The Three Realms Thief Chapter 19

“Why didn’t you just do that earlier? In times of crisis, we should help each other.”

He led the way, Yang Xiaobing walked in the middle with a handful of defensive talismans and Zhao Afei, and Jiang Xueyao brought up the rear.

—At this moment, even Jiang Xueyao had drawn her longsword, ready to defend at any time.

The four slowly walked into the fortifications.

“Bring the civilians in too, so they don’t get hurt outside.”

Xu Yuan said.

“Are you kidding me?! This place isn’t big to begin with, and the more people there are, the more chaotic it will get. In the end, it’ll affect us.” The tall boy stomped his foot heavily, annoyed.

“This is a time to contribute to the city and its people. You can’t be so calculating,” Xu Yuan said.

—He emphasized the word “contribute.”

If the other party observed calmly, they should have been able to discover—

“Contribution” was the key to gaining identity.

With contributions, there was identity, and then help in the exam.

This was the underlying logic revealed by the exam.

It was actually easy to understand—

A civilization, in the face of great disaster, must advocate and guide such values.

“Contribution?”

The tall boy sneered:

“Just guarding this fortification and hiding until the end of the entire exam will naturally be better than countless dead candidates. The score definitely won’t be bad.”

Xu Yuan nodded slightly.

—That was indeed a thought.

In large-scale disaster games, the more one could endure, the less risk one encountered, and the higher the chance of survival.

However—

The greater the storm, the more precious the fish!

And this was an exam.

What kind of good person writes an essay titled “You go to die, I’ll count the money,” “Long live selfishness,” or “I want to survive alone” during the Gaokao?

This was an exam!

The examiners were playing cosplay in the exam hall, do you know that?

Maybe among those civilians outside, there were one or two hidden examiners!

Xu Yuan puffed out his chest, raised his head, furrowed his brows, and resonantly declared:

“I absolutely cannot watch those people die here. We must help them!”

Damn, Homelander also cares about his public image!

Wait, why did I think of Homelander?

Never mind.

The tall boy gave him a look as if he were looking at an idiot, pointing to his head and saying:

“Are you out of your mind? This is just an exam—to assess our mastery of the nine subjects, and you want to do something unrelated to the exam?”

Couldn’t agree.

Conflicting philosophies.

This was trouble.

Xu Yuan’s gaze swept around slightly.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven people in total.

Four ordinary students.

Three Qi Refiners who had awakened spiritual sense.

—There were quite a few people.

So their voices were loud.

Xu Yuan suddenly turned to his three teammates and said:

“Do it.”

As he spoke, he raised both hands, each holding a pistol, and immediately opened fire on the opposite side.

Bang bang bang—

Four ordinary students.

Two were hit on the spot, and two were stabbed by Jiang Xueyao’s longsword.

They disappeared directly from the examination hall.

A girl used talismans to form a spiritual shield, blocking a few attacks, but Yang Xiaobing threw a “Wind Blade” talisman at her, and she was intensely cut seven or eight times before disappearing as well.

Only the tall boy and his friend remained.

The two drew their longswords and shouted angrily:

“Die!”

“Despicable fellow, die!”

“You guys have a lot of temper,” Xu Yuan complained.

He raised his pistol again.

Bang bang bang—

The two jumped back in fright, hastily brandishing their longswords and using spiritual power to cast spells to block the bullets.

Five bullets fired were not enough. Xu Yuan drew a pistol from Yang Xiaobing’s waist and fired five more shots, emptying the magazine.

Still not enough!

He pulled out the pistol from Zhao Afei’s waist and fired five more shots, emptying the magazine again.

One person was hit and disappeared.

Only the tall boy remained.

“Blocking bullets must have used a lot of spiritual power, right? Low-level cultivators are still not enough against firearms. What do you say? Keep fighting, or shake hands and make peace?”

Xu Yuan commented and asked.

“…Shake hands and make peace,” the tall boy said.

“That’s right, it’s better to reconcile than to make enemies. We’re all good brothers,” Xu Yuan said cheerfully.

Before he finished speaking.

The tall boy suddenly charged forward with his sword.

The two sides were already standing very close, and with this charge, he could immediately draw his sword.

Clang!

The sword was unsheathed.

“You treacherous fellow—die!”

The tall boy charged at him with his sword.

Xu Yuan’s sword also moved.

Jiang Xueyao had been watching calmly until Xu Yuan moved his sword, her eyes suddenly widened.

The tall boy’s sword was fast and powerful.

Xu Yuan’s sword, however, was gentle and slow, like a spring breeze and fine rain, lightly “sticking” to the opponent’s sword edge, slowly pushing back until it neutralized several tenths of the opponent’s force, then suddenly bursting out with a lightning-fast flash like thunder.

“That was my sword.”

Jiang Xueyao thought silently.

—On the rooftop of the teaching building, she had used such a move to “grind” his sword.

She hadn’t meant to.

But he had learned it and used it to sever other people’s swords!

How frustrating.

However, Qiongxia Sword was indeed exceptionally sharp.

Other weapons, when facing it, were very likely to be severed.

How to put it.

This person was too lazy. He didn’t bother to fight fairly and just used weapons to bully people.

But on the other hand—

It also showcased the value of the weapon.

Clang!

With a crisp sound.

Two figures overlapped, intertwined, then separated.

Buzz buzz buzz—

The broken sword tip spun rapidly, piercing deep into the ceiling.

“…A good sword.”

The tall boy said in a deep voice.

“Your sword isn’t bad either,” Xu Yuan said, casually cupping his hands.

The tall boy lowered his head and looked at the longsword in his hand.

The sword was cut into two halves.

Not only the sword, but a long sword mark also appeared on his body, extending from his left shoulder to his right leg.

“I still have to say, your strategy is wrong—in a chaotic world, if you show womanly kindness, you will only harm yourself and your companions.”

The tall boy said.

“…” Xu Yuan.

—Brother, don’t say it out loud, the examiner is watching.

“Nothing to say?” The tall boy sneered.

“Some things are not womanly kindness.”

Xu Yuan said with a resolute expression.

“Naive fellow, your sword is just powerful,” the tall boy said, shaking his head, and his figure gradually faded and disappeared.

He was kicked out of the exam.

Xu Yuan sighed desolately.

—Killing these people didn’t give any gold coins!

He put away his longsword and walked to the wall opposite, touching the deep sword mark on it.

Qiongxia Sword sharpness +5.

That sword just now cut through the tall boy and his sword, and the sword energy burst out, directly striking the wall, creating such a deep sword mark.

It was indeed a good sword.

He swung the Qiongxia Sword in his hand several times, getting familiar with the agility and power it brought, and then looked back at Jiang Xueyao.

This was a true cash cow.

—Should I cling to her thigh? Or cling to her thigh?

Jiang Xueyao proudly lifted her chin, not looking at him, and said nothing.

She walked to the side and picked up the array disk laid out by the students of Nanshan City No. 1 Middle School.

Laying out this array disk every time was a lot of effort.

Now that it had just been laid out and activated, it became their spoils of war.

This felt good.

“Xu Yuan, is it really fine that we just eliminated those other candidates like that?”

Zhao Afei asked cautiously.

“What? There were students among those thugs?” Xu Yuan asked in surprise.

“…” Zhao Afei.

—Brother, you’re too immersed in the role. I don’t know what to say.

Yang Xiaobing covered her mouth and chuckled nearby.

Jiang Xueyao, however, said, “What do you think of what that boy said?”

“He didn’t understand the exam question,” Xu Yuan replied.

The exam was a city-destroying disaster.

Look closely, there are four words: “Exterminating,” “City,” “Disaster”!

It’s fine if you act however you want normally.

But using civilians to block demons in the exam hall, do you really think the examiners are blind?

Furthermore—

Would a human society’s education system really cultivate such cultivators?

“I agree.”

Yang Xiaobing nodded in agreement.

“That’s what I thought too,” Zhao Afei said, though he wasn’t sure what was happening, but he still chimed in.

—As brothers, their stance must be consistent!

From this perspective, my answer, Zhao Afei’s, is also full marks!

“If you understood the question… what would you do now?”

Jiang Xueyao asked again.

Xu Yuan quickly changed magazines, re-equipped his pistol and submachine gun, and picked up the walkie-talkie:

“Report, New City District Subway Station, the thugs blocking people’s evacuation have been eliminated.”

“Preparing to guide civilians into the underground shelter for evacuation.”

“Over.”

He paused for a breath.

A familiar voice came from the walkie-talkie:

“Xu Yuan? You also killed that wolf demon on Chaoyang Road, right?”

—It was Officer Liu’s voice!

“Officer Liu, hello. Our team worked together to kill it,” Xu Yuan explained into the walkie-talkie.

“First killed the Tree Demon, then eliminated the Wolf Demon, and finally established a shelter at the subway station—you all did very well!” Officer Liu said.

His voice became serious:

“The lockdown has begun.”

“If anyone else disrupts public order or endangers the lives and property of civilians, you can shoot to kill on the spot!”

“Yes!” Xu Yuan responded loudly.

This was power.

—The other party had given him the authority to use force to kill if necessary.

Because he had made contributions and passed the test!

Xu Yuan paused, then said:

“The situation is very chaotic right now. If you need anything from us, please order directly!”

“—Very good. I now officially conscript you four, appointing you as members of the Fifth Special Action Team until this disaster ends,” Officer Liu said.

“What do we need to do?” Xu Yuan asked.

“Stand by for now.”

“I will prepare the necessary documents, supplies, and equipment for the Special Action Team. Please wait a moment,” Officer Liu said.

“Understood, sir!” Xu Yuan replied.

—His address had changed from “Officer Liu” to “Sir.”

This meant that he and his team had entered the current system, ready to leverage the power of the police force at any time!

The call ended.

Xu Yuan glanced at Jiang Xueyao.

Jiang Xueyao’s gaze fell briefly on the Qiongxia Sword in his hand, then moved away.

Xu Yuan was puzzled.

—”It’s worthy of my sword.”

Was that what she meant?

It was really troublesome when she didn’t just say what she meant.

He couldn’t marry someone like that, or life would be unbearable.

Zhao Afei whispered:

“I really wish those guys were here right now, to see who was right.”

“They’ve already been eliminated,” Yang Xiaobing said with a smile.

—And we’ve gained official identities!

Becoming members of the Special Action Team meant that the four had become law enforcement officers of the city.

With this identity, they could legitimately do many things.

The police station would also provide supplies and equipment!

Xu Yuan put away the walkie-talkie, kicked away the iron plate blocking the road, and waved outside:

“Everyone, get underground for shelter.”

Yang Xiaobing and Zhao Afei also reacted, quickly helping to move various things to allow the crowd to enter the underground station.

Suddenly—

Only a “clang” was heard, and a white light sphere burst above Xu Yuan’s head, shining for a while before slowly disappearing.

Tiny glowing words quickly appeared in the void:

“You received a burst of light (Excellent Grade).”

“Officer Liu Shanxing (played by Examiner Ding Ling) expressed appreciation for your judgment, actions, and character.”

“His evaluation is as follows:”

“—Young man, I have high hopes for you.”

“Thus, you have won a special reward.”