What Should I Do If My Ex-Girlfriend's Pheromones Smell Too Good? - Chapter 41

Chapter 41: Teaming Up

A few minutes later, Shu Qiong finished cleaning up the scene and carefully left a hidden marker. Before the instructor could come to retrieve the “corpse” of the eliminated participant, she departed under the weight of the other’s resentment—which was practically tangible—and headed up the mountain.

Just moments ago, she had heard the intense boom of gunfire and shelling from above; it seemed a sizeable encounter had broken out.

The assessment took place on a mountain of significant elevation. The ground was covered in loose rocks and sparse grass, dotted with large broadleaf trees, making mecha movement difficult. Shu Qiong lightened her footsteps, navigating through twists and turns for about ten minutes until she found a relatively flat clearing on the mountainside.

In the center of the clearing, hidden beneath low shrubs, sat an inconspicuous supply crate painted in camouflage with a weapon symbol on the side.

Supplies!

Shu Qiong felt a surge of excitement but immediately checked her pace. Wasn’t this a bit too suspicious? Finding it this easily? Even if the crate was half-concealed and very low-profile…

After a moment of thought, Shu Qiong chose to pivot left and hunker down in a different corner. The view from there was slightly off-center but offered excellent concealment; protected by a rock wall, it also allowed her to dive into the brush and flee if things turned sour.

After activating the mecha’s optical camouflage, she settled her mind and waited for another passerby to pick up the crate and scout the path for her.

Time ticked by. Shu Qiong shifted from a crouch to a prone position. Twenty minutes passed, and still, nothing happened. One contestant did pass by during that time, but they completely failed to notice the crate and headed straight for the summit without a second glance.

Shu Qiong told herself to be patient.

The good news was that she wasn’t entirely without gains during this period. Through repeated analysis of her limited field of vision, she found a discrepancy: the canopy of the tallest tree nearby was shaped unnaturally. It leaned in a way that defied the laws of sunlight exposure, and one specific branch was weighed down significantly.

This confirmed her suspicion: the supply crate had been moved. It had likely been placed in the tree by the instructors, and someone had intentionally brought it down to use as bait.

Shu Qiong let out a deep breath, thinking that whoever set the trap was incredibly patient—perhaps they had even fallen asleep?

Finally, amidst her silent grumbling, two new mechas appeared. They were in a temporary team, maintaining a distance that was neither too close nor too far—cooperating yet wary of each other. Shu Qiong couldn’t hear their conversation, but she saw them exchange hand signals. One person stayed back to keep a “sneaky” watch, while the other boldly approached the supply crate.

Just as that person was about to touch the box, a sudden change occurred.

Clang!

A silent bullet streaked out, hitting the mecha of the person reaching for the box. However, the aim was slightly off, failing to hit the energy light.

The person was startled and instinctively dodged, but seemingly unwilling to let go, they didn’t retreat. Instead, they lunged forward and kicked the box toward their temporary teammate. As the crate flew through the air, the teammate froze for a second before a surge of joy took over, and they reached out to grab it. Seeing the distance, they threw caution to the wind and overextended their limbs to snatch the loot and run.

It was a posture that was extremely easy to hit.

Shu Qiong suppressed the urge to draw her gun and watched silently. Her expectations were met. At that moment, a bullet streaked in from a different direction. This shooter was not the same as the first; the shot came from another sniper point some distance away.

The trappers were a duo!

Before Shu Qiong could finish her guess, the first shooter fired again. Within a fraction of a second, two impact sounds rang out as bullets struck the chest of the mecha that couldn’t dodge in time.

Clang—! Bang!

Both bullets hit the target’s energy light. The cadet who had finally reached the supply crate froze as the kill notification rang in their channel. Their teammate, who had initially gone for the box, adjusted their state after the brief panic and found cover nearby—only to realize with shock that the process was unusually smooth. Neither of the two trappers bothered to stop them.

Shu Qiong almost laughed at this complete lack of coordination.

Rustle, rustle.

The wind picked up in the mountains, causing the leaves to sway. Shu Qiong stared at the hiding spot of the lucky survivor and raised her left arm’s gun muzzle. A large-caliber shell might have more power, but it was too loud and didn’t fit her strategy.

In the rhythmic rustling of the wind, a set of footsteps blended in. Almost instantly, the lucky survivor was tackled to the ground before they could even notice. The two mechas began to scuffle on the floor. The aggressive mecha drew a long, thin blade from its back. With a screech, sparks flew and a bone-chilling sound erupted as it stabbed down at the struggling opponent.

The opponent soon stopped resisting. Their chest light went dark, and they lay on the ground in a “star” shape, questioning their life choices. The victor tilted their head, signaled to another direction, then leaned over to pick up the spoils—harvesting the energy block and carrying the supply crate back to the clearing.

Shu Qiong narrowed her eyes. Sensing the victor’s relaxation, she seized the opportunity.

The transition from decision to firing was instantaneous. The opponent had no time to react as Shu Qiong’s shot hit the mecha’s chest. However, that person was incredibly lucky; on a whim, they seemed to want to inspect the supply crate, lifting it up without warning. The next second, the cold shot Shu Qiong fired slammed into the box, leaving a deep dent and sending it clattering to the ground.

Shu Qiong’s brow furrowed. She prepared to flee. This was a failure she hadn’t anticipated—losing because the opponent was too lucky and she was too unlucky?

The mecha holding the box stumbled back two steps, but its teammate warily refrained from attacking immediately. Seeing this, Shu Qiong calmed down and switched her left arm’s muzzle to an air-cannon. There was still a chance.

BOOM—

A violent blast of air knocked the mecha to the ground before it could find cover. Just as Shu Qiong was about to follow up with a finishing shot, a new mecha lunged out from a nearby haystack.

The newcomer carried a cannon on their left arm, firing two suppressive shots as cover, while their right hand drew a familiar, cable-like long whip from the mecha’s thigh.

Shu Qiong’s brow twitched violently. Her muzzle remained aimed at the person on the ground struggling to crawl up; she aimed and fired in one fluid motion. However, the bullet’s trajectory was warped by the heatwave of the cover fire, missing the energy light and only punching a dent into the side of the chest.

“Tsk.” Shu Qiong clicked her tongue in a mix of anger and amusement, letting out a low laugh.

The mecha that had lunged out to provide cover was incredibly fast. Having missed two shots, Shu Qiong had lost the initiative, and the opponent was already upon her. Of course, if Shu Qiong wanted to, she could have aimed a steady, lethal shot at the protector’s chest—that would have certainly caused major trouble—but she recognized the mecha and chose not to.

Yan Xiangyu’s mecha had immense power, closing the distance in three or four heavy strides. For a moment, she felt a flicker of confusion, thinking the opponent’s response was far too soft. But her thoughts quickly returned to the task at hand, conceptualizing several ways to win in one blow.

The two mechas collided with a deafening metallic crash. Shu Qiong felt as if she had been run over by a high-speed locomotive. She only had time for an instinctive response, pressing the dark muzzle of her left arm against the other’s chest in a silent threat.

“…”

Yan Xiangyu finally saw that the person ambushing them was Shu Qiong. The force she was using to pin Xinghai for a throw suddenly vanished, but the momentum was already too great. Both mechas, locked together, rolled across the ground.

Shu Qiong unceremoniously kicked Yan Xiangyu’s mecha and connected to her private channel: “Truce.”

But it wasn’t just Yan Xiangyu in the channel. Shu Qiong heard a familiar, hesitant voice ask: “Shu… Sister?”

“…Lin Mi?”

The three of them fell into silence.

After a long while, they watched as Lin Mi brought out the slightly deformed supply crate and began peacefully distributing the loot. Teaming up as a trio was undoubtedly a violation of the rules, so they didn’t dare stay too close. They kept their distance, forming a fragile equilateral triangle.

“There’s energy, ammunition, and several universal laser barrels of different models,” Lin Mi explained in the channel.

Yan Xiangyu tilted her head toward Shu Qiong: “You pick first.”

Lin Mi also tilted her body toward her, displaying the box to show she wasn’t lying and letting her choose first. Shu Qiong didn’t stand on ceremony, taking several rows of replacement ammo and a third of the energy blocks—estimated to last until evening.

Once the other two finished their distribution, Shu Qiong finally asked: “How did you two end up teaming up?”

She couldn’t have imagined in her wildest dreams that the duo she had just mocked for having “zero chemistry” and “trash coordination” was Yan Xiangyu and Lin Mi.

Yan Xiangyu said ruthlessly: “A choice of necessity.”

Lin Mi let out a “Heh”: “Sister, let’s team up together instead.”

Shu Qiong reminded her gently: “Three people can’t team up.”

Yan Xiangyu was blunt: “Mhm. Perfect. I’ll stay with you; let her go.”

Lin Mi snapped: “Based on what? If anyone’s going, it’s you.”

With a clink, Yan Xiangyu’s mecha tightened the steel whip in its hand, letting out a chilling metallic sound. Lin Mi, not to be outdone, raised the cannon on her shoulder and stood her ground.

Shu Qiong’s gaze shifted between them before she said decisively: “I’m leaving. I’m going to find Chang Xichun. We agreed a long time ago to farm points together.” With that, she disconnected from their private channel, adjusted the positions of her weapons, pushed her thrusters to the max, and fled the scene of conflict.

Lin Mi let out a regretful sigh: “It’s all your fault. Your shot just now was terrible. Sister Shu definitely thinks my skill level is low by association now.”

Yan Xiangyu said coldly: “Mhm. You were very ‘high-level’ when you lunged out for melee combat. Taking that long to finish off an unarmed mecha.”

Lin Mi sneered: “I don’t think we should be a team either. Want to fight?”

Yan Xiangyu’s whip cracked against the ground, leaving a deep furrow. “Bring it.”

Just as the atmosphere reached a breaking point, a humming sound came from overhead. Both looked up to see a drone carrying a large crate flying toward the summit. Simultaneously, a new notification appeared in everyone’s channel:

Water and food will be distributed at the summit shortly. Quantities are limited; please seize the opportunity. If you miss this chance, the next distribution will not be until 7:00 PM.

Without a word, Yan Xiangyu retracted her weapon and sprinted toward the summit along the path Shu Qiong had taken. Lin Mi followed close behind.