Astral Pet Store (WN)
chapter-310

Chapter 310 Cyborg Pet

The next day. It was the final selection.

Su Ping had to leave the store to drive Su Lingyue to the venue, so he had to leave Joanna behind to be the “acting boss.” Of course, he merely gave her authorization verbally; it wasn’t validated by the system.

Her only role was to open the door, receive customers who went to pick up their pets, return the pets and also act as the cashier. She could also receive some customers who went to have their pets trained.

After all, those were the activities an employee should do. It was just that Su Ping had taken on everything by himself.

Since Joanna came along, Su Ping was able to leave the store occasionally. The store could keep running. However, he still had to open up the access to the cultivation sites to train the pets himself and that was the core secret of the store.

Soon, Su Ping had driven Su Lingyue to the venue in the uptown area.

The venue for the finals was at the Kings Zone.

The name itself indicated that this wasn’t some random zone. The Kings Zone was the economic hub for the uptown area and the most prosperous place. It was the most flourishing zone in the base city, other than the First Zone where the municipal government was located.

In this place, an inch of land was worth an inch of gold. Wealthy people abounded in the Kings Zone. If you walked on the streets and randomly grabbed a few people, all of them would turn out to be rich.

At the same time, the established controls were strict. Surveillance cameras were set up everywhere. Therefore, riots were a rare occurrence in this place.

To be able to win the bid to host the finals, the Kings Zone’s economy would rise further.

There was a large number of congested streets in the Kings Zone where traffic jams were commonplace. It was a fact that all the rich had cars, and some had more than one. The civilians who worked and lived there also had petty bourgeois taste and would buy low-grade cars which were affordable for them. Besides, those of a lower social class were more likely to drive cars.

They were always eager to drive their cars, even if they were only going grocery shopping at a place two hundred meters away from their homes.

Adding the participants and the audience visiting the venue, the streets had become fully packed.

“There are several times more people than yesterday.”

Su Ping drove the car along a street with less traffic. He shook his head as he looked at the next lane on which the cars were barely moving

“More than yesterday? You came here yesterday?” Su Lingyue asked in surprise.

“I toured around the place.”

Su Ping stepped on the gas to speed up.

On the other lane where the traffic was jammed, someone was honking like crazy and some were sticking their heads out of the window to look.

“Are you going or not?”

“Stop dawdling. Damn it. Is it some female driver stopping her car for no reason again?”

“Honey, why don’t we go there? There’s no traffic on that lane!”

“That is a designated lane for explorers and higher-ups. We’d be expelled from that lane as soon as we get onto it and our license will be canceled forever.”

“Seriously? Why can explorers use it? They’ve done nothing other than killing some beasts out there. Big deal…”

“There, there. Be patient.”

Driving along the designated lane, Su Ping soon arrived at the venue.

He had to admit that the venue in the uptown area was different. Outside the venue was a huge plaza where crowds had gathered. Many entertainment attractions had also been set up as well, as some high-resolution screens for people outside the venue to enjoy the battles.

Su Lingyue had thought that she had seen it all in the previous matches but at this moment, she suddenly became nervous.

She could see densely packed crowds across the plaza. The thought that she would go up to the stage and all those people would see her battles, details and all, filled her with oppressing worries. Su Ping didn’t comfort her. She had to learn to adjust her mood. “This way.”

Su Ping showed Su Lingyue to the participant’s corridor where there were fewer people.

Some advanced battle pet warriors were guarding the access. They seemed young but cruel. They weren’t people to be messed with.

They checked Su Lingyue’s credentials and allowed the two in.

“Do you know the rules for today?” Su Ping asked.

Su Lingyue nodded. “First is the test to select the Top 1000 directly. The others will be eliminated. Afterward is the actual match. The first round is a challenge match, similar to before.” Su Ping nodded. She had done her homework.

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“You must be careful during the test,” Su Ping cautioned her, “That is the only place where the Liu Family is likely to pull off some tricks.” The test would not be visible to the audience. It would be professional staff and equipment that would handle the test.

That was why some untoward deeds could happen.

Su Lingyue suddenly remembered that other than focusing on the matches, she would have to look out for any backstabbing. “I understand. I’ll be careful.”

Su Ping nodded to her. Before they went there, he had also given her the lantern he obtained from the dragon scale lands to protect her from spiritual attacks.

He had a better device for himself and no longer needed the lantern. He would rather let her have it just in case.

There was a test room at the end of the corridor.

All the participants that came from the corridor would have to go into the room for the test.

In their respective branch venues, the participants had tried their best and made it to the Top 100 at their venues. However, here in the test room, once they ranked below the first one thousand, they would be directly eliminated.

So, for most of them, making it to the Top 100 at the branch venue was their most glamourous moment.

“Authorized personnel only,” the guard stopped Su Ping at the door with a tough attitude.

Su Ping looked thoughtfully at the room.

Su Lingyue could tell what Su Ping was thinking. She didn’t want him to make trouble just for her. She flashed a comforting smile. “Don’t worry. I can handle it!”

Then, she made a fist to cheer herself up and an adorable look.

Su Ping raised his eyebrows. He would rarely see this girl making an adorable face.

There was still hope in her…

“Ok. Be careful and use your dragon right away,” Su Ping said.

His words caught the guard’s attention.

Su Lingyue nodded. “I will wait for you over there. We will go inside after you come out.” Then Su Ping stepped away. After he was some distance away, Su Lingyue took a deep breath and went into the test room.

There was a path going downward. The light was dim. Impacted by the environment, Su Lingyue became even more nervous.

Stepping along the staircase, at the bottom, she saw some traces of light. Dozens of people were gathered there and they were all young. Most of them were four to five years older than her, which was around their twenties.

“Are all of them participants?” Su Lingyue reached the back of the line.

All of them were queuing in front of a door where an advanced battle pet warrior was standing on guard. Every few minutes, he would tell one person to go in after he received some instructions on his intercom.

Everyone was waiting for their turn at the test.

Su Lingyue stood at the back of the line.

Boom!

Not long afterward, she suddenly felt a tremor under her feet, like an earthquake.

Many participants were scared. Over a dozen activated their astral shields and energy shields directly.

The guard at the door was greatly shaken as well. Astonishment was everyone’s shared feeling

“Is this… from the test?”

“That was a loud noise. My goodness. Not even the shock absorption seal of the room can soften the impact?” “Who’s in there?” “A freak…”

“I think he is… from the Qin Family.” Many participants were discussing in a low voice.

Standing at the back of the line, Su Lingyue felt scared and pressured. After all, Su Ping had proclaimed her as a would-be champion. Technically speaking, everyone present was her opponent.

Yet somehow, at this moment, she felt like she was a lamb standing in the middle of a wolf pack. Everyone around her was superior in rank.

“I am aggressive, very aggressive…” Su Lingyue gave herself a pep talk.

“Miss, what are you saying?” a bulky young man asked Su Lingyue. Startled, she waved her hand at once. “Nothing, I said nothing.” Soon, those in front of her had finished their tests. It was her turn. Behind her were dozens of more waiting

The guard checked Su Lingyue’s credentials and then said indifferently, “Go ahead.”

Working up enough courage, Su Lingyue went ahead till she reached an underground battle venue.

At the moment, outside the battle venue were many thick cables, over a dozen workers, and a complicated device. In the middle of the venue was a cyborg pet. To mechanize a battle pet was a notion adopted a long time in the past. Compared to traditional battle pets, mechanized battle pets could have their abilities enhanced within a short time regardless of their bloodlines.

However, for some special reasons, cyborg battle pets did not become popular. They were only used for military purposes and in special experiments.

This cyborg battle pet had intricate structures inside its body. The cyborg battle pet could calculate speed when it attacked, the force inflicted upon it, and its opponent’s energy level.

With the help of the device, this cyborg battle pet could collect much data about its enemies.

In some interstellar exploration, fully mechanized battle pets would be used as mechanized soldiers, specifically for exploring the way in perilous places. This was the first time Su Lingyue had ever seen a cyborg pet. She had seen this contraption in textbooks but since they were not part of her life, she never paid much attention.

“Go ahead. Summon your pet and last for one minute in there. You can surrender in advance but that would mean relinquishing your right to participate,” said a middle-aged man in a black suit wearing a top hat. A pathway with a blue glow was slowly opened up. Su Lingyue took a deep breath and stepped in. Without further ado, she summoned the Moonfrost Dragon and the Phantom Flame Beast.

The workers present were surprised when the Moonfrost Dragon came out. They knew that the girl would pass the test for sure.

“Begin!” a man announced. All the pipes connecting to the cyborg battle pet to transfer energy were unplugged. This cyborg battle pet was a seventh-rank Pyro Electric Tiger, a rare pet with dual attributes. It was one of the more doughty pets amongst all seventh-rank pets.

Su Lingyue didn’t hesitate. She told the Moonfrost Dragon to attack immediately.

Ten seconds later, the battle ended.

Su Lingyue didn’t surrender. The workers stopped it.

No kidding. If they didn’t stop her, the cyborg battle pet that cost so much to make would have been dismantled.