430: Chapter 416 Foolproof Preliminary Selection

Mr. Gao was dressed in modern attire. His well-fitted white shirt didn't have a single wrinkle, and his suit trousers were ironed exceptionally sharp.

"I heard the school is almost finished building."

"Yes, Mr. Gao." Neo puffed out his chest as if seeking credit, leaning on his cane as he walked quickly to stand before him. "The teaching buildings and all necessary facilities are complete. Once the textbooks and teachers are in place, students can enroll."

He thought to himself that Mr. Gao was different from organizations like Hogwarts or the Mountain Gate; he basically operated alone.

In other words, only Mr. Gao could handle the position of a teacher.

Neo couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth turn up. With Mr. Gao staying on campus permanently, he would have plenty of time to demonstrate his loyalty.

However, Mr. Gao's response left him stunned.

"The enrollment plan you've considered is very appropriate. Execute it with peace of mind. As for the textbooks and teachers, don't worry—they will be delivered before the school term starts."

Neo asked in surprise, "Teachers?"

Mr. Gao gave him a strange look. "Did you really expect me to handle all the teaching work by myself?

While I could certainly do it, a school needs a school atmosphere. Wouldn't having only one teacher be a bit too shabby?"

"I didn't mean that, Mr. Gao. I meant..." After a moment's hesitation, Neo watched his expression and said cautiously, "You said you weren't an organization like Hogwarts or the Mountain Gate, so I thought you..."

"Haha, you thought I was a lone wolf?"

"Uh, yes, that's it."

Mr. Gao walked to the sofa against the wall, turned, and sat down. He said to Neo, who had followed him over, "In the long time since being expelled from Hogwarts, I never harbored the intention of creating an organization, but I am well aware of the necessity of cultivating my own strength."

"You have transcendent followers?" Neo's eyes lit up.

"You will come into contact with them soon enough. Before that, complete the enrollment work first."

"Understood."

Do you have any other instructions for this visit?"

"I have seen your hard work these past few days. I will reward you after the school term begins."

The moment his hearing captured the word "reward," Neo's entire body's blood seemed to boil, rushing through his veins in celebration.

Although Mr. Gao didn't specify what the reward was, he was certain it was a treasure he had been dreaming of day and night.

Neo's right hand on his cane tightened, loosened, and tightened again.

After a long while, he lowered his head deeply. "Thank you for your generosity and kindness."

When he looked up after speaking, the sofa in front of him was already empty.

Taking a deep breath, he headed to the courtyard with a vigorous pace that completely belied his status as an old man, reaching out for the car door handle.

His assistant saw from a distance and ran over in a panic, but in the end, failed to pull the door open before Neo and had to settle for the passenger seat.

"Mr. Neo, where do you plan to go?"

"To the office. I want to personally oversee the enrollment work."

The assistant, knowing he had been in meetings with several patriarchs all night, said in astonishment, "Of course, that's no problem, but do you... need to get some sleep before going to the office?

I'm worried your health will..."

"Hahaha—" Neo suddenly burst into laughter, only stopping after a while. "My health is only going to get better and better!"

The assistant was a bit bewildered but didn't dare ask more. Looking back through the windshield, his eyes stared blankly at the road, wondering what happy event Neo had encountered.

...

Over the next three days, news that the Magic School on the outskirts of New Moon City was completed and that enrollment was about to begin spread rapidly across America.

The long-waiting American public instantly fell into a frenzy, scouring for any news related to the school.

After learning from the official website that the age limit for enrollment was 9 to 18 years old, all eligible citizens immediately set off, accompanied by their parents, rushing to the enrollment office on the outskirts of New Moon City at the fastest speed.

This anxiety was not only to register as early as possible but also because everyone hoped to take the opportunity to visit the campus.

However, after everyone rushed to the enrollment office, they were told that only students who passed several rounds of strict selection would be eligible to enter the school.

The people crowded on the open fields were greatly disappointed, but they soon encouraged each other to regain their spirits, each using their own methods in hopes of fulfilling their small wish.

Dozens of parents with decent financial means banded together, spending a fortune to buy a cherry picker and high-powered binoculars, attempting to look down into the school from high up.

As a result, as soon as their telescopic ladder rose more than ten meters, several armed helicopters flew in from a distance and announced through onboard loudspeakers—lower the height immediately, or face the consequences.

Despite the parents' reluctance, they were ultimately forced back to the ground under the intimidation of the menacing gun barrels on both sides of the helicopters.

Working-class parents had limited funds and couldn't afford expensive large machinery, so after some hard thinking, they chose a different approach.

During the day, they went into the city to buy black tight-fitting clothes, returned to the site, and changed in a nearby forest.

When night fell, a group of people approached the school under the cover of darkness, attempting to sneak in.

These guys ended up in a much more miserable state than the former group.

The special forces squad guarding the school twenty-four hours a day successfully subdued everyone before they even reached the perimeter wall, throwing them into pre-prepared transport vehicles and sending them to the nearest prison.

Having failed their plan and been caught, they felt slightly disappointed, but they weren't worried about their children's entrance exams.

Because they hadn't brought their children along when they were sneaking around, it was considered "meticulous planning."

After several failed plots, the public finally recognized reality and stopped causing trouble, setting up tents by the nearby river to wait for the testing to begin.

After three days of hard waiting, more than a dozen large box trucks drove along the highway and came to a steady halt in the open space in front of the enrollment office, turning off their engines.

Parents and children gathered curiously in the distance to watch.

The drivers got out and opened the cargo doors, and a large number of American Soldiers jumped down, unloading wooden crates from the inside.

"What's in the boxes?" some parents discussed in confusion with those beside them.

"Maybe it's equipment used by the school?"

"Idiot, if it were equipment for the school, why wouldn't the trucks drive directly into the school instead of stopping at the enrollment office?

It must be exam papers!" an ill-tempered father made a rather unfriendly comment.

Being snapped at for no reason, the other person was slightly annoyed and immediately retorted, "Ha, exam papers? What kind of exam papers could fill hundreds of wooden crates?"

The short-tempered father was at a loss for words, thought for a moment, and asked, "Then what do you think it is?"

"I guess it's exam supplies."

"Idiot!"

"Why are you calling me an idiot again?!"

"Is there any difference between 'exam supplies' and what I guessed?"

"Fool, of course they're different!"

The two gradually moved toward each other, spit flying, looking very much like they were about to settle it with their fists. The short-haired fellow who had sparked the topic stepped in to mediate. "Calm down, you two, calm... Look, the Soldiers are opening the crates."

The attention of the three, along with the crowd watching the spectacle, was drawn over.

The Soldiers pried open the lids and took out uniform wooden tables and chairs, arranging them neatly in the open space in front of the small building serving as the enrollment office. Another team of Soldiers used tools and wire mesh to set up a perimeter of caution tape.

The guy who had been called an idiot said triumphantly, "See? These are exam supplies. They have absolutely nothing to do with exam papers."

The short-tempered father wanted to argue back but couldn't think of anything to say. With a darkened face, he ignored him and continued watching the Soldiers.

The Soldiers quickly finished setting up the tables and chairs, then pulled a stack of kraft paper envelopes from the wooden crates, placing one on each table.

"Haha!" Seeing this, the short-tempered father immediately rubbed it in his face. "Exam supplies? Oh, look at what that is!"

"So? Weren't the tables and chairs taken out of the crates too?"

The short-haired fellow, helpless, once again stood between the two as they waved their fists, trying to persuade them with kind words.

Just as their emotions were becoming increasingly agitated and it looked like he wouldn't be able to stop them, the loudspeaker on the roof of the enrollment building sounded just in time.

"Students with exam numbers one to five hundred, please enter the venue in an orderly manner with your number cards."

Number cards had been distributed to the public two days ago. Hearing the announcement, the two men pulled their number cards from their pockets and found that their numbers were within the range. Forgetting their argument, they quickly pulled their children toward the exam venue.

The entrance to the exam venue was a gap deliberately left by the Soldiers in the wire mesh, with large Soldiers standing on both sides to maintain order.

Facing the Soldiers with live ammunition, the parents didn't dare to cause any trouble and obediently lined up to send their children into the venue.

As time passed, the five hundred wooden stools were quickly filled.

The official age range for admission had a large gap between the upper and lower limits. Looking from the entrance of the exam venue, the heights of the candidates were all over the place, which was quite comical.

The Soldier captain received instructions and ordered his team to disperse the parents gathered at the entrance. Then, several Examiners walked out of the building and entered the exam venue.

The leader scanned the candidates from left to right. "Points of attention: One, cheaters will be stripped of their eligibility on the spot.

Two, communication is strictly prohibited. Those discovered will be stripped of their eligibility on the spot.

Three, early submission is strictly prohibited. After completing the questions, sit in your original position and wait for the time to end before leaving. Violating this rule will result in the immediate stripping of exam eligibility."

After speaking, he raised his arm and looked at the ticking second hand on his watch face.

"The exam begins!"

The candidates, sitting up straight, immediately tore open the envelopes, took out the exam papers, spread them on the tables, and began to read the questions.

Three seconds later, the entire venue was in an uproar.

"What is this? Exam questions? Are you sure you didn't accidentally take the test papers from a kindergarten?"

"Please, the questions are all first-grade knowledge points. You must have taken the wrong ones."

"Silence!" the Examiner shouted sternly.

Once the exam venue returned to silence, he asked with a stern face, "Raise your hand if you have a question."

More than a dozen students raised their right hands at the same time. He pointed at one randomly. "Speak."

"Mr. Examiner." This student looked to be about sixteen years old. He stood up with his hands spread. "Just as my friend said, the questions are testing first-grade knowledge points. The youngest of us here is nine years old and already in the third grade. You must have taken the wrong ones.

Sorry, please forgive my bluntness, but this test paper seems to me... more like it's for weeding out fools than selecting outstanding students."

The chief Examiner was expressionless as he asked the other candidates, "Do you all have the same question?"

"Yes."

"That's right."

The bold students spoke up, while the introverted ones didn't speak but nodded in agreement.

The chief Examiner looked at them, a strange smile appearing on his face. "You're quite right. This exam paper is indeed used to weed out fools."

"What?"

The candidates suspected they had misheard. They looked at each other in confusion, somewhat at a loss.

Weeding out fools?

What kind of fool would get even first-grade exam questions wrong?

Especially questions like these...

The candidates lowered their heads and silently read the first few questions on the exam paper in order.

Blue Star is the planet that humans rely on for survival. Please briefly describe the shape of this planet.

One plus one equals two. Within the rules of mathematics, is this calculation correct?

An absurd feeling arose in the candidates' hearts.

Strictly speaking, these exam questions couldn't even be defined as "knowledge points learned in the first grade," but rather as "human common sense."

My God.

Some candidates couldn't help but complain secretly. Is this weeding out fools? Why does it feel more like weeding out the mentally disabled?

Or maybe the one who is mentally disabled is actually the chief Examiner, thinking that a human with normal intelligence wouldn't even know that one plus one equals two?

Of course, it wasn't denied that human toddlers within three years of birth might temporarily be unable to understand mathematical concepts due to being in a state of intellectual development, but the candidates believed that any child over five years old could definitely correctly calculate addition and subtraction within ten.

The chief Examiner was silent for a while. Seeing that no one else was asking questions, he said in a calm tone, "All of you, sit back on your stools and continue the exam. Abide by the exam rules."

Though extremely confused, the candidates could only sit down, pick up their pencils, and start answering the questions.

The chief Examiner paced along the aisle between the two rows of wooden tables with his hands behind his back, his peripheral vision noting the answers already written on the exam papers.

After looking at all five hundred candidates, he and the other Examiners walked to the wire mesh far away from the candidates and began whispering.

As they had expected, the first batch of people to arrive at the enrollment office wouldn't be from poor families; they had the ability to send their children to private schools.

As for those who arrived later, the later they came, the higher the probability that the child attended a public school, and thus the more likely they were to meet the criteria for what they called a fool.

If this were in Huaxia, it would be unbelievable.

What child who has completed the first to third grades wouldn't be able to calculate that one plus one equals two?

However, this was America. The elite class and the bottom layer lived on the same land but experienced completely different daily lives.

The offspring of the elite had the conditions to enroll in expensive private schools and receive the best education, while the bottom layer could only choose affordable public schools with indescribable teaching quality.

How big was the gap between the two?

So big that the chief Examiner had to use exam questions like "describe what shape this 'planet' is," which explicitly gave away the answer, for screening.

Because there really were adult American citizens who firmly believed that Blue Star was square and that the so-called sphere was just an official hoax.

"Five hundred people at a time, hmm, want to make a bet for fun?" an Examiner in a black suit said with a smile.

His companion became interested. "How do we bet?"

"Let's bet on how long it will take for the first person to be eliminated, based on the calculation of five hundred candidates per batch."

This exam didn't have a sixty-point passing rule; a full score meant admission, and anything less meant going home. It was simple and clear.

The chief Examiner raised his eyebrows. "If it's five hundred per batch, at least within five thousand people, no one will appear. I estimate... it will be at least after ten thousand people."

Another Examiner had little interest in this and changed the subject. "The number of people coming to try their luck at the Magic School won't be less than a million. At five hundred a batch, when will the testing ever finish?"

"More seats will be added later."

"Alright, I hope they add a lot more."