"S-class missions are not ant for regular new blood."
Su Zhaohui, casually leaning back in his chair, said, "The risk factor is certainly not low, but rest assured, the Security Departnt has taken sufficient safety asures to ensure that the maximum danger level for any task does not exceed Level Three."
"Whether it’s Bearman or Moly Demon, prior negotiations were conducted with them. This ensured their ntal states were stable and they were willing to cooperate, guaranteeing they wouldn’t act out of line before being allowed to appear in the assessnt."
"And you believe their guarantees?"
"Let finish first."
Su Zhaohui put down his wine glass, pointing to a figure on the virtual light screen. "The place where Bearman stays is a full gravity field, with a base gravity of twenty tis normal. The closer he gets to the exit, the higher the gravity multiplier becos. Moreover, a control chip has been implanted in his brain..."
Su Zhaohui gently tapped his temple. "This chip is connected to the gravity field’s control center and is also under my control as the chief examiner. If I wish, in less than a second, I can increase the gravity multiplier in the area where he stands to over two hundred tis, instantly crushing him into a pile of gore."
"There are similar precautionary asures for Moly Demon. Before the assessnt started, the Security Departnt tested them many tis, and there were no problems."
Song Cong, expressionless, spoke blandly, "Let’s hope there really won’t be any problems."
Su Zhaohui just shook his head and laughed, not bothering to say more.
"Hm?"
It was only when Lu Yuan stepped onto the stairs that he fully realized the peculiarity of this area.
Multiple gravity?
Surprise flickered across his face. His mind quickly calculated, concluding it was twenty tis normal gravity. Under this force, he felt significantly heavier, as if invisible ropes connected every part of his body to the ground, constantly tugging him downward.
"How do you feel?" the bald Bearman asked, grinning at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan looked up at him, his expression calm. "Normal."
"HA—"
Bearman forcefully tugged at the corner of his mouth and took a step towards the door Lu Yuan had entered.
The mont he took that step, it was as if he had triggered so chanism. The hemispherical devices scattered among the white stone bricks on the ground imdiately began to glow.
Lu Yuan frowned slightly, clearly feeling the gravity in the room intensify. From twenty tis, it had likely increased to about twenty-five tis.
"How about now?" Bearman asked, a wicked expression on his face.
He took step after step, continually advancing towards the entrance Lu Yuan had used. His actions caused the gravity within the room to skyrocket—from twenty tis, to thirty, then rapidly escalating to forty, fifty tis!
CREAK—
Lu Yuan’s slender body seed unable to withstand such a terrifying, invisible force. He began to slowly hunch over, his hands on his knees, looking utterly exhausted as if he had just completed a strenuous workout, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"It’s tough, isn’t it?" The smile on Bearman’s face widened. "Difficulty breathing, distorted vision, sensory deviations, feeling as if your internal organs are being torn apart, even your consciousness... becos muddled..."
"When I first arrived here, I had a hard ti too," Bearman continued, his voice a low rumble. "I couldn’t sleep. Even eating was an agonizing ordeal. Many tis, I wished I would just die instantly!"
As Bearman rambled, his expression turned colder, gradually twisting with hatred and resentnt. He roared furiously, "Those bastards from Yellow Bear, they’re keeping here like an animal! They said that as long as I cooperated fully with them in assessing you new blood, my cris could be offset, my death sentence postponed indefinitely, and I might even be completely released soday... Do they take for a three-year-old?"
Do I... need that kind of exoneration?
Bearman snarled, then took another large step forward. This ti, the gravity multiplier in the room reached seventy tis. The trendous pressure even affected his own body. His bronze-like fra creaked under the strain. His face twisted, veins bulging, yet a look of perverse enjoynt spread across it.
"Fortunately, I endured," Bearman declared, a triumphant note in his voice. "I’ve completely adapted to the high gravity here. I’m even stronger than before!" He spread his arms wide, as if embracing the air in the room, which felt as thick as syrup.
His gaze fell back on Lu Yuan. Seeing Lu Yuan apparently immobilized by the crushing gravity, Bearman grinned. "Getting this far, you must be a pretty extraordinary new blood. If I killed you... oh no, the Yellow Bear people are watching; they won’t let kill you. But I’ll have to leave you with a lasting impression, so every ti you rember this place, rember this assessnt... you’ll tremble with fear..."
Bearman strode towards Lu Yuan, emanating a palpable malicious aura. He studied Lu Yuan from head to toe with keen interest, a cruel glint suddenly flashing in his eyes. He reached out to grab Lu Yuan, chattering, "Hurts, doesn’t it? Just relax if it hurts. Because next... you’re going to feel much, much worse."
But just as Bearman’s large hand was about to touch Lu Yuan’s body, a fair, strong hand shot up and fiercely gripped his wrist.
"HUH...?"
Bearman froze, then watched as Lu Yuan, who had been hunched over, slowly lifted his head. On Lu Yuan’s face, there was no trace of the pain or struggle Bearman had expected. Instead... there was an intense, almost rapturous excitent, an inexplicable light dancing in his eyes.
"What... utter nonsense are you spouting?" Lu Yuan said softly. On his fair, handso face, crimson veins began to bulge, rapidly spreading like a web. His muscles swelled and tensed like steel cables.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
His height, originally over 1.8 ters, instantly shot up to 2.1 ters, making him tower over Bearman like an ominous cloud.
"A gravity field with adjustable intensity, a horrifying, ceaseless pressure like the deep sea. No interruptions, no chores, and high-energy food delivered on schedule..." Lu Yuan’s now massive hand completely enveloped Bearman’s. He towered over him, leaning close to Bearman’s face. The intense heat of his breath, like molten lava, washed over Bearman’s cheek. Lu Yuan’s eyes blazed with a fierce light as he spoke, word by word, "Such a perfect place for Martial Arts training. And you actually feel pain? You even bear grudges?"
He paused, his voice dropping to a dangerous low. "Do you even understand what it ans... to be grateful?!"
"URGH... URGH... URGH..." Bearman, head tilted back, stared at Lu Yuan in utter shock. Words caught in his throat; he could only manage strangled, guttural sounds.
The next instant, the hair on Bearman’s body stood on end, and his scalp tingled. His danger sense, honed as an A rank powerhouse, scread at him to retreat. But a dark shadow had already flickered into his peripheral vision.
Then—
BANG!
With a sound like churning molten steel, a fist brutally smashed into Bearman’s face.
CRUNCH! CRUNCH!
The sickening sound of facial bones shattering. Bearman’s entire face caved in from the impact. His body shot backward like a cannonball...
HUFF—
Lu Yuan slowly retracted his fist, taking a deep breath. The air, thick as slurry, rushed into his lungs. His heart pounded like a war drum, and his blood felt like it was boiling. Lu Yuan’s eyes shone with a fervent light, an inexplicable excitent on his face.
On the interface only he could see, on the Fighter panel, the Experience Points for Ten Thousand Refining Body, Steel Bone, and Spirit Crane Body—these three body tempering techniques—were skyrocketing under the terrifying gravitational pressure!
He wasn’t boasting! He truly felt this place was... perfect for Martial Arts training! If he had such a training ground for his unrestricted use, would he need anyone to force him? He’d gladly spend twenty-four hours a day in here! Bearman, you have no idea how amazing it feels to gain Experience Points just by existing!
"You truly don’t understand," Lu Yuan said, shaking his head. He looked at Bearman, who lay heavily on the ground in the distance from the force of his punch, and then calmly stepped forward.
In the blink of an eye, he seed to leave a trail of afterimages. A clearly visible, white, dragon-shaped surge of energy appeared in his wake.
Sure-kill: Dragon Hide Body!
"The gravity multiplier is decreasing... Co here and et your end! Don’t stray too far from the gate!" As Lu Yuan moved, his muscles writhed, and the crimson blood vessels pulsed like spreading plant roots. The two—muscles and veins—pressed against each other. Faintly, it seed as if so pattern was beginning to surface on his skin...
「In the observation room.」
"Uhh..."
Song Cong and Su Zhaohui blinked, staring blankly at the virtual screen before them. The scene unfolding, the direction the fight had taken—neither of them had expected this.
After a mont of silence, Su Zhaohui let out a long breath, his voice filled with emotion. "This kid is a real monster! On the battlefield, he’ll probably fight like a madman. His final grade for this assessnt is definitely heading for SS-rank. He might even set the best record in the history of new blood assessnts..."
Song Cong’s gaze gradually relaxed. He nodded, his expression growing even more resolute. "That’s all the more reason you should hand him over to ! I wouldn’t trust anyone else to ntor him."
"Of course, of course!" Su Zhaohui said, grinning as he patted Song Cong’s shoulder reassuringly. He straightened up, then bent down to refill his empty glass with beer.
GLUG! GLUG!
Golden beer foad in the transparent glass. Suddenly... Su Zhaohui’s hand, holding the glass, froze for an instant. A few seconds later, he finished pouring the beer and placed the glass on the table, his expression calm.
"What’s wrong?" Song Cong asked, noticing the subtle change in Su Zhaohui’s deanor.
"Just got news," Su Zhaohui said. "Moly Demon has gone berserk and escaped the mission point. The danger level has risen to Level Four..."
"What?!" Song Cong’s eyes flashed, and he frowned. "Is this the ’stable ntal state,’ ’comprehensive control asures,’ and ’Security Departnt debugging’ you were talking about?"
"This is the first ti we’re implenting this new assessnt format. Unexpected situations like this are normal," Su Zhaohui said nonchalantly. "Don’t worry, we have contingency plans. The assessnt is in Smokeless City. A death or two isn’t a major issue. We just need to ensure the safety of the new blood as much as possible..."
Song Cong remained silent. He turned his head and glanced at the light screen, and his pupils suddenly contracted. First ca shock and tension, then quick relief, and finally, a solemn expression as he said, "See for yourself!"
Su Zhaohui leaned closer to the light screen. His face finally changed, and he couldn’t help but curse under his breath, "Damn it! The Tardigrade modification is indeed too uncontrollable! I should have opposed including Bearman in the assessnt plan from the start!"
"What do we do now?" Song Cong asked coldly. "Don’t forget, you’re the chief examiner."
"I know!" Su Zhaohui waved his hand, a trace of irritation showing. All his earlier laziness vanished, replaced by an air of decisive efficiency. "First, lock down Smokeless City Sector Three! Then, notify all new blood participating in the assessnt within Smokeless City... Song, you’ll have to co with . We can definitely use an S-rank powerhouse like you right now!"
Song Cong grunted softly but didn’t object.
Su Zhaohui thodically issued a series of commands. Finally, he glanced at the light screen on the table. He stared at it for a mont, then, as if a thought had struck him, a peculiar glint flashed in his eyes. He quickly manipulated the light screen and sent out a ssage.
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