Chapter 433: Chapter 431: The Curtain Falls
With the arrival of the mecha, the roar of artillery fire in the city suddenly intensified.
The battle instantly reached a fever pitch. The army, which had been on the defensive, began to launch a counterattack in coordination with the newly arrived mecha.
The candidates didn’t know the exact details of the situation, but they could get a rough idea from the Points leaderboard.
In the dozen or so minutes between the appearance of the Mutated Zombies and the arrival of the mecha, the number of names on the Points leaderboard had been dropping sharply, decreasing by over 5,000 in that short time.
Now, with the arrival of the mecha, the rate at which names were disappearing from the leaderboard began to slow.
Clearly, the Mutated Zombies were being tied down by the mecha one after another, no longer able to slaughter the candidates.
Seeing this, many people breathed a quiet sigh of relief.
After all, this decrease in numbers was different from before.
Previously, a name disappearing from the Points leaderboard only meant that the person had withdrawn from the assessment, and those candidates had been rescued at the critical moment.
Now, however, it was different. The disappearance of these names most likely represented death.
More importantly, the true death toll was likely even higher than 5,000.
After all, if someone was instantly killed by a Mutated Zombie, they wouldn’t have had time to send a distress signal.
Of course, the final death toll would only be known once the Military Department made an official announcement.
A dozen or so minutes later, Lin Xinghai felt the Communication Wristwatch on his arm vibrate.
He opened the message and glanced at it. The Military Department had officially announced that all Mutated Zombies had been eliminated and the danger was over.
However, since the assessment had ended early, the candidates were allowed to remain at the shelter and rest under the army’s protection.
They would all be transported back to East Sea Base tomorrow.
After receiving the notice, many people chose to stay behind.
After all, after such a chaotic night, they were all exhausted.
Of course, the shelter was packed with too many candidates, so some chose to leave and find a safe, comfortable place to spend the night nearby.
Lin Xinghai, however, took Liu Miaomiao and the others to find an officer in charge at the shelter.
"Excuse me, Officer. I’m looking for two candidates, Sun Tianbo and Xie Shanyong. Could you please help me check which shelter they’re at?" Lin Xinghai asked politely.
"Haha, no problem. Just a moment," the officer said with a smile.
He wouldn’t have been nearly so accommodating to any other candidate. But as for Lin Xinghai’s reputation... never mind him, even a randomly chosen soldier would know who he was.
A genius like that would be at least at the Body Shaping Realm upon graduation. If he joined the army, he’d likely be several Levels higher than the officer.
That was why these officers were always quite courteous to any genius capable of entering East Sea Academy.
As he watched the officer begin the search, Lin Xinghai grew a little tense. He didn’t know if Sun Tianbo and Xie Shanyong were still alive.
Soon, Lin Xinghai got the news he was hoping for. Both were alive, and they were even at the same shelter.
He immediately took Little Fatty and the others and hurried toward that shelter.
A dozen or so minutes later, when Sun Tianbo and Xie Shanyong saw Lin Xinghai arrive, they were both shocked and delighted, and they hurried over to greet him.
"Brother Lin, what a coincidence! I can’t believe you came to this shelter too," Sun Tianbo said with a laugh.
"That’s right! And first off, congratulations, Brother Lin, on taking first place in the assessment. 285,000 Points... it’s truly humbling. All of us combined didn’t even earn a fraction of that," Xie Shanyong added, paying him a compliment.
"Actually, I came here specifically looking for you," Lin Xinghai said, having no interest in pleasantries and getting straight to the point.
Sun Tianbo and Xie Shanyong exchanged a shocked glance, then both saw a flicker of joy in each other’s eyes.
"Brother Lin, just say the word. We’ll do whatever you need," Sun Tianbo said quickly.
"Going forward at East Sea Academy, a lot of things, whether it’s missions or combat training, will require teamwork. I want to form my own team. Are you interested in joining me?" Lin Xinghai asked.
"Brother Lin, since you’re asking, of course we’re willing! To be honest, even if you hadn’t come looking for us, we were planning to find you and see if you’d be willing to have us," Sun Tianbo said hurriedly.
"Good," Lin Xinghai said after receiving their affirmative answer. He then pointed to their team, which was standing not far away.
"The one in the red shirt, the one with the hat, and the one whose Superpower is Wind Wings..." Lin Xinghai named sixteen people in one go. "Have them all come over."
"Okay." Sun Tianbo nodded quickly, but then hesitated slightly before asking, "But Brother Lin, of the sixteen people you mentioned, five of them didn’t even make it into the top 3,000 on the Points leaderboard. Should I still call them over?"
’He could tell that Lin Xinghai must have chosen these people for their abilities, which was why he wanted them called over.’
’However, some of them, like those who specialized in Defense or support, were outstanding in a fight but only average at killing Zombies. As a result, their kill efficiency wasn’t high enough to earn a spot for admission.’
"It doesn’t matter. Bring them over too," Lin Xinghai said, waving his hand dismissively.
Hearing this, Sun Tianbo and Xie Shanyong seemed to realize something, and their hearts began to beat a little faster.
They quickly went to gather the members of their team that Lin Xinghai had pointed out and brought them over.
Facing their expectant gazes, Lin Xinghai asked again for confirmation, "Are you all willing to follow me from now on?"
"We are!" everyone shouted. Their voices were so loud they drew the gazes of nearly every other candidate in the shelter.
But none of them cared. They all knew this could very well be a chance to decide their own destinies.
Then, under everyone’s watchful eyes, Lin Xinghai did not disappoint. He pulled out several Energy Balls from his combat pack and, to the envious stares of the other candidates, handed one to each of them.
Many of their hands were trembling as they accepted the Energy Balls, especially those who had been on the verge of elimination.
After all, receiving an Energy Ball like this didn’t just mean they wouldn’t be eliminated. It was a meteoric rise, instantly securing them a spot as a First Class Student.
This was something they would have never even dared to dream of before.
And it wasn’t just those members; even Sun Tianbo and Xie Shanyong were ecstatic.
After all, while the Points they had earned on their own were enough to get into the academy, they would have at most qualified as a Second Class Student.
And the gap in resources and support between a Second Class and a First Class Student was immense.
However, the two of them hadn’t forgotten their other members. They exchanged a look, and finally, Sun Tianbo spoke up, "Brother Lin, the other members of my team would also like to follow you. I was wondering... is your team still accepting new people?"
"Of course, that’s not a problem. But I don’t have any more Energy Balls to give out," Lin Xinghai said with a nod.
"That’s not necessary, not at all! Just having the chance to go on missions with you in the future is more than enough luck for them," Sun Tianbo said, waving his hands repeatedly.
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