52: Chapter 52 An Apology? The Entire Audience is Shocked

The early morning sunlight spilled onto the training grounds, drying last night's blood into dark brown patches.

No one went to clean it up.

Perhaps they had forgotten, or perhaps it was intentional.

Those patches were like a silent proclamation, reminding everyone that even more blood would be shed here today.

Before dawn had even broken, the edges of the training grounds were already crowded with people.

Students from Qingyun City University and Beihe University, along with veterans who had retreated to the Temporary Base, formed a dense crowd of five or six hundred, packing the entire training grounds so tightly that not even a drop of water could trickle through.

Everyone was waiting.

Waiting for the student named Lin Mo to appear.

Waiting for the commando captain named Luo Cheng to appear.

Waiting for a life-and-death arena battle.

As the sun slowly rose, the sound of discussion surged through the crowd like a tide.

"He's here, he's here! Has that Lin Mo arrived yet?"

"Not yet, and Luo Cheng hasn't shown up either."

"Do you think Lin Mo can win?"

"Win? Are you joking? Luo Cheng is at the peak of the Ninth Level of Tier Two, just a hair's breadth away from Tier Three. No matter how strong Lin Mo is, he's just a student. How could he possibly win?"

"But he killed Zhao Lie yesterday! A single strike took his head off!"

"Zhao Lie was only at the Fifth Level of Tier Two, while Luo Cheng is at the peak of the Ninth Level. How can you compare them? I've heard long ago that after Tier Two, the gap between each level is massive!"

"True... then isn't Lin Mo doomed today?"

"Obviously. Why else would it be called a life-and-death match?"

A boy wearing glasses couldn't help but whisper a rebuttal, "What do you know? Lin Mo took on over a dozen people by himself yesterday and took them all out in seconds!"

A student from Qingyun City beside him glanced sideways at him. "So what? He just took out a dozen students who were all Tier One Awakeners. Is that even in the same league as the Ninth Level of Tier Two? Do you have any idea how strong a Ninth Level Tier Two is?"

The boy with glasses opened his mouth but found himself speechless.

The Qingyun City student snorted. "At the Ninth Level of Tier Two, a full-power punch can pierce through several millimeters of steel plate. How many punches do you think Lin Mo can take?"

Many students fell silent.

They wanted to argue, but deep down, they felt the other person might be right.

On the other side of the crowd, several veterans were huddled together smoking.

Scarface was among them. He hadn't slept at all last night, with dark circles under his eyes like a panda, smoking one cigarette after another.

A veteran beside him nudged him. "Old Dao, why are you so nervous? It's not like you're the one going up to fight."

Scarface ignored him and took a deep drag of his cigarette.

Another veteran lowered his voice. "I heard your captain looked into Lin Mo's background last night. Did he find anything?"

Scarface's hand trembled slightly.

He didn't say a word.

An uninformed veteran nearby sneered. "Check what? He's a nineteen-year-old student, what kind of background could he have? Today's match is just for show; Captain Luo will finish it in a few moves."

"You don't know shit."

Scarface suddenly spoke up..

The veteran was taken aback. "What's wrong?"

Scarface threw his cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it fiercely with his foot.

In the distance, at the best vantage point by the training grounds, Li Chengxi and Uncle Zheng stood side by side.

Li Chengxi had his hands behind his back, his face expressionless, but those who knew him well knew that he liked to touch his nose whenever he was nervous.

"Uncle Zheng, tell me the truth. What are Lin Mo's chances of winning today?"

He looked at the empty space in the center of the training grounds and said with a smile:

"Don't worry, he can't lose!"

"Based on cultivation levels, Lin Mo is destined to lose. Luo Cheng is at the peak of Tier Two, while he is only at late-stage tier two."

"But..."

"But what?"

Uncle Zheng's gaze fell upon the ground of the training field, where a dark brown patch remained—the spot where Zhao Lie had lain yesterday.

"But I saw the strike he used to kill Zhao Lie clearly."

Li Chengxi's breath hitched for a moment.

"You saw it clearly?"

Uncle Zheng nodded.

"It was completely different from the strike he used to kill Zhao Zhongliang! He didn't use that A-rank saber technique!"

Li Chengxi's pupils contracted slightly.

"He didn't use the A-rank saber technique?"

"He didn't."

"To kill Zhao Lie, he didn't use it!"

"Against those three veterans, he didn't use it either. He even only used one hand from start to finish."

Li Chengxi fell silent.

Without using that A-rank saber technique, he had easily killed Zhao Lie, who was at the peak of the Fifth Level of Tier Two.

If he were to add that A-rank saber technique on top of that...

Li Chengxi's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally settled.

...

In the center of the training grounds, the dark brown bloodstain was slowly drying under the sun.

The surrounding crowd grew increasingly restless, their discussions becoming louder and louder.

Someone shouted, "Why aren't they here yet? Is this fight happening or not?"

Another replied, "What's the rush? Even if he's going to his death, you have to let the man settle his affairs first, right?"

A burst of laughter followed.

The sun rose higher and higher.

The crowd became more and more agitated.

Just then—

A sudden commotion erupted from the eastern side of the training grounds.

Someone yelled, "He's here! Lin Mo is here!"

The crowd parted like a tide to both sides.

Sun Hu was huddled in a corner, his face pale, looking like a completely different person from yesterday.

He hid behind several Beihe University students, showing only half his face, his eyes fixed intently on the figure in the center.

From last night until now, he hadn't slept a wink. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the image of Zhao Lie's head rolling to his feet—those eyes that refused to close in death, that still-gaping mouth, and the blood that had sprayed everywhere...

"Brother Hu, are you okay?" a lackey beside him asked quietly.

Sun Hu ignored him, staring at the field with eyes full of resentment.

The lackey followed his gaze and swallowed hard. "Brother Hu, do you think Lin Mo... can win today?"

"Shut up! Don't you fucking mention that name!"

Sun Hu whipped his head around, his gaze so fierce it looked as if he wanted to devour the boy.

The lackey shrank back in fear, not daring to say another word.

Sun Hu turned back, continuing to stare at the figure in the field, unaware that his fingernails were digging into his own flesh.

Lin Mo walked directly to the center of the training grounds. His short hair was slightly tousled by the morning breeze, and his face was expressionless as he stood there, waiting for his opponent, Luo Cheng.

The surrounding crowd buzzed with discussion.

"Isn't that Lin Mo? He doesn't look like anything special..."

"You didn't see him in action yesterday; he took Zhao Lie's head off with a single strike!"

"Today's opponent is Luo Cheng, at the peak of the Ninth Level of Tier Two. Can he handle it?"

"Who knows..."

The sun rose higher, and the crowd grew more restless.

But Luo Cheng still hadn't arrived.

Fifteen minutes.

Thirty minutes.

Forty-five minutes.

"What's going on? Why isn't Luo Cheng here yet?"

"Is he scared? Hahahaha..."

"Bullshit! Would Captain Luo be afraid of a student?"

"Then why isn't he here? What time is it already?"

The chatter grew louder and more confused.

Lin Mo stood in the center, motionless as a statue.

Finally, a commotion broke out on the eastern side of the training grounds.

"He's here, he's here! Luo Cheng is here!"

The crowd automatically parted to create a path.

Luo Cheng walked in.

But everyone who saw him was stunned at first glance.

His eyes were bruised with dark circles, his sockets sunken, and his skin was as grey and haggard as if he hadn't slept for days. His combat uniform was wrinkled, and his belt wasn't even fastened straight. His steps were unsteady, walking as if he were treading on cotton.

Behind him followed Zhou Mang and several veterans, all with solemn expressions, none of them speaking.

"Is... is this Luo Cheng?"

"How did he end up like this? Did he not sleep last night?"

"Look at his face; it's like he saw a ghost last night..."

Luo Cheng ignored the discussions.

Step by step, he walked toward the center of the training grounds, toward Lin Mo.

Ten meters.

Five meters.

Three meters.

He stopped.

Then, in the shocked gaze of everyone present, he bent over and bowed deeply.

"Little brother Lin Mo, regarding yesterday's events, my men were in the wrong. They struck first and started the trouble; they deserved to die."

The entire field fell into a deathly silence.

Hundreds of people were as if they had been gripped by the throat, unable to utter a single word.

The same Luo Cheng who had clamored for "a life for a life" yesterday, the same Luo Cheng whose eyes had turned red while holding Zhao Lie's corpse, the same Luo Cheng at the peak of the Ninth Level of Tier Two, just one step away from Tier Three—

Was bowing and apologizing to a nineteen-year-old student?

Luo Cheng did not look up.

"I will no longer pursue the matter of Zhao Lie. Your people were injured; I will cover the medical expenses. Whatever compensation you want, as long as I can provide it, just name it."

He straightened up and looked at Lin Mo, his eyes rimmed with red.

"This arena match, let's not fight it, alright?"

The whole crowd erupted in an uproar.

"Holy shit! Luo Cheng chickened out?!"

"He's actually begging for mercy? Am I seeing this right?"

"What exactly is Lin Mo's background to be able to scare Luo Cheng like this?!"

Scarface stood in the crowd, head bowed, not daring to look at the field.

Zhou Mang sighed and said nothing.

Sun Hu, hiding behind the crowd, was completely dumbfounded.

Captain Luo Cheng, apologizing?

What the hell was going on?

Why would the captain apologize to Lin Mo?

Sun Hu couldn't figure it out.

Could it be that the captain wasn't confident in dealing with this Lin Mo?

An absurd suspicion began to grow in Sun Hu's heart.

Lin Mo looked at the man bowing in apology before him, his face devoid of any expression.

Silence.

A long silence.

Luo Cheng remained bent at the waist, beads of sweat dripping one by one onto the ground.

Just then—

A sudden, rapid roar of engines came from the periphery of the crowd.

Several military vehicles sped over and came to a stop by the edge of the training grounds.

The doors opened, and a group of people jumped out.

Leading the way were two men dressed in field-grade officer uniforms.

One was in his early forties with a square face and a sharp gaze—the commander of the Sixth Battalion, Zhou Xiong.

The other was in his thirties with a scar on his face—the commander of the Seventh Battalion, Yuan Shoucheng.

Behind them followed over a dozen elite veterans, each with a powerful aura, at least at Tier Three or above.

The crowd parted automatically.

Zhou Xiong strode into the training grounds, his gaze falling on Lin Mo as he sized him up from head to toe.

Then he walked over and stood before Lin Mo.

"You are Lin Mo?"

Lin Mo looked at him without speaking.

Zhou Xiong stared at him for several seconds before suddenly laughing.

"Good, good, good." He said the word "good" three times in a row, then turned to look at Yuan Shoucheng.

"Old Yuan, your Seventh Battalion has truly picked up a treasure this time."

Yuan Shoucheng didn't say anything, only looked at Lin Mo with a complex expression.

Zhou Xiong took a step forward and lowered his voice, yet everyone around could hear him clearly:

"I've heard about what happened in the 17th Patrol District yesterday. Going in solo and slaughtering twenty-two Tier Two Shadow Leopards and two Tier Three ones—beautifully done!"

The entire crowd completely erupted.

"Holy shit! Thirty-two Tier Two Shadow Leopards and two Tier Three ones, all killed by Lin Mo alone?"

"Two Tier Three ones! How old is he?!"

"I fucking thought I heard wrong..."

Zhou Xiong raised his hand, suppressing the discussions.

He looked at Lin Mo, his tone so sincere it didn't sound like a battalion commander speaking to a student:

"Little brother, on behalf of the Sixth Battalion, I thank you."

He paused, glanced at the bowing Luo Cheng beside him, and then looked back at Lin Mo.

"I've heard about the matter with Zhao Lie. My man was in the wrong. He struck first and started the trouble; he deserved to die."

"But since you've killed Zhao Lie, this matter can be considered settled. Could you drop today's match for my sake?"

Lin Mo looked at him, still saying nothing.

Zhou Xiong waited for a few seconds, and seeing that Lin Mo didn't speak, his heart sank slightly.

He looked toward Yuan Shoucheng.

Yuan Shoucheng stepped forward, stood beside Lin Mo, and lowered his voice:

"Lin Mo, regarding you killing Zhao Lie, I've already explained the situation to Headquarters. It was ruled as self-defense and emergency measures; the higher-ups have approved it—you're innocent."

Lin Mo glanced at him.

Yuan Shoucheng continued, "That's enough for today. You've already taken the man's head, and they've admitted defeat. Fighting further would only sour relations."

The surrounding crowd held their breath, waiting for Lin Mo's answer.

Seeing that Lin Mo still wasn't speaking, Zhou Xiong grit his teeth and took a ring off his finger.

It was an entirely pitch-black ring, with a dark red gemstone embedded on its surface that faintly shimmered with light.

A spatial ring.

The eyes of everyone present widened.

This item was the only one in the entire Sixth Battalion; Zhou Xiong had exchanged a massive amount of military merit for it, and even Yuan Shoucheng didn't have one.

Zhou Xiong held the ring out to Lin Mo.

"Little brother, this is a personal gift from me."

"Firstly, to thank you for your heroic performance these past few days, and secondly, as an apology."

"Let's wipe the slate clean regarding yesterday's events, alright?"

Lin Mo looked down at the ring, and a glint of light finally flashed in his eyes.

A spatial ring!

A truly priceless treasure!

He reached out and took the ring.

Zhou Xiong smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.

He patted Lin Mo on the shoulder and turned to look at Luo Cheng.

"What are you still standing there for? Scram!"

As if granted a grand reprieve, Luo Cheng gave Lin Mo a deep look, turned, and left.

Zhou Mang and the other veterans quickly followed.

After walking dozens of meters, Luo Cheng's legs suddenly went weak, and he nearly collapsed.

Zhou Mang caught him.

"Captain..."

None of them mocked Luo Cheng's pathetic display.

They all knew what kind of monster that young kid behind them was.

The past few minutes had been the most agonizing minutes of Captain Luo Cheng's life.

It was also the closest he had ever been to death.

In the center of the training grounds, Lin Mo stood in place, looking down at the ring in his hand.

The sunlight hit the ring's surface, and the dark red gemstone glowed slightly.

Yuan Shoucheng walked over, looked at him, and suddenly let out a laugh.

"You kid, you've made a killing."

Lin Mo looked up at him.

Yuan Shoucheng pointed at the ring. "That old fellow Zhou Xiong is incredibly stingy. This ring has been with him for years, and today he actually parted with it for you. Do you have any idea how many good things are inside?"

Lin Mo shook his head.

Yuan Shoucheng chuckled. "Go back and see for yourself. In any case, it'll be enough to make you very happy."

The crowd gradually dispersed, but the sound of discussion lingered for a long time.

"That Lin Mo... from now on, he can pretty much do whatever he wants in the base, right?"

"Duh. Commander Zhou personally apologized and gave him a ring; who would dare provoke him?"

"Even Luo Cheng was scared into that state; who else would dare?"

"My goodness, nineteen years old, killed two Tier Three beasts, and Commander Zhou giving him gifts... what kind of god-tier person is he?"

...