28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35
Chapter 28: The Data of the Ten Children
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
Ling Lan reigned in her elation, turning to ask Han Jijyun quietly, "What are the requirements to be a qualified soldier?"
Han Jijyun was very surprised by Ling Lan's random question, but still answered seriously, "Passion and loyalty in service of our beloved Chinese Federation, and to respect, trust, and care for our fellow warriors with a pure heart …" Han Jijyun recited the oath all soldiers had to swear under the flag of their country when they qualified to become a soldier and put on their uniforms; the oath already included all the qualities required of a soldier.
As she listened to Han Jijyun's recitation, Ling Lan's eyes grew brighter and brighter. She then continued asking, "And what are scout academies?"
"Nurseries for future soldiers," said Han Jijyun without any hesitation or doubt.
The smile on Ling Lan's lips became even more noticeable. "Then, we shouldn't lose our pure hearts to respect, trust, and care for our fellow warriors."
Han Jijyun abruptly came to a realisation, and his eyes brightened up. He finally understood what Ling Lan was hinting at.
"Qi Long, Luo Lang, go help Han Xuya and Luo Chao," shouted Han Jijyun to the two running at the front.
"Ah …!" Qi Long almost tripped over his own feet in surprise. Why did they have to help those two girls who were holding them back?
"I'll explain once the test is over." Although Han Jijyun agreed with Ling Lan's assessment, he didn't want to waste time arguing and so decided not to give Qi Long and Luo Lang an explanation right now.
Naturally, Qi Long listened to Han Jijyun. He gradually lowered his speed, dropping from first place to the last. Seeing this, Luo Lang hesitated for just a moment before following suit. Remember, one of the two girls who needed help was his own biological sister — in contrast, Qi Long had no direct relation to either girl.
Also, while it was true that Luo Lang wanted to beat Qi Long once, he didn't want to win in this way. The prideful Luo Lang wouldn't accept this sort of shameful victory.
Undeniably, Qi Long and Luo Lang had the best physical fitness among the ten children. (Ling Lan didn't count due to her being touched by the gods.) Even though they each took on the burden of another person, their speed was not reduced by much. In no time at all, the two of them had barrelled forward again, once more taking up their positions at the front of the group.
********
In a particular observation room, the officer who just happened to switch his screen to view room 72 let out a surprised shout. Each officer in the room was in charge of monitoring ten rooms. The officers would switch their individual screens between rooms every one minute, going through all ten rooms in ten-minute intervals, and this officer had just happened to start viewing the feed from room number 72.
The officer seated right beside him had been focused on his own screen, but couldn't help looking up in surprise at his colleagues' shout. He took a glance at his friend's screen out of curiosity, and when he saw what was happening, he also started to exclaim, "Oh, how interesting!"
Their cries attracted the attention of the superintendent, who walked over with a frigid expression on his face. "What's going on? Why did you both break the command to maintain silence?"
"Sir! We've noticed some promising recruits," hurriedly reported the two officers, saluting the superintendent. There was no chagrin at all in their voices, instead, their tone was matter-of-fact. They knew that they were in the right because there was an overriding command in the military — the discovery of any promising recruits was to be reported immediately … and that was precisely what they were doing now.
Upon hearing this, the superintendent's expression thawed. He looked at the screen, and with just one glance, his demeanour changed. What he saw on the screen had truly shocked him.
The two officers glanced at each other feeling proud of themselves, but also relieved that the children were still performing brilliantly at this bloody important moment.
Sadly, the screen wasn't cooperative; the superintendent had only observed for a few seconds when the feed switched over to that of another room.
"Wu, switch the feedback to the previous room," ordered the superintendent.
"Yes, Sir!" Officer Wu was the one who was in charge of monitoring Ling Lan's group. He quickly adjusted the feed so that the screen was fixed on the room Ling Lan's group was in.
From the screen, they could see that the two girls, Han Xuya and Luo Chao, who were originally being dragged around by Qi Long and Luo Lang's brutal pace, had now been piggybacked by the two boys. From the looks of it, the two girls had completely depleted their energy and could no longer run on their own.
Meanwhile, behind them, the six remaining children, including Ling Lan, had started running in a rotation, making sure to assist the two children with the weakest stamina. Of course, they also helped each other, giving each other a push or a supporting shoulder when necessary as they ran, so nobody had been left behind.
This current situation was a direct result of Ling Lan and Han Jijyun's decisive actions. If they hadn't reached out first to help the weakest two of their teammates, there would have probably been a few less people in the group by now.
Their actions had sparked some realisation in the other teammates, whom they didn't know as well, so when those teammates saw that they were growing tired, they had actually stepped up and offered to take over and help. Thus, the current situation came to be as seen on the screen.
"Give me the data of these ten children." Even as he marvelled at the sight, the superintendent's brows furrowed. A seed of doubt grew in his heart. This team was altogether too coordinated, causing him to suspect that someone may have abused their authority to manipulate things so that these children had been put into one group on purpose.
Soon enough, the data of Ling Lan's group of ten had been retrieved.
********
Ling Lan: Son of Major General Ling Xiao, god-class operator of the IN mecha , vice commander of the Seventh Division of the Interstellar Forces. Inheritor of said major general's premium military benefits. Physical Fitness: [S] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-2, Potential: [S] rank.
Qi Long: Son of Colonel Qi Yaoyang, ace pilot of the MT mecha , lead pilot of the Third Division of the Interstellar Forces. Physical Fitness: [S] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-2, Potential: [S] rank.
Luo Lang: Son of Colonel Luo Qifeng, commander of the Third Fleet in the Ninth Division of the Interstellar Forces. Physical Fitness: [S] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-2, Potential: [S] rank.
Han Jijyun: Son of Colonel Han Rong, deputy director of the Federal Central Military Intelligence Agency. Physical Fitness: [A+] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-3, Potential: [S] rank.
Luo Chao: Daughter of Colonel Luo Qifeng, commander of the Third Fleet in the Ninth Division of the Interstellar Forces. Physical Fitness: [B] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-2, Potential: [A] rank.
Han Xuya: Daughter of Major Han Yushao, acting head of the Federal Logistics Base on the Planet of Qiyuan. Physical Fitness: [B] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-2, Potential: [A] rank.
Luo Shaoyun: Commoner. Nephew of Captain Luo Jiguang, commander of the Third Company of the mecha protective task force for mecha operators of the Thirteenth Division of the Interstellar Forces. Inheritor of said captain's premium military benefits. Physical Fitness: [A] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-1, Potential: [A] rank.
Yuan Youyun: Descendant of the Yuan family of the Planet of Zhong Xing. Physical Fitness: [A] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-1, Potential: [A] rank.
Li Jinghong: Descendant of the Li family of the Planet of Doha. Physical Fitness: [B] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-1, Potential: [B+] rank.
He Chaoyang: Commoner. Adopted son of Captain He Shaoji, deputy captain of the Ninth Fleet Assault forces of the Seventeenth Division of the Interstellar Forces. Inheritor of said captain's premium military benefits. Physical Fitness: [B] rank, Spiritual Power: Tier-1, Potential: [B+] rank.
********
Taking in this data, the superintendent could clearly see that all the children came from different star systems, and had backgrounds from all walks of life, though over half came from traditional military families. Most importantly, however, even the weakest potential among the children was at [B+] rank. Even if that ranking might not qualify for the special classes, it was more than enough to ensure a spot in the regular classes.
The superintendent looked once more at the first line. Ling Lan's data, in particular, made a surge of emotion rise up within him. The god-class operator of the IN mecha Major General Ling Xiao … that man was the role model of countless soldiers … it was such a shame he had died in the death tunnel of a meteor field seven years ago. He could still remember what a shock it was when the news had first been received. The whole Federation had been shaken to its core, and all the military men had been greatly saddened by the tragedy.
For context, it should be noted that there were only 12 god-class IN mecha operators throughout the entire Federation. Each god-class operator was considered a national treasure, and was the representation of a country's might, acting as a deterrent to foreign enemies. And Major General Ling Xiao, in particular, had been the only operator to have ascended to god-class within the past ten years, and he had also been the youngest IN mecha operator.
Back then, everyone had been optimistic, anticipating that Major General Ling Xiao would be able to become the strongest god-class operator among the twelve, with youth as his greatest advantage. Sadly, the tree of his talent grew too high above the canopy 1 — it was toppled by the wind long before he could truly spread out his branches.
Later on, the Federation's investigation had uncovered that the magnetic turbulence within the death tunnel was most likely a sinister plot hatched by an enemy nation, specifically targeting Major General Ling Xiao. Unfortunately, the Federal Intelligence Agency hadn't discovered this in time, and the painful price of their oversight was twofold — not only had the nation lost the potentially strongest god-class mecha operator of the future, but the two countries had also become bitter enemies, whereby the war between them would not stop till one side was annihilated.
The death of a god-class mecha operator would never be forgiven by the soldiers of the Federation!
Chapter 29: The Final Lap
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
The superintendent suppressed his surging emotions, putting his full focus on the performance of the ten children on the screen. Finally, he smiled with satisfaction and said, "End their test and let them out."
The officer in charge of monitoring Ling Lan's group wavered, and asked, "Then how shall we score them?"
The superintendent glared. "Do you need me to teach you something so simple? How much time did they take to complete the course? And how is their condition now?"
The officer's eyes brightened. "Understood, Sir."
*********
Meanwhile, on Ling Lan's end, the group of ten had been holding out for another few rounds. By now, even the indomitable Qi Long and Luo Lang were starting to tire. Running with another person on your back was worlds apart from running on your own — after just a few rounds, they had begun to feel the doubled strain on their bodies. Initially, they had thought that they would be able to persist for another ten to twenty rounds, but now they weren't so sure about that.
Among the ten children, Ling Lan was definitely the one in the best condition. Or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that she was never tired — because from the moment they had started running, Ling Lan had been circulating her Qi.
Ever since she had tasted its fruits in the strength test, Ling Lan had harboured suspicions that the Qi exercises still had secrets for her to uncover. So, she decided to apply it once again during the running test. Clearly, her decision was a wise one — after running for so long, she was still brimming with energy, and her vital stats remained at the same levels as when she was at rest.
These numbers were all supplied by Little Four. While Ling Lan was marvelling at her discovery, Little Four had shuffled over … To put it nicely, he wanted to help Ling Lan research the Qi exercises and fulfil his role as a contracted assistant … but in truth, Little Four was just bored because he had no access to the internet here.
Still, with Little Four's help, Ling Lan very quickly understood the secrets of the Qi exercises. Apparently, circulating Qi could replenish the body's energy as it was being expended, as well as repair any damage affecting the body's functions, allowing the body to maintain peak condition over long periods of time.
Of course, Little Four also noted that the current situation, where her body was maintaining a stasis between expenditure and recovery, was only possible because Ling Lan was not using much energy right now. If Ling Lan were to carry someone and run, like Qi Long or Luo Lang, full equilibrium would probably be impossible — some energy would still be expended. That said, Little Four encouraged Ling Lan by adding that the amount of energy recovered by the Qi exercises would increase the more she trained and circulated her Qi, to the point that eventually, she may possibly never have to worry about her energy levels ever again. (Of course, this was only a possibility after several decades of training … but Little Four decided that Ling Lan didn't really need to know that.)
Ling Lan, who was still as sprightly as ever, looked at the sweat streaming from Qi Long and Luo Lang's foreheads as their steps started to slow. She could tell that their stamina was starting to fail, and that they might soon be unable to go on. Ling Lan was unsure whether she should offer to take over and help them — she wanted to, but she was also afraid that she would stand out too much by doing that. If only there was a way for her to help without being noticed …
Currently, under Little Four's regulation, Ling Lan's outward condition appeared to be similar to that of Han Jijyun's. Both of them were panting hard, and the backs of their shirts were drenched with sweat. After all, she had been helping the weakest boy in their group all this time — although she wasn't piggybacking the boy like Qi Long, carrying part of another's weight was still naturally more tiring than running solo.
A devil and an angel were fighting in Ling Lan's mind as she pondered this dilemma. But before one of them could overpower the other, the outside world had already made Ling Lan's decision for her.
Luo Lang cheered as he pointed towards one side, "I see a sign! One more lap left!"
Luo Lang's words were like a shot of adrenaline to the heart. Some of the children who were on the brink of giving up rallied themselves for a final push.
Ling Lan looked towards where Luo Lang was pointing at, and saw an examiner lifting a display screen, which only had a number one written on it in Arabic numerals. This clearly indicated that they only had one more lap left to go.
Seeing this, Han Jijyun encouraged the group onwards, "Just one more lap left. We need to hold on no matter what. Make sure no one is left behind!"
"Okay!" all the other nine members of the group shouted in response, Ling Lan included. They would get through this final round no matter what.
Han Xuya suddenly inhaled sharply, and yelled, "Qi Long, put me down."
"What's wrong?" asked Qi Long in surprise.
"The last round. I can do it." It was impossible for Han Xuya not to have noticed Qi Long's fatigue, and she didn't want Qi Long's results to be affected because of her. Qi Long was meant for the Special A-class. For this final round, she would run on her own, even if she fainted before she could finish … she didn't want to burden Qi Long any longer.
On the other side, Luo Chao was also trying to convince Luo Lang to put her down for mostly the same reason. She didn't want her brother's results to be dragged down because of her. The two girls wanted Qi Long and Luo Lang to run at full speed for this final lap so that they could battle it out for the best time.
Han Jijyun stepped in to dissuade them, "It's already the final lap. If we don't all make it to the end, then what we've been doing so far will all be for nothing. Besides, you all should know what true soldiers do — they never leave a comrade behind!"
Han Jijyun's words were like a ray of light. Several of the quick-witted children had immediately figured out what he was saying. Han Xuya and Luo Chao, who had initially still wanted to protest, also changed their minds at Han Jijyun's words. Instead, Han Xuya urged, "Qi Long, pull me quickly, let's move faster." Since they had already decided to finish together, then they couldn't afford to waste even one more second.
And so, the strong pulled the weak in Ling Lan's group, and just like that, they supported each other as they hastened towards the finish line. At this time, Ling Lan took charge of pulling along the weakest two boys, leaving Han Jijyun free to run on his own. Han Jijyun threw a grateful glance in her direction — Ling Lan's help was much appreciated. His stamina was almost completely gone; if he still had to pull along another person, he was uncertain if he could actually finish this final lap.
********
Outside the virtual environment testing room was an open-air café where more than a few of the examiners were seated, drinking tea and chatting with one another. This test was a long one which would last for at least three to four hours. Naturally, the examiners would not just sit outside the testing room and wait the whole time — most of them would typically order a cup of tea or coffee here to pass the time, and perhaps find a few familiar friends to chat with.
Similarly, the on-site examiner responsible for room 72 was talking to a few close friends. He was just getting comfortable when the communication device on his wrist started beeping.
He tapped the accept button on the device, and with a silver flash, a holographic screen appeared before him. Simultaneously, the image of the officer in charge of monitoring room 72 appeared on the screen.
"Notice, the testees in room 72 are about to complete the test. Please make the necessary preparations."
The examiner was bewildered. "Complete the test? In less than two hours? Really?" He really could not be blamed for his disbelief, for there had never been a record of this test being completed in less than two hours in all the history of the scout academy tests. The only exceptions were the children who had to be removed early from the room when they fainted out of exhaustion.
However, there was no such notification from his communication device, which was tracking the status of the ten children he was responsible for. None of the dots representing the ten children were red, which indicated unconsciousness, or even yellow, which meant their body had given out on them. All the dots were still green, indicating that they were all still conscious and that their bodies were still capable of going on.
The invigilator of room 72 observed the incredulous face of the on-site examiner, and couldn't help but laugh. He kindly reminded him, "You should hurry, otherwise you won't make it in time. Also, the kids in that group are great kids. You won't be disappointed."
Without giving the examiner any chance to ask any further questions, the invigilator of room 72 ended the video call. He grinned to himself as he recalled the shocked face of the examiner — coming here to monitor these kids had not been so boring after all.
********
The examiner stared blankly at the dark screen before him, speechless. This blasted invigilator — couldn't he have explained more clearly?
The rest of the on-site examiners had also heard their conversation, all of whom were now looking at him in shock. Of course, there were also those who were burning with curiosity, and were just waiting to find out more so they could gossip.
"I've got it. Let me find out what's going on, then I'll come back and tell you guys. I need to go work now." Pensively, the examiner stood up, calmly grabbing his military cap from the table and putting it on before slowly ambling over to room 72.
Dammit, those children in there had better not disappoint him! The examiner tried to suppress his anticipation … ha, his previous calm had actually been completely faked.
Chapter 30: I Order You All To Attack Me!
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
The café was connected by just one tunnel to a pearly-white, awe-inspiring building of epic proportions right across from it. Its walls, which stretched on endlessly, appeared to be seamless, but they actually contained countless electronic doors hidden from the naked eye. The main door to this virtual reality construct was accessible from this tunnel, and it was open to the professional soldiers of the Federation for virtual simulation training and sparring.
On the other hand, the entrance Ling Lan and the other children had entered from was actually the backdoor of this virtual reality construct. It was connected to the scout academy and appeared to be just a regular field from the outside. This was also why Ling Lan had been so easily fooled — who'd have thought that a scout academy would have access to such advanced virtual technology? From this, one could see how much importance the Federation placed on cultivating talent among the young.
Of course, the convenient access bestowed upon the scout academy was not purely for testing purposes. In the future, the assistance of virtual technology would be invaluable in elevating all the stats of the children.
The examiner walked along the pearly-white wall for a distance. Frankly speaking, without using the signal he had pre-set with his communication device, the examiner himself wouldn't have a clue where room 72 was. Once these electronic doors merged into this endless wall, they could no longer be seen from the surface; as if they had become one with the wall.
The examiner was walking down yet another length of the wall when suddenly, the communication device on his wrist vibrated. He immediately stopped, a smile appearing on his face. It looked like he had found the room.
Almost randomly, he brushed his fingers over the section of wall right in front of where he stood, though it was really with focused intent. Soon enough, his fingertips told him that he had found the correct spot, and he pressed down lightly three times.
The wall reacted rapidly — the spot where the examiner had pressed lit up, and a palm-sized screen emerged from the wall. The screen displayed a password page, with an input keyboard consisting only of the ten Arabic numerals, 0 to 9.
The examiner smiled as his fingers flew across the keyboard. His speed was astounding — his fingers moved so quickly that they appeared to leave blurry trails in the air. It was impossible for any observer to see which numbers he was pressing … and then there was a loud click, like the sound of a sealed door unlocking. Within the blink of an eye, a doorway had appeared to the left of the examiner.
The examiner strode in, and the door closed behind him, silently blending into the pearly-white wall once again.
The moment the examiner entered room 72, a wide virtual race track came into view. Behind him, neither the door nor the wall could be seen anymore — only a race track, which extended as far as the eye could see, remained. The illusion was so realistic that it was hard to believe that a door and a wall had existed right there just moments ago.
The examiner did not wait for long before ten figures appeared on the distant horizon. Some were running while some were pulled along, some were dragging down others down while some supported others … but still they staggered forward at a run — no, walk would be more accurate. It looked like the ten children were at the end of their ropes. In the past tests, the children would usually appear one at a time, unlike this group that still appeared organised and managed to arrive at the finish line without losing a single member.
The examiner found himself slightly impressed. Perhaps this was what the monitoring officer had been trying to tell him — they were truly great kids.
When the children saw him, they suddenly perked up and then, as if they had been injected with stimulants, they rapidly stormed towards the examiner like ferocious tigers.
The examiner smiled. The fact that the promise of victory could prompt such a reaction from these kids was a good sign — truly, they had potential. The examiner was very pleased, and his impression of Ling Lan's group improved yet again.
"I see the examiner …" The exhausted Qi Long caught sight of the examiner when he lifted his head and the welcome sight made him call out in exhilaration. Hearing his call, the other nine children rallied, eyes turning bloodshot, their appearances just like rabid wolves …
Ah woooo! Eerily in sync, the ten children let out a ravenous howl and then, just as if they had seen a gourmet dish cross over into their territory, they abruptly exploded with energy, rushing toward the examiner standing in the distance.
They barrelled over the finish line but didn't slow down at all — instead, they actually sped up as they pounced on the waiting examiner.
The charge of the ten children was so aggressive that the examiner was taken aback, but who did they think he was? The examiner was a professional soldier who had lived through largescale galactic battles; he regained his composure within a split second.
"These little rascals!" Facing this sudden attack, the on-site examiner was rather speechless. With a stony expression, without even moving a single step, he slightly twisted his body to the side. And just like that, he completely evaded the children's desperate final attack.
"Darn it, we missed!" Qi Long stumbled face first into the ground and punched the ground in frustration.
Luo Lang, who was not far away from Qi Long, also slumped to the ground with a face full of dissatisfaction. The thing was, just as they were about to give up, Qi Long had suggested a plot that had boosted their waning energy …
What Qi Long said was that they must take revenge upon the examiner by turning him into a human cushion. That's right, they would push him to the ground and stack themselves on top of him. This would show the examiners that they were not to be easily bullied!
Alright, so this plot had fanned the festering hatred of the ten children to the max, actually managing to draw out unknown wells of energy from within them, which had allowed them to continue running all the way till the end.
Hatred truly was a formidable force.
As for Ling Lan, she hadn't cooperated mainly out of hatred. Instead, her mind had drifted to strange places — just thinking about a group of bratty kids pushing down a mature and handsome examiner … wasn't this just like some trashy group student-teacher romance? Wasn't it? Wasn't it?
Fine, so Ling Lan was a corrupted soul. It was all the fault of her previous life, during which she had read all sorts of lowbrow novels without shame.
The examiner stood watching them with his arms folded before him. With a cold smile, he said, "Oho, I see you still have energy left. Not bad." The frigid look on his face was like ice, but he was actually ecstatic inside. Hell, this group was just too much like those batches of new soldiers he trained — they had spirit, they had guts, and they could think for themselves. And yet they were only six years old … how extraordinary. The examiner felt the itch to just grab these ten children straight into his boot camp for special training — they were sure to become great soldiers someday.
Qi Long raised his arms in surrender. "Sir, we are fully beat."
The examiner scoffed, "If you all want to pass, get up." Dammit, still being able to speak in such a loud voice when you're out of energy? Who do you think you're trying to fool?
Qi Long tsked, but pried himself off the ground anyway. Everyone had worked so hard to complete this test, if they failed simply because they couldn't stand up at the end, how shameful would that be? Qi Long was deeply influenced by his father, who firmly believed that men should face death standing up.
Qi Long was the first to stand up, and Luo Lang was the second. Even though Luo Lang's hands and legs were cramping due to exhaustion, he still couldn't bear losing to Qi Long. Seeing Qi Long stand, he pushed his body to stand out of sheer unwillingness to lose.
Ling Lan was next, followed by Han Jijyun, Luo Shaoyun, Li Jinghong, and He Chaoyang. They each stood up one by one, in sequence, until the final two, the girls Han Xuya and Luo Chao, were standing as well.
Although they stumbled and fell several times in the process, gracelessly, they all still managed to stand up straight in the end. In their eyes, all one could see was the stubborn persistence for success.
The examiner was pleased. "Not bad, you lot are certainly spirited. Now, I order you all to attack me."
All the children were stunned by this sudden turn of events.
Han Jijyun reacted the fastest. The CPU of his brain spun at high speeds, analysing the intent behind the examiner's words. His expression was serious and solemn as he asked, "Why?"
Chapter 31: The Weak Have No Right to Speak
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
"Why?" echoed the examiner with a cold smirk, "Do any of you have the right to ask?"
Han Jijyun was not flustered by the examiner's rebuttal. With his usual level-headedness, he said, "Isn't the test over? The examiner at the start had stated very clearly that once we reached the finish line, the speed and stamina test would be over. So we have the right to refuse your command."
Han Jijyun knew that everyone was already on their last legs — some were even having trouble standing, only staying upright out of sheer bullheadedness. Leaving aside attacking the examiner, they may not even be able to take even one more step.
The examiner looked at Han Jijyun, and there was a trace of approval in his eyes. This child was calm and analytical, not easily swayed by an opponent's show of force. In addition, he could defend his stance with evidence, displaying solid logical thinking, and was good at catching on to key points and discovering the logical flaws in other people's speech. Overall, a good candidate for a military strategist.
Still, no matter how much he admired Han Jijyun, he wouldn't change his mind. With a mocking smirk on his face, he said, "Brat, let me teach you all the first rule you need to know to survive in this world — the weak have no right to speak."
He swept a critical gaze over the angry children, and ten pairs of fierce and stubborn eyes stared right back at him. He was satisfied — if they hadn't been angered by his words, then their parents would have raised them in vain.
When the examiner's gaze swept over Ling Lan, he couldn't suppress a soft exclamation — Ling Lan's eyes were the calmest among the ten children, still like dead water, deep and unfathomable. Was he scared silly? Or had he seen through the ruse? Or perhaps he was just unmoved by all this? The examiner frowned, and watched Ling Lan thoughtfully for a beat or two.
What the examiner didn't know was that his gaze filled with killing aura was completely ineffective against Ling Lan. Remember, Ling Lan had grown up under the crushing pressure of Number One's presence. In contrast, this kind of superficial scare tactic was really nothing to Ling Lan.
Reining in his curiosity towards Ling Lan, the examiner's face turned sly, and with an evil grin on his face, he said, "You all can choose to ignore my command. However, your results for the speed and stamina test … well, sorry, you will all fail." His killing aura dissipated as he said this, as if it had never been there to begin with, but his words were cruel, casually threatening to destroy the children's dreams and ambitions.
These words caused the faces of all the children in Ling Lan's group to fall. They had come brimming with confidence to enrol in this top-ranked scout academy, not to return home with their tails between their legs.
"We have the right to submit a complaint." The expression on Han Jijyun's youthful face was frigid; he was indeed an extremely intelligent child, but no matter how smart he was, he was helpless against this sort of irrational bullshit. His chest felt choked with rage; this was the first time he had experienced the futile anger of the weak and downtrodden.
"No, no, no! Didn't you all read the examination rules? Any child who complains or protests will have their results thrown out for this year — Could it be that you all would like to wait and try again next year?" The examiner laughed as he shook his head, strolling over to stop in front of Han Jijyun, where he then bent over slightly to look the boy in the face with mocking playfulness. With deliberate slowness, he bit out a word at a time, "Smart little repeat student!"
This expression, these words, and this sort of dismissive look — it was all just too infuriating. Damn, this examiner was just asking to be beaten up.
Asking to be beaten up? Ling Lan sweat-dropped, and immediately yelled out in her mind, "Little Four, are you messing with my thoughts again?"
Little Four slunk out from a corner, face scrunched up in an unhappy pout. His usually round face now looked like a steamed dumpling as he spoke through pursed lips, "He's too despicable! Bullying children!"
Alright, so Ling Lan wasn't even angry yet, but the mentally immature Little Four had already been riled up by the examiner on her behalf. "Lord, beat him up for me."
Ling Lan quirked her lips in a slight smile. "What's in it for me?"
Little Four was slack-jawed. He had not expected Ling Lan to ask for something in return for his request. Didn't she know that he was requesting this for her sake?
"Why?" Little Four wailed. Wasn't his host angry as well?
"You said it — you want me to beat him up 'for you'. Since I would be helping you, of course you should give me something in return." Ling Lan's self-satisfied smirk made Little Four think to himself that she was no better than the examiner, a big bully who bullied children.
"But he's bullying you! Don't you feel angry?" Little Four couldn't understand — the examiner was being so mean that even he felt indignant … why was Ling Lan so calm?
"Bullying me? I don't feel it." Although Ling Lan didn't know why the examiner was being such a hard-ass, still, she could sense no ill intentions from him.
Ling Lan was extremely grateful for all the pressure that Instructor Number One and Number Nine had exerted upon her all these years. They had given her an ability that wasn't really an ability — being able to sense when someone had evil or killing intent towards her. Of course, according to Instructor Number One, this ability of Ling Lan was still only at the rudimentary level, not really applicable and actually quite useless. If she ever encountered any true experts or assassins, Ling Lan would be dead before she could sense anything.
Ling Lan's words made Little Four want to tear his hair out — his host was just too insensitive; the examiner's bullying was already so obvious, like a slap in the face, and she could still say she didn't feel it?
Ling Lan was just about to reassure Little Four when her expression abruptly changed — she sensed something off in Qi Long's aura; his spiritual power was fluctuating wildly.
"Help me think of a way to pass Instructor Number One's exam three days later!" Ling Lan threw out her request, and without giving Little Four any chance to protest, she retreated from her mind-space. There was something wrong with Qi Long and she needed to keep her attention on him.
At this point, Ling Lan's nerves were taut, on full alert as she leaned slightly forward with both arms held low and slightly bent, one up and one down in a vague cross. Her right leg was shifted back, with her weight resting fully on her heel — this was a basic combat stance that she had learned this year from Number Nine. It was the best neutral resting stance for attacking or defending, allowing the body to move and expend energy with ease.
Suddenly, Qi Long lifted his bowed head and everyone could see his bloodshot eyes, filled with killing intent. However, this killing intent was directed only at the examiner — it looked like the examiner's taunting of Han Jijyun had thoroughly angered Qi Long, and he was ready to explode.
The examiner sensed Qi Long's killing intent and leapt backwards with some surprise in his eyes. But by the time he landed, his entire demeanour and stance had changed, and all his eyes held was the anticipation for a fight.
Hollering loudly, Qi Long shot forward like a torpedo, swinging his tightly clenched fists at the examiner. There was a loud crash and then dirt went flying, blocking everyone's vision.
Could it be that Qi Long had actually hit the examiner? Did he throw the examiner to the ground? The other children couldn't see anything clearly and could only look at one another helplessly.
Only Ling Lan had a solemn expression on her face, her brows slightly raised. Though the others couldn't see what had happened due to the dust, Ling Lan had seen everything. Little Four had displayed everything that had occurred between Qi Long and the examiner in her mind, bypassing the problem of the dirt and dust entirely.
Chapter 32: Ling Lan Makes a Move!
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
Qi Long's punch had missed — the examiner had evaded Qi Long's blow with a tilt of his body, causing it to strike the ground, sending dirt flying into the air.
Even so, the gouge left on the ground from Qi Long's strike, roughly 3 inches deep and 1 metre wide, revealed that the power behind it was definitely no less than the 500 catties Ling Lan had lifted during the previous test.
It was impressive that Qi Long could achieve 500 catties worth of strength with just his own power; this was obviously a purer and more direct reflection of strength as opposed to Ling Lan's performance due to the circulation of Qi.
A flash of pleasant surprise passed through the examiner's eyes — perhaps even he hadn't expected that Qi Long would have such great strength. Even though this level of strength was nothing to the examiner, it had to be noted that Qi Long was still only six years old. There was no question that once Qi Long grew up, his strength would further grow to become even more impressive.
Qi Long didn't stop attacking just because his first attempt struck air. As the others watched, he once again leapt into the air and pounced at the examiner.
Unfortunately, despite all his speed and strength, Qi Long's attacks were full of holes due to his undeveloped combat skills. As such, the examiner was under no pressure whatsoever — if Qi Long were an enemy on the battlefield, the examiner could have killed him with one strike.
As the dust and dirt drifting through the air finally dissipated, the group could finally see the battle between Qi Long and the examiner. They looked on as the examiner blocked all of Qi Long's attacks using just a single hand.
Luo Lang lowered his voice and said to Ling Lan, "I'll go and help Qi Long. We'll count on you to hit the examiner." With that said, he jumped into the fray without waiting for a reply from Ling Lan, using all his might to send a punch flying towards the examiner's face.
Luo Lang's attack forced the examiner to bring out his other arm, and his previously stationary body also begun to move. For a while, the three fought to a stalemate.
Although Luo Lang had spoken very softly, all the surrounding children had still heard what he said. All of a sudden, the trembling in their bodies diminished as they all turned toward Ling Lan with expectation in their eyes, hoping that she could do as Luo Lang said and hit the examiner.
Fine, so the examiner's taunts had thoroughly roused the children's hatred, drawing it onto himself — and the level of this hatred wasn't low, which was why they collectively wished for him to get hit several times so they could vent their anger.
Thanks to Qi Long's attack, Han Jijyun had regained his usual composure, and he now noticed that Ling Lan was the only one among them that was standing steadily. Although his stance was a little strange, it was oddly pleasing to the eye, making one feel that it was natural to stand that way. Though Han Jijyun didn't know what that stance was, he could still tell that it was definitely some sort of amazing combat art.
The children's expectant gazes made Ling Lan feel the pressure even more keenly, as if it was pressing down upon her like a mountain. She couldn't take their heated gazes and so turned to face the spot where the three combatants were — her face twitched minutely as she thought sullenly to herself, why did they all think she could hit the examiner? Could it be that they all knew that she had a learning space in her mind?
Of course Ling Lan knew that this was impossible. These kids had entrusted their hopes to her solely because she was the only one among them who could still move. Naturally, if she could really hit the examiner then that would be the best, but even if she failed … well alright, they didn't really have high hopes to begin with anyway. This whole attempt was just a shot in the dark; to succeed, they would really have to have the devil's own luck.
On the other end, the examiner had figured Luo Lang out after fighting him for some time. Although his strength wasn't as much as Qi Long's, it was still decent, probably around 100 catties. However, his physical fitness was clearly worse — fighting up till now, Qi Long's attacks only became fiercer and fiercer, while Luo Lang's breathing was showing signs of becoming irregular just after several attacks.
Still, the examiner also knew that Qi Long's current condition was rare — he had pushed past his limits to bring out his latent reserves of energy. In all these years, the examiner had never seen a child who could break past his own limits without outside stimulation from agents — it had to be said that Qi Long was truly talented.
Suddenly, he felt a chill seep out from his bones … his battle experience warned him of danger and without even having to think, his body jerked to a stop on the balls of his feet, and he used the energy generated from his momentum to change directions and leapt back two steps …
But it was too late! Before his eyes, a small, delicate white fist appeared, on the verge of hitting his face in the next second.
In the end, the examiner was still the examiner — he crossed his arms within this split second, successfully blocking this seemingly sweet and harmless little fist, which was actually filled with killing intent.
The two made contact with a resounding clap, and the examiner felt a huge wave of energy surge towards him. His body, which had yet to find stable footing, was once again forced to take a few steps back.
Meanwhile, borrowing the energy from the rebound, Ling Lan somersaulted through the air and landed securely between Qi Long and Luo Lang. She was still holding that odd basic combat stance, ready to launch her next attack.
The examiner's demeanour turned serious, all traces of his earlier playfulness gone. He looked at Ling Lan standing there in the middle, and he could actually feel cold sweat breaking out along his back. Who'd have thought that such a skilled fellow was hiding among this bunch of kids? He even knew how to hide his killing intent until the final second before revealing his fangs.
If it weren't for the fact that he had spent many years on the battlefield, gaining much experience and honing his reflexes, he would have certainly been hit by that last move. And although he wouldn't have taken much damage from it, losing face would have been unavoidable.
He cursed silently. Where did such a freakish talent come from? The boy looked so soft and fragile on the outside, with his delicate face and clueless expression — no matter how you looked, he simply looked like a cute, naïve, and innocent little boy who couldn't hurt a fly. And yes, although he had felt that there was something strange about the boy from the start, Qi Long's sudden attack and subsequent performance had grabbed all his attention, leaving the boy to fade into the background.
He would never have thought that this kind of unassuming child would almost make him crash and burn.
Ling Lan's unexpectedly strong display thrilled the surprised children. They would never have guessed that Ling Lan would be able to push the examiner back several steps with just one punch — could it be that their hopes would really be realised?
Han Xuya was an outgoing and passionate girl — her emotions ran high upon seeing the current situation, driving away her fatigue and making her shout out loudly, "Ling Lan, beat him! Beat him!"
On the other hand, Luo Chao was a shy and reserved girl. She merely smiled bashfully in surprise, eyes shining with just a touch of admiration as she stared at that skinny figure standing beside her brother. Although he wasn't as well-built as her brother and the other boy, in her eyes, he was no lesser than them and was in fact even more reliable.
Ling Lan didn't know that she had unknowingly caught the budding heart of a pure young girl, romantic feelings twining around her in mistaken adoration — oh, what a mess!
In the invigilation room, the invigilator responsible for room 72 switched his feed to Ling Lan's room once again out of boredom. Immediately, what he saw was a clear stand-off between the invigilator and the kids, and the atmosphere didn't seem friendly. Aghast, he thought to himself, what the hell was going on?
His curiosity piqued, he fixed his screen once again on room 72, leaving only a small window at a lower corner of the screen to rotate through the other nine rooms he was monitoring.
Ling Lan signalled with her eyes for Qi Long and Luo Lang to start their attack. She knew that if she was the one to lead the charge, they would definitely not be able to handle the examiner.
Although Ling Lan had learned basic combat skills from Number Nine and had also sparred constantly with Number Nine, it was all just mental practice in the end. There was still a significant difference when it came to real battles in the physical realm.
During her last attack, Ling Lan had already noticed that her physical body couldn't keep up with her intentions — the examiner would never have had the chance to dodge her attack otherwise.
Chapter 33: Savage Little Wolf Cubs!
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
Qi Long and Luo Lang, having received Ling Lan's signal, shared a quick glance before they sprung out to attack.
Qi Long's speed was just a tad faster than Luo Lang's — he got to the examiner first and threw out a furious fist.
This fist had both power and speed behind it, cleaving through the air with an audible sound. This caused the examiner's face to change, and he immediately raised his arm to block it.
And then a fiery sensation spread along his arm from the spot he had used to block — the brat's strength and speed had actually increased yet again … The examiner discovered that Qi Long was clearly the berserker type. Seeing the little fellow's impressive performance, the examiner was getting more and more excited.
Before the examiner could counterattack to push Qi Long back, Luo Lang's attack had arrived from his other side — a whipping kick.
Luo Lang knew that he wasn't very powerful and that his fists would be no threat to the examiner, so this time he chose to change his attack into a strong kick instead.
Luo Lang's decision was unquestionably correct. Seeing this aggressive kick, the examiner had to admit that he had miscalculated. Luo Lang, who he had initially considered as the weakest and relatively harmless, had also found a way to contribute effectively, forcing him to spare some attention to deal with the boy's attacks.
The examiner felt rather peevish. Why couldn't these kids act like regular six-year-olds and just come at him recklessly? Why did they have to be so smart and even think of changing tactics?
He had no choice but to reach out with his other hand in a grab, catching hold of Luo Lang's foot as it reached him. But just as he was about to throw Luo Lang away from him …
Oh no!
The examiner sensed the danger approaching him from below and quickly let go of Luo Lang's ankle to retreat.
He moved just in the nick of time as Ling Lan's attack brushed past where he was moments earlier — a crotch kick! Without his noticing, Ling Lan had positioned herself below him where she had then crouched, both hands flat on the ground, and launched her right leg directly upwards.
In that direction … was the place that men were most afraid of being injured.
The examiner, fortunately, noticed in time, managing to dodge Ling Lan's terrifying attack by a hair's breadth.
Damn, that was savage!
As the examiner landed, a shudder passed through his heart as his crotch tightened reflexively. Ling Lan straightened up, face cool and expressionless, as his gaze swept across the examiner's lower half with some trace of regret for the near-miss. Seeing this, the examiner couldn't help but retreat another three steps, putting some distance between him and Ling Lan's group, before he felt a little safer.
The examiner couldn't help but be afraid — just look at the power behind that kick! If that kick had landed as intended, his family line would most certainly have ended with him. The examiner was beginning to regret his whimsy — why did he have to be so goddamn curious? Overly excited at the promise of great talent, he had decided to tease these kids just a little, but he hadn't expected to end up kicking a steel plate.
These were not the adorable children they appeared to be — they were actually savage little wolf cubs in sheep's clothing! The examiner could almost cry!
But still — he liked them!
The examiner looked at the three children before him, each with varying expressions on their faces. Regardless if they were wild (Qi Long), angry (Luo Lang), or cool (Ling Lan), their expressions couldn't hide the sheer tenacity in their bones as well as their savage natures. The smile at the corner of his lips deepened. Any soldier would be overjoyed in the face of such promising young talent.
********
"Haha, examiner 072 is in deep shit," the invigilator couldn't help but jeer as he watched the proceedings up to this point. He hadn't missed how flustered the examiner had been in that last encounter.
The superintendent, who was just passing by on his rounds, overheard him speaking and looked over. When he saw that it was that officer who reported room 072 earlier, his irritation faded — after all, it was because of that officer that he had managed to learn about Major General Ling Xiao's inheritor. So he merely gently chided, "Quiet, what are you making noise about now?"
The invigilator looked up to see the superintendent and stood up grinning to salute him, and then he reported in a low voice, "Sir, please look at this, there is a little problem." He pointed at the screen, asking the superintendent to come closer and see.
The superintendent glanced at him doubtfully, but still bent over slightly to look at the screen. On it, he saw the three children attack almost simultaneously – one from above, one from below, while the last one exploited any openings – and although their actions were still obviously untrained, they were surprisingly coordinated, causing the examiner quite a bit of trouble.
"That's strange. What is examiner 072 doing? He should just take them down." The superintendent couldn't understand — he just subconsciously assumed that that would be an easy thing for the examiner to do against two or three little brats.
"Sir, take a closer look at this child's movements." The invigilator had watched for a longer time and so had sussed out part of the problem.
The superintendent knew that the invigilator wouldn't mention something for no reason, and so continued to peer at the screen intently.
********
In room 072, Ling Lan was finding it easier and easier to move as the fight progressed. Initially, there was still some disconnection between her body and her intent — a few times, she was already there in her mind, but her body was a beat slower, making her miss out on several opportunities to hit the examiner. During this prolonged fight, however, she could feel her body becoming more agile, starting to flow and work in tandem with her intent.
As Ling Lan got into her groove, the examiner naturally found it more and more troublesome to fight. At the start, he still had some room to slack off, but gradually, he found that he could no longer hold back. If he didn't put his full attention on handling Ling Lan's group's attacks, he was very likely to get hit by Ling Lan.
After fighting for so long, the examiner had also come to understand the children's strategy. They wanted to overwhelm his guard and find an opening, just to leave a mark on his body with either their fists or their feet. What a bunch of vengeful brats … the examiner thought to himself helplessly. He'd never have thought that a simple joke would cause the children to become so dead set on hitting him.
The examiner could only keep warding them off — he couldn't really hurt them after all, could he? Even if the military didn't sanction him for it, he would also be unwilling to do so. I mean, just look! These three kids before him had such great potential.
The examiner was not at all anxious. He had all the patience in the world to wait them out. A veteran soldier would never lack for patience, otherwise, they would never have survived the battlefield. These kids were already on their last legs to begin with — he believed that it wouldn't take long for them to run out of energy completely. At that time, they wouldn't be able to do anything even if they had more tricks up their sleeve.
Sure enough, just as the examiner predicted, the children couldn't fight on for much longer. Luo Lang was the first to run out of energy and was grabbed by the examiner, and thrown back into the middle of the other students where he remained slump, unmoving. Of course, the examiner did this skilfully so that Luo Lang's body wasn't injured in the process — he was only immobile due to fatigue.
And so only Ling Lan and Qi Long were left to fight against the examiner. Without Luo Lang's cover, Ling Lan's sneak attacks could no longer work, so Ling Lan decided that she might as well pull out all the basic combat moves she had learned in her mind-space and fight directly.
Ling Lan didn't forget what Number One said — what you learned must be applied, and it was even better if you could apply it in a real battle … Although fighting with the examiner was not really a real battle, it was still a chance for her to apply what she had learned in a combat setting, so of course Ling Lan wouldn't let the chance pass her by.
Besides, after fighting for so long, Ling Lan understood that the examiner would never hurt them, which meant that she could go all out without fear. Since the examiner was only going to be on the defensive, if she didn't take the chance to practice all her moves now, then when should she do it?
As Ling Lan's moves grew bolder, Qi Long's moves also became increasingly aggressive. Qi Long was a quirky child — he didn't like to think very much, being of a bold and brash character, but this didn't stop him from being strong. He instinctively chose the method best suited for himself, so when Ling Lan's attacks grew fiercer, he felt it was right and so followed suit.
The two fought ferociously to the point where the examiner was actually disadvantaged, where he looked like he was only able to focus on blocking.
The observing children on the side all cheered on Qi Long and Ling Lan, with the exception of Han Jijyun and the recuperating Luo Lang. The two boys had serious looks on their faces — they didn't think that Qi Long and Ling Lan's current style of attack would be of any use against the examiner.
Chapter 34: A Sure Hit!
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: mjn0898
Sure enough, after a flurry of rapid attacks Qi Long was the first to slow down, as the explosion of energy brought on by his berserk state came close to ending. His aura began to fluctuate unsteadily, and his breathing became laboured.
Ling Lan knew that Qi Long was likely at the end of his rope. If Qi Long dropped out, she would not be able to hold up against the battle-experienced examiner on her own, much less look for a chance to hit the examiner.
Ling Lan's brows furrowed as she considered her options. Deep down, she was actually rather annoyed — if she had known that she would have to fight in this random battle, she would have brought some weapons with her, such as some type of hidden weapon. Even if she could not hit the examiner with them, they would still have served as a good distraction.
Unfortunately, all she had on her were some consumable energy fluids to replenish physical energy, which she had brought as supplies for the exam. She only had three tubes, so even if she wanted to use them like hidden weapons, they wouldn't be very effective. She might have been able to fool the examiner for a while with a great number of items to throw, but with just these two or three things, the examiner would never fall for it.
What should she do? Let Qi Long eat one of the tubes to replenish his energy?
An idea sparked in Ling Lan's mind, and she immediately hatched a plan. So, she started to match her speed to Qi Long's, slowing down as she made her aura waver as well, breathing hard, and sweating freely from her forehead. All outward signs broadcasted the fact that she was about to collapse any second now.
Ling Lan and Qi Long's obviously deteriorating condition put a damper on their comrades' cheers, which slowly weakened and finally faded away. Disappointment and resentment was visible on all their faces — it looked like their dream of landing a hit on the examiner would not be realised.
Han Jijyun and Luo Lang exchanged a look, and saw each other's bitter smiles. Honestly, this result was within their expectations, however, somehow, it just didn't sit right with them — they had really hoped that Qi Long and Ling Lan could have brought them a miracle.
Was there really no hope left?
At that moment, Qi Long traded yet another blow with the examiner. This time, due to a lack of energy, Qi Long was thrown backwards by the examiner's block, stumbling back several steps.
These few steps back sapped away Qi Long's confidence, and the strength that had supported him in the fight all this time seemed about to disperse. His stance started to falter, and he looked as if he was about to crash. Seeing this, Ling Lan rushed over to hold him up, and with a few light steps, she rapidly whisked him away from the examiner, putting some distance between them.
"Are you alright?" With her back to the examiner, Ling Lan asked Qi Long frantically as she gripped his hand.
Qi Long's expression jerked and his spirits rallied, as if Ling Lan's concern had given him confidence and courage once more. He said nothing, but nodded firmly to show that he was fine.
Ling Lan turned around to look at the examiner, and then said resolutely, "Then let us fight this one last time." The condition of the two clearly showed that they were incapable of fighting any longer than that.
Qi Long clenched his fists, gaze determined as he said, "Ok!" That said, he swiped his right hand over his face, as if he were wiping away sweat, but also as if he were wiping away his fatigue to boost his confidence. The fighting spirit in his eyes was ignited once again, and it seemed like it burned brighter than before.
Even if he knew he was about to lose, he would not back down. Because this was their final chance — it was make it or break it.
Qi Long and Ling Lan's performance pleased the examiner greatly. The care and concern for a teammate, the courage to fight till the end against a strong opponent — these were all qualities necessary to become an exceptional soldier, and these two kids had them. This was very rare; he was glad that he had been able to find such excellent young talent.
Qi Long attacked first. Although his combination of punches still had speed and strength behind them, the examiner still managed to dodge them easily. There was no helping it — Qi Long only knew these few combat moves. After seeing them used repetitively, even if the examiner could not remember them, his body was already familiar enough with Qi Long's attacks that handling them was a breeze.
The examiner had just dodged Qi Long's attack when, on his other side, Ling Lan was already rushing in.
However, the examiner's attention had been on Ling Lan all this time, because, compared to Qi Long, Ling Lan was much harder to deal with. Although Ling Lan's combat moves were not that varied as well (she had only learned one basic set of combat skills), she was much smarter than Qi Long. She moved in unpredictable ways, and would modify her attacks according to the situation during battle. All this required the examiner to spend more thought when handling her.
The examiner saw Ling Lan's punch coming, and just like the attacks before it, it came from a spot that was the trickiest and most annoying to handle. These spots were basically defensive blind spots, very difficult to defend against — it was either dodge or substitute offense for defense, counterattacking the opponent to force them to retract their move.
Without having to think about it, the examiner pushed a palm out in return, aimed at Ling Lan's chest. His arm was longer and his palm was wider — even as a counterattack, he was certain that his attack would reach Ling Lan first. And in their earlier encounters, Ling Lan had always reacted as he had hoped and gave up on her attacks. After all, continuing on stubbornly when you knew that your attack would be fruitless would only get yourself hurt, while your enemy would remain unharmed. A smart person would never do such a stupid thing.
It was then that an accident occurred. Ling Lan didn't dodge but continued to press forward, and then, a figure appeared in the path of his palm hurtling towards Ling Lan — it was Qi Long!
Not good! The examiner was alarmed, but because everything happened so quickly, he could no longer stop his attack. He rushed to pull back the force in his arm as he felt his palm connect solidly with Qi Long's chest.
"AH!" screamed Qi Long, his entire body thrown into the air by the force of the blow. In mid-air, he threw up a mouthful of blood, and then crashed mercilessly onto the ground, where he then lay unmoving.
"Ah … Qi Long, he's hurt!" the observing children all yelled out in fright. Han Jijyun in particular had become petrified, his face white as a sheet.
The examiner was horrified. Had he pulled back too late? All his attention was now focused on Qi Long — looking at his prone body lying on the ground, fresh blood trickling out from the corners of his mouth in a steady stream.
How did this happen? Could it be that he really hadn't managed to pull back in time, and had struck Qi Long with full force? Had he injured his internal organs? The examiner's thoughts were a mess, with no mind to spare for other matters. All he could see was Qi Long's body on the ground, spewing blood.
"BAM!"
The loud sound of a strong fist hitting flesh rang out abruptly, and the examiner was sent flying by a large surge of energy, falling to the ground in a heap.
It turned out that Ling Lan had not given up on her attack. Taking advantage of the examiner's mental chaos, she had snuck in unnoticed to land a sure hit.
Ling Lan blew lightly on her 'weapons', her delicate fists, and grinned as she said, "Mission complete. Examiner hit. But sir, you wouldn't fail us just because you were embarrassed, right?"
Chapter 35: Test Completed!
Translator: ryuxenji Editor: H2dH2mr
Sprawled on the ground, the examiner's reaction was quick. With a back spring, he flipped back onto his feet.
Although Ling Lan's punch had seemed very powerful, powerful enough to send the examiner flying, it hadn't actually done much damage to the examiner, only leaving a dark bruise on the examiner's left cheek. Of course, this perfectly suited Ling Lan's intent — she had only wanted to prove that they were not so easily bullied.
The examiner stood there unmoving, but his face was an icy wasteland. Lifting his hand to touch the bruise on his face, even though it was numb to the touch, he felt an inexplicable hurt welling up from his heart.
Indeed, it was a hurt mixed with rage along with deep disappointment — he wasn't angry because Ling Lan had managed to hit him, but because, with that hit, Ling Lan had displayed a selfishness and ruthlessness that he could not condone.
The examiner could not fathom how this promising child, excellent on so many fronts, could be so cold and unfeeling to use his own companion as a human shield to achieve his ends. Although he had been flustered by the accident in the last encounter, his eyes had still seen clearly — Qi Long had suddenly appeared to block the hit meant for Ling Lan, not out of his own volition, but because Ling Lan had dragged Qi Long directly into the path of the examiner's attack.
Worse yet, Ling Lan seemed utterly unconcerned about the condition of his companion after the fact, only focused on his own results. This type of selfish behaviour was the last straw for the examiner — he decided that he would never give Ling Lan the chance to enter the special classes. The Federation could never give specialised cultivation to such a cold and unfeeling, selfish child. Even if he became a soldier, he would only bring harm to the Federation and to his fellow soldiers.
But before the examiner could start yelling, what happened next stunned the examiner into silence.
Ling Lan walked over to the unconscious Qi Long, who was still lying on the ground spewing blood, and kicked him several times on the side none too gently, saying with some consternation, "Alright. It's done. Aren't you going to get up now? Don't you think you're overdoing it?"
And just like that, Qi Long sat up, a silly grin on his face as he said, "You really hit him?" Blood continued to trickle out of the corners of his mouth as he spoke, gruesome to see.
Ling Lan said smugly, "Of course. Who do you think I am?" There were times when she just had to be childish — Ling Lan knew that she might already have overdone things a little, so all she could do was try and make up for it now.
Qi Long nodded repeatedly in open admiration as he said, "Yup, Ling Lan, you're definitely stronger than me." That said, he continued eagerly, "Didn't I act really well though?"
Ling Lan nodded easily without much sincerity, even going so far as to pat Qi Long on the head to humour him.
Alright, so Qi Long's current demeanour was just too much like those loyal dogs she was familiar with in her world 10000 years ago — that earnest begging look was just too adorable that she couldn't help but to reach out and pet him.
The straightforward Qi Long had no idea he was being patronised by Ling Lan, nor did he know that his image in Ling Lan's mind had been relegated to 'adorable'— He happily scrambled off the ground after being praised, licking at the dried bloodstains at the corners of his mouth. With some regret, he said, "Such a shame we had to waste so much energy fluid … this taste is awesome, I've never tasted such tasty energy fluid."
Ling Lan rolled her eyes internally at his words, thinking, of course it was delicious — that tomato-flavoured energy fluid was the result of her hard research, how could he compare it to other energy fluids? Thinking of the original taste of energy fluids, Ling Lan's body shuddered reflexively. That taste … was really not for human consumption. Probably even the cats and dogs of 10000 years ago would not touch it.
Ling Lan was not someone who would mistreat herself. Since she couldn't stomach the taste of it, she decided that she would change it herself. With the help of Little Four, they finally managed to develop energy fluids in several fruit and vegetable flavours, and tomato was just one of those flavours.
She had given Qi Long that flavour because the colouring of that flavour also resembled that of tomatoes, a vibrant red, which would easily let others mistake it for blood, lending even more credibility to Qi Long's act of getting injured.
Looking at the lively and spirited Qi Long bouncing around, Han Jijyun's face finally returned to its usual colour. He asked with some confusion, "What did you all do exactly?" When he had thought that Qi Long was seriously injured, he had been too overwhelmed with panic to see what was going on.
Han Jijyun's question echoed the question the examiner had in his mind. Although he was still uncertain about the details, by now, he had figured out that he must have fallen into some trap set by the two brats before him. How unexpected that a battle-experienced soldier like him would fall prey to the schemes of two children.
He wasn't at all angry, however. Instead, joy was coursing through him. The child that he had found most promising, with such impressive abilities, was really not as terrible as he had thought …
Qi Long heard Han Jijyun's question and hurried to explain, "When I was thrown back by the examiner, Ling Lan came to drag me away. It was then that he gave me energy fluid, and when his back was to the examiner, he hinted at me to act, to pretend to be injured using the fluid."
Still grinning widely, Qi Long scratched the back of his head, sheepish at causing everyone to worry. "So, when the examiner hit me later on, I pretended to get hurt and faked being unconscious."
The examiner looked at Ling Lan pensively, then suddenly barked out, "Were you not afraid of making an error? What if I hadn't been able to pull back in time? Your plan could have easily caused Qi Long to get injured, even destroy his future."
Ling Lan looked puzzled. "Would you, Sir, have made a mistake like that?" Implied was her utmost trust in the examiner's ability to control himself.
Qi Long just continued to grin, face still full of trust. Thinking of something, Han Jijyun looked at Ling Lan with an obscure gaze, which contained some hint of admiration but also a trace of anger, but he very quickly returned to his usual stoicism.
Ling Lan's words made the examiner splutter, but he really couldn't refute what he had said. He found that he had no idea how to handle this brat before him, but he had to admit that Ling Lan wasn't wrong — he definitely wouldn't have made such a mistake. If it weren't for the fact that Qi Long's act had been too realistic, spewing blood and all, he would never have doubted himself. In the end, he was the one who had been lacking in self-confidence.
The examiner chuckled dryly. To think that Ling Lan had shown him his own weakness — what a remarkable child.
This boy was really too extraordinary — bold as brass, yet attentive to details, and vicious in a fight. Scarier still, he had charisma, being able to convince others to join him easily — Qi Long and previously Luo Lang, though both strong themselves, had put their trust in Ling Lan unequivocally, letting him decide everything.
And lastly, the boy had used strategy to expose the weakness in his heart … the boy had understood that he would never hurt them, so if someone got injured during the fight, he would certainly be disturbed, thus revealing an opening in his defence.
The examiner sighed and shook his head. Children these days were certainly not easy to fool. Rather huffily, he said, "This time, you all pass!"
The examiner's words caused all the children to jump up in happy excitement. This meant that they had qualified to become students at this scout academy! Of course, whether or not they could attend the special classes was still to be decided — that would depend on the final score given by the examiner. Once the scores of the four exams had been totalled up, the first hundred students would be taken into the special classes.
The examiner ignored the students celebrating before him, focusing instead on turning on his communication device to press the button marking the completion of the test.