SSS-level catastrophe? That's my wife!

After a long pause, a glint of light flashed in Zhao Shanhe's eyes. He tapped his fingertips heavily on the locations of several mountain ranges on the map and said in a deep voice, "We have been in a misconception all along, which is to ignore the mountains and rivers of each city."

Chen Yong leaned forward respectfully and asked, "Boss, what do you mean...?"

Zhao Shanhe raised his hand to interrupt: "Starting today, send 80% of the people to various cities and mountainous areas."

"If any discoveries are made, evacuate and report immediately."

"Yes, boss!" the two replied in unison.

After they left, Zhao Shanhe frowned and muttered to himself, "What is the purpose of the central government's large-scale actions these days?"

"What is the Kingdom Organization, operating behind the scenes, planning to do now?"

He sighed again, his voice tinged with weariness: "It's absurd that the envoy who once championed righteousness is actually the biggest mastermind behind everything."

"I thought that in the final battle, with my trump cards and the forces of Zhen'eting both overt and covert, it would be an evenly matched battle."

"But if we add an eighth-tier awakener, the scales will tip too far... Regardless of victory or defeat, it will be a bloody feast that will fight to the death and sweep across China."

……

Yunjing Residential Area.

In the bedroom, Lin Mu opened her sleepy eyes, subconsciously turned over, and reached for her phone on the bedside table.

The screen lights up, displaying the time as 10:15.

He rubbed his eyes and prepared to get up and head to Qing Shou Mountain.

The next second, as if he suddenly remembered something, he abruptly looked to his side.

The pillow was empty, with only a faint scent of his body lingering in the air, proving that he hadn't slept alone in bed last night.

He murmured softly, his eyes dimming, "Have they already left?"

The moment he sat up, a white slip of paper instantly caught his eye.

The above consists of three lines of hastily written text:

Lin Mu, you're sleeping like a log.

I'm leaving now. If you miss me, just call me anytime. Don't be shy or hesitant, okay?

[Also, I've already sent you a good morning kiss~]

After reading it, Lin Mu subconsciously touched his lips with his fingertips.

He shook his head and chuckled softly, "Your handwriting really needs improvement."

After saying that, he put the note into the drawer.

Deep inside the drawer, there was another note that had been stored for a long time, with three lines of hastily written handwriting:

I'm leaving, don't worry about me.

A string of phone numbers

If you miss me, give me a call.

A moment later, he arrived at the entrance, put on his coat, and strode out the door.

……

Inside the principal's office at Jiangcheng College.

A dignified man sat opposite Principal Song, his invisible pressure spreading like a tide, making Principal Song's already reserved expression even more tense.

He carefully pushed the teacup in front of the man, and sat back on the leather sofa with his back still straight. He said, "It is truly beyond my expectations. It is only a freshman with theory but no strength who has caught the eye of Zhen'erting."

"But what surprised me even more was that this was such a trivial matter, yet it brought Chief Ning Mo here in person."

He paused, his Adam's apple bobbing, and finally couldn't help but lean forward to ask, "May I ask the reason?"

"After all, the Zhen'e Court has never set a precedent for anyone below the fourth-tier Awakener since ancient times, let alone someone who is... a zero-tier Awakener..."

"Of course, I was just asking casually. If it's inconvenient..."

"It's alright." Ning Mo looked up at him and interrupted in a deep voice, "I have personally met this student, and his theoretical knowledge is even above ours."

"Such an outstanding person deserves Zhen Eting to make an exception for him."

Principal Song nodded in agreement, his wrinkles crinkling into a smile: "Yes, yes! You're right! I was short-sighted."

He rubbed his hands together tentatively and asked, "If there are more students like this in the future, will they also have the honor of entering the Zhen'e Ting?"

"No." Ning Mo's answer was calm and without any ripples.

"Cough, cough—"

Principal Song choked on his tea and coughed repeatedly. When he put down his teacup, there was still water on the corner of his mouth, and his face was full of question marks. He stood there for a moment, not knowing how to respond.

"Let's get the paperwork done, Principal Song," Ning Mo said calmly.

Principal Song readily agreed, "Okay! Okay! Don't worry, I'll prepare the graduation procedures for Lin Mu right away."

"This child is incredibly lucky. I imagine his family will throw a three-day feast to celebrate when they hear the news."

……

Qing Shou Mountain, the blazing sun hangs high.

Looking up from the foot of the mountain, the trainees, carrying 150-pound weighted packs, resembled a wriggling dragon rushing towards the summit.

My back was completely soaked with sweat, clinging damply to my back, and the winding mountain path was covered with glistening drops of sweat.

Halfway up the mountain, a chubby figure was panting heavily as he moved along.

He carried a heavy load on his back, held a glass of chilled freshly squeezed juice in his left hand, and gripped a sizzling, oily grilled sausage in his right hand; not a single part of his body was idle.

As he ate the grilled sausage, he muttered to himself, "My dad always said that if a mountain sells grilled sausages, it means that the mountain is very safe."

He paused, took another sip of freshly squeezed juice, and mumbled, "It has to be Brother Mu. He dares to skip such a big academy event, which will be included in the final exam. Doesn't he care at all?"

At the foot of the mountain, a middle-aged man in a gray uniform ran up to Cheng Xiao with a friendly smile on his face: "Instructor Cheng Xiao, the last batch of students has climbed the mountain, and the attendance of the entire academy has been counted—almost perfect attendance."

Cheng Xiao's face darkened instantly. When he looked up at the middle-aged man, the coldness in his eyes made the man instinctively shrink back.

"Complete is complete, and incomplete is incomplete. How can it be considered basic? Coach Du, are you confusing the facts?"

This is the second time.

Coach Du's expression stiffened, and he quickly forced a smile, saying, "Just like last time, it's Lin Mu who's absent again... Do you think... is it necessary to make another home visit?"

Cheng Xiao's lips twitched violently, and he finally sighed helplessly: "He's taken leave again? Oh well, we should be more tolerant of students who are weak and sickly."

Coach Du's smile froze for a moment before he replied, "Coach Cheng Xiao, this time... he didn't ask for leave..."

Cheng Xiao's face instantly turned as black as the bottom of a pot. After all, the shadow of the last home visit had not yet dissipated, and he felt inexplicably apprehensive whenever he thought of Lin Mu.

"boom--"

The roar of an engine suddenly shattered the silence of the mountains.

Immediately afterwards, a black Maybach sped up like lightning and came to a steady stop at the foot of the mountain.

Lin Mu calmly stepped out of the car and walked up to the two men, asking in a composed tone, "Coach Cheng Xiao, Coach Du, where are the weight packs?"

Coach Du quickly pointed to a spot not far away, his tone urgent: "It's just a hundred meters ahead! We're only waiting for you!"

"I'm telling you this separately: once you reach the summit, you need to get Instructor Chen's signature; otherwise, this assessment will be considered a failure. Understand?"

Cheng Xiao didn't reply. His gaze was fixed on Lin Mu, and his brows furrowed slightly: The entrance to Qing Shou Mountain was clearly blocked. How did Lin Mu drive in?

Lin Mu simply responded with a faint "Mm" and turned to leave.

His back was tall and aloof, as if he were carrying some unspoken thoughts, and his whole being exuded a coldness that kept strangers at bay.

"Instructor Cheng Xiao, you had perfect attendance at this Qing Shou Mountain training exercise!" Instructor Du quickly put away the trainee roster and reported again with a smile.

Cheng Xiao didn't respond. He stared at Lin Mu's back with a somewhat dazed look in his eyes.

For a fleeting moment, he saw the shadow of another person in Lin Mu.

After snapping back to his senses, he laughed self-deprecatingly: How could this be?