Week 2: Deep Sea Exam (Part 3)
Light gradually filtered through the surface of the ocean, dispelling the darkness of the deep. Lin Bai slowly adjusted to the growing light, feeling the warmth seeping into her body through the icy water, only then did she realize she had finally escaped.
She struggled to swim upwards. The moment she broke through the water, air filled her lungs, and Lin Bai gasped for breath. The sun shone on her wet skin, and she floated in the sea, feeling the warmth of having survived the disaster.
At the same time, the camera strapped to her body finally recovered its signal, transmitting the entirety of what had just happened to the distant monitoring room. A moment later, the broadcast sounded, and a clear electronic sound echoed in the air—
"Congratulations to candidate Lin Bai for successfully defeating an intermediate-level dark beast, the Abyssal Scaled Snake."
The sound of this broadcast was like a heavy hammer hitting the calm surface of a lake, causing ripples in the monitoring room.
Lin Bai stared at the empty sea, still a touch of disbelief in her heart. Her boat had vanished without a trace, and save for the sound of the crashing waves, she felt as if she were on a deserted island. Only the voice from the radio reminded her that she was still a candidate, not a wanderer left in despair.
——
At the same time, there was silence in the monitoring room, and all the teachers in charge of observation were shocked.
They had already assumed that Lin Bai was in great danger. After all, candidates who had lost contact had never survived.
But just when they thought the footage would never recover, the surveillance footage of Lin Bai suddenly flickered, followed by her image and data feedback.
The next second, they watched with their own eyes as Lin Bai not only successfully avoided the group of abyssal scale snakes, but also escaped from the attack of unknown creatures, and finally broke free from the shackles of darkness and floated to the surface.
"This new student is too strong..."
Someone murmured in a low voice, his face full of disbelief.
"She...how did she do it?"
Another teacher sat up straight, fingers darting across the screen, pulling up Lin Bai's combat data. But no matter how they looked at it, the answers were beyond their comprehension.
An elderly teacher said in disbelief, "She was able to escape unscathed even after encountering a powerful unknown creature."
Lin Bai, the least promising student on the list of candidates, has now become a treasure in the eyes of all teachers.
Her teacher Chen Chen was so relieved that he was speechless.
——
To Lin Bai's surprise, a small island suddenly appeared in front of her.
She quickly headed towards the island, and fortunately, the map showed that the destination was on this island.
Lin Bai adjusted her breathing while swimming towards the island. As the distance shortened, she could finally see the outline of the island clearly - dense jungle, scattered reefs, and a fine white sand beach.
She knew very well that the exam was not over yet, and although the end was near, it might not be safe.
When her toes touched the soft sand, Lin Bai finally stepped onto land. She was soaked, and the sea breeze brought a hint of chill. But she didn't relax. Instead, she quickly looked around, warily observing this unfamiliar island.
Suddenly, a low roar came from underground, the fine sand and gravel suddenly collapsed, and a giant creature covered with dark brown shell broke out of the ground.
Lin Bai's eyes flashed, and he jumped up instantly, avoiding the giant claw that suddenly attacked him.
This is a diamond mantis, a rare land beast with a shell-like body, amazing explosive power and sharp blade arms. It is best at ambushing prey.
Its eyes flashed with a dark green light as it stared at Lin Bai with the greed of a wild beast for its prey.
Lin Bai bent his legs slightly and assumed a fighting stance.
boom--
Gravel flew everywhere as the King Kong Mantis's blade slashed down, instantly tearing a deep gully into the ground! Lin Bai rolled to avoid it, dust flying behind her. The wind blade from the mantis's blade grazed her shoulder, severing her sleeve. A trace of blood seeped through her skin, causing a burning pain.
She half-knelt on the ground, breathing heavily, and looked up at the front - the King Kong Mantis had dark green eyes, and the muscles under the shell were tense. It was slowly raising its blade arm, preparing to launch the next round of attack.
Lin Bai's heart was pounding, and her fingers were trembling slightly. She could feel the power of this mantis.
The King Kong Mantis let out a shrill scream, its figure suddenly blurred, and it charged again.
Lin Bai had almost no time to think and instinctively turned over to avoid the attack. However, as soon as she stood up, the blade arm of the King Kong Mantis swept across, bringing with it a fierce wind pressure.
Bang!
Severe pain shot through her body, and Lin Bai was knocked flying, crashing heavily into a reef! She groaned, and a fishy-sweet taste surged in her throat, which she swallowed hard.
Her arms were numb from blocking, bleeding profusely, and a sharp pain pierced her back, clearly injured. However, she didn't dare to stop, forcing herself to roll to her feet, her gaze fixed on the King Kong Mantis.
Lin Bai gritted her teeth and tried to steady her breathing. She knew that if she continued to be so passive, defeat would only be a matter of time.
Her eyes quickly scanned the body of the King Kong Mantis, trying to find its weakness.
However, the King Kong Mantis did not give her time to think. The next second, it raised its blade arm high, with a faint light flashing in its eyes, and suddenly slashed towards her.
Lin Bai suddenly turned sideways, twisting her body forcefully to avoid the fatal blow! The sharp blade passed almost close to her face, slicing off a strand of hair and embedding deeply into the ground, causing gravel to explode.
At this moment, Lin Bai's eyes suddenly focused
She saw that after the King Kong Mantis's blade arm slashed, the chest shell opened slightly, revealing the soft tissue inside!
Lin Bai didn't hesitate at all and whispered softly. Bellerophon appeared behind Lin Bai on Pegasus, holding a spear in his right hand and a bow in his left.
In an instant, Bellerophon drew his longbow and pointed it at the vital point.
However, the King Kong Mantis's reaction was faster than she imagined.
It actually forcibly retracted its shell and suddenly swung its blade arm to chop down.
The huge impact force knocked Lin Bai away, and he rolled onto the sand, with a trace of blood finally flowing from the corner of his mouth.
Her arms were shaking, her knuckles were cracked, and blood was dripping from her fingertips.
This guy is more difficult than she thought.
Lin Bai gritted her teeth, endured the severe pain, turned over and jumped up. She knew she was wrong. The real vulnerable part was her eyes. She had an idea.
Bellerophon charged, his spear pointed directly at the mantis's eyes.
The King Kong Mantis roared angrily, crossing its blades and arms in an attempt to block.
This time, however, its defenses were completely crushed. The long blade pierced its eyes and pierced through its head. The mantis let out a horrific wail, struggled violently, and finally collapsed to the ground.
Lin Bai half-knelt on the sand, breathing slightly.
Blood dripped from her fingertips, staining the white gravel red. Her chest heaved violently, pain and fatigue spreading from every limb, yet her gaze remained sharp, fixed firmly on the body of the Diamond Mantis in front of her.
The sea breeze blew by, picking up a few grains of sand and dust, which swept across her sweat-soaked temples.
She slowly raised her eyes, her gaze as calm as water. The figure of Bellerophon behind her disappeared.
——This is the real battlefield of the assessment.
The trial officially begins from the moment you set foot on this island.
In the air, a cold electronic sound rang out, without any emotional ups and downs.
"Congratulations to candidate Lin Bai for defeating the intermediate dark beast King Kong Mantis."
Lin Bai closed his eyes, knowing that he had no time to stay.
She stood up with her still trembling arms, gritted her teeth, took a step forward, and walked steadily into the depths of the jungle.
Every step she took was stained with blood and pain, but her figure remained upright.
——
There was dead silence in the monitoring room.
All the invigilators held their breath and no one spoke for a long time.
They originally thought that Lin Bai was just a weak human, however, the data displayed on the screen at this moment made it impossible for everyone to ignore this name, and even unable to look down on all human beings.
Her fighting style, her calmness and decisiveness, her instinct for survival in desperate situations...
"she......"
A teacher opened his mouth, but didn't know how to describe his shock at the moment.
On the screen, Lin Bai walked into the jungle.
But everyone's eyes could no longer be taken away from her.
Inside the monitoring room, the atmosphere remained subdued. The teachers, each with their heads down, busied themselves with work. The screens displayed Lin Bai's tracking data and battle analysis, yet their gazes remained fixed on her figure for a long time. Every teacher understood that this candidate had surpassed their expectations, even their understanding of the assessment itself.
"Is she... really a freshman? What's the situation at her home?" A young male teacher muttered to himself, his eyes filled with disbelief and shock at the collapse of his common sense.
An older female teacher took a deep breath and raised her head, her eyes a little blurry. "She is really a new student, adopted by a member of the rabbit tribe. Oh, that rabbit tribe member is Yu Sihe."
"Lin Bai's combat awareness is too weak." Chen Chen finally spoke.
"She didn't discover the true weakness of the Diamond Mantis early on."
——
Lin Bai's steps gradually became steady as she passed through the dense jungle. The air was filled with the smell of dampness and rotting leaves. Her clothes were soaked through, and her skin was covered in dried blood and dirt.
Her exhausted body couldn't stop. With every step she took, she kept repeating in her heart, "Can't stop, can't stop."
She knew very well that although King Kong Mantis had been defeated just now, this test was far from over.
Suddenly, a low roar came from the front. Lin Bai stopped in her tracks alertly and quickly hid in the bushes nearby. She held her breath and listened closely to the source of the sound.
The roar gradually approached, like some giant beast on the move. Lin Bai knew that if she rushed forward at this moment, she would inevitably be exposed. She observed her surroundings, keenly aware of any possible threats.
Just as she held her breath, the grass ahead suddenly shook, and a massive dark beast burst out from the bushes. Its body was covered in thick gray scales, its legs were strong and powerful, and its back was covered in sharp thorns. Its eyes flashed blood-red as it stared at the bushes where Lin Bai was hiding.
Lin Bai's face changed, and he turned around without hesitation and ran quickly in the opposite direction.
This dark beast was obviously not an opponent she could easily deal with. Its strength and defense far exceeded that of the King Kong Mantis. If she fought it head-on, she would likely fall into greater danger.
She rushed through the jungle, not daring to look back. Though her body was exhausted, her legs kept running, and the sound of trees snapping behind her was heard.
Suddenly, a furry tail appeared, wrapped around Lin Bai and pulled her onto the tree. A huge dark beast rushed past from under the tree. Lin Bai saw the dark beast walking away, calmed down and looked at the young man beside her.
"Thank you, I am Lin Bai, a human. Thank you for saving me. May I ask who you are?" Lin Bai stretched out his bloody hand, wiped it on his body, and stretched it out again.
"Chen Wen, from the cat tribe." The boy's voice was flat.
Lin Bai remembered the young man who stood next to Yu Qiu on the day when his mimicry awakened.
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