The Strongest Princess Consort in the Interstellar

 Chapter 97: The Final Sprint

The end point of this freshman examination is located on a mountain, and this mountain is somewhat unique. That is because there are not many flowers, plants, or trees on its slopes. It is barren and bare, making it easy to spot anyone going up or down the mountain.

This also means that when everyone goes up the mountain, they will expose themselves to the view of other teams.

"What? Why did the school choose such an endpoint? Isn't it obvious that they want us to kill each other?" Xu Kaiyang stood at the edge of the forest, looking at the bald peak in front of him.

Over the past few days, they have had numerous battles with other teams. Each member was exhausted and thought that they were almost at the finish line. Once they reach the end point, other teams won't be able to snatch their points anymore, and they can finally take a rest.

However, who could have imagined that the mountain peak where the endpoint is located is completely exposed, from the foot to the top of the mountain, without any cover.

There are no ambushes or sneak attacks. All the points can only be seized openly.

At this moment, they were still at the edge of the forest, not yet setting foot on the mountain, but they could already see intense fighting halfway up the mountain. Various dazzling supernatural abilities were being unleashed without hesitation, and the mecha warriors were relentlessly firing low-energy ion cannons.

After all, this is the last leg of the expedition. As long as they reach the finish line, their journey will come to an end. At that time, supernatural abilities and energy, even if there is any left, would be of no use. It's better to consume them all at once now to increase their chances of reaching the mountaintop.

Almost everyone had the same thought, so the entire mountain, from the foot to the peak, was covered in a splendid array of colors, adding a touch of visual appeal to the bald mountain.

"Captain, should we go over now?" Gao Lingqi looked at the intense battles happening and couldn't help but gulp.

It was truly tragic. Even though they hadn't witnessed it firsthand or observed it closely, they could imagine how many teams would be eliminated on this final stretch.

Being so close to the finish line and getting eliminated at this moment would be truly heart-wrenching and heartbreaking.

"Let's wait a bit longer," Lin Weiran calmly said.

Their current location was relatively concealed, so they hadn't been discovered yet. Moreover, there was still one day left until the final time of the expedition's end. If everything went smoothly, it would only take them two more hours to reach the mountaintop.

Therefore, there is still time for them to wait and assess the situation.

"Everyone, rest in place and adjust your condition. Let's make the final sprint!" Lin Weiran encouraged everyone.

Xiao Qingyang naturally also noticed the situation halfway up the mountain and couldn't help but feel a lingering fear for such intense battles.

Although they were currently a joint force of two teams, once they set foot on the mountain, their opponents would not be just a single team but all the teams except their own. Even though those teams were enemies to each other, the pressure on them remained significant. One wrong move and they would be wiped out quickly.

Everyone's expressions were tense because they were about to face a fierce battle.

Whether they ascend to the mountaintop from the ground or from the air, there would be interceptors. It would be wishful thinking to reach the mountaintop effortlessly.

"Later, everyone will pool all the points into Qingyang's hands. Supernatural ability users will attract the attention of others on the ground, and Li Ying, you will fly with Qingyang from the air while the mecha warriors provide cover for Li Ying and Qingyang," Lin Weiran arranged their tactics.

Although there were also interceptors in the air, the pressure in the air was significantly less compared to on the ground.

Moreover, this expedition focused primarily on teamwork. As long as one person in the team brought the points to the finish line, it would be considered a team victory.

Xiao Qingyang originally wanted to advance and retreat together with everyone, but he also understood that the points determined the team's victory or defeat. He now carried the heavy burden of the entire team and couldn't be willful.

In fact, he could use his spiritual power to create a protective shield or go invisible, so that others wouldn't notice them and they could smoothly reach the mountaintop via the slopes.

However, the spiritual power he had accumulated since starting school was almost depleted, and what remained was barely enough to protect two people. It was impossible to shield both teams.

Therefore, Lin Weiran's arrangement also made it convenient for him to bring the points to the finish line.

"I understand, but Li Ying doesn't need to carry me. The target would be too big. I can go alone, and you can provide cover in mid-air. I will definitely bring the points to the finish line. See you all at the finish line," Xiao Qingyang solemnly promised, an unusual seriousness in his voice.

As for why they entrusted all the points to Xiao Qingyang instead of the strongest person in the team, Lin Weiran had his own plan.

The strongest individual in the team was undoubtedly the supernatural ability user, but the supernatural ability users from their two teams were unable to compete against the other teams. If the strongest individual acted alone, they would immediately become a target, and it would only be a matter of minutes before their points were snatched away.

Therefore, giving the points to Xiao Qingyang was actually the best decision.

First, in the eyes of others, Xiao Qingyang was perceived as a "powerless" pharmacist. No one would suspect that someone would entrust all the points to him.

This would make everyone lower their guard. Even if they saw him acting alone, they would only think that he had been abandoned by the team because he was considered a burden. After all, such situations were not uncommon on the mountainside.

Secondly, Xiao Qingyang wasn't truly powerless. He still possessed combat abilities, and even if there were a few individuals who didn't want to spare the pharmacist, they would be in the minority, and Xiao Qingyang could handle them.

Considering all these factors, Lin Weiran decided to give the points to Xiao Qingyang. It was also a gamble on his part.

The other team members also had confidence in Xiao Qingyang and advised him, saying, "You must prioritize your safety. We will provide cover nearby."

"Sure, don't worry," Xiao Qingyang nodded solemnly.

He had enough stored spiritual power to reach the mountaintop. Although it was a bit of a shortcut, the fact that it was his own spiritual power made it no different from ability users utilizing their abilities. It shouldn't be considered cheating.

Chen Yihan's team didn't have logistical personnel like Xiao Qingyang, so they couldn't replicate the same approach as Lin Weiran's team. In the end, they could only tough it out and ascend the mountain like the other teams.

Fortunately, they were still allies with Xiao Qingyang's team, and their combined strength was much greater than that of individual teams, giving them a better chance of reaching the mountaintop.

After resting for two hours, both teams decided they couldn't continue resting because more and more teams were reaching the foot of the mountain, and the battles were becoming more intense.

Although they only needed two hours or even less to reach the mountaintop from the foot, that estimation was based on the assumption of no combat, a smooth ascent to the summit.

If the battles were taken into account, whether they could reach the mountaintop before the expedition ended was a question.

"Sigh... Why are people so greedy? We're almost at the finish line, why do they still try to snatch other people's points? It would be so much better if we could all peacefully go to the summit together and end this expedition," Liu Jialiang lamented.

"Peacefully go to the summit? Are you kidding? If it were you, would you be willing to peacefully go to the summit with the other teams?" Gao Lingqi looked at Liu Jialiang as if he were a strange creature.

Liu Jialiang thought about the scenario and shook his head vigorously.

It was just a casual remark from Liu Jialiang. Both supernaturals and mecha warriors were inherently combative, and expecting them to peacefully coexist, especially during a competition, was simply wishful thinking.

"Alright, let's get ready to depart," Lin Weiran interrupted Gao Lingqi and Liu Jialiang's playful banter and addressed everyone.

As the team's hope, Xiao Qingyang took the lead in setting off. Li Ying transformed into a beast form, and the brothers Liujia Liang and Liujia Ming boarded their mechas, flying alongside Xiao Qingyang, providing constant protection.

After these four set off, the remaining team members, including Chen Yihan's team, followed suit.

Xiao Qingyang had already witnessed such large-scale battle scenes before in his previous life. He had experienced even more brutal and cruel fights, with real bloodshed. Compared to what he had seen in the past, the battles of these individuals felt like child's play. Therefore, Xiao Qingyang was not intimidated by them and continued forward without changing his expression.

As Lin Weiran had anticipated, other teams engaged in battle also noticed Xiao Qingyang's presence. However, realizing he had no combat power, they hardly paid him any attention.

There were quite a few logistical personnel abandoned by their teams at the end. Some chose to give up and were picked up by the instructors and taken back to the spaceship. However, there were also those who insisted on completing the final stretch of the journey, marking an end to their expedition.

Occasionally, such logistical personnel could be seen on the mountainside, so it had become a common sight, and no one found it strange.

After all, this was just a freshman expedition and not a crucial competition. Since the logistical personnel wanted to finish the race, the other participants wouldn't cruelly shatter their final persistence.

Thus, Xiao Qingyang initially made decent progress. At least, he was faring much better than Lin Weiran's team, who had been attacked as soon as they ascended the mountain.

Although Xiao Qingyang was continuously on the move, he also kept his spiritual awareness released, observing his surroundings to prevent ambushes or attacks.

Li Ying and the Liu brothers in mid-air also faced attacks from other airborne supernaturals or mecha warriors.

However, their main task was to cover and protect Xiao Qingyang, so they had no intention of engaging in battles with those individuals.

Hence, while evading the attacks, they still devoted their attention to Xiao Qingyang.

The opponents who fought against Li Ying's group seemed to sense their lack of focus and immediately felt underestimated. They intensified their attacks.

Overwhelmed by the relentless assault, Li Ying's group was forced to fight back, rapidly engaging their opponents in combat.