Chapter 48: Ebb Tide
◎The wind is rising◎
After a brief greeting and a few small talk, Josephine looked hesitantly at the two calm-looking people, and opened her lips several times but could not utter a word.
Luo Wusheng asked her, "What's wrong?"
“Should we deal with the online public opinion?”
She also felt that it was unfair for someone with double Cs in mental strength and physical fitness to enter the Sphinx, but if the target was Shi Hanqiao, she didn't think it was unfair.
After Josephine restored the signal, she looked for the screen recording of Luo Wusheng's live broadcast room. Whether it was the attack speed, strength or mentality during the battle, she felt that she could not reach her level.
Mental strength and physical fitness aren't the only criteria; they're innate, but one's own hard work shouldn't be overlooked. Not to mention the Sphinx, the other three military academies annually admit many individuals who aren't highly ranked but excel in their exams.
However, those who missed out on the four major military academies on the Star Network seemed to have found a vent for their anger. They blamed all their failures and grievances on the special treatment given to Alpha, and all concentrated on insulting Shi Hanqiao.
Being at C level in both mental strength and physical fitness is the original sin of Alpha.
"Betas aren't worthy, are they? As long as you're an Alpha, with both C's in Mental Strength and Physical Fitness, you can choose any of the four top military academies in the galaxy. So what's the point of all our efforts then?"
Shi Hanqiao, die, die, die! People like her are a waste of food, and they're bad luck to the agricultural scientists who grow seasonal vegetables.
I don't know what her parents were thinking. She'd be useless if she were alive. It would be better to abort such a child from the beginning.
These were the ones that Josephine had seen that had a bit of moral integrity. There was even a greeting to Shi Hanqiao's ancestors, the words used were not only vulgar and obscene, but also contained shameless and foul speculation.
Even though she is such an optimistic person, she can't help feeling depressed when she thinks these words are directed at her.
She felt quite unhappy, but still asked Luo Wusheng how to solve the problem with the hope of her companions.
Before their commander had even spoken, Shi Hanqiao asked.
"Why do you care about this?" Why bother? She knew Josephine's identity in the Star Network, but the other party didn't know that her alias was the Demon Lord. Judging from their current relationship, they were not even acquaintances, at most strangers who had met a few times.
"Because you're his friend! You'll be our friend from now on. It's normal for friends to help each other."
Josephine said frankly that the reason they regarded Shi Hanqiao as a friend was simple, because she was the one chosen by Luo Wusheng, just like the Demon Lord.
Their vision in conducting is always good.
Besides, although Shi Hanqiao had the reputation of being a waste, they were not the kind of people who judged character by strength. After meeting her several times, Josephine had a pretty good impression of her.
The others had the same idea as Josephine, and they all nodded in agreement.
Shi Hanqiao was silent. When the Demon Lord was being slandered in the Star Realm, they also took the initiative to offer help without any ulterior motives.
The reason is exactly the same, because W/Luo Wusheng.
An inexplicable feeling flashed through her heart, so fast that she couldn't catch it.
But this feeling of being protected was also quite good. Shi Hanqiao paused and said with a smile: "Thank you."
The words were addressed to Josephine and the others, but her gaze fell on Luo Wusheng. His profile was thin, and his lips, slightly pursed because of her thanks, looked serious and formal.
No matter how the young conductor tried to remain calm, he was still pleased when the person he liked looked at him, and his ears turned red because it happened in front of his friends and in public.
He was just upset because Josephine easily closed the distance with Girl A. He had spent a lot of time and energy to get closer to her, but now all the negative emotions disappeared when Shi Hanqiao's gaze fell on him.
The real gratitude in that thank you said to everyone is for him.
Luo Wuming asked: "What should we do now?"
The Kovia siblings and Josephine were actively discussing the plan. Ulysses stood behind his sister in silence, his eyes occasionally shifting between Luo Wusheng and Shi Hanqiao.
Luo Wusheng comforted him, "Don't worry, there are people who are more anxious than us."
"People, here they come."
As a few people were walking out of the star port, a group of people swarmed over. They were teachers and students from the Sphinx.
The leading teacher briefly introduced himself and then explained their purpose: "You should have received the message from the school. To ensure your health after military training, the school has provided you with a comprehensive physical examination. Please follow us."
Josephine and Luo Wuming were both bewildered. The former cast a questioning look at her brother and soon received a message from him.
The school is more anxious than us. This is related to the school's reputation.
Josephine is not really stupid, she just doesn't want to think about complicated things when she is not in combat. After all, she is also a member of the complicated Black family, so she understands it immediately.
The current target of the online fire was Shi Hanqiao, but she was nothing more than a target. How many people truly wanted fairness, and how many were simply taking advantage of the situation? This matter could be a big deal or a small one. If things went wrong, the reputation of the Sphinx, the only thousand-year-old prestigious university, could be at stake.
Shouldn’t the school be more anxious than them to minimize the risks?
In order to lighten the heavy atmosphere on the road, the team sent by the school introduced themselves one by one. One of the teachers was named Luo.
Soon everyone arrived at the school's exclusive building. The first item was a test of physical fitness and mental strength, and their urgency was obvious.
Shi Hanqiao didn't like crowds of people. She could still accept Josephine and the others since they were Luo Wusheng's friends, but when the teachers and student union members from the school came, she wanted to leave. It was the young man next to her who held her back, and she reluctantly followed them.
She is a free-spirited person and is so self-centered that she is not subject to moral control by anyone. She doesn't care.
But before the test, Luo Wusheng's voice always echoed in her ears.
[Whether they question you or not is not important, and I think you probably don't care either, but I don't like them scolding you.]
【But I care! 】
The energy indicator for the physical fitness test rose steadily. At the same time, the energy indicator on the instrument that measured mental strength flickered at a speed that was difficult to discern with the naked eye.
Bang--
The instrument that detected mental power exploded with sparks and emitted bursts of white smoke.
Everyone was startled, and Shi Hanqiao's thoughts were also pulled back. She narrowed her eyes slightly, and the energy bar in the physical fitness column fell steadily to the position where Luo Wusheng had stopped two minutes ago, between S level and 2S level.
Constitution S+
The leading school teacher breathed a sigh of relief and quickly asked the medical staff to replace it with a new mental power tester and re-test her mental power.
This time the energy bar rose very quickly, but under everyone's expectant gaze, it suddenly stopped when it reached level C, and no matter how you looked at it, it would not move up one step further.
Physical fitness S+, mental strength C level
Mental strength and physical fitness complement each other. It was the first time that everyone had seen such a huge disparity in Shi Hanqiao's data. Usually, the most they saw was a difference of one or one and a half levels. There had never been a case of someone directly jumping from C level to S+.
"this..."
Even medical experts in the field of mental strength were confused.
Luo Wusheng noticed the instrument that blew up the first time. The energy bar instantly soared and then exploded, just like when he first saw her taking the test to connect to the mecha.
I also noticed that the energy bar of physical fitness and the energy bar of the second mental strength test both rose steadily and then stopped abruptly. At the moment of stopping, there was a faint, almost invisible fluctuation in the energy bars, as if someone was controlling them.
He looked at Shi Hanqiao, who had already removed her equipment, leaving space for curious people to gather around. She was leaning lazily against the wall.
Noticing his gaze, she blinked without any disguise. The smile in her eyes was no longer superficial, but a kind of good mood similar to the success of a prank.
Luo Wusheng suddenly remembered that the Demon Lord once said that she liked to deliberately anger people who hated her or people she didn't like, but she herself would not be affected by external things.
He seemed to see her unknown side again.
After two more tests, the mental strength was still at C level. The leading teacher sighed regretfully, but S+ was good enough.
The Sphinx officials were very efficient. While Luo Wusheng and Shi Hanqiao were undergoing their physical examinations according to the normal procedures, they released the latest test data of Female A. Although the difference in mental strength and physical fitness levels was too large, the open and transparent testing process, as well as the comparison of Male O and Female A's use in succession, avoided the possibility of questioning the instrument from the root.
As soon as the official data came out, those who originally liked Shi Hanqiao because of military training or supported her and Luo Wusheng became emboldened and immediately launched a counterattack.
[I said her performance in military training was definitely more than a C-level in terms of physical fitness. Now I'm proven wrong!]
[Although a physical fitness of S+ is not uncommon in the four major military academies, it is at least above the passing line and is fully qualified to enter the Sphinx.]
"Those foul-mouthed people should try to be more virtuous! I'm only seventeen. Two years ago, I was fifteen. While most people's mental and physical strength do tend to stabilize around twelve or thirteen, scientific research shows that full stability occurs before eighteen. I'm just developing a little slower. Enough with those who speak ill of a teenager!"
[I just want to know how her C-rank connects to the mecha? There's no way to change it!]
[Luo Wusheng was her invigilator during her graduation exam. Could there have been something fishy going on between these two from the beginning?]
Even if his S-grade physique reached the standards of the four major military academies, how did Han Qiao pass the graduation exam? If Luo Wusheng really let him off, it's still unfair!
"If you use your little finger-sized brains and think about it, the graduation exam is judged by the system with the help of the invigilator. Do you think Shi Hanqiao has the ability to bribe the artificial intelligence? I'm afraid you're going to make me laugh to death."
In theory, C-class mechas can't connect to mechas, but there are exceptions. Didn't you see the first scrapped mecha in the video? This shows that Shi Hanqiao's mental power may be underdeveloped. His mental power may even be S+. It's not uncommon for mental fluctuations to connect to mechas!
[If you're not smart, go and see a brain. If you lack common sense, read more books and don't embarrass yourself on Starnet!]
Just a quarter of an hour after Sphinx issued the test report, the wind direction of Star Network changed drastically, and the attack on Shi Hanqiao's remarks became testimony exposing his own character and quality.
Half an hour later, the physical examination was over and some of the teachers sent by the school had already left.
The rest of the people are led by Teacher Luo.
When Han Qiao, Luo Wusheng and others finished their physical examination and were about to leave, Teacher Luo stopped them.
Luo Wusheng felt something and asked, "What is your identity standing here?"
Surprise flashed in Shi Hanqiao's eyes. Luo Wusheng's voice was as calm as ever, but she sensed the disbelief, anger, and helplessness suppressed in him.
"This last test was ordered by your grandfather."
While Mr. Luo was speaking, Luo Wusheng's watch flashed. It was a message from Mr. Luo, confirming that he was telling the truth.
The young man's face turned pale instantly. Shi Hanqiao walked closer to his side and said, "If you don't want to, let's go back."
Luo Wusheng closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions. The warm memories of the past were still vivid, but now things had changed. The Luo family had long intended to draw a line between them and him, and now they were openly siding with Tan An.
He is not the type of person who would rather let the world betray me than let the world betray me. If this is what the old man wants, then he will just do it.
"Come with me and take the test. It won't take much time."
There was sadness beneath the pleading look in her phoenix eyes. Shi Hanqiao couldn't bear to refuse and nodded in agreement.
The two of them went into a separate room together. Only professionals were allowed in, and Josephine and others were kept outside.
"What are you testing?" Josephine and Luo Wuming stared at each other, and the latter had a bad feeling.
"Pheromone matching." Ulysses looked out the window and saw that the wind from the capital planet was blowing to the West Asia planet.
【Author’s words】
(●─●)
Sheng's heart knot is coming~
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