167: Chapter 167 Speed ​​Test

The tall boy shook his head, casting away this ridiculous thought.

"What kind of skills could a backdoor hire possibly have?"

"Ready—" The starting pistol was raised.

Everyone held their breath.

"Bang!"

The gun went off.

In that instant, Wang Lin bolted forward.

Like an arrow leaving the string, a streak of black lightning, a leopard released from its cage.

Wang Lin's starting Speed was so fast that the people beside him didn't even react in time.

By the time the tall boy had taken his first step, Wang Lin had already surged ahead by three.

He wanted to accelerate, but his body couldn't keep up with his will.

And Wang Lin's Speed was still increasing.

Ten meters, twenty meters, thirty meters...

The scenery on both sides of the track retreated rapidly in Wang Lin's peripheral vision, and the wind whistled in his ears.

Wang Lin ran with ease; one could even say he was just taking a stroll.

But his "stroll" was already an unattainable Speed for everyone else.

Forty meters, fifty meters, sixty meters...

The gap grew wider and wider, absurdly so, to the point of making one doubt reality.

By the time Wang Lin crossed the finish line, the second-place runner was still at the sixty-meter mark.

He was a full forty meters ahead.

A hundred-meter dash, leading by forty meters.

What kind of concept is that?

It's like two people racing; one has already reached the finish line, while the other is still halfway there.

The numbers on the timer jumped, finally settling.

Ten point zero three seconds.

The entire Training Hall went silent.

Everyone was staring at that number, mouths agape, eyes wide, as if they had been hit by a freezing spell.

Ten point zero three seconds.

This result could rank in the top three in the entire history of Holy City Academy.

And the person who achieved this result was the very "backdoor-hiring trash" they had been talking about.

"This... this is impossible..."

"Is the timer broken?"

"Did he take some kind of drug earlier?"

Voices of doubt arose from every corner, but no one dared to say it out loud.

Because everyone saw it—he had run it for real, without cheating, without any tricks.

It was just fast, fast enough to make people doubt reality.

The tall boy finally crossed the finish line, bending over with his hands on his knees, panting heavily.

His time was twelve point eight seconds, three-tenths of a second slower than his usual performance.

Because he had been startled by Wang Lin, he had frozen for a moment at the start.

He looked up at Wang Lin.

Wang Lin stood by the side of the track, his breathing steady, not even panting.

He had even put his hands back into his pockets, leaning against the wall, as if waiting for the next event to start.

The tall boy's mouth twitched; remembering what he had said earlier, he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.

The few boys nearby also lowered their heads; none of them dared to look at Wang Lin.

When they were mocking Wang Lin earlier, they never imagined that this "backdoor-hiring trash" would slap their faces so hard in such a manner.

Wang Lin walked off the track, and when he passed by those people, his footsteps paused.

He didn't look at them, just said one sentence.

"Who was it that said they were going to leave me several blocks behind?"

The tall boy's face turned bright red, his lips trembled, but he couldn't say anything.

Wang Lin didn't wait for his answer and continued walking.

He walked to the wall, leaned against it, and continued eating his unfinished steamed bun.

The discussions around him had completely changed.

"Ten point zero three... This result could rank in the top three in the entire academy's history, right?"

"Isn't he a backdoor hire? How can he run so fast?"

"Could it be... we were wrong?"

"Wrong? We were all wrong. He isn't trash; he's a monster."

Wang Lin took a bite of the steamed bun, chewing slowly.

The bun tasted good, though it had gotten a bit cold.

He glanced at his time on the timer, thinking to himself that he had run too fast.

He had intended to hold back, but when he stood at the starting line, those people's words had annoyed him, and he hadn't been able to restrain himself.

But never mind, he was here today to make them shut up anyway.

Run faster, make them shut up faster.

The second test: Strength.

Class Teacher Zhou Mingyuan stood in front of the testing area and announced the rules.

"For the strength test, we will use a punch force tester. Everyone gets three attempts, and the highest value will be recorded as the result."

He pointed to a machine placed in the center of the testing area.

It was a tall metal device with a circular striking surface on the front, wrapped in thick cushioning material.

The striking surface was connected to a precision measuring instrument with a digital display screen that could show the punch force value in real-time.

The machine had reinforced supports around it and looked very sturdy.

"This machine is a professional punch force tester recently purchased by the academy, with a maximum range of two thousand kilograms."

"The punch force of an ordinary adult is between one hundred and two hundred kilograms, while a trained Esper can reach over five hundred kilograms."

Class Teacher Zhou Mingyuan's gaze swept over the crowd.

"Let's begin."

The students walked up one by one.

Some hit three hundred kilograms, some hit four hundred, and occasionally someone would hit over five hundred, which would draw a wave of gasps.

But most hovered between three hundred and four hundred kilograms.

When it was Zhao Meng's turn, he took a deep breath and walked up to the machine.

He glanced at Wang Lin, who was standing in the corner, and gritted his teeth.

Full release.

His muscles instantly bulged, veins popped, and he slammed a fist onto the striking surface.

With a loud "bang," the machine shook violently.

The numbers on the display screen jumped a few times before finally settling.

Seven hundred twenty kilograms.

The whole place was in an uproar.

"Seven hundred twenty! Zhao Meng is too fierce!"

"He really lives up to being a combat-oriented student with Strength enhancement!"

Zhao Meng retracted his fist, glanced at his result, then looked at Wang Lin, a smug smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

Seven hundred twenty kilograms; this was his best result so far.

He didn't believe Wang Lin could exceed this number.

Strength is not like Speed; this is solid, hard work with no room for tricks.

Zhao Meng walked back to the crowd, waiting to see Wang Lin make a fool of himself.

One student after another went up.

The results were mixed, but no one else surpassed Zhao Meng's seven hundred twenty kilograms.

Until...

"Qiao Shuwan."

The crowd automatically cleared a path.

Qiao Shuwan stood up from the spectator seats and walked to the testing area.

Her expression was very calm; no emotion could be detected.

But everyone's gaze fell upon her.

Qiao Shuwan, the champion of the previous Inter-school League, a prominent figure at Holy City Academy.

No one dared to underestimate her strength.

Qiao Shuwan stood in front of the machine without doing any warm-up exercises or any extra preparation.

She simply raised her right fist.

Then, she threw a punch.

The moment her fist landed on the striking surface, the entire machine emitted a dull, loud thud, even deeper and more powerful than Zhao Meng's punch.

The numbers on the display screen jumped rapidly.

Five hundred... six hundred... seven hundred... eight hundred... nine hundred...