Chapter 89: UPDATED- Chapter 63: The Sweep Begins, Half-Day Top Rank
Ignoring the jeers and taunts from those around him, Qin Zhi turned his attention elsewhere. Outside the Yellow Sand City, after Zheng Mu had laid out his plan, he showed no interest in wasting words with these people. With a mere thought, the sprawling villa, spanning two square kilometers, began to tremble. The next moment, to everyone's astonishment, the base transformed into a massive war vehicle, towering four to five stories high.
"What the...?"
"Holy crap!"
"What the hell is that thing?"
"Run for it!"
Those who were sitting or lying on the ground, now, like startled rabbits, scrambled away in a frenzy. Only after the transformation was complete did they gather at a distance, looking lost and bewildered. They tried to use their scouting techniques to gather information about this colossal metal beast, but they couldn't discern anything.
Amidst the rumbling, they watched, wide-eyed, as this behemoth, with an overwhelming momentum, headed towards the heart of the desert.
"Is he really a mechanic? Is that thing also a mechanical creation?"
A professional swallowed hard, asking himself and those around him, who were equally stunned as they watched Zheng Mu's departure. Far away, the mechanical creatures that had previously attacked them advanced in the direction Zheng Mu was heading, scouting ahead like advance reconnaissance.
Then, someone pondered aloud, "Do you think... he can really take all two thousand of us into Holy Clear University?"
"And why would he do that? We're not related to him in any way."
The crowd frowned in confusion. However, someone seemed to have realized something and sighed. When others looked at him, A-level Tomb Keeper Heng Shanhe shook his head, his face filled with remorse.
"Don't you get it? Think about it. All two thousand of us were defeated by him alone. Given the current rules that allow killing, how many of us do you think can survive until the end of the month and gather enough points?"
Everyone shook their heads in unison.
Heng Shanhe spread his hands, "And then? What do you think will happen to Holy Clear University if they don't recruit any new students?"
Everyone inhaled sharply.
"Demotion."
Heng Shanhe nodded, and once again looked in the direction Zheng Mu had left, but now his eyes were filled with admiration and gratitude.
"Yes, demotion."
"I don't know why a mechanic, who has always been considered mediocre, has such incredible strength. But one thing I'm sure of," Heng Shanhe clenched his fist, "If he didn't care about Holy Clear University, he could have easily ignored us, letting us lose our chance to enter a professional school forever, becoming wild professionals like those with C and D ranks."
Everyone fell silent, feeling ashamed. They realized that they had become a burden to Zheng Mu, a powerful peer.
"We can't just sit here and wait. How can he gather points for over two thousand people?"
"Who wants to team up with me to hunt monsters? We might not be able to compete with those who have better equipment and higher levels in the central area, but can't we survive on the outskirts?"
A voice rose from the crowd, and everyone's eyes lit up.
Indeed, they couldn't compete in the central area of the Bone Swallowing Desert, but for the sake of Holy Clear University and to appreciate Zheng Mu's efforts, they could hunt some monsters on the outskirts. Every little bit helps, and it could reduce Zheng Mu's burden to some extent.
Heng Shanhe immediately stepped forward, "That's right. We admit that we..."
"We may have been outmatched, but we can't just sit here, waiting for someone to hand us our admission," a voice rang out among the crowd. "We can't beat the students from Holy Clear University, and those from North Martial University have us on the run. But surely, in this Bone Swallowing Desert, we have a place to stand?"
"Brothers, introduce your professions. Let's coordinate and form small teams to carve out our own territory on the outskirts."
"Right, let's do it! I'm a B-level Glory Knight. My attack isn't the strongest, but I can tank and activate supportive auras."
"I'm an A-level Cat Spirit Assassin, skilled in taunting with quick speed, perfect for luring monsters."
"Come on over here! We have a B-level Trap Master. With your luring skills, we'll be unstoppable..."
Inside Yellow Sand City, Qin Zhi watched the live feed. Seeing the examinees, who, after Zheng Mu's departure, seemed to have ignited a newfound determination, forming teams and hunting monsters on the outskirts of the Bone Swallowing Desert, he finally let a hint of a smile touch his usually stern face.
"At least they haven't reached a point of no return," he murmured.
Beside him, He Guang chuckled, "General, didn't I tell you? This kid has charisma. He beat them up, and now, look at them, won over by him."
"He's officer material," Qin Zhi remarked, giving He Guang a sidelong glance, seeing right through his intentions. "Hold onto your schemes for now. We're still uncertain about the outcome of this examination."
He Guang, however, was impatient. "General, you've seen it. Zheng Mu has potential. Even if he fails this time, it's a glorious defeat. Isn't Holy Clear University looking for resilient individuals like him? He's strong, promising, and has leadership qualities. With proper training, he might not become one of the Ten National Protectors, but he'll surely be a commander who can stabilize a region."
Qin Zhi raised an eyebrow, "Enough. Maybe you should be the general. Do you think I need you to tell me all this?"
Relieved, He Guang realized that General Qin would certainly protect Zheng Mu.
Elsewhere, "Master, the professionals have started forming teams and hunting monsters on the outskirts," a voice reported.
Zheng Mu, after viewing the footage from the patrolling hawk, relaxed slightly and nodded without uttering a word. Cai Shengkun, standing beside him, commented, "At least they have some conscience."
Leng Bingyue inquired, "So, where are we headed next? Aren't we going directly to the central region?"
Zheng Mu noticed that the direction of their base vehicle had started to deviate. He smiled faintly, gesturing to Hong Hou beside him. She waved her hand, and a holographic map with red and blue lights appeared before them.
"It's been about a week since the examination began. By now, the activity range of the students from various universities has more or less stabilized. Based on their trajectories, we can roughly divide the Bone Swallowing Desert into nine regions," he explained, pointing to the various university emblems marked on different areas of the map.
Holy Clear University and North Martial University, being the top-tier institutions, occupied half of the central region each. The other premier universities were located slightly outside the central region.
"While these examinees are still unaware of our existence, we can systematically eliminate them, targeting as many of their students as possible," Zheng Mu strategized.
The patrolling hawk soared above, effortlessly relaying the positions of professionals battling monsters to those inside the base vehicle and the mechanical creatures outside.
"Hurry, hold it back! It's low on health!"
"Niu, hang in there! I'll backstab it!"
"Asheng, heal Niu quickly! He must hold on!"
In the desert, a colossal scorpion, the size of a tank, was locked in combat with a group of examinees. The venomous creature...
The scorpion, clearly at the end of its tether, was pierced with glowing arrows and its front limbs were ensnared by chains. A young man, built like a bull, held a shield made of thick rock layers, standing defiantly in front of the venomous creature. As a hidden assassin suddenly appeared above the scorpion's head, a dagger plunged deep, ending the creature's struggle.
"Ha! I just earned 19 points! No wonder, considering it was a level 24 monster. It took all of us and so much time to bring it down," the tank-like young man, who had been at the front lines, wiped the sweat from his brow with a hearty laugh.
However, their celebration was cut short by the sound of something cutting through the air. The archer among them paled, "Watch out! We're under attack!"
Before they could react, a blinding bolt of lightning exploded amidst them. Screams filled the air as the tank-like young man and several others convulsed, their hair standing on end, emitting a burnt smell. The only one spared, a fire mage, saw his protective flame shield shatter. As he tried to conjure another, two figures—a man and a beast—emerged from behind a sand dune.
"Boom!" A deafening blast echoed as the man's four-barreled shotgun blew the mage's staff out of his hand, leaving bloody holes in his arm.
"Ah!" Overwhelmed by pain, the mage was incapacitated. But the next moment, the barrel of the gun was pressed against his head.
"Hand over your point card," the gunman demanded coldly.
Panicking, the mage quickly fumbled out his point card. The gunman tore apart the mage's protective charm, activating a defense barrier around him. The mage's face turned ashen, realizing he had been eliminated. Meanwhile, his still-paralyzed teammates were also stripped of their point cards and similarly shielded.
A patrolling hawk's cry signaled Cai Shengkun to rush out. When he returned, he gleefully presented several point cards. "Haha! Boss, look at this haul! These guys had quite a few points. This one has over 700, this one over 600, and wow, this one has over 1,500!"
Zheng Mu wasn't surprised. This was just the beginning. His gaze turned dangerous as he looked at the red markers on the screen, representing other university examinees. "If only they had gracefully accepted defeat. If they had just watched me earn the top rank, I would've let them off with just a minor setback. But now..."
"If they're limiting the points I can earn from monsters, then I'll have to turn to these lovely lambs." Taking the point cards from Cai Shengkun, Zheng Mu's own card's score skyrocketed upon contact.
Zheng Mu: 6,711 points.
On the map, the yellow dot representing their base vehicle headed towards the region with the most examinees from Tianji University, one of Dragon Nation's top-tier institutions.
This scene was closely monitored by the flying vessels of various universities in the sky. Seeing Zheng Mu change direction and head towards their students, the representative of Tianji University's face darkened. He wanted to warn their examinees, but under the watchful eyes of the inspectors, he was powerless. All he could do was watch as Zheng Mu's team advanced relentlessly.
In just half a day, Zheng Mu's points soared, placing him at the top of the leaderboard. The representative of Tianji University grimly stared at the ranking in his hand.
"Mechanic Zheng Mu..."
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Read_and_Chill
Read_and_Chill hello everyone,
Here is an additional chapter to hold you over for a bit. Hopefully the quality is back to a level where you can fully enjoy the book.
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