If I let you practice martial arts, you'll compress your vital energy ten thousand times?

Temporary assembly point outside the seventh safety zone.

The wind howled.

Three heavy attack helicopters painted with the federal military's black sword insignia landed on the open ground like steel behemoths.

The massive propellers kicked up clouds of dust, and the blinding searchlights illuminated the once dark wilderness as if it were daytime.

Several simple medical tents have been set up at the assembly point.

Those students from Gaowu No. 1 Middle School who had evacuated in advance or narrowly escaped the miniature beast tide were now huddled together in twos and threes, sobbing in fear.

And in the most central and brightest location of the entire assembly point.

Zhang Kuang was wearing a military-style thermal blanket and sitting in a folding chair.

His once pristine custom-made combat suit was now covered in dust. His left arm was wrapped in thick bandages, from which a few drops of blood were faintly seeping.

This is the wound he cruelly inflicted on himself with a dagger while on the run, in order to make his lies more believable.

At this moment, Zhang Kuang was pale and had bloodshot eyes.

Standing before him were the Dean of Students of Gaowu No. 1 Middle School and a military major with two bars and one star on his shoulders.

"Zhang Kuang, have some hot water to cool down first."

The head of the teaching department looked concerned and personally handed a cup of hot water to Zhang Kuang.

"Where did you encounter the Tier 3 Shadow Panther? What exactly happened? Did Liu Manman and that Lin Yuan... really not escape?"

Zhang Kuang held the water glass, his hands trembling realistically.

He took a deep breath, abruptly raised his head, and his eyes instantly filled with tears of humiliation and pain.

"Director! Sir! I have let the school down!"

Zhang Kuang's voice choked with emotion, carrying a hint of suppressed grief and indignation.

"Our squad was on a decoy mission at the edge of Ruins 043, when that damned Tier 3 Shadow Panther suddenly broke through our lines!"

"Its speed is incredible! That's a terrifying demon equivalent to a Qi Gathering Realm cultivator!"

The students who had been eavesdropping nearby gasped in shock upon hearing this.

Tier 3 monster!

For students like them, who were generally only at the second or third level of the Qi and Blood Realm, that was an invincible Grim Reaper!

The military major frowned and asked in a deep voice, "With your squad's strength, you should have been wiped out instantly by a Tier 3 Shadow Panther. How did you survive?"

A barely perceptible hint of smugness flashed in Zhang Kuang's eyes.

That's exactly what he was waiting for!

"I can't back out!"

Zhang Kuang suddenly stood up, ripped off the thermal blanket covering his body, revealing his "scarred" left arm.

"I'm the class monitor of the top class at Gaowu No. 1 High School! I'm at the peak of the ninth level of the Qi and Blood Realm! If even I run away, what will happen to my teammates?!"

"I drew my sword immediately, burning all the life force within me, and stood in front of that beast!"

"I used our Zhang family's ancestral martial art, the 'Breaking Kill Blade Technique,' and withstood three claw strikes from that Shadow Leopard!"

"Although I was shaken so badly that my blood was churning and I was seriously injured, I successfully delayed it for a full ten seconds!"

The entire room fell silent.

The way all the students looked at Zhang Kuang changed.

It was no longer the usual awe, but rather a profound sense of worship and awe.

A ninth-level Qi and Blood Realm cultivator, able to withstand a third-tier demonic beast for ten seconds and successfully survive?

This is an amazing achievement that deserves to be recorded in the history of Gaowu No.1 Middle School!

The head of student affairs was trembling with excitement. He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Excellent! Well done! You truly deserve to be our school's top genius! Calm under pressure, you have the composure of a great general!"

Even the military major, who had maintained a stern face, had a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"To be able to draw your sword in front of a third-tier demonic beast, your courage truly surpasses that of 99% of your peers. Zhang Kuang, you are a true martial artist."

Hearing the military commander's affirmation, Zhang's arrogant vanity was satisfied like never before.

He forced a smile from his lips and put on a grief-stricken expression again.

"But...but I still couldn't save Manman..."

Zhang Kuang covered his face with both hands and howled in pain.

"If only that good-for-nothing Lin Yuan hadn't run off like that!"

"I had already bought Manman time to escape, but that good-for-nothing Lin Yuan! He was terrified of the Shadow Leopard and ran around yelling, which only attracted the Shadow Leopard's attention!"

"Manman tripped and fell while trying to escape the crazed Lin Yuan, and...that beast bit her neck off!"

Zhang Kuang's knuckles cracked as he clenched his fists, his teeth clenched in fury.

"That coward Lin Yuan ran straight into the depths of the ruins; now there's probably not even a trace of his bones left!"

"I hate it! If it weren't for that good-for-nothing holding us back, I could have brought Manman back safe and sound!"

These words were perfectly watertight.

This not only infinitely elevates his own glorious image of selflessness, but also logically pins the blame for Liu Manman's death entirely on Lin Yuan, who is "dead and unable to testify."

The surrounding students were immediately enraged.

"I knew it! Lin Yuan, that trash at the first level of the Qi and Blood Realm, only knows how to ruin things!"

"Poor Liu, she was dragged down and died because of that good-for-nothing!"

"It's only because the class monitor is kind-hearted. If it were me, I would have chopped that burden Lin Yuan into pieces long ago!"

The head of student affairs sighed and shook his head: "That Lin Yuan was put in through connections anyway, so his death is no big deal. Zhang Kuang, it's not your fault, you've already done very well."

Zhang Kuang lowered his head, and a sinister smile finally appeared on his lips.

perfect.

Not only did it cover up his cowardice in abandoning his teammates and running away, but it also earned him a reputation for fighting against high-level alien beasts.

Once this assessment is over, the Zhang family will definitely use it as leverage to demand more high-level resources from the school!

He was even absolutely certain of securing a spot in the legendary, rigorous "Starry Sky Training Camp."

Just as Zhang Kuang was basking in the halo he had created and enjoying the admiring gazes of the entire audience,

A sudden, weak, hoarse voice came from the edge of darkness, beyond the reach of the searchlight.

"Class monitor..."

"You just said, who didn't even leave behind bone fragments?"

The sound wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear amidst the howling wind.

Swish!

The savage grin on Zhang Kuang's face froze instantly.

He suddenly raised his head and stared intently in the direction from which the sound came, as if he had seen a ghost.

The beam of the searchlight slowly moved horizontally, illuminating a figure at the edge of the safety barrier.

He was a disheveled young man.

He was wearing a tattered, dusty school uniform, his handsome face covered in mud and blood, and he even walked with a limp.

But his dark, deep eyes, under the bright light, were as calm as a stagnant pool.

Lin Yuan.

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence.

All the students who had just been cursing Lin Yuan were now gaping, dumbfounded.

"Lin...Lin Yuan?!"

The head of the teaching department stared wide-eyed, as if he had seen a ghost.

"You... how are you still alive?!" Zhang Kuang screamed in a hoarse voice, so sharp that it even cracked.

This is impossible!

He clearly saw with his own eyes that the Tier 3 Shadow Leopard pounced on Lin Yuan!

In that terrifying predicament, even if he were arrogant, he would only be instantly killed. How could this piece of trash, forever stuck at the first level of the Qi and Blood Realm, possibly walk back alive?!

Lin Yuan, with a hunched back, feigned lingering fear as he struggled to walk to the medical area.

He glanced at Zhang Kuang indifferently.

He had heard Zhang Kuang's brilliant "performance" clearly in the darkness.

hypocritical.

Nausea.

Lin Yuan withdrew his gaze, looked at the dean of students, and said, "Dean, I... I'm lucky to be alive."

"When the Shadow Leopard pounced, the squad leader was running too fast, and I couldn't catch up with him at all."

"I was so scared that my legs went weak and I fell straight into an abandoned sewer manhole cover."

"I stayed inside, too scared to come out, until I heard the sound of a helicopter, then I dared to climb up..."

Lin Yuan's explanation was reasonable and perfectly matched his label of "useless".

Did they escape by hiding in the sewers?

Upon hearing this, the shock in the eyes of the surrounding students instantly turned into even stronger contempt and disdain.

"Tch, I thought he had some real skills, turns out he just fell into a cesspool."

"It's true what they say, good people don't live long, but bad people live a long life. School beauty Liu is dead, but this good-for-nothing is living quite well."

Upon hearing Lin Yuan's explanation, Zhang Kuang finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart.

It turned out it had fallen into the sewer!

No wonder that good-for-nothing didn't die. And judging from Lin Yuan's words, he was hiding underground the whole time and didn't see what happened afterward, let alone know how Liu Manman died!

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Kuang's eyes.

Since he's not dead, he might as well continue to take the blame to the very end!

"Lin Yuan! How dare you come back!"

Zhang Kuang rushed forward, grabbed Lin Yuan's tattered collar, and roared furiously with his eyes blazing with anger.

"If you hadn't run off and had instead followed my orders, forming a defensive formation with me, how could Manman have died?!"

"You coward! You're the one who killed Manman!"

Zhang Kuang's acting skills exploded once again, and his spittle almost sprayed onto Lin Yuan's face.

Lin Yuan let him grab his collar without resisting.

But beneath that terrified mask, a dangerous glint flashed in the depths of Lin Yuan's eyes.

Jump!

Jump as much as you want.

The higher you stand now, the louder you boast, the more devastating the fall will be when the truth is revealed.

Faced with the arrogant accusations, Lin Yuan remained silent.

Seeing this, the head of student affairs snorted coldly, "Lin Yuan, this time your cowardice led to the death of a classmate. The school will definitely hold you accountable! Now, get to the medical tent for treatment!"

Lin Yuan turned and walked towards the tent.

A crisis seemed to have been averted by a boastful and perfect lie.

but.

The military major standing to the side kept his brows furrowed, his gaze fixed on Lin Yuan's departing figure like that of a hawk.

As a soldier who spends most of his time fighting in the wilderness, his intuition is extremely sharp.

This boy named Lin Yuan appeared terrified, but his heartbeat remained perfectly steady without any fluctuation!

and.

The major turned to look at the dark wilderness in the distance.

If there really are Tier 3 Shadow Panthers, why haven't they attacked the rally point's defenses yet?

Where did that monster go?

"Signal specialist!"

The major turned around abruptly, his voice as cold as iron.

"Immediately dispatch the 'Night Hawk' reconnaissance team to conduct a thorough search of the area around Ruins 043, as mentioned by Zhang Kuang!"

"I want to see the monster alive, or... I want to see Liu Manman's corpse!"

Zhang Kuang's heart skipped a beat when he heard this, but he quickly calmed down.

Go search for it.

In any case, Liu Manman's body was most likely to have been mauled by the Shadow Leopard, and only he and Lin Yuan were alive at the scene, so there was no way to verify the facts.

As for the Shadow Panther, it probably already had a good meal and ran back into the depths of the ruins.

Fifteen minutes later.

A small reconnaissance drone, accompanied by a fully armed five-person team, arrived at the core area of ​​Ruins 043.

Inside the assembly point, the junior officer was looking at the synchronized feed on his tablet.

The head of the teaching department and Zhang Kuang also came over.

The scene initially appeared normal, consisting entirely of collapsed buildings and shattered streets.

"Sir, Night Hawk Squad has arrived at the coordinates."

The reconnaissance captain's deep voice came through the communication channel.

"Continue the advance and search for signs of battle," the major coldly ordered.

The camera continues to move forward.

Sudden.

A loud electrical microphone noise came from the tablet computer.

Immediately afterwards, the reconnaissance captain, a veteran of many battles and with extremely strong mental fortitude, began to tremble uncontrollably!

"Sir... Commander..."

"We...we found it..."

The major frowned. "You've spotted a Shadow Panther?"

"No……"

The voices on the communication channel carried an extreme fear and shock, as if they were witnessing the end of the world.

"No Shadow Panthers...and no signs of battle..."

"Here...here there is only a sea of ​​blood!!!"

The scene suddenly shifts.

On the tablet's high-definition screen, a terrifying crater with a diameter of over 100 meters and a depth of several meters was clearly visible!

And inside this deep pit, there was a dense layer of extremely viscous red and white mixture!

Everywhere were broken entrails, broken bone spurs, and the distinctive scales and armor fragments of various high-level beasts!

This was a pure, one-sided massacre!

What made everyone's scalp tingle was...

Right in the center of that deep pit, at the very center of the blood, flesh, and mud.

A human footprint is deeply imprinted on it!

There were no scorch marks from the explosion of true energy.

That hundred-meter-deep crater was actually created by someone... using pure physical strength, by stomping it out with a single step!

boom!

As the military major stared at the footprint on the screen, his brain felt as if it had been struck by a massive hammer, and his scalp scalp exploded instantly!

He gasped sharply, his voice becoming shrill and distorted with extreme shock.

"Stomp the miniature beast horde to pieces with one foot..."

"Could it be the Seventh Safe Zone...?"

"A grandmaster of external martial arts has arrived?!"

This statement came out.

The entire assembly point fell into a deathly silence in an instant.