Chapter 967 

This level wasn’t one somebody could just muscle through. Brute force? Useless. 

The stone wall was covered in mechanisms of all sizes, each one a piece of a complex puzzle. 

To pass, one had to pinpoint the right mechanism using precise calculations and press it ten times in a row–without a single slip–up. One wrong move, and they were done. 

The earlier stages had been all about raw power, testing the contestants‘ martial skills. But this? This demanded a sharp mind and laser–focused precision. 

Most folks figured Raven would crash and burn here. Coming from a backwater city with subpar schools, she was out of her depth–or so they thought. 

Sure, she’d bulldozed through the first few levels with sheer grit and maybe a bit of luck, but brains? That wasn’t something one could fake or train 

overnight. 

The family heads smirked, practically rubbing their hands together, waiting for Raven to fumble and fall into their trap. But then, she started pressing the mechanisms in perfect sequence. 

Before their jaws could hit the floor, the massive stone door groaned and swung open right in front of her. 

“No freaking way!” 

“That’s impossible!” 

The family head’s shot to their feet, pounding the table in disbelief. They gaped at the giant screen, his eyes wide with shock and something like dread. 

“She’s gotta be cheating,” Troy snarled, shaking his head. “Some lowlife from a nowhere town? No way she’s that good.” 

His glare burned with a darker edge, a promise of trouble. Raven’s success wasn’t just a surprise–it was a threat. A big one. 

The organizer’s commander was also staring at Earth. It was as if he wanted to dismantle Raven’s every attempt. 

However, Raven’s movements were too fast. Before he could analyze it, the other party had already broken into the next level. 

No one felt the gut–punch of it more than Mick, trailing behind her. 

He stared at Raven’s back, and for a split second, her silhouette merged with a memory so vivid it stole his breath. For one wild moment, he thought she 

was back–the woman he’d lost. 

But he snapped out of it, shaking his head like he could physically dislodge the thought. 

“Get a grip, man,” he muttered to himself. “You’re seeing things. Missing her so bad you’re hallucinating. She isn’t her. And she never would be.” 

“Come on, pull it together,” he growled under his breath. “Even if you’ll never see her again, you can’t just slap her face on someone else. That’s not fair to her memory. It’s practically a betrayal.” 

Raven didn’t catch the sound of footsteps trailing him. When he glanced back, Mick was still rooted at the far end of the corridor, just s 

there. 

Raven tilted her head, a bit thrown off. Knowing how brazen this guy was, she’d figured he’d have bolted to the next checkpoint with her by now, 

probably glued to her side. 

But there he was, staring at her with this weird, unreadable look in his eyes. 

Sure, Mick couldn’t spit out a single honest word and had even spread dumb rumors about them being an item. Still, Raven couldn’t quite bring herself to see him as the enemy. 

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10:52 Wed, 25 Jun 

Chapter 967 

“Dude, how’re you that sharp?” he called out, his voice lighter now. “Who taught you to move like that?” 

In a flash, Mick had shaken off whatever mood he was in and jogged over, a grin creeping onto his face. 

“We keep this up, you and me? We’re snagging the top two spots, no question,” he said, all hyped up. “Then it’s straight to Deariton, kicking it as soon’s right–hand crew!” 

Raven shot him a long, sidelong look, then turned away without a word, heading for the next checkpoint. No point feeding his chatter. 

This was just the qualifying round for the secondary cities, but the number of people who’d already made it through was way higher than she’d expected. The next tests were bound to get brutal. 

She couldn’t wrap her head around why this clown tagging along was so chipper about it. 

Meanwhile, back at the second checkpoint, the main pack was still stuck, grumbling among 

themselves. 

“Man, I thought this selection was just gonna be a quick arena brawl–y’know, first, second, third, done,” one of them griped, kicking at the ground. “Why they gotta turn it into this whole freaking circus?” 

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