23: Chapter 23: Entering the Arena! Su Han Finds Him on the Back foot.

At five in the morning, eighty-four Special Forces Soldiers stood in neat ranks on the helipad of Purgatory Base.

In the morning mist, the rotors of twelve armed helicopters turned slowly, emitting a low hum.

Su Han stood in the ranks, his gaze sweeping over the unfamiliar faces around him.

According to the rules, all participating members were scattered and assigned, with seven people per area, all from different units.

He subconsciously touched the smart positioning watch on his wrist—it was their only piece of equipment.

“The draw begins!” the Chief Referee's voice cut through the morning mist. “Remember, communication is prohibited! Board the aircraft immediately after drawing your lot!”

The ranks began to move forward in an orderly fashion. Su Han noticed a worried look from Zhou Mo not far away, and he gave a nearly imperceptible nod.

Before the drawing box, Su Han reached out and pulled out a metal tag—“Area 11.”

“Falcon Su Han, Area 11.” After recording it, the referee pointed to the right. “Helicopter 3.”

Su Han strode toward the designated helicopter, suppressed whispers trailing behind him.

“It's Su Han! Which area did he draw?”

“I don't know, but I hope he's not in my area...”

“God help me, please don't let me run into that monster...”

Five Special Forces Soldiers were already seated inside Helicopter 3.

When Su Han's figure appeared at the cabin door, the air instantly froze.

“Damn it!” a Wild Wolf member cursed under his breath.

Snow Leopard's ‘Ghost’ subconsciously clenched his fist.

Divine Sword's Zhao Wuji's face turned pale in an instant.

Su Han calmly walked to the only empty seat and sat down, feeling the wary gazes cast from his surroundings.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly as he closed his eyes to rest.

The final member boarded—it was the Marine Corps' ‘Sea Eagle.’

He was clearly stunned when he saw Su Han, then shook his head with a bitter smile: “It seems my luck isn't very good.”

“Close the hatch! Prepare for takeoff!” the pilot's voice came from the front.

As the engine roar intensified, the helicopter slowly ascended.

Through the porthole, Su Han saw the other helicopters taking off one after another, flying in different directions.

“Everyone, I am the person in charge of this flight.” A referee turned around. “Area 11 is located in the northeast corner of the arena. The terrain is mainly mountain forest, with a river running through it. You will reach the drop point in five minutes.”

“The straight-line distance between each person is one kilometer.”

He held up a timer: “Remember the rules—the combat begins the moment you land. Every day at midnight, the map will shrink, and you must enter the safe zone within two hours. The ‘fallen’ are to stay where they are; speaking to any active contestants is prohibited.”

The helicopter began to lose altitude, and the referee checked everyone's equipment one last time: “Good luck to you all.”

The cabin door slowly opened, and the biting mountain wind poured into the cabin.

Below was a dense forest.

“Prepare for fast-roping!” the referee shouted.

Su Han was the third to slide down.

The rope slid quickly through his hands, and he landed lightly in a thicket, quickly unhooking himself.

The helicopter overhead roared as it moved away, and the forest returned to silence.

In the observation center of Purgatory Base, the Captains of the twelve Special Forces units sat in a circle before a giant electronic sand table.

“Old Wang, your Falcon unit can finally hold its head high this time.” The Captain of Wild Wolf said sourly, “Su Han took first in eight subjects, and others took first in one as well. This is a first in the history of the all-army competition.”

Wang Yuanchao suppressed the smile at the corner of his mouth: “It was just good luck.”

“Humph!” The Captain of Divine Sword, Liu Bo, sneered. “What's the use of being strong in individual subjects? The combat phase is the real test!”

The Captain of Snow Leopard nodded in agreement: “Exactly. No matter how powerful Su Han is, he's just a recruit. His actual combat experience must be insufficient.”

“You're just jealous!” Wang Yuanchao snorted. “Su Han's strength is obvious to all!”

“Quiet!” The Chief Referee tapped the table. “The match has begun. Look at the big screen.”

On the electronic sand table, the light points in the twelve areas began to flicker.

Each red dot represented a contestant, with their respective unit labeled beside it.

“Area 11 is worth watching!” The Captain of Wild Wolf suddenly pointed to the screen. “Su Han and Divine Sword's Zhao Wuji are separated by less than 800 meters!”

Everyone's gaze focused in unison.

Liu Bo stroked his beard smugly: “Zhao Wuji is Divine Sword's tactical expert; he has never failed in a combat exercise.”

“Su Han is in danger.” The Captain of Snow Leopard shook his head. “Zhao Wuji is best at using the terrain to set ambushes.”

Wang Yuanchao clenched his fists, staring intently at the screen.

He knew these old foxes were right—the combat phase was completely different from individual subjects and required rich practical experience.

And Su Han was just a recruit who had been in the army for less than a year...

In the dense forest, Su Han leaned against a pine tree, closing his eyes to listen.

The sound of the helicopter engine gradually faded, replaced by the chirping of birds and the rustling of wind through the leaves.

He slowly opened his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling up.

“The airdrop is coming.”

Just as he finished speaking, the hum of propellers came from the distant sky.

Three transport planes flew into the arena from different directions, their cargo doors wide open.

“It's starting!” someone shouted in the observation center.

On the big screen, red markers appeared simultaneously in the twelve areas—those were the landing positions of the airdrops.

Soon, forty-eight airdrop light points flickered on the electronic sand table, four for each area.

There were seven people in each area, but only four airdrops.

In other words, at least three people would not be able to get an airdrop.

In this situation, it all depended on who was lucky enough to be near a random airdrop.

The Chief Referee adjusted the image, focusing on Area 11.

“Zhao Wuji has good luck; he's only 200 meters away from an airdrop.” Liu Bo, the Captain of Divine Sword, began to laugh triumphantly.

“Su Han, however, is 800 meters away, but the closest airdrop to him is the one near Zhao Wuji! Now we have a show.”

Wang Yuanchao stared at the screen: “The airdrop hasn't landed yet; it's too early to tell who will emerge victorious.”

In the forest, Su Han listened to the fading hum of the helicopter.

He estimated the distance; the nearest airdrop was at least 800 meters away.

“Interesting.” The corners of his mouth turned up as he suddenly changed direction, racing toward a high ground.

At the same time, Zhao Wuji had already rushed to the river valley airdrop point.

He nimbly opened the equipment box, his eyes lighting up: “A type 95 rifle, four magazines, smoke grenades... fully armed!”

After quickly finishing his equipment, Zhao Wuji did not leave. Instead, he gave an insidious smile: “Waiting for the rabbit is the best strategy.”

He skillfully set up a trap—burying a tripwire next to the airdrop box while he hid in a rock crevice thirty meters away, his muzzle pointed straight at the airdrop.

In the observation center, Liu Bo slapped his thigh and laughed: “Beautiful! This is the tactical style of Divine Sword!”

Wang Yuanchao's expression was solemn: “Su Han is still rushing that way...”

On the high ground, Su Han suddenly stopped and carefully observed the direction of the river valley.

“It's too quiet...” He narrowed his eyes. “No one is fighting for the airdrop point?”

When the lens swept over the rock crevice, a faint reflection caught his attention.

The corners of Su Han's mouth curled: “As expected, there's an ambush.”

Su Han then circled to the downstream of the creek and silently slipped into the water.

“Why hasn't anyone come yet?” Zhao Wuji, in the rock crevice, was becoming a bit anxious.