She Must Have a Reason!

After the brief encounter with Tang Muwen, Xu Lingqu stuck to her original plan and headed for the starship simulation room to continue training. On the way, she ran into Jinfang Taibai, who immediately tensed up as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Aren't you just getting over an injury? And you're already training? Are you trying to make the rest of us look bad?" Jinfang Taibai had actually felt a flicker of concern for her when he saw the notice about her injury, but he never expected to run into her here.

"No," Xu Lingqu said, walking on.

Jinfang Taibai pouted and turned to watch her go. "You're not watching today's second group matches, but will you come watch our third group tomorrow?"

Come to think of it, Jin and Xu Xiqin had also stressed that she should come watch the third match tomorrow.

They said that if Qingjun turned out to be a bunch of useless trash, that would be perfect—Moye could just go up and claim the championship directly.

"You're nervous, aren't you?" Xu Lingqu stopped and turned back to look at Jinfang Taibai.

He immediately jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. "I'm not! I'm not nervous at all!"

Just then, Yun Yao from Cimei Academy happened to exit the training room and witnessed the whole jumping display. As she passed Xu Lingqu, she patted her shoulder and nodded. "He's definitely nervous and angry," she said before walking off.

That was acknowledgment from an old rival.

Jinfang Taibai felt utterly humiliated and wanted to squat down on the spot and dig a hole to hide in.

"If Gu Tingzhi proposes a cooperation with you tomorrow, it'd be best to agree," Xu Lingqu said, remembering something.

Jinfang Taibai immediately perked up as if trying to raise his ears. Could Xu Lingqu be about to give him some pre-match tutoring?

"First, give me back the power to block you on my brain. Then I'll tell you," she said. He still owed her for forcibly escaping her blacklist last time.

Jinfang Taibai stiffened. "Come on, are you really that petty?"

But he couldn't resist the temptation of Xu Lingqu's advice, so he pulled out a series of devices he carried with him, converted his brain into a computer-like setup, and typed furiously. After a minute, Xu Lingqu saw that Jinfang Taibai was back on her blacklist.

She was satisfied.

Jinfang Taibai gave her a conflicted look. "Now can you tell me?"

"Because Gu Tingzhi is a little smarter than you," Xu Lingqu answered simply.

"Huh?" Jinfang Taibai's eyes widened. He'd gone through all that trouble for just one sentence?

Xu Lingqu was speaking entirely from practical considerations. In the third group, the two Federation academies were destined to be cannon fodder, and there were gaps even among the four strong schools—Longyuan, Dolanston, Qingjun, and Du'e. At the very least, Du'e was clearly a notch below the other three.

"Your school is the most likely to be attacked first in this group," Xu Lingqu added.

Longyuan, Dolanston, and Qingjun would naturally be wary of one another, so they wouldn't rashly move against each other without sufficient confidence. If there were any mechanism favoring those who attacked first, they'd definitely take Du'e as the first target.

As for the two weak Federation schools, if they were smart, they'd hide from the start; even smarter, they'd follow Situke's example and offer to work for Qingjun.

If Du'e could find a partner first, forming a strategic alliance like Cimei and Moye had, they wouldn't be in too much trouble. Jinfang Taibai usually had the most contact with Gu Tingzhi, and they knew each other well, so Longyuan was Du'e's most suitable cooperation partner.

Xu Lingqu thought she'd explained things clearly enough and turned to enter the training room.

Jinfang Taibai stood there, rubbing his chin.

Cooperate with Longyuan? No way! But Gu Tingzhi had actually mentioned this to him too, after yesterday's matches...

But at the time, his tone made Jinfang Taibai think he was joking, not serious...

And besides, last year Gu Tingzhi led Longyuan to eliminate Du'e in the semifinals! There was bad blood between them!

As he was still thinking, Li Muyi came looking for him, having calculated that Jinfang Taibai's starship training was about over and afraid he might wander off and cause trouble again.

"What are you thinking about?" Li Muyi clapped him on the shoulder, startling Jinfang Taibai out of his thoughts.

"Just now..." Jinfang Taibai hesitated before saying, "Xu Lingqu suggested we cooperate with Gu Tingzhi."

Li Muyi was shocked and looked around. "Where's Xu Lingqu? Is her injury better? I've been reviewing her encirclement tactics, and there's a detail I still don't quite understand. I want to ask her..."

Jinfang Taibai was exasperated. "She's already gone inside to train!"

Since watching Xu Lingqu's encirclement match, Li Muyi had nearly turned her into a deity to worship in his dorm room. Every day he'd pester Jinfang Taibai, saying he wished he could be as skilled as her.

"I see." Li Muyi looked disappointed, but then remembered what Jinfang Taibai had said. "She even gave you a little advice. She's really too nice!"

I paid the price of being a top hacker yet having to obediently stay on her blacklist! Jinfang Taibai fumed inwardly, but didn't dare say it out loud. Last time Li Muyi found out he'd been harassing Xu Lingqu, Jinfang Taibai had been forced to write a several-thousand-word self-criticism.

"But about the cooperation, Gu Tingzhi already came over to talk to me about it," Li Muyi said, pulling Jinfang Taibai back. "I think it's worth considering."

Gu Tingzhi had been straightforward with Li Muyi. Qingjun had six S-level mech soldiers and one S-level commander. In terms of individual strength, Longyuan, with only three S-level soldiers, couldn't go head-to-head with Qingjun. Not to mention Du'e, which had no S-level soldiers at all and relied entirely on Jinfang Taibai's technical advantage.

To compete for first or second place, they'd have to deal with Qingjun, which meant they had to unite.

Cimei and Moye's ability to turn the tables from an initial disadvantage and defeat the alliance of three Federation academies was inseparable from Xu Lingqu's textbook command performance, and even more so from their seamless cooperation.

Gu Tingzhi's attitude was sincere, but Li Muyi also knew that agreeing would basically mean Du'e resigning to fate, acting as Longyuan's pawn and following Gu Tingzhi's orders. He knew Gu Tingzhi well—even if they managed to secure first or second place in the end, he wouldn't give them the kind of humanistic treatment Xu Lingqu had given Cimei, letting them fight for first place on their own.

Still, it wasn't like Gu Tingzhi was wrong. Who could blame him when Du'e itself wasn't strong enough? In the end, Li Muyi had expressed willingness to cooperate, but he'd kept it from Jinfang Taibai, knowing how much he disliked Gu Tingzhi. He was afraid Jinfang Taibai would firmly oppose it.

He never expected the news to reach Jinfang Taibai through such an unexpected route.

Li Muyi looked at Jinfang Taibai nervously, half expecting him to throw a tantrum, but he just nodded. "That's fine."

After all, if Xu Lingqu said so, she must have a reason.