Sorry I'm Mated To The Commander novel Chapter 34

Chapter 34

Chapter 34

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Their calculations were spot on. Layla’s team was near the back of the pack, starting in 46th place.

Wallace groaned, clutching his snack stash. “We’re so late! The early birds will have killed all the easy starbeasts! We’ll be scraping for points.”

To score, teams needed to hunt starbeasts—the higher the tier, the more points. But taking out rival team members was worth even more.

The rules practically encouraged a free-for-all. This final test isn’t just a competition. It’s a giant hunt.

Layla shook her head. “Not starbeasts. Other teams. The strong ones will be picking off the weak right at the start. Big fish eat the small fish.”

Wallace was suddenly enlightened, “You’re so smart.”

“Layla’s so smart!” November chirped, practically glued to her side. She gave him a cool look, and he reluctantly took a half-step back.

Alex and Annie, watching nearby, shared a look of long-suffering exasperation.

‘Could these two at least try to be professional?’ They wondered.

Between the competition and the second-hand romance, it was almost too much to bear.

Finally, their turn came. Just as they were about to step through the gateway, a ragged shout echoed from behind. “Sullivan! You’ll regret not having me on your team!”

It was Jayvon.

None of the five even glanced back. They stepped into the light.

Their surroundings materialized into a dense, humid rainforest. Vines hung thick, and the distant calls of starbeasts echoed.

“Hunt’s on,” November said, his earlier playfulness gone, replaced by a lazy confidence. “Their two mech engineers and commanders are mine. You four handle the six troopers.”

Sometimes, the most dangerous hunters made the best bait.

While Layla’s team was ranked low, their “weakest link, Annie, was still solidly mid-tier. And their commander and mech engineer were anything but support-only.

Two other teams, thinking they’d found easy prey, moved to encircle them. They even sent three of their best to pin down Layla. But as the mech suits clashed upfront, something unexpected happened.

Within three minutes, both opposing mech engineers were abruptly eliminated. Their commanders followed

seconds later.

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Chapter 34

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“What the-” someone from the attacking teams blurted out over the comms. “Isn’t Sullivan supposed to be pinned?”

In that moment of confusion, Layla found an opening. She drove her mech’s fist straight into one opponent’s energy module. At the same time, Alex ripped the core from another.

The outcome was inevitable. Ten minutes later, all ten members of the two attacking teams were gone, escorted out by the simulation monitors.

Layla’s team of five stood with only minor armor scuffs. Their rank shot from 46th to 38th.

“We jumped eight spots in one go!” Annie cheered, her earlier nerves forgotten. “A few more fights like that and we’ll be in the top ten!”

Layla wasn’t so optimistic. “We won’t find many teams that reckless. Most are probably focused on hunting starbeasts for steady points.”

Just then, November sidled up to her again, holding a terrain map. His eyes, visible above the mask, were bright. “Star, look. The highest starbeast concentration is in this sector.”

“To hunt them?” she asked.

He looked genuinely hurt. “Star, have we lost our connection?” Even with the mask, the pout was audible.

Then she got it. “You mean… we go after the teams hunting the starbeasts.”

His blue eyes crinkled with delight. “See? You still get me.”

Annie and the others suddenly felt like third wheels. Again.

They shouldn’t be there.

They should be under the mech.

“But… isn’t that crazy?” Annie argued. “Teams going after big herds have to be strong.”

November’s smile was all sharp edges. “We’re stronger.”

Alex and Wallace remembered how he’d dismantled two commanders and two engineers in minutes. They stayed silent.

‘Every single one of us is basically a front-line fighter,’ Alex thought, a rare flicker of respect crossing his face. ‘Good thing we’re on the same side.’

An hour in, all fifty-eight teams were inside the massive simulation.

Tomas sat on a pale rock outcrop, studying the score feed on his optical computer. Nearby, Wayne and three troopers had just brought down an S-Tier starbeast. They were still firmly in first place.

“Something wrong, Commander?” Romeo Garrison asked, sauntering over. “Did we get overtaken?”

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Chapter 34

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“No. Still first. But we can’t see the teams behind us.” The rules were clear: only your own rank and those ahead were visible. As number one, Crown Squad was flying blind.

Kierra Knight frowned. “Still worrying about Sullivan’s team?”

Tomas’s expression was unreadable. “Yes. At their pace, they should be nearing the top ten by now?

Kierra scoffed. “Impossible. Sullivan’s good, I’ll give her that. But the rest of her team? They’re a liability.”

In her eyes, that’s a weird team impossible to rush into top ten.

Chaim Howard nodded vigorously. “Right? They’ve probably already been wiped out by a real team.”

Tomas stood, brushing dust from his uniform. “We need to pick up the pace. Head for the high-density zone.” He pointed toward the map coordinates crawling with starbeast icons.

*****

And Tomas’s instincts were right. Layla’s team had just cleared a nest of A-Tier starbeasts. Their rank ticked upward again.

“Ninth place!” Annie whooped, her earlier caution gone. From the bottom to the top ten-it felt unreal.

“Don’t celebrate yet,” Layla warned. “The gaps are smaller now. Teams ahead will be tougher, and they might ally against anyone climbing too fast.”

Annie waved a dismissive hand. “We can handle two teams.”

“What about three?” Layla countered. Annie’s smile vanished.

November leaned close, his voice a low murmur for Layla alone. “Star, don’t worry. Even if they all gang up, I’ll handle it.”

Layla knew the stories about the prince’s prowess. But her teammates just heard bravado. Typical, Alex thought, rolling his eyes internally. Trying to look good for her.

Just then, movement flashed at the edge of their scanners. An eight-member squad appeared-two teams that had clearly partnered up, though they’d already taken losses.

And leading them was Caleb.

Layla’s ex-fiancé wasn’t looking at her. His gaze was locked on November with pure, unadulterated hostility. Without a word, he charged.

11:58 Wed, Jan 7