TCFGBH Chapter 118

Xia Yan and Ian’s secret relationship, no matter how hard Xia Yan tried to conceal it, was still noticed by those close to him.

The red-haired boy clung to him like a piece of sticky candy, seizing every opportunity to stick close. Bound by the leverage Ian held over him, Xia Yan couldn’t completely resist and had no choice but to let him follow along.

Xia Yan: “…”

Forget it. As long as he could complete his mission, nothing else mattered.

This time, the mecha tournament was different from previous ones—the Federation was also participating, making it a matter of great importance to the Empire. Xia Yan wasn’t surprised; after all, it was a competition involving the story’s protagonist gong and shou. There was bound to be some special attention.

The tournament required teams of five, with at least one mecha engineer to handle repairs during matches.

Xia Yan’s team was quickly finalized: Huo Ruihe, Ian, Ludwig, himself, and Gong Changyong, a follower from one of the families allied with his own. Bernie, being only B-ranked, didn’t want to drag his young master down in such an event.

The original owner was a proud individual who couldn’t tolerate failure.

So when Ludwig, the second-ranked student of his age group, proactively invited Xia Yan to team up, Xia Yan agreed without hesitation.

Many people participated in the tournament, but the initial stages involved a few simple tests to eliminate the less competent contenders. With a team composed of top-tier players, Xia Yan had no need to worry about these preliminaries.

Time flew by.

After the final test ended, the team of five successfully advanced to the main competition, and Xia Yan’s task panel refreshed.

[Task 5: Participate in the Interstellar Mecha Tournament. (Completed)]

[Task 6: Bully Ludwig and Ian during the tournament (0/3) (Incomplete)]

[Task 7: Enter the hidden region of the Zerg Queen. Map attached. (Incomplete)]

Huh???

Huhhhhhh???

Xia Yan slapped his forehead hard, suspecting that the system had glitched. He closed the task panel and reopened it, checking again and again. Finally, after three confirmations, he had to accept the truth—it was really the Zerg Queen!!!

The Zerg Queen was a super BOSS.

Every Zerg Queen was surrounded by countless high-level Zerg, hunting for it to feed and allow it to lay more eggs for their species to proliferate.

On the border, humanity was in a constant state of war with the Zerg.

Every year, countless soldiers sacrificed their lives, never returning home.

Even seasoned warriors had difficulty handling the Zerg, let alone students like them. Facing the Zerg Queen was practically a death sentence.

Before Xia Yan could even begin to despair, the task panel turned crimson, with a small red dot appearing next to the side mission. Damn! He had a bad feeling.

[Side Mission: Kill the Zerg Queen and ensure the survival of both protagonists.

(After evaluation, Ludwig has yet to obtain the exclusive mecha Ian Hyde designed for him, leaving him unable to reach his full potential. There is a 99% chance that Ludwig will be killed by the Zerg Queen during the tournament.)

(Note: The death of a protagonist will cause the small world to collapse.)

(Due to the extreme difficulty of this mission, high bonus points will be awarded upon completion.)]

Xia Yan is emo.

Xia Yan is good again.

Why do we “work”? For points.

This was the first time the system had explicitly promised a high point reward. The previous side missions had all granted 5,000 points—was it too much to ask for a small multiplier this time?

–

Countless live-streaming cameras hovered in the air like elegant, intricate butterflies, providing viewers with an immersive viewing experience from every angle.

Four spaceships were positioned at the four corners of an undeveloped primitive planet. As the sound of the hatches opening echoed, students from various academies finally revealed themselves.

Young faces full of confidence radiated with the vitality of youth.

A leading instructor adjusted their earpiece. “Let me repeat the rules of this tournament. A total of 100 teams will be deployed onto White Mandora Star simultaneously. Each night at midnight, the planet will release toxic gas, reducing the safe zone.

“The tournament will last seven days, with the safe zone shrinking to accommodate only one team in the final hour—that team will be the winner.”

“If anyone can’t hold out, press the exit button on your left hand, and a rescue team will extract you from the competition.”

“Deliberately killing opponents during the tournament is strictly forbidden. Anyone caught doing so will have their results annulled. Remember, while you’re competitors now, you’ll all be heroes fighting the Zerg in the near future.”

“Alright, prepare for descent.”

“Yes, sir!!!”

The spaceship hovered about 1,000 meters above ground. Though it didn’t sound high, it was equivalent to jumping from a 200-story building. Looking down, forests, rivers, and deserts all blurred into tiny pixel-like specks.

Jumping without safety equipment would undoubtedly turn one into a splatter of flesh.

Each spaceship carried 25 teams, totaling 125 contestants, but there were only 100 parachutes. The competition began even before reaching the ground.

The instructors tactfully stepped aside, giving the students room to compete.

Military academy students exchanged glances before springing into action. Fists collided with resounding thuds as the stronger contestants seized parachutes for their weaker teammates, letting them jump first.

Gong Changyong clenched his fists and looked at the young man standing still. “Should we join the fight?”

The young man took a step back, distancing himself from the chaos, and said disdainfully, “No need. You’ll jump with me. As for the rest of you…” His gaze swept over the three S-ranked teammates. “You should be able to handle landing on your own, right?”

Ludwig, as usual, said little, merely giving Xia Yan a deep look and nodding.

Huo Ruihe grinned. “I’m fine.”

Ian, the youngest of the group and the most prone to clinging, eagerly rushed over. Like an oversized cat, he nuzzled against Xia Yan’s neck. “I want to jump with Yan Yan too.”

“Stop it.”

Ian drawled playfully, “Yan Yan~.”

Without hesitation, Xia Yan shoved him away. “I can only take one person. If you’re not afraid of dying, come along.”

“Then I’m coming!”

“…” Xia Yan’s mouth twitched. He turned to Ian, his eyes silently asking: Do you not understand human language?

Ian, fearless, replied, “I trust Yan Yan’s strength. You definitely won’t let me get hurt.”

With that, he really joined Gong Changyong at the edge of the hatch. The high-altitude wind whipped past their ears, ruffling Ian’s fluffy curls, making them even softer and fluffier.

He stared at Xia Yan with his emerald-green cat-like eyes, sweet and trusting.

So adorable and obedient.

Who could possibly resist a clingy kitten?

Xia Yan looked at Task 6 on his panel, then thought about what he was about to do. His chest faintly ached.

The high-altitude cameras focused on the hatch, capturing everyone’s state in clear detail. As soon as Xia Yan appeared, he was greeted by an overwhelming wave of enthusiasm.

【There he is! Finally found my wife.】

【Wife’s going to jump? It’s so cold up there; be careful!】

【He doesn’t even have a parachute. Jump my foot.】

【Wait… is he really jumping? Oh my god! I can’t watch this.】

The black-haired, gold-eyed young man stepped forward, facing the rising sun, and unhesitatingly jumped from a near-thousand-meter height. His skintight black combat suit clung to his body, accentuating faint outlines of muscle. He moved with the agility of a panther, exuding a wild beauty and an unstoppable determination.

His expression remained calm. Without even blinking, he calculated the distance to the ground below.

900 meters.

800 meters.

…

500 meters.

This was close enough.

Without hesitation, Xia Yan pressed the spatial key on his wrist. A black mecha materialized midair, its cockpit automatically opening. Using the mecha’s head as a foothold, he twisted his body and leaped into the cockpit.

In just three seconds, the nanotech neural system inside connected to him, and he gained full control of the mecha.

The next moment, the mecha extended its fingers like a claw, grabbing two individuals like little chicks.

The mecha had built-in flight capabilities; otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to fight in space. Xia Yan chose a landing spot near a water source. When they were just two meters above ground, the mecha’s right hand suddenly released. One of the figures, a red-haired youth, fell straight into the water.

?

This was a deep, serene pool surrounded by open terrain with no trees for support. Without enough altitude to summon his own mecha, Ian could only watch helplessly as he plunged into the water. He surfaced a moment later, coughing from the water he had swallowed, and swam toward the shore, his wet hair clinging to his forehead. He looked pitifully at Xia Yan, who was carefully placing the other teammate onto dry ground.

“Yan Yan.”

[Task 6: Bully Ludwig and Ian during the Mecha League (1/3). (Incomplete)]

Xia Yan closed the task panel, content, and said earnestly, “My hand slipped.”

Ian couldn’t bring himself to blame his beloved. So, he shifted his frustration onto Gong Changyong instead, glaring at him fiercely. If it weren’t for this guy, his Yan Yan could’ve brought only him, and then there wouldn’t have been a “hand slip.”

Caught in the crossfire, Gong Changyong quietly moved to hide behind Xia Yan.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat exploded.

Xia Yan’s impressive mid-air maneuver had earned admiration from fans of strong performances. But his deliberate act of dropping a teammate? It screamed of poor teamwork, a serious taboo for soldiers.

【The teammate didn’t even do anything wrong. Why drop him like that? What if he catches a cold or fever from this?】

【You’re overthinking. S-class warriors have tough bodies and strong mental resilience. A little water isn’t going to hurt.】

【What if it does?】

【Why are you arguing? Our wife is so powerful; he’s bound to win. Who cares about this?】

【But the Federation is also in this match, and their team has five S-classes. Xia Yan’s team has an A-class. It’s not a guaranteed win.】

【Poor teamwork is going to make this difficult.】

【Ian Hyde didn’t get mad. Why are you randoms so upset?】

【[Ian’s a commoner. With Xia Yan’s status, does Ian even dare to be mad?】

…

Xia Yan caught the camera’s glance and knew full well he was being scolded. But as a certified scumbag cannon fodder, this was par for the course. He didn’t care at all—completing the mission was his top priority.

The planet was vast, and the team had internal communication tools and locators, so there was no worry about getting separated.

Ludwig, who had used the same method as Xia Yan to descend, arrived just in time to see Ian clinging closely to Xia Yan after changing into dry clothes. They were overly intimate.

Ian gave Ludwig a deliberately smug and provocative look.

“…”

Ludwig’s hand unconsciously clenched into a fist. His dark eyes burned with jealousy.

These past days, he had been watching Ian stay by Xia Yan’s side, growing closer and closer to him. Xia Yan wasn’t even making his usual efforts to provoke him.

He was… losing his attention.

Ludwig couldn’t stand it.

During this time, he had been contemplating how to use mutual interests to keep Xia Yan close. Eventually, he came up with a plan. If Xia Yan wanted the throne, then Ludwig would help him claim it.

Ludwig’s thoughts were interrupted by Huo Ruihe finally making his landing.

Unlike Xia Yan’s dramatic entrance or Ludwig’s quiet intensity, Huo Ruihe was the picture of normalcy. He obediently used a parachute to land near the water.

“Sorry for the delay,” he said.

“We haven’t waited long,” Xia Yan replied, opening the map. “We don’t yet know where the gas will be released. Let’s explore a bit today.”

The others agreed, and Xia Yan took the lead.

He appeared to choose a direction at random, but in reality, he was heading toward the marked Zerg territory for his system task.

To complete the side quest of defeating the Zerg Queen, Xia Yan had to gather intel while heavily arming Ian’s mecha over the next few days.

For now, he couldn’t leave the team.

But in two or three days, he planned to find an excuse to head toward the Zerg-controlled region and lure them out. Once the Zergs appeared in the competition area, the match would surely be halted, and everyone would be evacuated.

With the protagonists’ lives saved, the world wouldn’t collapse.

Killing the Zerg Queen on his own would be hard, but if he called the Empire’s military, it’d be a piece of cake. After all, the task only required the Zerg Queen’s death—it didn’t specify that he had to do it himself!