Arrangements and Counterarrangements

(I'm stuck on this part; these three chapters are a bit messy and will be revised later.)

(If you have questions or don't understand something, you can talk about it here. Please don't abandon the story!)

(It's been fixed now. If I delete the earlier passages, everyone's comments will disappear too, and I'm reluctant to do that, so I won't delete them.)

The three Dolanston students were quickly eliminated from the building between the gas station and the bank. At that moment, Jia Xiangying, sitting in the broadcast studio atop the News Building, felt her expression turn cold.

Her identity in this city was that of a weather broadcaster. She had already unlocked her skill by killing the madman who had burst in with a gun, and she had made this place Dolanston's command center.

"That should be Xu Lingqu's doing."

The man beside her, a towering figure in a black trench coat, was Hei Yingzhi, Dolanston's S-class single soldier. His identity was the head of a mafia gang in Sin City. "Should I go test her?"

"No, we need to first figure out what her skill is." Jia Xiangying rarely remained this composed. "Judging by the current intelligence, Moye is losing people faster and in greater numbers than we are. Xu Lingqu is the one under pressure."

Hei Yingzhi raised an eyebrow, surprised. "You're not thinking of going straight for the attack? Miss."

"Call me Commander." Jia Xiangying shot him a cold glare. "The mall is where we can spring the trap. We just need to see what Xu Lingqu's skill is. It's best if we can get out untouched and avoid conflict."

—

After issuing the diagnostic certificate, Xu Lingqu's mental state also sank into chaos, as if a storm were raging inside her mind. It lasted about six seconds before she straightened up, and everything returned to normal.

A psychiatrist's diagnosis could be applied to both people and objects, but only to those they had come into contact with.

Furthermore, for people, the consequences of a disorder were not severe—they didn't die directly. For objects, the size limit for diagnosis was an elevator; anything larger couldn't be diagnosed. Otherwise, Xu Lingqu would have simply issued a certificate for the entire building from the start.

In Sin City, different people had different skills with varying strength, but this was, after all, the military academy league. The League Center tried to balance these skills as much as possible and avoid direct skill-based wins, or else the league would really become a laughingstock.

Xu Lingqu straightened up. She also had a limit on issuing certificates—only five per day. If it weren't for the fact that the person on the eighth floor had escaped too quickly by elevator, she would have preferred to just take him out directly.

She had sabotaged the elevator, so she and Shen Shouli had to take the stairs. By the time they returned to the gas station, the invading NPCs had returned to their normal routines.

Lin Xiao's skill had been successfully unlocked—it was also a transfer-type skill, similar to Jin's. Jin transferred banknotes; she transferred gasoline.

"But I have to stay here." Lin Xiao frowned as she looked at the NPCs around her. "I can't move freely. I can only use my skill within this area."

"Then it looks like Jin is stuck sitting in the bank all day too."

Just as Xu Lingqu finished speaking, the system broadcast its first announcement: Moye Military Academy remaining: 67. Dolanston Military Academy remaining: 81.

They were falling behind significantly—not a good outlook.

She tapped the panel on her communication earpiece before pulling it out to compare with the map.

Some people had already moved—their skills were unlocked, allowing free movement. Among those who hadn't moved, some had skill tasks they hadn't finished, and some, even after completion, couldn't leave a certain range. Others had been eliminated outright. Xu Lingqu compared the current situation of Moye students in each area.

"Three people just got taken out in the mall." She circled the mall on the map. "Some had unlocked skills, others hadn't. Dolanston's people made a move there again."

Jin could handle himself over there.

"Let's go to the mall." Xu Lingqu looked up, and saw Shen Shouli silently wiping the mud off himself with the paper Lin Xiao had given him.

"...And we'll get you a new set of clothes while we're at it."

—

[So exciting, so exciting! This map feels way more intense than the previous ones. Director, I want to keep watching from Xu Lingqu's perspective—don't switch around so much!]

[The psychiatrist role fits Commander Xu so well—calm and composed, yet with a subtle hint of a sadistic side...]

[What they said! I'd love to be Xu Lingqu's sub!]

[Don't be so disgusting, okay? Knowing Xu Lingqu, she'd probably pretend to play along with your SM fantasy and then beat you half to death.]

[Looking at her stance in the church, I suddenly think Lingqu could start a Lingqu sect.]

[Miss Jia Xiangying being held at gunpoint while calmly reporting the weather and throwing knives at the same time—that's so cool too!]

[At this rate, isn't Xu Lingqu walking right into Jia Xiangying's trap? So nervous...]

[Is this your first time watching Xu Lingqu compete? Don't worry. It's always Xu Lingqu who sets traps for others, never the other way around.]

[But Moye is trailing Dolanston by quite a bit... Can they stay calm and still pull out a win?]

Today's commentators, Lieutenant Quan and Teacher Chang, were quick-witted, but it was also their first time commentating this type of map. They had no strategic insight, and the camera cuts were frequent and fragmentary.

It wasn't until Xu Lingqu diagnosed the elevator that the two returned to their usual state, and the familiar phrase "Lingqu's a beast" echoed once more in the audience's ears.

Lieutenant Quan, however, slammed on the brakes and shot Teacher Chang a glare. They exchanged silent signals.

"Didn't we agree you'd support Dolanston and I'd support Moye this match?"

Both academies were Imperial academies, and as commentators, they had to remain neutral—otherwise, no matter whether it was the fans or the schools, there would be complaints.

Teacher Chang was stubborn: "I support Lingqu, not the whole of Moye."

The two stared at each other, and their carefully planned "even-handed" approach was abandoned. Let things go as they may.

In the VIP audience seats, Jinfang Taibai watched anxiously as Xu Lingqu headed to the mall with only Shen Shouli.

"Xu Lingqu is just heading there with Shen Shouli alone?" Jinfang Taibai frowned. "But Jia Xiangying has already set everything up there."

This feeling of sitting in the stands, watching Xu Lingqu walk step by step into danger, was certainly novel.

"Back then we also thought she was leading Moye to join us in besieging the three Federation academies, and look what happened." Guan Chuanjun recalled the lesson from the desert map. "She might just change direction at the last minute and make a feint to the east while attacking to the west."

Gu Tingzhi, beside him, shook his head. "The camera showed her heading straight for the mall with Shen Shouli."

Today, Yun Yao and Ye Yu were absent—they had a match against Lianda tomorrow and were currently training hard back at base.

"Then she..." Jinfang Taibai wished he could jump into the map and shout in Xu Lingqu's ear that the mall was a trap. He still hoped Xu Lingqu would win. The suffering he'd endured—Dolanston, Lianda, and Qingjun ought to taste it too, right?

Gu Tingzhi blinked. "She must be moving other Moye students toward the mall as well. But Jia Xiangying's trap isn't really meant to eliminate her directly—it's to figure out what Xu Lingqu's skill is."

"Oh." Jinfang Taibai relaxed a little, then couldn't help but grumble, "Why didn't I get this map? If I'd drawn this one, I could've figured out everyone's skills within thirty minutes!"

Li Muyi patted his hand to calm him down. "Luck is also part of strength."