[This assessment has ended. Congratulations to student Lan Yu for winning first place!]
When the school administration's message popped up on their phones, everyone was dumbfounded.
Seriously, what kind of joke was this?!
"Bastard! Bastard!" Shen Mingxiao flew into a rage.
They had gone to all that trouble to catch the Shadow Beast, only for it to disappear while they were off having a meal.
Luo Song was even more furious. "Damn it! I'll use Ice Lock to tie him up like a dumpling and throw him in the river to feed the fish!"
The moment the announcement that the assessment had ended came out, the students who still hadn't found a single clue were left beating their breasts in frustration.
Now everyone was rushing toward the Beast Taming Cage, just to confirm whether the message was real.
What if it was fake? What if the administration had made a mistake?
Clinging to that sliver of hope, the students soon arrived at the Beast Taming Cage.
Sure enough, it felt like the sky had fallen.
The Shadow Beast really was inside the Beast Taming Cage, and Lan Yu was sitting on the steps in front of it.
Seeing so many people show up, Lan Yu asked curiously, "Huh? You're all here. Did you come to get in the cage and keep the Shadow Beast company?"
Pfft—
At Lan Yu's words, everyone felt like they were about to spit up blood.
Did he even hear what he'd just said?
What did he mean, get in the cage and keep the Shadow Beast company?
Damn!
Why was this guy even more irritating than the great demon Mo Fan?
Shen Mingxiao and Luo Song were so furious their lungs were about to explode.
This despicable bastard had gotten the prize and was still acting smug. He was practically begging to die!
"Sister Mu, Lan Yu really knows how to make a fortune without a peep. He caught the Shadow Beast without saying a word, then put it in the Beast Taming Cage."
At the front of the crowd, Ai Tutu turned her head and whispered to Mu Nujiao.
"What's done is done. No matter how unwilling we are, the grand prize belongs to him now." Mu Nujiao sighed.
"I'm so mad!" Ai Tutu huffed. "Everyone else was working their butts off to find the Shadow Beast, and he just went and caught it. I can't help thinking he took a shortcut!"
You beast!
You damn beast!!
At that moment, Mo Fan felt as if his heart were dripping blood.
Why had that little girl Lingling given the information about the Shadow Beast to this guy first?!
This was infuriating!
No!!!!
My Three-Step Tower!!!!
("Snowflakes flutter~ the north wind howls~")
"Who are you people? What are you doing?"
Suddenly, a commotion broke out in the crowd.
Everyone looked over and saw Jia Wenqing, Han Luo, Fu Tianming, and several others being restrained by a group of strangers.
"The Judgment Court is handling a case. Please stand back!"
Tang Yue revealed her identity as a judge.
The students had never seen anything like this. They scattered, giving Jia Wenqing and the others a wide berth.
The Judgment Court?!!
The moment they saw Tang Yue identify herself as a judge, the hearts of Jia Wenqing and the other Black Vatican members hiding within Pearl Academy went cold.
"Your Blue Deacon has already been captured. Now only you are left!" Tang Yue said coldly.
Hearing this, their already cold hearts finally died altogether.
There was no point trying to defend themselves now. The Blue Deacon had a list of all the Black Clerics, and the Black Clerics had lists of all the Grey Cultists.
Once the Blue Deacon was captured, none of his subordinates would be able to escape.
"May I ask which one of you is Lan Yu?"
Only after seeing the Black Vatican members shackled with specially made magical restraints did Tang Yue ask.
"Over here, over here." Lan Yu raised his hand from the steps.
Tang Yue turned to him, her stern face immediately breaking into a relieved smile. "Well done. If it weren't for you, it would have been difficult for us to root out the Black Vatican threat lurking in Magic City."
"It was just luck," Lan Yu said, waving a hand. "If I hadn't happened to pass by and save those two students, I might not have been able to follow the trail all the way back."
Tang Yue knew which two students Lan Yu meant, and assured him that they would be compensated.
For some reason, when Lan Yu heard the word "compensated," he felt inexplicably repulsed.
Could it be that he'd read too much Naruto fanfiction?
He remembered that plenty of Naruto fanfics had the Third Hokage talking about "compensation" and the like. Lan Yu had grown to find it physically revolting.
"Student Lan Yu, you helped our Judgment Court eliminate a major threat. You're also courageous and exceptionally capable. How about joining the Judgment Court after you graduate? We could make you a trainee judge to start, and when the time is right, promote you to a full—"
Lan Yu's performance had truly impressed Tang Yue. She couldn't help trying to recruit him.
The Black Vatican was stirring, carrying out all kinds of terrorist attacks across the region. Nearly every judge in the Judgment Court was on standby, and the Chief Judge had already decided to bring in fresh recruits.
As soon as Tang Yue invited him to join the Judgment Court, Lan Yu politely declined.
Everyone knew the Judgment Court was basically S.H.I.E.L.D.—the Snake Shield Bureau. If he joined, he might not even know what killed him one day.
When they heard Lan Yu turn down Tang Yue's offer, quite a few people were stunned.
Come on, man, you really just turned her down? And she's a beautiful judge, too!
That was the Judgment Court! Countless people would do anything to become a judge, and you just refused...
The full don't know how hungry the hungry are!
Just then, the school administrators received a message from the Judgment Court and hurried to the scene.
When they saw that some of Pearl Academy's students were actually members of the Black Vatican, they were so furious they beat their breasts in anguish.
They declared that they would nail these students to the Pillar of Shame, so the entire school could revile them and learn from their example.
As it happened, they could make a point of emphasizing this at next month's school-wide assembly.
It was already very late at night.
When Lan Yu returned to the apartment, Ding Yumian naturally greeted him with a cold glare.
"Lan Yu, you've gotten pretty bold, haven't you!"
All Lan Yu could do was put on a show. "Sigh~ I work so hard to contribute to society, and yet my dear sister is so harsh on me~"
Ding Yumian couldn't help rolling her lovely eyes. "All right, enough. There's a time and a place for clowning around."
Ai Tutu and Mu Nujiao: ...
Who spilled the green tea? Why was it so overpowering?
"Forget it. I can't be bothered to lecture you." Ding Yumian sighed. "You sure hit your rebellious phase early."
Hearing her say that, Lan Yu knew she'd calmed down.
"Don't worry, Sister Yu Mian. If I run into something dangerous like this again, I'll be extra careful. I absolutely won't put myself in harm's way." Lan Yu thumped his chest as he promised.
Ding Yumian pinched the bridge of her nose, looking rather exasperated. She remembered him saying something like that last time—well, the time before.
Before you continue