Chapter 96: That Sounds Awfully Familiar [Tips Appreciated]

Everyone was stunned.

More than nine times over.

The passing mark was five times.

A C-rank gene warrior of the strength type was expected to fall somewhere between five and ten times. Beyond ten times, that was already B-rank territory. If speed and reaction were also up to a certain level, then it was unquestionably B-rank.

A sharp intake of breath rippled through the testing room.

Qin Wu was also a strength-type gene warrior. Though his build was somewhat lean, strength was never judged by appearance alone. As his own power had continued to grow, the young man he had initially been uncertain about, Tang Shen, had actually surpassed him in raw strength.

His mouth hung open wide enough to fit a fist. Tang Shen did not look at all like a strength-type gene warrior; he seemed frail and delicate, yet the force he unleashed was even greater than Qin Wu’s. How could he not be shocked?

Hu Da, Yang Zhi, and the others knew Tang Shen was extraordinary, but they had never imagined he was this monstrous.

“It feels like I used a bit too much strength. I should go a little lighter.”

A soft mutter.

Bang!

Another punch.

“1,523 kg!”

“Still too much!”

Bang bang!

“1,345 kg!”

“Why is that still too much?”

“1,268 kg!”

“1,258 kg!”

“That’s about right.”

“1,254 kg!”

“1,253 kg!”

“1,252 kg!”

“1,251 kg!”

“1,252 kg!”

The blows rang out one after another, and ten test readings appeared in rapid succession.

Tang Shen looked very satisfied. At first he had used too much force, and it had taken him five punches before he found the passing level. Fine control over strength was not something ordinary people could do. If not for the frantic training he had done in the game with Guina, he might not have been able to control it this well at all.

Still, he felt his control was lacking. He had even failed to produce exactly 1,250 kg, the precise passing mark, which left him a little regretful.

If Qin Wu and Yang Zhi had known that, they would surely have spat blood.

They had not even recovered from the shock of Tang Shen’s first punch before he had finished all ten, each one lighter than the last, until he had stabilized right at the passing standard.

Looking at the gap between the first number and the ones after it, they had all the words they wanted to say, and none of them were fit for polite company.

Qin Wu was somewhat dazed. That should not have been possible. The difference should not have been this huge.

Meanwhile, Hu Da, Qiao San, Yu Guang, and Yang Zhi were all twitching at the corners of their mouths. They had already figured out why Tang Shen had done this.

They desperately wanted to complain: just how much do you not want to be called a genius? Is this really the only thing you want, a plain, ordinary contract?

Qin Wu suddenly remembered the faint muttering he had heard, and his heart gave a jolt. Could it be that this fellow had misunderstood him?

That would not do. A talent like this could not be allowed to go to waste.

In fact, handing out awakening serums and conducting these tests were both things that brought other bonus income. For example, when Yang Zhi found gifted students at school and brought them in, or when Qin Wu discovered special talent during testing, arranged things properly, and signed contracts, they would all receive rewards.

Of course, these rewards were not much. What really mattered was that they could get close to these talents, make acquaintances early, and build relationships. That was what they valued most.

“Th-that... Mr. Tang Shen, what I meant by the passing standard wasn’t that you should aim to hit it exactly. It was only a reference point. You should go all out for ten punches. Only by using your full strength can we determine a better rank and see your potential. Then I can help you争取—help you get a better contract, an elite contract, maybe even a genius contract, or something even better, so you can get better resources.” Qin Wu hurriedly explained, his tone much more courteous and gentle than before.

Hearing Qin Wu’s words, the five people most deeply affected were Hu Da and the others. They also felt utterly speechless and could hardly believe it.

But reality was just like this.

It was not that Tang Shen had heard wrong or misunderstood. He had done it on purpose.

Truth be told, even now they still could not figure it out, and that only made them feel even worse.

Tang Shen turned around with a sunny smile, wiped the faint sweat from his forehead, and said without changing expression, “No, that was my full strength. Maybe your machine is broken. Yes, definitely broken. I’m very weak. People like them could beat me ten at a time.”

He spoke with complete seriousness, spouting nonsense with a perfectly solemn face, even pointing at Hu Da and the others while holding up ten fingers.

Hu Da, who was usually so talkative, was at a loss for words for once. He could only press a hand to his forehead, feeling that the scene was too painful to look at.

Damn it, he was so angry. And yet he still had to stay calm.

“The machine is broken?” Qin Wu was now a little disoriented as well. He looked at the testing wall, then even went to check it himself. It wasn’t broken.

When he came back, he looked at Tang Shen and said, “How about you run the test again?”

Tang Shen readily agreed.

Bang bang bang!

Ten punches later.

“1,254 kg! 1,253 kg! 1,251 kg! 1,258 kg! 1,256 kg! 1,251 kg! 1,251 kg! 1,251 kg! 1,251 kg! 1,251 kg!”

Ten readings appeared, and not one was below 1,250 kg, nor was any one above 1,260 kg.

Qin Wu: “....”

He was genuinely at a loss now. Damn it, this was far too stable. The last five readings had not even changed at all; they were only one kilogram above the passing mark. Weren’t they supposed to be nine times stronger?

Meanwhile, Tang Shen silently told himself, Perfect.

Then, outwardly, he panted and said, “That was close. I almost didn’t pass. Testing really is hard.”

Hu Da: “....”

Qiao San: “....”

Yu Guang: “....”

Yang Zhi: “....”

Bai Xue’s bodyguard: “....”

The five of them all felt the same thing in their hearts: I’m not buying a single word of yours.

Something was off. Very off. Looking at Tang Shen, Qin Wu felt a faint twitch in his chest. He just had the sinking feeling that something was wrong, very wrong, but faced with Tang Shen’s polite and proper demeanor, he could not say a word.

His heart ached badly.

After holding it in for a long while, he finally managed to say, “Let’s move on to the speed test.”

At the speed-testing device was a marked zone. Speed was measured by the time taken to cross a certain distance, from which the tester’s velocity would be calculated.

The speed test allowed a sprint start and included an acceleration zone.

When he reached the preparation area, Tang Shen looked at Qin Wu once again and asked with utter seriousness, “Please tell me the minimum passing standard. That way I can try to run exactly that number and obtain the ordinary gene warrior contract I’ve been dreaming of.”

Qin Wu: “....”

Why did that sound so familiar?

Yang Zhi and the others were all twitching wildly at the corners of their mouths. Here it came again.

Would it kill you to just run normally? Would it kill you to let people see your real speed?

“Twenty-seven meters per second. You need to be tested five times. None of the runs may fall below the minimum value, and the final result will be the median. Begin the test,” Qin Wu said, taking a deep breath and forcing himself to calm down.

A newly awakened strength-type gene warrior usually possessed strength at about five times that of an ordinary trained person, while speed was around three times. Three times was also the passing standard.

“I understand. I’ll do my best to run 27 meters per second,” Tang Shen said, nodding with great seriousness.

To anyone else, he looked exactly like someone striving earnestly to meet the standard, working hard just to pass.

But in the eyes of the five people on Yang Zhi’s side, given Tang Shen’s usual behavior, this looked far more like: I must do my best to keep my speed down and control it at 27 meters per second. Yes, absolutely, I have to control it well. It cannot be any higher.

The more they looked at him, the more that seemed to be his meaning, and the more their hearts ached.