Sky-cracking Rider

As a residential area, the apartment buildings in Zone B were extremely tall, with at least ten suites on each floor.

The solid and robust construction of the building itself was a type of defensive design, and the spacious rooftop could even serve as a platform for weaponry, effective for both anti-air and ground combat.

After all, in a place like Habulav, surrounded by various terrifying mutants, ground transportation was almost cut off, so some precautions were necessary.

From the first to the seventh floor were communal floors that housed amenities such as gyms, mini supermarkets, and libraries. The fifth floor was the activity area, with several multifunctional halls of varying sizes, suitable for meetings, interactive games, and parties.

When Chen Fei and Mouri Misono came to the Tiberia Hall on the fifth floor, six or seven people were already there, including Adrian Benjamin, the white-haired man who had personally invited them.

Before coming down, both had their communication numbers dragged into a work communication group, which corresponded in number to the people currently present.

The inviter, the white-haired Adrian Benjamin, was also the organizer of this party and was a First-Rank fire mage.

Then there was the enchanting Gallic Lady, Susanna Jean Piault, passionate as fire yet a genuine Ice Ability User, B-rating!

Ruan Tiankai, a Ninth-Rank Earth Mage.

A-level Psychic Ability User, Puppet Master Joshua.

Another tall, dark guy, Apu, a Second-Rank Thunder Series Warrior.

Walter Sam, a Seventh-Rank Holy Knight; his cherished mount Mini was also in the Tiberia Hall, a Second-Rank Wind Beast named Blue Scaled Colt, chewing on a bowl of mixed-grain cookies noisily without looking up.

Surprisingly, there was also a beast, an Eighth-Rank Wood System Tree Boundary Ape, Lulu'an.

"Welcome! B-Rank Metal Ability User, Chen Fei, you did a great job this afternoon by punching a hole in the training gym of Zone C, and also your Pure Light Sparrow little friend, Xiao Jiu, capable of emitting lasers, that's a first for me."

Adrian Benjamin, the party organizer, greeted Chen Fei warmly as soon as he saw him and upon seeing Mouri's Little Sister who had arrived behind him at the Tiberia Hall, he continued to call out loudly, "And this lady, dual-sword Valkyrie Mouri Misono, you're just too adorable!"

"Jiu!~"

Xiao Jiu couldn't hold back, catching everyone's eye.

"Hui Rurururu..."

The spooked Blue Scaled Colt jumped, nearly toppling the large bowl in front of it, issuing a dissatisfied snort.

"Hehe, Mini, it's okay, it's all right!"

As a fellow Light Series entity, though a Warrior, Holy Knight Walter Sam had substantial resistance against the Second-Order Light-based Spell "Light Burst Flash" that took everyone by surprise, he blinked, quickly recovered, and hurried to soothe his mount.

"Sorry, sorry! The little guy got a bit excited!"

One's own kid, what else can you say? Chen Fei had no choice but to take that blame.

"Jiu!"

The little bird was indeed very lively; it thrived on excitement.

"Goodness, that surprise was really unexpected."

Party organizer Adrian was rubbing his eyes, being the closest, he was struck solidly by the flash, and it took him a long while to recover his vision.

He wasn't really angry, recognizing that if he could be caught off guard, so could the mutants.

The stronger and more useful the companions' abilities, the better, suggesting that the little Pure Light Sparrow could also be quite useful!

Being a beast as well, the Tree Boundary Ape Lulu'an said quite indulgently, "What a mischievous little fellow!"

Young magical beasts were almost always this naughty and troublesome, whether it was the Tree Boundary Ape or any other beast, even wild beasts, it was no surprise to him.

"A superb flashlight, isn't it?"

"You're right about that!"

"Next time I take pictures, I'll use it!"

The fellow Ability Users were also quite magnanimous, no point in getting mad at a tiny thing the size of a fist.

"Xiao Jiu is truly amazing!"

Standing behind Chen Fei, Mouri Misono narrowly missed being affected due to her position, with minimal impact, her face lit up with admiration.

Her hometown had a fondness for black-feathered birds, and if only it could croon a few times, that would be perfect!

The party wasn't just to welcome the new members Chen Fei and Mouri Misono; it was also to close the gap between members and was a process of enhancing mutual understanding, thus smoothly starting the internal integration of the team.

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Early the next morning.

Chen Fei, dressed in his training uniform, returned to Zone C with Xiao Jiu.

The training gym, which had a hole poked through its roof yesterday, was newly repaired and showed no signs of the previous damage.

Ten large spheres, floating a foot off the ground, lined up in a row, and eight more were involved in one-on-one sparring sessions with the Ability Users from last night's party.

The three-meter diameter target mechanical beings, powered by high-grade Crystal Energy, whether in terms of their armored outer shell, defensive force field, or magic array, were all exceptionally tough. It was only under full-powered joint strikes of Chen Fei's railgun and laser cannon that they could be destroyed under normal circumstances, a feat difficult for Second-Rank and A-Rank Ability Users.

Hence, these Ability Users sparred with full force unfettered, filling the arena with a bustling mélange of sounds.

"Chen Fei, you're the last one!"

Examiner Babylon came up behind Chen Fei.

With the end of the evaluation, the role of the examiner seemed to have shifted back to that of an instructor.

"It's only 8:50!"

Chen Fei glanced at his wristband, he was at least ten minutes early!

"You're the last one!"

The interviewer emphasized again with his eyes closed, as if being the last one to arrive was also a sin, even though he was not late.

Chen Fei tentatively asked, "So, what should I do?"

Babylon replied, "Do what you're best at."

"Okay! Sovereign economic structure..."

Chen Fei nodded, pulled out his cellphone, and started to review.

"What are you doing?"

Babylon's mouth twitched.

Couldn't he understand human speech? Chen Fei's action had completely taken him by surprise.

"The thing I'm best at is conducting economic studies. This is a good opportunity to take my entrance exam!"

Chen Fei's biggest obsession wasn't devastation, dominion, or clearing the debts that almost took his life, but rather the persistent thought of applying for graduate studies.

If it hadn't been for his younger sister Chen Meng suddenly creating such a mess at home, he might have already been a graduate student, changing his fate through study and living a peaceful life in the economic sector—wasn't that appealing?

The academically talented Chen Fei was definitely not one for constant fighting; he simply wished to read in peace.

"...Your best skill is this?"

Babylon suddenly sighed. He recalled Chen Fei's personal file, and it seemed right—he had almost been about to apply for his exam indeed!

Who could have guessed that a college undergraduate prepared to elevate his academic pursuits would suddenly wind up working at an aircrew base located in the wilderness, unexpectedly awaken a Metal Elemental Psychic Power, become not only an excellent mechanic but also a top-notch combat pilot? This deviation in life's path could only be called the irony of fate.

"Yes, that's right!"

Chen Fei reluctantly set down his phone, having just picked out his study material, ready to place an order.

Babylon, with a bit of a headache, said, "You're now part of the Bear Hunting Special Operations Division, and you need to learn survival and combat skills!"

"What?!"

Chen Fei looked down at his phone—his head didn't hurt, but his heart ached.

He wanted to study!

Learning made him happy.

"You have two tasks—first, learn martial arts, and second, become an attack core."

Babylon had to emphasize these points to Chen Fei, who knew nothing of them.

Fellow student, mark this as important for the exam!

"Okay!"

Chen Fei could only comply and temporarily abandon the thought of continuing his studies.

"There's a teacher very suitable for you, but he is still on his way. I'll find someone temporarily to teach you for now."

Babylon turned his head, looking towards the Holy Knight who was charging at a mechanical being on a Blue Scaled Colt, the Light Flame enveloping both rider and steed, highly conspicuous within the arena.

Tat-tat-tat-tat... The sound of hooves like a rainstorm fluttered unstably, the speed incredibly fast, like a lively shadow repeatedly striking the three-meter diameter large sphere, with attack frequency and power index continuously refreshing.

"Walter, come over here."

Babylon's voice wasn't loud, but it rang clearly next to the Holy Knight's ear.

"Hello! Mr. Babylon, what can I do for you?"
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A gust of wind blew past as the spirited Blue Scaled Colt carried Walter Sam to the side of Babylon and Chen Fei.

The steed's hooves continuously drummed the ground, clearly still eager, because as a Second Rank Wind Beast, in terms of speed and endurance, it was incomparable to ordinary horses, and it complemented the riding skills of Holy Knight Walter Sam almost perfectly.

Babylon said, "The very suitable person to teach Chen Fei is still on the road. In the meantime, you will teach him martial arts."

"Teach martial arts? Him?" Walter Sam looked surprised at Babylon and then toward the utterly perplexed Chen Fei.

How could it be that an ability user selected into the Bear Hunting Special Operations Division didn't even know martial arts?

Could he be a connected individual planted to earn his stripes?

But that didn't seem right either!

If one were looking to earn stripes, naturally there were plenty of good, safe positions that could also be truly golden—there would be no need to confront the dangerous "Water Bear" organization directly.

"That's right, Chen Fei's abilities are all in long-range attacks!"

Babylon laid bare the truth about Chen Fei's expertise—adept at long-range, poor at close combat.

"Hmm, that makes sense!"

Basic information about colleagues was open to each other, and Walter Sam recalled some, then slowly nodded his head.

He then looked at Chen Fei, asking, "Have you practiced any martial arts?"

Chen Fei tentatively asked, "Uh, does military boxing count?"

Every academic year at the start of school, there was always at least half a month spent on military training, with many subjects trained including operation of light and heavy weapons, personal combat, and in the case of some particularly wild universities, even training on ships and aircraft.

God damn military boxing... Holy Knight almost didn't topple off his mount.

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