Chapter 23: The Problem Might Be a Little Too Big

Seeing the two men rushing toward him like bandits, Li Chenqiu narrowed his eyes in caution, his hand hidden within his sleeve clenching instinctively.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind whipped by as the two burly, middle-aged men skidded to a stop in front of him.

Before Li Chenqiu could speak, one of the men grinned, reached out to grab his arms through his sleeves, and said with great excitement, "You look even better in person than on the big screen! Hello, Li Chenqiu, I am the admissions recruiter for Nanqi Academy in City 11. Pleasure to meet you!"

"And I am the admissions recruiter for Yuanluo Academy in City 11. A pleasure!" the other chimed in, crowding closer.

"Uh... hello," Li Chenqiu replied, nodding with a slight delay.

"More than forty other academies are waiting to have a detailed talk with you. Let’s go, let's find a quiet place to chat. It's too noisy here; it's not convenient."

As he spoke, the two men flanked Li Chenqiu, hooked their arms through his armpits, and hoisted him up bodily. "Time is money. We’re taking you with us; don’t be afraid."

With that, the two men broke into a sprint, their feet moving in a blur, whisking the bewildered Li Chenqiu toward the plaza entrance like a gale.

Though puzzled, Li Chenqiu did not resist. If he truly wanted to leave, no one could stop him.

As the trio reached the plaza gate, the crowd blocking the exit scattered.

"The vehicle is at the entrance, let's hurry!"

"Can everyone fit?"

"No problem, let's go!"

"Right, follow us!"

After a brief, rapid exchange, a procession of forty people began trailing behind Li Chenqiu toward the gates of the Special Ability Bureau.

The path was clear; all the personnel from the Special Ability Bureau stepped aside to let them pass.

This sudden turn of events left Li Chenqiu’s head spinning. He looked at the man beside him with suspicion. "Are you really from the academy admissions departments? I feel more like I'm being kidnapped."

"Don't be nervous. We aren't kidnappers. If we were, why would the Bureau staff just stand there and ignore us?" the man laughed as he ran.

"Then why—"

"Rest assured, everything we do is for your own good. There is absolutely no malicious intent. I give you my word of honor!"

Seeing the man's sincere and resolute expression, Li Chenqiu temporarily set aside his doubts.

Soon, the group hustled Li Chenqiu into a spacious bus. Once the last person was aboard, the driver slammed on the gas, and the vehicle sped away from the Bureau entrance.

As the bus reached an empty highway, the driver shouted without turning his head, "Quick, Huang Jun, use your ability to conceal the bus!"

Inside the cabin, a thin man stood up and pressed his palms against the window. Then... nothing happened—or at least, nothing happened inside the vehicle.

On the wide highway, the bus, traveling at 75 km/h, began to grow increasingly faint, as if the paint were being stripped away by the rushing wind.

Finally, it vanished without a trace beneath a speed camera, leaving only the roar of the engine to prove its existence.

...

10:30 AM, Special Ability Bureau.

"Hah! What belongs to the War Academy will always belong to the War Academy. What's the point of everyone else going? You might as well just rest in the screening hall."

"Qi Mingyue is just a B-rank, what are you so proud of? My senior told me yesterday he recruited an A-rank in City 89. Does your current crop have an A-rank?"

"Oh, oh, oh! Who was it that said to Qi Mingyue's face just now, 'Your future is limitless, you are one-in-a-million talent, the Long Night Academy will be honored by your presence, and you will go down in school history'? Besides, his ability might be higher than a B; the Bureau just only managed to measure it at a B. Are you envious, little Xu?"

"I'm envious of your grandfather! You—"

"Alright, enough. If you didn't recruit anyone, you didn't. Can't you show some grace?"

"Exactly. Forty-four years old and acting like a child, cursing people. The average quality of people at Long Night Academy really needs improvement!"

"You..."

...

Clamorous footsteps and chatter drifted from outside the screening hall, followed by a large group of people filing in through the main entrance. These were the same people who had left the hall earlier.

"Everyone, I, Ma Tianjiu, just recruited—eh?"

Ma Tianjiu, walking in with a smug, beaming face, was ready to show off, but his eyes were met only with empty seats. Only the Bureau staff remained.

"Eh? Where did everyone go? Is the ability testing already over?" asked Xu Yi, who was following close behind.

"Are you blind? Can't you see the ratings are still being displayed on the screen?"

"I reckon some C or B-rank physical augmentation type must have appeared!"

"These people left just for a C or B-rank? Sigh, it's not easy for those bottom-tier academies to recruit!"

As they spoke, they returned to their original seats.

Gong Ran and his team remained silent, adhering to the principle: don't ask, don't tell. And if asked, give no clear answer. After all, no one wanted to offend anyone.

Just then, Xu Yi, having sat down, turned to Gong Ran. "Director Gong, what kind of ability rank lured them all away?"

"I don't see any particularly special physical augmentation abilities in the data books," said Gao Xing of Changwu Academy, flipping through his files.

"Uh... it was just someone with a somewhat ambiguous rating," Gong Ran said, looking uncomfortable.

"Ambiguous?" Ma Tianjiu raised an eyebrow, curious. "Who is ambiguous?"

Gong Ran turned his head away, feeling a bit guilty. "Well... just a young man with a very plain, unremarkable ability."

"Haha, they didn't let you tell us, did they? Afraid we'd snatch him away?" someone laughed.

Gong Ran neither denied nor confirmed this, but his demeanor served as a tacit admission.

"These people, they really underestimate me. A physical augmentation type is just that—even if he's outstanding, it's not enough to make me leave before the testing is even over."

"Indeed. Even if that person is exceptional, could he possibly be better than my Qi Mingyue? Haha!" Ma Tianjiu laughed self-importantly, completely failing to notice the unusual expressions on the faces of the Bureau staff.

A few minutes later, a woman asked in confusion, "Why has it only been speed and defense testing? What about strength?"

"Ah?" Gong Ran straightened up, his mouth twitching involuntarily.

"That's right, strength testing is more interesting. Director Gong, let's move on to strength!" others chimed in.

Gong Ran rubbed his nose. "That... the strength-testing dummy is broken."

"Broken?" Chen Xueshan of the Tianyuan Federal Academy frowned. "The testing dummies are air-freighted by the Security Administration and have a lifespan of a hundred years. How could it be broken?"

"It is indeed broken. It was accidentally damaged during the testing," Zhang Kong, sitting nearby, spoke up first.

"Zhang Kong is right, it was accidentally broken," Gong Ran nodded.

"Director Gong, 'accidentally broken'?" Chen Xueshan had several giant question marks written on his forehead. He continued, "Can you pull up the surveillance footage for me? I am well-versed in mechanical maintenance. If it's not a major issue, I can fix it. Otherwise, I cannot leave until the testing is over, per the rules."

"That... the problem might be a bit major..."