Panshi Fortress, Training Ground No. 3.
The heavy alloy gate slowly rose. The members of the Reserve Team, covered in blood, exhaustion, and a hint of relief at surviving a great tribulation, entered one after another.
Zhou Yunguang stood like a cold sculpture in the center of the training ground. His face was expressionless, his gaze, like a hawk, swept over every returning team member, and finally… locked onto the youth at the very back of the line, who was stumbling, pale-faced, and whose left arm bandage was completely stained with fresh blood!
Ling Chen, he actually returned alive. Heh, but even if you can't collect ten Heterocrystal , you'll still die!
Time… exactly three hours!
"Assemble! Count the Nuclei!" Zhou Yunguang's voice was cold as a blade, carrying an unquestionable command.
The team members lined up timidly, stepping forward one by one to hand their crystal core bags to the instructor responsible for recording.
"Zhang Lei! Seven first-order! Failed to meet the standard!"
"Wang Hao! Four first-order! Failed to meet the standard!"
"Li Qiang! Five first-order! Failed to meet the standard!"
The faces of those whose names were called instantly turned ashen, as if they had received a death sentence.
...
"Li Mingyu! Twelve first-order! Met the standard!"
"Sun Qiang! Eleven first-order! Met the standard!"
"Chen Xue! Ten first-order! Met the standard!"
"Lin Wei! Fifteen first-order! Met the standard!"
...
When it was Ling Chen's turn, he walked forward "weakly," trembling as he handed over the crystal core bag in his hand.
The inspecting instructor opened the bag and poured out the crystal cores inside.
Eleven! First-order crystal cores stained with blood! They emitted a faint glow under the pale light.
"Ling Chen! Ten first-order! Met the standard!" The instructor announced loudly, seeing Zhou Yunguang's prolonged lack of reaction.
Met the standard?!
A suppressed gasp and… an incredulous gasp instantly echoed across the training ground!
A severely wounded, dying cripple! He actually… truly met the standard?! In the perilous industrial zone! Hunted eleven corpse ghouls?! This… how is this possible?!
Zhou Yunguang's pupils suddenly constricted! He stared intently at Ling Chen! His eyes filled with shock, doubt, and… a trace of uncontrollable… fury!
Coincidence?! Another damned coincidence?! This useless person! Why?! Why can he always stumble upon good luck?! Why can he make Chen Xue… protect him so much?!
A burst of wicked anger surged into his heart! Zhou Yunguang took a step forward! A powerful aura, like a mountain, pressed down on Ling Chen! His voice, like an ice pick, harshly pierced everyone's eardrums!
"Ling Chen! You… cheated, didn't you?!"
The whole place fell silent!
Everyone's gaze instantly focused on Zhou Yunguang and Ling Chen!
"Zhou Yunguang! You're talking nonsense!" Li Mingyu was the first to roar in anger! His Buli (Brute Force) ability erupted in response! He stepped in front of Ling Chen! "Ling Chen's crystal cores were all killed by himself! I saw it with my own eyes! How dare you slander him!"
"Exactly! Have you forgotten how Ling Chen treated us before? He guided his ability to help us cultivate, he dragged his dying body out to find food and almost didn't make it back, you're going too far!" Sun Qiang also stepped forward, his metal fists clenching with a cracking sound!
Chen Xue tightly gripped Ling Chen's arm, glaring angrily at Zhou Yunguang, her voice choked with tears: "Zhou Yunguang! You… you're bullying him!"
Lin Wei's brows furrowed, and a hint of disapproval flashed in her eyes as she looked at Zhou Yunguang's nearly uncontrolled rage.
Zhou Yunguang ignored the others' anger, his gaze, like a venomous snake, locked onto Ling Chen: "Severely wounded and not yet recovered! Can't even walk steadily! Hunted eleven corpse ghouls in three hours? Do you take me for a fool?! Speak! Did Li Mingyu and the others help you kill them?! Or… did you steal someone else's crystal cores?!"
Ling Chen slowly raised his head. His pale face was devoid of any expression. His eyes were still "hollow" and "blank." As if… he hadn't heard Zhou Yunguang's interrogation.
He coughed violently, "blood" spilled from the corner of his mouth again, and his body swayed slightly, as if he might collapse at any moment.
"I… did not…" His voice was weak and hoarse, carrying the helplessness of a severely wounded person, "I… killed them… myself…"
"Killed them yourself?!" Zhou Yunguang was so enraged he laughed instead!
He suddenly raised his hand! Instantly, a Guangren (Light Blade) that shimmered with dazzling white light and was as substantial as reality condensed in his palm! The Guangren (Light Blade) emitted an unparalleled sharpness and… a wild mental pressure!
"Prove it to me!" Zhou Yunguang's voice carried a cold killing intent.
"Use your ability! Now! Immediately! Attack me! If you can harm even a single hair on me! I'll believe you! Otherwise… you cheated! And will be dealt with by military law!"
The sharp edge of the Guangren (Light Blade) pointed directly at Ling Chen! The fierce killing intent, like a tangible ice pick, ruthlessly stabbed towards Ling Chen's heart!
"Zhou Yunguang! You bastard!" Li Mingyu's eyes were bloodshot! His Buli (Brute Force) ability was pushed to its limit! He was about to pounce!
"Stop!" Chen Xue shrieked! Silver light surged wildly towards Ling Chen!
Sun Qiang's metal fists clenched tightly!
Lin Wei's pupils constricted instantly! Her Bianwei (Discern Micro) ability immediately locked onto Zhou Yunguang!
Just at this moment of extreme tension, on the verge of eruption!
Ling Chen… moved!
He still stood there "weakly." His face pale. His body swaying. But… he slowly raised his right hand. That… uninjured right hand.
His fingertips… did not condense the light of an ability. No summoning of bats. No energy fluctuations whatsoever.
He just… slowly… raised his hand. Pointing at Zhou Yunguang's… back… in the direction of the training ground entrance.
Then… he "blankly"… blinked. And with that weak and hoarse voice, carrying a hint of "confusion" and… a barely perceptible trace of… "fear"… he said:
"Instructor… behind… behind you… there's… there's a… a bat…"
A bat?!
Everyone subconsciously looked in the direction Ling Chen was pointing!
At the entrance of the training ground… it was empty! There was nothing there!
"Are you messing with me?!" Zhou Yunguang instantly exploded in rage! Feeling his dignity completely trampled! Killing intent burst forth from his eyes! The Guangren (Light Blade) in his hand flared with light! He was about to strike down regardless of the consequences!
However!
Just as his mind was distracted by Ling Chen's "foolish" pointing, his emotions completely overwhelmed by rage, and his Guangren (Light Blade) ability was frantically pushed to its limit!
Buzz—!!!
An extremely subtle, yet lethally polluting dark purple mental fluctuation, like an invisible poisonous needle, pierced with extreme precision… deep into Zhou Yunguang's mental core! That… fragile node… where Ling Chen had already secretly planted a "pollution seed"!
"Ugh ah—!!!"
Zhou Yunguang suddenly let out a distorted, shrill scream! As if he had been brutally struck on the head by an invisible heavy hammer! The Guangren (Light Blade) in his hand instantly disintegrated! Turning into countless light particles and dissipating!
He clutched his head, his body convulsing violently, trembling! From his seven orifices, threads of… dark purple blood instantly oozed out! His eyes were filled with extreme pain and… an unbelievable… horror!
Ability backlash?! Mental breakdown?!
Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events! They watched in disbelief as Zhou Yunguang, who had just been so imposing, now twitched painfully as if having an epileptic seizure!
"Instructor!"
"Instructor Zhou!"
"What's going on?!"
Exclamations erupted!
Ling Chen still stood there "blankly." As if he had been scared silly by the scene before him. He took a step back "weakly," his body trembling slightly, his eyes filled with "innocence" and… a perfectly timed hint of… "fear."
On the way back, he had already understood clearly that this was not the only Reserve Team of ability users in the entire Panshi Fortress; it was just a gathering of all rescued students with abilities, referred to as the Student Reserve Team.
Thinking about it, it was true. How could Panshi Fortress possibly place all its hopes on a group of children? That would be too ridiculous.
So, if that was the case, Zhou Yunguang's life or death no longer seemed so important. A training officer for the Reserve Team? This rank was ridiculously insignificant, to the point where another instructor was even present to oversee the counting of the Heterocrystal .
And he could actually be so high and mighty and proud because of it? He was simply stupid to the core.