Chapter 156: The Test

Morning.

A ray of morning sunlight shone through the window, gently casting over the young man's face. Lin QiYe's eyelids fluttered slightly before slowly opening his eyes…

He saw the ray of sunlight outside the window and paused for a moment. Then he sat up from the bed and glanced at Bai Li Pangpang, who was still lying in bed, sleeping like a dead pig. A hint of confusion flashed in Lin QiYe's eyes.

"It's 5:30…" Lin QiYe glanced at the time, and his confusion deepened.

Where's the whistle?

Normally, around 5 a.m., the instructors would blow the whistle, and they would hurriedly rush to the training field to assemble. After the morning training, they would return to wash up…

But today… it's already 5:30, and there's not a single sound? Could it be that the instructors are in a good mood and decided to let them sleep a little longer? One question after another flashed through Lin QiYe's mind.

Should he try to go back to sleep? He definitely wouldn't be able to.

Since he couldn't sleep, Lin QiYe simply got out of bed, grabbed his toiletries and basin, and quietly pushed the door open to head out.

Outside the hallway, it was eerily quiet.

When Lin QiYe reached the public wash area, he finally saw a few familiar figures.

Special forces soldier Zheng Zhong, Cao Yuan, and two heirs of ancient martial arts families—Lin QiYe remembered one was named Mo Lan, and the other was Li Shaoguang.

"QiYe, you're awake too?" Cao Yuan greeted as he saw Lin QiYe approach.

Lin QiYe nodded and cast a puzzled look toward the direction of the training field. "I just don't understand why the instructors haven't blown the whistle yet…"

"It's rare to have a relaxing morning, so it's not so bad," Li Shaoguang said with a towel in his hand, wiping his face with a smile.

"I've gotten used to waking up early. It's a bit uncomfortable to suddenly have some free time," Cao Yuan shrugged.

Zheng Zhong nodded in agreement, holding his wash basin and gazing at the silent training camp beyond the railing. He furrowed his brow slightly. "But I have a feeling… something's not right."

"There's nothing wrong," Mo Lan casually flicked the water from his hands and walked back to his room, "If the instructors don't blow the whistle, I'll practice shooting on my own. If you need someone to supervise you for everything, you'll never become a strong person."

Watching Mo Lan walk away, Lin QiYe shook his head, dispelling the chaotic thoughts in his mind, and began to wash up.

Not long after, he returned to his room. After hesitating for a moment, he sat down on his bed and began to meditate.

Time passed slowly.

The sunlight outside grew more blinding, and the voices from the hallway seemed to be increasing. Lin QiYe opened his eyes and glanced at the time.

It was 7:30 a.m.

7:30 and still no whistle?

Lin QiYe frowned slightly. If they hadn't blown the whistle at 5:30, it could have been because the instructors had a change of heart. But now, if they still hadn't blown the whistle…

It was likely that something had happened in the training camp, something they didn't know about.

On the opposite side, Bai Li Pangpang was still lying in bed, sprawled out in a peaceful sleep…

Lin QiYe couldn't help but twitch his mouth. He picked up his slipper and slapped it against Bai Li Pangpang's face.

Slap—

The slipper made a simple, no-frills contact with Bai Li Pangpang's cheek before slowly sliding off, leaving a red mark. Bai Li Pangpang grumbled a little, then went back to snoring softly.

Lin QiYe: ...

He walked over to Bai Li Pangpang's bedside, shaking his body while speaking in a deep voice:

"Wake up, time to eat!"

Bai Li Pangpang flipped over, as if he hadn't heard anything, and continued to sleep.

Lin QiYe furrowed his brows slightly, a sense of foreboding slowly creeping in…

After hesitating for a moment, he grabbed Bai Li Pangpang's wrist, where the ACE watch was, and forcibly injected a large amount of spiritual energy into it. Instantly, Bai Li Pangpang's body jolted and sprang up from the bed, performing two backflips in the air…

Then, he crashed back onto the bed and continued to sleep.

At this moment, Lin QiYe's expression had completely changed.

No matter how deeply someone sleeps, there's no way they could do two backflips while asleep, right?

Lin QiYe scanned Bai Li Pangpang's entire body with his spiritual energy, finding no abnormalities. His breathing was steady, as if he were truly in deep sleep.

"This... is this a mental trap?" he murmured to himself.

Lin QiYe stood up and strode out of the room. By the time he reached the hallway, about a dozen people had gathered together, discussing something intensely.

"Lin QiYe!"

Upon seeing Lin QiYe, Shen Qingzhu, who had been frowning in the crowd, brightened up and quickly walked toward him.

"What's going on?" Lin QiYe asked.

"It's strange," Shen Qingzhu's brow was deeply furrowed, his tone unusually serious. "Deng Wei and the others have been sleeping this whole time, and no matter how much we call, they can't be woken up. It seems like they've fallen into some kind of mental trap…"

"Is he one of them?" Lin QiYe's heart skipped a beat.

"Not just him. Seventy percent of the people in this dorm building have fallen into the same state."

"What about the instructors?"

Shen Qingzhu shook his head. "People have already gone looking, but the strangest part is, the whole training camp is empty…"

"Empty?!" Lin QiYe's eyes widened.

"The instructors, the logistics team, even the old man in the cafeteria—all gone," Shen Qingzhu said gravely. "Right now, the entire camp only has us rookies left."

"Any signs of a struggle?"

Shen Qingzhu paused. "None."

Lin QiYe lowered his head and began thinking.

"I see now…"

"What have you figured out?"

"If I'm not mistaken, this is some kind of exercise or test," Lin QiYe said, his previously anxious heart now calm. He spoke evenly, "The instructors and everyone else disappearing without a trace of a fight means they left voluntarily, and they did it very secretly."

"You mean…?" Shen Qingzhu seemed to have realized something.

"What kind of people are the instructors? They're all experts above the Chuanjing level, and Chief Yuan Gang is at the Haijing level. With such a powerful lineup, how could they be wiped out without anyone noticing?

Their disappearance is just to create a specific environment—a scenario where only us rookies are left, isolated and helpless.

I suspect that they're currently observing us, using some method to monitor our every move."

"Damn it, are they messing with us again?" Shen Qingzhu's face darkened with anger. "What about Deng Wei and the others? What's going on with them?"

"We don't know yet, but one thing's for sure—they're not in immediate danger. Perhaps..." Lin QiYe's eyes narrowed slightly. "This is the test the instructors have left for us?"

"To hell with their test!" Shen Qingzhu cursed, then seemed to remember something. He turned around and, facing the surveillance cameras at the end of the corridor...

He suddenly raised his middle finger!