When Xie Xingyan arrived at the nearest resource drop point, a woman was already there waiting. Even so, she had no intention of changing locations.
After all, finding another site would cost both time and stamina, and the eventual gain might not be worth it.
The two women exchanged a single look. Neither made a move—since the supply pack hadn't dropped yet, fighting now would only give some third party a chance to swoop in.
Minutes ticked by. Half an hour later, a burly man arrived.
Xie Xingyan recognized him immediately: Scala, a student from Class A of the mecha warrior division—a notoriously tough fighter.
From the way he made no effort to conceal his identity, it was clear he was absolutely confident in his own strength. But people like that always carried a fatal flaw.
From the audience's perspective, the scene looked lopsided: two slender girls facing off against one powerhouse of a man. No matter how they looked at it, the scales seemed tipped in his favor.
"Don't you think those two little girls don't stand a chance against that guy?"
"Not necessarily. Anyone who's made it this far isn't simple."
"I'd actually bet that the man will be the first one eliminated."
"What? Explain yourself. How could the strongest-looking one go out first?"
"Simple. Those two women will probably team up to take him down."
Almost as if on cue, the empty stretch of desert shimmered, and a red-packaged supply bundle appeared.
Xie Xingyan and the other woman locked eyes. Both understood instantly: they would cooperate to eliminate Scala first, then fight each other for the supply pack.
The moment they moved together, Scala had to pull back his step. His eyes flared with hatred as he drew the laser sword from his belt to counter.
None of the three dared use mental attacks—not out of mercy, but because they couldn't afford to waste precious spiritual energy. The rules were clear: no potions or recovery aids would be available here.
Scala's combat strength was indeed formidable. Even in a two-against-one, he held his ground.
He cursed inwardly. These two bitches, ganging up on him from the start—it was beneath contempt.
Still, he knew that while he could hold for now, he couldn't sustain it for long.
Then he spotted it—an opening in Xie Xingyan's defense. Without hesitation, he thrust his sword at her, while simultaneously using his spiritual power to block the other woman's incoming strike.
The "ally" was secretly delighted. Though she could have intercepted, she instead chose to press her attack on Scala.
To Xie Xingyan, this was all within expectations. The man had fallen right into her trap.
The instant he diverted his spiritual power, she struck, tearing open a gap in his defenses. By the time he scrambled to recover, it was already too late.
That was the reality of battle—one wrong step, and everything collapsed.
Scala stared in disbelief at the blade piercing his chest. How could one rash, greedy move lead to such a devastating mistake?
Xie Xingyan didn't give him time to linger. She drove her sword through him again until he vanished, forcibly logged out. Then, without pause, she swung her blade at her so-called "ally."
The woman froze a second too late. She hadn't expected her partner to turn on her instantly, without so much as a warning.
Now free of the threat of a third-party ambush, Xie Xingyan attacked swiftly, targeting weak points again and again. She even used her legs, catching the woman off guard with a series of strikes.
The woman wasn't stupid. Realizing her disadvantage in close combat, she tried to de-escalate.
"Friend, I won't fight you for it. Put down your sword, alright?"
But Xie Xingyan saw the lingering cunning and unwillingness in her eyes. She knew it was only a ploy to bide time.
Thinking it through, Xie Xingyan's hands didn't slow in the slightest. Her voice was as sharp as her strikes:
"If you truly mean it, then log out. Only then can we live in peace."
The woman's face turned pale, fury and disbelief twisting her features as she glared at Xie Xingyan.
Xie Xingyan, unmoved, kept pressing. To show mercy to a duplicitous opponent would be cruelty to herself.
Forced back step by step, the woman finally went all in. She unleashed her most lethal attack—a psychic lance. But the violent rebound of spiritual power backfired, sending her unconscious.
Her wristband immediately blared:
"Warning: Spiritual power too low. Below safety threshold. Forced logout imminent."
Hearing the alert, Xie Xingyan jabbed her sword experimentally.
As she guessed, even though she wanted to keep her opponent's weapon, it disappeared along with the user.
Without lingering, Xie Xingyan stored the red supply pack into her wrist-space, tightened her grip on her laser sword, and quickly left the battlefield.
The noise of their three-way battle could easily draw Zerg—or worse, other contestants.
Sure enough, five minutes after she left, several Centipede Beasts crawled over the site. One sniffed the air, then shook its head at its companions.
"Too late. That human fled beyond my range."
Meanwhile, on StarNet, the audience was stunned.
They'd just watched her dispatch two opponents, secure the supply pack, and vanish in one smooth sequence.
Was this really a juvenile mecha warrior? Her ruthless, calculated style seemed more like a veteran of a hundred battles.
Clips of her fight spread rapidly, igniting heated discussions.
Good thing she used a virtual avatar—otherwise Xie Xingyan would never know peace again.
"Wow, that woman was brutal."
"Yeah, the other girl even surrendered. Why not spare her?"
"Didn't you see the unwillingness in her eyes? She was clearly plotting something."
"Exactly. Watching battles isn't just about the visuals—you've got to analyze the psychology too."
"I actually like contestants who are this decisive. The rules encourage competition. If you're destined to fight anyway, better to end it cleanly."
"…."
Watching from her own feed, Marshal Nalis's eyes glimmered with satisfaction.
And yet, recalling the personal profile of this female contestant, she couldn't help but feel a twinge of concern.