Chapter 52: Inviting Me to the Headquarters Assessment—Are You Sure? (Please Continue Reading)

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When Bai Wan saw the message, he was taken aback and quickly replied:
“It wasn’t me who set off the explosion.”
“???”
“What did you say? People from headquarters came looking for you; they want to evaluate you. If you pass the test, you’ll receive generous resources.”

Bai Wan breathed a sigh of relief upon reading this.
Oh, so it’s just a test.

He responded,
“Tomorrow afternoon, please. I’m busy in the morning.”

Liu Tong, upon hearing this familiar excuse, replied speechlessly,
“...Try to get less sleep, will you? Headquarters is in a hurry. Do you realize what a great opportunity this is?”

Liu Tong was somewhat helpless. Usually, any hunter would be ecstatic to be noticed by headquarters, but Bai Wan was different... He had just cleared an unsolvable-level dungeon on his own and earned the highest rating in history.

He thought that Bai Wan’s strength might even surpass Captain Zhou Lu, because even Zhou Lu might not be able to clear this dungeon.

Liu Tong wanted to call Bai Wan over, but the people from headquarters seemed reasonable.

Roy Meng apologized, “Sorry, we still have many strange artifacts to test, so we’re a bit pressed for time and forgot that ‘Family’ just came out of the dungeon and needs rest. Let’s have him come to the meeting tomorrow afternoon.”

Seeing this, Liu Tong nodded.

Indeed, after clearing an unsolvable-level dungeon, some rest was necessary.

Zhou Lu suddenly smiled and walked toward Roy Meng, warmly saying, “Gentlemen, to be honest, I have considerable experience in hunting anomalies. Would you like to test me as well?”

Roy Meng smiled awkwardly, “Captain Zhou Lu, we’re just following orders. Besides, you’ve long passed the rookie stage, haven’t you?”

Zhou Lu didn’t give up and recommended, “I may be old, but it’s fine. We have outstanding newcomers. Look at this girl—her name is Su Yuening. Through her own efforts, she managed to pierce a strange entity with a feather… You must have heard of the Feather Assassin? Very fierce indeed.”

Roy Meng’s expression grew more awkward, “I know about the Feather Assassin... It does sound fierce, but it might not meet headquarters’ standards for a genius…”

“No worries, no worries. We have other newcomers. You know Liu Tong, right? He’s the rookie guide for ‘Family.’ All of ‘Family’s’ achievements now rely heavily on Liu Tong. It’s said that ‘Family’ even mentions him often in the dungeon, which proves how outstanding Liu Tong is.”

“Captain Zhou Lu... we should be going. We’ll come back tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for your hospitality.”

“Ah, don’t rush off... sigh...” Zhou Lu was a little downcast as the two testers from headquarters left. It wasn’t easy to see personnel from the headquarters evaluation team. If only he could get a chance to be tested.

Meanwhile, Bai Wan lay on his bed, too exhausted to speak. His sister, Bai Ning, quickly fell asleep in the painting.

His parents and grandfather remained quiet, not disturbing Bai Ning’s rest. These days, his sister hadn’t slept well at night, so it was a rare moment for her to rest.

Lying in bed, Bai Wan felt unprecedentedly relaxed.

For some reason, he felt indifferent about the headquarters’ evaluation but looked forward to going to the Lancheng branch tomorrow afternoon.

The Lancheng team members were all quite nice:
Captain Zhou Lu, Liu Tong, and Su Yuening…

They were all interesting people.

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He didn’t know Wang Meng and Li Yintian well yet, but his first impression was good.

After all, everyone had chipped in 50 strange coins for him, so now that he had money, he could pay them back.

Gradually, Bai Wan drifted into sleep.

...

The next afternoon, Bai Wan arrived at the Lancheng branch’s operations room, full of energy.

Captain Zhou Lu and Su Yuening were already there, along with two unfamiliar faces.

“Hey, little brother, you really made Lancheng proud by clearing that unsolvable dungeon,” Zhou Lu said, patting Bai Wan on the shoulder appreciatively.

Then he introduced, “These are the elites from headquarters’ evaluation team.”

A woman stepped forward, warmly greeting Bai Wan, “Hello, we are staff from headquarters’ evaluation department. My name is Roy Meng, and this is Zhao Jie.”

“Bai Wan, in-game name ‘Family,’” Bai Wan introduced himself.

“Hello, ‘Family.’ We’ve heard a lot about you. Our purpose here, as Captain Zhou Lu probably told you, is to conduct a comprehensive evaluation. Depending on the results, we’ll grant you corresponding resources,” Roy Meng said in a gentle, measured tone.

“Alright, the test will be here?” Bai Wan nodded and asked.

Roy Meng shook her head and explained with a smile, “No, headquarters has a specially built testing chamber that cost a fortune. It can comprehensively measure a person’s potential.”

Roy Meng’s tone held a hint of pride.

Their evaluation department was a subdivision of the research department, so they were well-funded. After all, in theory, they were part of the research department.

Upon hearing about the expensive, purpose-built testing chamber, Su Yuening’s expression changed suddenly. After hesitating several times, she said, “Wait, wait a moment... Can we skip the test? I’ve already seen Bai Wan’s potential comprehensively in the game...”

Roy Meng couldn’t help but laugh and shook her head, “That’s not the same. Our headquarters’ tests emphasize scientific fairness and justice. The tests are personally designed by Dr. Guiyi and can most accurately reflect a person’s potential. There’s no room for error.”

Su Yuening still hesitated, “But those instruments must be expensive... What if something gets damaged...”

Roy Meng shook her head, “No worries. The stages are carefully designed, and two of the four team leaders are guarding headquarters at the moment. It’s absolutely foolproof.”

She then turned to Bai Wan with a smile, “Bai Wan, just unleash your passion and fully tap into your potential.”

Bai Wan nodded obediently, “I will burn myself out.”

Roy Meng nodded with satisfaction.

Only Su Yuening’s face was full of colorful emotion as she silently scoffed, Burn yourself out? Oh, Mr. Bai, the headquarters will burn you out instead... Please don’t destroy humanity’s future, okay?

Take it easy, Mr. Bai!

“To save time, shall we go to headquarters now?” Roy Meng asked.

“Alright,” Bai Wan nodded.

Zhou Lu and the others accompanied Bai Wan and the evaluators out.

“Xiao Wan, we had a celebration planned for you and Su Yuening, but headquarters is in a hurry. We’ll have the party when you return triumphant from the evaluation! Thanks for your hard work,” Zhou Lu said cheerfully, patting Bai Wan on the shoulder.

“Don’t worry, Captain, I’ll do my best in the test,” Bai Wan said earnestly, full of fighting spirit.

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Su Yuening’s heart pounded.

Mr. Bai, you really don’t have to take it so seriously...

Then, helplessly watching Roy Meng and Zhao Jie take Bai Wan away, Su Yuening silently prayed that headquarters would be safe... Otherwise, if headquarters were destroyed, would the Lancheng team be held responsible?

Su Yuening had already prepared her lines:
“I don’t know, I’m not familiar, just colleagues, no personal relations.”

...

Bai Wan and Roy Meng took a train to headquarters in Longbei City. Headquarters actually had dedicated planes, but this mysterious newcomer adamantly refused to fly, claiming he was afraid of heights.

Roy Meng and the others found it a bit strange for a hunter to be afraid of heights but respected his wishes, taking the train instead, even though it took longer.

After some time, Roy Meng and Zhao Jie led Bai Wan to an imposing building, twice as tall as the Lancheng branch.

Bai Wan’s eyes lit up.

“This is headquarters? So magnificent!” Bai Wan admired the grand building and the surrounding impressive architecture.

The streets were bustling with people.

Indeed, such a big city was different from their small town.

Roy Meng smiled proudly. Although Bai Wan was a highly promising newcomer, in a small place like Lancheng, his experience was limited.

“It’s rare for any place nationwide to have a building more expensive than headquarters. You could say this is the safest place in the country,” said the bespectacled man, Zhao Jie, proudly.

“Truly impressive. Just looking at it makes me feel safe!” Bai Wan nodded enthusiastically.

“Alright, let’s go. I’ll take you to the test. If you perform well, you might be transferred to headquarters, where you can fully enjoy the city’s resources,” Roy Meng said with a smile, then led Bai Wan inside.

The interior was rather simple and very quiet, suggesting few people were around.

“There are so many paranormal incidents nationwide that headquarters staff are always busy. Few have time to stay here. Currently, two team leaders just returned from handling a case, so headquarters is quite safe now,” Roy Meng explained to Bai Wan.

“I see... Sister, is the test difficult?” Bai Wan asked as they walked.

“Not too bad. The test has three stages: the first tests intelligence, the second comprehensive strength, and the third potential. We’ll observe all your performances and score you accordingly,” Roy Meng explained.

Bai Wan nodded, realizing the two in front of him would be scoring him.

Recalling his father’s lessons on social etiquette, he wanted to make a good impression and walked ahead to open the door for Roy Meng and the others.

After opening the door, Bai Wan said, “Sisters, you go ahead...”

He wanted to say “go first,” but the word “go” stuck in his throat.

Because, opposite the door wasn’t a headquarters corridor but a familiar abandoned warehouse, where a crazed-looking painter was enjoying his work.

The painter turned around in confusion, locking eyes awkwardly with Bai Wan, who was stiffly holding the door.