Chapter 224: Chapter 224: A Special Challenge (Part 1)

Back on the field, Starboy clenched his fists tightly at his sides, his face practically red with anger. Don's calm demeanor only seemed to have pushed him closer to the edge, and it looked as though he was just moments away from erupting.

Before Starboy could say a word, however, Dr. Gadget raised his hand, gesturing for both of them to calm down. "Now, now," he said, his voice resounding through the stadium's speakers. "No need to get heated over such things. How about—"

Dr. Gadget abruptly stopped mid-sentence, his head tilting slightly as he pressed a hand to the earpiece in his ear.

His expression then darkened, his eyes narrowing as he listened to whatever message was being relayed. "What?" he muttered, his tone shifting from calm to frustrated. "But we agreed that…"

The crowd grew quiet, watching as Dr. Gadget's expression soured even further. For fifteen long seconds, the entire stadium seemed frozen, everyone waiting for him to continue.

Finally, he lowered his hand and turned his gaze toward the VIP viewing area, his eyes locking onto something—or someone—up above.

Don, sensing that something was amiss, followed Dr. Gadget's gaze.

He focused his superhuman vision, zooming in on the private viewing section. There, he saw Miss Claire sitting calmly in her seat, her poise unaffected by the sudden change in Dr. Gadget's demeanor.

Sitting beside her was a man Don didn't recognize—tall, well-built, and wearing a striking red suit. Behind the man stood Dean Sanchez, his posture awkward, almost as if he were some sort of assistant or attendant.

'Who is that guy?' Don wondered, narrowing his eyes slightly. He didn't have much time to ponder the thought, though. Before he could draw any conclusions, the man in the red suit—Mr. Xiao—turned his head and looked directly at Don, his dark eyes meeting Don's with unnerving precision, despite the distance.

The man gave him a warm, almost disarming smile, and a polite nod.

Inwardly, Don was surprised, though his expression remained unchanged. He returned the nod and quickly shifted his gaze away. 'Starboy's dad, maybe?' he thought, though the idea didn't quite sit right with him.

Before Don could think too much about it, Dr. Gadget's voice interrupted his thoughts.

The professor had called over his hovering disk, which moved toward him smoothly, lifting him off the ground as he floated above the field.

Beneath him, the various testing mechanisms that had been used for the evaluations began to retract back into the ground, vanishing as if they had never been there in the first place.

The candidates exchanged confused glances. Even the commentators fell silent for a moment, their excitement from earlier giving way to confusion. The stadium now had people murmuring as they watched in bewilderment.

"What's going on?" Starboy muttered under his breath, his arms crossed tightly as he glared up at Dr. Gadget.

Don remained still, keeping his hands at his side as he watched the scene unfold. Something was clearly about to happen, and judging by Dr. Gadget's earlier reaction, it wasn't part of the original plan.

Once the field had been cleared, Dr. Gadget extended his hands out, signaling for the crowd to settle down. His voice, amplified by the stadium speakers, boomed out.

"Apologies, everyone," he began, his tone slightly strained but still professional. "We will be diverting from the main program for a special challenge."

The crowd's murmurs grew louder, the confusion clear as thousands of spectators exchanged puzzled looks. But Dr. Gadget wasn't finished.

"You see," he continued, "for the past decade or so, superhero mortality rates have been on the rise. Many of you may not know, but I have long advocated for androids to be deployed in the field alongside human heroes. My goal has always been to reduce the number of young lives lost in dangerous missions.

Androids have already proven their worth in the military and other industries, and now…" He paused, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. "Now it's time for them to join the ranks of heroes."

The stadium was dead silent. Even the candidates seemed caught off guard by the sudden shift in the program. Starboy's scowl deepened, but even he seemed unsure of how to react.

"With the efforts of some of the world's most brilliant engineers and scientists, along with the full support and funding of SHU," Dr. Gadget continued, his voice more serious now, "we have developed the world's first-ever superhuman android prototype—capable of rivaling a Class A superhero."

The weight of his words settled over the crowd like a thick blanket. The mere mention of an android with the potential to rival a Class A hero sent waves of shock through the audience.

For a moment, it was as though the entire stadium had forgotten how to breathe.

Dr. Gadget sighed softly, glancing at the field below where the last patches of ice from Frostbite's performance still lingered. "We had initially planned to unveil this after the main ceremony," he explained, his eyes narrowing slightly. "However, Mr. William Xiao, Chairman of the school, has proposed a special challenge for the candidates here today."

The moment the words left his mouth, the crowd began buzzing again, their confusion slowly turning into excitement.

Dr. Gadget raised his voice, addressing the candidates directly. "The challenge is simple: to any candidate who can defeat the android prototype in open combat, a reward of 20 million credits will be provided by Mr. Xiao himself."

**BOOM!** The stadium exploded with noise.

The crowd erupted in cheers and applause, the excitement in the air reaching a fever pitch. People were on their feet, shouting and cheering as they tried to wrap their heads around what they had just heard.

The first commentator, after several moments of stunned silence, finally found his voice. "Did you hear that, folks? An unexpected turn of events, but one the crowd clearly welcomes!"

His co-host, equally surprised but now grinning with excitement, added, "Welcome might be an understatement! Ecstatic seems more appropriate because that's exactly how I'm feeling right now! A superhuman android? What does that even look like?"

"I don't know," the first commentator replied, his voice rising with enthusiasm, "but we're about to find out!"

Meanwhile, in the livestream comment sections, users were going wild as well: S~eaʀᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

———

**Delaygram:**

**@HeroWatch2024**: "20 million credits?! Bruh, this is about to get WILD! My money's on Silverwing for sure—he's gonna take that android down ????????."

**@PhantomLurker88**: "Silverwing? Bro's gonna spend more time posing than fighting. Phantomstrike's the only one with the skills to actually win this ????."

**@StarboyFighter4Life**: "Y'all tripping. Starboy's the one who's gonna win. He's Class B already, one step away from A! That android doesn't stand a chance against him ????."

**@RoastKingSupreme**: "Starboy couldn't even handle one punch from Don, and now you think he's taking on a Class A android? LMAO stop it ????."

---

**@SilverWingsShining**: "Silverwing's agility is unmatched! Dude's gonna fly circles around that android, it won't even know what hit it ✈️????."

**@PhantomInTheShadows**: "Silverwing's flashy moves aren't gonna help him when the android turns him into a pile of scrap metal. Phantomstrike's gonna *vanish* and win with stealth ????."

**@StarPoweredStan**: "Stealth? The android's probably got sensors better than Phantomstrike's whole skillset. Starboy's gonna tank the hits and wreck it ????‍♂️."

**@NeutralObserver99**: "Y'all really thinking these guys stand a chance? Don's the only one who's gonna walk away with that 20 mil ????."

---

**@SimpsForFrostbite**: "Can we just give Frostbite the prize already? She's gonna freeze that android solid and collect the bag ????❄️."

**@PhantomFanatic77**: "LOL, imagine thinking ice is gonna work against a machine. This isn't a snowball fight, Frostbite's gonna be useless against tech ????."

**@SilverSuperior99**: "Honestly, the only thing Frostbite's freezing is her chance of winning. Let Silverwing handle this with some real skill ????."

**@ClownZone2024**: "Y'all forgot Don already? Bro's just standing there, ready to cash that check while you fight over losers ????."

-—

**Chirper**

**@WhoIsThisXiaoDude**: "Wait, who's this Mr. Xiao guy? Just pulling 20 mil outta nowhere like it's pocket change?"

**@RichBoyInfo**: "Bro, that's William Xiao, 2nd richest man in Asia. His family's been rolling in money for generations. Dude might actually be *richer* than you think ????????."

**@SkepticalStan**: "Yeah, yeah, but can he fight? Bet he's got bodyguards doing the heavy lifting while he throws cash ????."

**@Informant2024**: "He doesn't need to fight when he's practically buying entire universities. That man's *loaded*."

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**@IcyHeartSimp**: "I don't care about the android. Frostbite's gonna slay, and we're all gonna watch her take that cash in style ????????."

**@ShadowMaster46**: "Nah bro, Frostbite's gonna shatter just like that last dummy. Phantomstrike's too smooth for this challenge, he'll have it handled ????."

**@Starboy4TheWin**: "Silverwing and Phantomstrike better get ready to sit down. Starboy's about to make *history* with this android fight, no contest ????."

**@NeutralBurner33**: "Starboy's about to make history, alright… the first history of getting whooped twice in one day ????."

---

**@ThisIsNuts**: "20 mil just for beating some android? Yo, I'd fight it myself if I could! Let's gooooo ????????."

**@RichGuyFlexer**: "Bro, you're forgetting this android rivals a Class A superhero. You'd get turned into a pancake in five seconds ????."

**@DonIsTheOne**: "Bet Don could handle it. Y'all saw what he did to Starboy. Imagine what he'd do to an android ????."

**@StarLoyalistXOXO**: "Don? Nah, Starboy's about to give that android a new definition of *KO*. My boy's winning it all!"

———

The candidates on the field exchanged glances, some of them visibly taken aback by the sudden challenge. Even Starboy, who had been fuming just moments ago, seemed momentarily distracted, his eyes narrowing as he processed what Dr. Gadget had just said.

Don, for his part, remained still, his mind already working through the implications of the challenge. 'A superhuman android, huh?' he thought, his eyes flicking briefly toward Starboy. 'Well, this just got even more interesting.'