I gain permanent defense when attacked; even gods and demons can't hurt me.

"However, he is usually busy with other matters and rarely stays in the province. He is always stationed on the front line of the Abyss Battlefield."

"This time, I rushed back specifically because I received the news."

At this point, Li Changfeng sighed, his face filled with lingering fear.

If Mr. Lei had arrived even a moment later, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Lin Yuan felt a chill run down his spine. So this was the head of the provincial education bureau, a big shot who had returned from the front lines. No wonder he had such a strong aura.

"Greetings, Elder Lei."

Lin Yuan bowed slightly, then said earnestly, "Whether or not there is a reward is not actually that important."

"I have only one request."

"I hope to give those deceased classmates a proper burial."

"They died fighting against the abyss and should not be forgotten."

Upon hearing this, Lei Zhen was taken aback. He looked at the young man in front of him, and the admiration in his eyes deepened.

Be humble and composed, and value relationships.

This is the true backbone of humanity!

Don't worry.

Lei Zhen patted Lin Yuan on the shoulder, his voice softening: "Those children who died were all heroes."

"We will give them the highest honors for burial and provide their parents with a generous pension to ensure their well-being in their later years."

"This is the only thing I can do for them now."

Lin Yuan nodded: "Then thank you very much, Elder Lei."

Then, Lei Zhen took out his personal communicator and exchanged contact information with Lin Yuan.

This left Li Changfeng and Lu Yun, who were standing nearby, dumbfounded.

You know, Mr. Lei's private phone number is something that countless people would kill for!

"If you encounter any problems you can't solve in the future, or if you have any questions about cultivation, you can contact me directly."

Lei Zhen gave a word of advice, then checked the time, his expression turning serious again.

"Alright, I should go now."

"I'm leaving this to you, Changfeng. Take care of the aftermath."

"Yes, Elder Lei!"

Lei Zhen turned around, his back to the crowd.

In that instant, his originally gentle and kind face suddenly turned fierce and ferocious, and an overwhelming killing intent surged in his eyes.

"To be able to subtly manipulate the college entrance exam scenario and create such a massive abyss barrier, slowing down rescue efforts across the country, there must be something wrong within our ranks!"

Lei Zhen's fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"No matter who you are, no matter how well you hide, no matter what position you hold."

"I swear, I will find you!"

"Those bastards of the Abyss Order must die!!!"

A few days after the crisis was over.

At the provincial command headquarters, Lei Zhen sat in the main seat, his face so gloomy it could drip water.

"We've found out."

An intelligence officer in military uniform walked in and placed a top-secret document on the table.

His hands were trembling; he was clearly terrified by the contents of the document.

"Report: After investigation by the array master, it has been determined that the core of the array that blocked the dungeon teleportation was not forcibly implanted from the outside."

The intelligence officer swallowed hard, his voice dry: "It's actually embedded directly into the original instance's operational array!"

"In other words, someone abused their position to insert a 'backdoor' into the Abyss during the early stages of the college entrance examination instance's development!"

"This attack from the Abyss was premeditated!"

"Their target isn't just Lin Yuan, but all the geniuses in this year's class!"

"Bang!!"

A loud bang, like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

Lei Zhen slammed his hand on the table, and the conference table, made of extremely hard black ironwood, turned into dust under his palm!

"Great! Excellent!"

Lei Zhen laughed in extreme anger, his laughter filled with intense killing intent.

"Those who have access to the core magic array construction for the college entrance examination instance are probably only a handful of people in the entire province!"

"And each of them is a high-ranking, respected figure!"

Lei Zhen's eyes were blazing with killing intent, and the surrounding air trembled.

Lei Zhen stood up, his body radiating sword energy, cutting countless deep marks into the surrounding walls.

"The Abyss Cult is trying to extend its reach into the lifeline of our human race!"

"Investigate! Investigate thoroughly!"

"No matter who is involved, no matter their identity, once verified, kill them without exception!!"

It felt as if a huge boulder had been placed on everyone's hearts.

External enemies are easy to defend against, but internal traitors are hard to guard against.

If even high-ranking officials of this level have sided with the abyss, and even tampered with matters of national importance like the college entrance examination, then...

Is there any hope for the future of humanity?

Other provinces across the country are doing the same thing; they must conduct a thorough internal investigation!

Tianhai City, Yunhai No.1 Middle School.

After several days of emergency repairs, the damaged school buildings have been largely restored.

The ruins were cleared and the broken walls were rebuilt.

But the lingering abyssal atmosphere in the air, and the undiminished fear on people's faces, remained.

It continues to remind everyone of the tragedy that occurred here just a few days ago.

The entire city, and even the whole country, was shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere.

In the past few days, Lin Yuan, Xia Chen, and the others have been quietly staying at home.

Meanwhile, the admissions advisors at various universities are all extremely busy and overwhelmed.

They didn't leave.

They didn't leave.

According to the rules, although the third round of ranking battles has been canceled, they will still recruit students based on their performance and points in the secret realm.

The council chamber of Yunhai No.1 Middle School.

By this time, the place was already full of people.

Apart from Principal Lu Yun and City Lord Ouyang Lingyun, the rest were all tutors from prestigious universities across the country.

Smoke swirled around the room, and the air was filled with the clamor of voices.

"Cough cough."

Ouyang Lingyun coughed lightly, breaking the noise.

He looked at the two people sitting at the very front and asked:

"Su Ya, Zhao Wuji, how have your discussions gone these past few days, you mentors?"

"How exactly were this year's admission standards determined?"

Upon hearing this, Su Ya and Zhao Wuji exchanged a glance.

Both of them wore an expression that could be described as "happy troubles".

Su Ya rubbed her temples and sighed helplessly, "This really hits a nerve."

"According to past practice, only students ranked in the top 100 nationwide or the top 10 in their province are qualified to enter our Imperial Capital Academy and War Academy."

"Because the higher their ranking, the stronger they are and the rarer their profession is."

"At the very least, it has to be a rare and powerful profession."

At this point, Zhao Wuji picked up the conversation, saying with a strange expression:

"But this year is a bit special."

"It's even outrageous!"

Zhao Wuji pointed to the thick stack of student files on the table and said with a wry smile:

"Because of the attack from the abyss, the monsters in the dungeon are all of high level."

"Under normal circumstances, these students would have all died long ago, but Lin Yuan just happened to be one of them."