NIP Chapter 196 College League
Chapter 196 College League
The doors to the command center are double-layered, with an outer layer of alloy and an inner layer of soundproofing material.
The moment the door was pushed open, a cacophony of voices burst forth as if a lid had been lifted.
The hall was much larger than it appeared from the outside, with four rows of fluorescent lights illuminating the entire space as bright as day.
At the very center is a huge holographic sand table, ten meters long and ten meters wide, projecting a three-dimensional topographic map of the Arctic Circle and Greenland.
Ice fields, straits, mountains—every landform is rendered with meticulous detail.
The dark red markers of the Sirius main force and the deep blue markers of the Ice Demon main force moved slowly on the sand table.
The data stream scrolls in real time on the side screen, with each item—temperature, wind speed, ice thickness, and enemy marching speed—constantly updating.
Twenty or thirty staff officers stood around the sand table, some staring at the screen, some taking notes rapidly on their terminals, and some huddled together debating in hushed tones.
The walls were covered with electronic displays, no fewer than fifty of them, of various sizes.
The largest section, which occupies the entire east wall, displays satellite cloud images and real-time footage transmitted back by reconnaissance drones.
Above the ice shelf at the northern tip of Greenland, the gray clouds hung low, and one could vaguely see countless black dots moving across the ice surface—the vanguard troops engaged in combat.
Intelligence summaries scrolled across several screens nearby: the stalemate had lasted for three days.
The whale race has been confirmed to have entered the Arctic Ocean, at coordinates 81.3 degrees north latitude. The sea dragon race's coordinates have been updated to the Greenland Sea.
The troop deployment progress chart of the four countries shows that the Great Xia has confirmed 237 people, the Eagle Kingdom 159 people, the Bear Kingdom 122 people, and the European Union 125 people, of whom 113 people have at least the peak strength of the fourth tier.
The air smelled of printer ink, the bitterness of coffee, and the smell of sweat.
The people here have clearly been working non-stop for more than a day.
Song Chen followed Zhou Wangyue into the hall, and before they had taken more than a few steps, someone noticed them.
A middle-aged military officer sitting behind the duty desk at the entrance was the first to look up. His gaze swept over Zhou Wangyue and landed on Song Chen, where he paused for a moment.
Then he suddenly stood up and saluted.
"Principal Zhou!"
"Congressman Song!"
His voice wasn't too loud or too soft, but it silenced the noise in the hall as if someone had pressed a pause button.
The staff officers who were closest to him all turned their heads.
The two fifth-rank staff officers who were arguing by the sand table stopped talking, and a female officer standing in front of the large screen on the east wall turned around, almost dropping her electronic pen.
Everyone looked in the same direction, their eyes filled with awe.
That was the instinctive awe they felt when facing a powerful figure they had watched countless battle videos of but were seeing in person for the first time.
"Associate Song."
"It's Councilor Song Chen."
"Song Chen from Beiyuan."
Low murmurs spread through the hall.
"He's really here. I've seen his video at Qinghu. He single-handedly cleared out the beast tide. Even a Tier 5 Upper-level Blade Armor Dragon Lizard couldn't withstand three strikes from him."
"The battle in Beiyuan was even more outrageous. He single-handedly killed the commander of the Tianlang Clan, who was part of an army of hundreds of thousands of alien beasts."
"It is said that he is only eighteen years old and a freshman at Tianhai University."
"Freshman year? Are you kidding me?"
"I heard that Principal Zhou gave him his Tianjun Blade."
……
Song Chen's battle videos had already spread throughout the Great Xia, and no one was discussing the title of the Great Xia's number one genius anymore.
Instead, the discussion shifted to when he would become the strongest person in the Great Xia Dynasty.
Song Chen didn't stop walking, and his face remained expressionless. He simply nodded slightly to the officer who was closest to him.
Han Duo followed half a step behind him, a hint of a smile in his eyes.
Zhou Wangyue walked ahead of him, ignoring all the discussions.
He led Song Chen through the hall, around the sand table, and several staff officers automatically made way for him.
As Song Chen passed by the large screen on the east wall, a young staff officer who was operating a terminal stood up, holding a stack of newly printed documents, and almost bumped into him.
He looked up, froze for a second, then snapped to his feet, nearly dropping the documents in his hand.
"Congressman Song... I'm sorry!"
"fine."
Song Chen reached out and touched his arm, glancing at the documents in his hand.
The document above contains the latest summary of the movements of the powerful ocean forces, with a line of red text below the title.
"The coordinates of the powerful whale clan members have been updated, but the speed has slowed down, suggesting a possible delay. See Appendix 3 for analysis."
He let go and continued to follow.
At the end of the hall is a corridor.
Pushing open the door, you see a row of offices on both sides of the corridor, each with a sign on its door: Intelligence Analysis Room, Tactical Simulation Room, Communications Encryption Room, and Four-Nation Liaison Office.
Zhou Wangyue pushed open the innermost door.
The sign on the door reads "Commander-in-Chief's Office".
The room was small and simply furnished.
A solid wood desk, two chairs, a bookcase, and a huge map of the Arctic Circle hanging on the wall.
There were three monitors on the table, one of which was on, displaying the encrypted communication interface of the Great Xia Council.
Zhou Wangyue walked behind the table and sat down, pointing to the chair opposite him.
"Please sit down."
Song Chen sat down.
Zhou Wangyue leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped in front of his stomach, and looked at Song Chen: "Do you know why I went to pick you up in person?"
Song Chen thought for a moment: "This matter is too big. If we handle it well, it will be the biggest strategic turning point in fifty years. If we don't handle it well, it will be difficult."
Zhou Wangyue shook his head: "That's only half the reason."
"half?"
Song Chen was somewhat puzzled.
"I need your help with the other half."
Song Chen spoke almost without pausing: "Teacher, please speak."
Zhou Wangyue didn't rush to speak. He reached out and turned the monitor on the table around, then tapped a few keys on the keyboard.
An interface pops up on the screen.
The 37th Great Xia Martial Arts High School League.
Zhou Wangyue tapped his finger on the third position.
"Tianhai University usually ranks third, sometimes second, and sometimes fourth."
"It's not that the students are incompetent, it's just that Tianhai is close to the sea and there have been too many wars there."
"The beast tides from the sea are more ferocious than those from the land, and the pressure on the defense line is several times greater than that inland. Many promising talents have died on the front lines before they even had a chance to grow up."
His finger moved to the screen and stopped on a line of small text.
The line listed the names of past contestants from Tianhai University, with some names followed by parentheses containing only one character: 殁 (mourning).
"But now we can compete."
Zhou Wangyue looked up at him, his eyes full of expectation.
Song Chen was stunned for a moment before realizing that he was also a student at Tianhai University.
Although he could count the number of days he spent on the campus of Tianhai University on his fingers, he was still a student and, theoretically, still a student.
"Can I participate in the college league?"
"According to the rules, as long as you are a registered student and haven't graduated, you are considered a Tianhai student, even if you haven't attended a single class.
As Zhou Wangyue spoke, he tapped the keyboard twice more.
The league schedule popped up on the screen.
The group stage ended a long time ago, the knockout stage has gone through three rounds, and the quarterfinals just ended yesterday.
Tianhai University and Shangjing University both defeated their opponents and advanced to the semifinals. The next match will be in two hours.
"It's the semifinals now." Song Chen looked at the schedule.
"In yesterday's match, Tianjin Tianhai's main center forward was injured. His right hand is ruined and he will be out for at least three months. We are short one player."
Song Chen looked at the schedule again; his timing was rather coincidental.
The timing of his arrival in Beijing was determined by Zhou Wangyue; it's hard to say whether this was a coincidence or not.
He looked up at his teacher: "We're about to go on a mission. Is it appropriate for me to be so high-profile?"
Zhou Wangyue leaned back in his chair: "Who would think that way?"
Song Chen thought about it and agreed. He was a student at Tianhai University, so participating in the university league was only natural for him.
Who would think there's a problem with a student playing for their own school?
As for his strength, that's another matter.
He stood up.
"Okay. I'll call."
Then he picked up the Heavenly Blade and twirled the scabbard in his hand a little over half a circle.
Zhou Wangyue looked at him: "Help Tianhai get first place."
Song Chen suddenly felt that what he said was a bit awkward.
Most of the participants in the college league are at the second or third level, with the more talented ones reaching the fourth level.
He is a fifth-level martial artist who has just returned from killing hundreds of thousands of alien beasts in the Northern Plains. Now he is going to fight a group of students who have not yet graduated.
This isn't a competition; it's bullying children.
He thought for a moment, and his lips twitched slightly.
Let them bully the kids if they want; he's determined to win the championship for Tianhai University anyway.