"This... Is this guy trying to hide his Quirk from us, or does he just enjoy fighting from the shadows?" Present Mic's mouth twitched. Originally, he thought Bakugo Katsuki was an impressive candidate, but now his opinion had changed. This candidate named Yang Xiao was truly formidable.
Even Bakugo Katsuki couldn't guarantee a one-hit knockout against every robotic enemy. While he might achieve it more frequently early on before his Quirk depleted, the success rate would drop significantly as he defeated more enemies.
But what about this candidate Yang Xiao?
Across dozens of screens, this guy scored one-hit knockouts every time. What did that mean?
It meant his Quirk had remarkable endurance without weakening. By this point, most people's Quirks would be exhausted. Once a Quirk tires, combat effectiveness plummets, sometimes even rendering the user unable to fight.
Therefore, Yang Xiao's strength surprised all the teachers present. Was this kid just too powerful?
What was particularly interesting in the footage was that after Yang Xiao defeated one robotic enemy, he would go out and lure another inside. Dozens of enemies were drawn into the building this way.
It seemed almost comical, but sometimes this kind of cleverness was necessary. The robotic enemies were relatively dull, programmed only to defeat examinees without adaptability—a vulnerability that could be exploited.
"Truly fascinating," Shota Aizawa remarked with keen interest, turning to Present Mic. "No one would prefer this fighting style unless they were born killers or accustomed to combat in no-man's-land. This person is deliberately keeping a low profile."
"I agree. This candidate's actual strength should surpass that of first-place Bakugo Katsuki," Snipe nodded in agreement.
"Should we adjust his ranking then?" another teacher suggested.
"No!" Aizawa stated firmly. "Actual scores are the basis for assessment. Even if a candidate hides their strength and deliberately underperforms, that's their own choice. We shouldn't confuse the matter."
"Mr. Aizawa is right, but where is All Might?" Principal Nezu only now noticed All Might's absence.
"It's normal for him to be late, don't worry about it," a teacher chuckled.
...
Yang Xiao had already finished the exam and was on his way home. He had no idea that his deliberately low-key and well-concealed strategy had been uncovered by U.A. High's teachers.
Or more accurately, uncovered by Shota Aizawa alone.
Had he known this would happen, Yang Xiao would never have hidden inside buildings to fight. Though it concealed him, the key point was that the exam venue was covered in cameras—true concealment was impossible.
Unaware of all this, Yang Xiao was currently taking the train back to the Broken House. During the exam, Toga Himiko had been constantly calling him. Fortunately, Yang Xiao could handle the robotic enemies with ease, so he answered the phone.
Of course, Toga didn't know Yang Xiao was at U.A. High or that he was taking an exam. She simply said Yang Xiao should come to the Broken House.
Yang Xiao felt helpless but didn't dare disobey this little troublemaker, so he could only return to the Broken House after the exam.
"Why are you so slow?" Toga Himiko complained unhappily when she saw Yang Xiao had just arrived.
"Big sister, I have to go to school," Yang Xiao smiled wryly. "Being able to use a phone at school is already good enough, and you're still making demands?"
"Oh, so you've learned to talk back now?" Toga Himiko glared and pulled out a syringe.
"Hey, hey, hey!" At this moment, Mr. Compress took his feet off the table, pinched his nose with one hand and said, "Don't be so impatient, you two. Are you really about to start fighting?"
"Hmph!" Toga Himiko put away her 'weapon' syringe, and Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. She was probably the only one who carried a syringe around with her.
"Mr. Compress, are you busy today? Why were you in such a hurry to have me come back?" Yang Xiao thought something urgent had happened at the Broken House, hence the summons.
At this moment, Toga was staring intently at Mr. Compress. Mr. Compress laughed dryly and said to Yang Xiao, "It's nothing serious, just some matters to handle. Come take a look at this list."
"Oh..." Yang Xiao pretended to be unaware and walked over. After picking up the Broken House's list and scanning it a few times, he immediately cursed: "These people are getting more and more ridiculous. Pretending to be a couple? Breaking up and making up? Human punching bags?"
"Why don't they just die? What kind of crap list is this?" Yang Xiao looked at Mr. Compress. "Boss, you actually make money from this kind of garbage list?"
Mr. Compress laughed and looked at Yang Xiao. "The reason it's called the 'Broken List' is because there's money to be made. The earnings from this kind of list are much better than those other lists."
Just as Yang Xiao was about to speak, Mr. Compress suddenly slapped the bottom of the table. At that moment, the rolling shutter door of the Broken House suddenly dropped, plunging the room into darkness.
Wasn't the rolling door manual?
When did it become electric?
"What's going on?" Yang Xiao immediately asked.
"Hehe!" Mr. Compress suddenly became mysterious, saying in a slightly deep voice: "You two have been part of the Broken House for a while now. I've decided to let you in on the core of the Broken House."
"What?" Yang Xiao thought he misheard. "What core? Are you cosplaying as S.H.I.E.L.D. now?"
"Follow me..." Mr. Compress didn't explain further, simply gesturing for Toga Himiko and Yang Xiao to follow him.
Toga Himiko was half-convinced, half-doubtful. What kind of core center could the Broken House have? Was he joking?
This place was almost shut down before. What tricks was Mr. Compress playing today?
Mr. Compress opened his own door, letting Yang Xiao and Toga Himiko enter, and warned: "Don't look around, don't touch anything, just follow me."
Don't look around? Impossible!
After entering the room, Yang Xiao began scrutinizing Mr. Compress's living space. What shocked him was that the room was hung with various knives and numerous bottles and jars. It looked like a small armory, yet also like a laboratory.
Toga Himiko was also somewhat surprised. Was Mr. Compress not as simple as he seemed?
Ten seconds later, Mr. Compress led the two to a small room containing only a bed and a chair. Mr. Compress went to the bed and lifted it, then stepped on the bed frame a few times. Suddenly, a square hole opened up.
"There's a secret passage here?" Yang Xiao looked at Mr. Compress in astonishment. Could this guy be a major drug lord or a big-time criminal? Hiding in the Broken House just to conceal his true identity—was he actually an irredeemable villain?
On the surface, he took jobs to help people, but was he a murderer behind the scenes?
Damn, my imagination is running wild!
"What are you standing around for? Come down." Seeing Yang Xiao and Toga frozen in place, Mr. Compress climbed down the secret passage stairs first.