He Qiutong led her team and kept escaping to the west for about half an hour. After confirming that the three from Yanzhou University were not in pursuit, they finally stopped.
Her expression was very grave.
SSR-level Hou Chengwu was actually dead!
This change of events was too sudden.
Now, she did not even know how to explain the situation.
"Captain, what do we do now?" An SR male student, his face pale, looked at He Qiutong, waiting for her to make a decision.
The death of Hou Chengwu had brought a huge blow to Qingzhou University. In the eyes of these SR students, an SSR was a very powerful person. Even though Hou Chengwu had lost to Xiang Beifei last time, he was still genuinely in the Meridian Opening stage and yet he was killed just like that!
"Yanzhou University has gone too far, they killed Hou Chengwu, we can't let them get away with it!" Another SR student said resentfully.
"But they have three in the Meridian Opening stage, how do you plan to not let them get away with it?" He Qiutong asked coldly.
The moment SR student was called out, he could only swallow his fierce words. He was just talking tough; where would he really find the conviction to avenge Hou Chengwu?
"So are we going to use the Forfeit Talisman and go back directly now?"
One of the SR students had already started to have second thoughts. Now that their team was one person down, the choice was in He Qiutong's hands. If they directly used the Forfeit Talisman, they would then safely return to the cliff base.
But it also meant that Qingzhou University would inevitably come in last in this year's elite college competition.
He Qiutong was also weighing her options.
Casualties in the new student competition were a serious accident, and the incident must be reported without delay.
However, the death of Hou Chengwu was largely his own doing. He attacked the people from Yanzhou University first and then was killed in retaliation.
This fact was witnessed by everyone, and it wouldn't be easy to shift the blame. Yanzhou University's overall strength was not weaker than Qingzhou's; they certainly would not be the scapegoat and would undoubtedly file a counterclaim.
After much deliberation, she finally made a decision and said, "Hou Chengwu has a Forfeit Talisman on him. Use his Forfeit Talisman to send his body back first. As for how the alliance decides to handle it, let them decide. If they choose to stop the competition, then the alliance will surely use the Forfeit Talisman to bring everyone back, and then we can explain."
Whether the alliance would stop the competition or not, He Qiutong was uncertain; this was not something Qingzhou University could decide! In principle, this was a conflict between Qingzhou University and Yanzhou University, not due to desolate beasts being too strong and the risk too great, which did not meet the conditions to terminate the competition!
If He Qiutong and her team also used the Forfeit Talisman, then if other schools did not agree to halt the competition, Qingzhou University's team could only bow out.
But sending one body back would definitely attract the attention of the people from the alliance! An SSR in the Meridian Opening stage had only been in for a few hours before an incident occurred, without any warning. The alliance would certainly have to reassess the risk of this competition.
Then, without knowing the cause of Hou Chengwu's death, the alliance would most likely terminate the competition first and summon everyone back to investigate.
Under these circumstances, He Qiutong and her team would have a legitimate reason to return and would not be forced out as a consequence.
He Qiutong did not have much of a relationship with Hou Chengwu, but as the team leader, she had to consider many factors, so she chose a compromise.
However, just then, a sweet voice rang out from behind the Qingzhou University group.
"It seems you've encountered some kind of thorny issue?"
A woman with golden wavy hair leaned against the branch, her eyes brimming with amusement as she looked at He Qiutong and her group.
He Qiutong immediately stood up, and the other SRs also looked at the blonde woman warily.
This blonde woman was very attractive, with a devilish figure, swaying her slender waist provocatively. Especially, her clothing was extremely revealing, many areas required pixelation.
A male student by He Qiutong's side couldn't help but take a few extra glances at certain parts of the blonde woman and swallowed his saliva shamefully.
The blonde woman looked down and flicked her badge, then said, "My name is Shi Renmei, a pioneer."
He Qiutong furrowed her eyebrows slightly. The woman's clothes were disheveled, but indeed resembled pioneer attire, including the badge of the Jiuzhou alliance. However, something seemed off.
"I remember the pioneers' uniforms are not ."
He Qiutong, being an SSR, had different experiences from the average students. Under the guidance of Ren Jianghai, she had visited the Jiuzhou alliance and had seen many pioneers. Although she hadn't delved deep into the attire of pioneers, she still had a general impression.
"Oh, there are many departments among the pioneers now, so of course, the uniforms are different."
The blonde woman licked her lips with her tongue, her gaze sweeping over this group of students with still youthful faces and beamed a radiant smile, "It looks like you're in trouble, maybe I can offer some help."
The wilderness beyond the domain was eerie at night.
Strange noises emanated from the dark forest, ghostly wails, and wolf howls were incessant.
The group from Liangzhou University had been searching for desolate beasts all day, killing no less than twenty Meridian Opening stage beasts, most of which were taken care of by Xiang Beifei, but many were also dealt with by the combined efforts of Li Zimu and the others. After a round of this, everyone was mentally exhausted.
They found a spot close to the mountain wall to settle down, where Li Zimu quickly erected a stone house, planning to spend the night there.