Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 188 The Troubles of the Strong
In the stairwell on the 25th floor, the "Grey Eagle" team had reached a dead end.

The obstacles blocking the entrance to the 24th floor were almost completely destroyed, and low-level abyssal beasts poured out from behind the door like a tide.

A-Jie's sword was already dulled, and his energy source was almost exhausted. Every time he swung the sword, he felt as if his arm weighed a thousand pounds.

The fat man's heavy shield was covered in cracks, Old K's bullets were almost gone, and Xiao Ling's energy blades had become dull and lifeless.

"Three more are coming from the left!"

"I can't take it anymore, I can't hold on any longer."

The fat man was panting heavily, feeling like he was about to collapse from exhaustion at any moment.

A "clawed demon" broke through the barrage of fire and lunged at Xiaoling, whose movements had slowed down.

Ah Jie roared, determined to ignore his injuries and grit his teeth to push forward.

Right now.

"Buzz!"

A deep blue, arc-shaped blade of light appeared out of thin air like a crescent moon, sweeping past Xiao Ling at a speed beyond visual perception.

The low-level abyss beasts that pounced on them, along with the "Claw Demon," froze instantly. Then, like straws being cut by an invisible force, they were neatly severed in two, their foul-smelling blood and internal organs splattering all over the ground before turning into ashes, leaving only a few faintly glowing source energy crystals.

This sudden change left everyone stunned.

Immediately afterwards, they felt a blur before their eyes, and two figures dressed in Yuanwu Army combat uniforms appeared like ghosts in the open space of the stairwell.

One of them held a battle blade still surrounded by a faint blue aura; clearly, the life-saving blade light had come from his hand.

The other person's sharp gaze swept across the entire area, finally landing on the still-shaken members of the "Grey Eagle" squad.

"We are the Yuanwu Army Training Corps, here to provide support."

The man with the knife, Lynx, spoke succinctly.

The other man, Fang, chimed in, his tone equally decisive: "Go, up, to the rooftop to evacuate. The helicopter is waiting."

Training Corps!

These four words struck like a thunderbolt in the minds of the "Gray Eagle" squad.

As the lowest level among civilian martial artists, they may never have seen the actual members of the Training Corps, but the name is widely known.

This is the true elite of Xia Guoyuan's military force, the legendary strongest unit.

It is said that the members inside are at least at the second level of Stardust, with a source energy level of over 5000 points!

For those of them with 200 points of source energy, they were practically figures in the clouds.

The ecstasy of escaping from a desperate situation instantly overwhelmed them.

Ah Jie opened his mouth, but found that he couldn't make a sound because of excitement and exhaustion.

Only then did they belatedly realize that the suffocatingly terrifying pressure of the leader-level abyss beast, the ear-piercing noise of scratching glass, and the furious roar that seemed so close at hand had all vanished without them noticing.

Lynx and Venom, one in front and one behind, escorted the staggering Gray Eagle squad as they quickly retreated upwards.

Without the threat of the leader-level abyssal beasts, and with the two members of the training brigade clearing out the scattered abyssal beasts along the way with the efficiency of cutting melons and vegetables, the journey back to the rooftop was exceptionally smooth.

When Venom pushed open the rusty iron door to the rooftop, the blinding sunlight and the gusts of wind whipped up by the helicopter rotor rushed in, and he immediately saw the figure standing in the center of the rooftop.

Captain Zhang Zhen stood there alone, his back to them, his posture still as upright as a pine tree. He tilted his head slightly, seemingly looking at the hovering helicopter, or perhaps just gazing at the still smoke-filled battlefield in the distance.

His right hand hung casually at his side, while his left hand rhythmically tossed and caught a crystal the size of a baby's fist.

The crystal was translucent white, with a milky white light slowly rotating inside. At the core of the crystal, a clear golden line meandered and coiled like a living creature.

It is a golden-patterned white crystal that drops only after a leader-level abyss beast is killed, and its value is far higher than that of ordinary spirit crystals.

Venom's gaze lingered for a moment on the crystal that had been tossed up, caught, and tossed up again, before it exchanged a glance with the lynx that followed closely behind.

They both saw the same understanding and a hint of sympathy in each other's eyes.

They tacitly refrained from asking any questions about the crystal, such as, "Captain, what good stuff did you get?" or "How was your luck this time?"

After all, everyone in the squad, and perhaps even the entire training brigade, knew that their formidable, brave, and outstanding commander, Captain Zhang Zhen, was famous for his "luck."
Yes, it's stable.

It's so stable it's heartbreaking.

Countless times the captain has faced life-or-death situations, slaying powerful enemies and acquiring precious crystals, but he always seems to be out of luck when it comes to truly powerful skills, rare materials, or coveted blueprints.

Most of what you get are just some "accumulated goods" that are neither useful nor worth throwing away, or things with extremely obscure effects and very narrow applicability.

Judging from the captain's expression, which was inscrutable and even somewhat bored, the outcome of this white crystal with its golden veins was almost self-evident.

The lynx coughed lightly, breaking the brief silence.

He stepped forward and reported to Zhang Zhen: "Captain, the target 'Gray Eagle' team consists of five people, and all have been picked up and are in position. No one is seriously injured."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhen stopped tossing and catching the crystal, and casually stuffed the gold-patterned white crystal into the pocket of his combat uniform, as if it were just a slightly prettier stone.

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over the ragged "Grey Eagle" team members, whose faces still bore traces of fear and excitement, and nodded slightly.

Zhang Zhen's face showed little emotion; there was neither the joy of victory nor the frustration of a poor outcome, only a calm after completing the mission.

He shook his head, sighed softly, and said in a calm tone, "Well. It's good that everyone's alright. You guys go on the plane first, I'll cover the rear. Let's go back."

There was no further comfort, no explanation of the battle just fought, and no promises for the future.

It's just three simple words.

"Go back."

But this calm tone was more reassuring to the Gray Eagles than any grand and impassioned promise.

This means the crisis is temporarily over, and it means they have truly survived.

The helicopter began to descend and lowered the rope ladder.

Lynx and Venom begin assisting the Grayhawk team members to board the plane.

Before being pulled onto the helicopter, A-Jie couldn't help but look back one last time at Captain Zhang Zhen, who was standing alone on the edge of the rooftop, his figure somewhat blurred in the helicopter's airflow.

The white crystal with gold patterns that he casually tucked into his hand, and the barely perceptible sigh, were like a mysterious footnote, imprinted on this morning of his narrow escape from death.

For some reason, a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

"Even such a powerful figure seems to have untold troubles."

(End of this chapter)