Chapter 81: Wasteland Zone Locked Down! Prepare to Return to School!

Under the influence of Thunder Extreme State, Xu Jingming sprinted at full speed.

He reached the supply base in less than forty minutes, having traveled from the city ruins.

This speed was not slow by any measure.

“Holy shit? Is that a person? I thought it was a Thunder-type ferocious beast!”

“I have to say, this guy’s aura is truly terrifying.”

“Wait, why does the figure on his back look familiar?”

“......”

As soon as the Iron-Eating Rat swarm appeared, many psychics in the wasteland had already retreated back to the supply base.

Thus, the psychics gathered in the square stared at Xu Jingming in shock.

After all, for this group of psychics, most of whom were only first- or second-rank,

Xu Jingming’s current form was undeniably terrifyingly fierce.

Yet Xu Jingming paid no attention to these stares at all.

With a slight exertion of his right hand, he pulled Jiang Chu down from behind, wrapping his arm around her waist:

“We’ve reached the supply base—we’re safe now.”

He then exited Thunder Extreme State and returned to his normal size.

But his rugged, determined face was now utterly exhausted.

Just maintaining Thunder Extreme State for over ten minutes yesterday had already left him drained.

Now, having sustained it for over forty minutes, he had pushed his physical and psychic limits far beyond their breaking point!

He had only made it to the supply base through sheer willpower.

Compared to Xu Jingming, Jiang Chu, who had been set down beside him, was clearly in much better condition.

Although she had used her Ice psychic ability to kill surrounding Iron-Eating Rats during the journey,

under the protection of Xu Jingming’s Purple Thunder, her psychic energy had not been nearly depleted.

“You’re... Student Xu?!”

Wang Chuang, the senior supervisor nearby, recognized Xu Jingming after he exited his special state and hurried over.

One glance was enough to see that Xu Jingming’s condition was poor.

No—it was beyond poor; it was dire.

He immediately asked:

“Student Xu, do you need me to help you with anything?”

“I ran all the way from the mountain region—I’m exhausted. Just get me a room to rest.” Xu Jingming said wearily.

He was utterly drained.

All he wanted was to lie down on a bed and sleep deeply.

With the supply base’s current forces, the Iron-Eating Rats in the wasteland were unlikely to break through.

So the supply base was still relatively safe.

“The mountain region?”

Hearing this, Senior Supervisor Wang Chuang was stunned.

The mountain forest area was over forty kilometers from the supply base!

Given the density of the Iron-Eating Rats, even a fourth-rank psychic might not have been able to break through forty kilometers.

Yet Xu Jingming had done it.

This naturally raised Wang Chuang’s evaluation of Xu Jingming even higher.

“Rooms are no problem—there are still plenty vacant.”

Wang Chuang quickly said, then waved his hand.

He summoned two sturdy staff members from the supply base:

“You two, escort Student Xu to the luxury suite on the 14th floor to rest.”

“No need. I’ll support my senior—just lead the way.”

Jiang Chu’s clear voice chimed in from beside him.

She casually slipped Xu Jingming’s right arm over her shoulders and gently supported him.

Senior Supervisor Wang Chuang naturally recognized Jiang Chu—the popular million-follower blogger from the Metropolis Psychic University.

He just hadn’t expected the two of them to be together.

Besides, wasn’t Student Xu a first-year freshman at Metropolis Psychic University this year?

Then why was second-year Jiang Chu calling him “senior”?

Though puzzled, Senior Supervisor Wang Chuang quickly recovered.

He waved his hand, signaling the two staff members to lead the way.

“Who is this guy that the senior supervisor personally attended to?”

“Heh, I know a bit—he’s Xu Jingming.

The whole faction led by Supervisor Zhao Yi got purged recently—apparently because of him.”

“Really? He has that much influence?”

“Hey, didn’t any of you notice the girl beside him? That’s Goddess Jiang!”

“Goddess! My goddess!”

“......”

Jiang Chu’s signature silver-white long hair was quickly recognized by the psychics present.

Seeing their idol supporting a young man away, many psychics’ hearts shattered.

On the other side, upon reaching the suite,

Xu Jingming, utterly exhausted, didn’t think twice—he collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep...

He slept for an unknown length of time.

When Xu Jingming opened his eyes again, he found a graceful figure with silver-white hair seated beside his bed.

“Senior, you’re awake!”

Jiang Chu turned her head, her lovely face lighting up with delight.

“How long did I sleep?”

Xu Jingming sat up and rubbed his temples.

He could feel his physical strength had fully recovered.

His overall condition was better than ever before.

To reach such a state, he must have slept for a long time.

Sure enough, Jiang Chu held up two fingers with a bright smile:

“Senior, you slept for two full days and nights.”

Had the physician assigned by the senior supervisor not assured her that Xu Jingming’s body was fine—just needing rest—

she would’ve already given him an S-class Earth Spirit Spring pill.

“Two days and nights... that was a long sleep indeed...”

Shaking his head, Xu Jingming pulled out his phone from his space ring and turned on the screen.

The time was 2:10 p.m., the date August 27th.

“Good—there are still a few days left before school officially starts.”

The Metropolis Psychic University’s Freshman Competition offers substantial rewards to high-performing students.

Such as B-class cultivation resources, A-class cultivation resources, and large amounts of academic credits.

Therefore, Xu Jingming would not miss the Freshman Competition.

Moreover, with his current strength, participating in the competition would essentially mean dominating it.

Rewards he could easily obtain should never be left behind.

“By the way, what’s the current situation in the wasteland?”

Xu Jingming leapt from the bed and downed the juice on the nightstand in one gulp.

“The rat swarm hasn’t receded yet—the wasteland remains sealed off.

The supply base has been continuously deploying troops for defense. Senior, you can come look out the window.”

Hearing this, Xu Jingming joined Jiang Chu at the large floor-to-ceiling window.

Looking down, he saw the wasteland swarming with endless black masses of Iron-Eating Rats rampaging everywhere.

Meanwhile, the supply base was heavily garrisoned with military units and psychic squads.

“The rat swarm will likely persist for some time—even after it recedes,

the number of ferocious beasts in the Source Water Wasteland will plummet drastically, greatly reducing hunting efficiency.

And since school starts in just a few days, it’s time to head back...”

After a moment of thought, Xu Jingming quickly decided on his next move.

“Senior, you’re going back to school? Perfect—I’m planning to return too,” Jiang Chu said, her eyes brightening.

Summer break was ending, and she needed to return to class.

Also, her three-star elite bodyguard squad

was hired from a legitimate bodyguard company in Metropolis.

There were even cases of murder and robbery—this must be thoroughly questioned upon returning.

"Alright, then we'll leave this afternoon," Xu Jingming readily agreed.

"By the way, senior, here's the autographed photo you asked for."

At that moment, Jiang Chu handed over a photo, her cheeks slightly flushed.

Typically, autographed photos feature screenshots from her past videos showing her defeating monstrous beasts.

The style is usually aggressive and fierce.

But this photo given to Xu Jingming was different.

It depicted a more everyday, even slightly private moment.

In the photo, Jiang Chu sat on the edge of her bed, her long silver-white hair gently tied back on both sides by black bow ties.

She wore a simple white shirt and a black short skirt, her long, shapely legs perfectly encased in black thigh-high socks.

The resulting "absolute territory" was incredibly alluring.

Her exquisite beauty and graceful figure were perfectly captured in this image.

Even Xu Jingming couldn't help but be momentarily stunned.

"This was taken by my high school best friend during a school trip we organized, in our dorm room."

"I thought I'd give you something different for your autograph, so I chose this one."

A faint blush colored Jiang Chu's cheeks.

In fact, this outfit had been put on her by her high school friend as a playful prank.

Because the outfit was somewhat revealing, she had kept it stored away ever since the photo was taken, until now.

Yet, upon seeing this exquisite photo, Xu Jingming shook his head:

"Pick a more ordinary one."

Hearing this, Jiang Chu's heart tightened instantly.

Before she could speak, Xu Jingming's voice rang out again:

"This autograph photo is for a friend from my high school—something more ordinary would be better."

With that, the photo vanished from Xu Jingming's hand, stored away in his space ring.

That guy, Zhang Hao, wouldn't appreciate anything too refined.

So it's best if I keep this photo myself...

Jiang Chu had been slightly disheartened, but upon noticing Xu Jingming's small gesture, she regained her composure and nodded shyly.

She then recovered and nodded slightly, a hint of shyness in her gesture.