C29 He Became the First Place after Sleeping for a While.

Rather than scouring the area for the Shadow Cat, he preferred to wait for it to come to him.

That was the clever strategy Lu Chong devised upon spotting the Shadow Cat near Sun Ze.

This Stage 5 Shadow Cat clearly possessed a degree of intelligence and caution.

Aware that it couldn't overpower the three humans, it concealed itself on the roof beams, biding its time. Meanwhile, it called for reinforcements using a unique method.

Thus, Lu Chong saw an opening to eliminate a significant number of Shadow Cats, which would be a huge time-saver.

Yet, the two students were visibly skeptical of Lu Chong.

In the pitch-black night, even one Shadow Cat was enough to send shivers down their spines, let alone a horde.

One student spoke up, urgency lacing his voice, "We need to get out of here quickly, or take down this Shadow Cat fast. That might just get us through to the end of the exam."

The other student chimed in, "Exactly. If we're swarmed by Shadow Cats, we'll be out of the running tonight."

Lu Chong remained silent, turning his attention to Sun Ze, who had yet to weigh in.

Sun Ze, now composed, glanced at Lu Chong and proposed, "Mr. Chong, I trust you. But, could you join forces with us temporarily?"

If Lu Chong agreed, they stood to gain from the encounter.

After all, Lu Chong planned to use them to attract a swarm of Shadow Cats, so sharing some of the spoils was inconsequential. With this in mind, Lu Chong accepted Sun Ze's offer.

"No way. We're not on board," the two students quickly objected, shaking their heads.

"Just team up, you two. We're out of here."

With those words, they exchanged a look and made to leave, clearly intending to use Lu Chong and Sun Ze as a distraction for their escape.

Sun Ze was about to stop them when Lu Chong held him back.

"Let them go," Lu Chong said, his smile tinged with irony.

He had already sensed several familiar presences encircling them from every direction.

At this point, it made no difference whether the two students stayed or left.

Sure enough, no sooner had the two students left the third floor than they were met with the fierce gaze of six pairs of glowing green eyes.

"There are so many Shadow Cats!"

They were terrified and quickly scrambled up the stairs.

Yet, at that very moment, three more Shadow Cats materialized on the third floor. In total, there were ten Stage 5 Shadow Cats.

It seemed as if all the nearby Shadow Cats had converged here.

A battle was imminent.

The four Shadow Cats on the third floor lunged at them.

Simultaneously, the six Shadow Cats on the second floor wasted no time, attacking from every direction.

"This is perfect timing."

A smile of satisfaction spread across Lu Chong's face. He executed the Monument Breaking Hand technique, stunning one of the Shadow Cats, and promptly removed the position indicator from its neck.

Another Shadow Cat launched an attack from behind, aiming for the back of his head with a vicious swipe.

The strike was fierce, targeting a vital area.

But as it lashed out, it grasped nothing but air, passing right through Lu Chong's afterimage.

For someone with Lu Chong's agility, such an attack posed no real threat.

The Shadow Cat that missed was shocked and tried to flee, but Lu Chong caught its tail in one swift motion and flung it against the wall, knocking it unconscious.

He then removed its position indicator and, using his Nine Shadow Step, quickly moved to Sun Ze's side, resolving his predicament and collecting three more position indicators.

"Please, help us!"

The two students were in dire straits, struggling against five Shadow Cats. Their protective talismans were on the verge of activation, which would mean immediate elimination.

"Mr. Chong, please help them," Sun Ze implored, cradling his injured left arm.

Lu Chong didn't need Sun Ze's plea to intervene; he was already intent on helping, not for their sake, but to collect the position indicators.

With the Nine Shadow Step, Lu Chong closed in on the fray. He needed only the Monument Breaking Hand to incapacitate the remaining Shadow Cats.

As the last of the Shadow Cats fell unconscious, tranquility returned to the scene, leaving the two students standing there, stunned.

Is that it?

Amidst a barrage of attacks from numerous Shadow Cats, Lu Chong dispatched them with remarkable ease.

Remarkably, Lu Chong emerged without a scratch, his black training attire remaining pristine, devoid of any dirt.

"These five position indicators are yours," Lu Chong declared.

Without paying any mind to the two students still reeling from shock and regret, he tossed five position indicators to Sun Ze.

"Mr. Chong, this is too generous. I barely contributed," Sun Ze protested, waving his hands.

"We're a team, even if it's just for now. I wouldn't shortchange you. Take the position indicators," Lu Chong insisted, smiling.

"It's only a mock exam, after all."

With that, Lu Chong stowed his own position indicator, spun on his heel, and leapt from the third floor into the hush of the dark night.

"Thank you," Sun Ze murmured, pocketing the position indicators.

"Sun Ze, who was that guy? How is he so formidable?" It was only after Lu Chong had been gone for a short while that the other two students managed to collect themselves and inquire.

Too sheepish to bring up the failed team-up and devoid of envy for Sun Ze's position indicators, they knew jealousy would get them nowhere. They couldn't just steal the devices; it would be futile, with surveillance all around.

Besides, their decision not to join forces with Lu Chong and Sun Ze was now on record.

Still, they couldn't help but be intensely curious about the identity of the impressive student.

"He's my classmate, Lu Chong—the top gun in our class," Sun Ze replied, his mind elsewhere.

"Lu Chong," one student repeated under his breath. "I don't recall seeing his name on the leaderboard earlier today."

Just then, another student pulled up the rankings, let out a gasp, and blurted out, "Lu Chong!"

"When did he take the lead?"

Sun Ze was taken aback; he'd been resting and hadn't kept an eye on the leaderboard.

He quickly glanced at the updated rankings on his Help Caller and there it was—the prominent name at the top of the list.

First place, Lu Chong, 431 points.

Second place, Hsiang Yueya, 356 points.

"Lu Chong is ahead of second place by a whopping 80 points."

"What a shame we didn't join his team."

"Lu Chong is incredible!"

Elsewhere, likely because he had drawn all the nearby Shadow Cats to him earlier, Lu Chong didn't encounter any more of them on his way. He effortlessly reached the territory of the Stage 6 Shadow Cat.

It was only three in the morning; he still had time to take down more mutated beasts.

Back in the monitoring hall outside the hunting grounds, Wang Tong's eyes were bloodshot from fixating on the large screen. His excitement peaked when Lu Chong's name soared to the top of the leaderboard, prompting him to give Lee Chengjun's thigh an enthusiastic slap.

Lee Chengjun, who was meditating with his eyes closed, jumped at the sudden contact and snapped irritably, "What's the big idea?"

"Check out the rankings!" Wang Tong said, grinning from ear to ear.

Lee Chengjun, frowning, glanced at the screen and his eyes popped open in surprise. "Lu Chong's in first place!"

"I was just asleep for a bit. How did Lu Chong shoot to the top?" Lee Chengjun wondered aloud.

Wang Tong gloated, "This is only the start. He's 75 points ahead of second place. And that gap's only going to widen."

Lee Chengjun turned away, no longer wanting to witness Wang Tong's smug look. He decisively closed his eyes, tuning him out completely.