NOVEL NEXT Chapter 75 - Pressure of Authority
It turns out that even before General Su entered, her imposing aura had already been fully unleashed, pressing through the door and directly bearing down on Mai Dongzi.
Standing at the courtyard entrance, the Level 6 logistics personnel, being on the periphery of the storm’s eye, could barely withstand such heavy pressure and had to brace themselves against the door frame to avoid collapsing to the ground.
For Mai Dongzi at the center of the storm and the bodyguard Su at a slightly greater distance, the situation was worse. Mai Dongzi, in particular, was overwhelmed not only by the physical pressure but also by severe mental suppression.
She could neither resist nor move her body; her only option was to cling on with all her might to withstand the overwhelming pressure and prevent herself from collapsing to the ground.
Mai Dongzi didn’t know how long she had endured under this pressure. Eventually, she felt an unbearable pain all over her body, including her head. Just as she felt on the verge of being crushed into pieces, the pressure suddenly vanished.
Mai Dongzi heard a thud behind her as someone fell to the ground. She wanted to move, but found that her body was too stiff to move at all.
Although the pressure suppressing her had vanished, the damage caused did not disappear instantly. Her muscles were still tightly tensed, making her body rigid and immobile.
General Su approached her and patted her a few times, after which Mai Dongzi felt her limbs no longer rigid but as if they weren’t her own.
She shifted slightly and realized she had almost no strength in her limbs and struggled to control her body. She hurriedly used all her remaining strength to sit back on the sofa.
Even though she had to use her last bit of energy to sit down, Mai Dongzi made sure not to collapse on the sofa in a disheveled manner. Instead, she forced herself to sit upright.
Mai Dongzi glanced at Colonel Su, who had been observing her, and managed a weak smile.
The overwhelming display of power from Colonel Su made her deeply understand what it meant to be crushed by sheer strength.
“Your perseverance is quite good; you’ve passed my first test,” General Su said with some satisfaction, then added with a hint of disdain:
“Your cultivation level is too low. Quickly drink the energy potion to recover; I don’t have much time to waste with you.”
Under General Su’s pressure, Mai Dongzi had exhausted not only her physical and mental strength but also her wood-element abilities.
So, after General Su withdrew the pressure, she had no strength left to even move. The fact that she managed to stand upright without collapsing was due to her sheer willpower.
Under normal circumstances, she would have already consumed the energy potion to recover. However, given that this was General Su’s test, she didn’t dare to act recklessly, fearing she might fail the test.
When she heard General Su instruct her to drink the energy potion, Mai Dongzi took out two potions from her spatial ring and drank them.
The energy potions she had were specially formulated by the Potion Guild according to her abilities, provided by Prince Arthur. They could restore both her mental and wood-element abilities simultaneously.
While she was cultivating, she used another type of ability energy potion.
As Mai Dongzi drank the energy potion, General Su looked at the bodyguard Su, who was sitting on the ground unable to get up, and said with a look of disdain, “After not seeing you for two years, why haven’t you made any progress in your cultivation?”
The unfortunate bodyguard Su had been coming downstairs when the incident occurred and suffered collateral damage from the pressure.
However, she wasn’t the main target; her cousin had only applied 70% of the pressure on her.
“Big Sister,” bodyguard Su said, blushing.
Miss Mai Dongzi, who was at the center of the pressure, didn’t collapse, while the bodyguard, who was only indirectly affected, was left sitting on the ground, unable to stand.
She didn’t want it this way, but she truly had no strength left.
General Su, frustrated, tossed an energy potion to the bodyguard Su and said, “Don’t stop working hard just because you feel your cultivation can no longer advance. If you do, you’ll be unable to even maintain your current level.”
While General Su was reprimanding the bodyguard Su, Mai Dongzi slowly regained her strength from drinking the energy potion.
When she felt her limbs regain strength, Mai Dongzi stood up, as General Su was still standing.
She had only sat down because she had no strength before; now that she was regaining strength, she had to stand up, or it would be disrespectful to General Su.
Mai Dongzi’s movement drew General Su’s attention to her.
General Su glanced at Mai Dongzi and, with sharp eyes, said, “After reviewing your resume, I suspected it wasn’t truly yours. Seeing you in person confirmed it even more. Your demeanor and perseverance are very much like someone who has served for a long time in the military.”
Mai Dongzi wasn’t surprised. Despite her efforts to hide it, some things deeply ingrained in her were easy to reveal inadvertently, especially in combat.
Ordinary people might not notice, but someone like General Su would certainly see through it.
Mai Dongzi had previously worried that Prince Arthur and Officer Chen might question her inconsistent performance after seeing her display abilities different from those of the original owner.
Fortunately, after Prince Arthur and Officer Chen investigated her, they made no remarks and even allowed her to board Prince Arthur’s flagship, indicating they had no doubts about her.
After all, many things in this world are bound by genetics, like the light brain, which can only be accessed by an authorized person.
Additionally, bodyguard Su had previously informed her that General Su was someone Prince Arthur had carefully arranged for her. Mai Dongzi believed that Prince Arthur and Officer Chen would not have given her a resume that was immediately suspect.
Therefore, Mai Dongzi wasn’t nervous about General Su’s question, even though she was indeed very different from the original owner.
She believed that if she showed even a hint of nervousness or fear, General Su would certainly detect it.
Moreover, the information General Su had about her was “modified” by someone at Prince Arthur’s request.
“I really enjoy watching documentaries about General Ayes, watching them repeatedly and constantly imitating him,” Mai Dongzi said.
General Ayes was a national hero of the Blue-Black Empire a hundred years ago, renowned for his handsomeness and strength, and was greatly admired by later generations. Numerous films and shows were made about his deeds.
The documentary produced by the Blue-Black Empire’s military propaganda department featured many scenes of General Ayes in battle and his strong military demeanor, which had been emulated by many youths.
Interestingly, General Ayes was also Lucy’s idol, and her light brain had downloaded many films and documentaries about him.
Although this reason was quite tenuous, under the assumption that she had indeed replaced someone, it was a reason that could somewhat pass muster.
With Prince Arthur’s endorsement, even if General Su had doubts, she wouldn’t question Mai Dongzi’s identity.
“Oh! I thought you admired the Mai Dongzi from the end of the last century more,” General Su said after observing Mai Dongzi for a minute.
Mai Dongzi from the end of the last century?