76: College Entrance Examination Scoreboard

The light from the teleportation array completely engulfed his vision, and after a brief sensation of weightlessness, the feeling of solid ground under his feet returned.

The air was no longer the pungent smell of blood, decaying earth, and death from the Barren World; instead, it was the familiar, faintly sweet scent of the school campus.

However, this familiarity brought not relief, but a deeper sense of tearing.

As the light dissipated, what came into view was the familiar school playground, surrounded by familiar school buildings and trees.

At this moment, the figures standing on the giant teleportation array in the center of the playground were sparse, less than a hundred people!

Were these the Students from Weiyang No. 1 High School who participated in this year's professional college entrance examination?

At departure, the place was bustling with nearly a thousand spirited young men and women, who, filled with dreams and the expectations of their families, stepped into the teleportation array, heading to the battlefield that symbolized glory and transformation.

But now... silence.

A brief, suffocating silence enveloped the entire playground.

The survivors looked around blankly, seeing their fellow Students, equally scarred, with empty or sorrowful eyes.

One.

Two.

Ten... Counting them, there really wasn't even one-tenth of the number who had departed!

The huge disparity struck everyone's heart like a cold iron hammer.

The relief of surviving a disaster had not yet had a chance to rise before it was completely crushed by the cruel reality before them.

"Ah!!!"

A girl suddenly let out a piercing scream, collapsing to the ground, clutching her hair tightly with both hands, tears mixed with bloodstains and dust streaming down her face.

She saw her best friend's backpack lying alone on the empty ground nearby, but its owner would never return.

"Gone... all gone... boo hoo hoo..."

A boy crouched down, holding his head, his body trembling violently, his suppressed sobs like the whimpers of a wounded beast.

"Why! Why us! Why didn't those bastards die!"

Someone roared at the sky, venting their misplaced anger and despair.

Sadness, like a tangible tide, instantly engulfed the entire teleportation array area.

Some cried bitterly, some collapsed to the ground, some punched the empty air, while others just stood there blankly, as if their souls had been drawn out.

The joy of surviving a disaster?

In the face of such enormous casualties, that tiny bit of relief had long been washed away without a trace, leaving only profound sorrow and unresolvable resentment.

"This... what's going on?!"

A shriek of utter horror broke the silence in a corner of the playground.

The school teachers responsible for the reception had only just recovered from their routine work of ensuring the stable operation of the teleportation array.

When they clearly saw the few figures on the teleportation array, everyone's faces instantly turned pale, as if they had seen a ghost.

"Where are they? Where are the others?!"

"How... how did so few people come back?!"

"Oh my god! What happened?!"

Shock, panic, and disbelief spread like an explosion among the teachers.

They rushed forward, trying to find familiar faces, but all they received were more empty, despairing eyes and uncontrollable sobs.

"Teacher Li! Teacher Wang! Your classes... are there still people from your classes?"

A middle-aged female teacher asked her colleague beside her with a trembling voice, receiving only a desperate shake of the head in return.

"The professional college entrance examination... there are casualties every year, but... but those are very few!"

A white-haired old teacher murmured distractedly.

He had experienced more than a dozen college entrance examinations; in previous years, at most one or two percent were lost, which was already an unbearable pain for the school and required repeated lessons to be learned.

But the survival rate of less than one-tenth before them was simply a hellish scene, completely beyond everyone's cognition and understanding.

"No! Where are the invigilating teachers? Where are the invigilators responsible for Student safety?"

Another keen teacher discovered an even more terrifying fact.

"They... not a single one of them returned?!"

This discovery sent all the teachers' hearts plummeting into an ice cave.

Invigilating teachers were not only powerful but also bore the important responsibility of protecting Students and guiding their evacuation at critical moments.

In previous years, even if there were Student casualties, invigilating teachers rarely suffered losses.

But this time, the invigilating teachers were completely wiped out?

This could no longer be explained by simple "accidents" or "high casualty rates"!

A huge, ominous shadow loomed over all the teachers' hearts, making their hands and feet cold, almost unable to think.

The chaos and sorrow lasted for a long time until the school's high-ranking officials and more security personnel arrived, barely managing to maintain order.

Under the teachers' comfort and guidance, the surviving Students were taken to the nearby gymnasium for temporary resettlement, information registration, injury treatment, and initial assessment for psychological intervention.

The atmosphere in the gymnasium was oppressive, with sadness and anger like a tangible thick fog.

But when the logistics personnel responsible for college entrance examination score statistics appeared with recording instruments and storage boxes, demanding the surrender of spoils obtained in the Barren World to calculate college entrance examination points, most Students silently walked over.

Although their mood was still sad, points were crucial for their future entry into higher education and access to resources.

All universities across the entire Dragon Nation began to tally the spoils submitted by candidates at this moment.

The Students queued numbly, placing materials, crystal cores, and even some fragmented weapon pieces brought back from the Barren World into designated storage boxes.

The instrument scanned and recorded the energy fluctuations and rarity of the items, ultimately converting them into cold point numbers displayed on the optical screen.

The national total score ranking began to scroll.

Most people's scores were not high; being alive was already a blessing, so who had the mind to collect spoils?

What they managed to bring back was mostly picked up along the way during their escape, or obtained from low-level dragon beasts hunted in the initial stages.

However, there were exceptions.

Nangong Jie's name topped the national score ranking!

His score was astonishingly high, a full 16420 points!

Far exceeding the second place's 12100 by a large margin!

He submitted not only a large number of high-level dragon beast materials but also several dragon crystals shimmering with intense energy fluctuations!

Clearly, even in that final chaotic escape, he, relying on his powerful strength and the cover of his guards, still frantically plundered the most valuable spoils within his capabilities.

At this moment, although his pale face still carried a hint of gloom, looking at the top position on the list, a subtle trace of pride and solace flashed in his eyes.

These points were a part of the guarantee for his dignity and future.

Wang Meng's name was also prominently ranked third.

His score of 11500 was equally astounding.

The quantity of materials he submitted was astonishing, and the variety was extensive; although the quality was slightly inferior to Nangong Jie's, it was superior in quantity.

He supported his injured Student, his eyes still filled with grief and indignation, but looking at the score ranking, he also breathed a slight sigh of relief.

These were things he and many of his brothers had exchanged their lives for, although now only he remained alive...

"Hiss... Nangong Jie, Wang Meng... their scores are so high!"

"Yes, so many high-level materials..."

"Sigh, I can't envy them; one has brothers, the other has family..."

"Forget it, surviving is our greatest luck..."

Low murmurs rose among the candidates from different schools, a mix of envy and helplessness...

It was Lin Feng's turn...