hotmtlnovel Chapter 27 was not retained.
Chapter 27 was not retained.
The playground of Rongcheng No. 2 High School is now enveloped by a huge holographic force field, turning it into a temporary "Beidou Metaverse" access port.
The final stage of the mock exam, the practical assessment, was always simulated within the Beidou Metaverse.
"Buzz—!"
A sharp buzzing sound pierced the sky.
Duan Peng's Hummingbird light mech traced a strange S-shaped trajectory in the air. His opponent was a deep blue Peregrine interceptor, and the two engaged in a thrilling dogfight at an altitude of 100 meters.
Duan Peng's mech's back thrusters flashed frequently as he used high-frequency directional changes to evade the AI-locked missiles, while simultaneously attempting to use his machine gun to bite the opponent's tail.
……
Not far away, the scene took a sudden turn.
In a simulated desolate mining landscape, a heavy-duty engineering mech is wielding its massive excavating arm, frantically working on a piece of high-hardness ore.
As they dug, a centipede-like monster suddenly emerged from the ground. The engineering mech swung its mechanical arm to break up rocks while using the miniature cannons on its shoulders to blast the centipede that lunged at it.
These are candidates for engineering-type mechs... Sparks and rubble fly together; it's less of an exam and more of a high-intensity battlefield rescue operation.
Their test was to mine a specified number of source crystals within a given time while simultaneously fighting off randomly spawning "Abyss Monsters."
……
On the most eye-catching track in the entire event, Lü Mufei was "speeding".
The Chiying GT mech has activated its top speed mode, its body elongating and folding, instantly transforming into a streamlined pink and white supercar.
"Boom!" The roar of the engine was deafening.
Her opponent was a "Crimson Comet" mech that also possessed the ability to transform. The two vehicles drove side by side on a simulated mountain road, their speedometers jumping wildly, instantly exceeding 350 kilometers per hour.
Near the summit, Lü Mufei's pink and white Chiying GT finally caught up with her opponent and transformed into human form at the top of the mountain, engaging in a fierce one-on-one battle.
……
This is the actual examination venue after the college entrance examination reform in China. All candidates are tested in a completely identical virtual environment, eliminating unfair factors such as venue differences and equipment deviations that may occur in real examination venues.
The exam questions are generated uniformly by the central "Aurogon AI", but uniformity does not mean sameness. Aurogon AI will automatically generate the opponent and scenario that best suits the characteristics of each candidate based on the type of mecha they use.
This dynamic test design not only tests candidates' hard skills but also their depth of understanding of their own mechs.
However, for some functional mechs, such as engineering mechs, the exam questions may seem complicated, but in fact, the more functional the mech, the more stable the score tends to be.
……
In contrast, the examination room in Zone C, where Wang Xing was located, seemed somewhat retro.
A desolate Gobi Desert.
The opponent generated for him by the Candle Dragon AI was an unnamed humanoid mech. Based on the data of the Tiger-type mech, the Candle Dragon AI generated a dark red "Berserker" mech.
There are no extra exam contents; it's just pure close-quarters combat.
"The exam begins."
The moment the electronic voice faded, the humanoid mecha moved.
Its speed wasn't fast, but every step it took was on the optimal attack route, as if it had calculated all of Wang Xing's dodge angles in advance. Wang Xing's pupils contracted slightly, and he unleashed the Tiger Walking Nine Mountains Footwork, his body shifting to the side like a swimming dragon. At the same time, he drew his longsword and unleashed the "Mountain Splitting" move of the Breaking Army Three Styles.
The blade clashed with the opponent's arm armor, sparks flying. The armor of that mech was harder than expected; Wang Xing's full-force strike only managed to leave a shallow mark. He was startled and immediately changed his move, his blade flashing as he tried to find an opening in the joints.
But the other party did not give him a chance.
"boom--!"
The humanoid mecha's counterattack was simple and brutal; it threw a punch, the force of which compressed the air, creating a visible shockwave.
"Clang..." Wang Xing parried with his sword, but was knocked back more than ten meters, his hands and feet going numb.
"The opponents generated by the Candle Dragon AI are impossible for me to defeat."
Wang Xing quickly calmed down. "Its goal is to force me to reveal all my trump cards."
He took a deep breath, his blood and qi surging through his meridians like a tide. He unleashed his third-tier movement technique at full power, no longer engaging in direct confrontation with his opponent. Instead, he used the undulating terrain of the Gobi Desert and the concealment of the rocks to constantly move around, observe, and search for weaknesses.
The humanoid mech followed closely, its punches blasting rocks into fragments, creating bursts of dust on the Gobi Desert.
As Wang Xing dodged, he sheathed his longsword, popped out his arm shield, and began charging up his Qi and Blood Abyss Core Chest Cannon.
"Now!"
With a stomp of its foot, Wang Xing's mecha leaped more than ten meters into the air like a tiger leaping over a ravine.
The chest cannon roared at its highest point, the crimson beam tearing through the air and precisely hitting the energy node of the opponent's knee joint.
"The Three Forms of Breaking the Army - Cutting Off the Flow!"
At the same time, taking advantage of the downward momentum, Wang Xing drew his long sword again and slashed down fiercely, his eyes burning with a fierce fighting spirit.
He knew he couldn't defeat the mech, but the standard for judging by the Candle Dragon AI was never "victory or defeat," but "performance."
The combat intelligence, battlefield observation, and execution ability to integrate all skills demonstrated under extreme pressure... all contribute to the score.
Over the next three minutes, Wang Xing revealed all his cards.
The Tiger's Journey Through Nine Mountains footwork and the Three Forms of Breaking Army swordsmanship were perfectly coordinated, with spear and cannon skills interspersed in between, and the timing of the Qi and Blood Abyss Core Chest Cannon's energy accumulation was controlled to the millisecond level.
He even tried the mental intimidation of the "Tiger's Roar" resonance module. Although it had little effect on the AI-generated opponents, the fighting spirit of not giving up any possibility even in a desperate situation was the most dazzling score.
finally.
The humanoid mech's punch shattered the Tiger mech's left shoulder armor, slamming the entire mech into the Gobi Desert's rock formations.
[Beep—Student has died; exam over]
An electronic announcement signaling the end of the exam played.
The Tiger-type mech was embedded in the pile of rubble, watching the data stream flowing in the virtual sky, but a smile was on its lips.
"I have nothing left to hold back..."
……
The exam is over.
But the results won't be available until tomorrow afternoon, leaving all the students in suspense.
In the evening after the exam, Wang Xing and Lü Mufei walked side by side on the rubber track of the playground.
At sunset.
The two figures overlapped in a strange shape on the red track.
These two have been getting very close lately, though it's hard to pinpoint exactly when it started, perhaps it began with that coincidental metaverse matching operation.
That's how friendships during adolescence are; for some reason, you suddenly find yourself stuck together for a period of time.
"How did the exam go?"
Lu Mufei's platinum blonde hair swayed slightly in the evening breeze. "Do you think you have a chance of getting into the Yuanpei Class?"
"Anyway, I did my best."
Wang Xing sighed, "Doing my best is my way of mecha, regardless of the outcome."
"Pfft..."
Lu Mufei smiled and brushed a stray hair from her forehead: "Let me tell you, why are you getting all worked up? Looks like you did well on the exam."
"It's alright."
Wang Xing smiled. "I feel like this is the best performance I've ever had. My Qi and Blood have increased by 0.4 levels in a month, my academic performance has also improved significantly, and in terms of combat... I'm at least at the Gold rank in the Beidou Yuan Universe now."
This was indeed his best exam result, but he was still unsure, considering that the students in the Yuanpei Class had a 15% score bonus.
I don't know if it can actually penetrate that barrier.
Lu Mufei said, "Then you should be able to get into the Yuanpei Class, unless those guys in the Yuanpei Class get promoted faster than you, but I don't think they can do it faster than you."
"If I really get into the Yuanpei Class, we won't be in the same class anymore."
Wang Xing said earnestly, "But I will remember your help to me, and I will definitely lend you a hand if you ever need anything in the future."
Lu Mufei did indeed help him a lot with small things, such as mecha modification, Tiger Roar module, and points when aiming for the Golden Age... Although none of them were major events, these bonds had quietly taken root in Wang Xing's grateful nature.
Lu Mufei turned her head to look at him, the setting sun reflecting an amber light in her eyes: "How do you know we're not in the same class?"
"Please, you can't curse me to fail the Yuanpei Class just so you can continue being my classmate, right?" Wang Xing said, both amused and exasperated.
"Fool."
Lü Mufei rolled her eyes at him. "Then why can't it be that we both get into Yuanpei University?"
"I see... that's not impossible."
Wang Xing blinked, then smiled. Lü Mufei had made considerable progress, but the huge hole in her blood and qi was still there. Unless the top ten on the list all got sick from a team-building activity and missed the exam, she had no chance of getting into the Yuanpei Class.
As the two were chatting and laughing, a familiar figure suddenly appeared.
He was wearing an oversized hoodie, with the hood pulled up over his head, covering half of his face.
It was none other than Sun Donglai.
Sun Donglai seemed to have lost even more weight. His once round face now had some angular features, and he looked rather haggard.
Seeing Wang Xing and Lü Mufei standing side by side, chatting and laughing, Sun Donglai's eyes paused almost imperceptibly.
Wang Xing also noticed Sun Donglai. Lately, Sun Donglai had been using the excuse of going back to his grandfather's house every night to reduce the opportunities to ride the bus together and the time they spent talking had become even shorter...
But Wang Xing sensed that an invisible rift was quietly spreading across the surface of their friendship.
"East……"
Wang Xing had just opened his mouth, wanting to ask the other person how the exam went.
Sun Donglai spoke first, his voice as flat as still water: "Good luck, Wang Xing. I wish you success in getting into the Yuanpei Class."
After speaking, he nodded slightly, his gaze lingering briefly on Wang Xing's face before shifting away and brushing past the two of them.
Wang Xing watched his retreating figure, his brows furrowing slightly.
"Ah Xing".
Lu Mufei's voice came from the side, tinged with a hint of doubt:
"Didn't Sun Donglai always call you 'Ah Xing' before?"