Rebirth: The Universe's Hidden Heiress-Chapter 105: Academy Tournament (2)

As the time for hot weapons passed, those skilled in melee weapons began to make their moves quietly.

Lory thrust his sword through the cockpit of the mecha in front of him, watching as the system removed his opponent from the map. He then turned to Shiro and said, "I’m two eliminations away from advancing. What about you?"

Shiro replied, "I need one more."

Donny pulled her long sword out of a mecha’s cockpit and turned to continue his hunt for the next target.

Ayoi stepped out from behind a container and patted Alex on the shoulder, "It’s up to you now, we’re all one elimination away from advancing."

Alex nodded and then said, "I wonder where Yuka is now."

Shawn and Philip’s allied team had lost a few members, but their mechas were undamaged, and they were only twenty points away from advancing.

The chase-and-hide battle finally began in earnest. frёewebηovel.cѳm

"So now we see player number 24 piercing through the cockpit of player number 65, earning ten points. Player number 24 moves away, heading towards another group of people gathered. It looks like the students over there have temporarily formed a team, and they are now attacking player number 85, but unfortunately, player number 85 couldn’t hold on."

After finishing his commentary, Yonda took a sip of water from his cup, glancing at Yuka who was still peacefully sitting in the cockpit.

Yonda sighed, thinking she might actually win this game by staying put. He then chose not to focus on her anymore.

Yonda didn’t notice that Kenji, usually cold and ruthless, had been staring at Yuka’s screen all along, his eyes soft and his lips slightly curved in a gentle smile.

Half an hour passed, and the number of people on the ship had reduced to less than four hundred.

Just then, the storm finally arrived.

The system broadcasted a warning throughout the ship, "Warning! Warning! A storm is imminent. All crew members, please proceed to the first level warehouse for safety!"

The players on the deck exchanged glances and hurriedly made their way to the warehouse.

This was a pre-setup event in the competition, designed to gather the remaining players for combat and quickly determine who would advance to the second round.

However, Yuka stayed in the cockpit, believing it to be safe. Despite a window being shattered by previous gunfire, she felt confident that the test wouldn’t set up a scenario where everyone would be eliminated, so she wasn’t worried.

But someone else shared her thoughts. A boy, eyeing the third-level cockpit, took a different path amid the storm and wind, running towards the third level while others rushed to the first level warehouse.

The viewers were excited:

[The chosen one is finally forced to fight.]

[Let the battle begin!]

[I’ve disliked him for a long time, just listening to music while others fight. I support the brave one charging at him. He must defeat that lucky guy!]

In the cockpit, Yuka heard footsteps approaching from behind, but she had already barricaded the door with containers.

Unless the attacker used a heavy cannon, the door wouldn’t budge.

The boy reached the cockpit door and, finding it locked, realized it must be barricaded.

He thought for a moment and then, with his cannon’s cooldown over, stepped back and fired at the door.

Boom—

The door shattered into pieces, and Yuka hid behind her chair, peeking out to see the mecha charging at her, long sword raised for a merciless strike. But Yuka wasn’t ready to be eliminated just for a passing grade. She quickly dodged to the side.

The boy, not expecting her to dodge so swiftly, couldn’t stop his full-force strike. The storm had begun, and the ship rocked violently in the sea, causing him to misjudge his attack. His sword sliced into the cockpit’s control panel, getting stuck there.

The control panel instantly cracked and fizzled, emitting black smoke. As the boy struggled to pull his sword free, turning red with effort, Yuka had already stood up and thrust her sword into his cockpit, eliminating him from the game.

’Seventy points should be fine,’ Yuka reassured herself.

Yuka resettled into her seat amidst the violent rocking of the Cargo Ship, which seemed on the verge of overturning.

She stared at the ruined control panel with concern. ’Should be fine, right? The ship is still moving forward, isn’t it?’

As Yuka was pondering this, the ship’s system announced to her, "Control system attacked, automatic operation shut down. Manual control initiated, please plan the course."

Yuka: ... ’Oh no.’

Meanwhile, those on the deck who wanted to go down to the first level to avoid the storm also ran into trouble.

In the first level warehouse, Shawn and Philip, leading their team, blocked the stairs connecting the warehouse to the deck. They attacked anyone coming, quickly advancing and leaving the map.

Alex and Ayoi hid behind a container, waiting to ambush when everyone cam down.

Lory came down from the deck, cut down the person blocking his way, and broke through the barrier, leading a swarm of people into the first-level warehouse.

The ship’s constant rocking stirred unease among those in the warehouse, their feet now in water.

No one attempted to seal the ship’s breached hull or initiate an attack, maintaining a tense but stable situation.

"We have less than two hundred players remaining," Yonda commented on the warehouse situation, then glanced at the time, "And we’re just halfway through the match."

The screen was flooded with rapidly scrolling comments. Yonda leaned in to read:

[The ship’s sinking, guys.]

[I was wrong; the Tournament isn’t boring at all. It’s thrilling.]

[Go Confucius Academy!]

[It seems the chosen one can’t really pilot. I’m watching him steer everyone towards doom.]

[His frantic efforts are palpable, but it feels intentional.]

Yonda: ? What’s happening?

The system automatically focused on Yuka’s screen. Yonda watched as she frantically worked the manual controls, causing the ship to speed through the storm towards a reef-infested sea area.

For a moment, Yonda regrated being the commentator for the game.