Early morning, Godolkin University stadium.
The circular stands were packed with a roaring crowd, every seat filled, while dozens of cameras and a multitude of staff in Vought uniforms were set up along the sidelines.
At the commentary desk, Brink, dressed in a suit, held a microphone and spoke eloquently, his voice filled with passion: "... A true hero needs not only powerful strength, but also a firm will and the right values!"
"To address the increasingly complex security environment and respond to the calls from all sectors of society, the Crime Fighting School will officially expand enrollment! There are no restrictions for this assessment, and the top two hundred will qualify to join the school."
The venue immediately erupted in thunderous applause, with buzzing discussions rising from all sides.
Brink raised his hand and tapped the microphone, his voice suddenly rising: "This assessment will be conducted across three dimensions: actual combat, simulated crime scene handling, and ideological and moral evaluation."
"More importantly... the three-day assessment process will be personally reviewed by special guests from The Seven and heads of various Vought departments, and broadcast live to the entire web!"
"Let the whole world see how our future heroes are born!"
The audience erupted in deafening cheers and screams.
In the third row of the stands, Wade and Jill sat together, with Cate, Jordan Li, Andre, Luke, and Sam seated all around them.
Wade leaned lazily against his seat and whispered to the person beside him: "Your chance has arrived. Perform well these three days; it's much more useful than grinding for GPA points or trying to make big news."
Jill excitedly swayed her black twin tails, biting her lip and raising an eyebrow: "I haven't been training with you for nothing lately, just wait and see!"
"The professor only mentioned three assessment categories, but there are implicit criteria for commercial value and public relations crisis management," Luke said, wrapping an arm around the slightly nervous Sam beside him and whispering, "Sam, remember to take your medicine, otherwise you might not pass those last two stages."
Andre leaned in upon hearing this and said with a meaningful smile: "Don't worry, my dad gave me the insider questions for those two sections. Let's study them together after the session; I guarantee we'll breeze through."
Jordan Li sipped his coffee with a relaxed expression and licked his lips: "Our rankings are so high, and we've put in plenty of daily training and battles; this assessment is just going through the motions."
At this moment, Cate, who had been looking down at her book, spoke softly: "I won't be participating. I'll be cheering for you all these next few days!"
Under the surprised gazes of the others, she held up the psychology book in her hand and gave a few small, playful punches: "I don't know how to fight anyway, so I plan to transfer to the School of Performing Arts and specialize in psychotherapy."
After a brief silence, everyone either nodded or gave a light pat, all expressing their understanding.
Jill hugged Cate's arm and rubbed her head against her affectionately: "Senior, I support you... there are plenty of people who can fight crime, but heroes who can heal the soul are incredibly rare."
Cate hugged her back, looking very pleased, and closed her eyes with a contented expression: "Little Pudding, you sure have a sweet tongue!"
Just then, Brink's high-pitched voice resounded throughout the venue again: "Now, let us welcome today's special guest with the warmest applause—the charming star of The Seven, Stormfront!"
Boom—
Several bolts of purple lightning split the clouds, and accompanied by deafening thunder, a figure descended from the sky, landing steadily in the center of the arena.
The woman wore a black cape and a form-fitting black and red combat suit, her long black hair flowing in the wind—it was Stormfront.
Stormfront stood in the center of the arena wearing a headset, a friendly smile on her face as she waved to the crowd: "Look at you! Young, full of potential, heroes with infinite possibilities for the future. Today, I'm here to reveal the first stage of your assessment—actual combat!"
"There are over three thousand of you here; if we follow the rules for these battles, when would we ever finish?" After speaking, she raised her right arm, pointing toward the stands, and slowly turned in a circle. "Today, I'm going to break the rules! Is there anyone who dares to come on stage and challenge me right now?"
"As long as your performance satisfies me, I can give you a perfect score for the actual combat assessment right now—straight pass, no need to participate in the tedious melee rounds that follow!"
No sooner had she finished speaking than the audience erupted in a commotion, and several figures made their way to the edge of the arena.
Wade looked closely and realized the first person to jump onto the stage was someone he recognized—Wolverine, a sophomore with whom he had a nodding acquaintance.
The two-meter-tall Wolverine moved with lightning speed, leaving an afterimage as he swung a dense flurry of jet-black claw blades toward Stormfront.
Stormfront stood with her hands behind her back, not moving an inch, while sparks showered continuously around her.
Zzzzt—crack!
Just as Wolverine was about to sink his fangs into Stormfront's neck, a purple arc of electricity suddenly struck him, sending him flying backward to land heavily off the stage.
Stormfront smiled and waved her hand in front of her face: "That big puppy wasn't bad, but unfortunately, I don't like the smell of bad breath. Next."
Less than two seconds later, the silver-skinned Iron sheet jumped onto the stage. He bowed his bald head toward Stormfront: "Miss, please instruct me."
Dazzling sunlight shone down, and before Stormfront could respond, there was a deafening boom.
As she lowered the hand she'd used to block the sun, Iron sheet had already vanished from his spot, and a whistling wind came from high above.
"Smart. I'll play some baseball—students in the stands, you'd better catch!" Stormfront swung her fist, delivering a clean, powerful punch into the air. Iron sheet, who was just about to land, was sent flying instantly, hurtling directly toward the audience.
'Good chance to test her limits!' Wade shot out like an arrow from a bow, his arms extended to deploy an invisible, thirty-meter-wide turbulent shield.
The immense force carried by Iron sheet crashed into it, the kinetic energy of his tumble torn and diverted layer by layer. The resulting gust of wind whipped the clothes and hair of the audience in the stands into a frenzy.
Whoosh—thump!
As the wind reversed, Wade landed back in the aisle of the stands and set the dazed Iron sheet down on the steps. 'Terrifying. Stormfront's casual strike is estimated to be about as strong as Maeve's.'
Subsequently, dozens of people challenged her one after another, but none could last more than three moves against her.
The atmosphere in the stands gradually grew fanatical.
The girls let out earth-shattering cheers for this female superhero: "Ah—Stormfront! You're my goddess!"
The boys shouted at the top of their lungs, their eyes filled with worship for the powerful: "Oh!!! So strong! This is what a real hero is!"
Stormfront flew into the air and rotated slowly, pointing one hand toward the stands below, and shouted: "Whether you're a boy or a girl, show your mettle and prove you're worthy of the title of hero!"
"Who else has the guts to come up, or... all of you come at once? Let's turn up the heat!"
These words were like dropping water into a pot of boiling oil; the roar from the audience nearly blew the roof off the stadium, the sound pressure pounding against everyone's eardrums.
"Ohhh—I'm coming!!"
"I'm going up! What if I get lucky?"
Over fifty students, confident in their own strength, scrambled to jump into the arena, surrounding Stormfront and eyeing her like prey.
Stormfront descended rapidly from the sky, gave a thumbs-up, and laughed aloud: "Very good! Power brings responsibility, and courage determines how far you can go!"
The simple-minded Jill and Sam had been infected by the fanatical atmosphere, waving their arms and shouting along with the crowd: "Go! Beat her up!" "Show her what you've got!"
Meanwhile, Wade, Luke, Andre, Cate, and Jordan Li looked at each other and lowered their heads in unison.
Their phones vibrated incessantly in their palms; the scrolling messages on their screens were the only sanctuary from this fanatical scene.
[G-Men Chat Group]
(Luke) Raised a fist with a determined expression: "This woman is so strong! No wonder she's been ranked just below Homelander lately; I like her."
(Andre) Drooling, heart-eyes emoji: "She's also an influencer; she has so many bold, generous swimsuit photos. Love it."
(Jordan Li) Middle finger, disdain, middle finger: "Cut the fantasies, guys. I bet she's just like Translucent in private, if not worse."
(Cate) Magnifying glass emoji: "She's so passionate, so dazzling, and speaks so boldly. She feels completely different from the other superheroes... almost too perfect to be real."
Wade tapped his phone screen and sent a thinking emoji: "Don't look at what she says or does on camera. If you want to know what she's really like, look at how she behaves in private."
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