Chapter 87

Inside the asteroid.

Qin Yebai’s words were nothing short of dropping a bombshell.

It sent everyone in the conference room into a frenzy.

“Who? Who did you say came back to life?” The chaos around escalated, and Zhou Xing’s face changed repeatedly.

In that brief moment, many things were connected.

Under the lights, the once-quiet conference room now felt like a pot boiling over with hot oil. The name Yun Chi plunged everyone into turmoil.

Even now, hearing that name made everyone present lose their composure.

In this unpredictable atmosphere, Qin Yebai spoke: “…I could only fully confirm this today.”

“Not only is Yun Chi still alive, but she is also the third person hidden behind the scenes at the slaughterhouse, the one controlling the entire situation.”

All the astonished, angry, and indescribable gazes focused on him.

Qin Yebai first mentioned his promotion to special star level, and with Fang Yanli standing before them, they couldn’t directly question Qin Yebai.

Originally, Yun Chi had been handed over to Qin Yebai for supervision after being captured and sent to the highest prison!

It had been nearly a year since the Alliance announced Yun Chi’s confirmed death.

And now they were suddenly told Yun Chi was still alive?

What a joke!

Someone took a deep breath, fighting the overwhelming feeling of suffocation, and shouted, “Since the first time the slaughterhouse targeted the Li family on a large scale, we repeatedly inquired.”

“You assured us time and again that Yun Chi could never escape from the highest prison!”

Indeed.

Before this, Qin Yebai never imagined a piglike being could escape.

The highest prison holding Yun Chi had the most secure defense system in the entire star system, even guarded by super-star mechs.

But after the first injection of Blue Russel, Yun Chi’s body quickly deteriorated.

Numerous tests were conducted, and it was determined that even if given the chance, Yun Chi couldn’t escape the highest prison due to the mechanical lock and the debilitating pain embedded in her bones.

Her body values had plummeted, which is why most piglike beings couldn’t survive the second Blue Russel injection.

Their bodies were transformed into vessels for storing talent, requiring minimal guard and defense.

Because of Yun Chi’s high talent, Qin Yebai ensured the extracted talents were used by him first, so he replaced human guards with unmanned mechs.

This decision proved correct.

Even without human guards, the highest prison remained under his control, and extracting the second and third talents went smoothly, allowing him to ascend to special star level.

Due to the ease of these later extractions and his joy in ascending to special star level, Qin Yebai spent a lot of time adapting to his newfound talents.

After his promotion, he underwent nearly eight months of treatment.

Using others’ talents wasn’t entirely harmless.

However, decades of research provided effective ways to counter the side effects.

Yun Chi escaped during his recovery period.

When he first received the news, he was focused on adapting to his body, convinced Yun Chi would quickly die even if she escaped.

There was no cure for the poisons of Fierce Russel and Blue Russel.

No one could develop an antidote for these toxins within months.

If they could, the plan wouldn’t have remained undiscovered for so many years.

No one knew because all the informed parties were dead.

“This incident was indeed my oversight,” Qin Yebai said solemnly. “When the highest prison exploded, the research institute was extremely busy.”

He emphasized “extremely busy.”

Those aware of the piglike plan realized that period was likely his recovery phase.

The attendees calmed slightly.

At this moment, Zhou Xing spoke, his expression grim: “Who exactly is Yun Chi?”

The reasons, the oversight, how Qin Yebai would take responsibility—all could be discussed later.

The immediate priority was Yun Chi’s whereabouts and whether she was who Zhou Xing suspected.

As Qin Yebai was about to speak, the conference room door was knocked.

The person knocking was one of Qin Yebai’s assistants. Under normal circumstances, the assistant shouldn’t have entered, but Qin Yebai had instructed him to monitor the joint exam live broadcast before leaving the starship.

The news received was beyond what the assistant and secretary could handle.

Disregarding the ongoing meeting, he barged in.

“Young Master Bai has been eliminated from the joint exam,” the assistant said with an extremely grim expression. “He sustained severe injuries, and the research institute’s doctors said he was on the brink of death.”

The conference room fell into dead silence.

News of the joint exam spread rapidly.

In such a short time, many had already learned about the elimination of the first super-star plus.

Zhou Xing’s expression was extremely dark.

Many attendees were unaware of the inside story!

Bai Yeming wasn’t just a super-star plus; his mech likely used special star-level components.

He was supposed to be the strongest participant in the joint exam.

Yet, after encountering Ji Fu, he was directly eliminated.

Moreover… critically injured and near death.

In such a situation, Zhou Xing could no longer control his emotions. The distance to the exam venue was considerable, and even for a special star-level individual, it would take some time to get there.

The main two juniors of the Zhou family were still at the exam site!

He abruptly stood up, his gaze sinisterly fixated on Qin Yebai, and loudly asked, “Answer me now, is the interstellar academy’s Ji Fu actually Yun Chi!?”

The room was in shock.

The current joint exam was highly popular. Even those who didn’t pay much attention to it knew that the Interstellar Academy had an outstanding new student.

A person with a defective talent, who had risen all the way up to now possess a super star-level talent.

Zhou Xing was actually claiming this person was Yun Chi!?

Boom!

This news was like a sudden thunderclap, exploding in everyone’s ears.

The head of the Han family felt his ears ringing. Three or four years ago, during Yun Chi’s chaos, his family hadn’t yet entered the ranks of the top three and four. His understanding of Yun Chi came from others.

He looked up at Qin Yebai with a dazed expression, only to see Qin Yebai’s face darkening as he said, “Yes.”

Qin Yebai’s expression was extremely unpleasant.

He had been calmly dealing with these people because of his absolute confidence in his resurrection plan.

But in less than an hour of the high-level meeting, Bai Yeming had nearly been killed by Ji Fu!

Qin Yebai turned to Fang Yanli: “A severe criminal has infiltrated the military academy and has gravely injured a student there.”

His eyes were pitch black as he stared at Fang Yanli: “Is the executive director just going to turn a blind eye to this?”

Fang Yanli’s gaze was icy. He lifted his eyes to meet Qin Yebai’s and said, “Evidence?”

Qin Yebai looked at him in disbelief.

Fang Yanli, expressionless, said, “What evidence do you have that Ji Fu is Yun Chi?”

He tapped the table lightly, a gesture that seemed to echo in everyone’s hearts.

“The highest office only acts on evidence, not speculation,” he said, standing in the light like an emotionless statue. “You want to take action, provide evidence first.”

Qin Yebai felt suffocated.

As he raised his head and looked into Fang Yanli’s eyes, he felt a sense of absurdity.

Fang Yanli’s expression was cold and somber.

In fact, there was still one person in the alliance who could command him.

He was waiting.

Waiting for that person to appear.

Or rather, he came here today to find out if that person was involved.

In the tense atmosphere, it was the alliance’s commander who spoke first.

He stood up, his face stern, and said, “Regardless of whether Ji Fu is Yun Chi, for the safety of the students, the joint exam must be immediately suspended.”

The surroundings fell silent.

The joint exam was still being broadcast live, and suspending it now would indeed cause some unrest.

But in comparison, the safety of the elite children from various families was more important.

The head of the Han family woke up as if from a dream and immediately said, “Yes, suspend the joint exam immediately! Quick, notify the invigilators and the three super starships outside the exam venue!”

This could be done without Fang Yanli’s intervention.

“As for other matters, they will be discussed after confirming Ji Fu’s identity. This meeting is adjourned!” The commander said coldly as he left.

The conference room descended into chaos.

The network within the exam area was isolated from external signals.

After hearing Qin Yebai’s definite answer, Zhou Xing directly contacted the personnel responsible for the signal isolation and demanded they lift the isolation.

Ji Fu’s identity was an explosive revelation.

His priority was ensuring his family’s safety.

Once the commander left, most people in the conference room hurriedly departed.

With Bai Yeming critically injured and near death, Qin Yebai could no longer afford to tangle with Fang Yanli.

Before leaving, Cheng Hao glanced at Fang Yanli. Seeing no intention to stop him, he refrained from intervening.

The conference room emptied quickly.

Only Fang Yanli remained quietly standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.

Cheng Hao followed his gaze and saw Qin Yebai’s hurried figure.

He heard Fang Yanli beside him say, “Keep an eye on him.”

Cheng Hao was momentarily stunned and looked up at him.

Fang Yanli’s expression was stern as he said, “If Qin Yebai shows up at the main residence on the Imperial Star, inform me immediately.”

Fang Yanli’s instincts were always sharp.

Since the fall of the Qin family, Qin Yebai had no one backing him, but during today’s meeting, it was clear that people were implicating him in Yun Chi’s escape.

He couldn’t possibly confront so many noble families in the alliance alone.

Yet he remained confident.

Moreover, how had a non-promotional talent suddenly expanded to special star-level in just a few years?

In the dense night, Fang Yanli’s eyes were deep, like a silent black sea.

It appeared calm, but a storm was brewing within.

Meanwhile, Qin Yebai, upon boarding the starship, immediately contacted the main family.

“…It was my misjudgment. I will take full responsibility, but,” Qin Yebai closed his eyes briefly, and when he reopened them, his eyes were bloodshot.

He said coldly, “Ji Fu cannot be allowed to live.”

Apart from her uncontrollably soaring talent, there was also the matter of the slaughterhouse.

Had Ji Fu quietly been eliminated by Bai Yeming today, he might have tolerated her for a while longer, but she had nearly killed Bai Yeming.

Qin Yebai pinched his brow and said coldly, “I need you to deploy the three super star-level mech soldiers at the exam site.”

“Temporarily subdue her, and I will handle it personally.”

Huansheng was just an experiment.

The first special star-level mech he truly created was in his own hands. This mech had not been used in battle yet and had no specific information recorded on the Tianbang.

Originally, it would have been best to leave this matter to Fang Yanli.

But now, he couldn’t figure out Fang Yanli’s intentions.

Not that it mattered anymore.

Special star-level mechs were no longer exclusive to Fang Yanli.

In the joint exam venue.

After the announcement of Bai Yeming’s elimination, Zhou Xingyu emerged from the medical capsule.

His body had mostly recovered.

However, he hadn’t expected that during his short period of rest, both Fang Yuan and Bai Yeming would be consecutively eliminated.

Since the start of this joint exam, they had always been in the lead.

Now, with the fourth round not yet finished, the situation had changed drastically.

It’s no longer about winning the championship.

Zhou Xingyu suspected that there was something wrong with Bai Yeming’s mech. Its strength was too high, not resembling a super star+.

Even in this situation, Bai Yeming had still been defeated by Ji Fu.

If it were him, he probably wouldn’t fare well against Ji Fu either.

After careful consideration, he took Han Siyi and left the asteroid, heading towards the heavily polluted area, also known as Exam Venue No. 1.

Unexpectedly, just as he piloted Rose to land at Venue No. 1, he saw Zhou Lu Hai.

Zhou Xingyu’s expression darkened.

“You guessed it right.” Before he could react, another mech appeared in the polluted area.

In the heavily polluted area, the mech’s scanning range was drastically reduced.

By the time Zhou Xingyu detected the mech’s presence, Ji Fu had already piloted Zhushi and appeared in front of him.

She and Zhou Lu Hai were positioned on either side of him, forming a pincer attack.

The live broadcast was buzzing with comments: 【Who could have predicted this scene before the joint exam started】

【The Interstellar Academy has really come a long way】

【…Let’s not speak too soon, Zhou Xingyu is, after all, from the legion】

Although the fifth round hadn’t started yet, everyone knew that after this battle, the champion of this exam would likely be decided.

But surprises often come unexpectedly.

Just as Zhou Lu Hai and Ji Fu took their positions, without even making a move, an urgent notification sounded in the exam venue:

【Exam suspended】

This suspension announcement came without warning.

The live stream paused for a few seconds, then was flooded with question marks.

【?】

【What’s going on, why suspend it?】

【Isn’t this unfair? Ji Fu and Zhou Lu Hai were about to win, now it’s suspended. Will it restart from the same situation?】

Viewers were extremely confused.

Some even started cursing in frustration.

In the exam venue, Zhou Lu Hai paused, frowning.

Before he could react, three super starships appeared in the sky above the venue.

The urgent notification sounded again.

【In ten seconds, all candidates will be forcibly ejected from the exam venue】

【The live broadcast will also be closed】

As the announcement ended, a countdown appeared on all the students’ badges.

The badge’s elimination and teleportation function activated, removing all the students from the venue.

Ji Fu opened her communicator and saw that many people in the Interstellar Academy group were discussing this.

Tan Xi commented: 【…There must be some anomaly in the exam venue. This has happened in previous exams.】

But before Tan Xi could elaborate, he was also forcibly teleported to the super starship.

The remaining few students from the academy gradually appeared beside him.

At the last three seconds of the countdown, Zhou Lu Hai also appeared.

Zhou Lu Hai looked displeased. The first thing he did was open his communicator and enter the live broadcast.

“One!” The countdown ended just as he clicked in, and the live broadcast was cut off.

… Ji Fu hadn’t come out.

Before he was ejected, Ji Fu was still standing nearby, and Zhou Xingyu was there too.

For some reason, Zhou Lu Hai felt a strong sense of unease.

He looked up and saw Tan Xi. Just as he was about to ask about the other two starships, the live broadcast, which had been closed, suddenly reopened.

Only a few seconds had passed since the forced closure, and many viewers hadn’t left.

Seeing the broadcast window reopen, everyone was momentarily stunned.

【What’s going on?】

【Is the suspension over?】

【No, something’s off… I checked, all other live streams are still closed, only this one is open】

This comment had just appeared when all the live streams from the invigilator’s side, which had gone black after the suspension, suddenly reopened.

But unlike before, every live stream now showed the same scene—Ji Fu’s personal view.

In the scene, Ji Fu was still in the heavily polluted area, facing three unfamiliar super star+ mechs.

Except for her and these three mechs, all other students had been teleported out.

Seeing this, everyone on the starship changed their expressions.

“Why didn’t Ji Fu come out?”

“Is she being targeted?”

There must be a reason why she didn’t come out.

In the live broadcast, one of the three mechs facing Ji Fu had already revealed its weapon, a rolling mechanical saw. The buzzing sound of the saw echoed in the broadcast.

The mech lunged at Ji Fu, aiming to strike her head, but just as it leaped into the air, a command stopped it.

“Wait!” The three super star+ mechs attacking Ji Fu were all controlled by the legion.

Zhou Xing was remotely commanding them.

He had already given his orders but didn’t expect the live broadcast to suddenly open.

“What’s going on!? Didn’t I tell you to cut the broadcast?” Zhou Xing turned to the exam site manager beside him.

The manager, drenched in sweat, replied in alarm, “The regional network has failed.”

Network failure.

Zhou Xing’s expression turned grim.

He knew who was behind the remote control of the regional network.

“Commander?” The mech soldiers in the exam venue asked, “Should we proceed?”

Zhou Xing’s face darkened.

The deed was already done. Even if they stopped now, Ji Fu’s identity would still be revealed later.

Her purpose in opening the live broadcast was to make them hesitate.

But for the alliance, nothing was more important than killing her.

Zhou Xing coldly said, “Proceed as planned!”

As soon as he spoke, the gray-silver mech in the broadcast suddenly sprang into action.

They didn’t know that part of the ice-blue energy wave Bai Yeming had used earlier still remained in Zhushi.

During Zhou Xing’s hesitation, Ji Fu had fused the energy wave with Extreme Night Fire.

Two massive energy waves, one crimson and one dark blue, appeared on the gray-silver mech, coiling around Zhushi’s hands.

Ji Fu activated Berserk Mode, and with Zhushi in a high-frequency flash state after automatic repairs, she swiftly closed in on the three mechs.

Under the watchful eyes of countless viewers, the energy waves in her hands broke through all obstacles and pierced the engines of the two mechs in front of her.

Boom! Bang!

The intense sparks from the engines lit up the chests of the two mechs, and they were engulfed in flames, killed instantly.

Qin Chu Yue sneered, “Did they really think every mech was like Bai Yeming’s?”

Ordinary super star+ mechs without a special star-level core couldn’t possibly be a match for Ji Fu.

However, more pressing was the incoming threat.

She glanced at the control panel, her expression grim, “A super mech is approaching the exam venue at extreme speed.”

“Not sure if it’s Qin Yebai or Fang Yanli.”

The speed was unprecedented, indicating it could only be a special star-level mech.

After her violent outburst, Ji Fu rose again. For the first time, she spoke directly to Qin Chu Yue in the broadcast without using text.

She said calmly, “It doesn’t matter.”

Two mechs had been instantly destroyed, leaving only one, led by a legion squad captain.

His face was ashen.

Qin Yebai had instructed them to detain Ji Fu, but Zhou Xing had directly ordered her execution.

Before the attack, they hadn’t anticipated Ji Fu’s mech to be so overpowering.

He activated Berserk Mode and aimed a barrage of cannon fire at Ji Fu.

Boom!

The unrestrained attack from the super star+ mech brought Venue No. 1 to the brink of collapse.

However, the targeted mech disappeared before the barrage hit.

【Mech target lost】

The captain turned and delivered a devastating strike towards the rear.

Bang!

The strike ripped the ground apart, causing an earthquake.

The gray-silver mech was forced to reveal itself amid the explosion.

Ji Fu’s mech’s left arm was critically damaged.

Yet, she showed no emotion, swiftly closing in on the captain.

The mech’s sudden proximity startled the captain, who initiated the mech’s self-destruct sequence, only to be torn apart by Ji Fu before it could activate.

Boom!

Zhushi violently dismantled the mech before her. Ji Fu’s talent stats fluctuated wildly, pushing her mechanical strength to the limit, reducing the mech to fragments.

The entire process took less than a minute, and Ji Fu’s talent was exhausted after the final kill.

The gray-silver mech stood in midair.

The live broadcast comments froze, with countless viewers shocked by her rapid destruction of three mech soldiers.

【Those three didn’t have badges… did she just kill them?】

Yes, she did.

Under the watchful eyes of the entire interstellar audience, Ji Fu slowly turned around.

She pressed the mech’s communication button, and her cold, emotionless voice resonated through the live broadcast.

“Hello everyone, please allow me to introduce myself.”

Her eyes, devoid of much emotion, were like beautiful black crystals.

She stared directly at the broadcast camera and calmly said, “I am Ji Fu.”

“And… the third handler of the Slaughterhouse, former interstellar convict—Yun Chi.”