Chapter 175 – Sudden Change, Do You Even Understand Gratitude?

“Level S tasks are not intended for ordinary new blood.”

Su Zhaohui leaned back in his chair and said casually, “The risk factor is certainly not low, but rest assured, the Security Department has taken adequate measures to ensure that the danger level of any task will not exceed level three.”

“Whether it’s the Bear Man or the Molybdenum Demon, both were communicated with in advance to ensure their mental states were stable and willing to cooperate, ensuring they wouldn’t act out of line before being allowed in the assessment.”

“You trust the guarantees they made?”

“Let me finish.”

Su Zhaohui put down his glass and pointed to a figure on the virtual screen, saying, “The place where the Bear Man is located is a full gravitational field, with a base of twenty times gravity. The closer he gets to the exit, the higher the gravity multiplies. Moreover, a control chip has been implanted in his brain.”

Su Zhaohui lightly tapped his temple, “This chip is connected to the gravitational field’s control center and is also under my control as the chief examiner.”

“If I want, I can instantly increase the gravity of the area under his feet to over two hundred times in less than a second, crushing him into a pulp.”

“There are similar precautions for the Molybdenum Demon.”

“Before the assessment started, the Security Department tested it many times without any issues.”

Song Cong said expressionlessly, “It better not have any problems.”

Su Zhaohui smiled and shook his head, not bothering to say more.

“Hmm?”

Lu Yuan stepped onto the stage, finally realizing the abnormality of this area.

“Multiple gravity?”

A hint of surprise appeared on his face.

After a brief moment of thought, he quickly deduced that it was twenty times gravity.

Under twenty times gravity, his whole body felt much heavier, as if every part of him was tied to the ground by invisible ropes, constantly pulling him down.

“How does it feel?”

The bald man, the Bear Man, looked at Lu Yuan with a smile.

Lu Yuan looked up at him, his expression calm, “Not bad.”

“Haha-“

The Bear Man pulled the corner of his mouth forcefully and took a step toward the door.

As he took this step, it seemed to trigger some mechanism.

The hemispherical devices embedded among the white stone bricks on the ground immediately began to light up.

Lu Yuan frowned slightly, clearly feeling it.

The gravity in the room increased again.

From twenty times, it probably increased to twenty-five times.

“And now?”

The Bear Man looked at him with a sinister expression.

His steps didn’t stop, one after another, constantly approaching the door where Lu Yuan had entered.

His actions caused the gravity in the room to surge wildly.

From twenty times to thirty times, it quickly soared to forty, fifty!

“Cre-e-eak-“

Lu Yuan’s thin body seemed unable to bear this terrifying invisible force. His back slowly bent down, and he propped his hands on his knees, looking as if he had just undergone intense exercise.

Exhausted, panting heavily, he struggled to keep himself from collapsing.

“Tough, isn’t it?”

The Bear Man’s smile grew even more radiant.

“Difficulty in breathing, distorted vision, sensory deviation, internal organs feeling like they’re being torn apart, even your consciousness becoming muddled.”

“When I first came here, it was hard for me too.”

“Every day I couldn’t sleep, and even eating was an incredibly painful task.”

“Many times, I wished I could just die the next second!”

The Bear Man muttered to himself, his expression turning cold, gradually becoming twisted, and eventually filled with intense resentment and violence.

He roared furiously, “That bastard Yellow Bear kept me here like an animal. He said that as long as I cooperated with them in assessing you new blood, my crimes would be offset, the death penalty indefinitely postponed, and maybe one day I could be completely released. Do they think I’m a three-year-old child?”

“Do I need such exoneration?”

The Bear Man sneered, taking a large step forward.

This time, the gravity in the room rose to seventy times, and the terrifying pressure even affected him.

His bronze-like body emitted a series of creaks under the unbearable weight.

His face twisted, with veins bulging out, yet his expression showed a perverse enjoyment.

“It’s a good thing I made it through.”

“I’ve completely adapted to the high gravity here. I’m even stronger than before!”

The Bear Man spread his arms, as if embracing the thick, syrupy air in the room.

His gaze returned to Lu Yuan.

Seeing Lu Yuan, who seemed to be completely subdued by the extremely high gravity, he said with a smile, “To have made it this far, you must be an extraordinary new blood.”

“If I kill you… oh no, Yellow Bear’s people are watching. They won’t allow me to kill you.”

“I’ll have to leave a lasting impression on you, so that every time you think of this place, think of this assessment, you’ll shiver in fear.”

The Bear Man walked towards Lu Yuan with an intense, sinister air.

He looked Lu Yuan up and down with interest, a cruel gleam suddenly appearing in his eyes. He then reached out a hand quickly towards Lu Yuan, saying, “Painful? Just relax if it hurts, because it’s going to get a lot worse.”

But just as the Bear Man’s large hand was about to touch Lu Yuan’s body, a pale, strong hand suddenly rose and grabbed his hand forcefully.

“Uh—”

The Bear Man was stunned. He then saw Lu Yuan, who had been supporting himself on his knees, slowly lift his head.

On his face, there was not a hint of the pain and struggle that the Bear Man had expected.

Instead, there was a look of joy and an inexplicable brilliance.

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

Lu Yuan said softly, and on his fair, handsome face, scarlet veins began to appear smoothly and quickly extend.

His muscles swelled and tightened like steel rods.

“Crack, crack, crack—”

In an instant, his height of about six feet shot up to seven feet.

Like a cloud of darkness, he completely overshadowed the Bear Man.

“A gravitational field with adjustable gravity, the constant pressure like the deep sea, no interruptions, no trivial matters, and high-energy food delivered on time.”

Lu Yuan’s rough, broad hand completely enveloped the Bear Man’s hand.

Looking down from his towering height, he leaned close to the Bear Man’s face.

The scorching breath from his mouth and nose hit the Bear Man’s cheeks like molten lava, his eyes flashing with a fierce light as he spoke, word by word:

“A perfect place for martial arts cultivation. And you feel pain? You harbor resentment?”

“Do you even understand what gratitude is?!”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh—”

The Bear Man, head tilted back, stared at Lu Yuan in shock, words stuck in his throat, unable to utter a single word, only making strange gagging sounds.

In the next instant.

His entire body bristled with fear, his scalp tingling.

His Level A+ crisis sensing consciousness made him instinctively withdraw.

But a shadow had already appeared in the corner of his eye.

Then—

“Bang!”

With a heavy, air-rending sound like molten steel being stirred, a fist smashed into the Bear Man’s face.

“Crack, crack—”

The sound of facial bones breaking.

The Bear Man’s entire face was deeply caved in by the punch.

His whole body flew backward like a cannonball.

“Whoosh—”

Lu Yuan slowly retracted his hand, taking a deep breath.

The thick, syrupy air filled his lungs, his heart pounding like a drum.

His blood seemed to boil.

Lu Yuan’s eyes shone with a fiery light, an inexplicable excitement appearing on his face.

On the professional panel visible only to him.

On the [Martial Artist] panel, the [Ten Thousand Refined Body], [Steel Bones], and [Spirit Crane Body] from the Three Body Training Techniques.

At this moment, under the terrifying pressure of the gravity, his experience points were skyrocketing!

He wasn’t bluffing!

He genuinely thought this place was perfect for martial arts cultivation!

If he had a place like this for martial arts training at his disposal, would anyone need to force him? He’d wish to spend every hour of every day here!

Bear Man, do you even understand how amazing it feels to gain experience just by lying down?!

“You simply don’t understand.”

Lu Yuan shook his head, looking at the Bear Man, who had been sent flying and landed heavily on the ground from his punch. His expression was calm as he took a sudden step forward.

In an instant, it seemed as if afterimages were left in the air, and a clear white Dragon Form wave trail appeared.

Killer move, [Dragon Shield]!

“The multiplier is reduced… come over here and don’t stray too far from the gate!”

As Lu Yuan moved, his muscles wriggled, and scarlet veins grew like plant roots.

They pressed against each other.

Vaguely.

It seemed as if some pattern was slowly emerging on his body.

“Ugh.”

In the spacious room.

Song Cong and Su Zhaohui blinked, staring blankly at the virtual screen in front of them.

This was a scene and battle direction neither of them had expected.

After a moment of silence, Su Zhaohui exhaled deeply, full of emotion, and said, “This kid is a real monster!

Once he’s on the battlefield, he might act like a madman. The final evaluation of this assessment is definitely heading towards SS, and it might even set the best record in new blood assessment history.”

Song Cong’s eyes gradually relaxed, and he nodded, his expression becoming more determined.

“That’s why you should leave him to me! I wouldn’t trust anyone else to guide him.”

“Alright, alright!”

Su Zhaohui cheerfully patted Song Cong on the shoulder, signaling reassurance.

He straightened up and bent down to pour himself a beer into his already empty glass.

“Glug, glug—”

The golden beer bubbled in the transparent glass, suddenly—

Su Zhaohui’s hand holding the glass froze for a moment.

A few seconds later, he finished pouring the beer and calmly placed the glass on the table.

“What’s wrong?”

Song Cong noticed the change in his expression and couldn’t help but ask.

“Just got some news.

The Molybdenum Demon has gone berserk, escaped the task point, and its danger level has risen to level four.”

“What?!”

Song Cong’s eyes flickered, and he frowned, “Is this the result of the security department’s supposedly stable mental state, complete control measures, and thorough adjustments?”

“The first implementation of a new assessment format, such sudden situations are normal.”

Su Zhaohui said casually, “Don’t worry, we have contingency plans. The assessment location is in Smokeless City; a few deaths are not a big deal. We just need to ensure the new blood’s safety as much as possible.”

Song Cong didn’t speak. He turned his head and glanced at the virtual screen in front of him. Suddenly, his pupils contracted.

First came shock and tension, then relaxation, and finally, he spoke solemnly, “Take a look for yourself!”

Su Zhaohui leaned closer to the screen, his expression finally changing. He couldn’t help but mutter under his breath, “Damn it!

The tardigrade modification is indeed too uncontrollable!

I should have opposed including Bear Man in the assessment plan from the start!”

“What do we do now?”

Song Cong asked coldly, “Don’t forget, you are the chief examiner.”

“I know!”

Su Zhaohui waved his hand irritably, the laziness gone from his demeanor, replaced by a sharp, decisive air.

“First, lock down Smokeless City No. 3. Then notify all the new blood participating in the assessment within the city. Old Song, come with me. Your level S combat power will be useful!”

Song Cong snorted lightly but didn’t argue.

Su Zhaohui methodically issued a series of commands. Finally, he glanced at the virtual screen on the table.

He stared at it for a moment, as if something had occurred to him, a strange light flashing in his eyes.

Then he quickly operated the virtual screen, sending out a message.