"..." Gao Neng was taken aback.

He stared at the woman before him, with her glasses and black uniform. ’Son of a bitch,’ he thought, ’I don’t know if I should say this out loud.’

’How could I be so unlucky as to walk right into this?’

’Nobody told me this woman was from the Federation Government!’

"Team Leader Zhang Hongying, Gao Neng is still just a student. He can be reckless, so please don’t take offense." Gui Zian felt a headache coming on, but he still stepped forward to smooth things over for Gao Neng.

Meanwhile, the reporters who had been about to leave turned back around as if they had just struck gold. They aimed their cameras at Zhang Hongying and Gao Neng, and a frenzy of flashes followed. CLICK! CLICK! CLICK!

Gao Neng, the super genius from the Eastern Capital Military Academy newly ranked 99th on the Dragon List, facing off against Zhang Hongying, Team Leader of Group Two from the Federation Government’s Dragon List Special Affairs Group—this was an absolutely headline-grabbing story.

"Team Leader Zhang, why are you here?"

"Team Leader Zhang, Gao Neng is unhappy with his ranking. Will you consider a re-evaluation?"

"..."

The reporters, eager to stir up trouble, all started shouting their questions.

"Vice Director Gui has a point. I really shouldn’t lower myself to arguing with a student." Zhang Hongying ignored the reporters’ questions.

After all, she didn’t believe there was anything wrong with the ranking and evaluation she had provided.

Defeating a Tier Six expert with a single slash was indeed the mark of a genius.

However, the Dragon List was filled with elites. The higher up the ranks, the stronger they were. Over ninety percent of the top one hundred were at the Tier Six Late Stage.

Gao Neng could defeat a Tier Six Early Stage expert with a single slash.

That was certainly impressive.

But the speed and power of a Tier Six Late Stage expert were far greater than those of an Early Stage one. If they were to truly fight, it wasn’t even certain if Gao Neng could get a single attack in.

Placing Gao Neng in the top 100 of the Dragon List was already a decision made after considering his age and talent. If anything, the ranking was generous, not suppressive.

"And why shouldn’t you argue with a student?" Gao Neng spoke up.

"Gao Neng, shut your mouth! This is Team Leader Zhang from the Federation Government’s Dragon List Special Affairs Group!" The moment Gui Zian heard Gao Neng open his mouth, he knew things were about to go south.

He knew the name Zhang Hongying, and in his opinion, she was not someone Gao Neng could afford to provoke.

However, Zhang Hongying didn’t immediately fly into a rage. Instead, she smiled. "Gao Neng, confidence is a good thing, but you mustn’t lack self-awareness. Do you know why I ranked you 99th instead of 100th?"

"Because you were afraid I’d get challenged and immediately get knocked off the list?" Gao Neng smirked. Of course he could guess her intentions, but she clearly couldn’t guess his.

"Exactly," Zhang Hongying confirmed with a nod.

"Team Leader Zhang has such sharp eyes, seeing through my ’true strength’ in a single glance. Just what I’d expect from someone who sits behind a desk. Your theories are impeccable. As for practical application... heh heh!" Gao Neng gave a dismissive smirk, said nothing more, and turned to walk away.

"Stop right there!" Zhang Hongying’s expression changed, and her chest rose and fell once. "Gao Neng, you think I’ve underestimated you, is that it? Do you honestly believe you deserve an even higher rank?"

"Of course. But I’m not about to get into a war of words with your type. People who sit behind desks are always great at talking. You’ve got theories upon theories, and I can’t out-argue you. But I’ll use my actions to show you just how strong I really am!" Gao Neng scoffed.

In truth, a plan had formed in his mind the moment Zhang Hongying appeared. To set it in motion, however, he needed to provoke her a little.

But clearly...

Gao Neng had pushed a little too hard.

Zhang Hongying didn’t mind Gao Neng saying her evaluation was wrong. But the one thing she couldn’t stand was someone saying she "only sits in an office and runs her mouth."

And he had said it right to her face.

Because her official reputation within the Federation Government was, in fact, that of a theoretical expert!

Zhang Hongying looked like she was in her early thirties, but she was actually thirty-nine. In another month, she would be forty.

But that wasn’t important...

What was important was that she had a husband in a high-ranking position.

This husband was wonderful in every way, except that he was far too protective of her. This overprotectiveness was why Zhang Hongying, despite being a high-level genius, had been relegated to a desk job explaining theory for years.

"You say I’m all talk? Fine. I’ll make a bet with you. You like money, don’t you? I’ll bet you that you can’t climb higher than rank 99. If you win, I’ll..."

"I don’t want money!" Gao Neng cut her off, a look of utter disdain flashing in his eyes. "Is that all you can talk about? Money? How crass, Team Leader Zhang. And what, exactly, gave you the idea that I like money? Money... I couldn’t care less about it!"

"..." Zhang Hongying.

’You don’t like money?’

’Do you really take me for a blind fool?’

Zhang Hongying seriously wanted to start cursing. She had never seen someone lie with such shameless flair, and without even batting an eye.

It wasn’t just her; Gui Zian and the surrounding reporters were equally speechless.

’Doesn’t like money?’

’In the last half-month alone, you’ve raked in at least a few billion, haven’t you? And you don’t like money?’

Although none of the reporters said it out loud, they weren’t fools. Given the dominance Gao Neng had displayed today, who would believe that he hadn’t been deliberately hiding his strength all along?

"Team Leader Zhang, if you really want to make a bet, then show some real sincerity. Don’t talk to me about money!" ’Okay, that should be enough provocation,’ Gao Neng thought. ’Time to state my terms.’

"What kind of ’sincerity’ are you looking for?" Zhang Hongying asked, her face cold as ice.

"Didn’t you just say you’re the team leader for the Dragon List Special Affairs Group? Then put the ranking on the line. Now that would be sincerity, wouldn’t it?" Gao Neng said nonchalantly.