Meanwhile, in Shanghai’s Abnormals Association, a jaw-dropping scene was taking place.
At this moment, the clock hand was already on the fourth minute, but within the dome of speed, Hu Yuexin was still dancing around like a star.
“W-what, how can she have such movements full of grace and beauty?! It’s as if she’s trained in her footwork since she was in her mother’s womb. No, I don’t believe even that long would make someone so skillful in this. Hmm… maybe I’m looking at this the wrong way, maybe that’s a movement technique she has inherited from an expert?” The overseer mouthed much to his own disbelief. He just couldn’t understand how Hu Yuexin’s movement could be so honed.
In fact, Hu Yuexin’s movements were so sharpened and full of mastery that, utilizing the current absolute limitations placed on her weak body, she was evading every ball. One could easily tell that there were no extra movements made anywhere in her body. Every muscle that changed its position in any manner was due to a certain goal and purpose.
This procedure went on until the clock reached the sixth minute. Deducing from the perspiration covering her forehead, it was clear this was the current limit of her body even with that abnormal evasion technique of hers!
Therefore, she didn’t hesitate to forfeit from proceeding any longer, “Stop it. I’m done.”
“Y-yes, t-three stars! Congratulations!” The overseer confirmed.
“What’s the next test?” Totally expressionless, Hu Yuexin inquired. Looking at her face, no one could detect any traces of joy from her after earning that kind of stunning grade. It was as if it didn’t matter to her in the least. A matter that didn’t worth mentioning.
“Huh? O-oh, yeah. The next test is the Test of Defense. Let’s go.”
____________
Meanwhile, somewhere on the planet, a secret gathering was taking place.
This secret gathering was an extremely confidential meeting that possibly had to do with the future of Earth. A convention that may just lead to the decision of the next step of humanity in facing the rifts.
The participants and guests in this assembly consisted of the leaders of each of the Abnormals Association around the globe who had come to represent their own nation.
“It’s indeed a fact that the planet can’t go on like this anymore! The monsters of the rift keep getting stronger at a rapid pace, to the point that the humans are falling behind in this race of power and retaliation!” One of the leaders sitting in the conference room, the leader of Korea’s Abnormals Association to be more exact, mouthed into her microphone.
“We need to think of something! Our defense lines are now too week against them! If things continue like this, in a decade at most, every city and nation around the planet may as well fall! That would mean we would truly enter an apocalyptic era of chaos and disorder! We cannot let that happen!” The same person, Jang Mirae, announced to everyone present today. Her tone was very grave.
Next, it was the turn of the head of the Abnormals Association of China to talk, “Even though I would hate to admit it, miss Jang Mirae is right. We are experiencing millions of deaths and with each breakout, in case the rift happens to be around the vicinity of a city, we might even lose tens of hundreds of buildings along with it. Before this, we could’ve at least prevented that since the monsters weren’t too strong. But all of a sudden, they turned too strong for us to handle them all.”
“Everyone… Everyone! I hear what you’re all saying and I agree with most of your words… but, what are you suggesting for us to do? What ‘can’ we even do? I mean… sure, we need to stop them… but how?” This was the leader of the Abnormals Association in France, lady Lia Duffy’s voice.
“That’s why we’re here today, are we not? Let’s just come up with a solution! Everyone, please don’t keep any ideas or suggestions to yourselves.” Taking a glimpse of the leaders’ faces, Jang Mirae said.
In reality, prior to the meeting, every leader of the respective Abnormals Associations was already secretly informed of the subject they were going to be discussing today. Therefore, nearly all of them had done their own researches as they had also talked to their relevant professional teams.
And today, they were, at last, going to hear each other’s solutions before choosing the best one amongst them all.
Thus, as the period of dumping ideas began, it was actually England’s representative, Luis Short, who stood up first and started pouring the solution his own nation had come up with, “I say we concentrate all of the procured Red-Crystals on a select few Guardians with potential. Like this, the pace of progression would pick up as we would be able to dispatch them to the relevant rifts before their breakout. This is the idea my side came up with and I think it is indeed a wise answer to our problem.”
“…” For a brief duration, quietness descended upon the conference hall as everyone began contemplating on the topic. Of course, it didn’t take long before the head of the Abnormal Association of Korea, Jang Mirae, refuted the suggestion, “No, I don’t think that’s a wise decision. If we do that, the weaker Guardians or those who were left out would feel greatly wronged, which might just as well lead to even bigger chaos. If the Abnormal population turns against us, not only would we have to retaliate against the rift, but also our own people. Sure, that might work for a short while, but in the long run, it would be catastrophic and poisonous.”
“Hmm, yes, miss Mirae’s correct.” Several people soon came to defend her rejection.
Next, it was Russia’s turn to throw its proposition into the ring, “I say, everyone, we could just enforce an even harsher mandatory law of summoning on the Guardians. Like this, at the time of breakout, we can forcefully summon many Guardian teams to each rift. Like this, we would be able to handle the beasts with numbers! What do you say?”
This time, however, there was to delay whatsoever before someone rejected the offer.
“I don’t think that’s rational either. Even now, with our rather light mandatory summoning rules, we are dealing with a lot of dissatisfaction amongst the Guardians. So just imagine us making them even tighter… not only would doing that result in even more unhappiness, but it will also wear our Guardians out pretty quickly, now let’s not talk about the heavy pressure that we’ll be putting on them by dispatching them day and night.”
Not pausing there, he went ahead, “So, yeah! I definitely disagree with such a preposterous idea which would clearly lead to an even more grave and serious problem in the future.” The person who had rejected Russia’s proposition this time, was the person who hadn’t opened his mouth at all up to this point, the boss of the Abnormals Association of the United States of America, Arron Cameron.
Ticked at once, the Russian leader phrased while frowning, “You…! If not the previous offer… and if not this one, then what? We gotta do something, right? Or could it be you have a better idea?” He was clearly very annoyed.
“…” After a brief gaze full of silence, the American boss only uttered a single adage in return, “The best defense is a good offense.”
