*Chapter 63: Cleanup Begins, Tops The List For Half A Day

Qin Zhi brushed off the sarcastic comments from the onlookers.

Outside Huangsha City, Zheng Mu, having delivered his plan, decided he had no time for idle chatter with these guys. With a thought, his two-square-kilometer villa began to tremble.

The next moment, to everyone's horror, the base transformed into a towering chariot, standing as tall as a four or five-story building.

"Wha-what the...?"

"Damn!"

"What is this thing?"

"Take cover!"

The candidates, previously lounging around, scattered like spooked rabbits, sprinting towards safety. As the transformation concluded, they stood at a safe distance, not sure what to do next.

They tried to use their detection skills to analyze the massive metallic beast before them but found nothing. All they could do was watch as the monstrous machine roared towards the desert's heart.

"Is this guy really just a mechanic? Is this thing one of his mechanical inventions?"

A professional gulped, voicing the question to himself and anyone else who might be listening. They watched as Zheng Mu and his companions departed, with their previously victorious mechanical creations leading the way like advanced scouts.

"Did he really say he'd get all 2,000 of us into the Southwest Military University?" someone asked quietly, "And why would he do that? We don't owe him anything."

The group was once again stumped, but someone seemed to have an idea.

With a sigh, Heng Shanhe, an A-level tomb raider, shook his head, his face full of regret. "Don't you guys get it yet? Think about it. He single-handedly beat all 2,000 of us. With the current rules allowing lethal combat, how many of us can survive a month and earn enough points?"

The group shook their heads.

Heng Shanhe spread his hands. "And then what? What will happen to the Southwest Military University if they can't recruit any new members?"

The image of the struggling Southwest Military University filled their minds.

The group gasped. "They'll get demoted!"

Heng Shanhe nodded, looking towards the fading Zheng Mu with newfound respect and gratitude. "Yes, demotion. I don't know why a mechanic, usually seen as weak, is this powerful, but one thing is certain..."

His fist tightened. "If he didn't care about the Southwest Military University, he wouldn't bother with us. He'd leave us to miss out on professional college, destined to be lowly C-level or D-level professionals."

Everyone fell silent, shame washing over them. They realized they were now pawns in Zheng Mu's game, a game this powerful fellow professional was playing.

"No way! I can't just sit here. We have over 2,000 points! How did he get so many?"

"Who wants to team up with me to hunt monsters? We can't match those high-level guys with fancy gear in the center. But maybe we can make it on the outskirts?"

A voice echoed in the crowd, and it immediately sparked hope.

True, they couldn't compete in the heart of the bone-devouring desert, but they could try to help Zheng Mu by hunting more monsters on the outskirts. Every little bit counts and it would lighten Zheng Mu's burden.

Heng Shanhe stood up immediately. "Exactly! We may not be as strong as others, but we can't just sit back and wait for someone else to hand us our tickets in!"

"We may not be able to beat the candidates from Elite University, and those from Northwind University may have us running scared, but don't we have a place in this bone-crushing desert?"

"Folks! Share your professions, let's pair up, form teams, and carve out our own space in the outskirts!"

"Alright! Let's do it! I'm a B-level Paladin, my damage isn't high, but I can take a hit and provide buffs!"

"I'm an A-level Feline Rogue, I'm quick and good at pulling aggro!"

"Join us, we have a B-level Trap Master here. With your monster-luring skills, we'll clean up!"

Back in Huangsha City...

Looking at the screen, Qin Zhi's stern expression softened. After Zheng Mu's departure, a newfound spirit of cooperation had emerged among the candidates, forming teams to hunt monsters on the outskirts of the desert and collect points.

"It's not a total lost cause yet..."

Beside him, He Guang showed a satisfied smile. "See, General? I told you this kid was a leader. He roughed them up a bit, but look, now he's won their respect. He's officer material."

Qin Zhi glanced at him, seeing through his intentions. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We're not sure how this test will play out yet..."

But He Guang was eager. "General, you've seen it yourself, Zheng Mu has serious potential. Even if he fails, he'll do it with dignity. Isn't that the kind of person we want at Southwest Military University? Courageous, powerful, with leadership skills. With some training, he might not be one of the top ten guardian gods, but he could certainly be a commander."

Qin Zhi frowned. "Alright, alright, you want to be the general, do you? Is that what this is about?"

Relief washed over He Guang. It seemed General Qin wouldn't let anything bad happen to Zheng Mu.

Meanwhile...

"Master, those professionals have started forming teams to hunt monsters in the outskirts..."

Upon seeing the feed from the scout drone, Zheng Mu's furrowed brow relaxed slightly. He silently nodded in approval.

Meanwhile, Cai Shengkun huffed. "Well, at least they have some sense of duty!"

Leng Bingyue turned to Zheng Mu. "What's our next move? Do we head straight for the center?"

He had already noticed that the direction of the base vehicle had started to shift.

Zheng Mu offered a small smile and gestured to the Red Queen beside him. She waved her hand and a holographic map, highlighted in red and blue, appeared before them.

"We've been at this for about a week. The candidates from each university have pretty much staked out their territories. Based on their movements, we can roughly divide the bone-devouring desert into nine regions."

As he spoke, emblems of the top-tier universities popped up on the map, marking areas of varying intensity.

Elite University and Northwind University, the frontrunners among top-tier schools, each held half of the central area. The other top-tier universities were positioned slightly outside the central region.

"Since these candidates are unaware of our presence, we can systematically eliminate as many of them as possible."

...

High above, the scout drone relayed real-time information about a group of professionals engaged in combat with monsters to the base vehicle and the mechanical entities moving outside.

"Hurry, hold it back, it's almost down!"

"Hang in there, Niu! I'm going in for the kill!"

"Brother Asheng, keep Niu on his feet, we've got this!"

In the desert, a group of candidates was battling a giant venomous scorpion the size of a tank. It was clear the scorpion was losing steam.

Several glowing arrows were lodged in its body, and chains bound its forelimbs. A hulking young man, Bull, was shielding the others from the scorpion's attacks.

Suddenly, a shadowy figure flickered into view above the scorpion. A dagger plunged into the beast, and after a brief struggle, it collapsed.

"Ha! 19 points! Worth every bit of effort for a level 24 monster. Took all of us quite a while to bring it down."

The tank, Bull, wiped the sweat from his forehead, grinning.

Just then, a whooshing sound filled the air.

The Archer among them paled. "Incoming attack!"

But it was too late. A burst of electricity erupted among them.

"Ah!"

A scream ripped through the air as Bull, still on the ground, convulsed. The others around him started spasming too. Their hair stood on end, and the smell of burning filled the air.

The Flame Mage was the only one left standing after the shock grenade. His protective fire shield had been shattered instantly. As he raised his staff to conjure a new shield, two figures, a man and a beast, abruptly appeared from behind the sand dunes.

"Boom!"

A deafening blast echoed from the man's four-barreled shotgun. The mage's staff shattered with a single shot, and several bloody holes appeared in his arm.

"Ahh!"

The intense pain incapacitated the mage. Before he could recover, the cold steel of the gun barrel was pressed against his forehead.

"Hand over your scorecard!"

The command was as cold and unyielding as the barrel of the gun. The mage hurriedly fumbled in his pocket and produced the scorecard.

The next moment, the shotgun-wielding man tore through the mage's defenses.

"Wow!"

The mage's face fell as he saw a new defensive shield suddenly spring up. He was out of the game. His teammates, still stunned and unable to move, had their scorecards confiscated, and their defensive shields activated simultaneously.

The triumphant cry of a scout hawk filled the air.

Cai Shengkun burst out of the control room, a grin on his face. When he returned, he held seven or eight additional scorecards.

"Ha! Boss, aren't these just the ticket? Look at these scores! Over 700 points here, more than 600 there, and hey! This one's got more than 1,500!"

Zheng Mu was unfazed. This was just the start. He looked at the red markers on the holographic map, each representing a candidate from another university. A dangerous gleam lit his eyes.

They had only themselves to blame. If they'd simply accepted his high score, he'd have left them in peace. But now...

Since the monster kills had a points cap, he'd have to hunt these little lambs instead.

He took the scorecards from Cai Shengkun and transferred the points to his own card. His score rocketed upwards.

Zheng Mu: 6711 points.

The map showed the base vehicle, represented by a yellow dot, heading towards an area dense with candidates from Tianji University, a top-tier school.

High above, surveillance drones from various universities watched the scene unfold. As Zheng Mu made his way towards their candidates, the representative from Tianji University shifted uneasily.

He wanted to warn his candidates, but the supervisors had locked down communications. All he could do was watch as Zheng Mu and his team advanced.

On the leaderboard, Zheng Mu's points rose quickly. Within half a day, he had claimed the top spot.

The Tianji University representative stared at the leaderboard in his hand, his face grim.

"Mechanic Zheng Mu, currently has 147,710 points, ranking first"

"Huangfeng Mage Sang Luo, currently has 4992 points, ranking second"

"Beastmaster Wang Long, currently has 4773 points, ranking third"

"Grudge Wizard Jiang Lanlan, currently has 3677 points, ranking fourth"

"Wine Swordsman Gu Ming, currently has 3670 points, ranking fifth"

"Spirit Guide Ge Feng, currently has 3550 points, ranking sixth"

"Damn it! This Zheng Mu guy is completely breaking the game!" The representative of Tianji University was in a frenzy, especially distressed by the fact that they were under surveillance from a sky drone.

Zheng Mu's base vehicle, once it reached the heart of Tianji University's area, morphed into a towering fortress just like before. It was clear he planned to wipe out the candidates in their territory.

The staggering 140,000 points on the leaderboard were earned through Zheng Mu's mechanical forces attacking hundreds of candidates! Over 60% of these were from Tianji University alone.

The plight of Tianji University wasn't lost on the representatives of other schools. As they watched Zheng Mu's unbeatable score rise, they all wore troubled expressions.

"Principal Liu, are we just going to stand by and let them pick us off one by one?!"

The Tianji University representative anxiously approached Liu Weiqi, but Liu was clearly in his own world of distress.

Standing next to him was the familiar figure of Qin Zhi, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Director Wang, I can see you're worked up, but don't fret. Zheng Mu isn't breaking any rules. In fact, you could say he's playing the game too well."

Qin Zhi pointed to the holographic screen displaying a team of T-800s and Lickers, cornering a group of Tianji University candidates.

"Our friend Zheng Mu could wipe them out, but he's only taking their scorecards."

"If Principal Liu wants to tarnish the reputation of your prestigious university with complaints, be my guest."

Seeing their troubled faces, Qin Zhi was on cloud nine. It was like he had taken on the role of the once-mocking Liu Weiqi.

"Principal Liu, if you've got the right connections, why don't you call for an end to Zheng Mu's scoring system? Let him watch as your people score points by killing monsters, snatch points from others, while he can do nothing but watch. Hahaha."

Liu Weiqi was boiling with anger. He turned to the supervisors, frustration evident in his voice.

"Why is Zheng Mu so good at finding other candidates and monsters in the desert? Have you figured that out yet?"