374: There's nobody in Chapter 374's instance?

Principal Pang Ban slammed his chest, a proud light erupting in his eyes:

"Our Magic City Martial Arts University still has one team member left!"

"He is currently staying safe and sound inside Forbidden Zone No. 009! Not even a single hair of his has been harmed!"

Dead silence.

Within the vast meeting room, the air stagnated briefly.

A few seconds later.

"What?!"

President Xia Yun's hand, which was holding a thermos, trembled violently, spilling scalding tea onto the back of his hand, but he didn't even notice and stood straight up from the main seat.

The surrounding officers organizing documents and logistics executives stared with wide eyes, as if looking at a mental patient talking nonsense.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

Before President Xia Yun could even ask, a technical department supervisor with dark circles under his eyes and thinning hair slammed the table and jumped up from beside the conference table.

He pointed at Principal Pang Ban, his face flushed red, and retorted loudly:

"Principal Pang, even if you want to compete for the championship, you can't just tell lies with your eyes wide open!"

"Ever since the Faceless Man left and our technical department regained control, in order to ensure no student was left behind, we mobilized twelve high-power vital sign detection radars and conducted five full, deep-penetration scans of the entire Forbidden Zone No. 009!"

"Let alone a living person, even a marmot hibernating a hundred meters underground couldn't escape our radar array!"

The technical supervisor pushed up his thick glasses and delivered his conclusion decisively:

"After our inspection, there is no one left in the dungeon!"

"Exactly, Old Pang."

President Xia Yun also recovered from his shock; he sighed, looked at Principal Pang Ban with a speechless expression, assuming his old friend was just throwing a drunken tantrum because he was desperate from losing.

"Old Li is right; the instrument's scan results won't lie. Even taking a step back, even if the instruments malfunctioned, have you forgotten?"

President Xia Yun pointed at himself, his tone revealing the absolute confidence of a Tier 6 Grandmaster:

"During the day, I personally led five Rank 5 peak experts and charged into the dungeon to conduct a carpet search of the mountains!"

"With my Rank 6 spiritual power net spread across the entire map, could I really not find even one student from your school?"

President Xia Yun waved his hand and advised earnestly:

"Old Pang, stop making trouble in the middle of the night."

"The current paper strength of Magic City Martial Arts University is still formidable. Even if Bai Lan is suspended, you aren't without a chance of winning when you face Kuangsha Academy tomorrow in a real fight; why make such a scene here?"

Listening to the technical supervisor's data rebuttal and watching President Xia Yun's "I am magnanimous and won't hold your madness against you" expression, Principal Pang Ban felt no shame at all; instead, the sneer at the corner of his mouth grew wider.

"Me, making a scene?"

"Cut the crap! True or false, wouldn't opening the dungeon to verify it settle everything?"

Principal Pang Ban pointed at President Xia Yun, his eyes flashing with confident light:

"Old Xia! I'll put it this way today! Let's go open the entrance to Forbidden Zone No. 009 right now!"

"If there is nothing in the dungeon, I will personally apologize to your Organizing Committee and to Kuangsha Academy tomorrow in front of 100,000 spectators!"

"But!" Principal Pang Ban raised his voice, his tone deafening:

"If my team member is truly still in the dungeon!"

"Then, according to the ironclad rule that 'the last survivor is the champion'!"

"The champion of the second round of the melee still belongs to my Magic City Martial Arts University!"

"Having won two consecutive melee rounds, we will skip the final tie-breaker and be crowned the overall champion of this Hundred Schools League!"

"The priority exploration rights for [Dragon Fall Abyss] must fall into the pockets of Magic City Martial Arts University tonight! Do you dare to bet?"

A huge gamble!

This was a shocking gamble that wagered the dignity and supreme honor of a prestigious school!

If Principal Pang Ban lost, Magic City Martial Arts University would not only lose all face but would even become the laughingstock of the entire Great Xia.

But the fact that he dared to rush into the Organizing Committee in the middle of the night and make such a harsh declaration proved he had absolute confidence!

The technical supervisor was thoroughly enraged by Principal Pang Ban's arrogant attitude.

He felt that his professional field had been subjected to unprecedented provocation and trampling.

"Fine! You're on!"

The technical supervisor was so angry his face turned blue; he slammed the folder in his hand onto the table and looked at President Xia Yun:

"President Xia! Since Principal Pang won't give up until he hits the wall, let's open the dungeon and let him give up!"

"I want to see what kind of god-like being is hiding under our dragnet and managed to deceive the world!"

Watching the two about to argue, President Xia Yun rubbed his temples in a headache and decisively interrupted this meaningless dispute.

"Alright, both of you, say less."

"Since Old Pang is so certain, let's open the dungeon one more time, and everyone can be a witness!"

President Xia Yun waved his hand, led the Organizing Committee's executives and technical staff, and marched through the corridor to the entrance of the dungeon.

The night breeze was cool, and the vast plaza appeared somewhat empty.

At this moment, the hundred-meter-tall deep blue teleportation light gate was in a closed, dormant state, with a layer of faint sealing runes flowing across its surface.

"Old Li, do it."

President Xia Yun ordered in a deep voice with his hands behind his back.

The technical supervisor called Old Li snorted coldly, dragged his heavy equipment case, and walked to the front of the array hub.

He rapidly typed on the virtual keyboard of the console, entering a series of complex, highest-authority decryption commands.

"Hum!"

Accompanied by a low spatial roar, the previously dim portal lit up again with dazzling blue light.

Not only that, but the dozens of ultra-clear holographic big screens suspended above the plaza also lit up simultaneously with the technical supervisor's operations.

"Full-band vital sign radar, activate!"

"Secret realm full-perspective optical monitoring, access!"

Old Li's fingers flew, projecting the real-time images of Forbidden Zone No. 009 before everyone without reservation.

On the big screens, the images constantly switched.

Scenes from inside the dungeon flashed across the screens, yet no matter how they looked, there was never any sign of anyone active inside the dungeon.

The technical supervisor, Old Li, also pushed the power of the human vital sign detection radar for Forbidden Zone No. 009 to the maximum.

"Beep—beep—beep—"

On the massive electronic screen, circles of red scanning ripples rippled out like water waves, covering the entire dungeon thoroughly.

The first scan, the screen was completely dark.

The second, still no red dots lit up.

Until the fifth deep-penetration scan ended, the radar's feedback value remained a cold and glaring "0."

"Ha!"

The technical supervisor, Old Li, suddenly stopped his actions, turned around, crossed his arms, his face filled with the satisfaction and mockery of having avenged a great grudge.

He pointed at the row of glaring zero data and shouted at Principal Pang Ban:

"Principal Pang, open your eyes and see clearly! There isn't even a shadow of a person!"

"Is this what you were so adamant about, that Magic City Martial Arts University still has one team member staying safe and sound inside?"