Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 25 "Discovering" the Habits of the Abyssal Wolf

The spiral staircase entrance on the second floor.

Chen Yu was trembling uncontrollably, not from fear, but from the immense shock and excitement of a rush of hot blood to his head.

Commonly known as scalp tingling.

His phone screen was still frozen on the image of Lin Yi dragging the blood-dripping staff back into Hongfulou, with the background showing Yuanlang retreating in terror at the edge of the square.

"Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit!"

Chen Yu suddenly looked up at Zhou Jianjun beside him, "Uncle, did you see that? Did you see that! Seven, seven! In less than a minute, Brother Yi took them all down by himself! It's like he's unleashed a Musou attack!"

Zhou Jianjun did not answer immediately.

This veteran, who had experienced border conflicts and witnessed real warfare, was now experiencing violent chest movements. His lips were tightly pressed together, and his expression was quite complex.

There was both astonishment at his nephew's almost superhuman fighting ability and a lingering fear.

Zhou Jianjun gripped the edge of the simple wooden shield tightly in his hand. The rough splinters hurt his palm, and he used the pain to barely suppress the turbulent emotions in his heart.

Because heavy footsteps accompanied by the slight scraping of armor could be heard coming from the stairwell.

Soon, Lin Yi's figure reappeared on the spiral staircase.

The imposing "Qitian Battle Armor" was now covered with a lot of dark red bloodstains and grayish-black powder, and several ferocious claw marks on the breastplate and leg armor were shocking in the dim light.

He walked up the steps one by one, his steps still steady, but once he reached the second-floor platform, he stopped and didn't move.

“Ah Yu.”

Lin Yi's voice was a little hoarse. He stopped at the top of the stairs and didn't move. Instead, he asked urgently, "Finished recording? Is it off?"

"Turn it off! Turn it off as soon as you're done, to save electricity. But, Yi-ge, from the moment you came downstairs until you came back in, you didn't miss a single moment! The photos are crystal clear!"

Chen Yu snapped out of his daze, quickly raising his phone to show the view, muttering to himself, "This is fucking awesome! It's even better than game cutscenes."

"That's fine"

Lin Yi finally relaxed after hearing that the video had been turned off.

As he spoke, he leaned against the wall, first resting the heavy iron rod against it, then placed his hands on his knees, hunched over, and gasped for breath. Sweat mixed with blood trickled down his forehead and dripped onto the cold floor tiles.

Chen Yu was slightly taken aback, but then he realized what was going on and a smile appeared on his face. He thought to himself, "You're so tired, but you're still trying to look cool and keep going."

Just as he was about to step forward to help, he saw Zhou Jianjun rush to Lin Yi's side, looking like he wanted to help but didn't dare to exert any force, while anxiously asking, "Xiao Yi! How are you feeling? Are you hurt anywhere?"

Zhou Jianjun's eyes darted anxiously over Lin Yi's body, especially focusing on the torn parts of his armor.

Lin Yi took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly before straightening up. "It's nothing, Uncle. It's just that the energy consumption was a bit high in a short time."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jianjun felt a sense of relief, and then his tone took on a reproachful quality typical of an elder:
"You were too reckless! Why did you have to kill that last one? It got away, so be it. There will be other chances. Those beasts outside are watching!"

"What if you anger them and they swarm at you all at once? You..." he said, his voice tinged with lingering fear, "You can't fight them all at once! No matter how good you are, you can't withstand so many attacking at once!"

Looking at his uncle's anxious face, Lin Yi wiped the sweat and blood from his own face, then grinned, revealing a somewhat sly smile, and explained, "Uncle, don't worry, I know what I'm doing. The reason I killed that beast and went out to collect crystals and get a stick was twofold: first, I couldn't lose my weapons, and second, I wanted to test things out on purpose."

He paused, calmed his breathing, and glanced at Chen Yu and Zhou Jianjun.

“After these two encounters, I’ve discovered that these monsters are more than just wolves in appearance.” Lin Yi’s expression turned serious as he said this. “They have tactical coordination, they probe, they call for their companions, and the last two were clearly scared and wanted to run away. They have cunning and instincts similar to wolves.”

"so."

Zhou Jianjun seemed to be deep in thought.

"That's why I wanted to test the waters. If my guess is correct, I can tell everyone in the video later." Lin Yi tilted his head slightly, indicating the direction of the downstairs door. "I deliberately walked out openly to see how they would react if I took the spoils right under their noses. Would they be completely enraged and pounce on me recklessly? Or would they be intimidated?"

"As you saw, Uncle, they just stared, growled, and even seemed to have moved back a little? What does that mean? It means that they are still bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong at heart, and it also means that my killing spree just now scared them! They know there's a tough one here, and they won't dare to come up again easily."

"That's just how they are!"

Lin Yi took a breath and continued, "Besides, my willingness to go out isn't reckless. I can still unleash the Blue Light one last time. If things go wrong and those beasts outside dare to charge, I can retreat immediately. They're not that close, so we still have time to retreat back to Fujin Hall."

As Zhou Jianjun listened to Lin Yi's well-organized explanation, which even carried a hint of battlefield analysis, he felt rather complicated.

He stared intently at the exhausted boy with tattered armor before him, as if he were seeing his nephew for the first time.

Where is this the same boy who would secretly practice stick fighting to show off after finishing the college entrance exam?
They are clearly warriors forged in blood and fire!
Zhou Jianjun, who had participated in border battles before, was not surprised by the change in his nephew. There are many soldiers who seem like completely different people after a battle.

He simply lamented that his nephew, who had just turned 18, was about to experience such a life-or-death struggle. The wisdom that should have been used for learning was instead being used to meticulously analyze the enemy's habits.

"you"

Zhou Jianjun remained silent for a moment, then finally sighed heavily and gently patted Lin Yi's shoulder, "You rascal, you're even more meticulous than an old soldier like me! But next time, it's best to give me a heads-up."

Chen Yu, who had been listening for a while, finally couldn't help but interject: "Brother Yi! How is your brain structured? You can even figure out monster habits from fighting monsters? Awesome! Absolutely amazing! That video..."

"Let's go back first, and talk about it when we get back."

Lin Yi waved his hand, interrupting him.

Although I had the whole process under control, it was still quite tiring to deliberately hold back, especially since my physical condition and total energy reserves were already nearing their limits.

After resting his knees for a while, Lin Yi called out to the two of them.

"Let's go back to the hall first."
-
The side door of Fujin Hall was carefully pushed open a crack from the inside, and then quickly widened.

When Lin Yi, Zhou Jianjun, and Chen Yu appeared at the door, the tense and oppressive atmosphere that had been permeating the hall was instantly broken.

"Xiao Yi!"

"son!"

Lin Ruiming and Zhou Jinghua rushed over almost simultaneously.

When Zhou Jinghua saw the new bloodstains and damage on her son's armor, tears welled up instantly. Her hands trembled as she wanted to touch it but dared not.

Lin Ruiming grabbed Lin Yi's arm, his voice tense: "How are you? You're not hurt this time, are you? Quickly take off your armor and let me see!"

"Dad, Mom, it's really okay. This armor is sturdy; it just looks scary." Lin Yi quickly reassured them. "With the armor protecting us, we weren't hurt inside. But after I finish recording the video, I will definitely need to take it off and clean it up."

"elder brother!"

When Zhou Mengmeng saw Lin Yi return, she immediately broke free from her aunt's arms and rushed over like a little cannonball, tightly hugging Lin Yi's arm, her little face full of admiration.

Lin Yi's uncle's family, Zhou Yuxuan, Ye Qingyu, Zhao Xiaowen, Li Jie, and almost everyone else gathered around, concerned about Lin Yi's condition.

Ye Qingyu stood a little behind the crowd, her clear eyes following Lin Yi's figure closely. Seeing that he was tired but his eyes were bright, she breathed a sigh of relief.

"Xiao Yi, what about those monsters guarding down there?"

Seeing that Lin Yi was alright, Lin Ruiheng asked a question at the right time. His voice was not loud, but it immediately drew everyone's attention.

Lin Yi didn't speak, but simply raised his left hand, which had been clenched tightly, and then slowly opened it.

In the palm of my hand lay seven radiant crystals, each emitting a faint gray glow.

(End of this chapter)