Swallowed Star

by Alexander Buchanez

  One hour later, testing classroom.

  The time duration for the mathematics exam is 2.5 hours.

  At this time, Luo Feng has already finished the 'multiple choice' and 'fill in the blank' questions. All that's left are the 'calculation' problems. In the mathematics exam, the multiple choice and fill in the blank problems only added up to 90 points. The calculation problems (five large problems) added up to 160 points. Only these types of problems were able to clearly demonstrate the student's mathematics ability.

  "This is really difficult, I couldn't even solve two of the fill in the blank problems" Luo Feng took in a deep breath, "Below are the calculation problems. This is where the most points are. Solving just one more would give 30, 40 more points!"

  Out of the five calculation problems, four of them are worth 30 points, while the last one is worth 40 points.

  "Hm?" Luo Feng was already faced with a challenge as he looked at the first calculation problem.

  Luo Feng kept thinking and calculating on his scrap paper.

  "Yes, change this part by a bit, reverse that, and now wouldn't I be able to change that to the way I want?" A light flashed in Luo Feng's eyes. Write! Write! Write! If you just think about it, this problem is actually quite easy to solve. Luo Feng easily finished the entire problem in one breath and then double checked his work.

  "Yep, first problem done" Luo Feng looked at his watch on his left wrist and his heart jumped, "The first problem took me 20 minutes? I need to pick up the pace"

  Luo Feng lowered his head and looked at the second problem.

  After looking at it for a bit, Luo Feng felt that it was easy and started calculating on his scrap paper.

  "Hm, not right"

  Luo Feng felt like he wasn't thinking in the right direction and wrinkled his eyebrow. As time passed, Luo Feng kept working at this problem, "Yea, it should be this way. But how would I prove the next proof?" Luo Feng's brain was working rapidly.

  "Hurry, hurry, hurry, I can't waste too much time on this problem. How on earth can I prove this?" Luo Feng nervously thought.

  At this time──

  On Luo feng's watch, the 'Pulse' number started rising.

  120......125......130......140......150......

  "I'm almost there. Just this proof and I can earn 30 points. How do I even solve this part?" Luo Feng was getting increasingly nervous. You must manage your time wisely in tests, but each mathematics calculation problem was worth a lot of points. Every high school student that wants to score well can't miss too many of these problems.

  At this time, Luo Feng was too focused on his test to notice his pulse meter.

  160......170......180......

  Luo Feng felt his pulse increasing, but thought that it was due to anxiety and didn't pay it much attention.

  [THUMP THUMP THUMP] Luo Feng suddenly felt like someone was pounding on his heart. His vision started getting hazy and he finally realized, "What's wrong with me? Why does my heart hurt so much" Luo Feng lowered his head and looked at his pulse meter displayed on his watch.──

  230!

  This number changed the entire color of Luo Feng's face. Ever since he entered a coma at 12 and bought this watch, he has never seen his heart rate go over 180.

  "I can't take this" Luo Feng felt as if his heart was going to beat out of his chest. His blood was surging as his heart rate increased and an indescribable amount of energy flowed into the depths of Luo Feng's brain. Pain flowed from his brain──

  "Ah, ah" Luo Feng couldn't hold his voice in anymore.

  "This student, do you have a problem?" The examiner ran towards Luo Feng and looked at him surprisingly.

  Luo Feng at this time looked like he was about to bleed. His forehead and arm's veins were bursting and even beating along with his heart. His entire body looked hideous.

  "No,No──NO, slow down, slow down!" Luo Feng had a bad feeling of what was to come and was screaming in his thoughts, staring at his watch.

  "236......242......251......!"

  [THUMP THUMP THUMP]

  His heart, like a huge drum, let out waves of a low sound. His blood continuously surged.

  In his hazy vision, Luo Feng saw the number '268' and the pain in his head caused him to collapse. As he was losing consciousness, he heard──

  "This student, this student, wake up, wake up! Quick, call an ambulance!"

  Chapter 7: Exam Results

  [DING DING DING.....] The bell rapidly rang inside the Zhi-An region's first high school. The parents who were outside the school, on the grass, or sitting on the street all stood up. The parents looked inside the school through the gates.

  The bustling students all left the exam area.

  Year 2056, Jiang-Nan city's high school exams are officially over.

  All the students have to do now is to await their results, which will be released in one week.

  "Hao Bai" A balding, middle-aged man who seemed refined was standing outside the gate, smiling towards his son.

  "Dad" Zhang Hao Bai laughed as he went towards him.

  "How'd you do?" The middle-aged man laughed.

  Zhang Hao Bai shook his head and said helplessly, "I couldn't demonstrate all of my skill, but the math problems were really hard. The multiple choice, fill in the blanks, and the calculation problems all had many difficult problems, especially the calculation ones..... There were five of them but I could only solve two. For the other three, I could only do my best at solving parts of them. According to the procedure, I should still be able to receive some points for that"

  "Oh?" Zhang Hao Bai's dad, Zhang Ze Long, frowned, "So it seems like your math grade is going to be a bit low"

  "No problem dad. It was hard for everyone, not just me" Zhang Hao Bai laughed, "The math problems were all a bit harder, so I'm sure that the points required for passing will be lowered. I should be able to get into a military academy without a problem"

  "Oh, yea"

  Zhang Ze Long laughed, "Before, when we were waiting for your exam to finish, something happened. Your school's famous 'Luo Feng' student fainted inside the exam hall an hour before the end."

  "Fainted in the exam hall?" Zhang Hao Bai's widened his eyes, "Dad, you mean Luo Feng?"

  "Yea, that Luo Feng guy was carried away by an ambulance, many people saw the event occur." Zhang Ze Long nodded his head, "If you listen, many of the surrounding parents are telling their children of this event"

  "Luo Feng fainted?"

  Zhang Hao Bai looked around and listened closely. There were indeed many families talking about a student who fainted during testing. He also clearly heard many people mention the name 'Luo Feng'.

  "Haha, even this penniless bum has these kinds of days. Haha" Zhang Hao Bai couldn't hold his laughter back.

  "Dad, although you don't know this, this person always causes trouble for me in school" Zhang Hao Bai furiously added, "He is more stronger than me and more skilled than me in everything. Even this guy has these kinds of days" Zhang Hao Bai was delighted, for his anger towards Luo Feng was immense.

  In truth, Luo Feng never even bothers with this Zhang Hao Bai, it's just that Zhang Hao Bai keeps treating Luo Feng as an opponent. Since Luo Feng's grades and martial arts skills are all greater than his naturally made him suffer.

  "Haha, this guy has never seen the real world and was under too much psychological pressure. He couldn't handle it and collapsed. Ignore him. Go, your uncle knows your exams ended today and organized a banquet just for you. Let's go" Zhang Ze Long laughed.

  "Uncle?" Zhang Hao Bai's eyes flashed.

  The only reason the Zhang Family is able to prosper in the Zhi-an region is thanks to his uncle, because.....

  His uncle, is a fighter!

  ������

  "No way, there is absolutely no way!"

  Wei Wen, who just left the exam hall, panicked in front of his parents, "How could Feng collapse in the exam hall? He collapsed from nervousness? Impossible. Luo Feng's psychological qu
alities has even been praised by the Dojo of Limits instructors before"

  Wei Wen and Luo Feng were true brothers, even if not by blood.

  "Wen, there is no mistaking it. We saw this event unfold before our very eyes. That Luo Feng's father and his handicapped brother panicked in the moment and went to the hospital" Wei Wen's father followed.

  "Hospital? It should be the nearest one. Dad, mom, I'm going to go check on Luo Feng. I'll eat lunch later"

  Without delay, Wei Wen handed his test materials to his parents and ran towards the hospital.

  ......

  Inside Zhi-An region's people's hospital.

  Luo Feng was forcing a smile as he walked outside the hospital's main gate with his father and brother. At this time, Luo Hong Guo and Luo Hua were worried that Luo Feng wouldn't be able to handle the shock.

  "Dad, I'm fine. Lets go home and eat" Luo Feng seemed calm, but only regrets filled his heart. However, Luo Feng knew that the past cannot be changed, so all you can do is accept it!

  "Feng, Feng" a sound came from far away.

  Luo Feng turned towards the source and saw a small shadow far away running towards the hospital's main gate. It was his good brother 'Wei Wen'.

  Luo Feng was moved by the sight of Wei Wen: he ran so hastily that his shirt was drenched with sweat. "Wen, how hard were the last three calculation problems on the mathematics portion?" Luo Feng wasn't able to complete the last three problems, so if they were extremely difficult and many people couldn't do them...

  Then his grades would still have some hope.

  "Pretty hard" Wei Wen nodded, "This year's math problems were all very hard. Out of the five calculation problems, the third one was a bit easier, but the other four were all hard"

  "Phew" Luo Feng let out a breath.

  He still had a sliver of hope.....

  �������

  At 8 PM on June 16th, you can check your exam grade through the phone or internet, and the dividing line* will also come out too.

  June 16th, around 7 PM.

  Luo Feng's home. Only Luo Feng was in the room that belonged to both Luo Feng and Luo Hua. He was sitting in front of his laptop and refreshing the webpage again and again. The exam results come out at 8 PM, but usually they release it a bit earlier.

  "I'm afraid, I can't get into Jiang-Nan's number one military academy"

  "However, I finished the multiple choice, fill in the blank, and the first two problems on the calculation section on the mathematics portion. Even though I didn't complete the second problem, I wrote quite a few steps, which should earn me some points" Luo Feng thought to himself, "If I'm lucky, I should be able to earn around 120 points on the mathematics portion"

  Luo Feng anticipated, "I performed normally on the liberal arts and science sections. If I'm lucky, I should be able to become a bachelor"

  "If I can just reach the dividing line, I can get into the number two military academy"

  Between the two academies, the first one is clearly better. However, a very high score is required, so Luo Feng already gave up on that.

  However, there is still a bit of hope left for the number two military academy.

  "Hm?" Luo Feng's eyes flashed.

  The exam result webpage actually displayed something new after a refresh.

  "God, please help me a bit and let me pass the dividing line. As long as I pass it, I can get into the number two military academy" Luo Feng was worried and anxious. He then typed his name, ID, and examination certificate and hit the "search" button.

  Search!

  The laptop page flashed a bit and soon displayed a form.

  Student: Luo Feng

  Sex: Male

  ID: 426123203806083211

  Examination Certificate: 5878643567890766

  Liberal Arts: 216

  Science: 223

  Mathematics: 118

  Total: 557

  Dividing Line: 561

  *TL note: In case you forgot, the dividing line is the score that separates the bachelors and specialists. For Luo Feng to get into the second highest ranked military academy, he needed to get at least the 'bachelor average' (dividing line).

  Chapter 8: Two Fighters

  "557 points? The dividing line is 561 points?" Luo Feng took a deep breath.

  Just four points! Just because of these four points, I lost my chance of going to a military academy.

  I can't believe twelve years of studying led to this.

  "If I can't go to a military academy, then so be it. There's no big deal" Luo Feng focused his gaze and formed his right hand into the shape of a blade. He then made a horizontal cut into the space in front of him. Because of the hand's speed, the air violently trembled and shook. "Thanks to this time's coma, my strength has greatly increased!"

  "Maybe my current body fitness has reached the level required to be a fighter. I might be able to pass the Prospective Fighter exam"

  "It wouldn't be a problem even if I'm off by a bit. If I just seriously and bitterly train for one or two months, I should be able to pass the Prospective Fighter exam"

  Luo Feng's adaptability ability is very high. His exam scores didn't make it to the dividing line, which shocked him. However, the 'coma' increased his strength, which made him confident again.

  After all, a military academy graduate's position is far from a fighter's.

  [KA] Luo Feng opened the door and entered the living room.

  In the living room, Luo Hong Guo, Gong Xin Lan, and Luo Hua all turned their heads. All three of them were concerned. Gong Xin Lan even stood up and walked towards Luo Feng: "Feng, we can't blame you for your score. We can only blame your disease. Sigh, how could this disease start acting up now, it hasn't acted up for so many years"

  "Brother, you aren't in shock are you?" Luo Hua sat on his wheel chair, making fun on purpose.

  When Luo Feng was inside his room checking his grades, the rest of the family used Luo Hua's laptop to check Luo Feng's results and learned of the four point difference. Although they were a bit disappointed, they were more worried about Luo Feng himself.

  Luo Feng laughed: "Of course I'm not in shock. Dad, mom, don't blame this disease. In fact, we should even be thankful?"

  "Thankful?"

  "Thankful?"

  "Thankful?"

  Luo Hong Guo, Gong Xin Lan, and Luo Hua were all shocked. High school exams are one of the most important events of one's life. Now that Luo Feng's exams were ruined by the disease, how could anyone be grateful towards it?

  "Dad, Mom, Hua" Luo Feng smiled a little, "When I was small, I had two comas and fainted. In fact, after I woke up from those comas, I felt like my strength increased by a large amount and am able to run faster. This time...... is also the same! I feel like my fitness level is way greater than it was previously, and I estimate that I can pass the Prospective Fighter exam"

  "What?" Luo Hong Guo, Gong Xin Lan, and Luo Hua exchanged glances.

  "Brother, are you serious?" Luo Hua couldn't hold back.

  "Of course I am" Luo Feng smiled a bit, "After I pass the Prospective Fighter exam, I'll be able to apply for the Fighter Combat exam. I am quite confident in my combat abilities. I might even be able to achieve the rank of fighter this year!"

  Luo Hong Guo, Gong Xin Lan, and Luo Hua were overawed by this piece of news.

  A fighter!

  What does that represent? It represents the most powerful group of humanity, it represents special privileges and rights! It represents a ton of money! It represents those at the top of the social hierarchy! And after you become a fighter, it'll bring along many benefits to your family; it is much better than becoming an elite student at a military academy.

  "A fighter is going to come from our family?" Luo Hua couldn't help yelling, "Haha, Brother, you're awesome!"

  "Feng, great!" Luo Hong Guo also excitedly patted Luo Feng's shoulder, "Becoming a fighter is great. Compared to a fighter, what's so good about a military academy graduate?"

  As of now
, all the fighters on earth are praise and exalted in society.

  Seeing how his parents and brother were so happy, Luo Feng laughed, "Dad, Mom, we can't be too happy before I actually pass the exam"

  "An 18 year old fighter?" Luo Hua couldn't help but excitedly shout, "If my brother really becomes an 18 year old fighter, then, then that would be too, too....... AWESOME!!!"

  ������������

  The day after that, 5 AM, the sky was bright.

  Luo Feng has just left home and was headed towards the Dojo of Limits.

  "There's barely anyone here at this time" Luo Feng entered the dojo and found that the entire dojo's lawn and road had about just 100 people. There are about 30 to 40 thousand members total. "The dojo instructor only teaches at night, so night time is when there are the most people"

  Luo Feng headed towards the elite member's building on the road.

  [RUMBLE~~~] A low sound wave carried over.

  "Hm?"

  Luo Feng unknowingly turned his head and saw an elegant, white race car. As it slowly entered the dojo, Luo Feng looked carefully and couldn't help but to take in a breath: "Aston Martin's race car? And it's even the newest and most expensive one with the ability to fly: thr-191?"

  His brother really loved race cars. At home, he heard Luo Hua praise this thr-191.

  "It's an Aston Martin"

  "It's even a 191, this one can fly" Within the dojo, the few students scattered around were all lured towards this area, "This one car costs 36 million"

  Right at this time, the race car stopped in front of the elite member's building's gate. The door opened and a short, red haired (clearly dyed) man wearing a loose dojo practice uniform walked out. His eyes randomly scanned the surroundings. He looked right past the regular dojo students but paused slightly on Luo Feng. However, without saying anything, he entered the building.

  "It's a fighter" Luo Feng's eyes flashed.

  Luo Feng could feel the pressure from the fighter's gaze. This is a gaze that has a will of steel and has experienced many fights to the death.

  The spacious dojo training hall was empty; not a single person was there.

  It was only around 5 AM. Even at night, there usually wouldn't be more than 20 people.