Chapter 47: The Ultimate Graduation Exercise

Chapter 47: The Ultimate Graduation Exercise

Main Post:

It's that time of year again when the Military Academy really pushes its limits!

So, who will be crowned the most outstanding graduate this year?!

I'll start! Betting on the little lunatic, Xu Qingran!

"Front row!"

"Oh, another fan of the lunatic, aren't you all getting a bit too bold lately? Really idolizing Xu Qingran, huh?"

"Exactly, expecting both D-type abilities and combat skills, do you really think he's the protagonist of a novel? Outstanding students must excel not only in combat but also in leadership, observation, situational reactions, and even source crystal perception. Not to be a downer, but Xu Qingran is at best an S-class D-type, with limited talent, right?"

"Poster, don't mind these jokers, I'm with you!"

"I'm rooting for Young Master Ji!"

"Ling Yuege here!"

"I think Ni Xiaoyuan has the makings of a natural leader!"

"Many students from the top class are really impressive."

"Regardless, I predict that as long as Xu Qingran is involved, this exercise will definitely be the talk of the town!"

"The live stream on the official website has started! No replays, and recordings will be banned across the network, so hurry up and watch, or you'll miss out!"

While the outside world is buzzing with excitement, the atmosphere at the Military Academy base is unusually tense.

The students on the shore are still reeling from the horrifying scene they witnessed earlier.

After a moment of stunned silence, someone timidly asks, "Uh, am I just too tired, or did I just hallucinate?"

Soon, someone responds, "Then I must have been poisoned by those undercooked mushrooms I ate this afternoon."

"Wuwuwu, I told you not to pick mushrooms from the back mountain, and now we're all paying the price..."

"I didn't eat any mushrooms, but I saw it too—what's going on?"

The scene is a cacophony of noise and chaos.

Some of the more composed students start speculating, "I remember the Military Academy has a lot of bizarre tactics—could this be another one of our graduation exercises?"

"What? That's insane! Didn't we just have an exercise yesterday?!"

"I was one of the 'lucky' ones who got caught and had to personally handle a small bomb—it scared me so much I couldn't sleep last night. Another round like that, and my heart won't be able to handle it!"

"Possibly. Wasn't there an incident two years ago where students were on their way out, only to be ambushed and forced into a real combat exercise mid-air over the sea?"

"But if it's an exercise... blowing up an entire starship seems a bit over the top, don't you think?!"

Amidst the debate, they notice the sea surface in the distance churning violently, as if a massive creature is stirring beneath, rapidly closing in on the shore.

Through the surging waves, the silhouette of a Class I devil can be faintly glimpsed.

The scene is so lifelike, it's hard to distinguish between reality and illusion.

One of the classmates mentioned, "Actually, like the frequent power outages recently and the news about Azure Star being on the brink of collapse, I wondered if the academy was spreading rumors to trick us. But during my last holiday at home, I checked carefully, and there was indeed this news on the Empire's official website!"

"There were even live reports, complete with videos and photos. The main power hub on Azure Star was indeed attacked by a group of devils. The news mentioned it was still being repaired!"

"So... it's true?"

The villa residential area.

The power was out, there was no signal, and phones were useless.

Unable to reach Shen Tingyu to inform him, Xu Qingran, bored in the dark house, decided to step out for some fresh air.

As soon as he left the dormitory area, he saw a group of classmates, who should have left the academy base long ago, hurrying back in a panic.

They looked as panicked as if a zombie apocalypse had hit.

Xu Qingran was confused by their sudden return: "Why haven't you all left yet?"

A classmate, spotting Xu Qingran, grabbed his hand desperately and said, "Eldest son! We're in big trouble!"

"Outside, a horde of devils is attacking the base!"

Hearing this, Xu Qingran, instead of panicking like them, was very confused: "Out of nowhere?"

"Are you sure it's not just the academy's training system?"

"That's what we thought too!" The classmate was on the verge of tears, "But later, when those devils landed from the sea, they really bit a classmate!"

"We checked the injured student on the ground and realized he had stopped breathing!!"

"No matter how harsh the academy is, they wouldn't actually kill a student, right?!"

Xu Qingran paused.

That bad?

Not long after, the remaining instructors and staff started rounding up the students.

Most were pale with fear, standing rigidly at attention.

The instructors were even more direct this time compared to the Linglong City incident, their expressions grave as they distributed weapons.

"Stay calm, these are the same opponents you've trained against all year. We've already contacted the military headquarters on Azure Star, and they will send reinforcements soon. You just need to hold out until then!"

The instructors spoke earnestly: "Besides, in the future, you'll face even more and scarier enemies on the battlefield."

"If you start to retreat now, with such lack of courage, you're not worthy of becoming soldiers of the two camps!"

The students who had participated in the Linglong City turmoil had more experience than others and knew better what to do.

So they became the first-line fighters.

With their psychological preparation done, the students began their 'exercise journey.'

The ultra-low-tier IV devils are the most water-savvy.

The rest of the groups all relied on them to ferry across the vast sea and land on this continent. Among them, besides the low-tier purple devils, there are also mid-low-tier yellow and black ones, and mid-high-tier reddish-brown I-class.

The I-class is the most aggressive.

Upon landing, they came in overwhelming waves. Many psychic attacks struck them, creating holes, but in the next moment, red scale-like fragments would fuse together and restore.

The towering figure, as massive as a skyscraper, made it impossible for all but double S-rank and above students to detect the location of its source crystal, forcing them to retreat temporarily.

Xu Qingran tentatively challenged one of the low-tier ones.

He located its source crystal, killed it, and confirmed it didn’t dissolve into data points as in the training field. Instead, it shattered into countless thin fragments, falling motionless to the ground.

He crouched to collect them, feeling the icy chill from their rapid temperature drop.

The Class II purple devils, their individual forms were irregular, but when fused together, they resembled a jigsaw puzzle. Once combined, all energy attacks would focus at the tips of their four claws, and even a light swipe could easily sever a large tree.

During the scouting, a classmate grappling with another target was ambushed from behind by a low-tier devil.

Its sharp claws ripped through part of his psychic defense, leaving a shallow but distinct wound on his back.

Xu Qingran subtly released a psychic detection wave and quickly sensed the location of the source crystal on the low-tier devil. Without drawing his gun, he pulled out his knife and walked over, driving it forcefully into a precise point on its spine.

Before the classmate on the ground could react, Xu Qingran calmly turned, subdued the low-tier devil he had been grappling with, and delivered another precise stab to its lower abdomen.

With his double S-rank psychic power, he effortlessly shattered the low-tier devil’s defenses.

The source crystal shattered, severing the energy supply, and the tightly fused fragments scattered like a shower of petals.

The fluid motion, from capture to execution, was seamless.

The knife-wielder glanced at him, sheathed his knife, and abruptly spoke, "Blindly charging at your target is suicidal."

"Your target should be the one whose weakness you detect a hundred meters away."

After offering what seemed like advice, he turned and walked away.

The ambushed classmate stood up, dazed.

Having never shared a class with Xu Qingran, he was now consumed with envy, equally jealous of those who got to witness Xu Qingran’s prowess daily!

The chaos at the base continued.

The students of Grandis Military Academy were undoubtedly the elite of their cohort.

They quickly adapted, integrating all the skills they had learned over the year into real combat.

From above, the academy base was shrouded in darkness, and the advancing students relied solely on their weapon lights to scout for enemies.

After all, reconnaissance was also part of the training program.

Meanwhile, in Linglong City’s office building, the lights blazed brightly.

Ji Guojun, along with Wang Jian and others, sat in chairs, watching the students’ performance through the surveillance system.

He snorted lightly, "After all this buildup, it’s time to close the net!"

Typically, before students leave Azure Star’s territory, they undergo one final, highly realistic simulation exercise.

As for what the content is, whether it’s overt or covert, depends on the academy’s intentions and mood that year.

In fact, Azure Star had indeed been attacked last semester, and the damage to the power station was a real event.

However, Azure Star, being such an important border defense location, meant that even the slightest issue would be promptly addressed by Ji Guojun. The power station’s attack was indeed severe, but it was repaired within about a month.

As for the foreign tribes lurking nearby, they had long been driven away by the elites of Azure Star.

This incident inspired the academy to use it as the backdrop for the final drill. They concealed the fact that repairs had been completed and collaborated with the base staff to create an atmosphere of impending crisis on Azure Star, subtly sowing seeds of anxiety among the students.

Wang Jian kept a stern face, his gaze fixed on a figure in a small corner of the surveillance screen who was clearly slacking off.

He couldn't help but tsk.

Ji Guojun turned his head upon hearing the sound and chuckled, "What? Looking at your 'little nephew' again?"

Ji Guojun and Wang Jian had known each other since their youth, and he was one of the few who understood the reason behind Wang Jian's laid-back attitude.

He also knew why Wang Jian insisted on going through the military academy this year.

He fondly called the son of Wang Jian's first love 'little nephew.'

Ji Guojun also paid more attention to Xu Qingran because of Wang Jian and indeed admired the boy.

He found that Xu Qingran was completely different from the hopeless romantic he had heard about, which changed his opinion of him.

Following Wang Jian's gaze, he saw Xu Qingran navigating through the chaos on the screen.

While everyone else was nervously dealing with the invading devils, Xu Qingran seemed to be in a different world, calm, almost as if in a trance. He avoided fights whenever possible, only retaliating against those who attacked him first and occasionally firing a shot.

Or when a classmate approached, he would casually exchange a few words with them.

The well-informed Ji Guojun, however, said, "Isn't this quite good?"

"Every detection is spot-on; his ability to sense source crystals is no less than those veterans in the military."

"His observational skills are also excellent. He may seem to be wandering around, but he has carefully scouted all the targets, near and far," Ji Guojun became more and more satisfied as he watched. "If his strategic overview is also good, then the Third Prince indeed made the correct choice."

Speaking of which, he thought of his own son, who could go a whole day without saying ten words, and felt a twinge of sadness.

Wang Jian still couldn't be happy: "What's the use of this?"

"Doesn't he know that the evaluation of the best students is based on their performance and kill count throughout the night?"

With such slacking off and conserving energy, how can he expect to improve his grades!

At the same time, the audience in the live stream was also embroiled in heated debates.

There were many comments praising the students for their excellence, but another group was laser-focused on Xu Qingran, arguing as if they were on a completely different wavelength from the admirers.

Haters were jumping—

"Young Master Xu???"

"Such a slacker, look at how many targets the others in his class have dealt with, and he's still here as if he's out for a stroll!"

"Although this is an exercise, the students shouldn't know, right? How can he be so calm!"

"He's already graduated, so now he's just coasting."

Fans argued back—

"Do you have eye problems? Can't you see the little lunatic's kill rate is so high!"

"I think his approach is fine. He counterattacks when attacked, helps classmates in trouble when he sees them, and saves his energy for when it's really needed. What's wrong with that?"

"There are tens of thousands of students in the academy, and these monsters are plenty to go around. Besides, he's not running away or hiding, and he hasn't turned his back on anyone in danger. Why are you still giving him a hard time?"

Wherever Xu Qingran goes, there's always something happening.

But no matter how heated the online arguments get, it never impacts the live exercise.

Top-tier 3S-level students like Ni Xiaoyuan have already formed regional teams, stepping up as leaders and rallying their peers to fight together. Online viewers are once again singing their praises.

Now, let's look at Xu Qingran.

He happens to be in a part of the base packed with buildings.

The space here is tighter than outside, making it tough to move around. Especially with those monsters slipping into the buildings, it's a real headache for the staff and students stuck here.

After a quick look around, Xu Qingran said, "Simple. If there's not enough space, we'll make our own."

Everyone was confused.

Then they watched him head toward a large warehouse in the distance, calling a few people to join him.

They were gone for a while.

When they came back, they were lugging the shells Ji Guojun had taught them to use. Most were small—some worked like grenades, while others could take down buildings.

The students caught on right away.

Xu Qingran was planning to blow the place up!

In a cramped space like this, close combat is a bad idea, and long-range attacks are too easy to dodge.

Better to use explosions powered by psychic energy—clear the area and flush out the hidden monsters!

The staff blended in with the students exchanged looks.

In the office, Ji Guojun, who'd been chuckling at the exercise, suddenly straightened up.

He blurted out, shocked, "How does Xu Qingran know where this stuff is stored? And how did he get it out?!"

Even though the power outage was fake, if the base really lost power, the security doors would have backup power to keep important stuff safe.

The staff who got his question immediately asked Xu Qingran.

Xu Qingran replied, "General Ji mentioned in class that some of the academy's gunpowder is stored in that building."

With a faint smile, he added, "Before General Shen left, I managed to get a universal key from him. With his clearance, opening the gunpowder room door was no big deal."

The staff paused, then said, "Ah... but Xu, this is still the academy base. Isn't it a little reckless to just bomb the buildings?"

Xu Qingran looked confused, "The academy base is already overrun by monsters, and we could die any second. Should we really be worrying about the buildings?"

This left them speechless.

Ji Guojun and the dean, watching from Linglong City, were also speechless for a moment.

"...Forget it, when we decided to use the main base as the exercise site, we were already prepared for some losses due to the fighting," Ji Guojun took a deep breath to calm himself down.

The empire had recently allocated a sum of money, and if used sparingly, it would be enough to repair the damaged buildings.

...In any case, the exercise that had been prepared for so long couldn't be interrupted or exposed just because of these small bombs!

So, Ji Guojun could only grit his teeth and instruct the staff not to interfere with Xu Qingran's decisions.

In the end, they could only watch as Xu Qingran blasted several of their teaching buildings, turning them into ruins with gaping holes.

The reaction of the devil groups was also very realistic, as they were indeed driven out to the more open areas, making it easier for the students to deal with them.

The popularity of the live stream monitoring this area doubled or tripled.

Although this wasn’t the first time viewers had seen bombing activities during drills, bombing a school was definitely a first!

"...Hold up, did they really bomb it?"

"Damn, the military academy really pulled out all the stops for this drill!"

"No surprise, as expected of the little lunatic, this is definitely something he would do."

"I get it now, while others are going all out in combat, he's just playing around here, right?"

"I can't stop laughing, can someone tell me if the training program actually includes training on the use of explosives? Why are those classmates looking so confused and scared, keeping their distance while watching him operate?"

The students admitted they had learned about it, but who would dare to actually use it without seeing it several times?

Especially the building demolition part, some of them hadn't even memorized the sequence of unlocking and countdown operations yet!

Xu Qingran, having enjoyed himself with the bombing, nonchalantly helped everyone get their bearings, clapped his hands, and then headed off to other places.

By the end of the day, he had basically covered half of the base.

As time passed, the base students seemed to have fully hit their stride, with each division performing exceptionally well.

The exercise was progressing more smoothly than expected.

Xu Qingran was still his typical self.

However, netizens gradually began to notice something.

"I'm not a fan of Young Master Xu, but am I the only one who thinks Xu Qingran really has something? His performance, if not scripted, really makes him a potential successor like Shen Tingyu and Lu Cheng, right?"

"Indeed, you say he's goofing off, but he hits the target on the first try, while others need several attempts or a long time to detect."

"Moreover, when dealing with mid to low-tier devils, his psychic gun blasts can kill with a single hit? Other S-rank individuals usually need three to five shots, even if he's a top S-rank, he shouldn't be at this level, right?"

"Oh, are the fans going to praise him for ascending to double S-rank again? I say, don't exaggerate, I've never seen anyone whose soul and spirit have stabilized still able to ascend."

"Didn't the last commenter read history? There have been two or three such cases in the records."

"You said it yourself, out of thousands or tens of thousands of years, there are only a few cases, does every miracle have to land on your Young Master Xu?"

"I give up, isn't it a good thing for the empire to have more outstanding students? I don't understand what some jealous people are so anxious about!"

In Linglong City, Su Wenming had somehow made his way into the office.

After a while, he pointed at Xu Qingran on the screen and asked gruffly, "Who is this?"

Ji Guojun replied irritably, "Xu Qingran, the most famous student this year."

The one who just bombed hundreds of thousands worth of academy property.

After listening, Su Wenming objectively stated his observation: "He is indeed a talent with source crystal perception, and his insight is also very good."

Ji Guojun and Wang Jian, along with a few others, were stunned upon hearing this.

Su Wenming ignored them and continued, "He almost always accurately grasps the strengths and weaknesses of others, playing to their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses, placing them where they should be."

The surveillance footage only captured the actions of the students.

Their conversations couldn’t be heard; otherwise, with everyone talking over each other, it would have been too noisy and chaotic to record everything.

So, no one knew what Xu Qingran discussed with the students around him.

Su Wenming didn't know either, but without personal bias, he noticed something extra.

Ji Guojun and Wang Jian reacted quickly, stepping back from their personal viewpoints after Su Wenming finished speaking, understanding what he meant to convey.

—Looking back carefully, the students in each area had made adjustments.

It wasn’t that S-level students could only handle low-level tasks, nor were double S or 3S students necessarily dealing with higher-level targets. Instead, they were assigned tasks based on their strengths, such as reaction or agility, to handle appropriate challenges.

Then, they gradually formed a cohesive team, improving efficiency and significantly accelerating the progress in the latter half.

The injury rate also dropped significantly.

And these changes in the areas appeared to happen after Xu Qingran had 'visited'.

Ji Guojun and Wang Jian suddenly realized.

Xu Qingran wasn’t slacking off; he was using this opportunity to train his ability to manage and reassign people, as well as his observation and analysis skills!

Indeed, Xu Qingran was a special invitee holding an invitation.

He knew his assessment results were excellent, and he knew that after graduating smoothly, he wouldn’t just be a soldier who needed to blindly follow orders. So, what he wanted to demonstrate in this exercise wasn’t the skills he had already mastered, but his command ability!

Su Wenming added, "Most importantly, his fellow students trust him."

A qualified leader must first be able to gain the trust of his subordinates, to be fully trusted and to follow his instructions and arrangements.

And Xu Qingran successfully made everyone who had contact with him, from questioning at the time of enrollment to now, fully confident in his abilities. Because they trusted his judgment, they were willing to try his technical advice and combat strategies.

Su Wenming remarked objectively, "Indeed, not bad."

Everyone in the office sat in prolonged silence after hearing the analysis.

"Hold on."

Until Ji Guojun slowly grasped, becoming aware of another more terrifying point: "You mean, Xu Qingran knew this was an exercise?!"

Impossible! The system they used for the exercise was incredibly lifelike!

The ultimate graduation exercise system provided by the military academy for the students is the most advanced holographic simulation system in the entire empire today. It not only covers a vast area but also naturally restores the appearance and habits of the aliens with 100% accuracy.

It even has a high simulation touch sensation of up to 95%, with highly intelligent settings that simulate the most realistic battlefield scenarios persisting even after the aliens are defeated.

This simulation also has a tendency towards real lethality.

For example, students who are hit will suffer some non-fatal external injuries. As for those who appear 'dead', it’s actually just because the 'damage' they received was too great, triggering the injection of a special drug on the aliens, entering a 'feigned death' state.

But this is already the most advanced technology in the empire! Even the images of the destroyed spacecraft are perfect replicas of the real thing!

How did Xu Qingran figure it out at this stage?!

Ji Guojun's expression grew more grim as he thought about it.

—So, was the building explosion also his doing?

Su Wenming, his voice deep and resonant, said, "That part is unclear."

"But like I said, his insight is sharp. It’s no surprise he caught on."

"Didn’t Shen Tingyu and I see through your tricks before?"

Another silence fell.

Wang Jian's expression finally seemed less grave than before.

He slumped into the sofa, his tone arrogant, "Is that so? If you all think Xu Qingran’s figured it out, let’s see if he can get the students to wrap this up before dawn."

·

"Xu Qingran, Ji Huaixiu and I have both tried. If even you, with your sharp perception, can’t lock onto that Class I devil’s source crystal, then even with our spiritual pool talents, we’re out of luck."

At the military academy’s main base, a man with a gloved left hand stood on the rooftop, calmly staring at the distant reddish-brown giant.

Ling Yuege spoke as she slowly approached him from behind.

She added, "A Class I this strong? Even an E-type would need days of probing and research to crack it."

The situation’s been escalating since last night, and now it’s been over eight hours.

Most of the low and mid-tier threats are gone, leaving only the Class I devil—the only high-tier threat left.

Class I devils are a nightmare because as long as the mother body’s source crystal isn’t destroyed, it can keep reviving the smaller ones.

Fighting without taking out the mother body is just a waste of energy.

The students are worn out from tonight’s efforts, and they’re getting tired and impatient.

Someone yelled, "The nearest base is only three hours away! How long has it been? Where’s the backup?"

"If this keeps up, we’re gonna die here!"

Yeah, where’s the backup?

Xu Qingran’s gaze drifted over the crowd below, a knowing smile flickering in his eyes.

"Maybe it’s a test of endurance," he murmured, his words lost in the wind.

Ling Yuege frowned, "What did you say?"

"Nothing," Xu Qingran said.

Then he asked, "What do you think? Is everyone worn out by now?"

Ling Yuege glanced at the frenzied classmates below, shrugged, and said, "Isn’t it obvious?"

Xu Qingran looked down and said, "Then let’s wrap it up."

Ling Yuege watched him walk away, a little confused.

...Has Xu Qingran already located the Type I source crystal?

If so, that would be beyond incredible.

Yeah, this situation is just too crazy.

Because even if Shen Tingyu were here, it would be impossible to achieve. Since Type I demons are so flexible, the source crystals inside them can shift locations at any moment, so random shooting wouldn’t be able to take them down.

So Xu Qingran hasn’t pinpointed the Type I source crystal, but he’s got another plan.

He has a hunch that he needs to confirm this way.

So, while everyone at the academy was still battling the remaining demons, they saw the 'big jar' that Ji Guojun had earlier displayed slowly rising on the high platform of the grand square.

Everyone stared, stunned, as Xu Qingran walked to the console linked to the big jar.

Back in Linglong City, Ji Guojun shot up from his chair, yelling in shock and fury, "What does Xu Qingran want to do?!"

"How did he get control?!"

Then it hit him—Xu Qingran had Shen Tingyu’s universal card.

...Crap, Shen Tingyu has top-level access here, so of course he can unlock this ultimate bomb.

Ji Guojun shot a glance at Xu Qingran, frozen in front of the console.

He breathed a small sigh of relief.

The kid, with his access, could only pull out the big jar to scare them.

This thing’s got over a dozen locks, and unlocking it is a nightmare.

He’d only skimmed through it with them that day, never thinking they’d actually remember.

Ji Guojun snorted to himself a few times.

Trying to scare us into ending the exercise early with this big jar? No way!

That’s right, the ultimate goal of this graduation exercise isn’t for the trainees to actually locate and kill the Type I source crystal, but to test their endurance.

Hours of mental strain on the battlefield is the norm.

Without basic endurance, they’re not fit to be soldiers.

So if the trainees can last till dawn, the 'delayed' backup will show up and call it.

Ji Guojun sat back down, mulling this over.

Until the brown-haired kid on screen moved again.

With steady hands, he cracked the dozen locks on the big jar, one by one.

Everyone watching in the office fell into an eerie silence.

Ji Guojun stood up again, his wide eyes fixed on the surveillance footage until the last lock was easily cracked.

He finally blurted out, "No way!!"

Who could remember such a complicated operation after just one glance?! Ji Guojun’s face turned as black as a pot.

He couldn't help but vent his anger—Shen Tingyu, that bastard, it's all his fault for lending the all-access pass to Xu Qingran, giving him the authority!

In the monitoring room, the on-site supervisor's voice trembled as they asked, "General Ji... what do we do now?"

"I feel like Xu Qingran is really capable of blowing up the base and dragging everyone down with him!" The voice on the other end gradually carried a fearful sob.

Whether on-site or in the livestream, everyone was going crazy.

The students gathered below the stage, not daring to get too close, but still wanting to persuade Xu Qingran: "Xu... Xu Qingran, we can still hold on a bit longer!"

"I mean, it's not like we're at the point where we need to pull out the trump card, right?"

"Young Master Xu, reconsider! We can still save this!!"

Cries to stop Xu Qingran from going crazy ebbed and flowed.

At the same time, the livestream chat was also going wild.

"Wait, what’s he doing?"

"Ahhh! I’ve seen this thing on the military site! It can wipe out the entire academy base in seconds!"

"No way? It's just a drill, are they really going this far?"

"Huh?? Shouldn't we just admit that the trainees passed the drill and end it early? If it really blows up, that would be a disaster!"

"Little lunatic, I know you're crazy, but please don't go off the deep end!"

"If it blows up, wouldn’t that be a drill disaster?!"

At the base.

Xu Qingran had almost completed all the setup steps, with only the final button to start the countdown left.

He stared at the hand-sized red button, his eyes curving slightly.

Xu Qingran wasn't some genius; of course, he couldn't have memorized everything after just one glance.

What made him different was his system, which could save recordings for him at any time. And he was the type of person who liked to fully grasp everything he could learn at the current stage before moving on to the next.

So that night, he went back and watched the footage repeatedly, memorizing the steps Ji Guojun had taken.

"Do you trust me?" Xu Qingran's voice cut through the pleas of his fellow students.

He slowly raised his hand, hovering it over the button, poised to press it.

He added, "If you trust me, then trust that I won't get you killed."

His calm, confident tone resonated deeply.

Remarkably, everyone was gradually soothed by his confident tone, no longer panicking.

But as Xu Qingran moved again, everyone’s hearts leapt into their throats.

Just as he was about to press the button, the lights around the base, which had gone out due to the power outage, suddenly flashed back to life.

At the same time, the surrounding demon horde, which had been poised to attack, all froze in place as if someone had hit a pause button.

Including the largest Class I demon.

The entire student body froze in shock.

Undercover security staff in the crowd, sweating profusely, let out a huge sigh of relief.

—They were saved.

At that very moment, the school's PA system suddenly blared to life.

After a brief crackle of static, Ji Guojun's furious voice thundered through the speakers—

"Xu Qingran! Stop! Immediately!!!"