Reduced to nothing but his core, the Wind-Thunder Cantor nearly exploded with rage. He had lost the big prize without gaining even a consolation prize, and even his Blessed One mark had nearly been erased.
How was this any different from going to pick a fight and nearly losing his underwear!
Remembering those terrifying attacks that had lasted only a few seconds, the Wind-Thunder Cantor felt his scalp prickle. If even his Blessed One mark had been erased, his losses would have been unbearable.
"Those definitely weren't abilities a human could possess. Great Xia examinees... until I've grown stronger, I absolutely cannot provoke those strange freaks."
With caution firmly in mind, the Wind-Thunder Cantor concealed his core and immediately withdrew from the area.
The storm finally subsided. Lan Huaiyu looked back at the battered students behind her, and her sharp expression softened.
"You did very well."
The turmoil surrounding the Gaokao came to an end. Lan Huaiyu brought the bedraggled Mu Bingge and the others to the Observation Group.
The healing-type teachers were already prepared for emergency treatment. The moment they saw the students, they rushed over to administer first aid and heal them.
Lou Guanshan and the others, who had been forcing themselves to stay alert, passed out on the spot and fell into a deep sleep.
The principals, however, looked far from pleased. They folded their arms as though waiting for something.
Before long, a man in a Social Security Bureau uniform walked in. The principals' piercing gazes instantly swung toward him.
Lan Huaiyu spoke first, her voice laced with ice. "Chen Ze, I believe we need an explanation. Why did such a serious failure occur in an assessment zone arranged by the Social Security Bureau?
"And that Yan You-if I remember correctly, he was one of your people. Since when did the Social Security Bureau become a sieve that anyone could infiltrate?"
Zhao Zhe pounded the table angrily. "Fine, the [Void Order] is a cunning, underhanded bunch. But I refuse to believe you noticed nothing of the Tsunami Lord's and the Rift Lord's movements."
Lei Yue sprawled in his chair with his legs apart. "The Social Security Bureau headquarters regularly monitors the movements of Lord-class calamities. Even if they cooperated with the [Void Order], there's no way the bureau would know nothing about it."
Ding Ruixue was even more direct, stopping just short of pointing at Chen Ze's nose and cursing him out.
"Did you use this assessment as bait to investigate why the Tsunami Lord and the Rift Lord joined forces?"
The Rift Lord belonged to [Earthshaker], while the Tsunami Lord belonged to [Abyssal Erosion]. The two had no reason to cooperate. In fact, they should have been enemies.
Yet the two had joined forces to intercept Lan Huaiyu. There could well have been some conspiracy behind it.
Moreover, Chen Ze had arrived very quickly, bringing the Social Security Bureau's elite personnel with him. Every one of them had been fully prepared. It looked less like a hasty reinforcement effort and more like a planned ambush.
They had not only driven off both Lords, but sent them fleeing with injuries.
It was hard not to suspect that the Social Security Bureau had engineered the whole thing.
But if this assessment really had been a setup by the Social Security Bureau, it was utterly chilling. Gambling with Great Xia's future was outrageously insane.
Under their barrage of questions, Chen Ze broke out in a cold sweat and grumbled inwardly about what a miserable assignment this was. Facing the interrogation of four principals was truly more than he could handle.
"Calm down. Everyone, please calm down and let me explain first."
Chen Ze cleared his throat. "Ahem. Here's what happened. This assessment was indeed arranged by the Social Security Bureau-don't draw your blades! Don't draw your blades! Zhao Zhe, calm down! Lan Huaiyu, rein in that killing intent!
"The Social Security Bureau would never gamble with students' lives. Even if they hadn't found that Abandoned Warship, all of them would have survived. We placed an Emergency Transfer Device in the hidden compartment of each backpack. It would activate if they encountered a lethal threat!"
The Observation Group stared blankly. ...What absolute bastards.
The teachers' mouths twitched. ...They really had no shame.
Chen Ze rattled off the crucial points in one breath, then gasped for air, pointing an accusing finger at them.
"I told you to calm down! Can't you let someone finish speaking?"
Every last one of them was sharpening their blades, their eyes red! What were they trying to do? What were they trying to do?!
Ding Ruixue gave a cold, aloof snort and pointed at the students sleeping deeply behind her.
"How could we possibly stay calm? Those are our dear students. Scheme against us all you like-we're already used to the Social Security Bureau's inhuman methods. But if you toy with our students, we'll need to have a very serious discussion."
Lei Yue propped his chin on his hands, his gaze dark. "Explain everything, from beginning to end."
Seeing them put away their weapons, Chen Ze exhaled and let his shoulders slump.
"The Social Security Bureau did discover information about the two Lords joining forces. We also confirmed that their actions were connected to [Tempest Fiend].
"The Level Nine Calamity [Tempest Fiend] was destroyed two hundred years ago. Its remaining forces have been operating in the shadows ever since, trying to resurrect it. But thanks to the precautions taken by the various organizations in the Present World, along with the calamities devouring one another, they've never succeeded.
"A few months ago, however, the Social Security Bureau discovered that the [Void Order] was secretly contacting [Tempest Fiend]'s remaining forces, and was also in touch with the two Lords. Oh, you don't know yet, do you...?"
Chen Ze smiled. "The Social Security Bureau seized this area from the [Void Order]. We pretended we knew nothing and quickly cleared it out, putting on a show of being in a rush. It was all to lull them into a false sense of security."
Lan Huaiyu frowned, her gaze hostile. "Was the Wind-Thunder Cantor part of your plan too?"
"Uh... not that one." Chen Ze scratched his head and guiltily turned away, his eyes wandering.
"We only knew they were planning to stir up trouble here. We originally thought we'd send the examinees in for some practical experience and let them get acquainted with harsh reality. They couldn't die anyway. Who knew things would get so extreme right from the start? It was too harsh to offer any useful experience at all, hahaha..."
Everyone's faces darkened.
"Are you kidding? This was far too reckless."
"What the hell are you laughing about? Look at the students behind us! They're shaken senseless and unconscious. Is this how you act as their seniors?"
Chen Ze clapped his hands in protest, his voice brimming with accusations. "That's not fair! The Gaokao assessments have always been dangerous. Principal Zhao Zhe, you weren't making that face when we were dumped inside a shark's stomach in the Level Three Zone.
"Principal Lan Huaiyu, you didn't look like this when you set the testing site on Sky-High Island, flipped the whole island upside down, and slammed it down on us, playing Buddha and treating the examinees like the Monkey King!"
Chen Ze rattled off the past assessments for Awakened, one after another. As an examinee who had once suffered through their antics, he had every right to speak!
What were they all putting on an act for?!
There was no kind of assessment they hadn't tried. Every year's examinees had their own unique psychological scars.
Generation after generation entered the Gaokao, and no two years had the same assessment. The tricks changed, but the danger stayed the same.
"Don't act like conscientious teachers in front of me!"
Silence fell over the room.
Zhao Zhe scratched his cheek. "Ahaha... did that happen?"
Lan Huaiyu looked away. "Back then... I knew there were safety measures."
Chen Ze pressed his lips together and blew two indignant streams of air through his nostrils. "Hmph. Even if you want to fleece the Social Security Bureau, this isn't how you do it. As your former student, I despise you all."
Now that the situation had been explained, they wanted to use the opportunity to squeeze a payout out of the Social Security Bureau. He was all too familiar with that maneuver.
Their concern for the students was genuine, but so was their penchant for shameless tricks. Not a single one of these principals was simple.
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