Kent snorted and said, "Yes, that's exactly why. This matter ends here, and we'll treat it as a small lesson."
"Originally, I didn't know you, and had no reason to cause trouble with you. But you acted recklessly, disregarding others, and treating people like toys. What you're going through now is your own consequence."
Kent's words were firm and righteous, which made Dongfang Jing's face turn from green to red, his anger almost causing him to spit blood.
Does he really think of himself as some sort of justice god?
I really want to kill this guy.
Dongfang Jing gritted his teeth and said in a low voice, "We'll see about that."
As he returned to his seat, before he could even sit down, Zhao Mengxi cast a curious, sparkling look in his direction and chuckled, "You were more handsome just now than I've ever seen you. Even more so than Dongfang Jing."
Kent scratched his chin. "So you're saying I'm more handsome than Dongfang Jing?"
"Heh, that's hard to say," Zhao Mengxi teased, a sly grin on her face. "But I do hate him. You really humiliated him this time, making him lose face in front of so many female fans. I bet their hearts are broken. If looks could kill, you'd be dead a thousand times over."
Kent was suddenly alarmed and quickly scanned the room.
Zhao Mengxi's words were no exaggeration. A number of girls were glaring at him with fierce, predatory eyes, like venomous snakes ready to strike. Kent couldn't help but feel a chill down his spine.
"I'll be careful," Kent said, shrinking his neck, feeling a pang of regret for the attention he had drawn earlier.
"Actually, you could be living much better than this, as long as you find that person. You wouldn't have to live in constant fear," Zhao Mengxi added, her words carrying a hidden meaning.
"That person? I don't understand what you're saying," Kent said, puzzled. "Are you talking about my guardian?"
"That's right, him. Do you know that he's a four-star Inspector General?" Zhao Mengxi said seriously.
"A four-star Inspector General?" Kent asked, confused.
"Yeah, you might not know what an Inspector General is," Zhao Mengxi continued, noticing his confusion. "It's a special position, a title not many people in the city are familiar with."
After a brief explanation, Kent's expression shifted to one of shock. The Inspector General was, to a large extent, similar to a political and judicial inspector in the city, checking into various areas like politics, economics, and civil affairs.
The Inspector General, however, operates outside the city, patrolling vast regions, sometimes exploring further into unknown territories. They gather information on the distribution of monsters and resources, issuing exploration and hunting orders, which are of great importance to mercenary groups' activities.
Inspectors are ranked from one star to five stars, with a special title of "Inspector General."
In all of Earthstar, there is only one acting Chief Inspector General, and each star city only has one five-star Inspector General, along with three or four four-star Inspectors.
Each four-star Inspector General is responsible for exploring a specific direction, acting as a guide for humanity's efforts to hunt monsters.
The five-star Inspector General is stationed in the star city and is the head of the Inspector General organization, while the four-star Inspectors wield substantial power. Each four-star Inspector has other Inspectors under their command, as well as large numbers of mercenary groups.
Thus, the role of the Inspector General is vital, and many powerful factions seek to align themselves with them.
It's important to note that a valuable exploration zone can bring huge profits to the mercenary group affiliated with it.
Moreover, four-star Inspectors have access to critical information about the wilderness and the power to mobilize many mercenary groups.
Some people mistakenly believe that after the Star Mutation, the only change has been the appearance of monsters. But it's actually much more complicated. The connections between different spaces have altered Earth's geography, creating changes in landforms. A mountain might collapse into a plain, or a lake might dry up into desert.
And because of a magnetic-like anomaly around these rift zones, satellites can no longer scan the area, causing communication signals to fail.
…
After learning all this, Kent couldn't help but feel regret. He hadn't realized just how much power a four-star Inspector General like Li Wanfeng held. Gaining favor with a four-star Inspector General was like securing a steady flow of wealth.
"How does one become an Inspector General?" Kent asked, now very interested in this position.
Zhao Mengxi gave him a surprised look and said, "What, do you want to become one?"
"Yes, I'm very interested in it," Kent replied truthfully.
"Understandable. Honestly, sometimes I envy the Inspectors, thinking they are the true warriors and heroes. But it's not that easy to become one. To become an Inspector General, you must attend Earthstar University and score at least 80 points in the final exam. Below 80 points, and you can only become a probationary Inspector General," Zhao Mengxi explained.
She continued with a sigh, "The Inspector General is the most prestigious major at Earthstar University, but not many sign up for it. Because while it offers high rewards, it also comes with high risks. It's probably the most dangerous position, with one of the highest mortality rates among all government posts."
Kent nodded, agreeing. Venturing alone into unknown territories and facing many dangers was indeed a perilous job. One mistake could lead to death.
Such a high level of risk was something only the mentally strong could endure.
"But I'm still interested," Kent said, undeterred. The responsibilities of an Inspector General aligned well with his own goal—exploring the world and gradually helping humanity reclaim the land that belonged to them.
If he could occupy an alternate space, that would be even better.
He had read a news report once, which mentioned that some of these alternate spaces were vast, not smaller than Earth, and in some cases, even larger. In these spaces, mythical beasts reigned supreme, like kings.
If humanity could conquer a large alternate space, it would be a huge breakthrough—humans could migrate there, escape the monster invasions, and thrive in that new world.
Of course, this was all speculative. While the native beasts of these alternate spaces may not be as numerous as the monsters on Earth, they were much stronger.
The more Kent thought about it, the more excited he became. His gaze grew intense. He felt that his new goal wasn't the stars or the oceans, but those massive alternate spaces—no, massive alternate worlds would be a more fitting term.
The next day, the elimination round finished, and more than half of the contestants were eliminated. However, there were still about 10,000 left.
Kent was already familiar with the competition schedule. He knew this elimination round would continue until only the top 500 contestants remained. These top 500 would become the seed students.
Of course, any contestant who ranked within the top 10,000 had already secured a strong chance of getting into university.
Every university admitted around 10,000 students each year, so anyone who made it through these two days of competition had essentially secured their entry into university.
If they could rank higher, their chances of success would be even greater.