Bai Zhijin was also calculating his own, then said with a joyous tone, "I have forty-three."

"What!" Liao Mingliang exclaimed. "How do you have just one more than me? This is outrageous! Old Bai, you sly man, you've been plotting all along to surpass us and show off the strength of a student from a humble background. Now look, you've finally gotten your wish."

Everyone was well aware of this. Since they were close, Liao Mingliang didn't mind and often teased Bai Zhijin about it.

Strictly speaking, this was Bai Zhijin's ambition, which was a good thing.

Bai Zhijin still felt somewhat guilty and snorted. "Waste! You still have a magical item, yet you're not my match. You've completely disgraced the Liao family of Green Python Star."

Everyone laughed together. With so many achievements, placing in the top three was no problem, and everyone was in high spirits.

While the young men were teasing each other, a squad of warriors hurried past them. The commander, a colonel, shouted sternly, "Your mission is complete! Why haven't you withdrawn yet?"

The reconnaissance team's captain quickly scrambled to his feet and saluted. "Yes, sir! We are withdrawing now."

But while the team captain showed the colonel deference, Liao Mingliang and Fan Yutong were not so compliant. "We worked hard to clear the path for you and scout the enemy's situation! And this is how you treat your meritorious soldiers?"

The colonel glanced at them and sneered. "I know you come from extraordinary backgrounds. If you want to use your family heritage to pressure me, fine. It's not like we can choose where we're born."

"But if you're trying to pressure me with your merits, then I'm sorry. You really haven't accomplished anything worth boasting about."

The team captain couldn't help but say, "How is that possible? We advanced dozens of miles and killed several hundred Subterraneans."

The colonel asked indifferently, "What is the mission of your reconnaissance team?"

"To determine the true strength of the Subterraneans and their defensive arrangements."

The colonel countered, "So, did you accomplish that?"

The team captain was at a loss for words—they really hadn't done much. Bai Zhijin couldn't help but add, "But we have hundreds of kills!"

The colonel sneered. "A few hundred kills, and you're still bragging? Let me tell you, some teams have actually completed their missions. They not only determined the Subterraneans' strength but also killed thousands of them, including more than ninety percent of their Shamans—the three highest-ranking Blood Moon Shamans among them."

"It's because of them that we've gained an extremely favorable strategic opportunity, leading to a full mobilization! All of you, head back quickly and stop getting in the way."

Bai Zhijin and the other two nearly jumped. "How is that possible? What did they use to blow them up? Are those Subterraneans fools, just clustering together to be bombed? And over two hundred Shamans?"

Bai Zhijin couldn't help but say, "Even an elite team like Wang Chengqian's couldn't do that!"

The team captain suddenly realized something, his expression changing as he asked, "Is it... 'Volunteer Spirit'?"

Before the mission, Han Zhuangzhi and his squadmates discovered 'Volunteer Spirit' was actually on their team, making the other teams green with envy.

If anyone could achieve such a feat, it would definitely be 'Volunteer Spirit'.

This time, even the colonel showed solemn respect. "It was him. Besides him, who else could be so valiant!"

The team captain stopped arguing and hung his head in shame. "We... still have a long way to go."

But he was still somewhat reluctant to accept it and asked, "Sir, how many kills did their side get?"

"Most of the kills belong to 'Volunteer Spirit'. However, I heard he took good care of everyone, sharing plenty of the credit. Each warrior's kill count is nearly a hundred."

The squad leader and his warriors gasped. They had fought tooth and nail for only about fifty kills each, barely half of what the others achieved.

Envy nearly distorted their faces. "What did Han Zhuangzhi do to deserve that? It's all because 'Volunteer Spirit' carried him!"

The team members also complained one after another, "Exactly! If I were with His Excellency, I could have gotten two hundred kills!"

Bai Zhijin and his two companions were even more upset. Nearly a hundred kills? The most any of us three got was only forty-three!

With a final sliver of hope, Bai Zhijin asked, "Then... what about the other freshmen, aside from Chen Gu?"

The colonel glared at him. "Is His Excellency's name something you can utter so casually?"

Bai Zhijin conceded, "My mistake. It's His Excellency, 'Volunteer Spirit'."

Only then was the colonel satisfied. "I heard those two freshmen performed poorly, probably fewer kills than the warriors."

All three sighed in relief. Good, good, there's still hope. Surpassing Chen Gu is definitely impossible, but overtaking Qiao Shuangyi and Lin Xiaochen, those two slackers, should still be possible.

However, the top three... now it's just second and third, with first place out of reach. It still stings.

Bai Zhijin quickly composed himself. No matter. This is the battlefield; Chen Gu naturally excels here. Next time, in another competition, I'll surpass him sooner or later and prove that even a student from a humble background can be a prodigy!

"Let's go." The squad leader was indignant, muttering, "Han Zhuangzhi, that shameless guy!"

But if there's a "shameful" opportunity like Han Zhuangzhi's, please, by all means, save it for me!

The group moved against the flow of the main army, withdrawing from the subterranean caverns. Military vehicles outside picked them up and took them back to the command center.

Chen Gu's group had already returned, and the other teams were back as well. Bai Zhijin's team was the last to arrive.

Director Xue nodded at them. "Alright, let the military handle the rest. We'll head back to school."

Bai Zhijin, Liao Mingliang, and Fan Yutong were crestfallen, eager to find out their rankings as soon as possible. The injured Fan Yutong had given up hope, but Liao Mingliang and Bai Zhijin were still aiming for second or third place.

Unfortunately, Director Xue didn't announce the results. He led everyone to board the vehicles prepared by the military, heading for the nearest city.

On the way, Liao Mingliang looked around and found a classmate he knew relatively well. "Hey, how many kills did you get?"

The freshman he asked was named Hu Yucheng, one of Wang Chengqian's group.

Hu Yucheng looked gloomy. He glanced at the teacher sitting in front and replied in a low voice, "Wang Chengqian was too overbearing; he did most of the work. I only managed to get twenty-one kills."

Liao Mingliang and Bai Zhijin exchanged a glance, a flicker of malicious delight in their eyes. It seems the freshmen from other groups didn't do too well. Our chances for the top three have increased significantly!

Bai Zhijin didn't know many people, so Liao Mingliang had to do the probing. He quietly asked around, one by one, "Hey, how many kills did you get?"

"So-so, twenty-four."

After asking three people in a row, all with kills in the low twenties, their hopes soared!

Liao Mingliang clapped a hand onto a particularly fleshy shoulder. "Hey, how many kills did you get?"

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