Just call me Thor

As Robert was wrapping up his speech, he decided to give one last motivational push to the students present.

"This training isn't just for us, but also includes students and teachers from Elemental High School. Last year's Florida ACT Rising Star came from Elemental High School. This year, let's strive to reclaim the Rising Star honor!"

"Dismissed!"

Amid sparse applause, the meeting finally came to an end.

...

On the way home to pack, Cain spoke mysteriously, "Mike, I just found out, there are actually 21 spots for this summer camp training!"

"One extra spot?" Mike quickly caught on, "Are you talking about James?"

In the combat tests, James had conceded two matches early and was defeated by Mike in a challenge.

Losing all three matches, James naturally didn't qualify for the summer camp.

"Right, the school changed the rules last minute. A-tier talents can enter without testing," Cain lamented, "but James voluntarily gave up the spot, said he wouldn't go no matter what. He'll probably wait for the second batch of opportunities, win the combat test then come to the summer camp, just delaying by a week."

"Oh, I didn't expect that, he has quite a high self-esteem."

James voluntarily giving up the chance to go to the summer camp was something Mike hadn't anticipated.

The kid did have a stubborn streak of not giving up.

But is losing one fight that embarrassing?

If James knew the truth, that he actually lost to Thor, he might even take pride in it!

The topic of James was just a minor interlude.

Mike quickly packed some clothes at home.

Just as he was about to leave, he happened to run into 'Instructor Blaze' opening his door next door.

"Hey, what a coincidence!"

Blaze Morrow smiled, having grown quite fond of this clever young 'fox' over the past few days.

"Are you... heading out on a long trip?"

Blaze Morrow noticed the backpack Mike was carrying, obviously packed with quite a few items.

"Yeah, it's a school-organized summer camp. Looks like we won't see each other for a while, which is a shame."

Mike's last remark was heartfelt.

Having a peak Battle Chief as a neighbor made sleeping a lot more secure—a true sense of safety!

Even if it was a peak Battle Chief whose brain didn't work too well.

But then, in a fight, it's often those whose brains don't work too well who are the fiercest!

Mike believed that at the Battle Chief stage, it probably worked the same way.

"I didn't have such good conditions when I was your age. No worries, we'll meet again if it's meant to be. Go on, young man, I have high hopes for you!"

Blaze Morrow encouraged Mike a bit more, watched him go downstairs, then turned back into his house.

"Summer camp training? Interesting."

Saying this, he picked up his phone and dialed a number.

"It's me, Blaze Morrow."

The person on the other end seemed very nervous—a call from a peak Battle Chief, even the head of Florida state wouldn't dare offend lightly!

"I'll be nominally involved in this Florida state summer camp training, arrange a low-profile identity for me in private."

"Who said I was going to stay by Jessica's side?"

"Arrange it next to Mike, Mike from Magic High School, remember that name."

After hanging up, Blaze Morrow rubbed his temples, frowning.

"My head has been hurting for no reason lately, strange, is it a sign of breaking through to Battle Lord? I've never heard of such a thing..."

"Should I find a Battle Lord to check it out, but then I'd have to pay for medical expenses myself, might as well make a trip to the battlefield, come back claiming it was an injury on duty, save where I can..."

"Never mind, I'll deal with it after the summer camp training!"

Blaze Morrow shook his head, the pain easing slightly.

He figured it wasn't a big deal.

===

Florida Magic High School, activity hall.

Outside in the parking lot, there were about four or five armored vehicles parked, camouflaged and heavily built, likely with specially reinforced steel plates, and adorned with patterns of magical runes.

"Mike, quick, take a photo of me with the armored vehicle!" Cain was thrilled to see such a formidable vehicle for the first time.

"Student, these vehicles are confidential property of the city defense department, no photography allowed." Before Cain could pose, a man in a black cloak kindly reminded him.

"Oh, sorry!" Cain couldn't help but take a few more glances at the armored vehicles, which exuded a strong sense of security."Mike, we're just going to a summer camp, is all this really necessary?"

Mike thought for a moment and replied, "They're probably worried about demon cult folks launching a surprise attack."

"That can't be right, we're just D-tier talents..." Cain said with a wry smile, "If they send a Battle General to kill us, it seems like we'd be getting the better deal..."

The escort to the summer camp was definitely robust, not only with strong individuals from Magic High School but also personnel from the city defense department.

Even two Battle Chiefs were deployed to protect these young ones! After arriving at the summer camp, these two Battle Chiefs would also remain on site to guard against any enemy attacks.

As for how many guards were secretly around, no one knew.

If demon cult followers dared to strike, the only outcome awaiting them was death!

In other words, demon cult followers would need to be prepared to die if they dared to attack the convoy!

Mike and Cain, following the instructor's directions, boarded one of the armored vehicles.

The 20 people were spread across 5 armored vehicles, which would minimize casualties in case of an attack.

Once they were on board, the vehicle doors immediately closed and locked, and you could even hear the sound of welding torches.

The doors were welded shut, no one was getting out!

"Is this really necessary?" Cain slowly realized that things were not simple!

The doors are a vehicle's weakest points; welding them shut was one way to increase their defense.

Many zombie movies had similar scenes.

But was the situation Mike and his friends were in really that dangerous?

"Mike, Cain, Jessica, everyone's here!" A middle-aged man holding a list glanced at the three and spoke,

"We've received intelligence that the third and sixth demon cults are planning a joint ambush on the convoy, and there might be Battle Chief-level fighters involved."

"Fasten your seat belts, we're about to depart." After speaking, the middle-aged man didn't look at them again but walked forward.

Cain whispered, "Only a few people in one armored vehicle, isn't that a waste?"

If it was just the three of them, they could have just taken a sedan.

"This isn't just any armored vehicle, but rather called [City Defense Battle Vehicle - Latest Model], an experimental version, not yet in mass production." A pleasant yet unfamiliar female voice responded to Cain's comment.

Cain then noticed a strange woman sitting next to Jessica, with a pure appearance and a gentle smile.

"Let me introduce myself, I'm Elena Gearforge, just call me Elena. I'm currently a sophomore at Washington D.C. Superpower University, majoring in Mechanical Engineering."

Elena looked at them both, signaling friendly.

"Mike."

"Cain, nice to meet you, senior!"

After getting acquainted, Elena continued, "This battle vehicle is my instructor's masterpiece, and I'm responsible for the vehicle's operational adjustments for this transport mission."

When talking about the battle vehicle, she naturally became more talkative.

"The vehicle's outer shell material can withstand attacks from a nine-tier Battle General, and when the protective runes are overclocked, it can withstand a full-force strike from a Battle Chief. If the vehicle detects catastrophic damage, the random teleportation array installed under the seats will automatically activate, transporting passengers to a safe area as much as possible."

Hearing this, Mike asked, "Since such high-spec vehicles are deployed, it indicates that the ambushers are not weak. Then why not just use teleportation arrays to transport us?"

Compared to traditional vehicles, teleportation arrays are obviously a safer and more reliable choice.

Elena patiently explained, "Teleportation arrays leave spatial traces, which can be easily tracked to the summer camp's location. This summer camp isn't just organized by Florida but involves students from 31 high schools across several states, including no less than 10 S-tier talents.

Therefore, the location of the summer camp must be kept highly confidential, and the battle vehicle is just one part of the entire transport process."

Mike looked out the window again, noticing that iron plates had dropped over the windows, blocking the view.

[Visual enhancement mode activating!]

[R18 mode failed to start!]

[Lemon content prohibited here!]

Mike really wanted to complain about the Eye of Truth, why did the R18 mode fail to start?

Although he couldn't see Elena's panties, the outside scenery once again appeared in Mike's view.

"Besides strong defensive capabilities, the battle vehicle also possesses considerable offensive firepower. Paired with specific operators, it can easily handle an assault by a demon cult squad. The best historical record: one vehicle, two operators, killed twelve Battle Generals and over a thousand Battle Soldiers!"

As they listened to the beautiful senior's introduction, their armored vehicle slowly started moving.

"When traveling on land, the battle vehicle can reach speeds of up to 380 miles per hour, and when flight mode is activated, it can perform small-scale spatial folds..."

Hearing about these powerful features, Cain couldn't help but ask, "Elena, if the battle vehicle is so powerful... why don't we use it on the Abyssal Plane?"

"Cain, you've probably never been to the front lines, right? We have many Mechanics there helping to fortify the defenses, with many weapons and devices even more powerful than this!"

Elena wasn't impatient and continued, "But cost is a big issue! Mechanic-made machines, besides consuming their own energy, also require special ores to operate. The more powerful the machine, the more precious the ore it consumes!

The top-tier ores can currently only be mined on the Abyssal Plane, and there are rumors of a mysterious Mine in the Tower of Truth, but that's just a rumor, hard to verify.

Without high-quality ore, mechanical devices can only exert a small amount of their potential power. High-quality ores are too rare, so we must save where we can, only using them in critical areas."

When mentioning the [Mysterious Mine], Elena's eyes clearly lit up a bit more, "My greatest wish is to find the Mysterious Mine! If so, then my seniors..."

Hearing this, Mike couldn't help but glance at Elena.

Mysterious Mine?

I have one, actually two!