Chapter 26: A Bad Provocation

Yes, that’s right.

Yun Ruoxi’s opponent in the fifth round… was Lin Zhen!

The girl’s face instantly lit up with surprise when she saw Lin Zhen, almost blurting out his name, then quickly correcting herself:

“1046, are you okay?”

Lin Zhen had originally placed his index finger against his lips to signal silence, but seeing this, he lowered it.

“I’m doing pretty well. Although I’m exhausted every day, I’ve really learned a lot.” A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

“Also, my current number is already 786.”

The past month’s experience in the battle camp felt like a dream to him.

Not only had he witnessed and learned many things that he probably wouldn’t have encountered in a lifetime before, but he had also gained advanced knowledge.

He had even made a few friends he could actually talk to.

And met this stunningly beautiful girl who he never even dared to think about before, someone he used to avoid whenever he saw her.

What’s more, he was growing stronger at an astonishing pace.

Lin Zhen silently clenched his fist.

If he had possessed this strength a month ago, most of the previous incidents probably wouldn’t have happened.

But, speaking of which…

He raised his head and looked at Yun Ruoxi curiously.

He had fought tooth and nail, barely scraping together four consecutive wins to reach the 625th rank.

But the gentle and delicate Yun Ruoxi in front of him looked so fragile that he felt like he could squeeze water out of her with a light pinch.

How on earth did she get to this round?

He knew very well that Yun Ruoxi’s physical condition was definitely not as good as his.

After a month of training, his strength and agility had both reached B-level, and his constitution had even reached A-level.

Among all the trainees, he was in the top tier.

That left only one possibility… His pupils suddenly contracted as he asked tentatively in a low voice, “What is your Monthly Target Score for Combat Assassination Techniques of a Hundred Types?”

“Me?” The girl tilted her head, seemingly not understanding why he asked.

“Only 97 points.”

“Only 97 points?!” Lin Zhen widened his eyes and sucked in a breath of cold air. His own Monthly Target Score for that course was only 83 points!

That was a full 14-point difference.

A whole 14-point gap — he knew too well what that meant; it was an unbridgeable chasm between the elite and the ordinary.

“Then… what’s your current number?”

Yun Ruoxi embarrassedly pinched the tuft of hair sticking up and shyly said, “My number is only 2195 now, not as good as 786 brother’s.”

“That’s already impressive!” Lin Zhen was shocked once again.

He had struggled for a month and only climbed from 1046 to 786, while Yun Ruoxi had surged from 9992 all the way to 2195!

Although climbing ranks is easier once you get past the halfway point, rising so much in a month was no longer something that could be called “easy.”

After all, once a number exceeded 5000, there was no reward coefficient but only a penalty coefficient, making it harder the higher you climbed.

Not only was Lin Zhen extremely surprised, even the spectators were stunned by Yun Ruoxi’s achievements over the month.

They had been following Lin Zhen’s progress closely and knew how much effort he had put into climbing the ranks.

And Yun Ruoxi’s beauty, along with her tendency to cry easily, was completely different from the image of a prodigy they had imagined.

“Wait, so little Ruoxi is actually a genius? This 14-point gap… if their physical condition were the same, Ruoxi could probably beat Lin Zhen with one hand tied behind her back.”

“A timid genius? That reminds me of some classic characters, but it’s rare to see such traits in a beautiful girl!”

“A timid loli + fighting genius! How can such a wonderful being exist in this world?!”

“Hey, someone needs to shoot the smallest bullet at you for that comment!”

“Lin Zhen’s pupils tremble.gif”

“Fight start!”

There wasn’t much time left for the two to catch up before the AI referee issued the command.

Lin Zhen cautiously observed Yun Ruoxi, moving forward step by step.

He had encountered female opponents before, but none as small and delicate as Yun Ruoxi.

Just by looking, he couldn’t determine her fighting style, only guessing it probably relied on dodging and attacking vital points.

So his plan was to slow down the pace of the fight and gradually adapt to her style.

Otherwise, rushing in recklessly might get him killed on first contact.

However, as Lin Zhen drew closer step by step, he noticed the girl clutching her hair, pursing her lips, and retreating with each step.

She looked as if she really didn’t want to fight him.

Worried that Yun Ruoxi’s reluctance might lead to penalties, Lin Zhen lowered his voice and said:

“It’s okay, it’s just a virtual space; you won’t get hurt.”

The girl pressed her lips tighter, “I… I really, really don’t want to hit you.”

Here he goes getting stuck in his head again… Lin Zhen smiled bitterly to himself.

But indeed, this was just like Yun Ruoxi’s personality.

When they first met, she refused to move no matter what, preferring to sit on the ground and wait for death.

Even after being persuaded, she hesitated and had to be dragged away.

“If you keep yielding like this, even if I win, the camp won’t recognize it and might punish both of us.” Lin Zhen earnestly advised.

“If I broke the rules, just punish me.”

Before she finished, the AI referee’s warning sounded:

“Please begin fighting promptly. No action within thirty seconds will result in both parties being penalized 100 points.”

“See? What did I tell you.”

Lin Zhen shrugged and sighed with relief, never expecting that one day he’d have to rely on the camp’s intervention to break the stalemate.

He stepped in front of Yun Ruoxi, looking down at the girl who was a head shorter than him, and lightly flicked her forehead with his finger:

“This is me provoking you! You should know this is quite a rude insult on Origin Earth!” Saying that, he curled the corners of his mouth into a grin.

“Come on, let’s have a serious fight—if it’s for me, I’m even more eager to see how much you’ve grown this past month.”

Yun Ruoxi finally nodded and took a fighting stance. Since they would both be penalized if they didn’t fight, she had no reason to refuse anymore.

“Last five seconds countdown, five, four…”

Seeing the AI start counting down, Lin Zhen stopped retreating and launched a swift, powerful jab at Yun Ruoxi.

The jab was fast, precise, and easy to feint—perfect for testing an opponent.

Compared to those trainees who would rush in with kicks only to be dodged and quickly subdued in a couple of moves, Lin Zhen’s approach was quite clever.

A flicker of approval appeared in Yun Ruoxi’s eyes as she slightly tilted her head, narrowly avoiding Lin Zhen’s jab.

The punch’s wind stirred her sky-blue hair, revealing her red eyes.

Lin Zhen wasn’t surprised she dodged the jab and immediately changed tactics, transforming his jab into a hook aimed straight for the back of Yun Ruoxi’s head.

If he caught her, the next move would be a knee strike.

A Sanda-style fighting technique, huh…

A flash of red light appeared in Yun Ruoxi’s eyes as she swiftly ducked and weaved, slipping into less than half a meter in front of Lin Zhen’s chest—

Bang!

A not very heavy uppercut landed precisely on his chin.

Lin Zhen staggered back several steps, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, his expression for a moment utterly stunned.

He hadn’t reacted at all.

He was… knocked senseless!