381: Chapter 381 Are you qualified now?

Lin Yao's crisp voice echoed through the corridor, the reverberations yet to fully fade.

In the rest area, after a brief silence, a burst of uproarious laughter erupted.

"Hahahaha."

"Is this Little Girl still dreaming?"

"She really thinks this is playing house."

"Venomous Fang" Liu San opened his eyes a crack and glanced at Lin Yao. He closed them again, a disdainful curve on his lips.

"Iron Wall" Wang Gang rubbed his neck, making a crisp cracking sound. He didn't even look at Lin Yao, merely shaking his head at the teammates beside him.

"Young people these days really dare to say anything."

"Half an hour? And all at once?"

"What does she think this is? A kindergarten talent show?"

Xu Biao laughed so hard he doubled over, tears nearly streaming down his face.

Pointing at Lin Yao, he said to those around him, "Did you hear that? This is what happens when a useless person parachutes in relying on their background; she doesn't even know the basic rules."

"Taking everyone on together—who does she think she is?"

Lin Yao's cheeks flushed bright red.

This wasn't shame, but pure rage.

She was just about to retort.

A cold voice interrupted her.

"Stop!"

At the end of the corridor, a staff member dressed in the Organization uniform walked over quickly.

She had a delicate face but wore a stern expression.

Lin Yao frowned; she could tell this was the same receptionist she'd clashed with in the lobby over Zhao Tianyang's phone number. Somehow, she had ended up here, now wearing a manager's badge...

This rapidly promoted manager walked with a fast pace, carrying an air of unquestionable authority.

Her gaze first landed on Lin Yao.

Lin Yao.

Of course, she recognized Lin Yao.

The girl who had left the Black Armor Guard helpless in the lobby of the Organization.

The girl who had been personally taken away by a member of the Fangs Special Operations Team.

The manager knew very well that Lin Yao's background was not something she could easily offend.

But she also knew that letting Lin Yao cause a scene here would seriously damage the rules and image of the Organization.

Moreover, she had been suppressed by a lingering resentment.

Now, the opportunity had come.

She couldn't directly attack Lin Yao.

But she could uphold the "rules."

She could handle it "fairly."

She could take this chance to make Lin Yao look like a fool.

The manager's gaze swept over the contestants in the rest area.

She saw their disdain and mockery.

She had an idea.

The manager stood before Lin Yao and Zhao Tianyang, first offering a reassuring smile to the contestants in the rest area.

"Contestants, please excuse this."

She paused, lowering her voice slightly, but enough for those around to hear clearly.

"This Miss Lin Yao, she... she is feeling a bit unwell."

"Perhaps... there are some minor mental issues. Please don't take offense."

"She just has the temperament of a child and is playing around."

The manager's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Lin Yao's head.

Lin Yao's anger was instantly replaced by a profound sense of humiliation.

Mental issues?

Childish temperament?

She actually dared to say she was sick in public?

Zhao Tianyang's body tensed up instantly.

He took a step forward, shielding Lin Yao behind him.

Only then did the manager's gaze fall upon Zhao Tianyang.

She was startled.

Zhao Tianyang.

Asura Zhao Tianyang.

The number one presence on the Bounty League rankings of the Organization.

Naturally, she knew Zhao Tianyang.

She also knew Zhao Tianyang's strength and status.

The manager quickly calculated in her mind.

She couldn't offend Zhao Tianyang.

But she also couldn't let Lin Yao's antics break the rules of the Organization.

She decided to continue approaching from the angle of "rules."

The manager cleared her throat, her voice returning to an official tone.

"Miss Lin Yao, Mr. Zhao Tianyang."

"The Bounty League of the Organization has a strict promotion mechanism."

"You currently do not have enough points, nor does anyone stand as a guarantor for you."

"Therefore, you cannot directly challenge all the contestants; it does not comply with the rules."

The manager's tone was firm.

She wanted to make Lin Yao understand in front of everyone that the rules weren't meant to be broken by her.

She wanted Lin Yao to taste the bitterness of being bound by rules.

The uproarious laughter in the rest area gradually died down.

Everyone looked over.

They all wanted to see how this "sick" Little Girl would end things.

Xu Biao crossed his arms, a sneer on his face.

He wanted to see how this useless person who relied on her background would respond.

Shielded behind Zhao Tianyang, Lin Yao could feel the tension in his body.

She knew Zhao Tianyang was protecting her.

But the rage in her heart was almost consuming her.

She refused to submit.

She was unwilling to accept this.

She wanted to prove herself.

Zhao Tianyang didn't look back.

He simply took a step forward, completely blocking the manager's line of sight.

He looked directly at the manager, his voice calm yet carrying an unquestionable majesty.

"Who says no one is standing as a guarantor for her?"

The manager's body stiffened.

Looking at Zhao Tianyang, a bad premonition welled up in her heart.

Zhao Tianyang slowly reached out his hand and pointed to himself.

His voice echoed clearly through the corridor.

"I am."

"Zhao Tianyang."

"I stand as guarantor for Miss Lin Yao."

In the rest area, everyone's laughter came to an abrupt halt.

The reassuring smile on the manager's face completely froze.

She stared at Zhao Tianyang, her mind a complete blank.

"You... you are acting as her guarantor?"

The manager's voice trembled slightly.

She couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Zhao Tianyang.

Asura Zhao Tianyang, number one on the rankings.

He would actually stand as a guarantor for a "mentally unstable" Little Girl?

This was simply preposterous.

Zhao Tianyang didn't answer the manager's question.

He simply continued, his voice devoid of any inflection.

"If Miss Lin Yao loses in the match..."

"...all her losses will be borne by me."

"A ten-fold points penalty."

"To be deducted from my points pool."

"Boom!"

These words were like a thunderclap exploding in everyone's minds.

In the rest area, the contestants who had just been mocking Lin Yao were now all dumbfounded.

"Ten times?"

"Deducted from Zhao Tianyang's points pool?"

They looked at each other, their faces filled with disbelief.

Who was Zhao Tianyang?

He was the top of the Bounty League rankings in the Organization, a presence whose name, Asura, resounded throughout the entire Firmament.

Every single one of his points represented countless bloody battles and thrilling fights.

Now, he was actually making such a massive guarantee for a Little Girl he barely knew.

A ten-fold penalty—that was a nearly astronomical loss of points.

This meant that if Lin Yao failed, Zhao Tianyang would fall directly from the top spot, perhaps even dropping out of the top hundred.

Lin Yao's breathing quickened. She felt as if her lungs were about to burst from anger.

She looked at the self-righteous brute before her, then at the whispering contestants around them.

There was a fire in Lin Yao's heart.

Perhaps it was because she had wanted to prove herself to her brother today but failed, and then had her buttons pushed; in any case...

The Little Girl was very angry!

"Well?"

Lin Yao suddenly stepped forward, facing the front desk manager directly.

Her voice was crisp, yet it carried an uncontrollable rage.

"Now, am I qualified?"

The manager's body trembled.

She instinctively took half a step back, avoiding Lin Yao's direct gaze.