Despair

The squads assembled quickly. Many had already suffered losses, with some reduced to four members, others to three or two.

The military stipulated that squads with fewer than three members would not be allowed to enter, so some squads were eliminated.

The military personnel worked efficiently, tallying the points quickly.

"Wolf Fang Squad, 31,000 points. Qualified to enter!"

"Heaven Sent Squad, 26,500 points. Eliminated!"

"Peacock Squad, 19,880 points. Eliminated!"

One squad after another was assessed, and soon it was the Demon God Squad's turn.

They took out their trophies one by one, starting with Zhou Tie.

"355 F-Rank trophies, 130 E-Rank trophies, 41 D-Rank trophies, and 1 C-Rank trophy. Total points: 9,755. Next."

Hua Xiaofeng went next, with 8,105 points. The two of them alone had already surpassed ten thousand.

Then came Kong Shan. He had earned 8,560 points. With the three of them combined, their total had already exceeded 27,000.

In other words, as long as Li Mengxi and Ruo Ruo earned more than 4,600 points between them, their squad would qualify to enter Yilan.

Ruo Ruo stepped forward first and took out her trophies.

Her points were calculated: exactly 2,400.

"Mengxi, you should be able to get 2,200 points, right?" Zhou Tie grew a little nervous, afraid that if Li Mengxi did poorly, their squad would be eliminated.

"I didn't count them clearly either. Let's see."

Li Mengxi took trophies out of her bags one by one. The highest rank among them was D-Rank. In fact, among those who had emerged from the Warrior Zone, the highest-ranked trophies had all been D-Rank. Not a single C-Rank trophy had appeared yet.

"Li Mengxi has earned a total of 2,220 points! Demon God Squad's total score is 30,040 points. Qualified to enter Yilan." The military Warrior quickly announced the result.

"Great!" Zhou Tie could not help rushing forward to hug Li Mengxi, but she shyly dodged away.

Ruo Ruo smiled as she pulled Li Mengxi over. "Mengxi, the captain treats you so well. It's just a hug between comrades. What is there to be unable to accept? Besides, this is what all of us want to see, isn't it?"

Hua Xiaofeng and Kong Shan grinned and joined in the teasing. Everyone knew Zhou Tie had been interested in Li Mengxi for more than a day or two, but Li Mengxi had never agreed.

"Hug! Get together! Hug! Get together!"

Including Ruo Ruo, several of them joined the chant. With Zhou Tie shamelessly pressing closer, Li Mengxi had no idea how to respond and ended up getting swept into a bear hug by him.

At that moment, Lin Zhen's figure flashed through Li Mengxi's mind. If she had to say who she liked, she did feel something for Lin Zhen. As for Zhou Tie, she felt nothing at all.

But what could Lin Zhen give her? Compared to Zhou Tie, a Level Four War General, there was simply no comparison.

Forget it. Maybe Lin Zhen already died in the Testing Area. Li Mengxi slowly closed her eyes.

"Next, Demon Hunter Squad, come have your points calculated."

At the soldier's call, Shi Lei and the others stepped forward.

Shi Lei was the first to take out his trophies, for a total of 7,300 points.

Next was Zhao Liang with 5,900 points, then Gao Yan, whose score was even lower at only 5,400.

Finally came Ye Tiancheng. His score was slightly higher, with his trophies totaling 7,200 points.

The four of them had only 24,800 points combined.

The soldier asked, "Does your squad only have four members? If so, I'll have to announce your elimination."

Shi Lei wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Wait. We still have one person who hasn't come out of the Warrior Zone. Maybe he'll bring back a lot of trophies when he comes out."

The military soldier said nothing. In truth, the Demon Hunter Squad was already the last squad, and there was still one minute until the end. He did not mind waiting another minute.

Zhou Tie walked over then, beaming as he held Li Mengxi's hand. "Hahaha! Demon Hunters, Shi Lei, stop struggling on your deathbed. Do you remember our bet?"

Shi Lei's expression changed at once. To save face, he had bet a huge sum of one hundred million with the Demon God members. If he lost, not only would they fail to enter Yilan, they would also have to pay out one hundred million for nothing. It would undoubtedly be a fatal blow to the Demon Hunter Squad.

"That bet..."

"Don't tell me you're thinking of welshing on it? Welching on a debt among Martial Artists means losing your credibility. We recorded videos of each other. If you dare welsh, I'll upload the video immediately. Not only will the Martial Artist Association not let you off, but there won't be a place for your Demon Hunter Squad anywhere in all of Ice City. Do you believe that?"

The Martial Artist Association was the regulatory body for Martial Artists. It was staffed by the major Martial Halls, the military, and the Base City, and specifically managed matters between Martial Artists. It was effectively their law enforcement agency and carried great authority.

"We're not going to break the agreement. A bet is a bet, and we'll accept the loss!" Shi Lei finally raised his head, though his heart was filled with despair. The Demon Hunter Squad probably had no future left.

Zhou Tie burst into laughter, still holding Li Mengxi's hand. "Mengxi Baby, one hundred million is ours! As captain, I can get forty million of it. How about I buy you an Ocean Star Necklace then? The one that costs ten million. I know you've liked it for a long time."

Li Mengxi did not know what she felt, but she still nodded.

She knew what that nod meant. She was unwilling, but this was her own choice. Hadn't she always longed for a comfortable life? The man in front of her could give it to her. She should be satisfied. That was the only way she could comfort herself.

"Lin Zhen still hasn't come out," Zhao Liang muttered unwillingly.

Ruo Ruo laughed from the side, her smile alluring, though her words were anything but pleasant.

"Lin Zhen? What are you still counting on him for? That little flower raised in a greenhouse—no, he can only be considered a blade of grass. After entering the Testing Area, he found somewhere to hide and never dared show his face. People online have already cursed him to death. Those who used to admire him are saying they must have been blind. Didn't I say so? A mere trainee entering the Wilderness Area for the first time—what kind of good performance could you possibly expect from him? Yet some people refused to accept it. Now my words have been proven right, haven't they? Got slapped in the face, didn't you? And you have to pay after getting slapped in the face too. Hahaha, the weather is really nice today, and I'm in a great mood! Mengxi, are you in a good mood?"

Li Mengxi forced a smile and nodded. She could not feel happy at all.

"Countdown! 10! 9! 8!"

The military soldier began the countdown. The Demon Hunter Squad looked toward the Town exit in near despair. They no longer believed a miracle could happen.

The Demon God members, on the other hand, were smiling. In just a few more seconds, one hundred million would be theirs. It would be an enormous help to them.

"6! 5! 4!"

Li Mengxi lowered her head and let out a long breath. It was time to bid farewell to the past. Lin Zhen, that boy with the sunny smile in her memories, goodbye!

"3! 2! 1!"

Just as the soldier was about to announce the end of the test, someone suddenly rushed out from the Town gate.

"I'm here! I'm back!"

Lin Zhen came running over in a blur, panting as he stopped in front of the Demon Hunter Squad. "How was that, Captain? I made it out in time, right?"

The four Demon Hunter members and the five Demon God members all stared at Lin Zhen in utter disbelief, dumbfounded.