The death of Ryder stirred considerable turmoil in the camp. Throughout the ordeal, Ethan ate quietly, observing as if he were an outsider. In the end, the incident was deemed an 'accident.' Ethan prepared for the possibility of being suspected by Victor, even setting up 'alarms' in his tent, ready to flee at any moment. But the night passed without incident, and the convoy continued on its way the next day.
That day, they encountered a swarm of Behemoths and parasites but managed to repel them under Captain Victor's leadership and another pilot's skillful mech operation. Ethan witnessed the entire battle. Captain Victor's mech, called 'Blue Edge,' painted in red and blue, moved with astonishing agility, sometimes performing high-speed maneuvers that defied imagination. The soldiers around Ethan remarked that this was a display of Captain Victor's 'Divine Concealment: Wind Walk.'
Divine Concealment? Ethan didn't know what that meant, nor did he ask. If he made it to the underground city, he would learn what he needed to know in due time. After the battle, the crew donned protective gear and busied themselves dissecting the carcasses, collecting blood, harvesting organs, and stripping scales or claws, storing them categorically. Ethan remembered they had done the same with the corpses of 'Taotie' and 'Tanuki Power' back in 'Flower City.' He wondered whether these Behemoth parts were being collected for research or some other purpose.
Over the next few days, the convoy encountered Behemoths almost daily, confirming the survivors' claims that the world outside the city was even more perilous. The land had become a playground for the Behemoths.
After several days, Ethan noticed a strange phenomenon. The Behemoths attacking the convoy seemed to be targeting one particular truck, which carried the mysterious item retrieved from 'Taotie's' lair. Could it be that 'Taotie' had been drawn out of the city center by this mysterious item? This theory was confirmed that day when the convoy, traveling on a fractured highway, was ambushed by a Behemoth called 'Qu Ru,' a giant bird with a white head, three legs, and a human face. It created a storm that overturned the truck, revealing the waterproof-wrapped item.
Ethan saw for the first time that it was a seven or eight-meter-long, hill-like dark crystal with breaths pulsating within, occasionally forming grotesque and ferocious beastly faces. 'Qu Ru' flapped its giant wings and tried to snatch the strange rock with its three crimson claws but was intercepted by 'Blue Edge' and another black mech. During the battle, the strange rock was hit by artillery fire and split in half. Ethan clearly saw a white rainbow arc over his head, carrying a hint of sacred aura, falling into the distant countryside.
Ethan felt curious; the rock looked ominous, so how could it contain something so pure and holy? As the battle continued, Ethan took the opportunity to investigate the landing site of the white rainbow, hoping to discover its secrets.
When he reached the area, he found grass growing rapidly and wildflowers blooming in a rush of life, in stark contrast to the withered vegetation nearby. The lush scene suggested an infusion of boundless vitality. Ethan's eyes lit up as he dove into the newly grown thicket, searching diligently until he found a white, diamond-shaped object.
Holding it in his hands, Ethan felt its smoothness, akin to jade, and its faint coolness. As he toyed with it, intending to keep it for further study, the object suddenly released a soft glow, and a pattern resembling a 'Tai Chi Eight Trigrams' emerged. The diamond-shaped jade became ethereal, losing its solidity, leaving only a glow enveloping the strange symbol. Then, with a whoosh, it imprinted itself between Ethan's brows.
Ethan paused, his heart skipping a beat. This object had flown out of the black rock; who knew what it was? Now that it had entered his body, he feared the unknown effects it might have. But after a while, finding no adverse reactions, Ethan felt somewhat relieved.
By the time he returned to the highway, the battle had ended. 'Qu Ru' had fled with injuries, and Captain Victor was directing the soldiers to collect the strange rock and all its fragments. Ethan overheard the term 'You Yin' from the passing soldiers, seemingly referring to the strange rock. It appeared the convoy had known what it was all along and might have come specifically for the 'You Yin.'
Watching 'Blue Edge' return to its transport, Ethan debated whether to ask Victor about the white jade. He worried that absorbing the jade might make him a subject of experimentation in the underground city. In the end, he decided against it.
The convoy continued northward. A week after leaving 'Flower City,' they reached a large lake. When they arrived at the shore, the water roared, and a tunnel rose from the lake, connecting to the shore. Ethan was amazed; who would have thought the entrance to the underground city lay beneath a lake?
The convoy drove into the tunnel, descending deeper and deeper. About half an hour later, Ethan saw a vast underground space from the window, large enough to house a city. Trains shuttled between buildings, stopping beside skyscrapers. Huge pipe-like structures connected the space's floor and ceiling, possibly extending to the surface, though their purpose was unclear.
The convoy followed an elevated road downward, and Ethan gradually saw that this city was not much different from the surface cities before the 'Behemoth Calamity.' Except that the rooftops of the high-rises were equipped with turrets, and tanks and armored vehicles occasionally passed on the roads.
"This is 'Guangling City,' one of the eighteen cities of the North, and new underground cities are still under construction. However, due to the 'Behemoth Calamity,' the construction period will far exceed these pre-built cities," Victor explained, having appeared beside Ethan.
He continued, "You're lucky; today happens to be the recruitment day for the Mech Pilot Training Academy."
"I've already registered you."
"But registration doesn't guarantee admission."
"The academy's recruitment is very strict, with entrance exams, or 'academy tests.'"
"Whether you can pass the academy test and enter the academy depends on your own abilities."
"If you're not admitted, you'll be sent back to the surface."
Ethan nodded in understanding. Victor looked at him and said, "I'll have Lion take you to the academy later."
"If you're fortunate enough to be admitted, I suggest you don't exchange your credits for the 'Crimson Poison' antidote immediately."
"You can periodically exchange for some relief agents, which will alleviate the condition, allow you to participate in various trainings, and prevent the disease from worsening."
"Save your credits to exchange for cultivation materials and improve your strength as soon as possible. Only then can you gain more privileges and resources."
Credits? Cultivation materials?
Ethan was somewhat baffled but remembered Victor's words.
Victor added, "Also, the academy, or rather the underground city, is different from the surface."
"There's still order here, so you need to restrain your 'wildness.'"
"Simply put, you can't kill people at will like on the surface."
Ethan rasped, "What if someone wants to kill me?"
"Normally, that situation won't arise," Victor stated definitively.
"But if it does, you can act first and report later."
"I'll provide you with some protection, but if you abuse my shelter to cause trouble, I'll be the first to come after you."
With a meaningful glance at Ethan, the stern captain left.
Soon, the convoy reached the ground, and Victor's guard drove Ethan to the academy. Before long, they arrived at the academy gates, where many new students were gathered, apparently in line to register. But Ethan's car drove straight in.
Inside the academy, Ethan saw a stone tablet with four powerful characters: Sword Points South!
A sense of martial intent emanated from the words.
The car stopped outside a hall, and the soldier Lion said, "You go in first; I'll bring Victor's recommendation letter to the administrative office and come back."
"Okay," Ethan nodded, alighting from the car and entering the hall alone.
The hall was already filled with people, mostly seventeen or eighteen-year-olds. There were more males than females. Ethan looked around, intending to find a corner to wait.
"Get out of the way, don't block the path!"
Suddenly, a gust of wind blew from behind. Instinctively, Ethan sidestepped, avoiding a large hand aimed at his head. He instinctively grabbed the hand, ready to twist it off, but remembering Victor's words, he pushed instead, sending a burly figure tumbling to the ground with a thud.
The noise drew attention, and eyes turned first to the person on the ground, then to Ethan, followed by murmurs. The new students were all well-dressed and tidy, in stark contrast to Ethan's worn clothes.
The person on the ground roared and stood up, towering over Ethan, round-shouldered but seemingly out of shape, with a bleeding forehead. He was furious.
"Where did this savage come from? How did you sneak in here?"
"How dare you throw me down? You're looking for death!"
Ethan, recalling Victor's advice, didn't want to cause trouble and replied, "I'm a new student."
"You started it, so I threw you down."
His terse response seemed to belittle the burly youth, who first felt anger, then fear, as he noticed Ethan's red eyes and recoiled, his voice rising shrilly, "Crimson Poison! You're infected with Crimson Poison, stay away from me!"
The hall erupted into chaos as the students retreated from Ethan as if he were a beast. The burly youth shouted, "Guangling City has been free of 'Crimson Poison' for three years, thanks to the vaccine. You dare claim to be a new student; you're clearly a savage who snuck in."
"Where's security? Where are the guards?"
"Why aren't they getting this guy out of here?"
A commanding voice then called for order, "Silence."
A middle-aged man resembling a teacher, accompanied by a black-armored soldier, approached. The teacher looked at Ethan and calmly announced, "This is a new student recommended by Captain Victor. Who dares to drive him away?"
The burly youth immediately lowered his head. The teacher continued, "Also, 'Crimson Poison' is not contagious. What are you afraid of?"
"If you're afraid of 'Crimson Poison,' how can you expect to fight Behemoths on the surface?"
"What a joke!"
With that, the teacher handed Ethan a registration card, "This is your registration card. If you pass the exam, it will become your student card."
He then addressed the crowd, "Prepare yourselves; the exam starts in 10 minutes. The task is to kill a Wolf Tick, and the specific rules will be announced by the principal."
Soon, they arrived at the examination field. The students had 10 minutes to decide on their weapons and how they would take the exam.
Ethan, looking at the array of weapons, was approached by a voice, "Hello, would you like to team up with me?"
He turned to see a seventeen or eighteen-year-old youth, black-haired and slightly thin, with a scholarly air and wearing rimless glasses. The youth extended his hand with a smile, "My name is Eliot."
Ethan glanced at him, shook his head, and walked towards the weapon rack. He was accustomed to acting alone; teaming up would only hinder him. Besides, it was just a Wolf Tick.
He chose a long spear from the rack, simple but with the advantages of length and sharpness. Many others opted for firearms, but Ethan, unfamiliar with anything beyond an automatic pistol, didn't follow suit. Besides, he already had a plan.
After registering and getting his number, the exam began. Students called by number entered a sealed area, invisible from the outside. Only the judges or students who had completed the exam could see the inside on a large screen in another hall.
One by one, the students entered. When they came out, some cheered, some wailed, and some were carried out, bloodied, to be rushed to medical attention.
Soon it was Ethan's turn. In the hall behind the exam area, the burly youth Ethan had tripped earlier was resting. Seeing Ethan appear on the big screen, he watched intently. Suddenly, he saw Ethan take out a piece of bloodstained cloth from his pocket. The youth remembered it was the sleeve Ethan had used to wipe his blood.
The youth was puzzled, unable to understand Ethan's actions. In the arena, Ethan tied the bloodied sleeve to the tip of his spear and nodded to the proctor. A Wolf Tick was released, and upon entering, it charged at Ethan like a mad beast. As it leaped, three feet off the ground, it collided with the spear tip, pushing Ethan back but impaling itself in the process.
It struggled fiercely but gradually weakened until it stopped breathing. On the screen, Ethan set down the spear and walked away. The hall fell silent. The entire process took no more than 10 seconds, and it seemed less like Ethan had killed the Wolf Tick and more like it had rushed to its own death.
"So that's how it is," someone realized. "Wolf Ticks go mad at the scent of blood, losing their reason."
"He used the bloodied cloth as bait, luring the Wolf Tick into the trap."
"Impressive."
"Smart."
The burly youth turned to see a tall, thin youth with rimless glasses beside him, who had unraveled the secret to Ethan's victory, clearing the confusion. But then...
The burly youth's face twitched.
"Wait, that kid wiped my blood..."
"He wasn't apologizing."
"He was using my blood to bait the Wolf Tick?"