252: expulsion

One must understand that in such an unknown and dangerous situation, no one could accurately know the true intentions of the Flesh and Blood Creatures they faced—whether they intended to hunt them down on the spot or capture them alive.

Making the decision to abandon resistance was undoubtedly a gamble with their lives.

If they lost the bet, although only their clone would die, it would still mean failure in their personal assessment.

However, it was precisely because they had the courage to take this risk and were fortunate enough to win this gamble that they created a valuable opportunity for the subsequent elimination of the blood heart.

Imagine, if they hadn't abandoned resistance at the beginning and preserved their battle armor energy, they probably wouldn't even have had the chance to break free when they were first restrained, let alone penetrate the tiger's den and successfully eliminate the critical target of the blood heart.

“Minister Sha, looking at this situation, what rating do you think would be appropriate for them?”

Wan Yi narrowed his eyes slightly, a profound meaning in his gaze, looking directly at Minister Sha, as if awaiting an important decision.

“Hahaha, is there any need to hesitate?”

Minister Sha laughed heartily and said without hesitation.

“Comrade Li Yang and his group, with their extraordinary courage and wisdom, successfully eliminated the blood heart, making outstanding contributions to this operation. Naturally, they should be given the highest excellent rating. As for the other Students, they will be rated according to the established regulations, whatever rating is appropriate, as everyone’s performance is genuinely reflected in their reports.”

After all, reports cannot be written carelessly. Afterward, they will also extract the data stored in the battle armor of all Students. Reports can be faked, but the data in the battle armor cannot… In the spacious and slightly dim conference hall, soft lights gradually brightened, and all the Students who had been immersed in the consciousness world of their clones slowly began to awaken from their slumber.

A trace of lingering tension and exhaustion remained in their eyes.

“Phew… it seems the assessment was truly successful.”

A Student let out a long breath, a look of relief appearing on his face.

He rubbed his somewhat dry eyes, still savoring everything he had just experienced, his heart filled with a sense of relief.

“It seems quite a few people failed the assessment?”

Another Student looked around and couldn’t help but sigh softly.

He keenly noticed that there were quite a few empty seats in the conference hall.

One must know that before the assessment began, the hall was packed, with every seat occupied by a Student.

These empty seats now seemed like silent sighs, hinting at the departure of those Students who had not passed the assessment.

Just then, Number Zero walked steadily onto the high platform.

His posture was upright, his face stern, and his gaze calmly swept over the remaining Students below. He spoke in a clear and powerful voice.

“Congratulations on completing your assessment. Everyone has worked hard during this period. Please go back and get some good rest. As always, you will be notified of further arrangements in a few days.”

Number Zero’s words were like pebbles dropped into a calm lake, creating ripples in the hearts of the Students.

They knew that the end of this assessment was just a new beginning; the advanced studies were still long… A few days later, sunlight streamed gently through the windows, illuminating the academy.

All the Students once again received a notification from Number Zero and hurried to the conference hall to assemble.

Along the way, the Students were either in groups of two or three, eagerly discussing the upcoming assessment results, or lost in solitary thought, silently anticipating the verdict of fate.

“Hey, Li Yang, do you think our excellent rating is pretty much guaranteed?”

Hill leaned close to Li Yang, his eyes sparkling with curiosity and anticipation, asking impatiently.

His experiences during this period filled him with confidence about the assessment results; after all, their heroic feat on the Flesh and Blood Planet, in his opinion, was worthy of the highest praise.

“I wouldn’t know…”

Li Yang shook his head helplessly. His expression remained calm, unaffected by Hill’s enthusiasm.

In his heart, although he had some confidence in his Squad’s performance, the assessment results were not entirely dependent on their wishes; everything still had to be decided by the superiors.

“No way, we defeated the final boss! In a game, we’d totally be heroes!”

Hill continued, unwilling to give up, gesticulating as if describing to Li Yang the glorious scene of him becoming a hero in a virtual game world.

In his imagination, their achievements should be recognized and praised by everyone.

“Stop playing those games, alright? Just listen to the decisions from above.”

Hai An appeared out of nowhere, unable to resist complaining.

He looked at Hill with a helpless expression, feeling that Hill was too engrossed in game fantasies, overlooking the complexity of real-world assessment ratings.

“Indeed, Hai An is right. Hill, you should play fewer games.”

Guttri and Vivienne also nodded silently in agreement with Hai An.

“Tch, how boring, you guys…”

Hill, feeling rebuffed, pouted, but he also knew that reality couldn’t be like a game, so he could only direct his anticipation towards the imminent announcement of the results.

Once everyone had arrived, the doors of the conference hall slowly opened, and Number Zero, with steady, powerful strides, led the teaching Squad members to appear neatly before everyone.

Number Zero, dressed in a crisp uniform, stood tall. His gaze was sharp, scanning every Student below the stage, and the entire conference hall instantly fell silent.

“Everyone, after this period of advanced studies and interaction, all our first-stage assessments have been completed…”

Number Zero’s voice was clear and resonant, echoing through the conference hall.

Watching Number Zero speak for a long time, Li Yang couldn’t help but feel a little puzzled. He turned slightly and quietly asked Hill beside him.

“What does Number Zero mean by ‘first-stage assessment’? Could there be more assessments later?”

A hint of curiosity welled up in his heart, as he had never heard of assessments being divided into stages before.

“Oh, after all, the Students with extended advanced study periods can’t just be purely studying for such a long time; naturally, assessments will also be conducted. Passing the assessments can help them strive to reduce their advanced study time.”

Hill lowered his voice and patiently explained.

“Of course, if they keep failing assessments, then they can only complete the assessment in the longest possible time. Oh, and this batch might be different; I heard that a Student has already had their advanced study qualification directly revoked by the management department, and it seems it was a direct order from the Minister. It’s possible that Students who keep failing assessments might even be ‘expelled’ later…”

A hint of worry was revealed in Hill’s eyes. He knew that the pressure of the assessment was always present, allowing no room for slack.

After hearing Hill’s explanation, Li Yang frowned slightly, falling into a state of contemplation.

His gaze was fixed forward, his mind churning with thoughts.

As for the expelled Student, they only learned of the news the day after the assessment was completed.

At the time, this news was like a bombshell, causing an uproar among the Student body.

Everyone looked surprised, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

After all, in the history of the Officer Cadre Advanced Studies Branch, this was the first time a Student’s advanced study qualification had ever been revoked.

This unprecedented move, like a cold blast of wind, caused many Students with insufficient abilities and poor performance in the first two rounds of assessments to shiver involuntarily.