Feng, does it sound good?”
“It sounds great. Give me and the squad leader a gasp too,” Niu Feng said with a mischievous grin.
Xing Bin snapped, “Stop fooling around!”
He closed his eyes, quietly contemplating Qian Min’s meaning.
Suddenly, he opened his eyes and said in a low voice, “Remember the wandering trap mecha, the ‘Wild Emperor’ type, that appeared during the observation video of Class A’s training?”
“Teacher Qian specifically reminded me that it was piloted by the most outstanding mecha students.”
Niu Feng chimed in, “My brother told me that in previous years, it was always second-year students piloting them.”
Chu Dan said, “A senior from the second year, who I’m good friends with, told me that all second-year students are currently out on missions.”
Xing Bin said grimly, “That means this ‘Wild Emperor’ is very likely piloted by a Class A student.”
Niu Feng stroked his chin, analyzing, “Who is the strongest in Class A? Fan Mengtian, Xuan Lang, or…”
“Gu Ya!”
“Gu Ya…”
Both of them uttered Gu Ya’s name almost simultaneously.
Xing Bin’s eyes suddenly lit up. He gazed at the campfire and let out an evil smile.
Niu Feng also grew excited and said, “Squad leader, our chance for revenge is here!”
Xing Bin suddenly stood up and said, “Regardless of whether it’s Gu Ya piloting it, the ‘Wild Emperor’ mecha is indeed a big problem. Contact our people and have them gather near us.”
Niu Feng also stood up, excitedly saying, “Squad leader, why guess? Let’s just say it’s Gu Ya. That will stir up more outrage! *Hee hee hee*.”
“Everyone still remembers what happened that day.”
Chu Dan’s face darkened as she said, “Don’t drag me into this. That giant snake from that day has given me nightmares for days.”
Xing Bin patted Chu Dan’s shoulder and said, “Don’t worry, we’ll protect you. After all, you are our weakness. If Gu Ya is smart enough, he’ll definitely target you first.”
“Squad leader, I’ll contact them right away to discuss tactics! *Hee hee hee*…”
…
At two in the morning, Gu Ya precisely started his mecha and entered the jungle from the north.
After a full meal and sufficient rest, Gu Ya felt much better. He moved rapidly through the dense forest, activating his enemy radar.
This “Wild Emperor” type mecha had an extremely convenient function: its radar was networked, capable of searching for opponents within a two-kilometer radius.
This jungle covered only 50 square kilometers. Class B had 13 groups, meaning a group would appear on average every 3.8 square kilometers.
“To find an opponent, it really takes some luck,” Gu Ya muttered to himself.
“I wonder where Ye Ying is now. Uh…” Gu Ya was in a dilemma. If he really encountered Ye Ying, should he fight her or let her go?
Gu Ya paused, then said, “Fight!” In truth, Gu Ya also wanted to know who was stronger between him and Ye Ying.
And, if his strength was still inferior to Ye Ying’s, how could he protect her in the future!
“I will become death itself! Anyone before me is merely an ant waiting to be reaped!”
“Ah, no, no, how can I call Ye Ying an ant? My mouth is too cursed!”
Gu Ya shook his head, clearing his thoughts, and continued his search.
“*Achoo*~!” Ye Ying, who was on watch, suddenly sneezed.
Her eyes scanned her surroundings vigilantly, and she pulled her clothes tighter.
Was it Gu Ya?
Was he thinking about her?
He must be sleeping now.
Could he have dreamed of her?
Ye Ying’s face suddenly flushed. She covered her face with her hands, patting them lightly, telling herself it was just the cold night.
Meanwhile, Xing Bin had already strategized with the students from six other groups.
Xing Bin proposed, “All groups will temporarily suspend combat and wait for the ‘Wild Emperor’ to appear. We’ll take him down immediately. If you encounter other traps or beasts, you can prioritize eliminating them.”
“Does everyone still remember what happened at the observation deck that day?” Xing Bin asked calmly.
“Of course! If only we hadn’t been piloting mechas then! What was Gu Ya’s giant snake compared to anything!”
“Exactly. Gu Ya only has one mecha. Can he fight against our 20 people?”
“Let him try. Let’s see who the real trap is, haha! This time, we’ll teach him a good lesson! Then we’ll film it and post it online, so Gu Ya can never hold his head up again!”
“By then, Ye Ying will surely change her mind. Squad leader, you still have a chance!”
Everyone chattered excitedly.
Xing Bin interrupted, “Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s go back to our shifts, maintain vigilance, and prepare for the ambush!”
They divided their tasks clearly, dispersing around Xing Bin’s group, each separated by one to two kilometers.
A large net had been woven for Gu Ya, waiting for the prey to walk into the trap.
As Gu Ya was searching, three bright spots suddenly appeared on his radar.
“Ha!” Gu Ya excitedly straightened up, looking closely.
These three spots were evenly distributed in a small area of about fifty square meters. They were motionless, likely resting.
Based on combat experience, there would definitely be someone on watch.
“It’s fine, I have the giant snake,” Gu Ya thought excitedly. He quickly approached the target. One kilometer away from the target, he stopped his mecha and released the giant snake.
The giant snake slithered through the jungle silently. However, if one listened carefully, they could still hear an extremely faint rustling sound. But at this moment, the night wind was strong, and the sound of leaves rustling was louder than the snake’s movement.
A small area of Gu Ya’s mecha display showed the giant snake’s thermal image. The surroundings were a dim blue, but far ahead, three orange-red dots were slowly enlarging.
As the giant snake approached, Gu Ya finally saw clearly that the mechas of the three opponents were all in standby mode, and one of them even had its searchlight on.
Gu Ya chuckled inwardly and slowly advanced his mecha.
The opponent’s radar range was about 300 meters.
The warning speed of the observer plus the reaction time of the other two would be around 5 seconds.
Considering the “Wild Emperor” mecha’s straight-line charge speed, and not even accounting for obstructions from large trees, it would take about 10 seconds.
Gu Ya looked at the sky, thinking that if he attacked from the air, the opponent would surely notice his tail flame.
Thus, he could only use the giant snake to disguise itself as a large beast, lure the opponent to capture it, and fall into Gu Ya’s trap.
Having confirmed his strategy, Gu Ya slowly moved to about 350 meters from the target, placing his mecha in standby mode.
At the same time, he controlled the giant snake to charge forward. After circling around the last giant tree, the giant snake suddenly lit up two large orange-red eyes and let out a provocative roar: “Buzzzzz—!”
A snake emitting a “buzz” sound was truly beyond common sense.
The opponents didn’t even wait for the observer’s alert. They were all startled by the earth-shattering roar.
Class B’s reaction speed was indeed slow. After five or six seconds, the three of them finally started their mechas and charged towards the giant snake.
“The opportunity has come!” Gu Ya smiled, simultaneously controlling the giant snake to quickly turn around and crawl back towards him.
Just as the three opponents thought they could slay the giant snake.
Blue aura flames suddenly erupted from the jungle shadows, and a mecha appeared, quickly circling the large trees. Its tail flame drew a lightning-shaped light band in the air, flying directly towards one of them.
Amidst the opponent’s bewildered expressions, Gu Ya destroyed their mecha.
It only took three seconds.
“What? So fast!” Qian Min exclaimed.
Zhang Xin Dan was woken from her sleep. She wrapped herself in a blanket and leaned closer, looking at the playback with disbelief. “Is that Gu Ya?”
Qian Min nodded in astonishment, saying, “Incredible. No wonder Brother Shi said Gu Ya was monstrously strong.”
Zhang Xin Dan nodded in agreement, sighing with worry.
Qian Min smiled slightly and said, “Don’t worry, I’ve modified the training rules to prevent this kind of situation.”
Just as Gu Ya thought the opponent’s group had been defeated.
The other two mechas suddenly unleashed blue aura flames from their backs, charging directly at Gu Ya.
“What?” Gu Ya was surprised.
The rules had changed; defeating a single mecha did not mean the entire group was defeated!
Gu Ya’s surprise turned into joy: “This is great!”
It was a perfect opportunity to practice his instant judgment skills!
Gu Ya widened his eyes, raised his beam sword, and charged forward.