The entire venue erupted in a chorus of suppressed gasps and sharp intakes of breath.
Even though they had known for a while, hearing the number 1,756 come directly from the mouth of the Chief Examiner was still incredibly shocking.
First place had an insurmountable lead, nearly 1,100 points ahead of second place!
“This is the highest point total for the Hangzhou testing district this year, and also the highest score in the history of the Hangzhou college entrance exam.”
A bright beam of light swept across and landed precisely on a lamp post at the edge of the square.
Lin Yuan was leaning against that lamp post. He was halfway through a chicken leg in his left hand, and had just taken two bites of another in his right.
The moment the light hit him, his mouth was stuffed with chicken meat, and his cheeks were puffed out like a squirrel’s.
He looked up, staring blankly at the beam of light shining on him, then at Meng Hao on the stage who was staring back, and finally at the hundreds of faces that had all turned toward him at once.
“Pfft—” Standing in the front row, Xiaxia was the first to lose it, bursting into laughter.
Immediately after, the entire square erupted in laughter.
It wasn’t mockery; it was the kind of collective breakdown that happened when everyone saw the guy with the “insurmountable lead” gnawing on chicken legs.
Lin Yuan slowly swallowed the chicken in his mouth, wiped the grease from the corner of his lips with his sleeve, and waved toward the stage with a deadpan expression.
“Thank you, Examiner Meng. Thank you, Hangzhou. And thank you to this chicken,” Lin Yuan said, slowly raising the chicken leg in his hand.
The laughter grew even louder.
Even an old examiner like Meng Hao, who had seen it all, couldn't help but have the corner of his mouth twitch.
“Student Lin Yuan, please come up to the stage.”
Lin Yuan tossed the remaining chicken bone into a nearby trash can, brushed the crumbs off his hands, and walked through the crowd toward the stage.
The spotlight followed him.
As he stepped onto the stage, he squinted slightly to adjust to the brightness of the lights.
Three thousand faces below looked up at him. Some were envious, some admiring, some defiant, and some were just there for the spectacle.
In the crowd, Bai Li stood toward the back.
She didn't laugh out loud, but her eyes curved into two crescent moons. Xiaxia stood beside her, arms crossed, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Lin Yuan stood on stage, the lights making his tattered clothes and messy hair visible to everyone.
He cleared his throat. “Actually, I don’t have much to say. As for points, you just kill a few more Tier 2 monsters and you’ll have them. Finally, I hope everyone gets admitted to their dream school.”
A chorus of playful jeers and “boos” rose from the crowd.
Meng Hao glanced at him from the side.
Having been the Chief Examiner in Hangzhou for decades, he had seen batch after batch of top scorers. Some were excited, some were humble, and some acted like they were gods.
But this was the first one to stand on stage in front of over a thousand people and say, “You just kill a few more Tier 2 monsters and you’ll have them.”
He handed the microphone to Lin Yuan and whispered with a hint of a smile, “Well said. Kill a few more, and you’ll have them.”
Lin Yuan took the microphone and thought for a moment.
“Oh, right. To those who made bets with me earlier—Han Feng, remember to send that Tier 4 lightning combat technique to my hotel's front desk. I’ll send you the address.
As for the others, I won't name names. The registration fee of fifty thousand per person has been settled. Remember to call me the next time there's a good deal like this.”
The crowd below burst into laughter again.
In the crowd, the corner of Han Feng’s mouth twitched, but in the end, he shook his head and laughed.
While everyone was laughing and cheering, no one noticed that deep in the dense forest, tens of thousands of monsters had actually lined up in an orderly fashion.
The direction those tens of thousands of monsters were facing was exactly toward Hangzhou!
...
Soon, the assembly dismissed.
The searchlights on the square were still on as examinees began to head out of the base.
Lin Yuan was no exception. Just as he was about to leave, a flurry of footsteps came from behind.
“Lin Yuan!”
Jiang Ran squeezed through the crowd, a big smile on his round face, with Chen Mo and Song Zhiyi following behind him.
“Celebration feast! Pian'erchuan! My treat!” Jiang Ran patted his chest as soon as he arrived.
“We agreed before—I’d treat you to Pian'erchuan plus two servings of Dongpo pork after the exam. Shall we go now?”
Lin Yuan smiled but waved his hand. “Not today.”
Jiang Ran’s face instantly slumped.
“I need to go to the trading market to sell the loot in my bag and buy some things. I also need to change these clothes.”
Lin Yuan tugged at his collar, which had several holes in it, and continued, “Next time. Anyway, we’ve added each other’s contact info. I’m not going anywhere.”
Jiang Ran looked at his tattered black clothes and the backpack bulging like a small mountain, and his face brightened up again.
“Alright! You said it—next time! When you get to Magic City, I’m coming to you for a meal!”
“Deal!”
Lin Yuan smiled and patted Jiang Ran on the shoulder, then nodded to Chen Mo and Song Zhiyi as a farewell.
Lin Yuan waved and disappeared into the crowd.
...
At the entrance of the combat base.
The moment the automatic doors opened, the camera flashes nearly blinded Lin Yuan.
Seven or eight reporters were blocking the entrance, aiming their cameras at him, their microphones almost poking into his mouth.
A female reporter at the very front, wearing small heels, squeezed through the hardest. Her microphone had a “Hangzhou Metropolitan Daily” label, and she spoke as fast as a machine gun.
“Student Lin Yuan! I’m a reporter from the Hangzhou Metropolitan Daily! How do you feel about taking first place in the Hangzhou college entrance exam with a score of 1,756?”
“What is your response to the video of your one-vs-nine fight that’s gone viral online?”
“Some netizens are questioning whether your actual ability rank is really F-rank. How do you respond?”
“I’m from the Hangzhou Express—”
“Was your duel with Han Feng planned or a spur-of-the-moment decision—”
“We heard you’ve already been early-admitted to Magic City Academy. Is this news true?”
Seven or eight questions were hurled at him simultaneously, mixed with the clicking sound of camera shutters.
Lin Yuan was caught in the middle, the smile on his face beginning to stiffen.
He opened his mouth, not yet sure how to answer.
He couldn't exactly say, “Actually, I just wanted to kill more monsters to earn Ability Points and make some extra cash on the side.”
Suddenly, a large hand reached out and pushed aside the microphone that was about to poke Lin Yuan’s nose.
A burly figure stood in front of Lin Yuan, and the reporters’ microphones immediately lowered by half.
The newcomer was none other than Meng Hao.
“The exam just ended. The examinee needs rest.” Meng Hao’s voice wasn't loud, but every word carried an aura that said, “I’m done talking, you can leave now.”
The reporters looked at each other.
Meng Hao had worked in the Hangzhou Ability User Association for decades; he had seniority and strength.
Crucially, he didn't do interviews, didn't accept any form of social networking, and didn't go out for drinks or meals with anyone from the media.
In reporter circles, he was known as someone impossible to sway.
After a few seconds of silence, the reporters tactfully put away their microphones and cameras, whispering among themselves as they dispersed.
Lin Yuan let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks, Examiner Meng.”
Meng Hao turned around to look at him.
The Chief Examiner’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment, as if looking for something, or perhaps thinking about something.
The way he looked at Lin Yuan was different from how he looked at other examinees. It wasn't scrutiny, and it wasn't just admiration; it was something more complex.
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