Chapter 473: Chapter 296: It’s Decided

The crowd was silent for a long moment, their reactions delayed as if a program had frozen.

It wasn’t until Shen Zechuan stopped the stopwatch and both Cui Que and Su Zhi recalled their Pet Beasts that someone finally broke the silence with a belated gasp, followed by applause.

Soon, a tide of applause swept through, instantly overwhelming the entire camp.

This kid, Su Zhi, had beaten Alliance Leader Cui Que!

Facing the very embodiment of stealth and lethality, he had actually lasted a full minute!

This was simply incredible. After all, even among all the members of the Common Defense Alliance, very few Pet Beasts could accomplish such a feat.

Cui Que had obviously been holding back, but then again, Su Zhi was just a high school student—not even an Alliance Member.

With time, there was no doubt he would achieve greatness.

Not like a certain Vice Alliance Leader, who, despite his heaven-defying Beast Taming Talent, was utterly lacking in actual strength. He might not even be able to defeat many new Alliance Members, and after so many years of training, he was still stuck with a Tier Four Beast Taming Space.

"Thank you for your guidance!"

With the spar concluded, Su Zhi, feeling both surprised and flattered, shook hands with Cui Que as she approached him.

Although Cui Que was petite, not even reaching his shoulder, Su Zhi couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the one being looked down upon.

"Mm, you fought very well."

Cui Que showed no signs of discouragement from her defeat; instead, her face held a look of pleasant surprise and admiration.

"I’m not usually one to hand out praise, but your performance truly exceeded my expectations."

"If your Pet Beasts had simply defended, they wouldn’t have lasted even thirty seconds, let alone a minute. But you changed tactics at the right moment, and in the end, you even took the initiative, using control to substitute for defense. That requires not only being bold yet meticulous, but also a strong ability to adapt on the fly."

Su Zhi: "Haha... Hahaha..."

’Being praised by the cool, aloof leader again... I can’t help but feel a little smug.’

Cui Que asked curiously, "Did you devise all those Skills and variations yourself? One or two moves would be one thing, but based on what I saw, that must have been a considerable amount of work. To master them to the point of using them in a real battle would be even more mentally and physically exhausting. Do you truly have that much energy to spare?"

"Not exactly. My Pet Beasts came up with those variations themselves."

Su Zhi shook his head. "I do plan the overall strategy, but I generally don’t command them to use a specific Skill in the middle of a battle. I just need to make them understand the objective. As for controlling the finer details, I believe they can handle it better than I can."

Cui Que’s eyes narrowed, and a rare smile graced the corner of her lips.

To put it simply: let the experts handle their own business.

Those words resonated deep in her heart.

In the past, the Dark Alliance had the worst culture among the Nine Great Alliances.

Back when she was a rookie, Cui Que suffered immensely from amateurs dictating to experts. A dignified Alliance Member of the Common Defense Alliance, she was forced to live like a corporate slave, utterly exhausted in both mind and body. Things only started to look up after she became Alliance Leader and reformed the culture, but even now, she still hadn’t finished cleaning up the mess her predecessor left behind.

’If everyone had Su Zhi’s mentality, her life wouldn’t be so exhausting.’

’She could get off work on time and go home.’

’She could go to bed early and actually get some sleep!’

Cui Que covered her mouth, chuckling softly. She gave Su Zhi a look full of the kind of appreciation a senior has for a promising junior. "I’m starting to take a liking to you. Ever consider joining the Dark Alliance? We could waive the entrance exam for you."

Su Zhi scratched his head. "Uh, what?"

Selena, who had been watching from the sidelines while sucking on a lollipop, suddenly jolted upright, instantly on high alert.

’How did my kid get poached in the middle of a simple spar?’

"Just kidding, relax. Everyone knows you’re the Flying Shadow Alliance’s precious treasure."

Cui Que patted Su Zhi’s shoulder meaningfully. "Keep up the good work. It’s the same no matter where you are."

’As long as the future’s not set in stone, we’re all just beasts of burden.’

"Let’s go, Cyan Bee. Time to get back to our overtime."

"CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP CHIRP!"

"Hmm, I think there was something I needed to do, but I forgot... Oh well, it’s not important. Goodbye. See you around."

"Oh, right! Goodbye!"

Su Zhi didn’t catch the hidden meaning in her words. He just assumed the Alliance Leader had high hopes for him and waved goodbye.

Watching Cui Que’s retreating figure, Su Zhi blinked, unsure whether to laugh or cry.

’The dignified Alliance Leader of the Dark Alliance, a master of stealth and assassination... why does she give me this inexplicable feeling of an overworked corporate drone?’

"We should get going too. Captain Sai already registered us, so we get dinner tonight."

"WOOF!" "AROO!" "CHIRP!" The three Treasures perked up instantly.

The recent battle had left them with some regrets. Shan Bao, who had been taken out the fastest, was now filled with remorse: ’If only I had done this or that back then...’

Wu Bao had lasted a bit longer, but he too felt like he hadn’t gotten his fill of the fight.

He was actually quite satisfied with his own performance, but that punk Yu Bao had hogged all the limelight, which left a sour taste in his mouth.

Yu Bao, on the other hand, had been stroking his chin thoughtfully ever since, staring at the Cyan Bee with an intelligent gaze. He was probably already cooking up some new trick...

However.

’Well, what’s done is done. Time to eat!’

The temporary camp was especially lively at night. With the help of artificial Pet Beasts, countless fresh ingredients were sent to the mess hall. Fire Element Pet Beasts skilled in the culinary arts bustled about, and soon, portion after portion of fragrant boxed meals were ready.

Shredded pork in garlic sauce, soy-braised eggplant, flash-fried pork with potato slices... Each dish was a feast for the senses, providing both physical and spiritual comfort to the Alliance Members who had endured a long, tiring day.

Su Zhi and Shao Ya sat eating together, trading pieces of food from their plates, smiles on both their faces.

’It’s so good to be able to eat together again.’

Meanwhile, in an unnoticed corner, a certain "heavyweight" Vice Alliance Leader was squatting in a ball, miserably picking at his own boxed meal.

Gazing in the direction Cui Que had disappeared, Gou Yu lowered his head, a look of utter grievance on his face.

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