Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Selection Tournament

Qin Sheng was a little surprised when Chu Xingyu mentioned Li Chengbin; it had been a long time since she’d heard that name, not to mention that troublesome younger sister of his.

“You only want to fight Li Chengbin?” Jiang Miaomiao laughed in astonishment. “He used to be the president of our school’s taekwondo club. How confident are you?”

Chu Xingyu knew Jiang Miaomiao was just teasing, and replied helplessly, “Don’t make fun of me, Miaomiao. Of course, I want to pay him back for everything I suffered at his hands. But what about you? Do you have any plans?”

Qin Sheng also turned to look at Jiang Miaomiao.

For a moment, everyone’s eyes were on her, making Jiang Miaomiao feel awkward and nervous.

“Don’t all look at me like that! If Sheng is participating, of course I will too. I haven’t thought about any grand goals—I just know I don’t want to be bullied by people from the Safe Zone anymore.”

At this, Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t help recalling the trouble brought by Guo Jun and Guo Ting, the uncle and niece who had baffled them not long ago.

If not for Qin Sheng, everyone living here would probably have starved to death.

Nothing like now, when at least they didn’t have to worry about going hungry.

Jiang Miaomiao was well aware she didn’t have the ability to place in the top three and challenge the Forest of the Dead, but she was determined to be selected for the Safe Zone’s Guard Team.

Once they became members, Guo Ting and Guo Jun wouldn’t be able to bully them so recklessly.

Qin Sheng nodded in agreement with Jiang Miaomiao. They would all take part in the selection, and as for goals, there was no need to dwell on them for now. If they honed their skills, why worry about not reaching their targets?

Nothing in the world is insurmountable if you’re willing to try.

With hearts set like Jiang Miaomiao’s and Chu Xingyu’s, Qin Sheng didn’t mind teaching them.

Seeing that Qin Sheng, Jiang Miaomiao, and Chu Xingyu were all set on participating, A Zi—who had been hesitant all along—was thrown into even greater turmoil.

Never mind whether or not there were truly skilled fighters in the competition. If she were unlucky enough to meet a strong opponent, not only would she fail to be selected, but she’d also end up beaten for nothing. What would be the point?

“In that case, I’ll join too,” said Shen Mei, who had been silent all this time.

Qin Sheng wasn’t surprised at all and met Shen Mei’s gaze.

Shen Mei didn’t look away, the two of them quietly sizing each other up, as if anticipating a showdown at the selection.

This was one of Shen Mei’s main reasons for participating. She’d always regretted not having a real match against Qin Sheng before. If she met her at the selection, she could finally see Qin Sheng’s true strength.

After observing for a while, Qin Sheng guessed Shen Mei’s intentions and smiled wryly, not saying anything more—a tacit agreement to their unspoken pact.

If they met, they would surely have a true contest.

“A Zi? What about you?” Chu Xingyu, noticing A Zi’s ongoing distress, asked, “You’ve been frowning for ages. What are you thinking? Tell us, maybe we can help.”

A Zi hesitated, but finally shared her worries with them.

“I’m barely more than a novice. If I’m lucky, I’ll be selected, but if my luck’s bad and I run into someone strong, I’ll not only fail but also get beaten up.”

Just imagining herself being pummeled was enough to make her flinch; the pain felt real just thinking about it.

Everyone fell silent for a moment. Chu Xingyu and Jiang Miaomiao, though they hadn’t trained with Qin Sheng for long, had plenty of practical experience from fighting zombies and had developed their own skills.

“What can I say? If you meet someone reasonable, you might not suffer too much. But if you run into someone like Li Chengbin, you’re bound to get hurt,” Chu Xingyu said, recalling when Li Chengbin had challenged Jiang Miaomiao at school. Even though Miaomiao had won in the end, it was clear Li Chengbin was not the type to show mercy.

This competition was all about personal honor, and Li Chengbin would likely be even more ruthless.

If that was true for Li Chengbin, who knew what the others would be like?

Hearing Chu Xingyu’s analysis, A Zi’s anxiety deepened, and Jiang Miaomiao frowned, searching for ideas.

Qin Sheng took a sip of water and gently patted A Zi, who turned curiously to look at her.

“Do you really want to participate?” Qin Sheng asked quietly.

A Zi thought for a moment, then nodded. “Of course I do. Who knows, maybe I’ll get lucky.”

Qin Sheng nodded. “Then that’s settled. If you want to go, go.”

A Zi’s face fell, and she pouted, grumbling, “I thought you’d have some secret that could help me through this.”

Qin Sheng chuckled and teased, “I remember suggesting you join my training half a month ago.”

A Zi: “…”

Hearing that, A Zi regretted it even more. If she’d known about the selection in advance, she’d have trained with Qin Sheng no matter what.

Qin Sheng was so skilled—maybe half a month wasn’t enough to guarantee she’d pass, but she’d feel much more confident.

Now, all she could do was worry.

A Zi slumped over the table in despair. “If only I’d known, I’d have trained with you and probably wouldn’t be this anxious now.”

“Not necessarily,” Qin Sheng replied, making A Zi’s eyes light up.

“How so? Do you have a way?” A Zi asked eagerly, clinging to Qin Sheng’s arm, her gloom forgotten.

Qin Sheng raised an eyebrow, smiling lightly. “No, I just meant half a month wouldn’t have been enough anyway. You’d probably be even more anxious.”

A Zi: “…”

She let go of Qin Sheng’s arm and collapsed on the table, utterly defeated.

“When does the selection start?” Qin Sheng continued.

“In a week.”

“Next Wednesday.”

Chu Xingyu and Jiang Miaomiao answered in unison.

Qin Sheng nodded, looking again at the despondent A Zi. “If you really want to do this, I can teach you a few practical moves in the remaining week. They should help you get by.”

A Zi instantly sat up, her eyes sparkling. “Really? I knew you’d have a way, Qin Sheng!”

She was about to throw herself at Qin Sheng, but Qin Sheng sidestepped neatly, and A Zi landed on the other end of the couch.

But A Zi hardly noticed—her mind was set on being able to participate in the selection.

“I have to warn you,” Qin Sheng said seriously, “these are just tricks for emergencies. Anyone with real martial training will see through them, so you’ll need to be careful.”

A Zi nodded, excitement and expectation shining in her eyes. “When do we start, today or tomorrow?”

Qin Sheng shook her head with a smile. “This afternoon.”

“Yes! I’m going to the selection!” A Zi cheered, leaping up, her excitement plain to see.

Qin Sheng and Jiang Miaomiao couldn’t help but smile at her reaction, saying nothing more.

That afternoon, A Zi trained with Qin Sheng, and by the time she returned in the evening, she was utterly spent. As soon as she came in, she collapsed on the sofa, limp as if she’d fallen ill. If she hadn’t still been breathing, Jiang Miaomiao might have been frightened out of her wits.

But Jiang Miaomiao wasn’t surprised; her own first day of training with Qin Sheng had been exactly the same.

“You’ll get used to it. The second day is much easier,” she said, pouring A Zi a glass of water and patting her head before going about her business.

The next day, A Zi was just as exhausted as before, collapsing again on the sofa and barely able to move.

She didn’t even have the energy to bicker with Jiang Miaomiao.

A Zi closed her eyes in despair—so much for believing Jiang Miaomiao’s promise that the second day would be easier; she felt no relief at all.

Qin Sheng was even more of a demon—how could anyone train so hard, for so long, and still be perfectly fine?

On the night before the selection, A Zi still followed Qin Sheng to the rooftop for training every day. In the last few days, the rooftop became busier, as Jiang Miaomiao, Chu Xingyu, and Shen Mei all joined in.

At least with company, A Zi felt less pressure.

“Are we still training tonight, Master?” Ever since Qin Sheng began teaching her moves, A Zi had started calling her “Master.”

Qin Sheng, now used to it, shook her head. “The selection’s tomorrow. Let’s rest tonight.”

Finally, the ordeal was over. To celebrate, A Zi even ate an extra bun.

The week of intense preparation flew by. For once, A Zi got up early, changing into the most comfortable clothes she had.

When she came out, Qin Sheng was already waiting, dressed in an olive-green camouflage uniform.

With her short hair and those combat boots, Qin Sheng looked every inch the resolute soldier.

A Zi stared in awe.

“Qin Sheng, you look just like Mulan…”

Qin Sheng laughed softly. “Stop joking around. Once we finish breakfast, we need to head to the core base.”

A Zi nodded, sitting down beside her to eat.

Half an hour later, at the core base entrance—

A sea of people had gathered, all of them here for the selection.