With an example for them to see, the other martial artists kept quiet and followed along, stewing in rage.
‘Shameless!’
It created a weird situation. Countless people crowded behind Ye Lingchen, as though he was a leader making rounds while he completed his tour of the Warrior’s Department.
“Damn it! Why are we even following him?”
“Yeah! Damn it. We can’t take action, nor can we mock him. This fella is just a shameless prick. His skin is as thick as a wall!”
“I won’t accept him! I must find a chance to fight with him!”
“F*ck me. Here I thought he was an amazing character that I idolized. One’s repute does not reflect their true character. This is truly disappointing!”
“That’s right. I’m just waiting for this fella to embarrass himself! Otherwise, I really can’t let this grudge go!”
“Where are the others? Go get a few big shots to teach this fella a lesson!”
…
They were having private discussions, feeling the anger stewing in their hearts.
At that moment, Ye Lingchen arrived at a room and suddenly focused his gaze.
The room was not open air. The wall was a huge glass panel that only allowed one to watch from the outside.
Placed inside was the culture tank that remained after Ye Lingchen took care of Elder Hiroshi. Beside it was a group of researchers analyzing data with two martial artists as guards.
“What are they doing?” Ye Lingchen frowned.
“They should be taking samples. I think they’re analyzing the data from that specimen.” Lin Ao coughed with an awkward expression plastered on his face. “It’s unavoidable. We need to find a way to dispose of this.”
Ye Lingchen looked inside thoughtfully. He naturally had some speculation on the Warrior’s Department’s plans.
Although they would not willingly begin genetic research of dangerous creatures, they would still be tempted to learn more about it when given such a specimen.
“I advise you to drop those ideas. This thing is very dangerous.” Ye Lingchen shook his head.
This thing was placed on the fourth floor by Elder Hiroshi. Moreover, it was placed there on its own. There must have been something special about it. Furthermore, at that moment, Ye Lingchen had mastered Biology. He could already see that the specimen had fused with more than one trait from wild beasts. There were at least two, and might even be three types!
Its destructive power would not be a simple addition. Therefore, it was incomparably terrifying.
The other martial artists did not agree with Ye Lingchen’s advice. To them, his ramblings could outrightly be ignored.
Following that, Ye Lingchen had toured most of the Warrior’s Department, finally witnessing the deep pockets of the Warrior’s Department.
From simple food preparations to advanced monitoring and analysis of the human body, they were all done using advanced technology. It was akin to creating an underground kingdom. If a regular civilian saw this location, he would definitely be overwhelmed with shock. It was on par with those amazing headquarters shown in the movies.
“Everyone, please gather at the challenge hall!”
Right then, an announcement was made in the entire underground facility, causing all the martial artists to be on alert.
It was just one announcement, but all the martial artists straightened their backs immediately and headed toward the challenge hall.
“Come, let’s go!”
Lin Ao immediately led Ye Lingchen along.
The challenge hall was a very spacious room. It was like a Taekwondo dojo, with only a stage in the middle and a platform. The remaining space was used for sparring.
When Ye Lingchen arrived, all the martial artists were already lined up, standing stock still like a pole. Their eyes were glimmering as they looked at the elderly men standing on the stage.
“Big Brother Lin, your grandfather is up there,” Ye Lingchen said to Lin Ao.
“Thanks to you, my grandfather’s recovery went smoothly, therefore allowing him to return to the Warrior’s Department.” Lin Ao’s voice carried a hint of gratitude. He then continued, “To the left of my grandfather is Coiled Dragon’s chief instructor, Qin Baichuan. The other two are Yue Qin from Blue Wolf and Zhong Tianxiang from Hunting Eagle.”
Apart from the five, there were three other elderly men. They were similarly founding members of the Warrior’s Department with a position akin to that of an elder.
Hundreds of martial artists gathered there, but the hall was exceptionally quiet. Everyone subconsciously kept their breathing controlled.
That was the basic mannerism of a martial artist.
Five minutes later, an elderly man on stage finally took three steps forward and looked down at the crowd before him. However, when his gaze fell on Ye Lingchen, it stopped for a full three seconds before announcing, “While the martial artists from the four special training camps are here with their chief instructors, we’re taking this chance to announce the promotion of eight martial artists!”
“The promotion of martial artists depends on three things: merit, strength, and public opinion! Here are the names of the eight martial artists!”
“First, Li Chong! Promotion from Middle-Class Guardian to Upper-Class Guardian!”
With that, the elder looked to the side and stated calmly, “Assessment!”
“That’s Brother Chong. He’s amazing. I think he’s only 39 this year.”
“Yeah. Upper-Class Guardian before 40. He might even make it to General by 50. What a great guy.”
“Brother Chong crossed the Pacific for this mission. It’s a given that he would be promoted.”
“With Brother Chong’s strength, achieving the rank of Upper-Class Guardian is an event worth celebrating.”
It seemed that Li Chong was quite reputable in the Warrior’s Department.
Meanwhile, on the other side, a martial artist was slowly approaching the stage. His footsteps were solid as he walked briskly with a cold expression.
“It’s Upper-Class Guardian Fang Hong!” someone shouted in astonishment. “I didn’t expect the assessment to be done by Instructor Fang. Who’ll be the victor?”
“That goes without saying. It’s definitely Instructor Fang,” someone claimed confidently.
“It’s him!” Ye Lingchen was also looking at Fang Hong, his brows twitching.
Fang Hong, the instructor he first met when Lin Ao first introduced him to the Warrior’s Department.
“Brother Ye, this is the age-old rule in the Warrior’s Department. It might be lax for a Warrior, but from Guardian onward, the requirements will grow stricter. Take Li Chong for example. In order for him to be promoted to Upper-Class Guardian, he must have his strength acknowledged by another martial artist at the rank of Upper-Class Guardian,” Lin Ao explained. “Fang Hong is an Upper-Class Guardian, therefore he will be sparring with Li Chong to assess his real strength.”
Ye Lingchen nodded. There was no problem with such an assessment. However, he made a faint smile and added, “The other objective is to show the newly appointed martial artist his place, right?”
“Brother Ye is amazing. You’re able to notice that right away.” Lin Ao nodded. “The newly appointed person might be overwhelmed by the joy of promotion and might grow overconfident. Therefore, it would be good for them to experience the feeling of failure through combat and teach them the lesson that a longer journey awaits…”
