Rising from the Ashes (Andrew) novel Chapter 1829

Alex hissed, "And you too. Zachary Fischer, right? This is only the first round of the examination, and the road ahead won't be smooth!"

The threat in his words was loud and clear.

Zachary snapped, "Mr. Wallace, I've done nothing wrong from the very beginning! On the contrary, I was ambushed by Terry and got hurt. And still, I didn't complain about any of it!"

Alex let out a mocking laugh. "Getting ambushed and injured? That's your problem, not mine. Your idiot friend just blocked my payday and ruined my plans! Zachary, you're just a nobody, an outer disciple. I'm telling you now: you're in trouble. And not just any trouble, big trouble!"

With that, he scoffed, clasped his hands behind his back, and strutted away.

Zachary's face was grim. "I can't believe a snake like that is hiding right under Mr. Thornton's nose."

Andrew stayed calm. "Relax. You passed the first round. Now all you need to do is clear the final trial, and you're practically in."

Zachary still looked uneasy. "But Captain… Mr. Wallace clearly won't let this go. He's no lightweight. He's already a martial king and one of the most respected elders under Mr. Thornton. Who knew someone like that could be so disgusting and low? Now that he's set his sights on me, I doubt I'll survive the next round."

Andrew snorted and pulled out his phone again.

Zachary stared in confusion as Andrew opened his gallery and tapped on the deleted items folder.

Then, with just a couple of taps, he restored the supposedly erased video.

Zachary's jaw dropped. "No way! Captain, you could do that?"

Andrew shrugged. "Please. A guy like him? Total dinosaur. He probably still uses a flip phone. Modern phones don't fully delete stuff right away. As long as it's within the window, recovery's a breeze."

Zachary looked hopeful for a second, but then he slumped again. "What good does it do? Mr. Wallace is definitely already gunning for me."

Andrew's voice went sharp. "If he's going to play dirty, then we'll play dirtier. Don't worry. I'll make sure that inner disciple spot is yours no matter what."

That made Zachary finally grin.

If Andrew said he would do something, Zachary believed it with his whole heart.

At the main seat at the far end of the hall, Jerome appeared somewhat mentally exhausted.

Alex leaned down and whispered something in his ear, and after Jerome nodded, Alex cleared his throat and addressed everyone on both sides of the great hall.

"Fellow martial artists, this examination has only one round left! We'll be sticking with the classic method: one-on-one matches. The winner becomes a disciple under Mr. Thornton. No gimmicks.

"Now I'll randomly call names. When your name is called, please find your opponent and begin the match immediately!"

He paused, and his gaze swept coldly and subtly toward Andrew and Zachary. "First group: Goldridge's Arthur Hopkins versus Crimson Alliance's Brandon Ackermann! Second group: Cody Fischer versus Kian Lott!

"Final group! Joseph Yeager from the Yeagers! Your opponent is… Zachary Fischer from Gabo Creek Province!"

Andrew's brow shot up.

This old bastard was really asking for it now.