Negotiation Notice

"Fish on the hook?" Interstellar humans sure had a way with words.

Xu Lingqu replied on her smart device: "Received."

She looked up at the others and began explaining why she'd had them hiding since the moment they entered the assessment site.

Time rewound to the journey to the final assessment grounds. Instructor Kai Ang had deliberately given them some time—since this was a faction battle, they'd need a bit of strategic planning, wouldn't they?

Guan Zhongli, pushed into the role of Chief Commander of the ordinary students' faction, felt a warmth spreading in his chest.

Not long ago, he'd been worried about what would happen if Xu Lingqu and her crew stuck together during the final assessment. But now, the instructor had given them the cohesion they'd been lacking.

1v55—what did that even mean? Catching fifty-five chickens barehanded would take half a day. If you couldn't win in a one-on-one, wouldn't a human wave tactic just grind them down?

Hope was slowly kindling in his heart. What if they actually won?

Which command student hadn't secretly fantasized about leading a battle to victory themselves?

Just as he was lost in thought, Wang Qihu appeared.

He looked a bit awkward. "Xu Lingqu wants to see you."

Guan Zhongli's heart gave a jolt, but his mouth outran his brain: "She wants me to go, so I go?"

Even as he said it, his sluggish brain was already commanding his limbs to obediently follow Wang Qihu.

I'm only going because I want to see what tricks she's playing, Guan Zhongli silently rationalized, glancing back at Sun Liao, who was passionately denouncing Xu Lingqu's evil deeds. He felt an urge to roll his eyes.

Wang Qihu led him to a secluded spot—a cluster of trees where Xu Lingqu stood waiting, perfectly composed. Her short hair had grown out a bit, now brushing her shoulders. She made no extra move, just cast a glance at him, and Guan Zhongli felt a tremor in his chest.

This Xu Lingqu was very different from the one who'd taught him and Wang Qihu the mantou-shooting technique that day.

That's what he thought, but he couldn't let it show on his face. Guan Zhongli spoke first: "What do you want with me?"

He forced himself to stay calm, keeping his expression as breezy as possible. Xu Lingqu took in his feigned nonchalance at a glance.

She didn't waste words, going straight to the point: "Did Lin Xiao do a benefit analysis with you all for this final assessment?"

Guan Zhongli blinked. "What?"

"If not, I'll put it plainly. Your obsession with fighting us won't bring you much gain. The five of us each carry twenty points—sounds like a lot at first, but the total sum is only a hundred, while your total headcount is two hundred and seventy-five. Our points don't even equal half your number." Xu Lingqu used the same patience she'd shown in the underground labyrinth to lay the logic out for Guan Zhongli. "What's more, our points are concentrated. Even if you did take down all five of us, only five people in your faction would actually get the spoils."

Guan Zhongli fell silent. These words were like a bucket of cold water dousing the flame that had been rising in his chest.

Xu Lingqu was right. The faction confrontation had masked this brutal limitation to some extent—they were only five people. Even if they captured all of them, only five individuals would ultimately score those twenty points.

"But we still have faction points," Guan Zhongli couldn't help but push back. As the Chief Commander, it would be too humiliating to be convinced by just two sentences.

"Faction points are what widen the gap between your own people. What does everyone gaining ten points mean? If all of you survive and everyone gains ten, isn't it the same as gaining nothing?" The top five and the rest were too far apart; these points wouldn't pull any of them down. Moreover, who actually got those faction points was, in some ways, more important than nabbing the bounty on Xu Lingqu's group. Because it covered more people, it caused bigger swings in the overall rankings. If one person got ten points and another didn't, that created a direct twenty-point differential.

Kai Ang's calculations this time had been meant to intensify the faction conflict. Several of the side conditions he'd set were designed to serve that purpose.

Unfortunately, the core rules of the final assessment hadn't changed. Even with factions and bounties layered on top, the fundamental nature remained—it was every man for himself, and survival mattered.

Guan Zhongli's throat felt dry. Xu Lingqu had spelled it out clearly enough. Pretending to be dense at this point would just make him look stupid.

The psychological letdown after facing the truth was crushing, but what could he do about it? He let out a helpless sigh. "So... what do you want from us? What do we have to do?"

"Cull your own ranks. Use a portion of them as point compensation." Xu Lingqu handed over a list. The names on it belonged to Sun Liao—the one who loved to slander Xu Lingqu—and his little clique, about twenty or thirty people. "You can expand the numbers as you see fit and build a team that truly belongs to you. Strike at them first."

"You..." Guan Zhongli had always thought Xu Lingqu simply couldn't be bothered with Sun Liao and his lot. He never imagined she'd show no mercy once she actually moved—and that she'd use someone else's blade to do it.

I've become her knife. Guan Zhongli took the list with trembling hands.

When today's final assessment rules were announced, plenty of ordinary students were fired up. After all, everyone here had made it through the trial period at one of the six major military academies, including Moye. They had pride, they had hot-blooded dreams. More than a few shared Guan Zhongli's fantasy. But not many actually harbored hostility toward Xu Lingqu.

Between the river rescue and the underground labyrinth command, anyone with a conscience would remember what an outstanding commander Xu Lingqu was. Sun Liao and his attention-seeking clique were just a small part of the crowd; the rest were a silent majority.

Guan Zhongli steadied himself. "But they're worth at most around forty points total. And if I suddenly turn on them, it'll only split us apart. It's nothing but benefit for you—and you could even take advantage of the chaos to wipe us all out." He couldn't just be led around by the nose! He had to think about his own interests.

Xu Lingqu nodded. "Exactly why we five won't touch you. That's the deal. When necessary, we can help you lure them into a trap."

"You won't fight?" Guan Zhongli found it almost absurd. "Then what are you going to do in the final assessment? You don't want any points at all?"

Still, the condition of them not fighting was very tempting. In Guan Zhongli's eyes, each of those five could take down twenty people with ease.

Having them stand down meant fewer ordinary students dying at their hands—leaving more people to fight each other, expanding the point pool.

"Did you forget the question Jin asked in front of everyone just now?" A hint of a smile crossed Xu Lingqu's face.

To Guan Zhongli, that smile sent a chill down his spine.

"Our target is those twenty clearing instructors."