Chapter 146: Let Me Warm Up First

Examination Sector 33.

Four hours slipped by unawares...

The alliance of eight lords had set out to overthrow Ye Chao, yet they repeatedly failed to gather their forces.

Qu Shitu was cowardly, which made his absence normal. But why was Jing Xin, the ringleader, not showing up either?

Could it have leaked? Jiong Xiaoyi and Tang Lin silently guessed.

Alpha姬 was equally anxious. The grand spectacle was about to commence, yet the villains were chronically late... This—this called for a refund!

For the sake of secrecy, Jing Xin and Qu Shitu had specifically chosen an area devoid of surveillance. Even if cameras were present, most had been obstructed by their own designs. Consequently, despite the earth-shattering battle they were waging, not a single lens managed to capture it.

Left with no other choice, Alpha姬 had to crawl along the network cables, peeking through Jing Xin’s helmet to inspect the situation.

With a single glance, (??_??)...

Damn it, it was one thing that five out of the eight lords were traitors, but the two of you were actually starting an internal conflict right here—is this even salvageable?

Just as she was feeling distressed, a roar rang out.

"Regardless of whether they come or not, I certainly can’t wait any longer!" Song Baojian, tall and hot-tempered, leaped down from the second floor, landing with a heavy, explosive *thud*.

"Teacher Ye, everyone calls you Teacher Ye, so I’ll call you that too. I don't understand those scheming parlor tricks, nor do I care to. I came here simply to fight you. One-on-one."

"Very well." Ye Chao nodded and stood up.

Alpha姬: "..."

Song Baojian, you were supposed to be the lone righteous seedling, yet you defected to the enemy camp as well?

No, judging by your tone, were you just hitching a free ride from the very beginning?

Jing Xin, oh Jing Xin! You of all people hold the third-place ranking, yet is your political attribute genuinely negative? Having gone through so much trouble to muster this many people, not a single one actually follows you with a sincere heart?

Suddenly, Alpha姬 realized something...

Jing Xin was from Jiangcheng No. 1 High School.

Qu Shitu, Tang Lin, Fu Long'er... came from No. 2 High School.

Jiong Xiaoyi, Song Baojian, Liu Xiaoyi, Liu Xiaoya... came from No. 4 High School.

Ye Chao was from No. 3 High School, so having no allies from No. 3 was normal. But Jing Xin was from No. 1 and even ranked first, yet he couldn't recruit a single master from his own school...

His political capacity might genuinely be a negative value, giving Ye Chao's past self a run for his money.

Speechless, Tang Lin and Jiong Xiaoyi jumped out almost simultaneously: "Song Baojian, what do you mean by this? I (I) was here first!"

Song Baojian fiercely brandished a fist the size of a rice bowl: "I jumped down first."

"I (I) made an appointment last night!"

This timing was indeed quite early.

Having said that, Tang Lin and Jiong Xiaoyi glared at each other like fighting cocks: You could possibly be earlier than me?

"Jiong Xiaoyi, this wasn't what we agreed upon!" Abruptly, Liu Xiaoyi dragged her younger sister Liu Xiaoya forward, forcefully cutting into the conversation. "You said you'd let us go first."

The scent of gunpowder was as thick as a scorched pot, instantly pervading the entire room.

Damn it, Jing Xin and Qu Shitu were still fighting over there, but what on earth was happening here? They were starting an internal feud too.

Wait, no, no...

Weren't you guys supposed to be on Ye Chao's side? It would be normal for you to jump out and disrupt things right now, but your arguments... are so earnest, as if you intend to have a proper bout amongst yourselves as well? Aren't you getting a bit too carried away? Is your acting really this good?

They actually intended to have a proper bout!

It was rare to find such a suitable venue, rare to have an opportunity to go all out, and rare to possess three lives in this phase. If they didn't waste at least one or two of them here, wouldn't it be an utter waste?

It was impossible to mob him without ambition like Jing Xin did—how boring would that be? If they were going to fight, it had to be a series of singles matches! Six out of the eight people present thought precisely this way.

As for the remaining Fu Long'er: In any case, whatever Tang Lin says is right!

Alpha姬 cradled her cracking worldview, drifting precariously on the brink of a mental deviation...

The minds of these post-apocalyptic people were impossible to fathom—truly impossible to fathom!

Just as she was forcibly piecing her worldview back together to prevent herself from perishing on the spot, Alpha姬 abruptly noticed that Ye Chao had materialized a set of combat attire. However... it was neither a transforming mecha, nor a piloting suit, nor any combat apparel she had ever witnessed before.

It bore some resemblance to combat gear, except that on both sides of every vital joint—fists, ankles, elbows, knees, hips, and shoulders—he had attached wheels? Or rather, plates? Compact discs?

Anyway, they were round and flat, thinner than an iron discus yet thicker than a CD, varying in sizes. It looked like an acrobatic plate-spinning act, or as though Nezha had hung fire-wheels all over his body...

Oh, and he was also wearing a DTH Universal Satellite Dish reminiscent of a Vibranium shield on his forearm, which she did recognize.

What kind of... styling was this?

Alpha姬 was not the only one filled with curiosity; the array of challengers opposite him and even the two hundred thousand viewers of Jiangcheng were equally intrigued.

Jing Xin’s side had shielded the surveillance, but Ye Chao’s side certainly had not. Noticing the dispute here and the unnatural gathering of as many as seven examinees from the top twenty rankings, the camera quickly shifted over to them.

"Don't be impatient, and stop arguing. Allow me to warm up first."

Though his styling was bizarre, Ye Chao did not feel abrupt in the least. Having low emotional intelligence did have its perks.

Waving his hand to halt the bickering, he held his arm out flat, leveling the DTH on his forearm.

Though he had fabricated the device and roughly tested it, those trials had all taken place within the imaginary space. He had no absolute certainty of how it would perform in reality, so he needed to test it out regardless.

"Hum hum hum..." The DTH seemed to vibrate, yet perhaps it didn't; shifting between motion and stillness, perceptible yet elusive.

Everyone was puzzled. What was he trying to do? Warm up? The exam had been going on for so long, and you still haven't warmed up yet?

"Whoosh!" The DTH suddenly vanished!

With a sharp, piercing shriek of displaced air, a streak of light too fast for the human eye to track flashed past. "Boom!" The cave wall twenty or thirty meters away violently exploded, leaving behind a smooth, clean slash mark several meters long and a palm's width wide, of unfathomable depth.

The next second, several people cried out in pain simultaneously!

Song Baojian, towering at over two meters tall, instantly suffered seven or eight bloody gashes across his face, arms, and thighs from the flying shield fragments.

However, he wasn't even the unluckiest one.

The most unfortunate was the twin sister, Liu Xiaoyi. Taken completely unawares, her heart-protecting mirror shattered directly, costing her one of her lives.

According to the rules, even if all the tokens on one's body fell off, one still had to exit and report outside before being allowed to re-enter, even with her sister carrying spare tokens for her.

It was fortunate that she wore the heart-protecting mirror; otherwise, she would have been pierced straight through. Even with a New Human's constitution preventing death, it would have required emergency medical treatment.

Then there was Tang Lin. Perhaps her forehead was too prominent, as a fragment sliced right down to her skull, disfiguring her on the spot. Of course, given a New Human's physique, she would heal within a few days just the same.

Even so...

！！！

The entire arena was shocked!

The entire arena fell utterly silent!

What kind of shield was this? Its destructive power was actually this terrifying? Was it a flying saucer? Or perhaps the legendary stock market index that sweeps everything away and harvests countless retail investors?

And this was merely the destructive force of the fragments! If one were struck directly, wouldn't it instantly... Looking at the deep slash gouged into the solid concrete wall twenty meters away, all six challengers felt a chilly breeze sweep across their waists.

Bullets weren't terrifying; reinforced bones and muscle could greatly absorb the impact, and piercing injuries held little threat against a regenerating physique.

Yet, substitute bullets with artillery shells, and make the shots this sudden and devoid of any warning... even Ability Users would find it a headache.

"My apologies, are you all alright?" Ye Chao looked somewhat surprised as he lowered the second DTH he had just materialized.

"Tch, truly too dangerous. It can't be thrown out. It's safer to use a direct drive instead. The rotation speed needs to be slowed down by half—no, a third. The shafts and joints must also be reinforced and made twice as thick!" He immediately immersed himself in contemplation and calibration.

The Challenger Sextet: "..."

Alpha姬: "Is, is this still a satellite dish... What kind of structure is this? What is the underlying principle?"

My system, am I still your all-knowing senior guide? Why is it that the things this guy pulls out defy all comprehension...

Unexplainably, Alpha姬 felt an impending sense of career crisis.