Chapter 94

Sha... sha

Lin An strode heavily toward the crowd, and the sand worm behind him followed with difficulty after the contract was signed.

Each writhing of Boduoyi left deep depressions on the ground, and blood trailed behind it.

Along the route, students nervously gazed at the sand worm right before them, yet it was merely an honest sand worm, inevitably causing some heart‑pounding fear.

After all, the fear Boduoyi brought them was too great; in two massacres, over nine thousand six hundred people died in its jaws.

The dense crowd, fearful of the sand worm, involuntarily cleared a path and retreated backward.

"Monster... really defeated?!"

As if in a dream, an Awakened One in a black coat muttered the question in a dream‑like voice.

From despair to hope, and now to the present.

In just twenty minutes, everyone's hearts rose and fell like a roller coaster.

"It."

"It has indeed been subdued by me."

Lin An nodded calmly, smiling as he gestured toward the uneasy crowd.

The luster from the contract flashed across the sand worm's body and then vanished.

The crowd shifted from initial silent terror to hushed whispers, then to confirming that Lin An had indeed subdued the monster.

After a brief silence.

The crowd suddenly erupted in a shout like mountains and seas echoing.

"We... we survived!"

"We won!!"

A quick‑witted Awakened One hurriedly began to guide the crowd.

"It's Lin An!"

"Lord Lin An defeated the monster! He saved us!"

"Yes! Lord Lin An saved us!"

"Thank you, Lord Lin An, for stepping in!"

"Invincible! Lord Lin An is invincible!"

The crowd shouted wildly; amid emotional swings, many girls nearly broke down in tears, and anyone who had walked twice on the edge of death could not control their emotions.

Not only them, but the vast majority of boys also found their emotions uncontrollable.

Lin An tilted his head slightly, looking at the first Awakened One who spoke, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly.

Somewhat interesting, the reaction was not bad.

Cao Hao watched Lin An actually nod and smile at him, and for a moment his heart pounded.

Lord Lin An noticed me! He smiled at me!

As an Awakened One, he understood the terror of the sand worm far better than ordinary people.

Since Lin An subdued the sand worm with an invincible, crushing attitude, he has been completely convinced.

Seeing that his unconscious remark had actually caught Lin An's attention, in an instant he felt hot blood rush to his head, his face flushing red.

The shouting grew more fervent, with large numbers of Awakened Ones cheering under his lead.

Below the platform, Huang Zheng clenched his fists with a vexed expression; he had originally planned to be the first to shout thanks to Lin An.

As a seasoned official, he clearly knew that at this moment he must steer the crowd to direct their gratitude toward Lin An.

"We won jack shit?!"

If Lin An doesn't act, we'll all become worm dung!

Just the process of subduing the sand worms was too shocking; he had only just come to his senses.

I never expected the chance to leave an impression on Lin An to be snatched by a greenhorn kid.

He beat his chest and stamped his feet.

Huang Zheng's mind raced, frantically thinking about what to say to win Lin An's favor later.

The crowd roared like mountains and seas, deafeningly loud.

Having survived the disaster, they went on.

Everyone shouted his name in unison, each eye filled with gratitude and fear.

Lin An merely smiled in response, without saying anything.

"Lin Dui, I see many girls looking at you with eyes that want to devour you."

"Tsk tsk, when will Old Zhang ever get this treatment?"

Zhang Tie winked and leered with a strange grin; ever since gaining the flesh-healing skill, as long as the injury isn't too serious, he's usually up and about within half an hour.

His eyes kept scanning the dance department girls, clicking his tongue in amazement.

Damn, nowadays students grow so well?

Lin An couldn't be bothered with Zhang Tie's sour attitude; if it weren't for winning people over, his nature would still prefer to go all out and crush with force.

However, it seems that repeated suppression has yielded decent results.

Although he hadn't spoken a word all along, this didn't affect the crowd's excited mood.

If it weren't for the sand worms still trailing behind and Lin An's overwhelming pressure, the crowd would love to surround him to express their excitement and joy.

Pushing through the throng, Lin An chose not to check Boduoyi's attributes now, but instead went back up onto the platform.

As a Second-Level Demonic Beast, Boduoyi's true purpose is not for combat or as a mount.

As the ideal "engineering" Demonic Beast, having it will double the base's construction speed, so there's no rush to check its stats.

And now is the crucial moment when the academy's emotions run high and reason is clouded.

Wanting to thoroughly win over people's hearts and lay a foundation for building a Safe Zone later, it's still necessary to give a speech stating one's attitude.

Huang Zheng watched Lin An walk onto the stage, and in just a few seconds figured out what Lin An wanted to do.

Nodding and bowing, his practiced manner made people feel like they were basking in a spring breeze.

The group respectfully made way for the center, focusing everyone's gaze on Lin An.

As a seasoned old hand, he knew that as an ordinary person, to stay and live well in the academy later, Lin An's attitude mattered more than anyone's.

His thoughts turning, he quietly slipped behind Lin An, grabbed a few Awakened Ones, and prepared to build momentum for Lin An's upcoming speech.

Unexpectedly, upon looking up he discovered the Vice Principal already smiling, pulling a few people aside to whisper something.

The platform that Lin An had kicked apart was also cleaned up.

Damn it, that bastard Zhang Zhicheng! He moved so fast!

Huang Zheng instantly realized that his longtime subordinate Zhang Zhicheng shared the same thought!

Both are crafty people, both are ordinary persons.

We can't let them get ahead again!

He couldn't help breaking out in a cold sweat; after tonight, even with his ass he could tell Lin An would surely carry out sweeping reforms at the academy.

Whether he can keep his current treatment, or even save his life, depends on his performance tonight!

He clearly remembered that he had never even given Lin An a proper look before; when Zhang Tie proactively offered cooperation, he also gave a lot of official lip service.

Not bothering with anything else, Huang Zheng simply leapt up to the speaking platform, cleared his throat, and shouted loudly:

"Fellow students! Please quiet down for a moment!"

"I know everyone's emotions are running high now; we also survived this desperate situation!"

"But please settle your emotions."

"Please welcome our benefactor, the hero who saved the academy! Lord Lin An will speak for us! Everyone, applaud!"

Huang Zheng habitually adopted the tone he used in past meetings; although his wording was a bit strange and awkward, he couldn't think of a better opening at the moment.

The whole venue fell silent; the two words 'Lin An' seemed to have magic, as everyone instantly turned their gaze to the platform, staring at Lin An.

"What does Lord Lin An want to say?!"

"Shh, quiet!"

The crowd looked up in anticipation, everyone curiously sizing up the mysterious yet powerful man before them.

With an invincible bearing, like a deity he easily defeated the nightmare in their hearts; tonight's scene will become an indelible mark in their memory.

On the platform, Lin An slightly nodded in greeting, looking toward the crowd.

Before he could speak, a shout like a mountain roar and sea surge rose again.

"Lin An! Lin An! Lin An!"

Fervent, spontaneous.

Under the deliberate prompting of all the Awakened Ones, the crowd lost reason and shouted his name.

Lin An remained calm, raising his hand in a virtual press to signal everyone to stay quiet.

As if a movie's sound had been muted, the crowd instantly fell silent in unison, looking forward to each word he would say.

A brief silence, completely soundless.

Under the bolstering of powerful mental strength, Lin An slowly opened his mouth.