"Smokeless City Number Three..."

Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment, momentarily perplexed by the name of the destination.

He immediately associated it with words like exhaust fumes, emission reduction, and environmental protection.

Unconsciously glancing up at Zhou Ling, the latter shook his head as if he knew what Lu Yuan was thinking. "No."

Lu Yuan blinked and blurted out, "A land without smoke, could it be a fairyland?"

This was also a legendary story mentioned in history books, similar to the origin of the adage, "A Flying Bear descends from heaven to establish a new era"—a tale describing an ancient place called the Land of Smokelessness, a paradise yearned for by all.

"Hmm."

Zhou Ling nodded. "It means a place devoid of worldly smoke and fire, referring to the fairylands of myth and legend. But the reality is..."

Zhou Ling's expression was somewhat complicated, his lips tightly pressed, as if he didn't know how to explain.

"You'll understand when you get there. Anyway, it's not quite what you imagine..."

Zhou Ling frowned, musing aloud, "Smokeless City... Smokeless City... The assessment is taking place in Smokeless City, which means the format... was likely changed again. This is really messing with us..."

Zhou Ling suddenly swore under his breath. "I even paid for foot massages and other services to gather information on the new exam content... Damn, it was all for nothing!"

Upon hearing Zhou Ling's words, Lu Yuan's eyes shifted, and he instinctively asked, "You went to get important information for me?"

"Yes."

Zhou Ling grimaced slightly and nodded. "A White Bear Guard from another team had a new recruit who participated in the newly reformed trial, so I thought it would be a good idea to learn from his experience. But who would have thought, this 'exam question'... has changed yet again! Those bastards in Human Resources, they even set up A/B papers..."

Listening to Zhou Ling's complaints, Lu Yuan's gaze flickered.

He suddenly asked, "So, does that mean this document I have is now useless?"

A white paper document he'd just taken from his backpack appeared in his hand. It was the ultra-detailed, nanny-level strategy guide Gao Qing had sent him earlier.

"What is that?"

Zhou Ling looked puzzled, then took the file from Lu Yuan's hand.

After quickly glancing through it, he was stunned, a mix of shock and complexity showing on his face.

"Who gave this to you?" Zhou Ling looked at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan calmly said, "Gao Qing, Chief Gao."

"Uh..."

「.......」

The night sky pulsed with seven-colored neon lights, and the sound of electronic light streams drifted from the distance.

Gao Qing stood under the thick, iron-gray sky, staring blankly at the tranquil river of Fly Shuttles flowing across the heavens.

Beside her stood many White Bear Guards, dressed in Yellow Bear Uniforms like her.

Everyone gathered in this vast square, facing a huge silver metal gate, as if waiting for something.

"Old Wang, how's that new recruit you're managing? Think he'll pass the assessment?"

"He'll probably make it through; it just depends on the final grade he receives. Honestly, this change to the new blood assessment format makes me more nervous than I was during my own White Bear Guard promotion test."

"That's a bit much... What initial grade did you give him?"

"B-. This new recruit has already assimilated the C+ grade New Martial skill, Blue Electric Finger, with no rejection. He broke through the adaptation boundary in half a month. His results from two consecutive combat power evaluations were both C-grade!"

"Broke through the adaptation boundary in half a month? Wow! No wonder you were saying in the group chat he was an A-grade new blood. Two C-grade power assessments, and you gave a preliminary B-? Old Wang, you're being overly cautious... If it were me, I'd have given a B+ at least."

"Hah, the assessment format has changed, and the difficulty is worlds apart from before. Who knows what grade a previous A-lister would even get now? I'm not seeking accolades, just aiming to avoid mistakes. A little less reward is fine, as long as I don't get my performance docked or face disciplinary action."

"That's fair..."

Several familiar White Bear team leaders were whispering to each other. Gao Qing pursed her lips, her mind abuzz with unspoken thoughts.

She instinctively glanced in certain directions across the square.

Her gaze fell on a few unfamiliar White Bears in the crowd.

These individuals all shared a noticeable common trait: they each carried a similar small box.

Their eyes occasionally met, then they quickly avoided each other's gaze, feigning nonchalance.

Without guessing, Gao Qing knew. Those boxes they were carrying must be filled with Power Enhancement Needles, Speed Amplification Potions, and the like—all mentioned in the 'strategy guide'.

Gao Qing had prepared one as well, but...she hadn't brought it.

"Old Zhou!"

"Old Zhou's here."

She suddenly heard greetings nearby.

Gao Qing looked up and saw Zhou Ling; she didn't know when he had arrived. He was greeting acquaintances while making his way towards her, his expression serious.

Gao Qing turned her head away, deliberately ignoring Zhou Ling.

"Gao Qing."

Very quickly, Zhou Ling stood before her and said in a low voice, "Come with me. I need to talk to you."

Gao Qing pressed her lips tightly together, her eyes flickering slightly.

Eventually, she walked aside with Zhou Ling.

"Is this what you secretly sent to Lu Yuan?"

Once they reached a secluded corner of the crowd, Zhou Ling immediately thrust a paper file in front of Gao Qing's face.

Gao Qing remained silent, her face cold and unresponsive.

"You, you..." Zhou Ling's face was dark, and he was about to scold her, but seeing her expression, his words softened when they reached his lips. "You're too bold."

Lowering his voice, he said angrily, "Do you know this is considered cheating! If the supervisory team finds out, a reprimand would be the least of your worries! Why didn't you discuss this with me before doing it?"

"If I had discussed it with you, would you have dared? Would you have agreed?" Gao Qing retorted, her expression impassive.

Zhou Ling was speechless, his expression shifting rapidly. Finally, suppressing his anger, he said in a low voice, "But do you know, the assessment content has changed again. This time, it's not the six major tests. Instead, the new recruits have to work as a team in Smokeless City to complete a common objective!"

"What?!" Gao Qing was taken aback, somewhat stunned.

"Yes," Zhou Ling said. "The reformed assessment likely has multiple formats, with one chosen randomly each time. The guide you bought is completely useless! At least, it's useless for Lu Yuan's assessment this time... And you've taken an unnecessary risk. Do you know the supervisory team has been cracking down lately..."

As Zhou Ling was speaking with exasperation, a commotion suddenly arose nearby.

The two of them looked over.

They saw a group of people in Yellow Bear Uniforms appearing on the scene.

Each one wore a cold expression. The leader, a man with short hair and a square face, had a prominent scar on the bridge of his nose, extending upwards.

Iron Blade, Luo Guoxiang! The supervisor team had arrived.

Gao Qing's expression flickered. Despite her outward composure, her body tensed uncontrollably.

Next, she watched as Luo Guoxiang's supervisor team singled out one pale-faced individual after another from the crowd, each holding a briefcase.

Their briefcases were opened on the spot.

"They said the rules allow this!"

"Mister Iron Blade! Mister Iron Blade, please listen to my explanation!"

About five or six White Bear Guards were caught and, under everyone's watch, were dejectedly led away for investigation.

Finally, Luo Guoxiang turned, his gaze locking onto Gao Qing, and walked straight towards her.

Gao Qing's composure finally broke, her pretty face turning deathly pale in an instant.

She quickly lowered her head, avoiding his sharp, scrutinizing gaze.

A strong sense of guilt and shame enveloped her.

CLACK. CLACK.

The sound of footsteps rapidly approached.

Finally, he stood right in front of Gao Qing.

"Mister Iron Blade," Gao Qing heard Zhou Ling's voice.

She knew she couldn't escape. Forcing herself to remain calm, she lifted her head to face Luo Guoxiang's expressionless face and managed a faint smile.

"Mis...Mister Iron Blade."

The atmosphere seemed to freeze. Gao Qing felt all eyes on her. The gazes of the crowd—filled with doubt, curiosity, and astonishment—made her feel a prickling shame, like thorns on her back.

However, to her surprise, Luo Guoxiang merely twitched his lips, uttered a soft "Mm," and turned to leave.

Just...like that?!

Gao Qing froze, her mind filled with bewilderment, her face a mask of confusion.

At that moment, she heard Zhou Ling whisper in her ear, "I saw Mister Iron Blade when I got back. The supervisory team already knew you bought the guide. Mister Iron Blade spoke individually with every White Bear Guard who bought one, giving them hints… However, you were the only one who listened and decided not to use the items you'd prepared."

Gao Qing was lost in thought, a sudden wave of relief washing over her, as if she had narrowly dodged a bullet. She couldn't recall why she hadn't brought the briefcase she had prepared. Was it because of the so-called opportunity to join the supervisory team? Or was it because of that sentence... "You are Gao Tianlin's daughter"?

"Speaking of which, the difficulty of this assessment is indeed insane, even harder than the previous six major tests. If I'd known the specific content of the assessment in Smokeless City beforehand, I might have run off to buy a guide too..." Zhou Ling glanced at Gao Qing and sighed. "Luckily, we lowered Lu Yuan's initial assessment… By the way, you're sure you reported it as B, right?"

Gao Qing bit her lip lightly.

She shook her head.

Zhou Ling's eyebrows twitched, his voice rising slightly. "Don't tell me you reported an A. Didn't I remind you to report lower?"

"It's not A."

"C-grade?" Zhou Ling blinked. His expression slowly relaxed, and he let out a breath. "Well, that's okay, that's okay... A bit too low, perhaps, but better than reporting too high and getting penalized later..."

"No." Gao Qing turned to look at Zhou Ling, her expression unreadable. "I reported S. S+, to be exact."

"Oh, S... What?!!!!"

In the sprawling metal plaza, a shockingly sharp, distorted voice echoed.

"You rated Lu Yuan's initial assessment as S+?! Say that again?!"

The White Bear Guards, who had been discussing the supervisor team's "sudden raid," all fell silent at the shout.

All eyes turned in one direction.

A moment later, panicked voices erupted.

"Damn! What happened to Old Zhou?!"

"Old Zhou fainted! Quick, does anyone have a cardiac stimulant? Give him a shot!"

「.....」

Lu Yuan sat inside the cabin of a Fly Shuttle, his seatbelt fastened, curiously peering through the window at the city below.

Smokeless City Number Three.

This city, its name evoking a land of Immortals, was definitely cleaner and more eco-friendly than ordinary cities.

In other respects, it didn't seem much different from a typical city.

Well, that's not entirely true. The city structures appear more advanced.

Looking down from the sky, Lu Yuan could see small airborne vehicles, like busy swarms of bees, crisscrossing above the city—the kind rarely seen in Burnt Rock or the Old City Circle.

The city's architecture also leaned towards the futuristic, with a considerably avant-garde style.

Of course, the main reason Smokeless City was called Smokeless City, according to Zhou Ling, was primarily because of the... people inside.

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