Interstellar: Return of the Villain
Chapter 133: AMAT (3)

Chapter 133: AMAT (3)

A massive Carniflora, as huge as a minivan, suddenly burst from the undergrowth.

Everyone was ready for it. The group launched their attacks immediately, but soon found themselves surrounded.

The Carniflora, a plant known for devouring humans, showed its terrifying, jagged white teeth and blood-red mouth as it came into view.

The sight, even on the camera feed, was enough to send a chill down anyone’s spine.

Tension gripped the team.

"My scalp’s crawling just looking at that thing."

"Are those students even still alive?"

Every year, amidst the intensity of the tournament, there was always a 5% rate of death in every AMAT competition.

Suddenly, flames shot up into the air, blindingly bright. The Carniflora let out a high-pitched scream and began to retreat.

Milo wasted no time, slicing through the flower with his claws. He was just about to charge after more when Elsie’s voice cut through the action. "Don’t burn your energy! Get back here!"

"How much energy does it take to handle these things?" Milo grumbled as he dodged Spritzfin’s water arrows, making it a point to show off his agility.

In this tournament, standing out could be the golden ticket to a spot in the legion.

Elsie wasn’t impressed. With an irritated glance, she said, "We don’t have time to waste. Let’s move."

They pushed forward, wading through the water. They knew once they crossed this section, the Spritzfin would back off. Although there’d still be other threats—plants or beasts, they maight came one at a time, at least.

Trailing behind the others, Lyra stooped to pick up a Carniflora stem. She noticed something odd about the dirt clinging to its roots. It wasn’t just the swamp’s mud—there were bits of soil from a completely different place.

This didn’t sit right. The first stage’s main obstacle was supposed to be the Spritzfin. So how did a whole pack of Level 4 Carniflora make it here? It didn’t match the tournament’s design at all.

But with their terminal only capable of sending out one-way messages, they had no way to ask the organizers for an explanation.

Meanwhile, back at the competition’s headquarters, things were heating up. Staff members monitoring the event were rushing into the command room.

The lead organizer was deep in conversation with Ansel and some high-ranking military officers, making the staff hesitate to interrupt.

Ansel’s group stopped talking when they noticed the intrusion. "Is there a problem?"

A young staffer, headset in place, wiped the sweat off his brow and nervously glanced at his superior.

His superior sighed and nodded. "Go ahead, just let Vice Admiral Myer know."

"Uh... for some reason, the Carniflora from Stage 2 has broken out and moved into Stage 1."

The lead organizer, who’d been laughing with the brass moments earlier, suddenly found himself caught off guard.

"What about the other stages?" he asked.

"No issues so far."

Vice Admiral Myer, who had been discussing things with Ansel, furrowed his brow. "You’ve run these checks so many times. How does something like this happen now? Sure, NMA and EPMA teams can handle it, but other military schools might not. Without a system warning, do you know how many students could get seriously hurt?"

Both the lead organizer and the young staffer felt a wave of fear. The cold stares from the higher-ups were brutal.

Ansel spoke up, interrupting Myer’s reprimand. "Myer, let’s not overreact. Sure, this is a competition, but these kids are going to face far worse in the real world. A little challenge isn’t the worst thing."

"They’re still kids," Myer shot back.

Ansel glanced at him, knowing it wasn’t an argument he could win. "Are you suggesting we stop the competition?" he asked, his tone pointed.

Myer stayed silent.

Ansel turned to the staff. "The mistake’s been made. Just add a system alert for the teams who come next."

"Understood... right away." The person in charge, relieved to have avoided further heat, nudged the younger staffer forward. "Get it done. Now."

"Yes, sir!"

The students and audience hadn’t noticed anything out of the ordinary. They just thought the difficulty was cranked up a notch.

Even the extra system warning did little to calm the storm, only slightly lowering the death toll.

Many military schools, already struggling, ended up calling it quits at this stage.

But some refused to back down. They pushed forward, retrying again and again, until their students were swallowed whole by the Carniflora.

The officials assured everyone that they’d destroy the plant and rescue the students immediately, but whether they could reach them in time was always uncertain.

Back in the command room, a cold sweat trickled down the person in charge when he received alarming news—the Carniflora that had eaten students had disappeared!

Clamping a hand over his mouth, he whispered angrily, "What about the tracking chips? Weren’t these plants all fitted with chips?"

"We traced them by satellite, but all the chips have been destroyed."

"This is no accident!"

Though he thought he was keeping his voice low, the two Vice Admirals overheard him loud and clear.

Before the person in charge could say another word, Vice Admiral Myer barked out orders, "Deploy a team to the island right now."

Ansel raised an eyebrow. "Seems deliberate. Better move with caution."

At that moment, the students had no clue they were walking into a much bigger problem. They were too focused on surviving the competition.

The number of teams still standing after the Carniflora stage had dropped dramatically—only nine remained.

The NMA group, leading the pack, had already reached the second stage of their chosen route: a vast, unforgiving desert.

An endless stretch of yellow sand sprawled out before them, and small creatures like scorpions, spiders, and lizards skittered across the dunes.

The hot wind whipped through the air, drying out their mouths and making every step feel heavier.

"Check your water," Elsie said, her voice low but commanding.

The sound of water bottles being shaken echoed through the group, but Milo’s voice cut through, annoyed. "Damn it, my bottle’s leaking."

Apparently, back during the Carniflora chase, Spritzfin’s water arrow had punctured his water bottle.

Elsie shot him an icy look. "And you’re just now realizing?"

"I was scouting ahead. Who’s got time to babysit a water bottle?" Milo’s defensive tone made everyone grit their teeth.

Elsie sighed, resisting the urge to argue. "Fine, everyone save him a bit later. Let’s keep moving. Adela, stay alert."

Adela had Geokinesis power. He nodded. "On it."

The line between the grassland and the desert was eerily sharp, like it had been carved there by design—a clear sign that this was all part of the tournament setup.

As soon as they stepped into the desert, a wave of heat slammed into them, and the sun beat down with even greater intensity.

The air above the sand shimmered in the heat, and sweat began pouring off them, draining their water supply fast.

It was too quiet.

No wind, no movement, just the oppressive heat pressing down on them. It was unsettling, gnawing at their nerves.

"Give me a drink," Milo muttered, grabbing Kolan’s water bottle and gulping down a huge portion of it.

Kolan’s eyes widened in panic. "Leave some for me!"

He lunged to snatch it back, but Milo twisted his body. In the process, the bottle slipped from his hands and hit the sand, spilling its contents almost immediately.

Kolan scrambled to save it, but only a mouthful remained. His face flushed with anger, he wiped the sand off the bottle and glared at Milo, his voice trembling with rage. "You did that on purpose, didn’t you?"

Milo shrugged, clearly not bothered. "You were the one grabbing for it. It’s just a sip of water. Chill out."

Tensions between them had been simmering for a while, ever since their last mission. And with the whole tournament still being broadcast, it didn’t take much for things to escalate.

Kolan, fed up, grabbed Milo by the collar, ready to throw down.

Nicholas tried to calm them down. "Guys, we’re still in the middle of—"

But before he could finish, Adela’s voice rang out. "Watch out!"

The ground beneath them suddenly gave way, and all three of them tumbled down.

At the bottom of the pit, to their horror, was a gaping, blood-red mouth!