Zhou Hong finished speaking.
The people present immediately showed strange expressions.
Upon seeing this, Zhou Hong assumed they were doubting what he had said and quickly explained:
"I'm serious, I'm not lying to you!"
Zhang Xiaoyun, with her playful and lively personality, flashed a sly glint in her eyes upon hearing this, and immediately feigned curiosity, asking:
Why are you asking about that person?
"Isn't this just curiosity?"
Seeing Zhang Xiaoyun narrow her eyes, Zhou Hong quickly added:
"Besides, we might become classmates in the future. If we can get to know each other early on, hehe, maybe we can even get on each other's good side."
It's obvious that this last sentence was Zhou Hong's true purpose.
Guan Ning and the others immediately understood.
Zhang Xiaoyun pouted: "You're quite proactive. You haven't even been admitted to Ningjiang College yet, and you're already thinking about making classmates."
"It's about being prepared for a rainy day."
Zhou Hong, thick-skinned enough, didn't care at all and chuckled:
"I'm not bragging, but I know a lot about all the candidates in this hotel who are good enough."
Seemingly to prove the credibility of his words, Zhou Hong looked around, pointed to a boy not far away, and spoke confidently:
"See that boy? His name is Li Pengyun. He comes from Taiping City and is a well-known genius student at the local high school. Two months ago, he passed the advanced probation assessment. His pet is a Poison Ivy Demon, a dual-attribute pet of plant and poison, with a level of three, second stage."
"And that beautiful girl, Guo Xinyi, is from Cangxia City. She is also a well-known genius in the area. She passed the advanced training assessment. Her pet is a Steel-Patterned Young Dragon, a dual-type pet of Steel and Dragon, with a level of three tiers and three stages."
"And that one, Tan Yong, from Shanzhou City..."
Zhou Hong listed three people in a row, providing detailed information down to the type and level of their pets, leaving Lin Ze and the others looking at each other in disbelief.
Turns out this guy is a master informant!
Coming to her senses, Liu Siyan couldn't help but exclaim in amazement, "I never imagined that so many people would own a Tier 3 pet beast."
No, that's not it.
Zhou Hong shook his head.
"From what I understand, there are only five candidates this year who possess a Tier 3 pet beast, and that genius from Pinghai City happens to be one of them."
The three women from Guan Ning were relieved.
That's true.
It's easy to imagine that very few examinees possess such a powerful Tier 3 pet.
However, they couldn't help but look at Lin Ze, their bright eyes sparkling with excitement.
"Brother (Brother Lin) is indeed amazing. His strength ranks among the top five out of five thousand candidates!"
Zhou Hong didn't notice the girls' subtle movements, and instead eagerly said to Lin Ze:
"Can you tell me about that person now?"
Pfft!
Guan Ning and the other two finally couldn't hold back their laughter.
Zhou Hong looked completely bewildered: "Did I say something funny?"
Zhang Xiaoyun waved her hand, suppressing a laugh, and said, "Didn't you want to get to know that person?"
The girl pointed at Lin Ze.
"Look, he's the genius you mentioned who passed the extremely difficult apprenticeship assessment."
"...ah?"
Zhou Hong was stunned and stared at Lin Ze in disbelief.
It took him a while to come to his senses, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
I had just been bragging to someone about how well I knew about gifted students from all over the world, only to find that the person in question was sitting right in front of me, and I hadn't even recognized him. It was quite embarrassing.
"This, this... I misjudged you, I'm sorry, brother."
Zhou Hong rubbed his hands together sheepishly.
Lin Ze smiled and waved his hand to indicate that he didn't mind.
He's not a big celebrity, so it's normal that people don't recognize him.
Zhou Hong, being thick-skinned enough, quickly put the matter out of his mind and began chatting enthusiastically with Lin Ze.
Lin Ze did not resist this outgoing and familiar intelligence source.
After a conversation, I learned quite a bit of information about the admissions and assessment process from Zhou Hong.
The meal was a pleasure for both the host and guests.
After putting the plates back, the group prepared to return to their respective rooms.
As I walked through the corridor outside the restaurant, a group of people came towards me.
A dozen or so boys in matching uniforms, presumably students from some school, were laughing and joking around, oblivious to everyone else.
The corridor was quite wide, but it was packed full of these dozen or so people.
Lin Ze and the others had no choice but to stop and step aside, intending to leave only after the group had passed.
As they closed the distance, the group of boys quickly noticed the presence of the three girls.
The three women's exquisite appearances immediately caught their eye.
Especially Guan Ning.
The boys looked at her with amazement.
Guan Ning didn't pay any attention.
She was used to these stares and usually just ignored them.
"What a beautiful girl."
Which school?
"I don't know, I wasn't wearing a uniform."
The boys were whispering among themselves, seemingly discussing something amusing, when suddenly they burst into loud laughter, making a great commotion that drew disapproving glances from many people in the corridor.
However, they completely ignored it.
As they passed each other, one of the boys suddenly leaned forward, his arm reaching straight towards Guan Ning's chest, a smile on his face as if his scheme was about to succeed.
Anyone with eyes can see that this guy is trying to take advantage of the situation.
Guan Ning's pretty face changed, and she wanted to dodge, but there was a wall behind her, and there was no way to retreat.
Fortunately, in the next instant...
An arm shot out from the side, blocking her way and firmly stopping the boy.
"elder brother!"
Guan Ning looked at Lin Ze with surprise and breathed a sigh of relief.
The boy's expression changed, and he began to curse:
"Get your filthy hands off me, and don't touch me, or else..."
He was halfway through his sentence when Lin Ze punched him hard in the face, sending him flying backward with blood gushing from his nose.
Caught off guard, the boys behind were also knocked to the ground, and the group rolled around like tumbleweeds.
The surroundings fell silent instantly.
Everyone stared blankly at the scene, completely unprepared for this turn of events.
Only then did Lin Ze's calm voice slowly emerge.
"Otherwise what?"
The boy who was beaten was unable to answer at this moment. He rolled on the ground, groaning and covering his nose, with blood constantly gushing from between his fingers. He looked extremely disheveled and miserable.
"You dare hit me!"
The young man with the buzz cut who was leading the group immediately changed color and glared angrily at Lin Ze.
Lin Ze glanced at him and said calmly, "Give him a lesson. If he dares to misbehave again, it won't be as simple as a nosebleed."
The young man with the buzz cut laughed in anger, and sneered, "I'd like to see what you can do to us."
As soon as he finished speaking, he rushed straight towards Lin Ze.
His companions behind him also joined in.
Lin Ze gestured for Guan Ning and the others to step back, while he himself faced the group of boys without flinching.
The three girls had witnessed Lin Ze's 'fighting prowess' before, and although they were still somewhat worried, they obediently stepped back to avoid becoming a burden.
Zhou Hong's face turned pale with anxiety.
Although Lin Ze is a genius, this is not a battle between pets. How could one person possibly defeat more than a dozen?
He wanted to help, but he was also aware of his own fighting skills, knowing that even if he went forward, he would only be another person to get beaten up.
"What should we do?"
Zhou Hong was so anxious that a layer of fine sweat appeared on his forehead.
However, the next second, his eyes suddenly widened.
Lin Ze charged into the crowd like a tiger among sheep, followed by a series of muffled thuds and the incessant sound of fists colliding.
Those tall and strong-looking boys couldn't even touch the hem of Lin Ze's clothes before they were all beaten to the ground, howling and rolling around in pain.
In a short time.
The entire corridor echoed with screams of pain.
"..."
Zhou Hong stared dumbfounded at Lin Ze's retreating figure, his mouth agape as if he could swallow an egg.
Is this guy some kind of humanoid pet?
Why is he so good at fighting?