Make money by hiding in the interstellar battlefield!

After Lin Lan left the room, only Jian Sheng, Lin Zhizhi, and the jumping Bai Sheng remained in the tent. The rain pattered outside the tent, sounding like the claws of a star beast scratching through sheet metal, creating an inexplicable sense of oppression.

"Take a break, we'll be fighting for our lives in less than two hours." Jian Sheng leaned against the cold shell of the mecha, his knuckles white from clenching his fists. Since being taken in by the Windsor family after transmigrating to this world, to being forced to participate in the military academy competition, and now to this hunt, he has always felt like a pawn being tossed around, even his breathing controlled by others. This feeling of being unable to control his own destiny is almost overwhelming.

"And you, kid, behave yourself." He glanced at Bai Sheng, who was fluttering his little wings and rubbing against Lin Zhizhi's shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of pent-up anger.

"Brother Jiansheng, is this mission very dangerous?" Lin Zhizhi stopped teasing Bai Sheng, her clear eyes showing no fear, only pure curiosity. She remembered Jiansheng's words and called him "brother" softly, completely unaware that this mission was a life-or-death gamble.

"How can a job that involves risking your life be small?" Jian Sheng twitched the corner of his mouth, his voice full of self-mockery.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?" Lin Zhizhi pressed, her fingertips gently tracing the white downy hairs, her movements tender and focused.

"I'm not afraid." Jian Sheng's voice was soft, yet it carried a sense of detachment from worldly affairs. "As long as I don't suffer too much when I die."

"That's true." Lin Zhizhi nodded as if she understood, and echoed, "With no ties, death doesn't seem so scary."

Two hours passed in the blink of an eye. The night was as dark as ink, and large raindrops pounded on the mechs, splashing up fine droplets. Everyone was ready to go, and under the cover of the rain, they silently made their way towards the target area, stepping over the muddy tree roots. The heavy footsteps of the mechs were masked by the sound of the rain, with only the occasional snapping of a dead branch echoing in the silent forest.

The group stopped three kilometers away from the Wise Beast Tribe.

"Operation plan: First, the artillery team will launch a first-round barrage to break through the beast horde's formation; second, the sniper team must eliminate all six flying mantises, ensuring their heads remain intact—this is crucial for scoring." Jian Sheng's voice, calm as ice, came through the communicator to everyone. "If the intelligent beasts flee east, pursue them; if they counterattack, everyone build defensive fortifications on the spot, hold the position even if it means death!"

"Check your watch. The first round of shelling will begin in ten minutes!"

With the mission assigned, Jian Sheng immediately led Lin Zhizhi towards the target. The artillery mech's range far exceeded that of a sniper cannon; to accurately hunt down the Flying Mantis amidst the chaos of the shelling, the distance had to be reduced to within 500 meters. However, in this primeval forest, towering ancient trees blocked out the sun, their canopies intertwining to form an impenetrable dome. The mech's heavy body stumbled and lurched through the mud, each step splashing up waves of mud half a person's height, pushing its speed to the limit.

Lin Lan frowned, her fingers gripping the communicator so tightly that her knuckles turned white. She dared not order a delay in the shelling—this was the Star Beasts' home ground, and countless eyes were watching from the rain and mist; every minute of delay increased the risk of exposure.

「2000米……1500米……1000米……800米……600米！」

Just 600 meters from the target, a dozen blinding red lights suddenly pierced through the rain and illuminated the dark forest!

"Brother Jiansheng, it's too late!" Lin Zhizhi's voice was filled with panic, but she did not back down in the slightest.

"No! We have to get closer!" Jian Sheng gritted his teeth, surging his mecha's power. The C-class mecha's thrusters emitted a piercing hum. "We have to take down the Flying Mantises and blind them! Otherwise, once they realize we're outnumbered, the horde will launch a counterattack!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A dozen deafening explosions rang out in succession, flames tearing through the rain curtain, and scorching airwaves carrying gunpowder smoke rushed towards us. In the forest, the roars of the star beasts were sharp as steel needles piercing our eardrums—the screams of flying mantises being hit by cannonballs, the crisp sound of their shells shattering mixed with the muffled thud of their entrails flying out, all clearly audible through the rain.

Jian Sheng peered through the mecha's observation window, his eyes fixed on the figure in the treetop ahead. A mantis nearly three meters long was flapping its wings, about to take flight. Its emerald green carapace was covered in warm, dark green sap, and the worms on its abdomen were wriggling in the rain.

"Don't even think about running away!"

Without the slightest hesitation, Jian Sheng raised the WU-3 super-heavy sniper cannon and pulled the trigger with his fingertips.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three armor-piercing incendiary shells, trailing long fiery tails, pierced directly through the rain and slammed into the mantis's body! The violent explosion instantly tore apart its carapace, and dark green fluid mixed with bone fragments sprayed onto the tree trunk, instantly washed away by the rain. The mantis didn't even have time to utter a complete scream before plummeting straight from the treetop, crashing into the pack of six-legged dogs on the ground, where they instantly pounced and tore it to pieces.

The sniper cannon only holds seven rounds, with seven more in each shoulder magazine, for a total of twenty-one rounds. Although the logistics team had one hundred and twenty rounds, in forest warfare, logistical support simply couldn't keep up, and every bullet had to be used sparingly.

The rain intensified, completely obstructing visibility. Just as Jian Sheng was about to move forward to try and get a closer look, Bai Sheng suddenly started chattering anxiously inside the mecha, his sharp cries piercing the communicator.

"Brother Jiansheng, run! There's an Eye Beast on the other side!"

Lin Zhizhi's voice was urgent. She had already fired first, and the sniper cannons fired one after another, with bullets sweeping into the depths of the rain. Eye Beasts are reconnaissance units among general-level intelligent beasts. They are two to three meters long, with their abdomens covered with dense secondary eyes. Their tentacles can capture heat sources and chemical signals. Once they are locked on, the entire horde will rush towards this side!

"Damn it!" Jian Sheng cursed under his breath, abruptly turning his mecha around and running away. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lin Zhizhi's mecha rapidly emptying its magazine, the spent cartridges scattered all over the ground, yet her movements remained remarkably steady—her A+ grade crystal core sensing talent allowed her to accurately track the Eye Beast's trajectory in the rain.

"Calling the captain! The intelligence is wrong! Organize a defense on the spot immediately! Eye Beasts have appeared! The size of the beast horde is far greater than expected!" Jian Sheng roared into the communicator, his voice full of solemnity.

The appearance of the Eye Beasts signifies that things have completely deviated from the plan. The battle rules clearly state that the absolute number of Eye Beasts is extremely small; a single King-level intelligent beast tribe typically only has seven to eight, and they only appear during large-scale beast tides. The fact that Eye Beasts have appeared in the southern valley indicates that what lies hidden there is not a medium-sized tribe, but a large clan possessing King-level Star Beasts!

Mechs are already difficult to maneuver in the forest, and even as Jian Sheng pushed his mech's energy bar to its limit, a deafening roar still echoed behind him. He suddenly turned and leaped into the air, peering through the observation window—less than fifty meters away, five Andras were crouching, venomous stingers spurting from the bone spurs on their backs, the eerie green venom arcing through the rain and carrying a pungent, fishy stench.

Andra is a low-tier general-level intelligent beast with extremely high penetrating power in its stingers, and the venom on them can even corrode mech armor. A C-level mech can usually only withstand five stings from five Andra, but now, five Andra are attacking simultaneously, and the stingers are raining down like a storm!

"hide!"

Jian Sheng fired two shots in mid-air, and the mech's trajectory was abruptly changed due to the recoil, barely avoiding most of the poison spikes. However, three poison spikes still pierced through the mech's left arm armor. The burning, corrosive sensation spread along his nerves, causing him to feel dizzy with pain. The mech's alarm sounded shrill and piercing, and the red warning lights flashed incessantly.

The moment he landed, he looked back—two of the five Andras had already been blasted to pieces by the shelling, and the remaining three were hiding behind tall tree trunks, not daring to rush out rashly. The real main force of pursuit was a pack of hundreds of six-legged dogs! Without the Andras blocking their way, they were even faster, their five-meter-tall bodies weaving through the forest, their sharp claws digging into the soil with a piercing scraping sound, and foul-smelling saliva dripping from the corners of their mouths, forming a murky pool on the ground.

General-level intelligent beasts are highly intelligent beings. Seeing their companions instantly killed, they didn't blindly charge. Instead, they hid behind trees, using their antennae to sense the movement in this area. The six-legged dog pack became the vanguard, densely covering the forest path, and rushed towards this place madly.

"Seven gunshots ahead!"

Jian Sheng had only run a few dozen meters when he heard a burst of sniper fire from ahead. It was Lin Zhizhi firing; she was precisely targeting and taking down three Scythers in quick succession, giving Jian Sheng a few seconds to catch his breath. But that was far from enough time; the pack of six-legged dogs was too fast, closing in in the blink of an eye.

Jian Sheng saw his mech suddenly drop the sniper cannon, draw an alloy longsword from behind, and abruptly stop in his tracks.

His heart sank – there was no way out.

At this point, they were still one kilometer away from the defensive camp, but the tree roots and mud pits in the dense forest made it difficult for the mechs to move forward. If they rushed forward any further, they would only be completely surrounded by the beast horde.

Jian Sheng rushed to within ten meters of Lin Zhizhi's mech, then abruptly stopped and quickly changed his magazine. The crisp sound of the metal magazines clashing was particularly clear amidst the explosions. Cold sweat streamed down his forehead, soaking the stray hairs between his brows, and his breathing was rapid, like that of a broken bellows.

"Calm down! Andra is the key!" Jian Sheng gritted his teeth, forcing himself to calm down. He pushed his brain's information storage and reasoning functions to the limit, his mental energy was being consumed at high speed, and his vision began to blur.

Lin Zhizhi's mecha was already engaged in close combat with the pack of six-legged dogs. With each swing of the alloy longsword, flesh and blood flew everywhere—the six-legged dogs' claws gripped the mecha, making a piercing tearing sound and leaving the mecha's shell pitted and scarred; when the longsword slashed down, the sharp blade directly cleaved open the dogs' skulls, and dark red brain matter mixed with blood splattered into the rain, the stench so foul it made people want to vomit.

"Hold on for fifteen seconds!" Jian Sheng's voice was hoarse as his gaze swept across the dense forest ahead.

Suddenly, his gaze settled on a giant tree a hundred meters away—its trunk was over 1.5 meters in diameter, its bark rough, and an Andra was crouching behind it, its back spurs trembling slightly, its antennae sweeping warily, clearly directing the six-legged pack of dogs around it.

"Found it!"

Jian Sheng raised his hand, aimed the sniper cannon at the tree trunk, and pulled the trigger.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Four armor-piercing incendiary rounds, trailing fiery tails, slammed heavily into the tree trunk. The first round pierced the rough bark, the second penetrated the interior of the trunk, the third detonated the area where Andra was hiding, the violent explosion instantly cracking the trunk, and the fourth blasted straight through the trunk, shattering Andra's chest and neck behind the tree!

Dark green bodily fluid mixed with bone fragments splattered in the rain. Before Andra could even struggle, he tumbled off the tree trunk and crashed into the pack of six-legged dogs below, where he was instantly devoured, leaving only his limbs.

The six-legged pack of dogs suddenly slowed down for a moment, and Jian Sheng seized the opportunity, firing three more shots, accurately knocking down three dogs that were pouncing on Lin Zhizhi, temporarily relieving her pressure. But there were too many dogs; as one group fell, another surged up, and blood quickly stained the ground red.

"There are two more! You're hiding there!"

Lin Zhizhi's mecha was completely surrounded by the pack of six-legged dogs. The blade of the alloy longsword was already chipped, and the mecha's shell was covered with claw marks and had many dents and deformations. It was clear that it could not hold out for much longer.

Just then, Bai Sheng suddenly made a rapid chirping sound in the communicator.

"You have to go out and find them for me!" Jian Sheng ordered into the communicator. A small opening appeared in the mecha's entrance, and Bai Sheng flapped his small wings, soaring into the sky like a white lightning bolt, disappearing into the dense canopy.

"Kid, it's all up to you!"

Jian Sheng repositioned his sniper cannon, firing to suppress the pack of dogs while awaiting Bai Sheng's intelligence. Through the rain, gunfire, explosions, and the roars of the star beasts mingled, and bloody images flashed before his eyes—the blood mist from the six-legged dog's body exploding after being hit by a shell; the sight of Andra's dark green fluid spurting out after being pierced through the torso; the pale blue engine oil seeping from the deep claw marks on Lin Zhizhi's mecha…

"Brother Jiansheng, how much longer?" Lin Zhizhi's voice was slightly breathless, but she was still not flustered at all.

"Wait a little longer!"

Finally, Bai Sheng's voice came through the communicator, clear and urgent.

"Found it! 150 meters away, behind that thick tree!"

Jian Sheng immediately adjusted his gun. Based on Bai Sheng's intelligence, he spotted the even larger tree—its trunk was nearly two meters in diameter, and its bark was as thick as sheet metal. An Andra was crouching behind the tree, releasing pheromones from its antennae and directing the surrounding pack of dogs. It looked comical yet exuded a deadly threat.

"beat!"

Four armor-piercing rounds were fired, accurately hitting the tree trunk. The violent explosion overturned half of the tree trunk, and Andra's body was blown to pieces. The blast also sent more than a dozen six-legged dogs flying, leaving them mangled and bloody.

But the last Andra hid behind a thicker tree trunk.

Lin Zhizhi's mecha had reached its limit. The alloy longsword was completely dulled, the mecha's energy core emitted a piercing buzz, and multiple sections of armor were torn open, with pale blue engine oil mixed with dark red blood flowing continuously from the damaged areas. Her movements became slower and slower, and each swing of the sword required the utmost effort.

"We can't wait any longer!"

Jian Sheng drew the alloy longsword from his back, rushed out of the cover, and plunged headfirst into the pack of six-legged dogs.

The combat skills he had learned from Louise at the military academy for over a month were now coming in handy. With each swing of the mech's arms, the longsword slashed, parried, and thrust, each strike delivered with full force. But the six-legged dogs were too numerous; their sharp claws, like steel blades, relentlessly gnawed at the mech's shell, producing a piercing tearing sound.

A six-legged dog pounced from the side, its claws tearing right through the mecha's leg. Jian Sheng grunted, then swung his sword down, cleaving its head in two. Blood splattered onto his face, warm and sticky. Another dog pounced from behind, its claws ripping open the mecha's back. A searing pain shot through his nerves, and he nearly collapsed.

One minute, two minutes...

The energy alarm inside the mech grew increasingly shrill, with the energy overload warning constantly ringing out—a Class C mech could only withstand ten kilograms of blue crystal energy per charge; excessive energy output would cause electromagnetic radiation to backfire on the mech pilot. Jian Sheng was now bleeding from his mouth, nose, and ears, dizzy, and even his hand holding the gun was trembling.

Lin Zhizhi's talent was superior to his; her A+ level crystal core perception combined with her B level electromagnetic tolerance allowed her to withstand higher energy output, enabling her to last longer. However, at this moment, her mecha was also covered in wounds and teetering on the verge of collapse.

"Brother Jiansheng, being torn to pieces by a six-legged dog shouldn't hurt, right?" Lin Zhizhi's voice came through the communicator, carrying a hint of bewildered doubt, but without a trace of fear.

"It doesn't hurt." Jian Sheng gritted his teeth, his voice hoarse like a broken gong. "In less than a second, we'll be torn into dozens of pieces."

"That's good."

As soon as Lin Zhizhi finished speaking, a dense swarm of six-legged dogs completely engulfed her mecha. The alloy longsword swung one last time before slamming heavily to the ground. The mecha's energy core suddenly emitted a piercing explosion, then plunged into complete darkness.

Just as Jian Sheng's mech was completely overwhelmed by the horde of beasts and his consciousness was about to dissipate—

"Da da da! Da da da!"

A burst of gunfire suddenly erupted from the side, as several fiery "snakes" pierced the rain, sweeping precisely across the pack of six-legged dogs. The dozen or so dogs at the forefront were instantly riddled with bullets, blood and bits of flesh splattering in the rain, and the pack's offensive was halted in an instant.

Jian Sheng's vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.

When he woke up again, he was lying in a tent at the camp, the soft bed making his body ache. Outside the tent, gunshots, explosions, and landmine detonations rang out continuously, causing the tent to shake slightly.

He struggled to sit up, and as soon as he lifted the tent flap, he was stunned by the sight outside.

Most of the towering ancient trees surrounding the camp had been shattered by artillery fire, their trunks broken and branches scattered. Flames burned everywhere in the forest. Although the rain was heavy, it could not extinguish the flames. The dark red firelight illuminated the rain curtain. The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder, blood, and the stench of rotting star beast corpses, all mixed together, making people nauseous.

The squad members were all busy, and no one paid him any attention. The machine gunners set up their heavy machine guns and fired wildly at the edge of the forest; the flamethrowers spewed long streams of fire, building a wall of fire in front of the position to block the beast horde's attack; in the sky, a dozen huge troop transports slowly floated by, their belly cavities filled with countless six-legged dogs that were eyeing them menacingly—these were the Lord Beasts created by the Queen of the Wise Beasts, specifically for transporting troops.

"Brother Jiansheng, you're awake!"

A soft, sweet voice came from behind. Lin Zhizhi was wearing an exoskeleton and had just finished moving a large box of ammunition. Blood and bits of flesh were still stained on the shoulders of the exoskeleton, but her face was clean and she looked completely disheveled. When she saw Jiansheng wake up, she immediately gave him a sweet smile, looking carefree and showing no signs of having just experienced a life-or-death crisis.

"What's going on now?" Jian Sheng asked, leaning on the tent poles as he struggled to his feet, his voice hoarse.

"Our mechs are all damaged and unusable." Lin Zhizhi walked to his side, reached out to support him, her clear eyes filled with seriousness. "We probably just happened to catch the intelligent beasts off guard and disrupted their siege plan, which is why they attacked the city ahead of schedule."

"Attack the city ahead of schedule?" Jian Sheng frowned, not quite understanding.

"Hmm." Lin Zhizhi nodded and explained, "The intelligent beasts have already secretly moved their troops into the southern valley. They want to attack from the southern city—because the southern city has been the human's backyard for many years, and its defenses are the most lax."

The scene flashed through Jian Sheng's mind—the betrayal of the watchtower personnel. It wasn't an accident; it was premeditated. The school's team competition, held in the southern valley, was likely a deliberate test to gauge the strength of the intelligent beasts!

"What's the captain's plan now?" Jian Sheng took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart.