I choose a C ranked hero in another world, I was mocked online

Chapter 156: Global Sensation! Why Are the Top Three Teams All from Xia Country?

In the second-floor library at Wu University.

In the empty room, ten figures suddenly appeared.

It was none other than Chen Ye, Tang Zichen, and the others returning from the secret realm.

Looking around at the familiar surroundings, everyone was momentarily stunned.

"Wow, the memory wipe really works!"

Cao Yu was the first to speak, his expression one of surprise. "I really don't remember a thing."

Ren Qianqian chimed in, "All I can recall is us gathering here and entering the secret realm together... but what happened inside? I don't have the slightest memory."

Zhao Zheng added, "Not only do we lose related memories, but we come out exactly as we were when we went in."

As he spoke, he raised his hand.

The group noticed a small wound on his left ring finger.

"This is a cut I deliberately made before entering the secret realm, just to test the confidentiality measures of the national secret realm. Even if I only stayed in there for a day, this should've healed."

Zhao Zheng continued, "But now, the wound is exactly as it was when I entered, which means that whatever state we were in when we went in, we come out in exactly the same condition. The secret realm completely restores us."

Hearing this, the group nodded in agreement.

Chen Ye looked down at himself, also realizing that nothing had changed.

Even the small stains on his clothes were exactly the same!

In the secret realm, clothes wouldn't remain perfectly clean. So, the only explanation was that the secret realm remembered every tiny detail when they entered and restored them upon their return.

"Zheng-ge, you're so smart!" Shao Wenhui exclaimed admiringly, "To even come up with such a method!"

Ren Qianqian rolled her eyes at her friend's sudden infatuation.

If the principal weren't present, she would definitely mock Shao Wenhui.

Zhao Zheng just smiled and shook his head, "It's just a little trick. I'm sure many others have tried similar methods."

"You're right," said Old Liu. "The mysteries of the national secret realm have certainly piqued the curiosity of countless people, and many must have tried all sorts of ways to figure it out. But it's been years, and still, no information has leaked."

At that moment, the secret realm began distributing rewards.

When the notification of 200 potential points came in...

The group finally realized...

Their Wu University team had made it to the top three!!

"Holy crap!!"

The outgoing Cao Yu was the first to shout, "We got third place?!"

The rest of the group was equally shocked.

Even Principal Lu and Gao Ye, both formidable fifth-tier powerhouses, couldn't remain calm.

This was third place in the national secret realm!

With so many top-tier experts and strongest contenders globally, they had clinched third place?

How was this even possible?

It was the kind of achievement they'd never even dreamed of!

"This is amazing!" Ren Qianqian, carefree as always, cheered. "200 potential points! That's going to boost my strength so much."

Indeed, for early-stage awakened ones, 200 potential points were enough to push their abilities to a new level.

"We old folks definitely don't have the ability to achieve such heights in the national secret realm,"

Principal Lu suddenly laughed, looking at the younger generation. "It seems that this miracle must be your doing."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Zheng, Cao Yu, and the others instinctively looked at Chen Ye and Tang Zichen.

Tang Zichen, in turn, glanced at the calm Chen Ye beside her and smiled slightly.

She was the only one who firmly believed that the reason their team had reached the top three was because of this bald-headed man next to her.

"I wouldn't be so sure."

Suddenly, Chicken Brother spoke up with a different perspective, "No one really knows how the national secret realm works. Maybe we just got lucky."

No one argued with him.

After all, none of them remembered what had happened in the secret realm, so they had no grounds to refute him.

Old Liu suddenly sighed, "Who would've thought, this year's national secret realm's top three teams are all from Xia Country? This news is going to cause a sensation both at home and abroad."

...

Meanwhile, somewhere in Australia.

In a lavish room.

A group of people who had just returned from the secret realm wore serious and shocked expressions.

What they found hard to believe was that the championship reward, which they had always won every year, was gone this time…

Not only had they lost the championship, but they hadn't even made it to the top three!

They'd only managed to secure a spot in the top ten?

What kind of joke was this?

Had even the War God failed?

Thinking of the War God, everyone turned to look at the refined man with gold-rimmed glasses.

At that moment, the War God's face also showed a hint of surprise.

"I… was eliminated early? I didn't even make it to the top three?"

"Interesting, this is really interesting!"

The War God suddenly laughed, clearly amused by something he had thought of.

Although he hadn't made it to the top three this time, he had been the champion before.

So, he had a deep understanding of the national secret realm.

Soon, his attention shifted to the three Xia Country teams.

He quickly dismissed Qin Muyin and Ba Liming.

In previous secret realms, he had crossed paths with these two many times and knew their capabilities. It was impossible that they had been the ones to eliminate him.

"So, has a new powerhouse emerged in Xia Country?"

The War God murmured to himself.

The blonde woman, Alice, standing beside the War God, asked, "Master, should I investigate?"

The War God was tempted.

But after some thought, he shook his head. "Forget it."

"The unknown is more exciting!"

The War God smiled.

...

In the capital city.

At the Enforcement Team headquarters.

In a large hall, loud cheers filled the room.

The cheers came from a group of middle-aged men, all in their thirties and forties.

These middle-aged men were all well-known fifth-tier experts in the country, usually calm and composed in front of others.

But at this moment, they were beaming with excitement, cheering loudly.

They were as happy as two-hundred-pound fools!

The reason for their joy? They had won the championship.

The championship of the national secret realm!

"Hahaha, 330 potential points in one go! This feels amazing!"

"It's fantastic! With these 330 potential points, I'm confident about the next secret realm."

"Winning the national secret realm championship isn't just about the 330 potential points—it's about national pride! I propose we hold a celebration party!"

"I agree! Such a joyous occasion definitely deserves a celebration."

"Let's do it! It has to be a grand event, and we should invite notable figures and media outlets. This is a moment to showcase the nation's strength!"

Even Monk Shi Wu was shouting, "Not only should we celebrate, but we should do it in style! It has to be big, with guests from all walks of life and media coverage. This is a major event for our country!"

For once, no one objected to Monk Shi Wu's suggestion, and they all agreed unanimously.

Winning the championship in the national secret realm was undoubtedly a matter of national pride.

Deacon Jiang suddenly smiled and said, "Everyone, we really need to thank our captain for allowing us to share in the rewards from the championship. Without the captain, the championship wouldn't have been ours."

This comment immediately drew responses from the group:

"Indeed, it's all thanks to our captain."

"If it weren't for Captain Qin, we'd never have won the championship."

"Captain is truly amazing..."

While everyone showered her with praise, Qin Muyin remained calm and composed.

Her memories had been retained…

At the same time, she had received a warning from the secret realm: if she revealed anything about it, she would be barred from entering any future secret realms.

Qin Muyin knew very well how they had won this championship.

She remembered clearly everything that bald man had done to her, including… touching her face!!!

"Captain, what do you think about everyone's suggestion to host a celebration party?"

Deacon Jiang asked respectfully.

Even though Qin Muyin was nearly fifteen years younger than him, he didn't dare pull any seniority in front of her.

His question broke Qin Muyin's train of thought.

"I agree to the party!"

Qin Muyin said calmly, "But make sure to invite the entire team from Wu University… and the core team from the Ability Association as well."

Initially, she had only intended to invite the Wu University team.

But to avoid making her intentions too obvious, she added the Ability Association team as well.

As soon as Qin Muyin finished speaking, someone immediately complimented, "Captain's idea is great! Having the top three teams together will indeed make the event grander, and it will also show our Enforcement Team's magnanimity."

"Exactly, I agree with this plan,"

another chimed in. "Inviting Wu University should be easy

, but I'm not sure if the Association will cooperate…"

Qin Muyin replied, "Just send the invitations. Whether they come or not is up to them."

To her, it didn't matter if the Association came.

As long as the Wu University team showed up!

"Understood!" a man spoke up. "I'll handle it."

At that moment, Deacon Jiang hesitated and said, "The other members of Wu University's team are fine, but Tang Zichen might be an issue. She's currently under special government protection, and if someone tries to harm her on the way…"

"No need to worry about that,"

Qin Muyin said, her mind flashing to the bald man, and she added, "Nothing will happen to her."

With that bald guy protecting her…

She couldn't believe anyone could harm Tang Zichen.

Even if she herself made a move, it wouldn't be possible...

(Qin Muyin was unaware that most of Chen Ye's abilities in the secret realm were temporary attributes.)

...

When the news of the top three teams in this year's national secret realm being entirely from Xia Country was made public, it caused a global sensation.

A worldwide uproar!!

The fact that Xia Country teams had swept the top three spots had never happened since the inception of the national secret realm!

International netizens and media outlets were shocked, exclaiming that the eastern superpower was now set to dominate the world.

Meanwhile, within Xia Country, the excitement on social media was palpable.

"Holy crap! Unbelievable! We swept the champion, runner-up, and third place!"

"The powerhouses are truly amazing!"

"Hahaha, this is awesome! Even though I didn't win anything, as a fellow countryman, I feel so proud!"

"I understand the champion and runner-up—they're led by absolute powerhouses. But what about third place? Wu University? Do they even have a sixth-tier powerhouse?"

"+1 to the comment above. I've followed the national secret realm rankings for years, and the top teams have always been led by super-strong individuals. Since when did Wu University become so powerful?"

"It's definitely strange. Wu University is prestigious, but not this strong."

"Do any of you actually know what goes on in the national secret realm? Stop speculating. Can't we just admit that maybe they got lucky this time?"

"Regardless, I'm just happy Xia Country teams took the top three spots, hahaha!"

"I hope it's the same next year."

"By the way, isn't the new student Hero Talent Compatibility Ceremony about to begin? Wu University's admissions are going to go through the roof this year."

"Absolutely. With the prestige of being a national secret realm third-place winner, other schools won't stand a chance against Wu University."

...

Countless netizens were discussing the topic.

And almost all the comments were positive.

The online atmosphere was festive.

Even though the rewards from placing in the top three had nothing to do with ordinary netizens, they still felt a sense of pride and honor as fellow citizens.

Meanwhile, over in Japan, the online mood was quite the opposite.

Because...

They had just received devastating news!

The individual whom many had considered their greatest hope, widely known as "the strongest creature on earth," Hanma Baki, had perished in the national secret realm.

This news had plunged the entire nation into grief.

Even those who hadn't liked Baki's arrogant and domineering personality were left shaken and filled with fear after hearing the news.

In recent years, Japan's situation had only grown more dire.

As an island nation, it had inherent disadvantages.

In times of peace, it could rely on imports to meet its needs.

But with the era of monsters, international trade routes had nearly collapsed, exacerbating Japan's struggles.

Additionally, with no new talent emerging, Japan had consistently lost ground in the war against the monsters.

Had it not been for Hanma Baki, who had slain many powerful tier-five and tier-six monsters, Japan's situation would have been much worse.

To put it mildly, Baki's brutal nature had earned him the status of a national hero.

In truth, rumors had long circulated within Japan that Hanma Baki was a bloodthirsty killer who often beat his servants to death and, in his wild moods, would sometimes kill multiple women in a single night...

Despite being such a murderer, the authorities had turned a blind eye to his actions, fearing to touch Baki.

One reason was that they simply didn't have the strength to confront him.

The other was that Japan still needed a powerhouse like Baki to maintain some semblance of stability.

But now, Baki was dead!

Dead in the secret realm...

It felt as though the sky had fallen for Japan.

Countless Japanese netizens took to the internet, cursing the perpetrator and lamenting the injustice of the heavens.

Baki's death left them terrified, anxious, and unsure of what to do.

As ordinary people, even though they were aware that the country's situation would likely worsen, they had no means of escape.

They could only sigh in despair, feeling as if their emperor had abandoned them.

Meanwhile, the wealthy and powerful were packing up and preparing to flee...

(End of Chapter)

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