115: Chapter 115 There's No Free Lunch Under the Throne
Chu Youwei held her fountain pen, her fingers frozen above the signature line.
She had only just learned that she had become Rank A.
She had only just been invited to join the Investigation Bureau.
She had only just told herself in her heart that she wanted to catch up to that boy.
And yet, in the very next second, the rules told her:
Seven days later.
The National Entrance Examination.
270 million examinees.
She was the sole Invigilator.
This wasn't catching up to Su Yun.
This was being launched directly into the sky.
Executive Jiang Xu stared at the words in mid-air, silent for three seconds.
Su Yao was also silent for three seconds.
Then, both of them realized the same thing almost simultaneously.
National-level rules.
270 million emotional anchors.
If Chu Youwei could endure it.
If she could complete this entrance examination.
Then it wouldn't be Rank S.
That would be ascending the throne.
A true King of Rules in the real sense.
The temperature in the testing room dropped.
It wasn't a fluctuation of spiritual energy.
It was that everyone realized the situation had changed from a Linhai anomaly event into a national event capable of rewriting the situation of Great Xia.
Executive Jiang Xu slowly let out a breath.
His expression remained calm.
But there was only one sentence in his mind.
"Damn it."
If I had known I could play like this, I would have tried it long ago.
His previous push to cancel the Foreign Language Tribunal was only intended to test Su Yun's reaction.
And to observe whether the national emotions could gestate high-level Strange Tales.
Preferably Rank S.
But now, the rule reverberation hadn't given birth to Strange Tales normally.
It had found a living person.
A stable, rational, young human bearer with clear emotional anchors.
This was no longer exceeding expectations.
This was kicking expectations into the trash can and then pulling out a trump card.
Executive Jiang Xu tapped his fingertip on the desktop.
If Great Xia had a King.
The situation would change.
No.
It would be forcibly held down.
Abyssal rifts.
King-level Strange Tales.
Fallen zones.
Sanctuary constraints.
Overseas forces.
All the problems that originally couldn't be solved by conventional forces would have a new answer.
As long as this King stood on humanity's side.
Executive Jiang Xu's eyes turned deep.
The next second, he frowned.
"Not right."
"National."
There was a problem with these two words.
The entire territory of Great Xia didn't just include the cities currently within the administrative system.
It also included the fallen Dahuang Prefecture.
There was Old Fengdu there.
A King-level Strange Tale.
A monster that truly occupied the prefecture and rewrote the order of life and death.
Would it allow a new rule to exist, stepping on the national emotions to ascend the throne?
No.
Between Kings, there is no courtesy.
Su Yao realized this too.
She looked at Chu Youwei, her eyes changing bit by bit.
Ascending the throne.
These two words were synonymous with disaster in her past life.
She had seen the world after Su Yun ascended the throne.
The sky split open.
Cities lost their voices.
Humans were like insects pressed under glass.
Even resistance seemed noisy.
If Chu Youwei really passed this trial, what would she become?
Would she still be the Chu Youwei who helped classmates with questions in class, who secretly looked at Su Yun, and who blushed because of a tease?
Or would she become another cold existence dominated by rules?
Su Yao's heart tightened.
Power is not free.
Especially the throne.
Beneath the throne, there are always corpses and prices.
Chu Youwei looked at their expressions and finally realized that the problem was more serious than she had imagined.
Her throat moved.
"Executive Jiang Xu."
Executive Jiang Xu looked at her.
Chu Youwei pointed to the line of words in mid-air.
"Can... can this be cancelled?"
Black letters immediately appeared.
[Entrance examination has been established]
[Cannot be cancelled]
Chu Youwei's face turned paler.
"Then can it be postponed?"
[Postponement application requires approval from a superior]
A glimmer of hope lit up in Chu Youwei's eyes.
The next line of text appeared.
[Superior: None]
Chu Youwei: "..."
She suddenly felt that this thing was harder to communicate with than Su Yun.
At least Su Yun could understand human speech, even if he was annoying.
These rules were different.
It didn't act like a human at all.
Chu Youwei looked down at her signature.
Her mind was a mess.
It's over.
This time, I'm really doomed.
I haven't even applied to the same university as Su Yun.
I haven't even asked him where he wants to go.
No, that's not right.
Now that foreign languages have been cancelled, he most likely wants to apply for a university without foreign language classes.
She pursed her lips.
Thinking about this at a time like this really wasn't appropriate.
But she just couldn't help it.
Executive Jiang Xu raised his hand and pressed the communicator on the desktop.
"Connect to the High Command's highest priority line."
The walls of the testing room lit up with red light.
Three seconds later.
An old and steady voice rang out.
"Executive Jiang Xu."
Commander Li Zhenshan.
Executive Jiang Xu didn't waste words.
"A national-level rule reverberation has appeared in Linhai."
The other end of the communication was silent for a moment.
"Rank?"
"Currently Rank A, potentially striking King-level in seven days."
Commander Li Zhenshan's voice sank.
"Explain clearly."
Executive Jiang Xu raised his hand and uploaded the recording projection from the testing room.
Scarlet text.
Chu Youwei's rule fluctuations.
The remaining permissions of the Foreign Language Tribunal.
The National Entrance Examination task.
All data was transmitted over.
The High Command side fell into a long silence.
Executive Jiang Xu waited.
Su Yao also waited.
Chu Youwei stood in place like a student waiting for a verdict.
A few minutes later, Commander Li Zhenshan spoke.
"Who is the bearer?"
Executive Jiang Xu looked at Chu Youwei.
"Linhai No. 2 High School student, Chu Youwei."
Commander Li Zhenshan: "Stability?"
"Currently stable."
"Human stance?"
"Clear."
"Risk of losing control?"
Executive Jiang Xu paused.
"Extremely high."
As these two words fell, the ink pattern on Chu Youwei's wrist moved slightly.
As if dissatisfied.
Executive Jiang Xu ignored it.
Commander Li Zhenshan asked: "Probability of success?"
Executive Jiang Xu answered faster.
"Unable to assess."
"Why?"
"Because the entire territory of Great Xia includes Dahuang Prefecture."
The High Command side went quiet again.
Subsequently, Commander Li Zhenshan's voice lowered a few degrees.
"Old Fengdu."
"Yes."
Executive Jiang Xu said: "Once the National Entrance Examination touches the emotional nodes of the fallen zone, Old Fengdu will inevitably intervene."
"It will not allow the birth of a second national rule-system King."
"And it certainly will not allow this King to belong to Great Xia."
Su Yao couldn't help but speak.
"There is also the bearer issue."
Commander Li Zhenshan heard her voice.
"Su Yao?"
"It's me."
"Speak."
Su Yao looked at Chu Youwei.
"She is just a newly Awakened Rank A."
"The rules have opened an ascension channel for her, but haven't given her the ability to bear the throne."
"Even if she passes the entrance examination, she may not necessarily still be herself."
Chu Youwei lowered her eyes.
She didn't refute.
Because she was also afraid.
She wanted to become stronger.
But she didn't want to become a monster.
At least, not something that even Su Yun wouldn't recognize.
Executive Jiang Xu suddenly said: "There is one person who can bear it."
Su Yao looked at him sharply.
She knew who Executive Jiang Xu was going to say.
Commander Li Zhenshan knew too.
In the communication, the old man said slowly: "The Rancher."
The testing room fell into a deathly silence.
Chu Youwei looked up.
The Rancher.
That taboo existence that swallowed the half-King-level Mirage of the Sea Kingdom above the East Sea, vaporized the tsunami, and ordered the six calamities of Neon to throw themselves into its giant maw.
The monster that everyone didn't dare to call by name.
Also...
The image of Su Yun sitting in the classroom memorizing vocabulary flashed through her mind.
Her fingers tightened.
Executive Jiang Xu's tone was calm.
"The core of the Foreign Language Tribunal is in Bai Cang's hands."
"The rule reverberation is on Chu Youwei."
"If left for seven days, it will inevitably trigger the National Entrance Examination."
"The optimal solution is to let The Rancher devour it before the rules are completely mature."