Chapter 182: A Critical Fall in the Hall

In the hall, Yenir, having listened to the final announcement, could take it no longer and collapsed.

He never expected the system to deem that he’d met the hidden trial conditions—and even reward him…

Four announcements in a row; this bastard is really showing off!

Damn system—it can’t be denied he worked his ass off.

Thud

When the sound of Yenir’s collapse rang out, everyone in the hall snapped to attention, and panic broke out instantly.

“Yenir!?”

“Yenir!!?”

Zhao Long and Yang Guoping shouted anxiously, dashing over like arrows to help him. Seeing Yenir in such a state made their hearts pound in their chests.

No matter what anyone thought or felt, to them Yenir was almost a national treasure at this moment—there could be no mishaps.

Recovering his wits as quickly as possible, Vice Chairman Fang Hao glared fiercely at the medical team on standby and bellowed:

“What are you waiting for?!”

“Save him!!”

The ordered medical team scrambled forward. Nearly a hundred top-tier auxiliary Stage-Three Awakeners summoned from the Capital Safe Zone rushed in, checking every inch of Yenir—even his toes—for any issues.

As healing skills rained down on Yenir like a free-for-all, the entire hall seemed to fill with a breath of life.

“What’s the situation now?!”

“How is he?!”

Unable to hide his nerves, Fang Hao, who was stationed at the edge, grabbed a Stage-Three auxiliary and cried out. Even the usually steady Li Xuanguo couldn’t help blurting:

“Is it serious?”

“Why did he black out?!”

Everyone in the hall broke out in a cold sweat.

Never before had they witnessed such a grand scene. Under the pressure of nearly half of Huaxia’s top leadership, the Stage-Three Awakened in charge of his rescue wore a grim expression, silently pleading for more time.

After about half a minute, the medical team leader, who had surrounded Yenir, exhaled deeply and hurriedly reported:

“Prime Minister, Chairman!”

“He’s fine! It’s nothing serious!”

“It’s just that his stamina and willpower were totally depleted—he blacked out. His left arm may be fractured, but the injury seems to be healing on its own.”

Hearing the medical team’s report, everyone exhaled in relief.

That’s good—if it’s nothing serious, he’ll be back on his feet soon!

But with injuries this light, it seems Zhang Meng’s suspicion might be right. Just look at the other trial participants—for those who completed the Physique Trial, who isn’t covered in wounds? Enduring damage is just part of the deal!

Outside the crowd, Li Xuanguo stood alongside General Qin Feng, watching a comatose Yenir with a complex expression.

He had to admit that when the global announcement sounded, his heart raced with excitement and pride. At his level, nothing much mattered anymore—but national honor was the one thing he truly cared about.

It was remarkable indeed.

Compared to the setbacks in several intercontinental and even global encounters in the Huaxia Battle Zone, a Stage-Two fighter like Yenir had restored all their lost face.

Whether by exploiting loopholes or genuinely relying on his own strength.

To complete all the trials and then collapse immediately, Li Xuanguo was convinced that Yenir had poured his heart and soul into it. Even if there were loopholes, it couldn’t have been easy.

After all, you can’t breeze through a seven-hour Awakener Trial by exploiting a loophole; otherwise, it would have been an easy win from the start.

This top honor was undoubtedly earned by Yenir himself.

Even just this performance was truly outstanding.

However…

“Can we wake him up now?!”

“We’ve waited so long, and he just blacks out as soon as he shows up?”

“All the top brass are here—can’t we wake him up immediately?!”

An anxious urgency filled the air.

Zhang Meng, who had been waiting for Yenir’s emergence, strode toward the surrounded figure and asked in a grim tone.

After the medical team’s examination, he even suspected that Yenir might have pretended to pass out so nobody would question his performance upon emerging.

Time was of the essence.

He could clearly tell that several top leaders were hesitating.

After all, Yenir’s performance was so stunning that everyone feared a misstep might backfire disastrously.

Some even worried about offending Yenir or his high-level supporters.

After all, suspicions over loopholes were just that—speculation. If not for the enormous stakes at hand, Zhang Meng doubted anyone would dare support him!

Just look at Fang Hao—this Stage-Three Peak clearly has a soft spot for him and doesn’t want to mess with the kid!

Behind Zhang Meng, several Stage-Three Awakened nodded and quickly joined in:

“Exactly.”

“We’ve been waiting for nearly 10 hours! Keeping him locked up like this is unacceptable.”

“Since he seems fine, can’t we use mental stimulation to wake him up first?”

“With the Prime Minister and the Commander waiting, we surely can’t wait for him to wake on his own.”

They cared little about what might happen if they forced Yenir awake—the hidden secrets he possessed were what really mattered.

If it all worked out, everyone’s happy; if not, it wouldn’t affect them. Even if trust eroded, so what? Does Yenir intend to hold a grudge over such minor details?

The voices grew louder as many previously silent high-ranking officials began to chime in.

They had indeed waited for far too long.

If Yenir stayed unconscious for three or four days, wouldn’t the Capital end up locked down indefinitely? With so many issues piling up, what would become of it? Time was simply too valuable.

“Zhang Meng! Don’t push it too far!”

They glared at each other.

Fang Hao suddenly looked up at Zhang Meng, his anger nearly exploding.

Waking Yenir up now would be like wrecking his future! He could sense the growing spirit energy in Yenir was slowly reshaping his body. Interrupting this process now was tantamount to stopping his transformation—remember how it took a week of rest for him to return to battle after his severe injuries!

Zhang Meng paid no heed to Fang Hao’s fury.

Forcing a wry smile, Zhang Meng glanced toward Li Xuanguo.

Yes, Fang Hao was his superior and mightier than him. But no matter how angry he got, he was still just a key official—Fang Hao wouldn’t lash out at him. If Zhang Meng’s suspicions were confirmed, he’d earn merit while Fang Hao would face criticism from above.

In his eyes, all he needed was a nod from Li Xuanguo.

“Prime Minister, what do you think?”

“My suggestion is to wake him up now. If any damage turns out, we can later compensate him with resources. I believe Yenir will understand our predicament.”

As soon as he finished speaking, a flicker of hesitation passed through Li Xuanguo’s eyes—he knew Zhang Meng was right.

For the sake of national interest, some sacrifices were understandable. After all, he did have many issues to handle.

Sensing Li Xuanguo’s thoughts, Fang Hao’s tone turned bitter as he reluctantly added:

“Prime Minister… hold on a minute!”

“Even if there’s a one-in-a-million chance we’re wrong, how do you think Yenir will see us when he wakes up?!”

“He pushed himself to take first place in the trial, and here we are, scheming against him as his elders! What kind of bastard move is that?”

“I don’t want to ruin this prodigy—I don’t want him to bear a grudge against us later!”

“Even if he clinched first place by exploiting a loophole, the Awakener Trial was entirely his own effort! I guarantee—Yenir will one day reach Stage-Three Peak!”

“How many Stage-Three Peaks has our Huaxia Battle Zone produced anyway?!”

Taking a deep breath, Fang Hao suppressed his anger and almost scolded:

“If Yenir performs well, are we always supposed to suspect him?”

“And what if another prodigy shows exceptional promise? Should we interrogate them about their talents too?”

“Starting down this road not only chills Yenir—it chills the future of all Huaxia!”

His words struck hard. In the ensuing silence, Li Xuanguo let out a deep sigh—he had pondered this very issue himself.

From behind, the ever-reserved General Qin Feng, noticing Li Xuanguo’s dilemma, spoke up on his behalf:

“Chairman Fang isn’t entirely wrong.”

“Let’s wait until Yenir wakes up; then we can ask him.”

“In the meantime, all top officials should form groups of three to monitor communications. No one is to leave the Capital Zone!”

“Send Yenir to the Military Region Hospital immediately and do everything possible to restore him!”

“If he hasn’t woken up within three days, we’ll devise an alternative plan!”

With that, no one dared add another word.

Gazing at Commander Qin Feng, who had already issued orders, Zhang Meng snorted coldly, indifferent to any further fuss.

“Three days?!”

“He can wait!”