"This idiot is already in a group fight, why hasn't he shown up yet?"
"Damn, are they hacking? I didn't even reveal my position, and they headshot me with one shot?"
"You, the one who called me trash, if you have the guts, don't run. Let's duel. I hate people calling me trash the most in my life."
"Internet cafe manager, I want to add credit."
Noisy voices filled Lin Hao's ears, but he ignored them, concentrating on playing his game.
He had been here for several days. Lin Hao watched the minor characters on the Star Net doing their quests, his eyes quietly scanning his surroundings.
He should be here soon.
"Hey, brother, why are you still here? Yesterday was quite a misunderstanding."
A young voice with a slightly hoarse tone sounded from behind Lin Hao.
He's here.
Lin Hao, having found his prey, turned his head directly, looking at the beautiful youth with striking red hair and a somewhat bruised face, who was smiling at him.
Seeing him turn, the red-haired youth awkwardly touched his nose and apologized, "I'm really sorry for getting you beaten up yesterday."
Lin Hao, looking at the apologetic youth, saw a flicker of success in his eyes. He waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine, I thought they were after me too. It was all a misunderstanding."
So this is the heir of the Hu family.
His fighting skills yesterday were impressive.
"Heh, since there's no problem, let me teach you how to play games."
Hu Tu, seeing that the person who was innocently implicated yesterday said it was fine, sat down right beside him. He then easily opened the Star Net on the side and said to Lin Hao.
Lin Hao, seeing Hu Tu's familiarity, felt a pang of guilt.
Is it right for him to deceive such a pure child?
Ever since he registered at Feng Lan High School that day, he had begun his 'friendship development plan'.
He had gambled then, wondering if Hu Tu would come to this somewhat remote internet cafe. Sure enough, after lurking for a few days, the dazzling red-haired boy appeared.
Then he initiated the second step of his plan.
He had instructed the old man to frequently send high-level psychic bodyguards to capture him, making sure it was staggered. The old man, without saying a word, had indeed assigned him a group of people.
However, these people were only at his disposal for half a month. After that, he would receive no further assistance.
As he had guessed, the Hu family members were indeed looking for their heir here.
When the Hu family tried to capture him, Lin Hao simply ran along, incidentally providing him with some combat support, and adding a few injuries to his face for good measure.
Then he would observe Hu Tu's attitude the next day.
Thus, they successfully became simple friends.
As for the next step, it was to crush this person under his heel during the entrance exam.
Doesn't he like making friends with strong people?
Hu Tu, don't run, your best friend is coming for you.
"Hey, so much has happened, I still don't know your name."
Hu Tu saw Lin Hao, who had put down his game and was lost in thought. Due to the misunderstandings of the past few days and the injuries on his face, he still felt a bit guilty. Thus, he tried to strike up a conversation and get to know him.
When Lin Hao heard this, he snapped back to his plan and looked at Hu Tu, who had already opened his game, saying, "My name is Lin Hao, and yours?"
"Hu Tu."
"Hu Tu? Why such a casual name?"
"I don't know. It's from the family genealogy. I tried to resist it back then."
"Hahahaha."
"What are you laughing at?"
------Time flies by--------
In a blink of an eye, it was the entrance examination for Feng Lan High School.
Lin Hao arrived at his designated competition area and, looking at the crowded scene, almost couldn't breathe.
Why were there so many people? No wonder it was a prestigious school under the empire. Everyone was so driven.
"Hey, Lin Hao, you're here too."
Just as Lin Hao was spacing out, Hu Tu's voice came from behind him. He slowly turned his head and saw that even the previously arrogant people around were making way, creating a two-meter wide path for him.
Lin Hao also overheard some whispers.
"Ah, this is the young master of the Hu family! Wasn't he supposed to be admitted directly? Why is he here?" a man hiding nearby exclaimed loudly, unable to control his voice when he saw Hu Tu's distinctive red hair.
"Didn't they say he wouldn't participate in this competition?"
"Why is this freak here? There's no chance of winning against him."
Beside the man stood another man with an exceptionally good physique. The moment he saw Hu Tu, his fighting spirit instantly dissipated.
His eyes were filled with fear.
He felt as if Hu Tu glanced in his direction, and he immediately fell to the ground, startled.
The burly man beside him, seeing this person scared into falling by a "skinny monkey," immediately scoffed, "Is he really as powerful as they say? I mean, his thighs look thinner than my arm. Watch how I'll beat this skinny monkey down."
After saying this, he raised his bronzed arm and flexed it forcefully, instantly revealing a perfect muscle to everyone's sight.
He even looked at Hu Tu provocatively.
Hu Tu, the center of attention, felt his expression darken.
Didn't he come here specifically to spar with someone?
Why was everyone looking at him like that? If that old man hadn't forbidden the family soldiers from fighting him, would he have come to pick fights with children?
He was truly fed up.
He finally saw his companion in misfortune and went over to play with him for a while, as he was bored.
What if his companion in misfortune saw these negative comments and no longer wanted to share hardship with him?
He had worked hard for a long time to become friends with this person.
What if he didn't agree, and because of these negative comments, stopped talking to him?
Wouldn't all his efforts over the past few days be in vain?
That wouldn't do.
"Hmm, long time no see."
Lin Hao, after listening for a long time, realized it was all the same words, with no new insights.
Some information wasn't even as complete as what Zhao Jianye had given him.
And they were still here gossiping, tsk.
Seeing that his companion in misfortune hadn't distanced himself because of this, Hu Tu directly went to Lin Hao's side, and they waited together for their numbers to be called.
This competition was divided into three rounds.
The first round was a thousand-person free-for-all. The top fifty from each team would advance. The top ten would enter the next round, and the remaining forty had the right to challenge the top ten. Victory meant replacing them, while defeat meant losing the chance to enter the regular class.
The second round was similar to the first, with the top ten fighting each other. The top three would be selected. The remaining would still have the right to challenge. Success meant replacement, while failure meant losing the chance to enter the intermediate class.
The third round involved one-on-one duels among the top three, determining class rankings. Participants could choose to forfeit, which carried an eighty percent chance of being demoted to the intermediate class.
This competition assessed four aspects: culture, psychic power, combat (mecha), and martial arts.
If one had top-tier skills in two of these areas, they had the opportunity to challenge others and claim their higher-class spots.
All choices were in their hands, whether to stay content or take a risk and challenge.
When Lin Hao saw these competition rules, he exclaimed:
"Beastly!"
Seemingly optional, these rules forced participants to challenge others to avoid being eliminated by those below them.
He had encountered many perverse rules in his time, but this one made them all look like beginners.
Impressive, school.