Chapter 90: UPDATED Chapter 64: The Gathering of Tianji University Examinees, Into Battle
Liu Wei Qi was visibly irate, even with Qin Zhi right beside him, he began to nitpick at Zheng Mu. However, before he could finish, Qin Zhi chuckled dismissively.
"What's so funny, General Qin? If I recall correctly, the Daoist from Huangsha City and General Qi had contact with examinee Zheng Mu. Did you secretly provide him with some support? Otherwise, how could he effortlessly locate examinees scattered across the vast Bone-Swallowing Desert?"
Others from Tianji University chimed in, "Exactly! It's clearly suspicious. Even we need to perform specific operations to locate our examinees. Yet Zheng Mu's mechanical creatures seem to have a sixth sense."
"Indeed, that mechanic is definitely up to something."
"General Qin, your Southwest Military Academy can't be manipulating things behind the scenes. This is an examination site. Not only is it pointless to cheat, but it's also against the rules."
The accusations flew thick and fast, but Qin Zhi only responded with laughter. "It's enlightening to see the management of a prestigious university like yours hoping for an opponent's cheating to save face."
With a gesture, a metallic yet lifelike eagle appeared in his hand, which he promptly tossed to Liu Wei Qi. "Take a good look and stop making baseless accusations. We, the Southwest Military Academy, can handle external threats and can also knock out your teeth."
Everyone immediately cast an inspection spell on the eagle.
[Name: Patrol Eagle] [Type: Mechanical Creation (Crafted by Mechanic Zheng Mu)] [Level: Common White] [Durability: 50/50] [Attack Power: 4-10] [Defense Power: 5] [Skill 1: "Eagle Eye" - Precise reconnaissance from over 800 meters above the ground.] [Skill 2: "Nest Link" - Connects with nearby Patrol Eagles to form an aerial reconnaissance network, providing real-time coordinate feedback.]
Zheng Mu had made no attempt to hide the information. When Qin Zhi had earlier inquired about some doubts during his battles, Zheng Mu had simply handed over a Patrol Eagle. Given the materials, he could produce a multitude of them.
"This... this small common white mechanical creature has such capabilities?" Liu Wei Qi and his team were taken aback. They couldn't find any fault with Zheng Mu now. While they were monitoring from their flying vessels, Zheng Mu had been using these devices to keep a watchful eye on all examinees.
Suddenly, Director Wang from Tianji University seemed to have a realization. He looked at a screen, his face paling, "No! He's planning to wipe out our examinees!"
...
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" In the desert, several figures were sprinting, occasionally glancing back at the things chasing them. "What the hell are those?!"
"Save your breath and run! Those identical things can't be monsters. They must be someone's summons."
A week had passed, and many were running low on supplies. A makeshift marketplace had sprung up in a small oasis in the desert, where thousands rested, traded, or exchanged materials and equipment. However, unbeknownst to them, many were fleeing towards this oasis. Nearby, behind a concealed sand dune, Zheng Mu's base vehicle had transformed into a building-like structure.
On the screen in front of Zheng Mu, the oasis's location was marked in red, with many examinees converging towards it. Those who couldn't escape soon found their point cards in Zheng Mu's possession.
"If I remember correctly, last year's passing score for top-tier universities was 9,000. To be safe, I'll set a target of 10,000 points per person," Zheng Mu muttered, transferring points from the cards in his hand to his own.
Zheng Mu: 212,110 points.
With over 210,000 points, Zheng Mu was a rare entity in the history of these exams. However, in his eyes, this only represented 21 passing slots.
"Indeed, this method of hunting and gathering is safe but slow," Zheng Mu mused. He hadn't forgotten that besides collecting over 20 million points for charity, he also needed to secure top ranks for himself and his friends. After all, the top ten would receive additional rewards from the school, plus the red hero-level blueprints from the system...
"Damn, robbery really is the most promising path," Zheng Mu murmured. Just then, Cai Sheng Kun entered, carrying several large storage bags. "Boss, here's what you..."
"I've got everything you asked for," came a voice.
Zheng Mu nodded in acknowledgment. As his operations expanded, he naturally required more mechanical creations. Even though the T-800 and the Lickster, two types of mechanical beings, were limited by the cooldown of Zheng Mu's "Gold Touch" and the necessary materials, making mass assembly impossible, Zheng Mu hadn't forgotten his other skills: "Biological Scan" and "Nanomechanical Wave."
With the increased activity of these mechanical beings outside, Zheng Mu wasn't idle. He used the mechanical beings to perform a "Mechanical Scan" on the surrounding low-level creatures. Although the common white blueprints he obtained rarely contained anything useful, mostly resulting in intricate mechanical ornaments, Zheng Mu wasn't entirely out of luck.
[Name: Bomb Beetle] [Type: Mechanical Being (Created by Mechanic Zheng Mu)] [Level: Common White] [Durability: 50/50] [Attack Power: 100] [Defense Power: 5] [Skill 1: "Sand Dweller" - Can operate underground in the desert, silently approaching its target] [Skill 2: "Explosion" - Detonates itself, causing significant damage to targets within the blast radius]
These were disposable, yet they were cheap to produce, simple to make, and the materials were abundant in the desert. As Zheng Mu was inspecting the materials, Leng Bingyue returned with a similar storage backpack.
"I've eradicated those insect nests. The explosive beetles in this vicinity are now extinct," she reported.
Hearing Leng Bingyue's words, Zheng Mu laughed heartily. "Excellent! Aunt Qing was right; our Bingyue is truly capable." Leng Bingyue's face turned a shade of red, but she rolled her eyes and said nothing.
Outside the base, Zheng Mu dumped out all the materials. With a wave of his hand, in a moment that left Leng Bingyue and others in awe, the materials vanished, replaced by a thousand common white Bomb Beetles.
This was possible because Zheng Mu had used his recent experiences to upgrade "Biological Scan" and "Nanomechanical Wave." Otherwise, with a day's cooldown, he could only produce about a hundred of these Bomb Beetles.
[Biological Scan lv3: After use, can scan a target creature 10 levels below the user. 30% chance to obtain a mechanical blueprint related to the creature. Cooldown: 3 hours. Processing power occupied: 20 (50% reduction with enhanced processing)] [Nanomechanical Wave lv3: Can convert common white materials in bulk, transforming them into corresponding mechanical components. Can convert up to 1000 targets at once. Cooldown: 1 day. Processing power occupied: 20 (50% reduction with enhanced processing)]
...
"Help! Help!"
The candidates from Tianji University made up over 70% of the Oasis Market. As more and more people were chased here, it immediately drew everyone's attention. Although there was an unspoken rule not to engage in combat within the Oasis, there were always those who might try to challenge this consensus.
"Brother, look over there..."
The only S-level candidate from Tianji University this year, the Elven Archer Wu Chun, followed his sister's pointing finger. He saw several strange objects appearing on the sand dunes at the edge of the Oasis.
"They don't appear to be monsters; they seem more like the creations of a puppet master," Wu Xueqian analyzed quickly.
"Brother, as soon as they appeared, they started snatching our scorecards. Many of us couldn't escape and had our cards forcibly taken. They even used defensive charms."
"We experienced the same. Apart from those humanoid monsters, there were also metallic beasts."
"They're fast and strong. Even our level 20 warriors struggled against them."
Hearing the accounts, the expressions of the Wu siblings became grave. It was evident that these creatures were the work of one individual. If these people managed to escape here, then...
As they pondered, three figures slowly emerged from the sand dunes outside the Oasis.
"There are quite a few people here. Looks like we'll have a good haul this time," Zheng Mu remarked with a faint smile, his "Holy Clear Wolf" dual guns in hand. Beside him, Leng Bingyue and Cai Shengkun were ready for action.
"Boss, are you sure you want to fight alongside us? You're a mechanic, after all," Cai Shengkun whispered with concern.
Zheng Mu simply smiled. "Let's see who's better then."
Their appearance immediately drew the attention of everyone in the Oasis.
"Are all these puppets yours?" a female voice inquired.
Zheng Mu turned to see a group approaching cautiously. He chuckled, recognizing the leading youth: S-level professional, Elven Archer Wu Chun.
"Heh, let me introduce myself. I'm Zheng Mu, a candidate from Southwest Military Academy. Ah, yes, an A-level mechanic," he began. "My purpose here is simple: hand over all your scorecards and withdraw from the examination. It'll save you some trouble."
The area fell silent for a moment before erupting in laughter.
"Is this kid out of his mind? Just the three of them, and they want our scorecards?"
"Do they think we're all fools?"
Wu Chun and his sister frowned. "Are you joking?"
Zheng Mu shrugged, knowing this reaction was expected. The next moment, with a mere thought, a subtle sound of movement came from the ground. In the blink of an eye, beetles that no one had noticed began emerging from the soil.
"I gave you all a chance," Zheng Mu said with a sinister grin.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The successive explosions, like blossoming fiery red flowers, engulfed the majority of the people present in an instant.
"Ahh!" "What the hell is that?"
Amidst the chaos and screams of the explosions, Zheng Mu and his companions didn't hesitate and immediately plunged into the crowd. The T-800s and Lickers that had been surrounding the oasis also joined the fray.
Wu Chun Gang's face turned ashen. A green wind barrier enveloped him and his sister, Wu Xue Qian, protecting them from the immediate blast.
"Brother, watch out!" Wu Xue Qian shouted. A metallic clash sounded, and when he turned, the beautiful girl who had been with Zheng Mu was already upon them, her long blade radiating a chilling aura.
Wu Xue Qian tried to fend her off with a green flute in her hand, but in the next moment, she was sent flying by a kick from Leng Bing Yue. The latter's blade danced, each strike aiming for vital points. Knowing the existence of protective charms, Leng Bing Yue didn't hold back, and her skills turned the surroundings into a field of falling ice crystals.
On the other side, Cai Sheng Kun's fighting style was wildly different.
"Fire! Fire! Fire!"
After activating the skill "Heavy Fire Support", his rifle magically transformed into a multi-barreled cannon. He unleashed a barrage on the dense crowd, looking ecstatic, like a true freedom fighter.
Zheng Mu, agile and wielding twin guns, weaved through the crowd. The chaos from the explosions allowed him to become an elegant assassin amidst the people. A panicked examinee bumped into him, but before he could utter a word, Zheng Mu's gun was already in his mouth.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Several shots later, the examinee's protective shield activated, and Zheng Mu kicked him aside. The sheer force turned him, shield and all, into a bowling ball among the crowd.
"He's here!" "Kill him!"
...
Beep! Beep! Beep!
A sharp alarm suddenly rang out across all the flying cloud ships above the Bone Devouring Desert. Some of the eliminated examinees on the ships, looking dejected, were startled by the frantic shouts of the staff.
"Something's wrong! Coordinates XXX, YYY are showing a massive number of eliminations!" "Count's at eight hundred... no, nine hundred!" "It's still rising!"
However, some had already noticed the dire situation at the coordinates. Or rather, they had been watching all along.
Director Wang of Tianji University couldn't contain himself any longer. "Hurry! Rescue them! Go rescue them now!"
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