98: Chapter 98 Temporary substitute, can't be called Chen Ye

[Protection Role Chen Ye's vital signs are abnormal]

[Immediate isolation and observation recommended]

[S-Class Defense Sample]

[Temporary substitute has arrived at school]

These two sets of prompts lit up almost simultaneously.

In the night wind of the training area, everyone looked toward the direction of Dungeon Hall No. 3.

That tall figure stood in the white light, holding a silvery-white giant shield. He was half a head taller than Chen Ye, with broad shoulders and back, and clean, sharp armor lines.

He didn't look like a student.

He looked more like a piece of protective gear temporarily printed out by the White Tower according to the words "most suitable for the Protection Role."

Chen Ye looked at that temporary school badge, his face gradually darkening.

It wasn't fear.

It was disgust.

"I'm still standing right here."

"And he's already arrived at school?"

The alarm on the Medical Testing Chair was still ringing.

[Protection Role pressure overload]

[Immediate isolation and observation recommended]

[During the isolation period, the squad's defense duties must be temporarily assumed by a higher-compatibility sample]

Chen Ye was about to reach out and pull off the testing ring when Lin Jin grabbed his wrist.

"Don't move."

Chen Ye was holding back his anger.

"It's about to isolate me!"

"Which is exactly why you can't let it have its way."

Lin Jin stared at the prompts on the testing chair.

"A recommendation is not a mandate."

The Medical Instructor also snapped out of it and immediately checked the device's underlying logs.

"Wait."

"This isn't the medical system's original judgment."

His expression changed.

"The basic data of the testing chair only recommends rest and observation; there is no forced isolation."

"The forced isolation was written in afterward."

Gu Changye's voice grew cold.

"The source?"

The Medical Instructor pulled up the traces of the permissions.

A thin white line hung on the edge of the testing logs.

[White Tower First Floor Cost Bill: Preloading of the First Detailed Item]

[Connected to medical recommendations]

Qin Shanhe's face turned ashen.

"Disguising a bill event as a medical recommendation?"

Inspector Han Su's Department of Education monitoring projection also darkened.

"Department of Education Monitoring Seat Record: The cost bill must not tamper with the academy medical system's forced isolation judgment."

Lin Jin immediately wrote down:

[Medical observation does not equal absence from class.]

[Pressure overload can allow for rest, monitoring, and restriction of high-risk actions; it does not equal stripping away one's squad status as the Protection Role.]

[Bill events must not be disguised as medical forced isolation.]

Shen Tingxue raised her hand, and a line of ice sealed the white line between the testing chair and the gray receipt.

Zhou Heng's Thunder Spear was driven into the ground, cutting off its path to continue boring into the medical system.

Chen Ye took a deep breath and stood his shield in front of him.

"Protection Role Chen Ye, confirming."

"I accept medical observation."

"But I do not accept the White Tower's bill marking me absent under the guise of medical reasons."

The school badge lit up.

The testing chair's alarm finally went down a level.

[Forced isolation recommendation: Under dispute]

[Medical observation recommendation: Retained]

Just as Chen Ye breathed a sigh of relief, the S-Class Defense Sample at the entrance of Dungeon Hall No. 3 moved.

He walked step by step toward the center of the training area.

Every time the silvery-white giant shield hit the ground, it caused a dull, heavy thud to reverberate.

The academy instructors tried to stop him, but they were blocked by the course permissions lighting up at the entrance of the Dungeon Hall.

[Temporary Course Preloaded Object]

[Do not expel]

[Do not attack]

[Do not damage]

Chen Ye stared at him, his lips pressed into a tight line.

"We can't attack him?"

Zhou Heng said coldly,

"Don't make yourself the rule-breaker."

The S-Class Defense Sample stopped just outside the cordon.

He didn't force his way in.

He merely raised his head and said in a flat voice that was almost completely devoid of emotion:

"The Protection Role is experiencing pressure overload."

"The squad has a gap in its defense."

"I will assume temporary defense duties in tomorrow's class."

Chen Ye sneered.

"Who authorized that?"

The sample replied,

"The White Tower First Floor Cost Bill."

Chen Ye's grip on his shield tightened.

Lin Jin took a step forward, shielding half of Chen Ye's body behind him.

"The bill is still being audited."

"You do not have squad permissions."

The S-Class Defense Sample looked at Lin Jin.

"I do not need squad permissions."

"I am a temporary substitute."

"When the Protection Role is absent, I automatically fill the gap."

Lin Jin said calmly,

"What you are describing is a function."

"Not an identity."

"Temporarily filling a gap does not equal temporarily becoming a teammate."

The sample fell silent for a second.

The temporary school badge on his chest glowed faintly.

[Temporary Substitute Duty: Fill the Protection Role gap]

[Recommendation: Grant temporary squad permissions]

Chen Ye couldn't help but curse,

"Recommendation my foot."

Shen Tingxue said coldly,

"Rejected."

Zhou Heng swept his Thunder Spear horizontally.

"Temporary squad permissions cannot be recommended by the sample itself."

Lin Jin looked at the school badge and began to write down boundaries line by line.

[Current Nature of the S-Class Defense Sample: Course Event Object.]

[Can be used as a comparison model, risk trigger, or pressure test source.]

[Must not act as a teammate of the Rule Maintenance Special Class.]

[Must not connect to the Mutual Verification Contract.]

[Must not come into contact with the Sealed Mark of Real Rewards.]

[Must not define Chen Ye as absent, derelict in duty, or replaceable under the pretext of 'higher compatibility'.]

[Must not use Chen Ye's squad position, teammate appellation, or school badge number.]

After the last line was written, the temporary school badge on the sample's chest flashed.

[Receiving boundaries]

[Conflict: Temporary substitute must be identified as the Protection Role]

Lin Jin said coldly,

"Identify as a source of defensive function."

"Do not identify as the Protection Role itself."

Chen Ye stepped forward and stood next to Lin Jin.

He stared at the tall sample and suddenly asked,

"Do you have a name?"

The sample answered quickly.

"None."

"Are you human?"

The sample paused.

"I am a temporary course carrier generated by the White Tower based on the S-Class Defense Sample database."

Chen Ye smirked, though there was no humor in it.

"So you're not even a person, and yet you want to be my teammate?"

The sample raised his head.

"The squad needs defense."

"I am more compatible than you."

Chen Ye felt a slight sting in his chest.

He had heard this sentence in the White Tower before.

He had also heard it in his own heart many times.

He was D-class.

Not strong enough.

Not stable enough.

Unable to block all damage.

But this time, he did not back down.

"You are more compatible with the defense data than I am,"

Chen Ye said, word by word.

"But you are not Chen Ye."

"And you are not the Protection Role they chose."

The Mutual Verification Contract lit up.

Lin Jin nodded.

"Record."

"A squad choosing a Protection Role does not equal choosing the highest defense stats."

Shen Tingxue followed up:

"The duty of the Protection Role is to provide teammates with a window of opportunity to act."

"Not to lock everyone behind a shield."

Zhou Heng said coldly,

"And certainly not to step into a teammate's position ahead of time while they are still alive."

The four badges lit up simultaneously.

The temporary school badge on the chest of the S-Class Defense Sample dimmed for a brief moment under the pressure.

But soon, a White Tower notification came from the direction of the Dungeon Hall.

[Tomorrow's Course Rules Preloading]

[Course Theme: Squad Response in the Absence of the Protection Role]

[To ensure the course is established, Protection Role Chen Ye will enter the medical observation pod three minutes before the class starts]

[During Medical Observation: Shields cannot be held, dungeon venues cannot be entered, and defense skills cannot be provided]

Chen Ye's face fell.

"It still wants to lock me out."

Lin Jin stared at the prompt.

"It restricts the venue and skills."

"It doesn't mention identity."

Shen Tingxue immediately said,

"Nor does it say you can't speak."

Zhou Heng nodded.

"It doesn't say you can't provide testimony."

Chen Ye froze for a moment.

Lin Jin looked at him.

"Tomorrow, you might indeed be unable to enter the venue."

"Your shield might also be isolated."

Chen Ye's expression was very grim.

But Lin Jin continued,

"So we'll establish this right now."

"The Protection Role being temporarily unable to fight does not equal the Protection Role being absent."

"You can provide defense assessments from outside the venue."

"The three of us will share the pressure inside the venue."

"If you don't enter the dungeon, the squad won't accept a substitute."

Chen Ye opened his mouth.

"But you guys will get hurt."

Zhou Heng said coldly,

"We're not made of paper."

Shen Tingxue looked at Chen Ye.

"Just because you usually stand in front doesn't mean we will never block for you."

Lin Jin said,

"When the Protection Role is absent, the squad cannot be absent."

As those words fell, the four badges lit up simultaneously.

A new temporary agreement formed on the outer layer of the Mutual Verification Contract.

[Protection Role Absence Response Agreement]

[When the Protection Role cannot enter the venue due to medical observation, their squad identity is retained.]

[The Protection Role may act as an off-field defense assessor to provide testimony and risk alerts.]

[Members inside the venue may temporarily share defense duties, but this must not confirm the entry of a temporary substitute into the squad.]

[The absence of the Protection Role event must not lead to the conclusion that Chen Ye is replaceable.]

[If the S-Class Defense Sample participates in the course, its status is that of an external comparison and it must not be integrated into the squad.]

After the agreement was generated, the gray receipt flashed violently.

[Event Boundary Updated]

[Temporary Substitute Squad Entry Permission: Restricted]

[Random Teammate Compensation: Restricted]

[Protection Role Off-field Testimony: Pending Course Verification]

Chen Ye looked at the final line and slowly exhaled.

"So in other words, even if I'm locked outside tomorrow, I still have to work?"

Lin Jin looked at him.

"When the Protection Role is absent, you have to work even harder."

Chen Ye fell silent for two seconds.

"Fine."

He slammed his shield onto the ground.

"Then tomorrow, I'll show it."

"Even if I'm not behind the shield, I can still tell you how to avoid getting hit."

The S-Class Defense Sample listened quietly.

Whether it was an illusion or not, the silvery-white giant shield in his hand vibrated slightly.

Afterward, the temporary school badge on his chest lit up once again.

This time, the words on it changed.

Below the original [S-Class Defense Sample], a new line of identification appeared.

[Temporary Substitute Name Generating]

Chen Ye's expression changed abruptly.

"It even wants a name?"

Lin Jin was about to speak and stop it when the White Tower text already emerged.

[To facilitate course records, the temporary substitute must generate a corresponding Protection Role identification]

[Identification generation complete]

In the next second, the word "None" on the temporary school badge gradually vanished.

Replacing it were two words so familiar that they stung the eyes.

[Chen Ye]

The tall sample behind the silvery-white giant shield raised his head and spoke in a voice extremely similar to Chen Ye's, yet far calmer:

"Tomorrow's class."

"Protection Role Chen Ye will be absent."

"Protection Role Chen Ye will be temporarily represented by me."