After the two other students walked away with Gansus, Massa threw Wang Tong a glance and then said, "Follow me, I want to show you something."
The two filed into Massa's office, and then he turned on the monitor. Wang Tong saw his old comrades on the screen alive and well.
Eyes glued to the screen, Wang Tong watched as his old friends fought against Zergs, and he was surprised to find out that their skills had improved significantly. The scene in front of Wang Tong was drastically different from what Wang Tong used to see while he was on Norton. Jansining's right arm had been replaced with a cyborg's arm, which was powerful and nimble enough for dealing with any Zergs. Meanwhile, Third's cyborg eye had also lent him the incredible ability to detect hidden Zergs. Big O's soul energy was able to surround his body and form an impenetrable protection layer—an ability that might have been triggered by losing his brother.
"This was their latest video feed. I know you were eager to know how they are doing. By the way, they wanted me to tell you that they still look forward to fighting with you. " Massa smiled as he turned the monitor off.
Wang Tong cracked a smile and felt relieved after seeing that his old comrades were doing well. It was clear then that the military didn't give up on their recovery.
"Sir, I have started to feel more excited about the training now."
"Don't be too confident just yet. I have to warn you that so far, only a few were able to complete my training program." Massa smirked expectantly.
Without taking a rest, the three started their training right away.
Massa and Gansus stood on one side of a glass panel, watching their students on the other side.
The first training course was soul energy attack—the most basic training for elite fighters. As high-level fighters, knowing how to attack with soul energy was critical, since it very often dictated the outcome of the match.
"Tiger, they are your students, so I will let you choose the number." Massa grinned.
The "number" that Massa referred to was the strength of the soul wave that was simulated inside the training room. This was the first test every TNN soldier had to endure.
"Cao Yi, one hundred sol, Hu Yangxuan, one hundred twenty, and Wang Tong... start with two hundred."
The workers at TNN were shocked by Gansus's decision. Two hundred sol could be a deadly force, and if Wang Tong was not as strong as Gansus had expected, he was as good as dead.
"Haha, you have lots of confidence in this boy. Well, we will have it your way! " Massa announced without any hesitation.
Meanwhile, inside the training room, the three looked at each other, unsure of what would happen next.
Suddenly, they felt a wave of soul energy surround them, and the sudden force caught them off guard. Since it came invisibly, it was harder to prepare for ahead of time than fighting against a physical assault.
Cao Yi and Hu Yangxuan's faces quickly became bleak at the sudden and belligerent force. Although challenging, Hu Yangxuan was able to hold his ground. He had experienced this kind of training before while he was training at the Templar's Court. However, the training at the Court was carried out in a much larger space instead of the confined training chamber. As the soul energy reflected off from the walls, it seemed to have gained more intensity. The two quickly readied their soul energy for defense.
The two students had performed well so far, as they had much exceeded the average performance of students, and even according to TNN's standards, would be considered solid fighters.
Although the soul energy wave in Wang Tong's chamber had started from two hundred, Wang Tong didn't seem to be affected by it the slightest, as he acted as nothing had happened to him.
Massa and Gansus looked at each other and then smiled knowingly. "We had underestimated him af
ter all. He didn't even flinch."
"His power has reached at least that of a mid-tier TNN soldier. It is clear to me that his soul energy depletion was a blessing in disguise after all… And a blessing to us as well." Massa said as he nodded.
"Cao Yi, one hundred and fifty, Hu Yangxuan, one hundred and seventy. Stabilize the waves. Wang Tong, crank it up to three hundred. Let's see how long he can last." Gansus announced to the workers.
The dial on Wang Tong's training chamber suddenly jumped up, indicating the soul energy inside had reached an abnormally high value. Since depletion of soul energy would hinder the output of GN force, most fighters would choose not to squander their soul energy in such large quantities. Therefore, such a high-level soul energy attack was not commonly seen in a normal battle. In a real-life battle, only seventy percent of the soul energy attack would eventually land on their opponents, since defensive measures would dampen the rest thirty percent. However, inside the simulation tank, it was impossible for the students to adequately defend against the attack, since it came from all direction.
Hu Yangxuan and Cao Yi conceded that the only thing they would do then was to be calm and try to spend their soul energy as conservatively as possible without crippling their defense. Keeping a cool head was half the battle, since the more soul energy they poured into their defense, the more likely their mind would be eroded by illusions.
Although the test was unspeakably cruel, it reflected the style of the TNN truthfully. Unlike the academies that had chosen to focus on a steady progression when it came down to the students' training, TNN was well known for its extreme methods to achieve a sudden breakthrough. Although TNN's method was less popular, it was no less efficient.
As the two instructors looked through the large window, they saw that Wang Tong still acted as if the violent soul energy attack was nothing. The two instructors both had the suspicion that Wang Tong's training chamber was broken, as they ordered the workers to double check the connections.
"Sir, all output lines are hot. His vital signs are normal as well. There is no apparent increase in heart rate, and his soul energy output is rock steady, but just enough to cancel the attack waves."
Inside the training chamber, Wang Tong cracked a knowing smile at Massa and Gansus.
The equipment at TNN was much more advanced than even those in the S Class academies. However, its soul energy output fell short under comparison with that of Einherjar Wannabe, whom Wang Tong had been training with. The three hundred sol seemed to be a piece of cake. Also, Mr. Wannabe was much more cunning and methodical in the delivery of his attacks than the machines.
Although it might seem to be a great idea to release large amount of soul energy inside a confined area mechanically, the predictability made it too easy to defend for a high-level fighter such as Wang Tong.
"What should we do next?"
"He seemed to be more eager to test his limit than us. I say we crank it up to four hundred. What do you think?"
"I say four fifty. "
Massa waved his hand at the worker as the latter cranked up the dial to four hundred and fifty excitedly.
"Turn off the other two; they have reached their limit."
"Yes, sir!"
After their test was over, Cao Yi and Hu Yangxuan were exhausted and drenched in sweat. Unable to pick themselves up to their feet, they both laid on the floor as they watched Wang Tong smile at them nonchalantly.
"I have to give credit to these two as well, they have trained hard. " Massa nodded approvingly. He reckoned that without intense training, the two would not have lasted this long.
As Massa looked to the other side of the room, he found that the soul energy attack still seemed not to affect Wang Tong.
The development stirred both instructors, as they knew that that much soul energy would make even a fifth level fighter's stomach churn.
Thanks to the gruesome training Wang Tong had to endure in the crystal space, not only he was able to withstand the powerful wave of soul energy, he had done it with ease.
"Marvelous! What a genius!"
"I bet this lad is going to pull the rug from under the Great Houses."
"Golden Hawk must be pleased."
"I know that you wanted to recruit him into TNN. Otherwise, you wouldn’t agree to Samantha's request. However, I think it’s better if you forget about it. This kid is a genius and a perfect material for a general. He would only become a lunatic if he stayed in TNN, like us." Gansus gave Massa a sidelong glance as he spoke.
"The Great House and the Golden Hawk has controlled the council; you know more than me that we need him. Plus, he needs our protection." Massa said.
"He has done well so far without our protection, hasn't he? I don't think the discrete lifestyle here at TNN suits his bearings. " Gansus shook his head.
"Tiger, I would hold on to my opinion. We cannot afford to pass up a talent like Wang Tong. He would do well in TNN, I can see that even now."
"He would rise to power no matter where he stays. I am afraid that the TNN's shrewd methods might go against the grain with his kindhearted nature. The military would be a much better place for him."
"Hehe… Well, I guess there is no point in arguing about it between us. It all comes down to his own decision."