Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Professional Warrior Examination

"Inspector Yu, please explain why you recommended a recent graduate to participate directly in the Professional Warrior assessment."

After the meeting, a silver-haired young woman stood confronting a sophisticated woman with wavy purple hair by a window at the end of the hall.

Chu Nai’s face was expressionless, her voice cold and indifferent.

Yu Zizi adjusted her glasses, a flash of surprise in her eyes. This was the first time she had ever seen Section Chief Chu so cold, or even indignant.

Though they had only worked together for less than a month, Chu Nai had always struck her as a serene and gentle girl who never argued with anyone or got angry about anything.

Like a breath of fresh, warm spring air.

But now, Chu Nai was challenging her over this very issue. The gentle spring breeze had seemingly become a gale, bringing with it a bone-chilling drizzle and the rumble of thunder.

"Section Chief Chu."

Yu Zizi sighed softly.

"Mr. Wang Xi is no ordinary graduate. There’s more to him than meets the eye."

"Oh?" Chu Nai’s brow furrowed slightly.

"On the afternoon of May 29th, Mr. Wang Xi was on an overtime assignment for Cupid Housekeeping. At the request of his supervisor, he was to transport a batch of disaster-related materials to the Overlook Bureau for delivery..."

Yu Zizi began to recount the events for the silver-haired girl, including the details of how Wang Xi was framed, deliberately led to an abandoned factory to be ambushed, and how he fought and ultimately killed the high-risk wanted criminal waiting for him there.

As she listened, Chu Nai’s brow furrowed deeper and deeper. Her light blue eyes swirled with violent emotion, and the faint killing intent radiating from her sent a chill down Yu Zizi’s spine.

The veteran inspector grew thoughtful. ’That young, black-haired man is perhaps far more important to Section Chief Chu than I ever imagined.’

"...By the time we arrived, Mr. Wang Xi was seriously injured and unconscious. But after emergency treatment, he was out of any serious danger."

"The culprit behind this was Lin Zhifeng, the deputy supervisor of Cupid Housekeeping’s cleaning department. He was arrested by the Security Bureau that same day and was executed by firing squad one week ago, following his trial."

Yu Zizi found it slightly difficult to breathe under the silver-haired girl’s terrifying aura. She took a deep breath before continuing in a heavy tone.

"Throughout the incident, Mr. Wang Xi displayed astounding vigilance and strength. Not only did he have the foresight to keep a recording as evidence, but he also called the police at the earliest opportunity... And that high-risk wanted criminal had successfully assassinated three Professional Warriors, yet he still fell at the hands of Mr. Wang Xi."

"Based on this, I concluded that he is more than capable of participating in the Professional Warrior assessment. Of course, this was also based on his own desire to do so. I did not force him."

Having said it all in one breath, Yu Zizi looked at the silver-haired girl.

Chu Nai was silent for a few seconds.

Her eyelids lowered, long lashes trembling slightly.

"Did that wanted criminal have any other affiliations?"

Her tone was flat, devoid of any ripples of emotion.

But Yu Zizi keenly sensed the potent killing intent she was deliberately suppressing.

"The Ghost Grid," the purple-haired woman answered truthfully. "It’s an underground organization of wanted criminals, apparently with the backing of a conglomerate. The Security Bureau has been fighting them for years, but we’ve faced heavy resistance, making it difficult to unmask their leader."

"I see."

Chu Nai acknowledged, then looked up at her.

"I’m sorry. I was rude earlier."

"It’s fine." Yu Zizi smiled and shook her head. "As long as you don’t blame me for recommending him for the assessment."

"Since it was his own choice," Chu Nai said calmly. "I don’t blame you."

"Chu Nai, if you don’t mind my asking..."

Yu Zizi paused, then asked cautiously.

"What... is your relationship with him?"

"..."

Chu Nai didn’t answer, merely turning in silence to leave.

An unspoken thought echoed in her heart:

’The only person in this world I still care about.’

The young woman’s calm voice drifted back to Yu Zizi.

"If your Security Bureau finds any new leads on the Ghost Grid, please have Inspector Yu let me know."

"Of course, no problem."

Yu Zizi smiled.

She watched until the cool, elegant figure disappeared into the distance.

Then, she stood by the window, pondering.

’Is Section Chief Chu planning on getting revenge for him?’

’Still, having such a powerful figure on our side can only help the Security Bureau’s plan to eliminate the Ghost Grid. It’s a welcome development, all things considered.’

At this thought, Yu Zizi’s smile grew brighter.

...

...

「The morning of June 15th, just after 9:00 AM.」

「Valley City Central District, Hero Association.」

It was a massive, imposing building, a flattened circular structure made of dark gray stone that gave it a solemn air. The portico was supported on either side by enormous, fluted columns several meters in diameter.

Dozens of steps, wide and smooth, led straight up to the entrance.

To one side of the portico stood a four-sided Obelisk. The front was engraved with the four large, scarlet words "Valley City Hero Association," while the other three faces were covered in a dense script of names.

Those were the names of all the Professional Warriors who had died in disasters and Mazes, the Heroes who had sacrificed themselves for the peace and security of Valley City.

By the time Wang Xi arrived, the place was already a sea of people.

Amidst the noisy environment were applicants for the assessment, their cheering friends and family, and a large crowd of onlookers, media reporters, and vendors.

As the Mountain and Sea Federation’s major annual event, the starting point for all Professional Warriors, the assessment naturally attracted countless eyes.

Wang Xi was by himself. Dressed in an oversized black t-shirt and shorts, he looked like a tourist as he moved through the crowd and ascended the steps.

He turned down several vendors peddling supposedly authentic "insider information," then spent 66 Credit Points to buy a large bouquet of white chrysanthemums from a little girl.

Wang Xi walked to the Obelisk and silently placed the white chrysanthemums on its base. It was already piled high with yellow and white chrysanthemums, white lilies, white magnolias, carnations, and blue forget-me-nots.

Many people stood around them, their expressions solemn as they silently bowed in tribute, mourning the fallen Heroes.

In a way, the annual Professional Warrior assessment had also become an unofficial day of remembrance.

The old gives way to the new, but hope endures.

Although Wang Xi’s Awakening had granted him memories of a past life, leaving him with little sense of belonging to the Mountain and Sea Federation—or even this world—he still believed that in any life, people willing to lay down their lives for the good of humanity were noble and worthy of respect.

And while his goal in taking the assessment today was simply to build a better life for himself, he knew it also meant shouldering the corresponding responsibilities.

Wang Xi didn’t linger for long.

The Professional Warrior assessment was scheduled to begin at 10:00 AM.

He strode past the Obelisk and entered the association’s building. At the main lobby’s front desk, he had his identity verified and signed the assessment agreement.

Afterward, he received his candidate ID.

"Wang Xi, Number 666."

’Figures.’

Wang Xi thought to himself and found a seat in the waiting area.

The hall was already filled with people—men and women, young and old—though the majority were young adults.

These people clearly carried themselves differently than ordinary people.

But that was it.

’They weren’t even on the level of the Adventurers back in Daphne.’

Wang Xi gave them a cursory glance and was about to look away, but his attention was quickly drawn to a commotion on one side of the hall.

Several different groups of people were clustered there.

Four or five reporters from different media companies were conducting interviews with their assistants. Hovering above them were several camera drones from the Gear Conglomerate, live-streaming and recording the scene from multiple angles.

Wang Xi raised an eyebrow.

He silently took out his phone.

Then he opened Feng Mei, the Mountain and Sea Federation’s largest live-streaming platform. Like Flying Hat, it was another flagship product of the Hermes Trade Alliance, supervised by the Overlook Bureau and funded by the three major conglomerates.

The top-ranked stream, officially sponsored by the Shanshan Conglomerate, was titled "Valley City’s First Public Professional Warrior Assessment." It already had 600,000 concurrent viewers.

That was an incredible number.

After all, a small settlement like Valley City only had a population of just over four million. That meant more than one in eight people were watching the live broadcast of the assessment.

And that number was still climbing rapidly.

Wang Xi was a bit surprised.

As far as he knew, all previous Professional Warrior assessments in Valley City had been held behind closed doors. Even the specific details of each year’s combat exam were never made public.

He hadn’t expected them to make it completely public this year.

He tapped on the top stream, which had an "Exclusive" tag. A moment later, a beautiful female reporter appeared on the screen, with the very same waiting hall Wang Xi was in as her background.

After the reporter gave a brief introduction, the camera cut to a group of six or seven male and female candidates.

Through the reporter’s voice-over, Wang Xi learned that these individuals were from various government departments and the three major conglomerates—all of them high-profile, talented figures.

Among them, he spotted a familiar figure.

"Miss Jiali?"

Surprise showed on Wang Xi’s face. He turned to look toward that side of the hall, but they were too far away for him to see clearly.

He had no choice but to look back at his phone.

On the screen, a girl with short hair, a short skirt, and smoky eye makeup leaned against a wall, a lollipop in her mouth. Her expression looked slightly resigned.

It was the same lollipop Wang Xi had bought yesterday.

The candidate ID hanging on the short-haired girl’s chest read: "Yu Jiali, Number 003."

It was only then that Wang Xi learned the receptionist’s full name. He was also stunned by her unexpectedly impressive identity and strength.

’No wonder she took the day off...’ Wang Xi thought.

「Meanwhile.」

「In the warehouse district of Cupid Housekeeping.」

The members of Team Two, who were busy sorting goods, suddenly heard Zhu Yuhe exclaim:

"Whoa! Our Miss Jiali is in the Professional Warrior assessment today! And she’s a seeded candidate representing the Security Bureau!"

"What?!"

Yu Zihan, Luo Xiaoliang, and the others turned around, their faces full of shock. They exchanged glances and quickly crowded around her.

When they saw the short-haired girl on Zhu Yuhe’s phone screen, they all fell silent.

To think the receptionist they saw every single day had a secret identity like this!

"The first public Professional Warrior assessment..."

Excitement and envy filled Yu Zihan’s eyes.

He glanced around, then pulled out his own phone and opened the stream.

Seeing this, the others quickly followed suit.

Their team leader, Lei Wen, cleared his throat and said:

"Everyone, it’s still working hours. Is it really okay to be slacking off so blatantly to watch a live stream?"

"Aren’t you curious, old man?"

Zhu Yuhe asked, her eyes narrowed.

"—I don’t believe you’re not."

Lei Wen opened his mouth to argue but lacked the conviction. He hesitated, conflicted, and finally, with a deep sigh, he too pulled out his phone, saying with an air of self-justification,

"Ahem. I suppose watching for just a little while couldn’t hurt."

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