bookpub Chapter 41 A Hidden Dragon in the Abyss! It will transform into a dragon when it encounters favorabl
Chapter 41 A Hidden Dragon in the Abyss! It will transform into a dragon when it encounters favorabl
The car started.
The school bus slowly drove out of the school gate and merged into the traffic on the main road.
Su Chen took a bite of the beef patty, and the meat juices burst in his mouth, mixed with the aroma of the bread.
He looked out the car window.
The city is receding rapidly.
High-rise buildings, wide roads, and neat rows of trees on both sides of the road.
The living areas in this era are quite different from those in the previous life.
The buildings are spaced far apart, unlike in the previous life when buildings were next to each other and windows were right next to windows.
The road is also wide, with eight lanes in both directions as standard.
The green belts are also wide, with ten-meter and twenty-meter-wide green belts everywhere.
After driving for twenty minutes, Su Chen saw the city wall in the distance.
The city wall of Gangneung base city is fifty meters high.
It's not just one side, it's a whole circle!
The gray-black reinforced concrete walls, with arrays of psionic runes embedded in their surface, gleamed with a faint blue light in the morning glow.
The thickness is even more astonishing; the base of the outer city wall is 80 meters thick, and the top is 30 meters wide.
The city wall consists of three layers: the inner wall, the middle wall, and the outer wall.
Each floor is separated by a distance of 500 meters, and that area is called a buffer zone.
The buffer zone contains no civilian residences, only various structures designed to facilitate combat: firing positions, fortifications, supply depots, and rapid transit routes...
This design is intended to weaken the enemy layer by layer.
The outer wall has been breached, but there is still a 500-meter buffer zone and the middle wall.
The central wall has been breached, but the inner wall remains!
Each layer of the city wall was reinforced with psionic energy, and each layer was equipped with heavy firepower.
This is a city defense system built by humanity with countless lives lost after the apocalypse.
The school bus entered the city wall tunnel, and the light dimmed.
......
"We're leaving the city."
Someone in the carriage said something.
Su Chen snapped out of her thoughts and turned her gaze to the window.
The area outside the city and the area inside the city are indeed two different worlds.
He turned his head to look at the mountains and forests outside the car window.
The distant mountains were shrouded in a thin layer of gray mist, and the vegetation was several shades darker than normal, an unhealthy, blackish dark green.
Meanwhile, in the contaminated area...
Su Chen narrowed his eyes.
A thick, dark cloud hung in the sky, obscuring a large portion of the heavens.
The edge of the cloud was irregular, as if something was churning inside. Occasionally, a dark red light would flash from the depths of the cloud, like flames from the earth reflecting in the sky.
Dozens of school buses dispersed on the main road after leaving the city, each going its own way.
Su Chen and his group drove east.
The car was quite quiet.
The wilderness is the territory of demons!
This is not a figure of speech; it is a fact.
Even with a team of tutors accompanying the students for the exam, and even with the military police in Jiangling City setting up a cordon to ensure the students' safety as much as possible.
But danger is always present!
After finishing the last bite of the beef patty, Su Chen wiped his hands with a tissue and stuffed the crumpled paper into his bag.
"Brother Chen!"
A voice came from the back seat, very low, with a thieving, cautious tone.
Su Chen turned around and saw Yang Fan's head sticking out from behind the seat back, his face very close, and his eyes glancing at the front of the carriage from time to time.
"Speak softly, speak softly."
Seeing him turn around, Yang Fan leaned closer and lowered his voice even further: "Brother Chen, I heard you made a bet with Guo Hao from Class 5? You're going to beat him in speed in a month?"
Su Chen was stunned for a moment.
Has word spread?
He glanced at Yang Fan, smiled, and didn't deny it.
"Where did you hear that?"
"My roommate is from Class 5, that's what he said."
Yang Fan spoke quickly, with an urgent tone: "Is it true or false?"
"That is indeed true."
Holy crap!
Yang Fan exclaimed in surprise, then quickly covered his mouth and looked around.
He initially thought it was fake.
Brother Chen is such a rational person, how could he do such a thing?
He knew a little about Guo Hao's score: seven minutes and twenty-something seconds.
He knew Chen Ge's score even better! Eight minutes and twenty-three seconds in the joint exam.
It was a full minute off!
How can you compare these?
Yang Fan leaned closer, lowering his voice even further, almost speaking in a whisper.
"Did you really bet a million?"
"Um."
Yang Fan remained silent for two seconds, his expression complex.
He really wanted to say: Isn't this just giving money away?
But the words stuck in his throat.
He thought about it and changed his perspective.
"Brother Chen, I watched your 5km run yesterday. 13 minutes and 34 seconds!"
He counted on his fingers: "I remember your previous 5km time was 14 minutes and 29 seconds, that's an improvement of 55 seconds. That's truly amazing! Your improvement this week is definitely the biggest in the entire grade!"
He paused, carefully considering his words.
"But... but can't we be a little more rational? How can we gamble with this guy? This is..."
He didn't say the second half of the sentence, but the meaning was already quite clear.
Seeing Yang Fan's anxious expression, Su Chen felt a slight stirring in his heart.
He glanced at the panel above Yang Fan's head.
Yang Fan
Affection level: lv8
...]
You've even noticed these results?
You still remember your 5,000-meter record from more than half a month ago so clearly?
If you're not level 8, then who is?
My good brother!
Su Chen reached out and patted Yang Fan on the shoulder, his tone confident: "Don't worry, do I look like someone who'd give money away?"
"That's definitely not it!" Yang Fan shook his head. "I'm mainly worried that you, Brother Chen, were provoked and put on a pedestal, and that you fell for their trick in a moment of confusion..."
"Don't worry, I'm confident I can do it!"
Yang Fan carefully observed Su Chen's expression, looking at it for two seconds, three seconds, four seconds.
He confirmed that there was no trace of evasion or guilt in Su Chen's eyes.
That's real confidence!
"Phew~ That's good!" Yang Fan breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and smiled. "Brother Chen must have confidence."
"And Brother Chen has improved so much in every aspect lately! I watched the strength test yesterday. Brother Chen, you weigh 270 kilograms and reached the top in 2 minutes and 32 seconds."
"I saw someone from Class 4, ranked around 370th in strength, also weighing 270 kilograms, but it took them 2 minutes and 44 seconds!"
Su Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.
He hadn't really noticed this comparison before.
In the last strength test, he climbed 200 meters up and down five times, taking 22 minutes and 58 seconds, ranking 498th in his grade.
According to his estimation, this extreme weight-bearing test is less difficult for him than rock climbing, and is more suitable for him.
They might be able to move up about eighty places, to around 410 or 420.
But compared to someone ranked around 370 in strength...
That person might be weak in this area; it's not easy to make a direct comparison.
"It's alright," Su Chen smiled, not dwelling on the topic any further. "The main thing is that I've opened up my Ren meridian, which has improved my strength in all aspects."
"No wonder!" Yang Fan's eyes lit up, his voice rising half an octave before quickly lowering it again. "So Brother Chen has opened all thirteen meridians! His Governing Vessel must be close too, right?"
"It's hard to say, it will take quite some time, we need to proceed steadily and surely."
"Haha~" Yang Fan laughed out loud, his eyes narrowing into slits. "With his Ren and Du meridians open, won't Brother Chen take off? His cultivation will be like a rocket! At this rate, Brother Chen might be able to overcome that hurdle before the college entrance exam and fuse with the Spirit Pearl. If that happens, he can even compete for a top-tier university!"
He was laughing even more heartily than Su Chen himself, looking as if he had won the lottery.
Looking at him like this, Su Chen suddenly felt a little dazed.
This feeling is wonderful.
He has been making progress since the start of the semester.
He had made great progress and improved rapidly, which made him quite excited.
But who are the people around me?
Wang Yichuan, Lin Xiyue, Zhang Yan...
No matter how much you improve, there will still be a gap compared to others.
The only thing that truly made him feel like he had won was be beating Zhang Yan in last week's speed test.
However, Zhang Yan is only good at one thing, and speed is her weakness, so winning is not a great achievement.
But now, after Yang Fan's call...
Su Chen suddenly realized that what he said was the truth, the real world.
I'm awesome now!
Thirteen of the fourteen meridians were opened, and the number of acupoints increased from 17 to 21.
Within a week, my speed improved by half a minute for 3 kilometers, and my time for 5 kilometers jumped to 55 seconds. My strength test ranking also improved by one or two hundred places!
Isn't that awesome?
What else could this be but genius?
So what if I cheat? Cheating is my skill too!
Su Chen glanced at Yang Fan's panel again.
Damn it! No wonder you're level 8!
He took out a jade bottle from his pocket, inside which were two Qi-replenishing pills.
"The assessment location this time is Wutou Mountain, which is quite dangerous." He handed over the jade bottle. "There are two Qi-replenishing pills in this bottle. Take them."
Yang Fan paused for a moment, his eyes fixed on the jade bottle, his pupils dilating slightly.
"This...this isn't quite right, is it?" He said, trying to decline, but his eyes betrayed him, revealing a conflicted feeling of wanting something but being too embarrassed to ask for it.
Genius, earning points is like drinking water.
Two Qi-replenishing pills cost 30 points, which is a huge sum for Yang Fan.
If they had the same family circumstances, Yang Fan's grades would definitely be better than Su Chen's! After all, even after leaving the top class, he could still consistently rank between 400 and 500.
There's even a trend now of students being admitted to top-tier classes.
"Here you go!" Su Chen shoved the jade bottle into his hand. "Your praise has really boosted my confidence; I feel so energetic. During the practical assessment later, I'll kill 20-30% more monsters!"
"With this kind of motivational effect, giving you two is definitely not excessive. Just take them!"
Yang Fan held the jade bottle, still wanting to refuse.
Su Chen glared at him.
Yang Fan shrank his neck, chuckled, and put the jade bottle into his pocket.
"To be honest," Yang Fan said, putting the jade bottle in his pocket, his tone serious and not joking, "someone as good as you, Brother Chen, will definitely achieve great things in the future even if you don't go to one of the nine top universities!"
He got more and more excited as he talked, and gradually forgot to lower his voice.
"Previously, I did have shortcomings in terms of strength and talent. But now, in such a short time, how much has I improved?"
"His current performance is definitely befitting of an emperor!"
"Before, it was just a dragon swimming in shallow water!"
"What does it mean for a dragon to emerge from the abyss? What does it mean for a dragon to transform into a dragon when it encounters favorable winds and clouds? Brother Chen, you are a living example!"
"To be honest, what kind of bastard is Guo Hao? He's only good for now, all he does is jump around."
"Once you've trained for a while longer, Brother Chen, he won't even be able to see your back! Like a mayfly seeing the blue sky!"
"Really! I never flatter people; everything I say is an objective fact!"
Su Chen blushed and wished she could disappear into the ground.
That's an outrageous claim!
The bearing of an emperor? A dragon emerging from the abyss? Will it transform into a dragon the moment it encounters favorable winds and clouds?
What kind of words are these?!
But ironically... it actually sounds pretty good!
Yeah! Who does Guo Hao even belong to?
You're afraid of him? That's ridiculous!
Are you the top student in your grade? You're so arrogant!
No! No!
It can't float, it can't float.
Su Chen quickly raised his hand to stop him: "Alright, alright, that's enough with the hype. You're practically turning me into a freaking embryo!"
He lowered his voice, speaking in a volume only the two of them could hear, "Look at this car, who the hell is on it? You'll be embarrassing if you keep bragging!"
Zhang Yan, sitting in the front row, was leaning against the back of the seat in front of her, her face buried in her arms, her shoulders shaking, laughing so hard she could barely make a sound.
Lin Xiyue turned her head to look out the window, but you could see from the reflection in the car window that she was smiling!
"Pfft~"
Zhang Yan finally couldn't hold back and burst out laughing.
When she smiled, the people in the other groups in the carriage also smiled.
Su Chen's face turned completely red.
He pulled his coat over his head and shrank into the seat.
"I'm tired, I want to sleep."
Little Purple, perched on the luggage rack, heard the commotion outside and stretched out its tail, wagging it happily.
Its silvery-white tail wags back and forth.