Make money by hiding in the interstellar battlefield!

After the selection of personnel was completed, the final total number of people remaining was 120. This means that 20 people are destined to be eliminated in the final team competition. What's more cruel is that the competition is extremely dangerous and there is a high possibility of large-scale casualties.

That evening, the dormitories were redistributed once again. The four captains still had their own suites, while the core combat personnel, such as snipers, gunners, heavy machine gunners, and flamethrowers, were assigned double rooms. The remaining team members shared rooms in groups of four, and the dormitories did not distinguish between men and women.

The school gave the team a week to get used to each other before the team competition officially began. Lin Lan didn't assign any training tasks that night, so everyone could only return to their dormitories to rest and recharge.

Jiansheng arrived at the designated dormitory door, raised his hand and knocked lightly twice. There was no response from inside, so he assumed no one was inside and pushed the door open and went in.

The sound of a shower dripping came from the bathroom. Without giving it much thought, Jian Sheng glanced at the two beds and chose the clean, empty one that was clearly unused, and lay down. He had used the patching system repeatedly today, and his mental energy was exhausted. He was drowsy and sleepiness quickly overwhelmed him.

Bai Sheng, on the other hand, was quite the opposite. As a nocturnal star beast, nighttime was when it was most excited. As soon as it stepped into the new room, the little guy flapped its tiny wings and flew and jumped around the room, its round eyes full of curiosity about the new environment, and its chirping was particularly cheerful.

In his dazed state, Jian Sheng suddenly caught sight of the bathroom door being opened, and a slender figure walking out.

Completely naked, her skin a cool, porcelain white, gleaming delicately in the dim light. Her sculpted features blended Eastern softness with Western refinement; her eyes were clear and bright, like a pristine spring, untouched by worldly distractions. Her long, wet hair draped over her shoulders, droplets sliding down her neck, outlining the pure and vibrant lines of a young girl. There was no shyness or embarrassment on her face; her eyes were innocently naive. She walked naturally to the bedside, completely oblivious to the presence of another person in the room.

Jian Sheng felt his blood rush to his head, and all his drowsiness vanished instantly. He sat up abruptly, frozen in place, unsure of where to look, his heart pounding wildly.

The girl, however, acted as if she hadn't seen him at all. With a nonchalant expression, she picked up the clothes beside her and slowly put on simple shorts and a plain T-shirt. The loose clothes concealed her graceful figure, which only made her look even more pure and gentle.

"Hello, my name is Lin Zhizhi!"

She spoke, her voice sweet and soft, like an untouched mountain spring. Her tone was pure and straightforward, without the slightest hint of coyness. Her face still carried the languor of someone who had just taken a shower, and her clear eyes looked at Jiansheng with complete composure.

It wasn't until then that Jian Sheng finally snapped out of his daze and stared at her blankly. Her high yet gentle nose, slightly upturned eyes, and mixed-race features were exactly like Lin Lan's, but their temperaments were worlds apart—Lin Lan was calm and shrewd, while Lin Zhizhi exuded an innocent naiveté, pure and without a trace of impurity.

"Hello, my name is Jiansheng, Jian as in strong and Jian as in life! Are you Lin Lan's sister?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhizhi immediately revealed a sweet, unguarded smile, with shallow dimples at the corners of her mouth and sincere, warm eyes: "No, I'm an orphan who grew up in the South Seventh Ring Road. I was adopted by the church, and it was Sister Lin Lan who gave me this name."

Her smile was pure, her eyes devoid of any guile, and every move she made exuded a natural innocence. This made Jiansheng swallow back the words he was about to say, which were meant to remind her of the differences between men and women.

"Never mind, she's so naive, she doesn't even realize the difference between men and women. It just makes me seem like I'm making a mountain out of a molehill and not being magnanimous enough." Jian Sheng kept repeating this to himself, forcibly calming himself down, deliberately looking away, pretending to be composed, "We're all partners fighting side by side, no need to worry about these details."

He pretended to be calm, but inside he was panicking and kept telling himself: I've seen all kinds of big scenes, I definitely didn't watch this on purpose, stay calm!

"You must be the heavy sniper that Sister Lin Lan went to so much trouble to recruit! I heard about your amazing feat this afternoon, you're incredible!"

Lin Zhizhi's eyes lit up instantly, as if filled with starlight. Her face was full of sincere admiration. She walked quickly to Jiansheng, her eyes filled with undisguised respect. There was no flattery or ulterior motives; she simply thought he was very strong and amazing.

The girl's clear gaze fell directly on him, filled with admiration. Recalling the scene from just now, Jian Sheng's cheeks instantly flushed, his body stiffened, and he stammered, waving his hands, "No problem, no problem, it's nothing..."

Seeing his flustered expression, Lin Zhizhi tilted her head, looking completely bewildered, her eyes straightforward and honest. Suddenly, she spoke, her tone as calm as if she were saying, "The weather is nice today": "Do you want to mate with me?"

"Ah! No, no! Absolutely not!"

Jian Sheng was completely dumbfounded. In his two lifetimes, he had never encountered such a straightforward and pure question. His cheeks instantly turned red, and he denied it repeatedly, feeling helpless and at a loss for words.

Lin Zhizhi nodded seriously, her soft voice carrying a hint of certainty, as if stating an established rule: "Sister Lin Lan said that I am not yet an adult and I have to wait until I turn 18. You will have to wait two more years."

"Okay, okay..." Jian Sheng just wanted to escape this awkward scene as soon as possible. Just as he got up to leave, Bai Sheng happily flapped its wings and flew to Lin Zhizhi's shoulder, its little body rubbing against her delicate neck, being extremely affectionate.

Lin Zhizhi was immediately captivated by the little guy. Her eyebrows curved into crescents, and she reached out her slender fingers to gently stroke the white, fluffy fur. Her movements were tender and careful, and she coaxed him in a soft, sweet voice, "Little thing, you're so cute. From now on, you'll follow me, and I'll protect you!"

She focused all her attention on Bai Sheng, her gaze gentle and focused, completely ignoring Jian Sheng beside her. After playing with Bai Sheng for a short while, she held him and lay down on the bed. Within seconds, her breathing became even and long, and she fell asleep instantly, sleeping soundly and peacefully.

Bai Sheng, that heartless little rascal, snuggled into Lin Zhizhi's soft embrace, found a comfortable spot, and fell soundly asleep, looking extremely content.

Jian Sheng looked at Lin Zhizhi, who was sleeping soundly and completely unguarded, feeling both helpless and amused. Just how innocent must this girl have grown up in? She was completely unguarded, knew nothing about matters between men and women, and didn't even consider me a member of the opposite sex, utterly ignoring my existence.

He dared not move and lay carefully on his side all night, afraid that something even more embarrassing would happen when he woke up in the morning. He was convinced that Lin Zhizhi must have grown up in a remote stronghold outside the Seventh Ring Road and had never been exposed to worldly affairs, which was why she was so pure-hearted and did not understand any social etiquette or the taboos between men and women.

The team meeting started promptly at eight o'clock the next morning. The main purpose was for team members to get to know each other and to appoint group leaders to facilitate subsequent command and control.

Jian Sheng also thoroughly understood the Church Team's strengths and weaknesses: apart from the captain Lin Lan, only Lin Zhizhi had an A+ Blue Beast Core Sensing ability and a B- Electromagnetic Tolerance ability; most of the other team members had B to C level talents. Compared to the Windsor, George, and Fujiwara teams, they had three fewer individuals with single A-level talents, and the overall talent quality was significantly lower.

The following week was unusually calm, with all four teams undergoing integration training and equipment adaptation. The military academy leaders did not appear at all, clearly to avoid suspicion and not to interfere in the competition between the various family factions.

During these seven days, Jiansheng and Lin Zhizhi spent every day together and became increasingly familiar with each other. He gradually discovered that Lin Zhizhi's sniping skills were only passable; she lacked amazing skills and exceptional tactical thinking, making it difficult to connect her with Lin Lan's secret weapon.

But her personality was really endearing. She was simple and straightforward, and her joys and sorrows were all written on her face. She was unguarded with everyone, making it easy and comfortable to be around her. Gradually, she also came to understand the difference between men and women and was no longer as uninhibited as before. She would subconsciously avoid some intimate actions, being both innocent and obedient.

A week later, before dawn, everyone had already lined up and gathered in the square.

On the platform, the military academy principal finally appeared. He was dressed in a crisp military uniform, with an upright posture and an aura of authority and iron will. His gaze swept over the crowd below, exuding an imposing presence without anger.

"Each of you four team captains possesses the corresponding combat coordinates! There is only one rule for this team competition: whoever kills the most General-level Star Beasts wins. The judging criterion is the number of General-level Star Beast cores captured!"

"The entire hunt will last three days. Now, the timer begins—5:08 AM!"

Half an hour later, the Windsor team took the lead, with eight military vehicles driving out of the military academy gate and heading straight for the South City Valley; the Fujiwara and George teams followed closely behind, moving quickly. Only the Church team was a full half hour later than the Windsor team, which set off first.

Throughout the entire process, Lin Lan remained calm and showed no signs of anxiety, as if she didn't care at all.

This girl either has absolute confidence or she's completely given up on treatment. Jian Sheng leaned against the car, secretly thinking to himself. After a week of getting to know her, he was more inclined to believe the latter, given the obvious difference in strength between the teams.

Eight military vehicles sped towards the church team's target area—Fortress 24 in the Southern Valley. Inside the operations room, the nine team leaders sat together, discussing the battle plan.

Lin Lan looked at everyone and said calmly, "The area we are responsible for is a quarter of the southern valley, centered on Fortress 24. Our core objective is to hunt down general-level star beasts and collect their cores. Please feel free to share any ideas you may have."

Jian Sheng pondered to himself throughout the journey: the upper echelons of Seven Rings City must have known for a long time that a systematic tribe of general-level star beasts lurked in the southern valley forest, and must have conducted extensive investigations during this period. Even though the forces of the four teams were far from sufficient, they still arranged this competition. Essentially, it was a power struggle within the rules, a test of the strength of the new generation, using the confrontation between the new generation to prevent the major powers from breaking off relations. After all, the essence of power struggles is to fight without breaking apart.

The machine gun squad leader spoke first, his tone impassioned: "Sending out all 30 squads is like looking for a needle in a haystack, it won't work! This competition is essentially a counter-guerrilla war. The intelligent beasts are hiding deep in the valley, we must prioritize intelligence, pinpoint their location, and then concentrate our forces to attack!"

Jian Sheng inwardly scoffed. What he said was all correct nonsense. Intelligent beasts were good at hiding, so the key was how to accurately locate them. Saying this was as good as saying nothing.

The other group leaders also spoke up, but their suggestions were either vague and impractical or they were afraid of difficulties and backed down. No one offered any constructive solutions.

Lin Lan remained calm and composed, showing no sign of agitation. After everyone had finished speaking, she slowly opened her mouth, her tone resolute: "Ten minutes later, Lin Zhizhi and I will lead a ten-person team into the forest to carry out a mission. The rest of you will remain at the fortress, on standby, ready to provide support at any time. While I am away, command of the entire team will be handed over to Jiansheng."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jian Sheng's heart skipped a beat. He looked at Lin Zhizhi, who was standing obediently beside Lin Lan, looking completely innocent and harmless. So she really was Lin Lan's secret weapon! But Lin Lan didn't fully trust him yet, so naturally she wouldn't reveal her secret.

Lin Zhizhi, standing to the side, remained as innocent and gentle as ever. Upon hearing her name, she simply nodded obediently, without a trace of pride or arrogance. Her eyes were clear, as if she were about to embark on a simple stroll rather than a dangerous mission. She clenched her small fist and whispered to Lin Lan, "Sister Lin Lan, I will complete the mission well." Her tone was earnest and pure, without a trace of fear.

Ten minutes later, an elite squad consisting of seven machine gunners, one artilleryman, one communications soldier, and one medic followed Lin Lan and Lin Zhizhi into the dense forest in the early morning light, their figures quickly disappearing into the thick jungle.

One hour, two hours, three hours...

As dusk approached, the group remaining at the fortress received no further communication, and the atmosphere grew increasingly oppressive, their faces growing grim. But they were all highly qualified mech pilots, selected through rigorous processes; despite their anxieties, they remained steadfast at their posts, ready for battle at any moment.

As night deepened, Lin Lan's calm voice finally came through the communicator: "Calling White Meerkats, lead all combat units to rendezvous at Fortress 34. Maintain complete concealment throughout the journey and do not expose yourselves."

White Meerkat is Jian Sheng's code name, derived from the white meerkat beside him. Now, the white meerkat has long since become human-like, sticking to Jian Sheng's side all day long, no longer as sleepy as before, its little ears always perked up, alert to any movement around it.

The night was pitch black, with only the lead vehicle carrying a faint light, slowly making its way along the muddy, gravelly road. They moved silently until late at night, when everyone finally arrived safely at Fortress 34.

This time, Lin Zhizhi was also in the command center. She stood obediently next to Lin Lan, her eyes still clear and pure, and she was holding a leaf she had picked. She looked completely harmless and did not look like someone who had just returned from exploring a dangerous forest.

Lin Lan spoke first, breaking the silence in the room: "We have found our target. In the dense forest ten kilometers to the south, there is a medium-sized intelligent beast tribe."

Everyone in the room instantly perked up. Then, Lin Zhizhi stepped forward and, in a soft, sweet voice, reported the information clearly and precisely, word by word. Her tone was serious, without the slightest hint of panic, and her innocent eyes revealed focused concentration.

"This tribe has a total of 24 general-level intelligent beasts:"

There are 12 low-level general-level intelligent beasts, including 8 adults. They are timid by nature and good at hiding and escaping.

There are 6 mid-level general-level intelligent beasts, all of them adults. They can fly quickly and launch attacks with internal blade worms. They are extremely vigilant and cowardly.

Two adult high-ranking general-level intelligent beasts, the Earth Dragon Beasts, are heavy defensive intelligent beasts capable of rapid underground movement and launching ground-shaking spikes with extremely high attack power.