Chapter 87: It Can't Be You?

Chapter 87: It Can't Be You?

Huang Xing was followed by Guo Qihang. As soon as they entered the room, their expressions were serious, as if something major had happened.

Upon entering, the two saw Jiang Tian busy in front of his specially made stove, with a tempting aroma wafting toward them.

Gurgle!

Just from the fragrance alone, the two of them couldn't help but swallow their saliva as they moved closer to the stove.

"Stay back and don't get in the way." Jiang Tian waved them off and continued his work. "If you have something to say, just say it. What happened that made you two make such a fuss?"

"And why did you come back? If I remember correctly, your first operation was supposed to last three days, right?"

Jiang Tian asked while gently stirring the soup with a spatula.

"There are still three days left, but something was off yesterday. Today, the captain decided to bring everyone back," Huang Xing said. "There's no sign of the alien races. We didn't see the Fire Frog or Fire Fish tribes at all."

"Normally, there should be plenty of Fire Frogs and Fire Fish in the Fire Soup Small World. We even advanced deep into the frontlines, reaching the battlefield's border at the edge of the examination area."

"But in the end, we found no trace of the Fire Frogs or Fire Fish. It was as if they had all vanished."

"I heard from other teams that they saw glimpses of the Fire Frog and Fire Fish tribes, but the moment they spotted them, the aliens immediately ran away."

"And while running, they kept screaming and making strange noises, as if we were the terrifying ones."

As Huang Xing spoke, he couldn't help but sigh. "So far, I only have one military merit point, and that's just the basic reward for completing a mission."

Guo Qihang added, "This situation is definitely going to affect the students' grades. Without a source of military merit points, how are we supposed to take the exam?"

"Also, when we returned, we heard that the Fire Feather Clan seemed to have dispatched a large army toward the border."

When Guo Qihang mentioned this, his expression became mysterious. "You know, before the exam, the test team cleared the Fire Soup World in advance."

"The main force of the stationed regular army had already fought the Fire Feather Clan's army head-on, gaining the upper hand and forcibly pushing the enemy back."

"The Fire Frogs and Fire Fish that remain within the examination area are just abandoned pawns and cannon fodder left behind by the Fire Feathers for reconnaissance."

"The aliens still in the area were meant to gather intelligence and attempt to earn merit by using the water and terrain to their advantage."

"We kept these aliens around and assigned the cleanup task to students as part of the martial arts college entrance examination."

"This could be considered mutual exploitation."

"But who could have predicted such a drastic change? The Fire Feather Tribe's army is approaching again, and the Fire Frog and Fire Fish tribes within the examination area have actually fled."

After Guo Qihang finished, Huang Xing clapped his hands and said, "Exactly! The veterans in our team were saying the same thing during training."

"These Fire Frogs and Fire Fish wouldn't dare to retreat on their own. If they return without permission from the Fire Feathers, they'll be severely punished."

"But something must have happened. These Fire Frogs and Fire Fish seem to be so terrified that they'd rather escape and risk punishment than stay."

Jiang Tian was intrigued by what they said. "That's really strange. Are the Fire Frog and Fire Fish tribes actually so afraid of death?"

"If this continues, what's going to happen to the exam?" Xue Ruyan asked with a serious expression after hearing the two of them.

Across the examination area, the regular army had been deployed with veteran soldiers leading them, yet they were unable to locate the Fire Frog and Fire Fish tribes.

At the same time, the Fire Feather Clan—the race that truly dominated the Fire Soup Small World—had actually sent a large army.

This was no joke.

The Fire Frog and Fire Fish tribes were lower-tier races within the Fire Feather Clan's hierarchy. They had high reproductive rates, but their combat strength was low, and their potential was limited.

It was rare for a Fire Frog or Fire Fish to reach Level 2.

As for Level 3 Fire Frog and Fire Fish warriors, those were the patriarchs of their entire species, and they would never reside near the human base.

The leaders with Level 3 strength all lived within the Fire Feather Clan's territory.

But the Fire Feather Clan was different.

The adults of this alien race started at the 1st level of awakening, and their soldiers had an average strength of Level 2.

In a small world behind a Level 2 space-time gate, an alien army with Level 2 soldiers was already considered formidable.

Their army generals were around Level 3 in strength, and the Fire Feather Clan commanders were at Level 4.

This was just the general power structure of their military. After all, this was only a small world under the Red Realm, so reaching this level was already impressive.

Taken alone, the Fire Soup Small World might not seem too daunting.

But the human race wasn't just facing this one space-time gate—it was up against many small worlds.

The Fire Soup Small World was merely one of the many battlefronts the human race had to deal with.

Although humanity had some allied races, their numbers were too few, and humans were effectively surrounded by enemies.

Was this martial arts college entrance examination about to turn into an actual war?

"I really don't understand what's scaring the Fire Frogs and Fire Fish so badly," Huang Xing muttered to Guo Qihang. "What are they running from?"

Guo Qihang stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I don't know. The Fire Frog and Fire Fish tribes are intelligent but not particularly bright. Normally, those who remain in the examination zone would only try to fight us humans."

Huang Xing spread his hands. "Unless their natural predator suddenly appeared in the Fire Soup Small World and terrified them?"

Guo Qihang shook his head. "Nonsense. The Fire Soup Small World is located along the Starry Sky Road. According to what we know, it's a pathway suspended in the void of time and space. How could a new predator suddenly appear?"

"...Speaking of which, this old ginger soup smells really good," Huang Xing suddenly remarked, swallowing his saliva as he stared at the pot.

Guo Qihang nodded in agreement. "Is this a new dish using Fire Frog Tribe meat? But something smells different. It doesn't seem like just frog meat."

"It's a combination. Today, I'm trying frog meat from the Fire Frog Tribe and fish fillets from the Fire Fish Clan together," Jiang Tian explained as he stirred the pot. "It'll be ready soon. Let's eat together."

"I'll think about the exam after I'm full."

Huang Xing and Guo Qihang nodded happily but continued staring at the pot—until they gradually realized something was off.

Their smiles froze.

They exchanged glances.

Then, at the exact same time—

Huang Xing and Guo Qihang pointed at each other, their eyes widening in sudden realization.

"Oh!!!"

They finally understood who the "natural predator" they had been discussing earlier might be.

They finally understood why the Fire Frog and Fire Fish tribes were so afraid, so terrified, and so desperate to escape.

Even if the Fire Frog and Fire Fish weren't the smartest creatures, they could still sense the sheer terror of being treated as food, right?

Good job!

Single-handedly changing the battlefield dynamics and disrupting the martial arts college entrance examination?

You truly live up to your reputation, Lao Jiang!