Testing the Waters, a Way Out of the Impasse

Xu Xiqin, who had gone to scout the left, quickly returned with news.

"They've set an ambush on the easier path. Shaji's S-class soldier Peng Yue is there. I spotted her from a distance, immediately took cover, circled around to make sure I wasn't seen or followed, and then came back."

Xu Xiqin had a real talent for reconnaissance. Her eyes gleamed. "We didn't walk into their trap, so they must be getting anxious now, right?"

Jin, who had scouted to the right, also returned. The news from the right was that there was no ambush, but Shaji personnel were patrolling.

Guan Chuanjun had predicted they would try to slip in from the left rear, so he had only set up an ambush there.

That sort of move was normal. After all, the main force was still engaged in a frontal battle. The area around the command point would naturally have guards. With only about a hundred men to mobilize, being able to pull people away to set up an ambush at the left rear was already a sign of a huge advantage on the front lines.

"They might be anxious, but we're the ones who need to worry more right now." Xu Lingqu pondered for a moment before making a decision. "We're going to walk right into their ambush."

"Huh?" Xu Xiqin was stunned.

"He sent an S-class soldier, Peng Yue, to the ambush point, didn't he? Once she successfully ambushes someone, Guan Chuanjun will definitely call her back to protect the command point. That's our fastest way to find him directly."

Just like Feng Bu refused to let Wang Qihu leave his side, having a reliable guard nearby on the battlefield was a commander's instinct, especially one operating under decapitation-strike conditions.

Guan Chuanjun being able to send Peng Yue off to ambush was already a sign of his guts.

"We're going to disguise this as the most standard flanking and encircling tactics. Split up, create disturbances across multiple points in their rear area." Xu Lingqu took the rough terrain map Tang Muwen had sketched and began dividing up zones for everyone. "Let Guan Chuanjun guess that our goal is to cut through and divide their forces, fighting guerrilla style behind enemy lines rather than going for a decapitation."

Liu Zheng asked, "If he guesses that, will he pull forces back from the front?"

"No. Getting him to guess that is just to make him more certain we're coming for his head, which will make him uneasy." She pointed at Shen Shouli. "You're the most important one. After Jin and you deliberately walk into the ambush zone, you have to break out alone and move quickly toward Liu Zheng and Xiqin's position."

"After Jin is taken down, if Shen Shouli is still alive, and given the psychological groundwork we've laid for Guan Chuanjun, he should call Peng Yue back first to take up a defensive position near him. Once he confirms his own safety, he'll send her out with troops to hunt down Shen Shouli, Liu Zheng, and Xiqin." Xu Lingqu glanced at the others. "As for me, once I figure out where Guan Chuanjun is, I'll personally decapitate him."

In a situation where the enemy was in the dark and they were outnumbered, all they could do was throw a stone to test the waters—and trust absolutely in their own and their teammates' abilities.

The comms channel was hijacked by Feng Bu, so they couldn't adjust their plan mid-operation. This time, Xu Lingqu's orders had to be executed perfectly, down to the smallest detail.

"Trust yourselves. Trust your teammates. There's no mission the few of us can't accomplish."

Her voice was quiet, without grand gestures, yet it injected a calm, unshakable strength into the others at this critical moment.

The decapitation plan—throwing a stone to test the waters—was now officially underway.

Xu Lingqu brought Tang Muwen along with her.

"Don't you think I'll slow you down?" Tang Muwen looked at the young woman's back and asked with pressed lips.

"Do you really need to keep pretending in front of me?" Xu Lingqu glanced back at him, then continued forward. She was bringing Tang Muwen to the position where Xu Xiqin had spotted Peng Yue.

"Mm?" Tang Muwen's heart skipped a beat.

"I don't know what your goal is or what you're trying to fish out of me. I dislike it, but I need you right now. If you insist on keeping up the act, you can leave right now." She had no personal ties with Tang Muwen. In her assessment, his true ability surpassed Lin Xiao's, which was why she'd chosen to bring him along.

"...Dislike it... Is that why you never replied to my messages?" Tang Muwen relaxed a little as he looked at Xu Lingqu.

"I thought someone who layers themselves in so many disguises wouldn't care about that." Xu Lingqu caught sight of Peng Yue's figure. The S-class soldier must have sensed someone approaching her ambush position.

Tang Muwen's gaze flickered, but in the end, he said nothing and hid together with Xu Lingqu.

Guan Chuanjun sat at the command point, listening to the broadcasts. The frontal battlefield was a triumph. They had already broken through Moxie's second line of defense, losing only ten men, while Moxie had confirmed sixty dead.

He was in a good mood. Unfortunately, bad news came next.

Someone had opened fire in their rear area. Two artillerymen in one battery were killed on the spot.

So this was what Shen Shouli and the others were aiming for with their flanking maneuver?

But what use was killing two artillerymen now? It changed nothing on the frontal battlefield. Guan Chuanjun shook his head, even more convinced that their true purpose was to decapitate him.

"Peng Yue, the moment you finish the ambush, fall back immediately and take up a defensive position near me."

He wanted to see how these people were supposed to escape his setup.

Meanwhile, Sky Network's director finally noticed the activity behind Shaji's lines and hurriedly cut the feed over.

Professor Zhuang hesitated. "Moxie really did infiltrate the enemy rear, but why have they split up now? Shouldn't they be fighting guerrilla battles in squads... And I'm seeing two people heading toward Shaji's ambush point."

Senior Colonel Ren was silent for a moment, then spoke with clear admiration: "Guerrilla tactics in the rear are meaningless for Moxie now, given how heavy their front-line losses are... So splitting up isn't about infiltration. They're trying to force Guan Chuanjun's position through these actions."

Throwing a stone to test the waters—finding a way out of a dead end.

On the frontal battlefield, Moxie had taken an absolute beating. Every student who came out of the match capsules wore a grim expression. But once they recovered, each and every one of them walked up to the three instructors and said:

"We didn't take a single step back."

Just as Kai Ang had drilled into them during these past days—no matter what happened, no infighting, hold the line, fight to the last person without surrendering or retreating.

The three of them reached out and embraced the students. At the same time, Xu Lingqu's figure appeared on Sky Network's live broadcast for the first time.

She was silently trailing behind Peng Yue, her cover so flawless that even an S-class soldier remained completely unaware.

Su Li stared at Xu Lingqu's figure, disbelief plain in her eyes.

Why did she still want to win? Even if they won, it wouldn't be under Feng Bu's command, and they had the right on their side. But if Feng Hui was shameless enough, he could still use this to drag out the fight for the Chief Commander position for a long time.

The eliminated Moxie students around Su Li all brightened—especially the new cadets from the trial period.

Their sacrifice and stubborn resistance in the simulation hadn't been meaningless. That mattered more than anything.