Chapter 680: A Test of Consequences

“Wait a minute!”

Yenir took a deep breath and quickly got out of bed. Yet as he rose, he felt something soft in his palm and a soft moan emanated from beneath him.

Blinking in surprise, Yenir realized he had been using Yu Keran as a pillow—while she seemed to be gradually waking up.

Perhaps knockout blows aren’t so effective on Awakeners. His face darkened as he realized he needed to deliver another hit.

But looking at Yu Keran’s drowsy, pained expression, he knew that striking again might leave her in a vegetative state!

Should he use his mental power to knock her out completely?

His head was already spinning; one misstep might literally blow her head apart! Just imagine the gruesome scene the soldiers would find later…

Before he had time to ponder further, the knocking at his door grew more urgent.

Clearly, the testing assembly had already begun. The soldiers outside must have known what he was up to, waiting until the very last moment to call him.

“Comrade Lin Ming, open the door immediately! Everyone’s waiting!”

Taking another deep breath, Yenir quickly wrapped Yu Keran in a blanket and, feigning impatience, responded.

“Coming, coming!”

“Click.”

The door swung open.

Outside, a line of soldiers glared disapprovingly at him. Yenir said little, only tightening his sleep robe as if disturbed by the intrusion.

Sure enough, the guards furrowed their brows and immediately deduced that Yenir had just been embroiled in a scuffle. The fatigue on his face even drew silent scorn from a few.

That kid—could he have been at it all night?

Thanks to someone influential backing Yenir, the guards, though displeased, remained mostly silent.

But when one of them noticed that Yu Keran wasn’t following him, the guard pushed open the door and couldn’t help but ask:

“Mr. Lin Ming, what about that girl? You don’t need to join this round of testing, but she will.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than the guard who had pushed the door closed his mouth abruptly, staring at the room in shock.

The room was in chaos—clothes scattered on the floor and bed, a crumpled blanket, and a young girl fast asleep on the bed. In an instant, several guards couldn’t help but imagine the worst.

Damn! That kid really must have knocked someone out cold, right?

“Yu Keran? Wake up!”

Feigning innocence, Yenir returned to the bed with exaggerated surprise, calling out to Yu Keran.

But no matter how hard he tried, the girl only moaned in pain, clearly not waking anytime soon.

A couple of coughs punctuated the silence.

Feeling embarrassed, Yenir turned his gaze to the grim-faced guard:

“Um, officers, it seems this girl just won’t wake up. Ahem—maybe we got a bit too rough. I didn’t realize she was so fragile.”

As he spoke, Yenir even arched an eyebrow in mock pride—as though to showcase his own prowess.

The guard outside was at a loss for words. Noticing bite marks on Yu Keran’s exposed shoulder, the others inwardly cursed, thinking Yenir was nothing short of a monster.

This wasn’t just rough play. It looked like after she was brought here, he nearly finished her off!

For such an important test, he couldn’t even get her to wake up. Who knows what else he might have done!

“Captain, what do you say? Shall we go in and check? This test…”

Outside, the sound of assembly grew louder, as if higher-ranking Rebels were urging them on.

The squad captain at the door hesitated, his expression darkening as if struck by a thought, then glared at Yenir:

“Forget it. It’s too late to wake her now—she’s no longer fit for the test. Time’s up; there’s no point in delaying any further.”

With a cold snort—probably thinking his superiors were trying to please Yenir—the captain shot him a dismissive look, nodded, and moved to close the door.

“Mr. Lin Ming, consider this a one-time pass. But if this happens again, the higher-ups won’t be so forgiving—you know what that means.”

“Let’s go!”

With that, the squad captain slammed the door shut and left with his team, clearly disgruntled.

Watching the door close, Yenir sighed in relief. At least he had managed to cover his tracks. His influential status at the base had its perks.

Yet even this testing farce—a sham that supposedly turned survivors into Third-Stage mid-level powerhouses—was nothing more than a lie. Otherwise, the Rebels wouldn’t have let such an important matter slide so easily.

To the Rebels, survivors like Yu Keran were nothing more than expendable resources—one more or one less didn’t matter at all.

Glancing back at the sleeping young girl, Yenir shook his head and, seizing the lull moment, slowly pressed his right hand against her head, prepared to use his mental power to keep her asleep.

“An eye for an eye. This test is no good. Help me get in, and I’ll help you dodge this mess—then we’ll both be even.”

Muttering under his breath, Yenir didn’t dwell on it. He planned to change into his uniform once the Rebels had finished their sweep and then blend into the test.

As if struck by a thought, Yenir confirmed his plan and sent a message to Ming Luo and the others:

“Stick to the end of the testing line. I’ll blend in with the guards. If anything goes wrong, follow my orders!”

——————

“What will the second test be like? Why are we being tested again…”

“I don’t know, but I heard it’s meant to determine our path after reaching Third-Stage, just like those top figures who passed the trials. We’ll have our own paths too!”

“Who said that? I heard it’s actually about enhancing our abilities. The faster you absorb energy, the quicker your power will surge! The test measures how much energy you can endure—if you’re strong enough, you might hit Third-Stage on the spot!”

“That sounds incredible! Does that mean everyone will eventually hit Third-Stage?”

“I’m not sure, but considering the Military spent so much to make this possible, they must have paid a heavy price. Otherwise, they’d have started this long ago. We’re pretty lucky—it falls under our area.”

“Just imagine, if those traitors got hold of this technology, our Battle Zone would be finished!”

“Exactly. I think the rebels went too far—forcing our high-ranking officers to enhance our abilities to fight back. Damn, once I reach Third-Stage, I’ll take down traitor after traitor! We can’t let the riffraff in the Capital keep deceiving us! That worthless National War—I’d rather have none of it!”

“Ha, I was shocked by the broadcast earlier. I really thought Huaguo had a super-strong fighter. Now that I think of it, it’s just disgusting!”

“Shh, enough talk. We need to figure out if we can handle this. There’s risk involved—otherwise, the Military wouldn’t keep testing us. They’re clearly worried something might go wrong.”

…..

In hushed voices, thousands of survivors were led by guards to the 19th floor.

All eyes were on the uniquely designed, giant semi-circular Metal Device. In that moment, everyone saw it as their only hope of reaching Third-Stage.