Everyone instantly looked up!
Through the window cracks and holes, they clearly saw three armed transport helicopters, painted in camouflage and with ferocious autocannons suspended under their bellies, roaring in from the southeast!
The huge rotors kicked up a violent airflow, blowing the gravel and dust on the ground into the air!
Below the helicopters, a steel torrent, consisting of dozens of armored personnel carriers, wheeled infantry fighting vehicles, and even two main battle tanks, surged forward like tigers unleashed, brutally crushing a path through the roads blocked by ghouls and ruins!
The heavy tracks and wheels rolled over corpses and rubble, emitting a heart-pounding roar! On the vehicles, the roaring tiger head emblem of the 77th Army gleamed with a cold light in the sunlight!
The army! The true main force of the army! They had finally arrived!
“It’s The Boulder’s troops! They’re here! We’re saved!” A thunderous cheer and cry erupted instantly in the classroom! The atmosphere of despair was completely overwhelmed by ecstasy! Students hugged each other and wept! Soldiers excitedly pounded their chests!
Li Zhenguo suddenly stood up, his eyes bursting with an unprecedented light! He quickly opened his tactical terminal, pulled up an encrypted channel, and roared hoarsely: “Probe calling The Boulder! Nightingale calling The Boulder! Coordinates confirmed! Survivor location: Linghui Academy Main Teaching Building, fourth floor, west corridor! Repeat! Survivor location: Main Teaching Building, fourth floor, west corridor! Requesting support! Requesting medical and evacuation!”
“The Boulder received! Probe, hold your position! We have already received Razor’s death notice, Falcon Squad will arrive within five minutes! Repeat! Hold your position!” A clear and steady reply came from the terminal.
Five minutes later.
The armed helicopters hovered above the teaching building, their autocannons vigilantly pointed in all directions. Thick ropes descended, and teams of fully armed special forces soldiers, agile as leopards, rappelled down, swiftly clearing the rooftop platform of the teaching building.
Immediately after, more soldiers poured into the fourth-floor corridor like a tide through ladder trucks and gaps blasted in the walls!
“Secure!”
“Controlled!”
“Survivors found!”
Well-trained soldiers quickly took over the defense line and established a temporary safe zone. Medics rushed in with stretchers, beginning emergency treatment for the wounded.
Food and water were distributed.
Li Zhenguo, Wang Lei, and Zhao Xiaowen quickly handed over to the commanding officer. Li Mingyu, Sun Qiang, and others were also protected by soldiers.
Ling Chen was carefully lifted onto a stretcher by two medics. He still “weakly” kept his eyes closed, his breathing faint.
A medic scanned his body with a portable vital signs monitor.
“Heart rate 45… blood pressure 70/40… body temperature 35.8 degrees… multiple soft tissue contusions, suspected fracture in the left arm… severe blood loss… vital signs extremely weak! Requires emergency blood transfusion and surgery!” The medic reported with a solemn expression, looking at the data on the instrument.
Chen Xue and Lin Wei nervously followed beside the stretcher.
“Quick! To medical vehicle number three!” The commanding officer decisively ordered.
The soldiers lifted the stretcher and quickly carried Ling Chen to the field medical vehicle parked downstairs.
Just as the stretcher was about to be carried out of The Boulder’s entrance, Ling Chen, lying on the stretcher, very slightly… opened his eyes.
His gaze passed over the busy soldiers and excited classmates, accurately landing on Li Zhenguo, who was receiving simple bandaging deep in the corridor.
Their gazes briefly met in the air.
Li Zhenguo’s eyes were still sharp, carrying a hint of lingering doubt and scrutiny.
Ling Chen’s eyes… were still hollow, weak, and unfocused… as if he was just a critically wounded person on the verge of death.
Then, he slowly closed his eyes. The corner of his mouth, hidden by the jostling of the stretcher and the figures of the medics, once again curved into a cold, unnoticeable arc.
The first hurdle… passed.
Field Medical Vehicle · Temporary Testing Point
The medical vehicle was brightly lit, filled with a mixed smell of disinfectant, blood, and medicine. Ling Chen was placed on a mobile bed, connected to various monitoring instruments. A military doctor wearing a mask was conducting a preliminary examination.
“Hold on, young man.” The military doctor’s voice was gentle, but his movements were swift and precise.
He untied the crude “bandage” on Ling Chen’s arm, revealing the “shocking” abrasions and… a deliberately deepened injury that looked like a swollen fracture.
“Hiss…” Ling Chen let out a timely, suppressed groan of pain, his brows tightly furrowed, his face even paler.
“Suspected ulnar fracture in the left arm, needs X-ray confirmation. Severe blood loss, requires immediate blood transfusion.” The military doctor quickly assessed and instructed the nurse beside him, “Prepare 400cc of O-type blood, intravenous drip of saline, inject tetanus antitoxin and broad-spectrum antibiotics!”
The nurse quickly complied.
Just then, the medical vehicle’s curtain was pulled open. A middle-aged man in a crisp military uniform, wearing a lieutenant colonel’s shoulder insignia and The Boulder’s Ability Detection Center arm patch, walked in.
His face was serious, his eyes sharp as an eagle’s, and he held a tablet computer and a silver metal instrument the size of a cigarette pack.
Seeing him, Ling Chen’s heart stirred slightly, then quickly calmed down. Oh, Li Zhenguo must have called him.
“Doctor Zhang, how’s the situation?” The lieutenant colonel asked, his gaze sweeping over Ling Chen on the bed.
“Director Zhou.” The military doctor quickly stood up, “The injured person is Ling Chen, male, 18 years old, a third-year high school student at Linghui Academy. Preliminary diagnosis: left ulnar fracture (pending confirmation), multiple soft tissue contusions, moderate hemorrhagic shock. Vital signs are temporarily stable, but further treatment is needed.”
Director Zhou nodded, his gaze falling on Ling Chen: “Student Ling Chen, I am Zhou Zhengyang from The Boulder’s Ability Detection Center. We now need to conduct a preliminary ability detection and registration for you. This is a necessary procedure for entering The Boulder. Please cooperate.”
His tone was businesslike, carrying an unquestionable authority.
Ling Chen “weakly” nodded, his eyes still carrying a hint of confusion and fatigue.
Zhou Zhengyang walked to the bedside and gently placed the silver metal instrument the size of a cigarette pack—the Psionic Resonance Imager—on Ling Chen’s forehead.
The instrument’s surface glowed with a faint blue light, emitting an extremely faint hum.
“Relax, don’t resist. The instrument will scan your mental wave frequency to determine your ability type and potential level,” Zhou Zhengyang explained, his gaze fixed on the data stream flickering on the tablet computer.
Ling Chen obediently closed his eyes, and the cold will of the Soul Jade Physique instantly operated to its extreme! He forcibly simulated his own mental wave frequency into an extremely weak, special frequency with high-frequency tremors! At the same time, his mind moved slightly, connecting to a bat circling high above the villa ruins in the distance!
Buzz—!
The Psionic Resonance Imager suddenly emitted an unstable hum! The data stream on the tablet computer instantly showed violent fluctuations! The waveform diagram representing mental frequency jumped wildly, like an out-of-control wild horse!
“What’s going on?!” Zhou Zhengyang frowned, “Interference? Unstable energy?”
Just then!
“Screech—!”
A sharp shriek! An ordinary bat, as if out of control, violently crashed in from outside the broken car window! It seemed to be stimulated by the lights and instruments inside the medical vehicle, flying and crashing wildly in the confined space! Its wings scraped against the instruments and IV stand!
“Careful!” The nurse exclaimed!
In the chaos, the bat “just happened” to crash into the power interface of the Psionic Resonance Imager!
Zzzzt—!
A flash of electric sparks! The Psionic Resonance Imager screen instantly went black! A wisp of smoke rose!
“Damn it!” Zhou Zhengyang cursed under his breath, quickly unplugging the power and checking the instrument.
Ling Chen let out a timely “muffled groan,” his body twitching slightly, as if he had suffered a backlash from the instrument malfunction, and a trickle of blood (he had bitten the inside of his mouth) flowed from the corner of his mouth again.
“Ling Chen!” Chen Xue exclaimed, rushing to the bedside.
“Director Zhou! The instrument seems to be burned out!” The nurse reported after checking.
Zhou Zhengyang looked at the black-screened instrument, then at Ling Chen on the bed, whose face was pale, blood oozing from his mouth, and who looked as if he might faint at any moment. His brows furrowed into a knot.
He picked up the tablet computer, which still showed the last set of chaotic data captured before the instrument malfunction, from which a high-frequency, bat-like biological wave characteristic could vaguely be discerned.
“Beast Control… controlling bats…” Zhou Zhengyang looked at the data fragments, then at the dark purple bat that had been caught by a soldier and was still struggling and shrieking, and finally entered the judgment result on the tablet, “Ability: Beast Control. Potential Level: C (assessment may be low due to severe injury and instrument malfunction). Status: Severely injured and overdrawn, ability core damaged (pending re-examination).”
He put away the tablet and said to the military doctor: “Prioritize full treatment. Ability detection will be re-examined with large equipment back at The Boulder once his injuries stabilize.”
“Yes!” The military doctor quickly responded.
Zhou Zhengyang glanced again at the unconscious (feigned) Ling Chen, his eyes still carrying a hint of doubt, but he ultimately turned and left the medical vehicle.
Ling Chen lay on the bed, feeling the cold saline flowing into his veins. The cold will of the Soul Jade Physique slowly subsided.
The second hurdle… also passed.
A Beast Control ability user, severely injured and overdrawn, with mediocre potential… this identity was temporarily safe.
In front of the Teaching Building Plaza · Temporary Testing Point
All survivors were gathered in the plaza in front of the teaching building to undergo identity verification and preliminary physical examinations by The Boulder’s military.
Soldiers, armed with live ammunition, maintained order. Several armored vehicles and main battle tanks blocked all intersections, their cannons vigilantly pointed at the surrounding ruins.
Li Mingyu, Sun Qiang, Lin Wei, Chen Xue, and a dozen other students were led separately to one side. In front of them were several more precise Psionic Resonance Imagers.
“According to the information provided by Captain Li Zhenguo, several of you displayed superhuman abilities during the battle, suspected of being ability awakeners,” a military officer said seriously, “You are now required to undergo individual testing to confirm your ability type and level. This concerns your placement and training after entering The Boulder.”
Li Mingyu was the first to step forward. He took a deep breath and placed his hand on the cold instrument panel. The instrument hummed, and a faint blue light appeared! Data streamed rapidly across the screen!
“Target: Li Mingyu. Ability Type: Physical Enhancement (Buli (Brute Force)). Potential Level: B+. Energy Intensity: Early-stage Spirit Awakening.” The military officer announced, looking at the data.
Then Sun Qiang stepped forward. “Target: Sun Qiang. Ability Type: Elemental Manipulation (Iron Wall). Potential Level: B. Energy Intensity: Early-stage Spirit Awakening.”
Next were several other boys who had shown abnormal strength or speed in battle, but unfortunately, none of them had awakened an ability.
It was Lin Wei’s turn.
She walked forward somewhat nervously, her fair fingers trembling slightly as she placed them on the instrument panel.
Buzz—!
The instrument emitted a louder hum than before! The data stream on the screen poured out like a waterfall! The faint blue light instantly became dazzling! Even the instrument itself emitted an overloaded “sizzling” sound!
“What’s going on?!” The military officer’s face changed!
Lin Wei herself was startled and instinctively tried to pull her hand back.
“Don’t move!” The military officer snapped, staring intently at the screen!
On the screen, the spectrogram representing mental fluctuations showed an extremely complex, multi-band composite waveform, like precisely meshing gears! The energy reading instantly soared! Far exceeding that of Li Mingyu and Sun Qiang before!
“Target: Lin Wei. Ability Type: Mental Perception (Bianwei (Discern Micro))… No! Wait!”
The military officer’s voice was filled with shock, “Abnormal energy signature! There’s… multiple spectrum superposition?! This is… a composite ability?!”
The data was still jumping wildly! The instrument emitted a sharp alarm sound!
“Potential Level: A?! Unfortunately, the energy intensity is only early-stage Spirit Awakening.”
The military officer could hardly believe his eyes! He suddenly looked up at the seemingly quiet, gentle, and even timid girl in front of him!
A-level potential?! Condensation Stage?! This was an extremely rare top-tier talent in the entire The Boulder! And it was an extremely rare composite mental perception ability?!
The entire testing point instantly fell silent! Everyone stared at Lin Wei in astonishment! Including Li Mingyu and Sun Qiang, who had just finished their tests, and Ling Chen, who was sitting “weakly” on a medical box, supported by Chen Xue, not far away!
Ling Chen’s pupils, in the shadow of his hood, very subtly… contracted.