Chapter 99: The Counterattack

Kong Zhe shrugged, neither confirming nor denying, and offered no explanation. However, he was somewhat surprised by the other’s rank—level seven, which was quite high in the current times.

With the strength of a young man, one wouldn’t expect him to be confined to the school, yet he had chosen to stay. Yang Fang, that woman, remained for her students, but what about this person? Kong Zhe didn’t believe he was one of those traditional, good-hearted teachers. One pushover like Yang Fang was enough.

Regardless, none of this concerned him, and he couldn’t be bothered to care. Shrugging again, Kong Zhe reached out and shook the man’s hand.

At the moment their hands met, Kong Zhe frowned. His eyes caught a flicker of mockery at the corner of the other’s mouth.

Kong Zhe sneered coldly, saying nothing as he began to tighten his grip subtly.

At first, Yu Qun smiled, but it quickly twisted into a grimace. The strength in Kong Zhe’s hand kept increasing, and Yu Qun was genuinely shocked. Trying to pull away, he realized the grip was too firm; he couldn’t break free.

Soon, a pained expression spread across Yu Qun’s face. The agony in his hand was so intense it felt like the bones might shatter. He nearly cried out but held back, his face flushing red and his neck thickening with strain.

After a moment, just as Yu Qun was about to scream in unbearable pain, Kong Zhe finally released him.

Yu Qun hastily retreated, instinctively glancing at his reddened, swollen, and deformed hand, horror flooding his heart.

“Thanks, I guess, but I don’t need your help. I think I’m doing alright. But you, a level seven berserker—your strength is pretty weak, huh? Looks like you’re not doing so well,” a voice with a teasing tone rang out at that moment.

Kong Zhe returned the exact words verbatim, making Yu Qun’s face flush crimson.

Having been so thoroughly humiliated in front of so many students, Yu Qun now despised Kong Zhe deeply. His gaze was filled with implacable resentment, yet he dared not take action; he couldn’t quite figure out this young man.

He was only level five, yet his strength far surpassed his own!

Berserker was supposed to be the mightiest class, and Yu Qun had poured all his free attribute points into strength, yet he still couldn’t match this young man. What class could he possibly be?

Yu Qun was baffled. Although this was a safe zone where magic was forbidden and he had the numbers advantage, he dared not make the first move. For some reason, he had a gut feeling that if he struck first, he’d end up the one suffering.

The surrounding students exchanged glances, having witnessed everything clearly. Their highest-ranked and strongest teacher had been outdone by this young man. They were astonished—could he be stronger than Mr. Yu?

At that moment, Yang Fang glared furiously at Yu Qun. She hadn’t thought much of the earlier incident until she noticed the unnatural expression on Yu Qun’s face and realized what had transpired.

She never expected that the seemingly kind male teacher was secretly making things difficult for the person she had brought in!

She had warned him about the person’s strength, yet he refused to believe her.

Moreover, Kong Zhe was her lifesaver, so she naturally sided with him, feeling both anger and disappointment toward Yu Qun.

---

Yu Qun noticed Yang Fang’s expression and felt a chill down his spine.

Yang Fang was the woman he had long pursued, and he had stayed at the school for her. Now he realized the image he had built in her heart had been shattered. His resentment toward the young man deepened.

Just as he gritted his teeth, a rumbling noise shook the ground around them.

“What’s happening? Is it an earthquake?”

“Ah! A monster!”

As Yu Qun was still confused, the students around him suddenly panicked and fled.

He felt a massive shadow loom over him. Looking up, he was stunned.

Behind him, a gigantic nine-headed serpent was emerging slowly from the ground, its fangs gleaming coldly, radiating a fierce aura that made his calves tremble.

What was going on? This was a safe zone! How could a beast invade?

Was the safe zone’s barrier failing? But if so, why couldn’t he use his skills yet? That meant the barrier was still active!

His mind raced with possibilities, but when he noticed the beast’s level, he froze completely.

Level ten!

A level ten monster already?

Yu Qun had always been the highest level in the school and considered himself among the top on Earth. Yet, unseen by him, a level ten monster had appeared.

If there were level ten monsters, could there also be level ten awakeners?

He wasn’t sure. But he had no time to ponder further. What happened next shocked him even more: the giant nine-headed serpent crawled up beside the young man.

Yu Qun expected the serpent to devour him instantly, but to his astonishment, the serpent rolled playfully in front of the young man, acting cute.

The young man looked resigned but reached out to stroke one of the serpent’s heads under the chin. Even more surprising, the serpent looked delighted.

Yu Qun felt his worldview shattered at that moment. For an instant, he even fancied that perhaps monsters and humans could live peacefully together.

However, the serpent suddenly roared fiercely in Yu Qun’s direction, causing dizziness and a deep sense of terror that nearly made him flee.

This fear wasn’t simply from the serpent’s menace. Though formidable, it shouldn’t inspire such dread.

Clearly, the roar contained a mental attack, explaining the effect.

Moreover, the roar was directed solely at him. Judging by the close bond between the serpent and the young man, it was likely a subordinate.

The serpent was apparently avenging its master!

But what kind of revenge? He was the one who had been wronged!

---

Though fuming, Yu Qun dared not act rashly. He stood trembling, inwardly relieved he hadn’t struck earlier, or he’d now be the serpent’s meal.

But how had the serpent entered the safe zone? Was it because it was a summoned creature?

The students nearby were utterly terrified by the sudden appearance of the giant serpent, scattering in all directions. Many of the girls collapsed to the ground, weeping.

Though they had endured several days of apocalypse, they had always stayed within the safe zone—seemingly dire, but never truly in danger.

Faced with a monster so close, their frailty was exposed. Some were so scared they couldn’t even run.

Kong Zhe had no intention of frightening the students further and hurried to calm the agitated serpent.

At his command, the serpent obediently settled down.

Yu Qun’s suspicion was correct: the serpent was a summoned creature, which allowed it to enter the safe zone—a fact soon to become common knowledge, though most were unaware now.

All summoned creatures could enter safe zones, though their strength was somewhat suppressed. Otherwise, how could druids and summoners survive? They couldn’t part from their summoned beasts; if summons were barred from safe zones, these mages would be forced to remain outside.

Because the serpent was a summoned being, it could barely enter, but its enormous size made direct entry impossible. It had to tunnel underground to get in.

The higher a monster’s level, the greater the suppression it suffered inside safe zones. The level ten serpent felt noticeably more irritable than usual upon entering, as Kong Zhe could sense through their mental link.

The safe zone’s powerful suppressive force made the serpent uncomfortable, as if shackled.

The vast expanse outside was where it truly belonged. Forcing it inside was somewhat unfair.

Kong Zhe sighed. According to his upcoming plans, he would soon have to leave the area, and he couldn’t bring Xue Feifei and the others along. Leaving the serpent behind in the safe zone was the only way to feel at ease.

In the distance, Yang Fang was earnestly calming her students. Her oratory was effective; the students gradually regained composure, though they still stole nervous glances at the giant serpent.

Fortunately, Kong Zhe had controlled the serpent in time to prevent it from rampaging further. Otherwise, this modest safe zone wouldn’t have been enough to contain it.

Ignoring the students, Kong Zhe told Xue Feifei to find a place for Xiao Lei and Tuan Tuan to stay, then began to stroll around the safe zone.

There wasn’t much to explore in such a small place, so after a quick scan, Kong Zhe headed straight to the center.

At the heart of this safe zone lay a football stadium.