Chapter 140: Return! Champions!!

Chapter 140: Return! Champions!!

The key was successfully pulled out of the water.

However, Zhao Zheng seemed even more cautious.

He held the key in his hand but didn't retract his arm, maintaining the grasping posture.

The others found this strange.

"Zhao Ge, what are you doing?" Jiang Hebin couldn't help but ask.

Zhao Zheng replied, "There's a thread attached to the key, probably connected to some mechanism. If it's pulled, something bad might happen."

Everyone was startled.

Upon closer inspection, they indeed found a thread on the key.

The thread was incredibly fine and transparent, making it nearly invisible without careful observation.

With their previous abilities, they would have easily noticed it, but now, as ordinary people, they had to focus to see it clearly.

Witnessing this thread, everyone was genuinely impressed by Zhao Zheng.

They knew that they would have likely snapped the thread if they were in his position.

"You guys go to the exit and stay close to the walls. Don't step on the ice!" Zhao Zheng instructed. "I suspect this thread is connected to a mechanism related to the ice."

Hearing this, everyone quickly moved towards the exit.

They all followed Zhao Zheng's instructions, standing close to the walls and avoiding the ice.

Once everyone was in position, Zhao Zheng snapped the thread and sprinted towards the exit with the key.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Just as Zhao Zheng reached the exit, the ice beneath him shattered into pieces, falling into the rushing river.

This scene terrified everyone, making them break out in cold sweats.

If not for Zhao Zheng's warning, many of them might have died.

No wonder the Escape Mode was considered the most dangerous.

This was truly a deadly trap!

At this moment, everyone was in awe of Zhao Zheng.

Without hesitation, Zhao Zheng used the key to open the exit door, leading the team to successfully pass the second stage.

Next was the third stage.

The team still had no intention of giving up.

With Zhao Zheng's presence, they felt more confident!

The third stage was a laser maze, with numerous grids on the floor leading to the exit. One wrong step, and they would be shot by lasers from the walls.

This stage was clearly more challenging!

Without Zhao Zheng, their team might have perished entirely.

But with Zhao Zheng, the outcome was entirely different.

Knowing the storyline, Zhao Zheng quickly found the correct sequence to navigate the laser maze.

Under his leadership, the team safely passed through the third stage...

Then came the fourth stage...

The fifth stage...

...

In the screening hall.

Everyone was amazed by Zhao Zheng's performance.

They were speechless as they witnessed his skills.

Those escape rooms and mechanisms would have killed them countless times if they had tried.

But Zhao Zheng?

He always found useful clues, guided his teammates to avoid deadly traps, and deciphered the mechanisms and secrets, ultimately leading them to success.

Under Zhao Zheng's command, all nine teammates remained safe.

Everyone witnessed Zhao Zheng's extraordinary insight and exceptional wisdom, surpassing that of ordinary mortals.

It was as if he had a natural gift.

"Now I understand why Haitang insisted on teaming up with this kid, Zhao Zheng."

These words came from Ms. Shen.

Watching Zhao Zheng's performance on the screen, she was genuinely impressed: "So, Zhao Zheng has such a talent. No wonder he and Haitang have consistently maintained an SSS-class evaluation, leading the pack."

Lao Chu was sitting not far from Ms. Shen.

Hearing this, he also sighed: "If you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, it would be hard to believe he had such a talent."

Similar discussions began to echo.

In the front row, Song President fell silent.

He finally realized his deep-rooted prejudice against Zhao Zheng.

Setting aside his preconceived notions, he had to admit that Zhao Zheng's performance was exceptional.

"This Zhao Zheng is truly a gem!"

The principal of Zhenwu University smiled and praised.

...

The four-hour competition time passed quickly.

When the competition ended,

Zhao Zheng and his team, who were still in the chamber, were teleported out.

In the screening hall,

The giant screen displayed the scores of each team.

At the top was Zhao Zheng's team.

And they were in the lead!

In the past four hours, Zhao Zheng's team had accumulated over 2 million points.

This was because the Escape Mode had the highest difficulty, offering the most points.

With ten participants,

Each successful stage earned 200 points per member.

One stage meant 2,000 points for the team.

In the past four hours, Zhao Zheng's team had cleared sixteen stages,

Earning a total of 32,000 points.

In second place was Victor's team.

Their luck was decent, as they were in Hunt Mode and managed to accumulate 1873 points.

However, it was still just a fraction of Zhao Zheng's score...

Third place went to the team led by Ma Jun from Jing University, also in Hunt Mode, with a total of 1822 points.

They were only 51 points behind Victor's team, which was quite unfortunate.

Upon seeing the rankings on the leaderboard, everyone in the screening hall burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, we are the champion team!"

"There's a reward to be claimed, so this trip wasn't in vain."

"Excellent, with the 20 Spirit Energy Points reward, I can upgrade my Armored Color Dominance by one level. At the beginning of next month, I'm confident to attempt the 25th level of the Spirit Realm."

"When they drew the Escape Mode, I was startled. I was worried that our efforts would go unrewarded. Thankfully, Zhao Zheng really came through..."

"With Song Haitang and Zhao Zheng, our university's ranking will definitely improve this year."

...

"Zhao Ge, you're the man! Thanks to you, we effortlessly gained 100 Spirit Energy Points."

"Zhao Ge is incredible! I wonder how his brain works?"

"I must apologize to Zhao Ge later. I completely misunderstood him before."

"Me too. I always thought of him as a freeloader, but now I feel guilty."

"Zhao Ge, with such talent, why didn't you tell us earlier?"

"Hehe, would you have believed him if he had told you before? There were similar rumors in school, but none of us believed them!"

"That's true... Who could've imagined that Zhao Ge had such extraordinary talent?"

In the screening hall, everyone was discussing.

...

Meanwhile, Zhao Zheng and his team were teleported to a special space.

As soon as the task time ended, they were transported there.

Then, in their left eyes, a prompt appeared, indicating that their team had secured the championship.

Upon seeing the prompt, everyone was delighted.

Zhao Zheng and Song Haitang were accustomed to it, as they had consistently maintained an SSS-class task evaluation since their debut.

The others were thrilled.

"We're the champions!"

"With Zhao Ge leading us, we've cleared so many stages. It would have been abnormal if we didn't win."

"I never expected that we could win. When we drew the Escape Mode, I was in despair."

"Hehe, Wang Fei, isn't it great not to have to die?"

Amidst the discussions, a holographic screen suddenly emerged in the void before them.

Text appeared on the screen:

[As champions, you are eligible to continue challenging the unknown stages!]



[There are three layers to the unknown stages, and all members will receive 50 Spirit Energy Points for each successful challenge.]



[Note: Once the challenge begins, you cannot withdraw midway. You must complete all three layers of the unknown stages.]



[Do you wish to continue challenging the unknown stages?]



[Yes/No]



Upon seeing the options on the screen, everyone paused for a moment, but they weren't overly surprised.

Ms. Shen had informed them about the unknown stages and advised against attempting them if they won the championship.

Everyone's gaze turned to Zhao Zheng, as the decision now rested with the captain.

"What do you all think?" Zhao Zheng asked with a smile. "Does anyone want to continue challenging the unknown stages?"

This question left the team in deep thought.

Zhang Chenggang spoke first, "50 Spirit Energy Points per stage, for a total of 150 points, seems a bit low."

"It is a bit low," Tang Chuan agreed, nodding. "It doesn't seem worth the risk for just 150 points."

Chen Kai pondered for a moment before saying, "Although we have Zhao Ge, our chances of success are higher, but personally, I'm inclined to give up. Ms. Shen also mentioned that no one has successfully challenged the unknown stages so far."

"Zhao Ge, I'll follow your lead," Jiang Hebin, the most eloquent among them, said. "We'll go with whatever you decide. If you want to continue the challenge, then let's do it."

The remaining team members chimed in, "Yes, Zhao Ge, we'll listen to you."

Zhao Zheng's gaze shifted to Song Haitang.

Before he could say anything, Song Haitang spoke, "I'm with them, I'll also follow your decision."

Zhao Zheng replied, "Then let's give it up! 150 Spirit Energy Points isn't worth the risk."

As he finished speaking, he selected "No" on the screen.

This was his genuine thought.

If the unknown stages offered a more substantial reward, he might have been interested in trying them.

150 Spirit Energy Points? That's hardly worth the effort.

Zhao Zheng wasn't impressed.

Seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Apparently, despite their words, none of them truly wanted to continue the challenge.

After Zhao Zheng made his decision, the screen displayed another prompt:

【You have chosen to forfeit the challenge of the unknown stage...】

【Attention: This Spirit Realm session has concluded. You will be teleported out in 30 seconds...】

【29, 28, 27...】

The countdown appeared in the left eye of everyone present.

When the countdown ended, everyone in the fifth level of the Spirit Realm vanished.

...

Bluesphere.

True Martial University.

The three hundred participants who had entered reappeared on the school grounds at the same time.

They still held hands.

After returning, everyone quickly let go of each other's hands.

Then, all eyes turned towards the members of the participating teams.

To be precise, they looked at Zhao Zheng.

Zhao Zheng's performance this time was eye-opening and completely changed everyone's impression of him.

Next, Zhao Zheng heard the most compliments he had ever received...

Others were not spared either.

Some of the things said to him left a deep impression...

Ms. Shen: "Zhao Zheng, I had some opinions about you before, and I want to apologize for my prejudice... I hope you can join my Class A."

Lao Chu: "You kid, you've been hiding your true strength! Just now, Ms. Shen invited you to Class A, right? If you go, I'll definitely support you."

Some classmates: "Brother Zhao, I'm sorry. I thought you were just a freeloader... Thank you for your efforts, which allowed us to easily earn 100 Spirit Energy Points this time."

Zhao Rong, his elder cousin: "Zhen, I heard from the family that Grandpa plans to tilt our resources towards you. I was a bit unconvinced at first, but after seeing your performance in the Spirit Realm today, I realized that Grandpa's choice was truly wise and valiant! From now on, the Zhao family will rely on you. As your elder brother, I will also look up to you!"

Song President: "Not bad, keep up the hard work..."

...

After each freshman's Spirit Realm session, the school would record and tally the students' performance.

However, this time, there was no need to check each student's performance individually.

Because everyone knew the rewards they had received.

Song Haitang, Jiang Hebin, and the others, being part of the champion team, earned 275 Spirit Energy Points each.

As the captain, Zhao Zheng received an additional 80 Spirit Energy Points, totaling 355 Spirit Energy Points.

All the other freshmen earned 100 Spirit Energy Points each!

Soon, everyone dispersed.

A moment later, Zhao Zheng appeared in the principal's office.

"Zhao Zheng, I never expected you to have such extraordinary talents and genius-level insight!" The principal exclaimed as he looked at Zhao Zheng.

Zhao Zheng broke into a sweat and quickly replied, "Principal, you're giving me too much credit."

"No, I'm not!" The principal said, "If you had a slightly better talent ability, you'd be a talent born for the Spirit Realm."

Sensing that his words might be problematic, the principal quickly corrected himself, "Your decision to partner with Song Haitang is also very wise. The two of you together are more than enough to dominate the Spirit Realm."

Zhao Zheng also expressed his gratitude, "I must also thank the principal for his nurturing. If it weren't for you giving me the Armored Color Dominance, I wouldn't have achieved what I have today."

"My decision to give you the Armored Color Dominance was indeed a very wise choice." The principal smiled and then asked, "I heard you're still living off-campus?"

Zhao Zheng nodded, "Yes."

"Then move back to the school immediately!" The principal said, "Today, many people witnessed your performance, and it's unlikely that the secret can be kept. I fear it won't be long before others realize your importance. If you continue to live off-campus, there might be danger."

Zhao Zheng was taken aback and then asked, "Principal, do you mean someone will target me?"

"Yes! You must know about the bounty on Song Haitang. Those people didn't realize your importance before, but now that they do, they'll take action. Song Haitang is well-protected at school, so they have no choice. But if you continue to live off-campus, they'll target you to get to her."

After a pause, the principal continued, "The off-campus environment is chaotic, and it's inconvenient to protect you. So, move back to the school! Once you and Song Haitang can protect yourselves, then you can leave the school."

Hearing this, Zhao Zheng felt a headache coming on.

He didn't want to be confined to the school like Song Haitang, feeling like a prisoner...

However, the principal's words made sense.

(PS: The author has seen the criticism, and it's true that writing a thrilling escape room scenario is challenging. Taking the advice, the author chose to end this chapter swiftly. The upcoming Spirit Realm will return to the usual showoff mode...)



(End of Chapter)

Chapter end