Mech: Shattering of the Galaxy-Chapter 164 - 74: Dispute Over the Resting Area (Congratulations to Alliance Hierarch, I Don’t Want It)

The third elimination zone announcement was out, and apart from a few central area locations, it was mostly concentrated along the map’s edge.

Compared to the first announcement, the last two had a slowdown in the pace of area compression; however, it remained consistent. If this continued, when night fell, it would be time to start eliminating people en masse.

After replenishing his energy, Mu Fan had been running continuously for four hours. Checking the electronic map, he saw that it was 5:40 PM and he was still 106 kilometers away from his destination.

The snake meat and gall had provided a continuous supply of energy in his body, and even after four hours, he remained full of vitality.

All of a sudden, he braked sharply upon discovering a gorge in the path ahead.

According to the map, this spot was designated as a "rest" area.

How could there be such a massive gorge!

Looking at the towering cliffs rising to the clouds on either side, the entrance to the gorge was over ten meters wide, but it curved so much inside that there was no seeing the end.

Go around?

It was not possible; this was already the shortest route.

Pulling down the hood of his cloak, Mu Fan dove straight in.

"I’m exhausted, we’ve been watching monitors all day. Finally, now people are starting to show up at the three strongholds. The strongholds are so small, yet this vast rainforest only requires us to monitor these?"

"Stop complaining and focus on the candidates currently in the strongholds."

"Okay, in stronghold A four people just fought, now each at a corner; in stronghold B two people are temporarily coexisting peacefully; in stronghold C, three people are seemingly on guard against each other."

"Can we match the candidate information?"

"We can match half of them, the other half have disguised their faces so we can’t tell. For example, the seed player Yuan Ren from the Purple Jade Star’s prestigious Zhang family, he was the first to reach stronghold B. Then there’s that telekinetic kid named Flash, he’s at C stronghold, surrounded by gorges…"

The information was accurately reported.

The senior observer nodded, "Focus on these!"

"Yes."

Inside the military zone, the Colonel was issuing commands: "Start recording from the first candidate who entered the stronghold. From now on is what we are paying attention to. The Federation Expeditionary Army’s officer training program starts now."

"You must accurately record the information you observe and prepare analytical reports. If I find anyone’s report does not match the truth, report directly to the military court."

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"Yes!" everyone chorused.

As Mu Fan continued to dodge dozens of stealthy attacks from the weird poisonous lizards coming from the rocks on either side, he finally saw light ahead.

Had he not activated the status of "Dark Breath," he probably wouldn’t have noticed the silent ambush. These groups of lizards had emerged from the rock fissures, silently spitting poison before disappearing. Only when he noticed the quietly eroded rock across did he realize their venom was likely as lethal as the snake he had killed earlier.

The light from above the gorge shone down, and after rounding a bend, the view suddenly opened up.

Was he about to exit the gorge?

After walking a few more hundred meters, Mu Fan finally saw a tower built from rocks, and behind it a long stone staircase stretching into a cavern in the cliff.

He had finally reached the stronghold, which really appeared unconnected from the military considering the human-made signs here.

"Whoosh!"

Just as Mu Fan was about to step onto the stairs, a breaking sound came, and Mu Fan leapt back.

"Ding," a crossbow arrow, glowing cold, embedded deeply into the stone.

"Interesting." A voice of surprise came from above. Mu Fan, under his cloak, looked up to find a contestant in a combat uniform looking down with interest.

He was holding a finely made foldable crossbow, now re-cocking another crossbow arrow on the device.

Mu Fan glared coldly at him, and seeing the icy look in Mu Fan’s eyes, the man not only didn’t flinch but laughed instead, shaking the crossbow mechanism in his hand.

"You’re lucky; you can come up now."

His tone carried an indifferent charity.

Mu Fan did not move but instead bowed his head to examine the crossbow arrow that had sunk deep into the rock wall, only the tail end visible.

With a sudden movement, he reached out with his right hand, pinching the arrow between his index finger and thumb, and yanked it out to inspect it closely in front of his eyes.

The arrowhead that had penetrated deep into the rock wall was surprisingly undamaged, and with a light flick of his left hand, it emitted a clear, resonant hum—excellent steel!

"Regret not dying by the arrow?"

The voice from above clearly carried impatience, seemingly ready to shoot another arrow.

Mu Fan’s pupils contracted as he fiercely swung his right hand, still clutching the arrow.

Whoosh!

The speed was no less than when it was shot from the crossbow mechanism, cutting off the speaker above.

Touching the still trembling tail of the arrow near his neck, the metal crossbow arrow had grazed his neck and buried itself in the stone wall behind him.

His expression turned cold, and his eyes filled with a murderous intent as he stared at Mu Fan below.

Mu Fan bowed his head, stepped onto the stone steps, and let his cloak fall once again to cover his face, leaving only his calm voice to carry through, "If you wish death, just say so."

You!

The hand holding the crossbow arrow was about to raise.

Mu Fan’s right hand moved like lightning, drawing a dagger to spin idly in his palm.

Hmph!

Eventually, the person with the crossbow arrow gave up the confrontation and disappeared behind the rock wall.

However, Mu Fan firmly grasped that fleeting sense of murderous intent in his heart.

This person harbored a killing intent.

Stretching his cloak to cover his eyes once again, Mu Fan continued upward.

The architecture here was akin to that of Jilan Arena, although unlike it, this place had been long abandoned. Despite the overgrowth of weeds, the embedding in the cliff provided natural wind drafts and shade, making the area quite dry.

This platform was approximately four to five hundred square meters, about the same size as the training field in Loga Star’s Martial Arts Hall.

Now three people were positioned at corners, a handsome, clear-faced young man sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed, another with dried mud on his face, looking down as he wiped something, and one leaning against the stone wall who was the very person who had just shot the crossbow arrow.

The handsome young man was the telekinetic who had appeared in the exams before; upon seeing his face, Mu Fan immediately remembered him.

High above, in the observation room of Taoyun Academy.

"A fourth candidate has arrived at Point C, having just had a conflict with the seed contestant Kaito; however, this fourth candidate’s face is obscured by blood, and his identity cannot be confirmed due to the cloak."

Supervisor He’s fingers fluttered, rapidly switching to the footage of Mu Fan acting, locking onto it.

Zoom in, zoom in, aside from those somewhat dark and bright eyes, no other features were visible.

"This batch of candidates truly isn’t simple, pay close attention."

This candidate named Kaito, his physical test during the classification stage showed level 16, but subsequent analysis determined his physical level to be around 20.

And the cloaked candidate, who could dodge an arrow shot from the crossbow mechanism instantly and retaliate by throwing back the arrow, definitely ranked among the seed contestants.

…

Mu Fan looked down at the electronic map.

Rest area, reached.

In the central area of the giant rock cave, a clear spring bubbled incessantly, the transparent water quality sparking rays of light in his eyes.

In the rainforest, stream water was too dangerous to drink, reliant solely on collecting dew from broad leaves. Having run continuously for so long, the sight of the spring released signals of dehydration from the cells in his body.

Licking his lips, Mu Fan prepared to move forward.