48: Survival game begins

Lin Ye didn't know what the other professional teams were thinking, but his team unanimously felt that holding out seemed like a good idea.

The team was proficient in turret-style combat and positional warfare, so everyone from top to bottom decided to first find a scenic spot, build their own protective measures, and then hide inside, preferably in a well-concealed cave or similar location.

If other teams wanted to ambush them, they would have to weigh whether their strength was sufficient. They were just a bit afraid of attracting beast hordes or being poisoned.

The establishment of defensive measures was not a problem with Captain Chen Ou; Lin Ye had seen the Earth Power control ability of the Colossus.

Every Colossus had delved deeply into civil engineering to master their Earth Power ability.

It is said that most Colossus users in the country come from civil engineering families, deeply understanding the art of civil engineering, and every civil engineer's dream profession is to become a Colossus.

Lin Ye thought about it carefully; it seemed very reasonable. With the height and strength of a Colossus, let alone moving bricks, transporting machinery would be effortless. Their defense was strong, so accidents were not an issue, and their physical endurance was terrifying; they were perfect for hard labor.

Hmm, very reasonable. The person who created the Colossus must have been a seasoned civil engineer.

.......

All the teams took a train to the Star Gate designated by the competition, which was a newly formed Star Gate borrowed by the competition organizers.

Star Gates are passages connecting the Star Realm and the universe. Their birth is random, but they can be moved, though only by experts proficient in runes.

This Star Gate was very remote, located in a mountain range.

There was no audience, no cheers—truly a strange professional competition.

Everyone entered after the competition began.

Only 31 teams entered this time; the Shengshi Second Team had not yet been fully formed, so they naturally didn't participate.

Upon entering the Star Realm again, Lin Ye found that this time was very different.

Last time, there was at least a base, a grand hall, and many people shouting and trading.

This time, it was completely a wilderness. After entering, under the operation of a terrifying expert, all the teams were teleported to different areas.

Ugh~

Teleportation was not as stable as the Star Gate. The intense sensation of spatial disorientation made everyone dizzy.

Wang Mengmeng, the weakest medic, vomited directly, and the two mages also looked unwell.

Lin Ye was the most at ease, as he also possessed Space Control skills.

After adapting, everyone found themselves in a dense forest where trees hundreds of meters tall prevented even a single ray of sunlight from penetrating, making the forest extremely dim.

Even though everyone was an ability user and their strength was decent, their visible range was not far.

"Everyone, be alert. On the tree at my three o'clock direction, a hundred meters away, there's a five-tier beast similar to a leopard," Lin Ye had already started scouting and warned everyone to be vigilant.

Everyone became alert.

Bai Zhiqing, the vice-captain, instructed, "Wenlong, Mengmeng, don't attack yet, so as not to emit light and become a target."

Chen Ou instructed, "Lin Ye, you go climb to the treetop first to check the surroundings. We'll be fine here."

Lin Ye nodded. It was merely a five-tier beast; his warning was just to prevent teammates from being ambushed.

Lin Ye was now more agile than a monkey. He quickly climbed to the top of the large tree beside him.

A boundless sea of trees, stretching to the southeast.

But to the north, there seemed to be snow-capped mountains, and to the west, more forest.

Lin Ye consulted the extremely simplified map provided by the competition organizers and figured they must have arrived at the Forest Sea.

This Forest Sea covered the largest area, followed by a lake, grasslands, and a snowy region—these were the main competition areas.

There should be quite a few teams in the Forest Sea.

After figuring it out, he climbed down and explained the situation to his teammates.

After discussion, his teammates decided to hide in the Forest Sea.

The concealment here was excellent, and because the Forest Sea was very dangerous, no team would be exploring around to eliminate other teams.

Even if they managed to find someone, they would probably be attacked and eliminated by various exotic beasts themselves.

The most intense competition should be in the open areas.

The biggest problem in the Forest Sea was survival. It was teeming with exotic beasts, and exotic beasts' perception was much stronger than humans'.

They decided to find a large tree to hide in.

The leopard-like exotic beast made no move, still observing the group, deciding that the prey was too strong and it wasn't worth it.

Lin Ye and his team didn't want to stir up trouble, so they naturally had no intention of provoking it.

After choosing a direction, everyone began searching for a suitable shelter.

Soon, they selected a gigantic tree with a large tree hollow, where a flock of forest owls was hiding.

Without ceremony, after Lin Ye had thoroughly scouted it out, the group exterminated the forest owls.

After clearing the battlefield, obtaining a few ability seeds, and dealing with the traces left by the team, the captain modified the tree hollow to prevent being trapped like a turtle in a jar. Finally, everyone settled down.

"This tree hollow is quite safe. I wonder how long we can stay here." The happiest was the adorable little medic, as little medics were most prone to being attacked.

"If we're lucky, maybe we can just hold out," the punk Zhao Wenlong said cheerfully.

He was processing the forest owl corpses. After the little medic confirmed they were non-toxic, everyone decided to use them as food.

Zhao Wenlong didn't want to make a fire. Wild animals might be afraid of fire, but exotic beasts weren't, and it would attract enemies.

But as a dignified six-tier mage, how could he only foolishly use an open flame? Heat burst from his palm, easily preparing the forest owls.

"I think it's unlikely. After all, we can't make our traces completely clean, and other teams are equipped with many tracking andInvestigation professions," Chen Ou said.

"But it's not a big deal. I don't think too many people will be searching for others in the Forest Sea; that's too dangerous," Bai Zhiqing added.

Prosperity didn't bring Qian Er; he was only five-tier.

"Didn't the organizers say they'd give us a surprise? I don't think this surprise is simple," Lin Ye said.

Everyone fell silent.

The organizers were truly inhumane. They called it a surprise but didn't state the time or place, making everyone anxious, unsure if it was good or bad.

"Damn planners, I hope I never find out who you are," Zhao Wenlong gritted his teeth.

Everyone felt pretty much the same. These damn planners were truly heartless, always coming up with ways to torment people.

But more worry was useless.

After eating and drinking well, they arranged for someone to stand guard and then rested.

Lin Ye was naturally the one on guard; his perception was the strongest.

Lin Ye began idly playing with a bird feather in his hand.

It had been a long time since he had been so idle.

Bai Zhiqing, Zhao Wenlong, and Wang Mengmeng were all meditating, while Captain Chen Ou was sleeping.

The meditation methods practiced by magic-type professions are ways to increase mental power. Usually, from a very young age, those aspiring to be mages would begin meditation training.

This was very expensive. In the beginning, without the ability to meditate independently, they would need incense assistance or hypnosis and suggestion from a master.

The price was high.

Magic-type professions accounted for less than 10% of all ability users, which was due to the high cost.

However, magic-type professions are all very strong and highly functional, so they account for a significant portion of the strong ability users.

As he watched, his gaze involuntarily drifted towards Wang Mengmeng.

Legal lolis are truly attractive.

Of course, not in a perverted way, but with the kind of affection one has for cute creatures.

Vice-captain Bai Zhiqing was also considered a beauty with temperament, but compared to Wang Mengmeng, the legal loli, there was no comparison.

He felt it wasn't good to keep staring at someone, so his gaze shifted to the punk Zhao Wenlong. It had to be said, my brother Wenlong was truly wild; that hairstyle really poked one's eyes.

Lin Ye hadn't expected non-mainstream styles to still be popular in another world.

Looking out at the dark forest, Lin Ye silently prayed in his heart, hoping everything would go smoothly.