Chapter 547: Lin Fan, Dismissed

Inside the car.

Cheng Zhi panted heavily, still reeling from the recent events. He noticed everyone staring at him – not just Xiao Hong and Zhang Yue, but even the icy goddess was looking directly at him.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Cheng Zhi felt shy under their gazes. It was one thing for the guys to stare, but having a beautiful woman stare at him too was too much to bear.

He was genuinely bewildered.

He hadn't even figured out what had just happened.

Zhang Yue excitedly patted his shoulder. "You're so incredible! Why didn't you tell us before? You were the weakest in the academy. I… I really didn't expect this. You've been playing possum!"

Having narrowly escaped death, Zhang Yue felt an intense appreciation for life.

"I didn't, I really didn't!" Cheng Zhi explained. He desperately wanted to tell everyone that their perception of his strength was false. Truthfully, he hadn't expected it himself and still couldn't believe it.

"If I said I didn't even know I could block the monster's attacks, would you believe me?"

He looked at everyone, hoping they would believe him. After all, this wasn't something to be proud of.

If he were truly that strong…

He definitely wouldn't have hidden his strength. After all, having teammates sacrifice wasn't like a game; they had truly died here.

Everyone remained silent, just staring at Cheng Zhi.

Their gazes made Cheng Zhi's hair stand on end. "Zhang Yue can testify for me! I really didn't think I could block it. At the academy, I was considered the weakest of the weak. I couldn't even hold a weapon properly; it would be knocked away with a single blow. If I were really this strong, I definitely wouldn't have been a logistics personnel."

At this point, the old logistics driver glanced at Cheng Zhi, as if to say, I feel like you're talking about me, and your meaning is pretty clear: who would want to work in logistics if they had real strength?

However, at this moment, Cheng Zhi didn't notice the damage his words had inflicted on certain individuals.

He wanted them to know that he genuinely had no idea.

Perhaps they wouldn't believe him.

But that was the truth.

"I can testify. Back at the academy, Cheng Zhi was the weakest. He couldn't even hold a weapon properly; it'd be knocked away with a single hit. So no one wanted to spar with him." Zhang Yue spoke the truth, but somehow, he didn't even believe his own words. The reality was indeed as he described, but what they had witnessed was a different story.

Xiao Hong looked at him.

Cheng Zhi nodded. "He's telling the truth."

Xiao Hong didn't say much, picking up her headset instead. "Reporting mission status. The Yanhu City scientist rescue was a trap. Due to unknown reasons, the scientist mutated into an unknown monster. The scientist-monster was contained within an underground base and lured us there to open the base doors. It possesses high intelligence. Re-evaluation of the monster is required."

After finishing, Xiao Hong sighed.

The thought of their sacrificed teammates weighed heavily on her.

"Damn!" At that moment, Wang Xiaojun exclaimed with regret. "I should have summoned the Warrior of Light. If he had been there, everything would have been fine."

"Shut up," Xiao Hong snapped.

Wang Xiaojun shrunk back, knowing the captain was in a bad mood. He didn't continue, but his moving lips showed his lingering regret.

The vehicle continued, the journey bumpy, mirroring their heavy and restless hearts.

Zhang Yue asked, "Have you been secretly training?"

"I…" Cheng Zhi felt like crying. He didn't know how to explain the situation. He wanted to say, I really don't know what's going on.

At the time, he had rushed forward without thinking, wanting to save Zhang Yue, even prepared to sacrifice himself. Who could have imagined that the monster, despite its appearance, was so useless?

Suddenly, a possibility struck him.

Was it the training I did with Brother Lin at the academy?

But that seemed impossible.

He hadn't been able to block a single blow back then. Now, he was starting to doubt himself.

Could I have suddenly awakened?

Meng Jinxia kept observing Cheng Zhi.

She had always considered herself the most outstanding among the new recruits. However, the current situation clearly suggested otherwise. She admitted her excellence, but compared to Cheng Zhi, the gap seemed significant.

At the very least, she couldn't do what Cheng Zhi had done.

Cheng Zhi wasn't used to being watched like this. He felt shy and uncomfortable.

Lin Fan sat in the security room, resting his chin on his hand, boredly looking outside.

"Will, are you sure you've been paying attention to these things? No one has called for me yet. Can you be more diligent? This is really important to me."

He always suspected that the Will wasn't telling him everything.

Although it wasn't nice to doubt it, some things were better asked directly.

This Will seemed a bit… simple-minded.

Always anxious and fearful.

Faced with Lin Fan's questioning, the Will honestly replied, I will pay attention. I really will.

Lin Fan chose to believe the Will.

Knock, knock!

At that moment, a school leader knocked on the window.

Lin Fan recognized him: the Director of Academic Affairs, one of the school leaders, a balding, middle-aged man. Lin Fan had smelled his scent before; it was a mix of several women's perfumes.

"Lin Fan, I have something to discuss with you." The director entered, lit a cigarette, pulled up a chair, and looked at him with an air of authority. "You know about the recent incidents at the school, right?"

"What incidents?" Lin Fan asked.

The director gave him a look as if saying, Don't play dumb. "The sudden deaths. It's had a negative impact on the school. After all, we're a renowned special combat academy. Incidents like these are scandals. Therefore, the academy has decided to hire security personnel from a professional security company."

"This is your severance pay. You've done a good job, meeting our requirements for security personnel. But unfortunately… we need professionals."

After finishing, the director stood up, patted Lin Fan's shoulder, and left.

His purpose was to get Lin Fan to leave. It could have been done with a single sentence, but he believed that as a teacher, he should handle things with tact. However, the final, pointed remark was the essence of it all.

"I've been fired."

Lin Fan opened the envelope, revealing a few thousand yuan in severance pay. The thought of not being able to work here anymore filled him with regret. Although the salary wasn't high, he enjoyed the work environment and seeing different people every day.

The handsome young men were full of energy.

The beautiful young ladies were lively and adorable.

He packed his belongings, which weren't much, except for the Warrior of Light mask, which he couldn't forget. After changing his clothes, he stood at the door for a while, then took his suitcase and left.

His only regret was his tomato plants; he wouldn't be able to see them blossom and bear fruit.

Not long after Lin Fan left, the director arranged for two of his relatives to become the academy's security guards.

Room and board included, with better benefits than Lin Fan had received.

"I need to find a job."

Lin Fan walked down the street, thinking about becoming a kindergarten security guard. He tried several kindergartens, but some didn't need anyone, while others required complete documentation and had extremely strict requirements. The end result was clear: he wasn't hired.

Even someone as kind-hearted as him couldn't land a kindergarten security job. There were simply too many qualified people.

Finally, Lin Fan was hired at a restaurant, proudly becoming a waiter.

In Jinzhou City.

Cheng Zhi was nervous. The organization was conducting a comprehensive assessment of him. Xiao Hong, Wang Zhong, and other high-ranking officials were present. The Yanhu City mission had had a significant impact.

The loss of several experienced members was almost unbearable for the Extermination Organization.

"Don't be nervous. We're just assessing your physical condition," Xiao Hong said.

"Mm, I know." Cheng Zhi nodded. Many people were watching him, and the news had spread. Those who knew Cheng Zhi were shocked when they heard about it.

Him?

Are you kidding?

He was at the bottom of the class at the academy. How could he be so powerful?

Soon, the test results came out.

Everyone crowded around.

Xiao Hong frowned as she looked at the results. They weren't as impressive as she had imagined; everything seemed mediocre. His speed and stamina weren't particularly strong.

The test results were ordinary, with nothing remarkable.

"Bring me two swords." Xiao Hong tossed the test results aside, took the swords, and threw one to Cheng Zhi. "I'll attack, and you defend. You can treat me like that monster."

Cheng Zhi nervously took the sword, unsure if he could do it.

The surrounding people watched in surprise. They hadn't expected Captain Xiao Hong to take action herself. This showed how much she trusted Cheng Zhi.

Xiao Hong didn't give Cheng Zhi any time to react, just like the monster wouldn't have given anyone a chance.

With a low growl, she swung the Tang straight sword fiercely at Cheng Zhi.

Instinctively, Cheng Zhi blocked. Clang! Sparks flew. Xiao Hong's expression changed. She had held back, unsure of Cheng Zhi's capabilities.

But even with her holding back, not just anyone could have blocked it.

Next, she unleashed her full strength, fiercely pressing down. To her surprise, Cheng Zhi remained unmoved, still able to block.

"Counterattack," Xiao Hong instructed.

Cheng Zhi growled and pushed back. Suddenly, Xiao Hong felt a powerful force from Cheng Zhi's sword. Bang! Xiao Hong was sent staggering backward.

"Am I really this strong?" Cheng Zhi lowered his head, in disbelief. He had done all that? It was too incredible.

"Very good," Xiao Hong praised, recognizing his strength in blocking. The only puzzle was how he achieved it.

His own strength wasn't remarkable.

But the force of his counterattack was terrifying.