Forced to Compete

After lights-out that evening, Chu Fei closed the book he had borrowed from Huang Gang and reflected on what had happened during the day.

Whether it was Huang Gang or Zhao Hongyue, both seemed fairly trustworthy. This place really did offer the resources he needed.

But he had to retain a measure of vigilance. After all, this was the apocalypse!

Then he thought of Li Honggang, Lu Hong, and Zhao Xiaofeng.

Unfortunately, Chu Fei had only overheard half the conversation. All he knew was that the three of them wanted to take something from the teachers' office.

What it was, where it was hidden, how large it was, and so on—Chu Fei had not heard any of that.

After carefully considering it, for two teenagers to be sent to "steal" it, the item should not be large or conspicuous. It was even possible that the teachers did not know it existed.

But considering Flying Cloud Battle Team's investment, it had to be worth quite a bit.

Before they had even gotten their hands on it, they had promised Li Honggang and Lu Hong eight Superbrain Potions—that was eighty thousand yuan.

Eighty thousand yuan. Even if Chu Fei sold himself, he would only be worth five thousand.

And Flying Cloud Battle Team had probably already spent quite a lot investing in those two.

But should he tell Cao Liwen, Teacher Cao, about this?

After hesitating for a moment, Chu Fei took a deep breath. "Let's wait and see! See if I can get my hands on it! If Flying Cloud Battle Team is willing to invest so much, it must be extremely valuable!"

In the end, there was still a trace of greed in his heart.

Then Chu Fei thought about the Superbrain Potion. A single dose could optimize the brain's nervous system by 3%, and the effect lasted an entire month!

Unfortunately, he lacked any standard for judgment or comparison, so he could not yet tell just how significant a 3% improvement was.

Wisdom Dewdrops were good, but they only lasted two hours.

The pressure was on!

Chu Fei sat cross-legged and began his nightly thought training—meditation.

"Use one Wisdom Dewdrop!"

A Wisdom Dewdrop dissipated, and his consciousness ascended.

Within the space of his consciousness, Chu Fei instantly constructed three hundred plane geometric shapes, including various triangles and quadrilaterals, then began using exhaustive calculations to piece them together into a patterned large-scale design.

Chu Fei trained madly for two hours, until the Wisdom Dewdrop's effect faded.

The number of "calculations" he completed in those two hours rivaled more than a month's worth in his normal state.

Even after the Wisdom Dewdrop dissipated, Chu Fei could still steadily maintain three hundred plane geometric shapes!

"Remarkable progress! If I undergo another physical examination, my potential will definitely show a major improvement!"

With those expectations in mind, Chu Fei gradually fell asleep.

He slept until dawn, and it was already a new Monday.

In the morning, they went for their run.

Chu Fei silently observed Li Honggang and Lu Hong and, sure enough, noticed something.

Their running efficiency had clearly improved, and they were right on his heels.

Luckily, Chu Fei had always held something back. Only then could he barely maintain a half-step lead.

But a half-step lead was still a lead. Li Honggang, the class monitor, could only settle for second place.

Li Honggang's gaze toward Chu Fei grew increasingly hostile, while even Lu Hong looked at him with some wariness.

Suddenly, Lu Hong asked, "Chu Fei, did you join Dawn Team?"

Quite a few people looked toward the three of them.

Chu Fei smiled. "I'm just doing part-time work for Dawn Team."

Lu Hong wore an "envious" expression and sighed. "Even that's better than us. We haven't seen even a glimmer of hope."

Chu Fei gave Lu Hong a deep look. This guy was far more cunning than Li Honggang.

That single sentence had created a gulf between Chu Fei and his classmates.

Chu Fei immediately turned to Li Honggang. "You're the class monitor, yet no battle team tried to recruit you?"

Li Honggang hesitated, then shook his head.

Chu Fei gave a self-mocking laugh. "I only got this opportunity by shamelessly begging Captain Huang."

After saying that, he glanced at Lu Hong and sneered inwardly, becoming even more vigilant.

However, Chu Fei had already made up his mind.

You have Superbrain Potions, right? I have Wisdom Tree Seeds!

Let me see just how far you can rise!

As for taking a step back and letting the world open up before him, Chu Fei had never even considered it.

Setting aside the fact that backing down would earn him the whip, that was actually secondary.

Most importantly, if he retreated, he would not be able to attract Cao Liwen's attention.

Having been blacklisted by Flying Cloud Battle Team, one of the best ways to protect himself for now was to live under Cao Liwen's watchful eye.

Captain Huang had said before that if others were willing to take a step back, he would be willing to press his advantage.

This was the apocalypse! Taking a step back meant letting his opponent decide matters such as his safety.

So, compete.

If everyone competed, everyone would get hurt. If they did not compete, only he would get hurt.

And only by competing could Li Honggang, Lu Hong, Zhao Xiaofeng, and the Flying Cloud Battle Team behind them possibly slip up, giving him a chance to get his hands on that item.

All of this was the result of Chu Fei's careful deliberation.

However, this week, perhaps because of the Superbrain Potions, Li Honggang and Lu Hong did not cause much trouble for Chu Fei. Instead, they kept their heads down and studied hard.

A week quietly passed, and before they knew it, it was Saturday night again.

This week, everyone's morning running rankings were relatively stable, with little change.

The top five had basically been decided: Chu Fei, Li Honggang, Lu Hong, Zhang Shaojie, and Tang Yong. Not a single girl among them.

Saturday night meant it was time for another exam.

The academic rankings were about to begin.

As they waited, the atmosphere was somewhat dull and oppressive.

The academic pressure had been even greater this week. As the lessons progressed and the volume of knowledge increased, the difficulty of studying rose sharply. Some people were already faintly unable to keep up.

Steady footsteps approached as Cao Liwen arrived carrying a stack of test papers. Without saying a word, he handed them out, then sat at the podium and silently supervised the exam.

Below the podium came the rustling sounds of people writing their answers.

No one dared to hold back.

Falling behind academically meant getting whipped—with a two-meter whip.

Even Chu Fei did not dare be the slightest bit careless.

Minute by minute, time passed. Then suddenly, Chu Fei stood up.

He handed in his paper!

Early!

Everyone looked at Chu Fei. Li Honggang and Lu Hong in particular stared at him as though their eyes were burning.

Chu Fei glanced at Li Honggang and Lu Hong, the corners of his lips lifting slightly. Your minds are in turmoil now, aren't they? Good. That's exactly how it should be!

I keep my word. If I say we compete, then we compete!

This is only the beginning.

We have plenty of time ahead of us!

Cao Liwen accepted the test paper and checked the time. "It's only 20:48. There are still more than forty minutes until 21:30. Aren't you going to check it over?"

"No!" Chu Fei answered decisively. "I believe in myself!"

After a brief pause, Chu Fei added, "Last time, Teacher used the battlefield as an analogy. I also believe I should hold myself to strict standards."

Cao Liwen gave Chu Fei a deep look, the corner of his mouth curling slightly. He said softly, "All right. If there are mistakes, your punishment will be doubled.

"And since yours was already doubled, that means it will be quadrupled."

Chu Fei: ...

This was not how he had imagined it.

Had Teacher Cao seen through everything long ago?

But before Chu Fei could say anything, Cao Liwen added, "But if you truly have no mistakes, your reward will also be quadrupled. You may leave."

Leave? I'm not leaving!

Chu Fei returned to his desk, opened his textbook, and continued studying on his own.

A restless air quickly stirred around him.

Heavy breathing, feet scraping against the floor, fingernails scratching desks, people biting pen caps, flipping through papers frantically...

Compete, all of you!