"Gao Neng, I’m a sophomore reporter for the campus newspaper. Can I ask, what gave you the courage to issue a challenge like that?"

"Gao Neng, you’re so openly provoking the upperclassmen. Aren’t you afraid you’ll be beaten to death the second you step outside the gates of Eastern Capital Military Academy?"

"Gao Neng..."

"..."

In the blink of an eye, Gao Neng was surrounded.

Worst of all, some guy was even taking the opportunity to sneak a hand into his backpack.

That crossed the line.

Gao Neng kicked out.

"OWWW!" A pained howl.

A figure went flying, both hands clamped tightly over his crotch.

"..."

The area immediately fell silent.

"You ask where my courage comes from? I’ll tell you. Having strong fists *is* courage!" Gao Neng didn’t even glance at the figure as he turned and walked away.

"How arrogant!"

"So unbelievably arrogant!"

"A first-year freshman dares to hit someone in public?!"

The students watched Gao Neng leave, hurling insults at his back. However, not a single one of them went to help the guy kneeling on the ground. None of them were idiots.

Anyone with eyes could see that this was a classic case of a plan backfiring. Who could the guy blame but himself for getting kicked?

...

Upstairs in the War Academy building.

Two figures watched Gao Neng’s departure.

"Principal, didn’t you say Shen Ning’Er was teaching Gao Neng some discipline these past two days? But from where I’m standing, it looks like he’s gotten even more unruly," Gui Zian said with a wry smile.

"..." Song Tianyun didn’t speak.

What could he say?

Shen Ning’Er had said that in two days, he would understand the reason.

’And what reason is that?’

’It’s not hard to guess, is it?’

’In just two days, could Gao Neng have really gotten that much stronger? If that were true, there’d be no need for principals and instructors like them, would there?’

Besides, the most important thing was that neither Gao Neng nor Shen Ning’Er had left the room for the past two or three days, so it definitely wasn’t a matter of training.

’Since it wasn’t a huge leap in strength...’

’...it had to be his "personality."’

It was a well-known fact that Gao Neng came from the Forgotten Land.

Therefore, it was only natural that Shen Ning’Er had come to Eastern Capital Military Academy specifically to teach Gao Neng the rules, a proper attitude toward learning, and a calm and steady mindset.

"How about this? Why don’t you call Vice Commander Shen and have this kid tossed into the Military Department... He’s got a death wish!" Gui Zian had seen his fair share of rich kids over the years, but he had truly never seen a "rich kid" quite like Gao Neng.

After all, very few people like that were still alive today.

"What the hell are you talking about? On the path of the strong, you either advance or fall behind! What’s wrong with being arrogant? Anyway, I’ve handed him over to you. How you manage him is none of my business!" Song Tianyun gritted his teeth, then turned and left.

"..." Gui Zian was momentarily stunned.

Watching Song Tianyun leave, he felt a wave of exhaustion. There was nothing wrong with arrogance, but arrogance without the strength to back it up would get you killed.

Not even Jesus could save you!

...

「Time: 4:20 PM.」

The viewing room at Eastern Capital Military Academy was packed once again.

This time, they weren’t here to see Shen Ning’Er. They were here to see how Gao Neng would be beaten to a pulp. After all, it was rare to see someone so arrogant these days.

The two principals, Song Tianyun and Wang Qixing, did not show up this time.

However, Gui Zian was still there.

He had to be. Gao Neng was his student, and watching him get killed was practically in his job description. What kind of instructor would he be if he missed it?

"Alright, alright, place your bets! What mode will Gao Neng pick this time?"

"Mission Mode, right?"

"Not necessarily. Didn’t you read his challenge? Merit Points are doubled for a total wipeout in Hunter Mode... Hahaha, he’s definitely picking Hunter!"

"Hunter? You think they can last five minutes? The Four Teeth Team may only be third-years, but they’re much stronger than the fourth-year Lone Soul Team!"

"Don’t say that... that’s just mean. Gao Neng might be arrogant, but he’s tough and can take a beating. Maybe he’ll even last six minutes!"

"I bet six minutes and one second!"

"Bro, that’s a bold bet..."

"..."

The viewing hall buzzed with noisy anticipation while they waited for the match to begin.

Inside Training Room 079.

The captain of the Four Teeth Team, Song Jingyan, was glaring coldly at Gao Neng, who was in the same training room.

That’s right, Song Jingyan was a woman.

But her appearance didn’t quite match her name. There was nothing "stunning" about her; on the contrary, she was rather coarse, with a 220-pound frame and a face like a round pancake.

"Don’t think I’ll go easy on you just because you’re handsome!" Song Jingyan cursed viciously. Then, she turned to the three fat guys behind her. "You three fatasses listen up! If any of you dare to hold back against that loli and the campus belle, I’ll personally end you tonight!"

"Don’t worry, Captain! Our hearts are as hard as stone! What loli? What campus belle? They’re all just flowers in the water, the moon in the mirror. In our hearts, you’re the only stunner, Captain!" The three fat guys had a strong survival instinct.

Gao Neng was rendered speechless listening to this from the side. A team of four fat people, one woman and three men at that, was truly... "stunning."

’But the best part is their captain’s name...’

’Song Jingyan. Wasn’t that name basically a promise to give me experience points?’

"Gao Neng, that pancake-faced woman dared to call me a loli! Don’t you lift a finger later. I’m going to blast her to bits with my Electromagnetic Cannon!" Fang Tangtang fumed.

"Was she wrong?" Kong Kun asked, stunned for a moment.

WHOOSH! Fang Tangtang’s gaze was like a lightning bolt.

"..." Kong Kun didn’t quite understand, but he still took a step back instinctively. This was a training room. If Fang Tangtang used her Electromagnetic Cannon here, the entire room would be destroyed.

’Can’t afford to provoke her. Definitely can’t.’

"I’ve analyzed their combat record. In Hunter Mode, they have 9 wins out of 12 matches, and their highest rank was 14th on the D-Ranked Leaderboard. However, their record in Mission Mode is 5 wins out of 13 matches, which is why they’re currently 19th on the D-Ranked Leaderboard. My conclusion is that they’re a power-type team, very strong in a direct confrontation but lacking in flexibility. Gao Neng, let’s pick Mission Mode this time. If we compete on speed, we won’t necessarily lose to them!" Feng Qingqing analyzed carefully.

"Mission Mode again? So boring... But whatever. As long as we win!" Fang Tangtang seemed a little unhappy, but she nodded anyway.

After all, being arrogant didn’t mean she was stupid.

The fact that Fang Tangtang had achieved the rank of Lieutenant before even entering Eastern Capital Military Academy meant she wasn’t the type of fool to underestimate her opponents.

"I have no objections. Gao Neng, what do you think?" Kong Kun looked at Gao Neng. Gao Neng was the one who had insisted on this challenge, and all the Merit Points were riding on him alone. Therefore, the right to make the final decision naturally fell back to him.

"Hunter," Gao Neng said calmly.

"Hunter?!"

"You really want to pick Hunter?"

"..."

Feng Qingqing and Kong Kun were both shocked.

Even Fang Tangtang was uncharacteristically silent. She knew Gao Neng had been practicing energy materialization, but he had just started. How strong could he possibly be?

Most importantly, the opposing team was a genuine power-type team. A close-quarters, head-on confrontation was actually the worst possible choice.

’Could Sister Ning’Er have left some kind of treasure for Gao Neng?’

The three of them were lost in their own thoughts.

But Gao Neng, a smile on his face, had already pressed "Hunter Mode" on the selection screen.

...

"Invincible War God VS Four Teeth Team! Challenge Mode: Hunter!"

When this announcement echoed through the viewing hall, the previously buzzing room suddenly fell silent. Then, it was as if a bowl of ice water had been poured into a wok of boiling oil.

It exploded!

"Hunter! Gao Neng really chose Hunter Mode!"

"This isn’t just arrogance anymore, is it? This is pure insanity!"

"I seriously wonder if he even analyzed his opponents. Any idiot knows the Four Teeth Team is a classic power-type team, and he’s actually playing Hunter Mode against them!"

"He must be crazy!"

The viewing hall was in an uproar.

Meanwhile, in Training Room 079.

Song Jingyan of the Four Teeth Team and her three fat teammates were also stunned for a moment. All four of them stared at Gao Neng in disbelief.

"He’s actually playing Hunter Mode against us?! Is he trying to get himself killed?"

"Let’s crush them!"

"Captain Jingyan, you’re the most beautiful!"

The three fat guys shouted in unison.

Song Jingyan, however, gave Gao Neng a serious look before letting out a soft sigh. "What a waste of a pretty face. Turns out he’s an idiot."

Neither team said anything more.

They stepped through their respective metal doors into the battlefield at almost the same time.

Hunter Mode.

The area of operations was very small.

The total map size was no more than 200 meters across.

Although the map scenes included desert, jungle, snowfield, swamp, and so on, it still meant the two teams would be in a true close-quarters engagement.

"CHARGE!"

With a single cry, the battle began.

Time limit: One hour. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Victory Condition: Point system (1 point for killing a team member, 1.5 points for killing the captain).

Scene: Swamp.

"A swamp? That gives them a chance to hide! But too bad for you, you’re playing Hunter Mode... Four Teeth Team, push forward in a line! Watch out for Fang Tangtang’s Electromagnetic Cannon. Everyone maintain a two-meter distance from each other. The cannon is a linear attack, so we’ll stand in a curved formation. Remember, don’t miss a single ditch!" Song Jingyan made her assessment the moment she entered the scene.

"Yes, ma’am!" The three fat guys immediately spread out.

The swamp was a good place for hiding.

Although it couldn’t compare to the jungle.

But if someone were to hide in a nook at the edge of the swamp, they’d have a real chance at an ambush. That was why Song Jingyan didn’t have her team spread out too far.

They had the advantage in strength.

So they would just push straight forward and sweep the area.

As for the Electromagnetic Cannon Fang Tangtang had shown off last time, with a two-meter spacing, it could only hit one person at most.

"Damn it, they’re using serpentine movements?" Fang Tangtang clenched her fists, lying prone on the ground. She had been planning to take out two or three of them right at the start, but now, even a successful ambush would only net her one kill at most.

This was a bit...

’Not worth it!’

’It’d basically be a one-for-one trade!’

"Trying to use serpentine movements on me? Heh." Gao Neng chuckled. He crushed a high-dimensional capsule he had ready in his hand. CRACK! A flood of black liquid gushed out.

(Please vote with your monthly tickets! Recommending a new book by my friend ’Meticulous’ called ’So I’m Not an Ordinary Person’. I hear it’s very good, so friends who are interested shouldn’t miss it!)