Chapter 86: Enemy Attack
Meanwhile, deep within the training ground's underground laboratory.
Two figures were walking slowly through a tunnel.
One figure was tall and slender. Even shrouded in a black robe, her voluptuous curves—front and back—were clearly visible.
The other figure was burly, sporting a pair of massive, curved bull horns on his head. His frame was so large it almost filled the entire three-meter-high tunnel.
The woman made an "OK" sign with her fingers and placed it over her eye like a scope, sweeping her gaze across the surroundings. Suddenly, her sight locked onto a metal wall.
She licked her lips. "Found you~"
Hearing this, the burly man behind her took a step forward. Black energy churned around his body.
The gust from his aura blew his black robe open, revealing a black tank top and exaggerated muscle definition. Veins bulged on his arms, and a faint black aura swirled around him.
He placed one large hand on the metal wall.
In the next second, the metal wall was torn apart as easily as a sheet of paper.
Repeating the process, the two brute-forced their way through wall after metal wall, appearing directly in front of the fleeing students in the most savage way possible.
The students, who were in the middle of escaping, were stunned.
"Holy shit! Turn around! Turn around!"
"Let The Great Me handle this! I've already mastered the Star Destroyer Cannon..."
"Stop messing around and run!"
The woman crossed her arms, her hot figure looking particularly eye-catching under the flashing red emergency lights.
She scanned the chaotic crowd. Seemingly unable to find her target, she frowned and gave an order to the man behind her. "Make it quick."
The man didn't speak. He instantly vanished and reappeared in front of two students. With a single swing of his fist, the two students were sent flying, slamming into the wall and passing out cold.
"Ahhh!!!"
The terrified scream of a student shattered whatever composure the group had left.
In an instant, all the Academic Department students began to flee frantically, panicking and losing all sense of direction.
Screams continued to echo from behind them.
"Argh!"
"Gah!"
"No! I don't want to die!"
"Tell my mom... I wasn't a coward!"
"Yining, quit screaming." The woman in black pulled down her hood, revealing a charming face, and interrupted the 'student' who was still wailing.
"I had to do it. The Academic students are too smart; they aren't easy to fool."
The 'student' let out a mischievous hehe, and his face blurred. His original appearance was revealed. "Sister Mu, how was my acting?"
"Let's go, let's go. There's still a flock of ducks we haven't herded yet."
"Let me see... Hilltop Villa, this year's Rookie King..."
Meanwhile, at the Hilltop Villa.
Chen Yu's Observation Haki trait, [Premonition], had not triggered. "This shouldn't be a real enemy attack, right?"
"Real or not, let's hide first!" Zero clung to Chen Yu's shoulder.
"I'll open a space door. We'll stay in the alternate dimension. It's safe!" As he spoke, he raised his hand, pale blue spatial ripples appearing at his fingertips.
Suddenly, a black shadow blocked their path.
He stood there like an insurmountable wall, muscles taut, the black aura around him especially dense.
He held no weapon, and his voice was as low as muffled thunder. "Found you."
Chen Yu's pupils contracted. Now, [Premonition] triggered.
He didn't have time to complain about jinxing himself. His Observation Haki instantly locked onto the target; the opponent's aura was heavy and powerful.
He quietly coated his arms in Armament Haki and said to Ling Yue and the others, "You guys go first."
The tall, horned man didn't speak. He simply took a step forward and raised his fist. Black energy swirled around his knuckles—clearly, he intended to fight.
Shen Lie immediately clenched his fists, Haki surging within his body. "I'll handle him!"
However, as soon as the words left his mouth, Shen Lie's body was sent flying backward.
The horned man maintained his punching posture.
Shen Lie had been one-shotted.
Chen Yu didn't sense any Haki from the opponent's aura.
Which meant that punching Shen Lie into the air was purely the result of maxed-out base stats.
In a large underground monitoring room several kilometers away from the training camp.
The glow of fluorescent screens reflected on Cui Ye's face. He held a cup of hot tea in his hand, his gaze fixed tightly on the footage.
On the screen, students were scattering in all directions. Some were hiding in tree hollows, trembling all over.
Others panicked blindly, tripping on the ground only to be trampled by those behind them before they could get up.
There were also a few brave ones who fought back valiantly, only to be instantly KO'd.
"Tsk tsk. This reaction is much more realistic than previous years," Cui Ye chuckled softly, sliding his finger across the screen to switch perspectives.
The door to the monitoring room was pushed open, and Huo Jia walked in. The grey-blue feathers on his body were fading away as he deactivated his Gyrfalcon form.
He rubbed his shoulder, his tone carrying a hint of fatigue. "How goes it? Cui Ye, are those brats properly spooked?"
"Relax. You and Captain Su acted so realistically, plus that slash from Chu He... forget spooked, I think a few of them nearly wet themselves."
Cui Ye smiled and handed him a cup of hot tea. "Just now, He Yan and his two buddies wanted to counterattack. Fortunately, Su Qingqing had the foresight to hold them back."
"Though, they took a blast from that arms dealer, Lin Jun. They're probably heavily damaged."
Huo Jia took the tea cup and took a sip. His gaze landed on the screen, seeing Chen Yu and his group being intercepted by Stone Peak (Shi Feng). A smile curled at the corner of his mouth.
"Oh? Chen Yu wants to fight Stone Peak? That guy has the Oni bloodline; he's ridiculously tanky."
"Chen Yu is a Mythical Zoan, Azure Dragon. He's probably confident in his physique," Cui Ye nodded, his tone becoming a bit more serious.
"But having said that, are you sure about doing this? If the students overreact and get seriously injured, it might be hard to explain to the Alliance."
"Don't worry, the Silver Fox Squad knows their limits." Huo Jia set down his tea cup and leaned back in his chair.
"Chu He's slash looked vicious, but that 'beheaded' instructor was actually a projection. The blood was just beast blood."
He paused for a moment before continuing, "Planning this 'attack' jointly with the Silver Fox Squad is specifically to see how these 'Chosen Ones' react under extreme conditions."
"At the brink of life and death, can they remain calm? Can they unite? The choices they make are what matter most."
Cui Ye nodded. The admission requirements for the training camp were bizarre and varied, but there was one constant that never changed—character.
"What they'll face in the future isn't a drill in a training camp."
"It's cult organizations like 'Blood Carnation.' If they can't even handle a little 'attack' like this, how will they ever step onto the battlefield?"
As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed the communicator on the table. "Chu He, Phase Two of the plan. You may begin."
From the communicator came Chu He's steady voice: "Copy that, Instructor Huo."
"Hey hey hey! I'm the captain! You old geezer, tell me first!"
Huo Jia ignored the noisy voice in his earpiece and continued watching Chu He on the screen.
In the dense forest, Chu He stood atop a giant boulder. Pale purple, Sulong-like arcs of electricity crackled around him. His blade, Shigure (Autumn Rain), was stabbed into the ground.
He spoke into his headset: "Everyone, Phase Two."
"Herd all the students to the target location. Watch your strength—just don't kill them."
Inside the collapsed dormitory building, a bewildered white-haired girl crawled out of the ruins.
"I just took a nap... and the sky fell?"
(To be Continued)