Chapter 322: The Competition
Chapter 322: The Competition
Upon returning to the dormitory, Chen Chuan received a notification from Hong Fu.
"The skill evaluation exam is over, Chen Chuan. Congratulations on passing the mandatory exam for this semester. You achieved the highest evaluation in the test, and you can check your total evaluation score at the end of this semester."
Chen Chuan's mood instantly lifted upon hearing this.
There were indeed numerous ways to increase evaluation scores, but most only yielded a small number of points, and they could only be done once. For example, when he first entered the academy, he could earn one point for recommending a student, but subsequent recommendations would not increase his score further.
The most convenient way to boost his score was still to enhance his strength. For instance, the evaluation for entering the Third Limit had a score of over 80%, which immediately raised his evaluation score, making it easier than any other task.
Rather than increasing the evaluation score, passing the skill evaluation exam was more like restoring it. Unless a student demonstrated exceptional performance during the exam, their initial evaluation score would already be higher than those who had to take the exam.
Just like today.
However, it was rare for teachers to voluntarily give extra points, and even if they did, how many could grant such a high score within their authority?
The best way to improve was undoubtedly to reach the Third Limit, as it granted the highest priority for all academy services.
Even now...
He checked, and the Yaoguang service he purchased was already near the top of the list, no longer at the bottom as before.
He thought for a moment and contacted Zheng Laoshi, "Zheng Laoshi, I passed the skill evaluation exam today."
Zheng Laoshi was delighted and said, "With your recent progress, passing the exam was never in doubt. It's just a matter of the score. I wonder who the chief examiner was?"
Chen Chuan replied, "It was a teacher named Jiang Laoshi."
Zheng Laoshi suddenly laughed and said, "Jiang Laoshi? I wonder if he came up with something creative?"
Chen Chuan sincerely said, "Jiang Laoshi has been very considerate towards me."
Zheng Laoshi said, "Considerate? That's wonderful. We should thank Jiang Laoshi then."
Chen Chuan nodded and said, "Yes, I think so too."
Zheng Laoshi said, "Even though the exam is over, the courses I teach here are recommended by the Processing Bureau. If you want to attend, you're welcome to come."
Chen Chuan said, "I will definitely come."
Zheng Laoshi only taught him the techniques he could currently master, and there were still many more to learn. Even without that, finding sparring partners like Zheng Tongtong was not easy.
The Processing Bureau had provided him with such excellent teaching resources; he had no reason to give them up.
After ending the call, he glanced at the calendar hanging there. It was already June, and half a year had passed since he came to the Central City without him realizing it. There was less than a month left before the first semester ended.
During his breaks, he would always call home, but it had been a long time since he last visited. This vacation, he would definitely return to Yangzhi to see his aunt's family and visit Teacher Cheng and some familiar faces.
Thinking of this, he couldn't help but think of Teacher Yu Gang.
Yu Gang and Lu Ke had arrived in Central City earlier than him, but they didn't have a fixed means of communication at the time, so he didn't know where they had gone. He only knew they were in the Lower City District.
But the Lower City District was so vast that he had no idea where they were or how they were doing now. After returning, he would look for any contact information they might have left.
Having just finished the exam, he didn't continue training but instead brewed a hot drink and sat on the sofa, browsing the Edge Channel.
The channel featured local news and entertainment, and he would sometimes browse it to relax. These days, the hottest topic was the Central City Arena Tournament.
There was extensive discussion about it on the Edge Channel, and he saw numerous voice messages as soon as he logged in. The most popular topic was still the discussion about the tournament's competitors.
He flipped through and noticed a few popular students whose photos were posted, along with scenes from their previous fights.
These students were considered to be strong contenders who could advance to the later stages of the tournament. Among them, he spotted a student named Cao Rui, whom he had met in the elevator the other day, and he took a closer look, reviewing the previous fight scenes.
This student's overall strength was quite good. He was very aggressive and had excellent combat awareness, not at all inferior to the regular students.
This was likely due to the implants in their bodies, compensating for the shortcomings of altered tissues.
However, he noticed that while these students had numerous implants, they didn't have the exaggerated appearance he had seen on the cruise ship the other day. Instead, they looked very natural. If one ignored the embedded wires and intentionally visible implant traces, they didn't seem much different from ordinary students.
It seemed that these external trainees had a good compatibility with their implants. Of course, it was possible that those with poor compatibility had already been eliminated.
In the tournament, these students didn't directly compete against each other. Their opponents were usually prisoners, thrill-seeking fighters, and even anti-company organization members.
These individuals, upon capture, were thrown into the arena, where their only chance of survival was to kill their opponents in the ring. They were not necessarily fighters, but they were allowed to carry various weapons, which increased the level of brutality and spectacle. It's no wonder that so many people were drawn to these events.
As he browsed, he also took the opportunity to review past arena records. While the full process required a fee, he could only view highlights, which saved time.
Just as he was watching, a communication came in from Tan Zhi. Recognizing the caller, he answered immediately.
"Chen Chuan, I heard that you have a skill evaluation exam this semester. Did you pass?"
"I just took it," Chen Chuan replied.
Tan Zhi said, "That's great! But listen, I heard that according to the school's current policy, if you fail the exam, your evaluation score will be lowered, and the last few students might be demoted from regular students to external trainees. Those external trainees, aren't they just tools to be manipulated?"
Chen Chuan said, "But Tan, you mentioned before that students who fail can pay a fee, right?"
Tan Zhi sighed and said, "That's exactly what I'm talking about. That was in the past. This time, the school management has reportedly held a meeting, and not only have the fees increased significantly, but they can only be paid once. It's terrible for those students who are used to paying their way through."
Chen Chuan thought for a moment and said, "I heard that students with evaluation scores below 50% might be assigned as instructors."
Tan Zhi said, "I heard that too, and it's quite a number. They can't even drop out. I think it won't be long before we see regular students fighting in the arena. I hope we won't be next."
Chen Chuan acknowledged with a sound of agreement.
After a few more words, they prepared to end the call. Just before hanging up, Tan Zhi reminded him, "Chen, Wei Wusheng has been killing those fighters who boarded the ship that day. You, Pan, Qi, and the others, be careful."
Hearing this, Tan Zhi sighed, "Don't remind me. I'm hiding in my dorm room and don't dare to go out. I can't even dance outside; I can only satisfy my cravings in the training room in the dorm."
"Those two, Wei and Qi, are reportedly being held back by their families using this as an excuse. Yesterday, they were complaining to me about it. By the way, you're in the Processing Bureau. When will you guys catch Wei Wusheng?"
Chen Chuan said, "That's hard to say. He's a Third Limit Fighter, and it's difficult to catch him if he's hiding."
Tan Zhi sighed, "Then we can only wait. I don't want to be targeted by this guy."
Chen Chuan slowly said, "It shouldn't be too long."
Tan Zhi said, "That's the best-case scenario. I'll end this call here. Let's meet up for a drink later."
Chen Chuan agreed, and they ended the call.
Tan Zhi thought his words were just a consolation, but Chen Chuan had a reason for saying them. If the Processing Bureau couldn't handle Wei Wusheng, and he continued his activities, they would have to find a way to deal with him.
However, Chen Chuan could sense that Wei Wusheng wouldn't come for him until he was ready. Recently, Wei had been active outside, but he hadn't shown any signs of approaching Chen Chuan.
Time passed as Chen Chuan browsed channels and read through documents. It was almost 10 p.m. in the evening when he was about to wash up and go to bed. That's when Ni Xixi contacted him.
"Chen, I saw that you passed the skill evaluation exam. I asked around, and the chief examiner gave you a very high score."
"I was lucky this time and got a good teacher," Chen Chuan replied.
Ni Xixi, surprised, said, "Really? Are you sure you're talking about Jiang Laoshi? He's... well, let's just say it's complicated. Anyway, it's not your concern. Since you've been studying with the teacher and preparing for the skill evaluation exam, I won't assign you any tasks. Now that you're free, focus on the bureau's work."
Chen Chuan asked, "What do you need me to do?"
"You know about the arena tournament, right?"
"Yes."
"The tournament will start at the end of June and continue until September. Since the competition is currently only held in the Central City of Jibei Province, participants from various central cities will likely attend. So, we need to find a way to deal with Wei Wusheng before the tournament begins."
Chen Chuan couldn't help but ask, "What's the bureau's plan?"
"We initially planned to have the fighters who appeared on the cruise ship cooperate with us, so we could act as soon as Wei Wusheng appeared. But the results weren't ideal. We've now discovered that Wei Wusheng has a junior who has been helping him, and we might find some clues through him."
"Is he from the Tian Shu gang?"
"No, he was expelled years ago, but he received help from Wei Wusheng in the past, so they might still be in contact. The bureau will send someone to contact this person tomorrow.
"You don't need to worry about this. Recently, many people have been reassigned for this matter, so many areas are inevitably relaxed. The bureau will send a car to pick you up for duty in Yinglu District. Just wait for the notification."
"Okay, I'll wait," Chen Chuan replied.
...
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(End of Chapter)
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