Zhang Jun had finally emerged. After receiving treatment in the medical room, he could no longer restrain himself. He wheeled himself over and learned along the way that it was none other than the very person he had intended to deal with—Aukes—who had orchestrated his downfall. The anger and humiliation he felt at that moment were beyond measure.
That damned Aukes!
However, upon arriving at the scene, Zhang Jun happened to witness the unfolding drama on the screen. His heart raced in fear, but soon, it turned to exhilaration.
Aukes, the so-called Duck King, was about to meet his end!
With Lan Bing's methods, this wouldn't just result in Aukes's withdrawal from the competition. No, Lan Bing would ruin him, obliterate his points, and ensure he would never rise again!
Zhang Jun had already resigned himself to the consequences of his failed exam, knowing that his future was grim. Yet, if Aukes failed this exam, the Xie family would never tolerate him. At that point... it would be his chance to eliminate this vile creature!
He had even set up an altar in Aukes's name, eagerly awaiting the moment. And then, as he had hoped, the moment came.
Bang! The obese duck was taken by surprise and instantly struck by a group attack. It crumpled, unable to withstand the force.
It fell, but unlike the magical creatures in novels or dramas that reveal their true forms when struck, it simply lay still. However, Lan Bing received a prompt.
Kill small boss, +50 points.
Lan Bing: "???"
What in the world? Wasn't that enormous duck Aukes?
"What's going on, Mike? Didn't you say she turned into a big fat duck?" Lan Bing shouted, furiously attacking other ducks, but no one was the right one!
His teammates, still attacking the ducks, kept calling out, "Aukes!"
Duck 1: Ga?
"It's you, Aukes!"
Duck 2: Ga ga?
"Aukes, Aukes! Damn it, where is she?"
Duck 345: Ga ga ga?!!
Mike's attack had just launched when Yu Qin and her team, seemingly prepared, skillfully dodged and withdrew from the competition.
Seeing them exit, Mike was far from pleased. The exam was nearing its end, yet these teams still held their ranks. Just as he wondered, he heard the desperate cries of Lan Bing and his group. Turning, he saw the slain fat duck and realized what had happened.
"Ah, so she really was..."
A moment of panic struck both Mike and Lan Bing. Realizing what had transpired, they scrambled to retreat, but it was too late.
The sky grew darker.
The three massive BOSS Ducks descended from the nearby forest.
They unleashed blinding stun and storm skills, enveloping everyone in their wake.
"No!"
"Retreat, retreat!"
"No way..."
Lan Bing and Mike's group were caught off guard, and in a single wave, their points plummeted.
During the brief moment they were under control, their points cascaded like a waterfall, but soon after, they hastily retreated.
The target disappeared, but the BOSS Ducks, though reluctant, spread their wings and began to circle the forest, screeching as they searched for new targets. The remaining ducks, now without direction, began to rest and recover their lost health...
The situation had turned so swiftly that no one had time to react. As Lan Bing and the others left the competition, they found themselves face to face with Yu Qin's group as they emerged from the transmission portal.
The atmosphere was palpable.
Someone from Yu Qin's side, unable to hold their tongue, quipped, "Oh, weren't you two in league with each other? How come you're out too?"
Was this really necessary to ask?!
Mike sneered, turning to Yu Qin, "Did you know? Have you been collaborating with him?"
Lan Bing's gaze, as dark as ink, swept across them, as if accusing them of colluding with someone to set him up.
But in reality, many didn't understand what was happening.
Yu Qin: "What do you mean? Do you mean you and Young Master Lan have been in cahoots from the start? The signal was blocked during the competition. I suspect that when we entered the shielded area, he set up monitoring equipment that alerted him. He knew we were coming. Later, he probably sent something to track us, or maybe even contacted you, told you about us and Aukes being ducks. Then you both played us. After he lured the ducks over, you intentionally exposed yourselves, drawing us out to handle them. You used us as manpower, and once we were worn down, you planned to attack both us and Aukes, aiming to ruin us and claim all the duck points for yourselves."
"Too bad... it seems Young Master Xie was already aware of your plan. Maybe she knew from the moment we passed the shielded area."
"A plot within a plot."
With that, she turned and walked away.
Guanzai thought for a moment, then absentmindedly scratched his nose, quietly following her. Mike stood there, his expression shifting, then looked at Lan Bing.
"Enough talking, let's leave."
Lan Bing, suppressing his voice, was also suppressing his anger.
Seeing this, the others had no choice but to exit the corridor as well.
They reached the waiting area, not daring to meet the eyes of their families, yet unable to resist wanting to know the results. But they were also afraid to face them.
Then they looked up.
The screen was massive.
The forest within was dense and lush, still glowing with the remnants of battle. Just as the three BOSS ducks flew off, a duck of normal size waddled forward, tossing grenades at the few remaining, defenseless ducks...
Explosion!
Her points skyrocketed, placing her in first place.
Lan Bing checked his points. After the joint attack by the three BOSS ducks and the large group of ducks, his points had dropped by several thousand, leaving him with barely seven or eight hundred.
He was ranked 999th.
999... a trivial number!
Mike and the others had surpassed 1000 points.
Lan Bing pressed his hand to his chest, unable to face the gaze of his uncle and family, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on him, as if they were a deluge of contempt.
999—worthless!
But no one had a problem with Aukes's point-grinding strategy?
Lan Bing shot a sharp look at his family, and the relatives immediately began to speak up.
"This is too much! How can other contestants even compete when Aukes is doing this? This operation of hers leaves no space for others to score! This is outright cheating!"
One of the voices belonged to Zhang Jun's relative.
When one parent raised their voice, the others whose children weren't doing well in the competition naturally followed suit, trying to pressure the education bureau into giving an explanation.
The examiners had long anticipated this outcome.
Since the reform, whether or not someone like Aukes existed, there would always be dissatisfaction unless the complainants were benefiting.
"First of all, the exam is legal, compliant, and fair. If you disagree, take it to court."
"Secondly, Aukes's actions are completely above board. There's no cheating involved."
"Third, do you have any further questions? If so, ask them now. Otherwise, you'll have no chance later. The exam prohibits disturbances!"
Zhang Jun, pushing his wheelchair, suddenly spoke coldly, "I can understand that she possesses a unique camouflage skill—this I can accept. But I don't believe that a normal camouflage skill could stop the ducks from attacking her. That doesn't make sense. She must be using some special item. If such an item exists, then the design of this exam itself is flawed, as it would give people the ability to cheat."
Ah, this angle was rather sharp.
Many fell silent, and Zhou Linlang watched the scene with growing interest.
The plump, balding teacher merely patted his belly and said, "So there's a reason for failure. You still don't understand why those ducks didn't attack her?"
Of course, I have no idea!
Zhang Jun was irritated by the teacher's condescending glare, and the other parents grew restless, muttering among themselves.
"That meditation device."
Suddenly, a cold voice cut through the chatter.
Everyone turned to see a seemingly ordinary young woman sitting calmly, who spoke with a quiet conviction, "Why didn't the ducks attack the meditation device? This is a known result. Therefore, if it was dismantled, it must contain something that shields the ducks' mechanical programming."
"I suspect that Aukes, when we weren't looking, quietly dismantled a meditation device and retrieved this item, which is why she can so effortlessly disguise herself as a duck."
"Camouflage + this item—it's the ultimate trump card."
"This exam is meant to screen for exceptional talent, but fairness inherently implies mediocrity."
"I trust you all understand this explanation."
What she didn't say was that it was her courage, her creative mind, her quick thinking, and her execution that enabled such a near-cheating result in the exam.
Exceptional talent will inevitably rise, leaving the mediocre behind.
For success, stepping stones are essential—those who've already been eliminated are the stepping stones.
Why didn't they think of such a move?
Because they couldn't!
The room fell into a brief silence. Many realized the truth, while some still questioned the identity of this seemingly ordinary woman. Then, Yu Qin walked over and softly called her "Mom."
Soon, everyone realized this woman was a retired researcher, injured in her past career. No one knew exactly where she had
worked, but it was clear she was an intellectual. After speaking, she fell silent, whispering softly to Yu Qin.
Yu Qin looked somewhat dejected.
"Mom, recently, I've met so many people who surpass my abilities."
"Mm, you'll meet even more. Why be upset in advance?"
"..."
Yu Qin was stumped by her mother's reply.
This was her mother?
Forget it. Her mom always had high expectations. She hadn't even called Aukes a "genius" earlier, because in their intellectual circle, that term was reserved for only the truly exceptional.
Yu Qin, still young, turned back to the screen. "But I don't quite understand. How did this person suddenly become so formidable? Perhaps I was deceived when I was in the village."
Was it really possible?
Two such formidable young individuals in the same village.
They seemed about the same age.
Were they siblings...? Something about this felt wrong.
And after Aukes had dealt with the ducks, she suddenly fled. Everyone followed her, and soon they found her heading towards the lair of the three BOSS ducks.
With the BOSSes now distracted by this turn of events, searching for other candidates, Aukes, relying on the path she had earlier mapped out, quickly arrived at their cave.
It was a dark, pitch-black cave located within the central mountain range.
"Seems like Aukes always knows the positions of the contestants and the ducks ahead of time. Looks like we underestimated her," Lan Luoqi suddenly chuckled, a reminder to everyone that it was Aukes who had orchestrated the chaos, not Lan Bing.
Indeed, many were beginning to suspect.
But in the next moment, they saw Aukes using her wristwatch to command a few lizards to climb into the cave.
Ah, so it was true—she was loaded!
"It seems thanks to Young Master Lan's generosity, our young master was able to earn some extra money."
An elder from the Xie family took the opportunity to mock.
Lan Luoqi's expression darkened.
They could all guess that Aukes had probably earned at least two or three billion from that video earlier, making the purchase of these expensive devices a breeze.
What a despicable wretch!