Chapter 953: Various Competitions, Each Displaying Their Prowess

By the time the judges finished their introductions, the competition had already begun.

The Army Combat Tournament was a public platform for slightly more experienced military teams to show off their skills. It was also a grand event for everyone to evaluate the caliber of the new recruits, which in turn influenced each army’s recruitment efforts.

The team Qiuqiu paid the most attention to was, naturally, the Sixth Army. Don’t ask why. If you must know, it was simply a girlfriend’s bias. She just favored the team her boyfriend was on.

Today’s top-ten match was held in an abandoned mountainous area on the Federation Star. The different teams entered through various entry points and selected their weapons and gear. The equipment was real, but unlike standard military issue, its lethality was significantly reduced.

Supplies were scattered across the mountain. The first three hours after entering the area were designated as a safe zone. During this time, participants could fight over resources to arm themselves using physical combat, with a strict ban on firearms. Once the three hours were up, the peace mode would instantly switch to a survival mode.

In other words, the moment the three-hour bell rang, everyone could start clashing head-on. The competition adopted a survival-of-the-fittest battle royale format to weed out the weak. Competitors could open fire on each other, but they were strictly forbidden from shooting at areas not covered by protective suits; doing so would be deemed malicious assault and result in immediate disqualification.

While the audience listened to the host explain the rules, the video feed showed that the regiments had already begun moving.

As last year’s defending champions, the Sixth Regiment naturally received more camera time this year. Since the competition regulations strictly limited the amount of gear each person could carry, the first segment of the broadcast focused on what items the participants chose to pack. Across the sixteen teams at the starting points, the choices varied wildly.

For example, some chose a three-to-seven ratio of Spirit Nourishing Liquid to weapons, or a balanced five-to-five. Others opted for a six-to-four split. These participants figured that based on the preliminary notices, the scattered supplies would include plenty of weapons but no spirit healing medicine. Therefore, they packed more of what wouldn’t be available and planned to loot the rest once inside!

As for what to do if they didn’t have weapons and couldn’t loot any? Weren’t the first three hours meant for fistfights anyway? They would just solve the problem with their fists! There was a huge variety in packing strategies, and some team leaders even made startling remarks that had the audience roaring with laughter.

The panel of judges seated at the venue provided ongoing commentary on these choices.

“The First Regiment is as famous as ever for their caution. No matter the situation, the need for caution is like a blade hanging constantly over their heads. Once again, they’ve chosen a fifty-fifty split of medicine and weapons.”

“Stability is the First Regiment’s signature style. If there are any students here who prefer a steady approach, you might want to consider applying for the First Regiment after graduation.” As the judge finished his comment, a projection screen beside the main island display showed the live viewer comments. Seeing the influx of messages, the judge chuckled. “You want to join the First Regiment, but they don’t want you? Well, then you’d better work even harder.”

“The Fourth Regiment is still relatively aggressive. As expected of the Second Expeditionary Army. With an eight-to-two ratio of weapons to medicine, that’s one of the lowest starting medicine allocations we’ve seen.” Another judge chimed in, “I just wonder if they’re planning to loot from others later.”

No matter how bizarre the allocations were, the judges could always provide a reasonable explanation and briefly touch upon the respective regiment’s tactical style. The students in the audience listened with great relish.

That was, until the camera suddenly cut to the Sixth Army gathering their supplies.

Question marks flooded the screen.

Since they were a star team, a judge began to predict their choices even before they finished grabbing their gear. “The Sixth Regiment is also acting as a conservative branch here. I estimate they will go with a five-to-five ratio for weapons and medicine.

“This also ties into the Sixth Army’s combat philosophy. They will never casually abandon a single soldier. They are incredibly cautious when they need to be, yet willing to risk it all when the situation demands it—” Before he could finish his sentence, the image on the screen shifted abruptly, causing the rest of his words to lodge completely in his throat.