Chapter 6: The College Entrance Exam
In the month leading up to the exams, Luo Feng poured every ounce of energy into revising. With each mock test and review session, his confidence grew.
Getting into Jiangnan First Military Academy? It's in the bag.
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June 7th—the first day of the college entrance exam. In China, the exam spanned three days: June 7th, 8th, and 9th, unchanged from before the Great Nirvana.
Yian District No. 1 High School.
As a student from No. 3 High, Luo Feng was assigned here for the exams.
"Good luck, sweetie!"
"Relax, don't stress too much, Tian Tian."
Parents and students crowded the school gates, while armed police stood guard.
"Xiao Feng, stay calm in there," his father, Luo Hongguo, said with a smile. "Even if you miss the First Academy, the Second is just as good. Take it easy!"
Luo Feng nodded, smiling.
A sleek black Mercedes S600—a luxury model with a 1.6-second 0-100 kph speed and 500 kph top speed—pulled up, escorted by police motorcycles. The crowd parted, eyes fixated on the vehicle.
Three figures emerged, chatting casually:
A bald man on the left: Chief Zhang of Yian District Police.
A middle-aged woman on the right: Director Liu of the Education Bureau.
The central figure: a Warrior overseeing exam security.
"Military-grade security again," Luo Hongguo muttered. "They always assign a Warrior as chief security officer."
Luo Feng studied the Warrior. The man's serpentine gaze and stoic demeanor radiated authority. He nodded curtly at the officials, barely bothering with pleasantries.
Someday, I'll be a Warrior too.
Click-click. The school gates opened.
"Time to enter!" officials announced.
"Go on, Xiao Feng," Hongguo urged. His mother, Gong Xinlan, added, "We'll head home to cook. Your father and brother will wait for you here."
"Ge, you've got this!" Hua called from his wheelchair, pumping his fist.
Luo Feng returned the gesture and joined the stream of examinees filing through security.
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In the exam hall, Luo Feng placed his ID and admit card at the desk's corner. The invigilator distributed papers: 2056 Jiangnan City College Entrance Exam (Science Stream, Paper A).
"First up: combined science."
Skimming the questions, Luo Feng recognized some patterns. Not too difficult. If the paper's easy, my advantage shrinks. I need to be meticulous—no mistakes on solvable questions.
He dove into the paper.
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The exam had three sections:
Combined Science (Physics, Chemistry, Biology) – 250 points
Combined Humanities (Chinese, History, Politics, Geography) – 250 points
Mathematics – 250 points
Post-Great Nirvana, math had become crucial for advancements in tech and martial arts. Luo Feng excelled here, though humanities were a weaker spot.
June 7th: Science Exam – June 8th: Humanities Exam – June 9th: Mathematics Exam
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As the math paper was distributed on June 9th, Luo Feng took a deep breath. Science went well, humanities were average. Now, math—one good performance, and First Military Academy is mine.
The hall fell silent. Many students frowned; the questions were notoriously tough.
Harder than usual. Perfect.
A difficult paper would separate top students from the rest. While Luo Feng might score 210/250, others could drop to 150.
Crack! A student snapped their pen in frustration, tears threatening. The invigilator sighed, noting the tension.
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An hour in, Luo Feng had finished multiple-choice and fill-in-the-blank sections (90 points total). Now came the five calculation 160 points, each worth 30–40 points.
"The first calculation question…" He pondered, scribbling equations frantically. Ah! Rearrange the formula inversely. The breakthrough came, and he dashed off the solution, checking twice. 20 minutes on the first question—too slow.
The second question looked deceptively simple, but his initial approach failed. As time ticked by, his pulse monitor crept upward:
120 → 125 → 130 → 140 → 150…
Focus! Just need to prove this lemma.
Unaware, his pulse hit 160 → 170 → 180…
His heart pounded like a drum, blood rushing. A searing headache struck as invisible energy surged through his brain.
230!
Luo Feng paled. His max pulse since age 12 had been 180. Now it raced to 236 → 242 → 251…
"Sir, are you okay?!" the invigilator shouted.
Luo Feng's vision blurred. His skin flushed, veins bulging. The world spun as the monitor hit 268.
No… not now…
"Darkness swallowed him as the world around him dissolved into distant cries: 'Call an ambulance! Hurry!'"
Notes for Context:
Warrior Security Detail: Standard for high-stakes events, reflecting society's reliance on Warriors for safety.
Pulse Monitor Watch: A common health tech item, critical for tracking physical limits in a world where stamina = survival.
Math's Dominance: Post-monster war, math became the backbone of both weapon development (e.g., Kro-alloy calculations) and martial theory (e.g., kinetic combat models).
Chapter 7 will explore the aftermath of Luo Feng's collapse, the mysterious changes awakening within him, and the pivotal role his unexpected "third blackout" plays in reshaping his destiny…