Chapter 199: Chapter 132: Topping the Ranks, the Shadow Scale Race

The video ended.

Shock.

Pure, unadulterated shock.

This was simply not something a Vein Opening Realm Martial Artist could do.

Even for someone at the Gang Condensation Realm, surviving and killing enemies while trapped in a monster swarm would be considered easy.

But after twelve straight hours of high-intensity combat, even their stamina and Qi and Blood would be nearly depleted!

Could the young man in the video already be on par with a Gang Condensation Realm Martial Artist?

A long moment passed.

Wang Lingchuan finally tore his gaze from the screen and slowly turned to the major beside him—the one who had received Lin Ye.

"This Lin Ye... where is he from?"

"Which noble family sent him?"

Everyone in the room perked up their ears at the question.

To be able to produce such a monstrous, heaven-defying talent, the family backing him had to be a titan with an unimaginably deep foundation.

But after a moment of thought, none of them could recall a top-tier martial arts family with the surname Lin in all of Ninghai Province.

Mr. Shi pulled up Lin Ye’s file and spoke.

"Battalion Commander..."

"He’s from Dongjiang City."

"Dongjiang?"

Wang Lingchuan frowned. The name sounded familiar; he seemed to recall it being a third-tier city.

"Dongjiang... Are there any well-known families there?"

Someone in the audience pondered for a moment.

"I was previously stationed with a unit of the Vanguard Camp in Dongjiang. I’ve heard some things about the local families."

"I only remember one family that was once prominent but has since declined to second-rate status. Their patriarch was... Xue Huairan."

"They’re not surnamed Lin."

The major confirmed this.

"The file says he has no background with any noble family."

"He is... a regular student, sent here from Dongjiang City’s First Martial Arts High School."

A regular student?

Those three words left everyone in the conference room stunned.

If the video had delivered a visual shock, then this answer completely upended their understanding of the world!

A student with no background, nurtured by a mere public Martial Arts High School, could reach this level?

The word ’genius’ was no longer sufficient to describe him.

This was a monster!

"This... that’s impossible, right? How could the resources of a public Martial Arts High School..."

"Could he have had some kind of fortuitous encounter?"

"His file doesn’t show him going anywhere special. What kind of fortuitous encounter could you find in a small place like that?"

Disciples from noble families had their bodies tempered with heavenly treasures since childhood, trained in top-tier Cultivation Techniques, and received the full, unreserved tutelage of famous masters.

Their starting point was often the finish line for many regular students at Martial Arts High Schools.

But now, a regular student had displayed the terrifying combat power to crush all the geniuses from the noble families.

Wang Lingchuan’s gaze grew incredibly profound.

Given the strength and effortless composure Lin Ye had displayed, he could have easily escaped during the initial outbreak of the monster swarm, getting far away from the dangerous core area.

But he didn’t.

To save a few Hunters he had only just met, he chose to be trapped in the deathtrap of a cramped, narrow subway station, surrounded by enemies on all sides.

And then, he fought and killed for an entire night!

That character, that sense of responsibility, was even more precious and rare than his terrifying combat strength.

Wang Lingchuan fell into deep thought.

No one in the conference room dared to make a sound to disturb him.

A few seconds later, not a trace of hesitation remained in his eyes, only unchallengeable resolve.

"Shi Ruifeng."

"Sir!"

"Add the points to his score."

Wang Lingchuan’s voice was firm and decisive.

"Count it as 10,887. Not a single one less!"

"At the same time, immediately dispatch a reconnaissance team to the battle site for an on-site investigation."

"Take photos, record videos, collect samples, and bring back the physical evidence. If any data falsification or discrepancies with the video are found, the points can be revoked."

"Sir!" Shi Ruifeng immediately accepted the order.

But Wang Lingchuan wasn’t finished.

"And one last thing."

His gaze swept across the room, his voice suddenly rising in volume.

"In the midst of a disaster, Lin Ye faced danger without fear, stepped forward to save his compatriots, and demonstrated the responsibility and righteousness of a true Martial Artist!"

"Award him an additional 1,000 points. Record this in his file, and if he enlists in the military in the future, add it to his service record!"

This decision stunned everyone for a moment, but then, expressions of understanding—that this was exactly as it should be—appeared on every face.

The military has always revered the strong, but it reveres those with courage and a sense of duty even more!

Lin Ye’s performance perfectly embodied all of these qualities.

Shi Ruifeng nodded emphatically and immediately began to arrange the tasks.

First, he assigned an elite squad and ordered them to depart immediately for the Linchuan Ruins to conduct the on-site investigation. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Then, he picked up a military-grade tactical tablet and began to calculate Lin Ye’s final score.

His fingers tapped rapidly across the screen, pulling up all the data on the "Iron-Eating Beetle" from the military database.

Iron-Eating Beetle: Threat Index assessment for a single individual is 90 points. According to the standard for solitary mutated beasts, a single kill is worth 3 points.

Mr. Shi looked at this base value and shook his head.

’This clearly doesn’t apply.’

These monsters always appeared in swarms. Once they reached a certain scale, their threat level would increase exponentially.

’How could you possibly use the standard for an individual to calculate the points?’

His fingers scrolled, filtering through the database.

Soon, he found every threat assessment report on record for Iron-Eating Beetle swarms.

Minimum threat index, maximum threat index, correlation models between population size and destructive power...

He extracted the data point by point, performing a comprehensive analysis.

’This swarm was a Level 1, the highest classification, and its scale was unprecedented.’

’On top of that, a special variant with long-range flight capabilities also appeared within it.’