102: Chapter 102: Missed the College Entrance Exam! The Entire Internet Waits in vain! And you're fast asleep!?

June 7th, sunny. The day of the Federal Unified College Entrance Exam.

The four major A-rank main cities—Yubei, Zhennan, Andong, and Pingxi—along with the two major S-rank core cities—the Imperial Capital and Demon Capital—simultaneously kicked off the six major competition zones.

Jiangcheng, as a D-rank satellite city under the jurisdiction of the Zhennan competition zone, had seen its previous college entrance exams pass like a drop of rain falling into the ocean—without a ripple.

But today, it was different.

Just past seven in the morning, the area outside the gate of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was already packed with people, and the path leading to the martial arts arena inside the school was completely blocked.

Thousands of teachers and students crowded around the arena, and everyone's gaze drifted, intentionally or unintentionally, toward the examination area for Class 2, Grade 12—specifically, that seat which remained empty to this day.

Everyone was waiting for one person.

Or rather, waiting for a bloodshed.

Today was the day of the appointment.

A month ago, Zhao Kuo had publicly declared that on the college entrance exam arena, he would personally burn Su Ming to death.

This statement had circulated throughout Jiangcheng No. 1 High School for a whole month, becoming more deeply ingrained in people's minds than any knowledge point in the exam syllabus.

The Federal Law had vague clauses regarding "accidental casualties during combat assessments."

As long as a life-and-death contract was signed, killing someone on the arena would at most result in paying a fine to settle the matter.

Moreover, Zhao Kuo was the only son of the Zhao Group.

A young master of a Jiangcheng chaebol, burning an F-rank orphan on his own turf wouldn't even require compensation.

"The written exam starts in thirty minutes, why hasn't that kid arrived yet?"

"Is it possible he was actually scared off?"

"Nonsense, why wouldn't he run if he was waiting to be roasted into barbecue meat?"

"Pitiful. So what if he's the top of his grade? He's nothing in the face of absolute strength."

"Yesterday, some people were blindly spreading rumors that he looked like the person in that video. How is that possible!?"

The noisy discussions converged into a stifling low-pressure system that hung over everyone's heads.

The written exam was this morning, and the martial arts exam was in the afternoon.

The written exam was an outlet prepared for those ordinary people who hadn't awakened, or for Awakened ones with poor talent who were unwilling to fight.

Once finished, they could leave the school directly and wait to be assigned a stable clerical job.

The martial arts exam in the afternoon was the real highlight.

Admission mentors from major top-tier universities would also arrive in person at that time to select Geniuses worth cultivating.

In this era that valued martial arts over literature, liberal arts knowledge could even be directly uploaded to the cerebral cortex via AI, and could be mastered quickly with money.

Only Source Energy and talent were things that could not be made up for after the fact.

Just then, there was a commotion in the crowd.

"Hahahaha! Su Ming, that Trash! He really is a coward!"

Zhao Kuo had arrived.

Even though it was the time for the morning written exam, this young master of the Zhao family was wearing a suit of high-rank armor that was entirely crimson, with Source Energy patterns flowing across it—extremely flashy.

He had his left arm around Liu Ruyan's waist, while his right palm flipped, causing a fist-sized Lava Earth Fire ball to hover and leap at his fingertips.

S-rank talent, Lava Earth Fire.

A dozen or so lackeys followed behind him, their entourage comparable to a local gang boss patrolling the streets.

Zhao Kuo's arrogant gaze swept across the venue, finally landing on Su Ming's empty seat, and a sneer appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"I said it long ago, that Trash wouldn't dare to come!"

Zhao Kuo laughed loudly, and the Lava Earth Fire ball in his palm suddenly expanded.

He had achieved a Breakthrough!

He was now Tier 2 Bronze!

He had failed to reach it once before, but his father, Zhao Qishan, was worthy of being the richest man in Jiangcheng; he had somehow obtained a special potion and forcibly pushed him over the threshold.

Feeling that majestic aura that far exceeded Tier 1, the students dared not speak.

Zhao Kuo really enjoyed this feeling of being the center of attention.

He leaned into Liu Ruyan's ear and whispered.

"Ruyan, look, I wasn't wrong, right? The matter has been taken care of; I can be quite at ease with my people."

He was convinced that the waves of assassins he had sent out had already dealt with Su Ming.

At this moment, Su Ming had likely already been buried in the belly of some Source Beast in the wilderness, without even a bone left behind.

Liu Ruyan looked in the direction of his gaze, staring at that empty seat, and the last trace of hesitation in her heart completely vanished.

She told herself secretly that abandoning that F-rank Trash and choosing the S-rank Zhao Kuo was the most correct decision she had ever made in her life.

"Um... Young Master Zhao!"

By the side of the exam venue, a middle-aged bald man approached with a face full of smiles.

It was the homeroom teacher, Homeroom Teacher Wang Jianguo.

This week, he had used all his flattery skills.

Young Master Zhao's tips were also quite generous, almost adding up to the total of his past ten years of teaching.

Every day, he would hand Zhao Kuo drinks, towels, and say auspicious words.

If he served him well, next year's awards, promotions, or even a transfer to Zhennan City would not be a dream.

"Young Master Zhao, you look great today, you will definitely succeed in the first battle!"

Homeroom Teacher Wang Jianguo bent over and handed him a bottle of iced Source Energy drink, his face creasing with smiles.

Zhao Kuo didn't even lift his head, as if he were talking to the air.

"That's a given!"

On the other side, on the second floor of the teaching building, in the temporary admissions reception room, admission mentors from various top-tier martial arts academies were sitting in the VIP seats, bored.

Principal Ma Aiguo was accompanying them with a smiling face.

Having spent most of his life in official circles, he was already over fifty, and his cultivation at the Early Stage of Tier 4 was considered decent in the circle of principals.

But in front of these big shots from prestigious schools, he didn't even dare to breathe too loudly.

In previous years, for remote satellite cities like Jiangcheng, the admission mentors who came were just some old, weak, sick, or disabled ones, purely here to go through the motions.

This year, however, the lineup could be called luxurious!

Associate Professor Zhou from the Imperial Capital University, Middle Stage of Tier 5; Mentor Lin from the Demon Capital University, Early Stage of Tier 5; ...

The mentors from the other academies were also at least powerhouses at the Late Stage of Tier 4.

And the most eye-catching one among them was the one on the far side!

Standing at 1.68 meters tall, with exquisite facial features, a plump and full figure, a black tight-fitting tactical suit outlined extremely well-proportioned lines.

A head of chestnut-colored long curly hair draped lazily over her shoulders, gold-rimmed glasses perched on the bridge of her nose, and the eyes behind the lenses were half-squinted, carrying a hint of laziness and alluring charm.

The most critical thing was her aura.

The presence of all the Awakened ones in the entire reception room combined didn't equal hers alone.

Southern United Martial Arts Academy—Chu Yao.

Late Stage of Tier 5, Wind-element Awakened.

She was also Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng's younger sister.

She had come to Jiangcheng today for only one purpose.

Su Ming!

When she received Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng's call last night, Chu Yao was curled up on the sofa scrolling through Tomato Videos.

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng told her to go to Jiangcheng in person, saying there was a high school student who tore apart a Tier 4 Source Beast with his bare hands.

She scoffed, thinking her brother had drunk too much iced beer.

It wasn't until she saw the video that she immediately changed her recruitment plan and volunteered to come to Jiangcheng overnight.

At this moment, she had no mood to socialize or make small talk with that group of peers.

Taking advantage of the gap while Principal Ma Aiguo was showing everyone around, she left the reception room alone, walked through the corridor, and went straight to the examination room where Su Ming was located.

She was somewhat impatient to meet this fierce person!

But when she arrived at the entrance of the examination room and looked, Su Ming's seat was empty.

Listening to the whispered gossip of the surrounding students about him "fearing death and abandoning the exam" and "fleeing before the battle," Chu Yao frowned slightly.

Her Wind-element ability was quietly activated, taking all the surrounding rumors into her ears.

Someone said he was afraid?

Someone said he ran away?

Even someone said he died?

...

Her brows slowly knit together.

Dead?

He couldn't possibly be dead!

He didn't even die in the Source Abyss, so how could he die for no reason in the city?

This kid, why was he the same as his brother, Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng, dropping the ball at a critical moment!

The exam was about to start; he wouldn't still be sleeping in, would he?

As she turned to walk back, she happened to bump into Ma Aiguo, who was leading the tour.

Ma Aiguo's eyes lit up.

Late Stage of Tier 5!

An official admission officer from the Southern United Martial Arts Academy!

In previous years, they didn't even send interns to Jiangcheng, yet this year such a big Buddha had come directly?

They were all here for this year's S-rank students!

Jiangcheng No. 1 High School had produced two S-ranks and two A-ranks this year!

With these two pairs of cards in hand, he could show off a bit in the eyes of those old fogies in Lincheng at the mid-year joint meeting!

"Teacher Chu, your presence truly makes our Jiangcheng No. 1 High School shine!"

Ma Aiguo smiled and went up to greet her, "Your news is really well-informed, knowing that we produced two S-ranks and two A-ranks this year!"

Chu Yao was slightly surprised.

Two S-ranks, two A-ranks?

This was already comparable to a B-rank city.

She looked around at the other teachers.

They must also be here for these two S-rank students, right?

She could take a look when the time came.

Her main target was still Su Ming!

She hoped that the others wouldn't compete with her!

Otherwise... hmph~!

She nodded politely, "Then congratulations to Principal Ma, it's been rare for Jiangcheng to have such a phenomenon in a hundred years."

Ma Aiguo's face instantly bloomed like a peach blossom; she was praising his governance!

He was just about to say a few humble words when he suddenly noticed Chu Yao had stopped.

Looking in the direction of her gaze, a figure stood at the corner of the teaching building...

—

Shen Qingci was wearing a minimalist black high-neck tight-fitting short top today, which outlined her slender waist that could be gripped in one hand, and her proud figure to the fullest.

Her lower body was paired with a waist-cinching slim-fit cargo jogger, and she wore Martin boots, making the proportions of her already Heaven-Defying long legs even more astonishing.

The whole person exuded a sense of clean, dashing, and noble air.

However, on that ice-mountain-like beautiful face, at this very moment, it was full of anxiety.

She was clutching her communication bracelet, her brows slightly furrowed.

On the screen was a series of unanswered outgoing call records.

They were all to Su Ming.

None of them went through.

Shen Qingci didn't actually have much sense of belonging to Jiangcheng No. 1 High School.

She had grown up in the Imperial Capital with her aunt since she was a child, and she had also attended middle school there.

[part:gemini-3.5-flash]

Her college entrance examination registration was in Jiangcheng,

which was entirely Shen Hongyuan's arrangement.

Low-profile and encrypted!

This was also why, despite being only one grade apart from Su Ming,

she had never heard of him.

If not for her father Shen Hongyuan's request,

she wouldn't even have appeared here.

An encrypted student taking the exam at a borrowed school,

and an impoverished student keeping a low profile on purpose—

the two parallel lines should never have crossed.

Yet at this moment,

her mind was filled with that grinning guy from the Scrap Yard yesterday,

who had been shouting about giving her an injection.

Did something happen to him?

Shen Qingci's heart tightened.

She grabbed two random students

and asked expressionlessly,

"Where is the senior year exam hall?"

The two of them froze on the spot

before pointing the way, feeling deeply flattered.

Shen Qingci walked quickly toward the exam hall,

drawing countless stunned, admiring gazes along the way.

Yet, not a single person had the courage to approach and strike up a conversation.

Once she was far enough away,

the school chat groups instantly exploded.

"Holy crap! Who is this senior sister?"

"Does our school even have such a beauty?"

"The school beauty ranking needs to be updated! Hurry up and @everyone in the group!"

The school forum boiled with excitement instantly.

Shen Qingci was naturally unaware of all this.

Last night, she had sent a message saying "Good luck tomorrow,"

but there had been no reply so far.

She called, but the call couldn't go through.

She sent messages, but they went completely unanswered.

Just as she was thinking about this,

a familiar figure appeared in her field of vision.

"Teacher Chu?"

Shen Qingci was taken aback and quickly greeted her respectfully,

"Why are you here?"

Chu Yao turned around and saw her,

and much of the frustration on her face dissipated.

"Qingci?"

The two were no strangers to each other.

When Shen Qingci took the college entrance examination last year,

Chu Yao was leading students on a mission

and missed the recruitment.

"Last year, Teacher Huangfu beat me to the punch.

This year, I came to try my luck too,

to see if I can find any hidden gems."

Principal Ma, who was standing nearby, saw this scene,

and a stormy sea raged in his heart.

Shen Qingci!

Last year's double champion in both the literary and martial exams!

On the first day of the college entrance examination last year,

City Defense Commander Qin Luo had personally called,

asking to add an exam slot

and demanding total secrecy throughout.

That Prodigy student had actually scored as the double champion in both literary and martial exams!

But on the day after the exam,

all discussions about her champion status vanished completely from the internet.

He naturally guessed that some incredibly powerful figure had intervened.

He hadn't expected that last year's champion

would be so familiar with a Tier 5 powerhouse from the Southern United Martial Arts Academy!

And thinking about how there was another S-rank student surnamed Ye who entered through the exact same process this year...

Would this one be hidden away too?

How was he supposed to show off then?

It was purely like walking in embroidered robes at night—

like putting makeup on his backside!

Principal Ma sighed in his heart.

One last year,

and another one this year!

Why are there so many big shots!

Besides, why are you all staring at my Jiangcheng!

What do you take my D-class satellite city for?

A chicken coop for hatching eggs?!

...

At the same time.

Jiangcheng City Defense Headquarters.

Commander Qin Luo sat behind his desk,

with the holographic screen clearly displaying the exam halls of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School.

"Old Shen,

you asked me to keep a close eye

and prevent anyone from seeking death.

But where on earth is your boy?"

The office door was pushed open,

and Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng rushed in like a gust of wind.

His military uniform was worn disheveled.

In his hand, he clutched a dark blue encrypted voucher.

It was a Merit Points approval slip.

"Commander Qin, the Merit Points have been approved!"

He waved the voucher in his hand,

muttering to himself.

"My goodness,

the Merit Points for killing a pseudo-Tier 5 beast,

even I'm drooling over them!"

Commander Qin Luo glanced at him.

"Are you more anxious than the person involved?"

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng chuckled.

"This is a living ancestor who went hand-to-hand with a Tier 5.

If I deliver these Merit Points to him personally,

we'll at least be considered semi-acquaintances, right?"

"I can't get in touch with Su Ming,"

Commander Qin Luo interrupted him.

"...Huh?"

Lieutenant Colonel Chu Feng fell silent for two seconds.

"I'll go to No. 1 High School and check."

"Go on," Commander Qin Luo waved his hand.

This little brat,

what on earth is he up to?

—

At the same time.

On the Federal Social Platform.

The video from yesterday of [Mysterious High Schooler Blows Up Tier 5 Source Beast with One Punch]

could no longer be found anywhere on the internet.

Although Jiangcheng was a Source Abyss defense line,

because it had been at peace for so long,

the lives of the ordinary citizens in the city were basically no different from before.

Occasionally, a few Tier 1 or 2 mutated rats crawling out of the sewers

were enough to get everyone excited for quite a while.

Let's not even talk about seeing a legendary Tier 5 Source Beast that could destroy half a satellite city,

most had barely even heard of one.

So when yesterday's video came out,

the entire local media of Jiangcheng exploded on the spot.

What was even more extreme was the military's consecutive moves.

A wave of account bans and mutes across all major platforms

completely activated the rebellious nature of this generation of netizens.

In this era of information explosion,

netizens might not know how to do anything else,

but they were self-taught masters at being conspiracy theorists and keyboard warriors.

"They're anxious! The officials are definitely anxious!"

"If it's fake, why delete it? The rumor would have debunked itself!"

"I, Daoist Huang, guess that federal confidential documents were stolen, and there's a mole!"

"According to my second uncle's third nephew's neighbor, that youth is actually the valkyrie's illegitimate son..."

All kinds of ridiculous rumors fermented wildly,

eventually even evolving into

"as long as you can catch this One-Punch Man today,

whether you have talent or not, you can directly evolve to S-rank"

cyber-superstition.

Consequently,

the entrance of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School today

turned directly into a massive celebrity-chasing and crowd-gathering superstition scene.

Countless wilderness mercenaries who lived on the edge wanted to see which deity was stealing their business;

Students looking for excitement sat densely packed along the walls,

and even an old lady selling savory crepes parked her cart right in front of the school gate,

stretching her neck to look inside while spreading eggs on the griddle.

The entire Jiangcheng No. 1 High School was so tightly surrounded

that not even a fly could get in.

Wang Hubao, the leader of the Thunder Mercenary Group,

squatted outside the wall of Jiangcheng No. 1 High School,

with miniature camera equipment set up in front of him,

starting a live stream directly on the Mercenary Forum.

The signal was routed through a student who had been bribed;

the picture quality was average, but it had the advantage of being real-time.

The title of the live stream room was simple and crude:

[Mysterious High Schooler's Gaokao Today! Live Scouting!]

Less than half an hour after going live,

the number of online viewers exceeded twenty thousand!

The bullet comments flashed frantically.

"Where is he? Where's the big shot?!"

"I took time off work to watch the live stream, and his seat is empty?"

"Who's that wearing red armor? So arrogant."

"Seems to be a local rich second-generation, S-rank, the one who previously threatened to beat the big shot to death."

"Him? Is he an idiot? In the video, the big shot blew up a pseudo-Tier 5's head with one punch. This guy wouldn't even be enough to fill the gaps between its teeth."

"Is he really not coming? No way, right??"

Anxiety and excitement alternated on the screen in the bullet comments.

The Jiangcheng college entrance examination, which had been ignored in previous years,

now had over fifty live stream rooms online at the same time.

The popularity rose rapidly,

looking as if it would break into the top twenty of the Federal Hot List.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone,

only one minute remained before the start of the Literary Exam.

Yet, the core figure had still not shown up!

The bullet comments across the entire internet completely exploded.

[Where is he?! Where is the ruthless guy who blew up a Tier 5 with one punch?!]

[No way, right? Did he really run away at the last minute? I can't accept this!]

[Didn't they say Jiangcheng has two other S-ranks? Bring them out for a spin!]

[Zhao Kuo is awesome! S-rank is the GOAT!]

Just as the atmosphere of the entire venue reached its peak—

"Beep—"

A gentle yet majestic female voice

echoed from the loudspeakers of every exam hall:

"The Federal Unified Entrance Examination for Higher Awakened,

Jiangcheng Division, the Literary Exam subject is about to begin.

The Literary Exam score accounts for thirty percent of the total score.

Please take your seats, all candidates,

and check if your Exam Terminals are functioning normally.

It is strictly forbidden to bring any Source Energy communication devices, memory chips, or undeclared Auxiliary Source Tools.

The exam time is from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

Those who are late by more than thirty minutes

will have their qualification for the Literary Exam revoked."

After a pause, the broadcast added:

"The Federal AI Brain will monitor the exam hall discipline throughout the process.

Once any cheating is discovered,

the candidate's qualification for the college entrance examination will be canceled on the spot,

and it will be recorded in the Federal Credit File. Candidates, please maintain self-discipline."

The originally noisy discussions fell silent instantly.

Everyone knew what the "Federal Credit File" meant.

Once recorded,

one would be completely cut off from the military, government, and regular large enterprises for the rest of their life.

"There are five minutes left before the start of the Literary Exam.

Candidates, please turn on your Exam Terminals

and complete the iris recognition and Source Energy fluctuation registration."

In the exam halls,

one "beep" after another sounded

as Exam Terminals lit up with blue lights.

"Countdown, sixty seconds."

Zhao Kuo turned his head

to look at Su Ming's empty seat.

The grin at the corner of his mouth grew increasingly wild.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

"Three, two, one."

"The Literary Exam begins!"

...

Old district, low-rent housing, third floor.

The walls were covered with hideous cracks,

and the ceiling and floor were in complete disarray.

On the bed, the youth who had fallen into a deep sleep

had mysterious dark-gold star patterns on his body's surface

that were slowly fading beneath his skin.

From his chest,

heavy, drum-like heartbeats sounded.

Thump!

Thump!

Thump!

...

When the last wisp of dark-gold star patterns sank into his glabella

and disappeared,

Su Ming suddenly snapped his eyes open!

...