Chapter 87

The itchy and numb sensation in his calves woke Zhang Tie. The moment he opened his eyes, he saw the grayish-green stone roof that looked to have been there for many years. Zhang Tie was a bit dazed for a moment, then he remembered what had happened.

Wolves... the black hole... the endless rolling inside the cave, and the violent shock that ran through his body just before he lost consciousness completely.

I’m not dead yet? Zhang Tie pinched his face, which hurt a lot. Then he quickly felt all over his body from head to toe. Nothing was missing, and his little brother was still there. There were just a few scrapes and bruises on his body, but nothing serious.

"Ha... Ha..." Zhang Tie burst into laughter while sitting on the bed.

Hearing the noise inside the room, the door was suddenly pushed open, and a figure rushed in. "Big Head, you’re awake, that’s great, ha... ha..."

The figure who rushed in pressed Zhang Tie back onto the bed, and the intense pain in his leg made Zhang Tie scream, "Ah, bastard, my leg, you’re pressing on my leg..."

Hearing Zhang Tie’s scream, Doug quickly let him go and stood by the bed, scratching his head foolishly. "Hehe, sorry, I forgot your leg was injured..."

In just a moment, a small patch of sweat appeared on Zhang Tie’s forehead, and his face was contorted with pain. After taking a few deep breaths, the pain in his leg gradually subsided. "Where am I? How did I end up here?"

"This is the outer fortress of the Wild Wolf Castle. After you fell into the hole that day, Captain Collin and Teacher Jerome took you out of the black hole that night. You’re really lucky. They said that after thirty meters, there were several very large slopes leading down to over two hundred meters. Captain Collin and Teacher Jerome went down to about two hundred meters to get you out. Seeing that you were injured and unconscious, they brought you here for treatment and rest. This is a special treatment, only given to those who are seriously injured and have lost their ability to move..." Doug opened his mouth and recounted everything that had happened over the past two days.

Special treatment for the seriously injured? Zhang Tie looked around the room. It was quite large, seemingly a ward with over ten beds, all neatly made. The room had a smell of disinfectant, indicating that it was indeed a place provided by the outer fortress of the Wild Wolf Castle for the injured to stay during their treatment.

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"Counting the night before last and yesterday, you’ve been unconscious for two days!"

"I’ve been unconscious for two days?" Zhang Tie was a bit surprised. "Right, who is Teacher Jerome?"

"Of course, it’s been two days. Jerome is the teacher in charge of the second male class. You should remember him, he’s thin, pale, and looks like a pretty boy..." As Doug was speaking, Zhang Tie saw a thin, pale, and pretty-looking guy approaching the door, about to enter.

Zhang Tie quickly gave Doug a meaningful look and even tugged at his clothes, but Doug’s brain short-circuited at the critical moment. He didn’t understand Zhang Tie’s hints and even looked puzzled.

"Why are you pulling me? I didn’t say anything wrong. Jerome looks like a pretty boy, and when he smiles, he always gives off a very sinister feeling..."

"Calling me a pretty boy can be interpreted as jealousy of my handsome appearance, but saying I look sinister when I smile can only be interpreted as defamation of a member of the Temporary Supervisory Committee!" Jerome said as he walked over.

Zhang Tie helplessly called out, "Teacher Jerome!"

Doug’s face turned pale, and he gave Zhang Tie a resentful look. Then, he stiffly turned around and stammered, "Te... Teacher Jerome!"

"Your name is Doug, right? According to the wartime management laws of the Alliance, how should those who defame and insult officials of the wartime management committee be punished?" Jerome smiled, giving off a very sinister feeling.

Hearing this, Doug’s body trembled violently, and even his teeth chattered. According to the wartime management laws of the Alliance, such a crime could result in imprisonment or even execution.

Zhang Tie’s face changed in fear. "Teacher Jerome, Doug..."

Jerome walked over and kicked Doug out of the room. "This is your punishment for defaming your teacher..."

At this moment, Doug had a sudden enlightenment and became obedient. As soon as he was kicked, he rushed out of the door, turned around, made a face at Zhang Tie, and ran off.

This Jerome isn’t a bad person, Zhang Tie thought. Teachers who kick students on the butt usually aren’t that bad.

"Thank you, Teacher Jerome. I just woke up and was about to thank you!" Zhang Tie made a move to get out of bed.

"Alright, don’t move. Your leg needs to rest for another two days. You don’t need to thank me. Too many students died in this trial, and it’s embarrassing for us!" Jerome waved his hand and sat on the bed. "By the way, how did you think of jumping into that hole to escape? In that situation, most people would choose a different direction to run. And that hole was bottomless. Jumping into it required as much courage as facing seven wolves alone. The unknown is the most terrifying. Many people stronger than you wouldn’t dare to jump."

Zhang Tie scratched his head, a bit embarrassed, and recounted his thoughts at the time. "I don’t know why, but when I saw the wolves emerge from the grass, I just thought that the only hope for survival was that hole. My life depended on those twenty seconds. Running in any other direction would have been a dead end. So, I did it. Teacher Jerome, is there something wrong with that?"

"No, you did very well. No one could have done better in that situation..." Jerome paused and then laughed. "I was wondering how you could make such a surprising and accurate decision in such a short time. Now it seems like a talent, a talent to remain extremely calm and make the most accurate judgments in dangerous situations..."

"Is that a talent?" Zhang Tie was a bit embarrassed. He guessed it might have something to do with the magical tree. According to Teacher Daina, the杂念 and various chaotic thoughts in the human brain are a form of energy consumption. In that situation, he had no杂念, which means he had no extra energy to waste on those thoughts, allowing them to interfere with his judgment. Where did that extra energy go? It must have something to do with the tree. Zhang Tie had never felt he had this ability before.

Jerome, of course, couldn’t know what was going through Zhang Tie’s mind. He answered Zhang Tie’s question seriously. "Of course, over 99% of people wouldn’t be as calm as you in such a dangerous situation. Making such accurate and sharp judgments in an instant is rare. Collin said you’re good at escaping and surviving. It seems you really are..."

Faced with this ambiguous praise, Zhang Tie could only laugh dryly, thinking of the guy at the mining site. Could it be that the students at the second middle school learned their sarcastic ways from Jerome?

"By the way, have you ignited your Divine Palace Bright Point?"

"Yes, on the third day of the trial here!"

The strength he showed when killing the wolves far exceeded that of an ordinary combat engineer. It would be hard for an ordinary combat engineer to cleanly kill three wolves in one go. This was no longer a secret. Lying about it would be foolish. Many impressive students had emerged during the trial, and he had heard that even a few girls had ignited their Divine Palace Bright Points. Mentioning it now wouldn’t draw too much attention.

Sure enough, when Zhang Tie mentioned igniting his Divine Palace Bright Point, Jerome just nodded, without much questioning. He gave a few words of encouragement and then got to the point.

"Wolves are very intelligent animals. A lone wolf might venture into a populated area to hunt or wander, but a pack of wolves wouldn’t, as they know it’s dangerous. A lone wolf might go mad, but a pack of wolves going mad together is rare. In the past decade, after the garrison at Wild Wolf Castle cleared the area, it’s been rare to hear of a pack of wolves appearing within a five-kilometer radius. Since there’s no evidence of human involvement in your attack, the Temporary Supervisory Committee concluded it was an accident. I’m just letting you know, so you can be cautious."

"Teacher, do you mean my attack might have been orchestrated by someone?" Zhang Tie’s face changed.

"I didn’t say that. I mean your attack was sudden, and it’s possible someone was behind it. I like smart students, and I find you likable, so I’m warning you to be careful during the rest of the trial and avoid acting alone in the future."

"Can someone really control a pack of wolves?" Zhang Tie was surprised.

Zhang Tie’s surprise only earned him a light smile from Jerome. "Controlling a pack of wolves isn’t difficult. If you ever meet a beast tamer or a guardian of the Wilderness from the Guardian of the Divine faith, you’ll see it’s child’s play for them. If controlling a pack of wolves isn’t difficult, making them appear at specific times and places to attack specific targets is even easier. The world is full of wonders..."

...

After Jerome left, Zhang Tie fell into deep thought. Jerome’s last words were subtle, but the meaning was clear. Zhang Tie thought about it, and apart from Gris and his gang, he hadn’t offended anyone else among the trial students. Could it really be Gris and his gang?

As soon as Jerome left, Doug cautiously returned. From Doug’s envious tone, Zhang Tie learned that the three wolves had significantly increased his “net worth”...

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End of the chapter.