99: Chapter 99 Is this what they call passion?

In the grotto, the snow had stopped.

But what was colder than the snow were the hearts of the people.

At least, the hearts of those in the Elite Class.

Gu Fan's classmates were methodically packing their things under Xiao Hei's direction.

The air conditioner's external unit was dismantled, the straw mats were rolled up, the generator was shut down, and Xiao Fan held the remaining half of a watermelon from the small fridge in his arms, planning to take it out as a post-meal dessert.

Everything was so calm, so routine.

It was as if they hadn't just cleared an S-rank dungeon, but had simply gone on a unique picnic in the suburbs.

Meanwhile, Gu Fan was leaning back on his sofa (which had been brought out again at some point), idly warming his hands with the flame crystal core.

"It's all over..."

A member of the Elite Class said despondently, "We lost."

"Lost? We didn't even get a chance to make a move." Another person gave a bitter laugh. "We're like a bunch of monkeys dancing around a nuclear bomb, thinking our dance moves are cool."

"Don't say any more... I want to drop out."

Emotions of failure, frustration, and self-doubt spread through the Elite Class like a plague.

Just then.

"Everyone, stand up!"

A roar suppressed with endless resentment exploded in everyone's ears.

It was Lei Zhen.

Supporting himself against the rock wall, he slowly stood up straight.

His face was pale, but his eyes were like two rekindled flames, staring fixedly at the person lying on the sofa.

"We haven't lost!"

Lei Zhen's voice was hoarse, yet it carried an unquestionable determination.

"We sweated, we fought, and we gave it our all! Every scar on our bodies, every crack on our armor—they are our glory!"

He pointed at Gu Fan, his finger trembling slightly from the strain.

"What about him?! What did he do?! He was just sleeping! Eating! Enjoying himself! Why does he get to have the crystal core?!"

"Just because of luck?! Just because of those weird tricks we couldn't understand?!"

"I refuse to accept this!!"

Lei Zhen ripped off his damaged tactical helmet, revealing a face covered in sweat and defiance.

"I, Lei Zhen, have been Cultivating lightning techniques since I was three, sleeping only four hours a day! I've endured more hardship than he's eaten meals! I've shed more sweat than he's drunk water! For this assessment, I trained in Hellfire for three months!!"

"Why does all my hard work become a joke in front of him?!"

"I don't recognize this victory! This isn't the Martial Dao! This is an insult to everyone who works hard, to everyone who fights with passion!!"

These words were like a shot of adrenaline, injected into the hearts of the faltering Elite Class members.

That's right.

Why?

The small flame of resentment in their hearts was rekindled.

They could accept failure, but they couldn't accept failing in this way.

Gu Fan shifted on the sofa, seemingly disturbed by the noise.

He reached into the large backpack Xiao Fan was carrying and pulled out a banana.

He skillfully peeled it and began to eat slowly and deliberately.

His bored appearance formed a glaring contrast with Lei Zhen's impassioned speech.

Lei Zhen's eyes turned red.

This was a silent provocation! A blatant show of contempt!

"Gu Fan!"

Lei Zhen took a step forward, and lightning erupted from his body once again. Though far from his peak, his unstoppable Aura was even more terrifying.

"I'll ask you one last time! Do you dare to fight me fair and square, like a true warrior!"

"For the glory of the Elite Class! For the dignity of all those who struggle!"

"This crystal core! We must take it with our own hands!!"

After speaking, the lightning throughout his body converged in his legs, and his Aura reached its peak.

[Ding! SSS-grade 'Dignity Life-Stake' malice detected from 'Lei Zhen'.]

[Judgment: This individual is attempting to use self-indulgent, hot-blooded rhetoric to mask the nature of his attempt to seize the spoils of war. He believes the host's leisure is a denial of his personal efforts, thus generating an extremely strong desire for revenge and plunder.]

[Backlash activated: Law of Karma · Curtain Call of the King of Comedy (Banana Peel Special Edition).]

[Effect: Since you think your charge is so cool, let it become the most unforgettable moment of your life.]

Gu Fan had just swallowed the last bite of the banana.

He looked at the aggressive Lei Zhen, then at the banana peel in his hand, and tossed it behind him.

Xiao Hei's figure flashed like a ghost, precisely appearing where the banana peel was about to land, a trash bag in hand.

However, at the very moment he was about to catch it.

The yellow banana peel seemed to have a life of its own. It bypassed Xiao Hei's trash bag in an incredibly bizarre arc and landed silently on the path where Lei Zhen was about to charge.

This all happened too fast, so fast that only the expressions of Lin Xue and Xiao Hei changed slightly.

Meanwhile, Lei Zhen had poured all his spirit into this death-defying strike.

"For glory—!!"

He let out a roar that echoed through the grotto, transforming into a bolt of lightning as he charged toward Gu Fan.

Fast!

Extremely fast!

A white shockwave even trailed behind him in the air.

The members of the Elite Class all showed excitement and anticipation in their eyes.

This was their class monitor! This was the Aura the Elite Class should have!

Even if they lost, they would lose spectacularly!

And then.

Lei Zhen's foot stepped precisely and unerringly onto that banana peel.

*Squelch.*

A faint sound, yet one that seemed to resonate deep within everyone's Soul.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

Everyone watched as Lei Zhen's lightning-wrapped combat boot, under the influence of the banana peel's near-zero friction, slid forward at a speed that defied physical common sense.

While his upper body maintained its forward-charging posture.

Thus, a split so textbook-perfect it could be included in a manual was formed in mid-air.

"My... glory..."

The expression on Lei Zhen's face changed from determination to bewilderment, and then to terror.

He could feel a certain part of his body letting out an overburdened scream.

The sliding didn't stop.

Under the influence of powerful inertia and the strange Law of Karma, he was launched like a cannonball, or a top spinning out of control on ice.

*Screech—Thud!!*

His final destination was a rock wall fifty meters behind Gu Fan.

A loud bang.

Lei Zhen firmly "imprinted" himself onto the hard rock wall in the shape of a spread-eagle "big" character.

He was embedded so deep he couldn't even be pried out.

That posture, with arms wide and legs spread, made him look like a devout believer embracing the world.

If one were to ignore the two streaks of regretful tears on his face.

The grotto fell into a deathly silence once more.

Everyone in the Elite Class silently lowered their heads.

This time, there truly wasn't a single spark left.

They silently walked to the rock wall and, working together like they were pulling a radish, "plucked" the unconscious Lei Zhen off the wall.

Then, they voluntarily cleared a path.

Gu Fan stood up from the sofa, stretched, and led his "vacation group" through the middle of the Elite Class toward the grotto's exit.

No one dared to look up at him.

They only saw the crushed banana peel Gu Fan had casually tossed aside out of the corners of their eyes.

...

Outside the grotto.

Instructor Iron Man was pacing back and forth anxiously, his muscles displaying his unease.

"Why haven't they come out yet? It's been almost an hour! Did something happen?"

Just as he was about to break the rules and rush in to check.

Figures moved at the cave entrance.

The first one to walk out was Gu Fan.

He was yawning, looking like he hadn't fully woken up, with a small blanket still draped over him.

Then came Xiao Fan, Lin Xue, Xiao Hei... each one was full of energy and radiant; Xiao Fan even seemed to have gained some weight.

Iron Man was just about to breathe a sigh of relief.

Then, he saw the Elite Class following behind.

They were all dejected, having discarded their equipment like defeated soldiers.

At the very back was Lei Zhen, carried on a stretcher by four people, already in a deep coma.

Iron Man looked at the relaxed vacation vibe on Gu Fan's side, then at the miserable post-war state of the Elite Class.

He opened his mouth, but the ten thousand lines he had prepared about "how was it, did you feel the baptism of hot-blooded spirit" were all stuck in his throat.

He fell into a long silence.

Just... who was competing against whom?