C26 Not a Drop of Water Escapes

Zhang Lieh and his sister Zhang Hanshuang arrived early at the Citizen Certification Center, and with few others ready for certification, they were able to enter the testing area almost immediately.

The citizenship test comprised three parts: the first assessed physical strength, and the second gauged mental reaction.

The physical strength assessment was further divided into two subtests. The first subtest was a strength test that measured the ultimate physical strength without the use of Origin Power. The second subtest was a speed test that measured the ultimate physical speed, also without the use of Origin Power.

"Brother, give it your all!"

Hanshuang's encouraging cheers, as she waved her fists outside the strength test area, brought a smile to Zhang Lieh's face.

The equipment for the strength test was simple—a special sandbag.

"Number 4, Li Feng, your first test begins!"

"Bang!"

"Strength: 4.5, C grade, qualified!"

...

"Number 5, Song Jia, your third test begins!"

"Bang!"

"Strength: 3.3, D grade, not qualified!"

...

Amidst the electronic tones of the monitoring robot, some participants rejoiced while others were disappointed.

Genetic Warriors with fully mutated genes needed a strength score of at least 4.0 to qualify. Falling below this threshold meant not meeting the standard for strength utilization.

The benchmark of 4.0 was roughly equivalent to 3-4 times the strength of an average person. The federal government decided to standardize these measurements rather than use vague multipliers.

After about a two-minute wait, it was Zhang Lieh's turn to face the sandbag.

"Number 9, Zhang Lieh, your first test begins now!"

Upon hearing the signal, Zhang Lieh, already positioned at the sandbag, assumed a horse stance and feigned gathering strength. His face turned beet red before he unleashed a powerful punch onto the sandbag.

"Bam!"

"Strength: 4.2, C grade, pass!"

"You have two more attempts. Would you like to try to improve your score?"

"No need, passing is enough!"

Zhang Lieh, beaming with excitement, took the assessment card from the robot and quickly rejoined Hanshuang. He went on to pass the subsequent speed and reaction tests by the skin of his teeth.

In under ten minutes, Zhang Lieh had a silver first-class citizen card and a silver-gray secondary card in his grasp. Both he and his sister, Zhang Hanshuang, couldn't help but smile with joy.

Zhang Hanshuang, clearly thrilled, asked, "Brother, with this, can I now attend Shengge Academy?"

Zhang Lieh nodded affirmatively. "Absolutely. You can start right away. I'm planning to take you there today. How does that sound?"

"Today? Really?" she asked, surprised.

"Have you forgotten? Shengge Academy, the finest in the First Class Citizen Academy, accepts new students every day."

"But isn't there a hefty fee for late enrollment?"

"Don't worry about it. As long as I'm here, you just focus on your studies," he reassured her.

"Brother, thank you so much!"

"Come on, no need for thanks. We're family. Let's get going!"

With that, the siblings hurried off towards the academy district.

Meanwhile, Wang Bin had finally located the Zhang family home, only to find it empty upon his arrival. They couldn't really be faulted for the delay; they seldom visited the commoner area and hadn't anticipated the morning rush to be so intense.

After missing their chance, they received word that the target had been spotted at the Citizen Verification Office. The family decided not to send them after the target again, instructing them to return instead.

The Wang family's representatives at the Citizen Verification Office also came up empty-handed, except for a video of Zhang Lieh's test, which showed him struggling to meet the minimum standard with a score of 4.2.

Watching the footage, Wang Han was skeptical. "Second Brother, are you certain this kid is involved in those incidents?"

It wasn't just Wang Han; everyone who viewed the video doubted the young man's capabilities. The news that had been circulating was astonishing, and it seemed beyond the reach of any ordinary youth.

"Third Brother, don't let his appearance deceive you. This kid is crafty; he's probably putting on an act!"

Wang Jianxin was well-informed, yet the issue was that he stood alone in his beliefs.

"Little brother, your point is valid, but our belief is irrelevant. What matters is that the rest of the Black Iron Base won't buy it!"

"Even if we managed to find someone to spill the truth, do you really think it would turn the tide?"

Wang Jianxin shook his head and confidently asserted, "Believe me, if we can leverage this kid's vulnerability, all our problems will be effortlessly resolved."

"Where has this kid gotten to now?"

Wang Han replied with a somber tone, "He's made his way into the academic district!"

"I told you, this kid is slick. A first-class citizen and enrolled in a prestigious school!"

"Damn, he's probably gotten his sister into the city. We've lost our chance to leverage his disabled sister, haven't we?" Wang Jianxin said with a look of realization.

"It's not just about his sister. If I'm not mistaken, once he's in the city, he'll surely seek out a Teleportation Device to enter the Void Realm."

"Once he's in the Void Realm, he'll be untouchable within the confines of the base. We'll have no way to reach him," Wang Han said, his expression grim.

"Little brother, this approach isn't sustainable. We can't afford to keep spinning our wheels. We need to devise a new strategy and stop wasting time on this kid!"

Indeed, they were right; the Wang family simply couldn't continue to bleed resources.

It was well known that until this issue was resolved, the Six Great Families would not cease their machinations, and the losses for the Wang family would continue to escalate.

Zhang Lieh's defenses were impeccable, leaving Wang Han and the entire Wang family at a loss for a solution in the short term.

The Sacred Song Academy, despite its seemingly Western name, housed architecture steeped in the ancient charm of Huaxia.

Located in Ning City, it was undeniably part of Huaxia, with the essence of its culture deeply ingrained.

While the academy employed some foreign instructors, it predominantly upheld the legacy of ancient Huaxia civilization.

As the adage goes, money talks. With Zhang Lieh's exceptional generosity, his enrollment process was smooth sailing.

In under thirty minutes, Zhang Lieh had taken care of all the necessary paperwork for Zhang Hanshuang. Concerned for her safety, he spared no expense, renting the academy's most sophisticated all-purpose robot for a hefty sum of one million dollars per month. Zhang Hanshuang was not only his sole sister but also had certain physical limitations, and he was determined to protect her from any potential bullying.

"Brother, has something happened in the Void Realm?" Zhang Hanshuang asked, sensing Zhang Lieh's urgency.

Zhang Lieh gave a light laugh and reassured her, "I ran into a bit of trouble, but there's no need for concern—I've already handled it. What's important is your safety. I'm worried that some people might target you."

"With your enrollment in the school and the addition of this versatile robot, your safety is virtually guaranteed," he continued.

"Hanshuang, make sure you remember this: no matter what happens at school, you must notify me immediately!"

He then handed her a small black device, resembling a button. "Keep this with you at all times. If you're ever in danger, just press it, and I'll sense your call for help."

Zhang Hanshuang accepted the device with a hint of surprise but trusted her brother implicitly. To her, Zhang Lieh was not only her closest kin but also her pillar of support.

The device might have been small, but it was an exceptionally rare alarm that worked across two realms. It had cost Zhang Lieh a whopping 500,000 points to acquire, a gadget unseen by most.

Zhang Hanshuang, ever understanding, took the device and expressed her concern. "Got it, brother. The school district is a sanctuary compared to other places. With all the precautions you've put in place, I'm sure I'll be safe. But you need to take care, too. I can't bear the thought of losing you again."

Zhang Lieh burst into laughter. "Hahaha, don't worry about me. I'm as tough as they come—anyone who tries to mess with me will regret it!"

After showing Hanshuang around the campus and introducing her to her teacher, Zhang Lieh finally left the school grounds.

Thinking along the same lines as Wang Han, once he was out of the school, Zhang Lieh casually located a Teleportation Device and stepped back into the Void Realm. Upon his return, he relaxed in his room at the Black Gold Hotel, with no immediate plans to venture out.

Instead of stepping away, Zhang Lieh found himself immersed in the Black Iron Forum, catching up on the major events that had unfolded in the Void Realm during his absence. The talk of the town, or rather the entire realm, was undoubtedly last night's catastrophic battle in the Purple Poison Forest.

The forum was abuzz with all sorts of information about the clash. Of course, the majority of these reports were nothing more than hearsay or wildly exaggerated tales with little to no substance. Despite the lack of clarity on the specifics of the battle, many had witnessed its brutal outcome.

The ferocity of the conflict had left an indelible mark on the community of Genetic Warriors, with the Purple Poison Forest becoming a byword for terror. Zhou Qian of the Zhou family had fallen in combat, Qin Xiao of the Qin family had lost an arm, and others like Yun Bing and Chu Feng had sustained serious injuries. It was clear that the forest was no place for the faint-hearted.

Yet, it was this very carnage that fueled rampant speculation about what truly transpired within the Purple Poison Forest, prompting a smirk from Zhang Lieh. "If you're so eager for the truth, then I shall grant your wish," he mused.

Acting on this impulse, he created a thread titled 'The True Account of the Purple Poison Forest Battle,' which spread like wildfire across the base. Zhang Lieh was revisiting his old tactics.

In this post, he adopted the perspective of an observer, meticulously detailing the entire sequence of events in the Purple Poison Forest. He described how Qin Xiao's arm was severed, who sacrificed Zhou Qian in a desperate bid for survival, leading to his tragic death by the Water Arrow of the Moonlight Flood Dragon. He also revealed who had seized the super creature, inciting the fearsome Moonlight Flood Dragon, with every detail vividly laid out.

What made his account particularly compelling was that ninety percent of it was based on fact. Zhang Lieh had been an eyewitness and needed no embellishment to make the story sensational. Simply by recounting the events as they happened, he created a sensation.

True to form, he left the post unsigned, maintaining his anonymity.