Chapter 160: Chapter 70 Move forward, move forward Chapter 160: Chapter 70 Move forward, move forward Although Mu Fan’s backpack now contained an extra twenty pounds of snake meat, it did not overly affect his speed.
Absorbing the lessons from the recent attack, Mu Fan had to be even more careful moving through the jungle full of hidden dangers; just moments ago, he had seen a giant flower, towering over two men tall, swallow a Black Panther that had been about to pounce on him from behind.
Mu Fan tried to stick to the canopy as much as possible, since no one knew what dangers lay hidden beneath the thick blanket of leaves on the ground.
Above the clouds, inside the heavy transport ship, people from the Academy Section were aimlessly watching the screens provided by the military.
There were five key locations in total, but currently, there wasn’t a single figure in sight.
“What are the military folks making us do here?
Just sit around?” an Observer complained out of boredom.
“They haven’t given us tracking data for these hundred candidates.
I just asked, and they directly told me it’s classified military information.
We came here to recruit, and you talk to me about secrets?
Who is recruiting whom!” another Observer from Bonar College chimed in.
Coming to such a remote planet, not only had they not received the high-standard hospitality, but the military treated them with suspicion like they were thieves.
If it weren’t for orders from higher-ups, they probably would have left already.
This was not a reserve force; it was clearly a selection for real Special Combat Team officers!
Ruan Xiongfei listened to these complaints while rubbing his stubbled chin and staring into the projection screen that still showed no figure, his gaze deep and distant.
On the upper deck of the warship, soldiers continuously reported data.
“Biological energy monitoring shows no abnormalities.”
“25 minutes till the rescue squad launches.”
Colonel sat at the forefront, constantly listening to the reports from his subordinates.
A Major quietly asked, “Sir, about the mysterious backpack, those items we placed…
was this your idea?”
Colonel gave him a sharp look, “Don’t ask too many questions.
This testing method was uniformly formulated by the Military Department of Capital Star.”
After the Major turned his head away, Colonel snorted quietly in a voice that no one else could hear, “Pampered academy types, what do you understand of the General’s decisions?!”
With ten minutes to go, Mu Fan was nearing the edge of Area V14; the electronic map showed he was two kilometers away.
Crouching on a large tree branch, looking at the dense and broad leaves ahead, Mu Fan quietly parted the foliage.
Because he had heard voices!
“What’s in your backpack?”
“Bulletproof vest, and you?”
“A twenty-meter multifunctional rope.”
“I guess yours is more practical.
I really don’t understand what use a bulletproof vest is in this kind of place, other than slowing us down!” said the voice, not without complaint.
Unbeknownst to them, not far above their heads, someone was quietly watching them.
He could see the two figures clearly; they were of similar build, one with slightly darker skin.
At the moment, the two were walking side by side, about three meters apart.
It seemed like these were two candidates who knew each other from before?
No, their postures weren’t normal for traveling!
They were both on alert.
Mu Fan quickly pieced together the reasoning; now, each candidate was an opponent, everyone ensuring they would be among the final fifty.
Just as Mu Fan was analyzing the situation, things suddenly changed on the ground.
One person unexpectedly pulled out an axe from behind and swung it at the companion, who, always on guard, noticed the motion and did not panic but performed a backward flip.
Bang!
A gunshot sounded!
The one with the axe stared incredulously at his abdomen, fingers trying to plug the bleeding bullet wound, but it was futile.
“You…
played tricks.”
Bang!
Another gunshot, the wound in the abdomen expanded further, the blood already uncontrollably flowing out.
“I doubt you, coming over to network after hearing the noise, are you that kind-hearted?” The person who just claimed to have a bulletproof vest in their backpack sneered.
“Revolver, equipped with twelve bullets, you can rest in peace now.” He casually swung the silvery revolver in his hand, then the person across gave his last breath unwillingly.
In just a few minutes, roles swapped, neither had told the truth, but the outcome was clear—firearms dominated!
Mu Fan cautiously withdrew his hand and waited until there was no more movement below before peeking out again.
Thus, the darker-skinned candidate died unknown in the jungle.
The competitors, unhesitant, made their kill directly.
It was now that Mu Fan understood the brutality of this exam—is this really a special recruitment for the Federation Reserve?
He looked down at the electronic map, ten more minutes.
It seemed that besides fighting against jungle creatures, he also needed to guard against others.
Human malice is worse than beasts.
With a few quick leaps, Mu Fan once again grabbed a vine with one hand and swung through the trees, veering away from where he had just left that person.
He had to conserve as much energy as possible, his current condition was not suitable for continuous combat.
When Mu Fan saw his own green dot finally appear in the V14 area on the electronic map, he exhaled a long breath.
Two minutes later, a text and voice message appeared again.
“The first elimination round is over, eliminated candidates are numbers 25, 816, 909… 94 remain, please continue to strive.
The next elimination areas will now be announced, candidates in the following locations must leave within the allotted time: B3, D9…”
This time, eight areas were announced at once.
However, his V14 area was not on the list, looking at the electronic map, these locations were mostly on the peripheral zones.
If estimated, then the military’s aim must be to continuously compress the space behind, forcing candidates into certain areas.
If so, the next step for him was not to rest, but…
to keep running!
He must not allow himself to be eliminated before confirming his victory.
Mu Fan decided to run to a dry area before taking a rest.
…
High above in a heavy Transport Ship, a soldier reported loudly.
“Reporting to the officer, six were eliminated in the first round, three of whom are dead.”
“Hmm, announce the casualties.”
“Yes, officer!”
The soldier hurried away, and soon all participating candidates and the Academy Observation Team received a message.
“Notification: Six eliminations in the first round, three confirmed dead.”
The academy area burst into uproar, three people had died in just one hour?
Was this still their academy’s recruitment exam?
It seemed like only the initial physical test was normal.
Since then things had escalated absurdly, now even resulting in dead candidates, how is the military going to explain this to the public!
Regrettably, the military was too lazy to respond to such concerns, a simple mention of ‘military secret’ could silence everyone.
Compared to the uneasy Academy Observation Team, a chill ran through the candidates in the jungle—it had only been an hour, and some of them were already dead.
Those who initially took it as a normal exam were no longer calm.
Some clever ones even thought deeper about the cause of these three deaths!
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