The comments said I was deeply affectionate, I just added points by using an alternate account.

Ross's tone was extremely serious: "One of our Zero Academy members was easily eliminated by him."

"I saw it with my own eyes." Ross swallowed, as if recalling a nightmare: "In just one minute, my junior lost. Several paper figures calmly removed the identity terminal from his wrist and then crushed it."

Ross's voice began to tremble.

"From beginning to end, Hiiragi Seihaku never even closed the fan in his hand. He was even smiling. His companions didn't even make a move from beginning to end."

Chen Guan listened quietly. Ross's description did indeed make the image of that gentle boy more three-dimensional and dangerous in his mind.

After all, he was a fourth-grade student, and his strength was within my expectations.

"So, you're asking me to cooperate with you to deal with him."

Chen Guan raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a knife, and guessed what Ross had left unsaid.

"That's right!"

Ross nodded vigorously: "There's a Chinese saying, 'If the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold.'"

"Before the match, Hiiragi Seihaku declared that he would wipe out us barbarians, and specifically named your Huaqing team."

Ross's gaze fell on Chen Guan, subtly stirring the flames: "You are their number one target."

"Chen, if we join forces, at least we'll encounter him and won't end up like my classmates, completely wasted. They've already banded together. We can travel together until we find our respective teammates."

Chen Guan's gaze fell on Ross's tactical belt, where several tubes of fluorescent liquid were inserted.

"Is that your new toy?"

He pointed to the medicines and asked questions.

Ross followed his gaze and looked down, quickly pulling a tube from his belt and offering it to him with both hands, showing great sincerity.

"The second-generation gene enhancer can activate cellular potential, allowing you to instantly leap two levels in combat. The only side effect is that you will be weak for a full twelve hours after the effects wear off."

Rosen was so honest that he spilled his beans, revealing all his cards.

He wasn't worried about anything, because no matter how strong Chen Guan was, it was only relative to him.

In his eyes, the outcome of this competition was determined by the senior captains; the lower-year students were just there to make up the numbers.

Chen Guan didn't reach out, but Leopard leaned over and sniffed the tube of red liquid, then snorted and turned its head away with a look of disgust.

"Something even leopards won't eat."

Chen Guan casually commented, and Ross's cheeks twitched twice. He awkwardly stuffed the potion back into his belt and hurriedly rubbed the mud off his gloves.

"Chen, your Chinese people value harmony and prosperity. Now that we are facing a common enemy, joining forces is the best solution."

Chen Guan picked up the sickle again: "Cooperation is fine, but I need to take the lead."

He stared into Ross's eyes, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"How to fight the enemy and what route to take are all up to me."

"I completely agree, boss!"

Ross readily agreed, raising his right hand to swear an oath as if afraid Ross might change his mind.

The way he called him "boss" came out so naturally that Chen Guan glanced at him, knowing full well that this guy was just looking for a shield and would run faster than anyone else if he encountered real danger.

But that's exactly what he needs; having a few scouts is better than him and Leopard blindly stumbling around in this eerie forest.

Ross might try to backstab him, but he wasn't afraid. All his fear stemmed from insufficient firepower, and clearly, Chen Guan was the one with the strongest firepower.

"Head towards the abandoned city in the center of the map."

Chen Guan pulled up the offline map on his watch. Although there was no signal, the basic terrain outline was clearly visible.

"My teammates should be heading there too. Once we meet up, that paper doll charlatan won't be a threat."

Ross followed behind Chen Guan as if granted a pardon, and the two men and the leopard began to travel through the dense jungle, the air filled with the damp, pungent smell of decaying plants.

After walking for about half an hour, the surrounding trees became thicker and thicker, their canopies completely blocking out the light, making the surroundings dark and cold.

"Wait a moment."

Chen Guan suddenly stopped in his tracks, raised his hand in a tactical gesture, and signaled Ross to be quiet.

Ross froze on the spot like a tree stump, his heart pounding in his throat, nervously glancing around.

"What's wrong?"

He lowered his voice, his voice strained.

A threatening growl rolled from the leopard's throat, its purple fur shimmering faintly in the darkness. It crouched low, its muscles tense, already in an attack stance.

Chen Guan didn't speak, his gaze fixed on the branches of the trees to his left, where there was a patch of color that didn't belong to the jungle.

A piece of yellow paper, cut very irregularly, was quietly pasted on the tree bark. Strange runes were drawn on the paper with cinnabar, emitting a faint red glow in the dim light.

"This is it!"

The moment Ross saw what it was, his voice changed, revealing a fear of escaping death.

"Hiiragi Seihachi's shikigami scout—that's how my junior was discovered!"

Chen Guan squinted, sensing the silent unfolding of the coffin.

In an instant, the surrounding woods seemed to come alive, and countless yellow paper scraps silently drifted down from all directions, carrying a suffocating killing intent.

"There are quite a lot of them."

Chen Guan untied the sickle from his back, and the black coffin slammed to the ground with a thud, sending mud flying everywhere.

"Don't just stand there, get ready to work."

He turned his head and gave the order to Ross, who was still trembling.

As soon as Chen Guan finished speaking, the paper figures pasted on the tree trunks all turned around. Although they had no facial features, they gave the impression of being locked onto by countless cold gazes.

The edges of the paper flashed with a sharp white light, spinning rapidly like blades to cut through the air, emitting a sharp whistling sound, and shot towards the two people and the leopard.

Leopard roared and transformed into a streak of purple lightning, charging out fiercely.

It opened its huge mouth in mid-air and actually bit down on a flying paper figure.

The cinnabar runes on the paper figure burst into scorching flames, but Leopard treated it like popping candy, chewing and swallowing it.

"I'm hungry."

After finishing one, it immediately set its sights on the cluster of paper scraps in mid-air, its purple vertical pupils filled with longing for snacks.

Clearly, these paper figures suited its taste.

Ross's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. This little leopard was no ordinary creature either; both its master and pet were monsters.

Immediately, he flicked his robe, his fingers flying, and the metal fragments Ross had hidden inside his clothes instantly gathered together and launched a fierce attack on the group of paper scraps.

With such a formidable teammate, he couldn't let himself be outdone by a mere leopard!

They're just a few tattered paper figures, not the real person. What does he have to fear?!

Ross's metal shards stirred up a silver storm, clattering the yellow paper flying everywhere and easily knocking down the nearest paper figure.