35: Chapter 35 Is this the Zerg?

The next morning, in Dongjiang University's comprehensive training room.

The twenty-six people standing in the center of the hall all had tense expressions.

This was the entire lineup from Class One that had chosen the "War God Path," accounting for half of the class's total population.

The school had only provided ten slots for the competition. This meant that today, more than half of them would be weeded out.

Gu Han stood at the edge of the group, with his classmates keeping their distance either intentionally or unintentionally.

Teacher Qin Lin, dressed in a sleek combat suit, strode to the very front of the group.

"The equipment has been calibrated." Teacher Qin Lin pointed to the two rows of semi-submersible connection pods behind her. "Everyone, log into your Divine Kingdoms and prepare to enter the simulated battlefield."

The students lay down in the connection pods one by one.

Gu Han connected his neural port, and his consciousness began to sink.

When he opened his eyes again, his surroundings had completely changed.

Before him lay a desolate gravel desert, its ground crisscrossed with ravines. There was not a single living thing in sight, and his classmates around him were all mere projections.

Teacher Qin Lin's voice echoed in midair, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"This is a real battlefield created using a foreign race's Divine Kingdom Core. Once you connect to your Divine Kingdoms, you can dispatch your believers to fight."

"The selection is divided into two phases: the testing phase and the elimination phase," Teacher Qin Lin continued to announce the rules. "You may dispatch your strongest believers, with no limit on quantity. I will assign a Tier 1 believer to test each of you."

"As long as your believers can hold out against mine for one minute, you will pass the test and move on to the next round, the elimination phase."

A slightly chubby boy raised his hand, his voice trembling a little.

"Teacher Qin, what if... our believers are killed during the test?"

"If they die, you are disqualified. The War God Path is just that brutal. Believers who can't even last a single minute would only be going to their deaths in the league anyway."

She paused, her tone growing a bit heavier.

"Those who want to back out can do so now."

The gravel desert was dead silent; no one budged. Those who had chosen the War God Path all had some degree of confidence.

"Very well."

Teacher Qin Lin raised her right hand and snapped her fingers in the air.

In the open ground ahead, lights flashed one after another.

Twenty-six warriors clad in light armor and wielding spears appeared out of thin air.

These warriors were heavily built, with slate-gray skin and coarse manes growing on both sides of their cheeks—they were none other than Orcs.

Upon appearing, they quickly dispersed and took up positions with highly coordinated movements, clearly well-trained.

"Each Spearman will face one of you. Now, dispatch your believers."

Following Teacher Qin Lin's command, the open ground instantly became bustling.

Lights flared up one after another as all kinds of bizarre creatures made their appearances.

Most students summoned war beasts, such as Iron-Armored Rhinos and Wind-Blade Wolves.

Those in better circumstances summoned a few Ape-men wielding wooden clubs. Some students even dispatched Orcs, though their gear was crude, making them look like refugees.

After all, intelligent races were extremely expensive and not something an ordinary family could afford.

With a slight nudge of his mind, Gu Han connected to his Divine Kingdom.

Ten dark shadows landed on the sandy ground ahead.

Gu Han did not choose the humanoid Soldier Ant-men, but rather Worker Ant-men that crawled on all six limbs like ordinary Zerg.

Teacher Qin Lin's consciousness scanned the entire field, and when her gaze swept past Gu Han's position, her brow instantly furrowed.

Black Armored Ants?

No, they don't quite look like them. Could they be a mutated species?

A trace of displeasure rose in Teacher Qin Lin's heart. Gu Han had actually chosen to nurture the Zerg?

Everyone knew that although the Zerg reproduced quickly and had decent combat power in the early stages, their greatest fatal flaw was their lack of intelligence, making them completely unresponsive to commands.

Once they entered the battlefield, they would usually fight purely on instinct, completely unable to execute complex tactical commands.

To get through today's selection, this kid had actually resorted to such short-sighted methods. He was truly wasting those financial aid grants.

Not far away, Zhao Xu also noticed Gu Han's movements.

Looking at those ten giant ants crawling on the ground, he almost burst out laughing.

"And here I thought you had some trump card, but you just brought out a bunch of bugs," Zhao Xu sneered inwardly.

Last night, his father Zhao Kun had specifically called him into the study to tell him that Gu Han had completely fallen into the trap. That "Qiankun Large Loan" was arranged by Zhao Kun through his contacts, and he had specially approved an ultra-high limit of three million for Gu Han.

Originally, Zhao Xu had been worried that Gu Han would use that money to buy some powerful species, but now it seemed he had worried completely in vain.

Even with Zhao Xu's poor grades, he knew full well the drawbacks of the Zerg.

"A poor loser is just a poor loser, with such a narrow vision." Zhao Xu raised his chin smugly and, with a thought, summoned his own believers.

Five slender Lizardmen appeared in front of him.

These Lizardmen not only held well-crafted iron scimitars but also wore leather armor.

"Disperse your formation immediately, focus on kiting them!" Zhao Xu issued his command.

He knew very well that he only needed to hold out for one minute, so there was no need to fight head-on.

Seeing the Lizardmen appear, several gasps immediately erupted from the surroundings.

"Holy crap, are those Red-Scaled Lizardmen? They cost six hundred thousand each!"

"Young Master Zhao is set for this round. With this gear and setup, as long as he doesn't fight to the death, he'll definitely pass."

Listening to his classmates' discussion, the smile on Zhao Xu's face grew even brighter. This was exactly the kind of spotlight he wanted.

"Start the timer!" Teacher Qin Lin commanded.

The twenty-six Orc Spearmen instantly launched a charge.

The battlefield instantly fell into chaos, with the roars of war beasts and the clashing of weapons intertwining.

Upon making contact, many students' war beasts were driven back repeatedly by the Spearmen's superb spear technique, gaining several bloody gashes on their bodies.

On Zhao Xu's side, the Lizardmen appeared to handle things with ease. Utilizing their agile movement, they constantly circled the Spearmen, occasionally parrying with their scimitars, perfectly executing the kiting tactic.

Just then, a much louder clamor of gasps suddenly erupted from the crowd, even mixed with the sound of people drawing in sharp breaths.

"Holy shit! That's so fierce!"

"They actually have tactics!"

Zhao Xu rejoiced inwardly. Have these country bumpkins finally witnessed the power of my Lizardmen?

He turned his head, ready to bask in their admiring gazes.

But as his gaze swept across the room, he realized that everyone's attention was not on him at all.

Following their gazes, the smile on Zhao Xu's face instantly froze, and his eyes widened in shock.

In the area where Gu Han was, the scene was extremely bizarre.

The Spearman responsible for testing Gu Han was currently retreating repeatedly, his face filled with sheer terror.

Just a few seconds ago, following standard tactics, the Spearman had thrust his spear at the foremost Black Armored Ant-Man.

That Black Armored Ant didn't dodge at all, rushing straight into the spear tip and allowing the spear to impale its body while its massive mandibles clamped down hard on the shaft.

Before the Spearman could react, two Black Armored Ants had already flanked him from the left and right, their mandibles locking tightly onto his arms.

The physique of a Tier 1 creature could not yet compare to metal. The Spearman struggled desperately, his arms bleeding profusely as he tried to shake off the two bugs with brute force.

Immediately after, the remaining seven Black Armored Ants did not swarm forward to bite like ordinary Zerg. Instead, they quickly dispersed, forming a perfect encirclement that cut off all of the Spearman's escape routes.

The Spearman had already fallen into a panic. Abandoning his spear, he fought while retreating, and finally even called out to his comrades for help. With the assistance of a nearby companion, he managed to break through the encirclement and flee.

The entire field fell dead silent.

Gu Han stood in place, calmly watching the fleeing Spearman.

He did not issue a command to pursue.

After forcing back the enemy, the nine Black Armored Ants immediately closed their formation, surrounding their injured companion in the center like a well-trained army.

Zhao Xu stood with his mouth agape, unable to make a sound for a long time.

Is this fucking Zerg?!

Standing on the high ground, Teacher Qin Lin was equally shocked.

She stared intently at the ten Black Armored Ants. This level of discipline had completely exceeded the scope of Low-Tier Zerg!

Just how on earth did this kid Gu Han do it?

Gu Han looked up, breaking the silence on the field.

"Teacher Qin, it seems a minute hasn't passed yet, but it ran away. How does that count? Do I count as having passed the test?"