novelhk Page 25
Page 25
Li Pu was completely puzzled.
My next step...
Shouldn't we be chanting, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young person's potential"?
Soon, the group of prospective agents grew larger and larger, forming a glamorous little circle of dozens of people.
The bearded supervising officer was among them, following behind a young man.
But his posture at this moment was less like that of an envoy fulfilling his supervisory duties and more like that of a loyal dog following the young man closely—bowing and following closely, his eyes filled with humility, every step he took was in the shadow cast by his master, revealing his subservient nature.
This young man seems to be the one who stopped the bearded man from causing him more trouble in the helicopter command cockpit.
At this moment, the group of reserve operators had already moved aside in unison, leaving him and Tifa far behind.
Li Pu didn't want to pay attention to them; they were mentally unstable.
They're practically about to be stuffed into monster cages and fed to the dogs.
These bastards actually have the leisure to categorize people into different classes...
However, the content of their unrestrained and loud discussion still caught Li Pu's attention.
"We're doomed, we're really in deep trouble this time."
"Never before have we had such a unique test..."
The bearded man grinned crookedly, "Rookies like you are definitely no good, don't drag my master into this."
The other agents were taken aback and all looked at the young man he was serving.
Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "I remember now, who is this?!"
"Ruby, the youngest deacon of the Ironclad Clan! And one of the strongest contenders for the future head of the family! With a strength of up to the seventh rank! He has a bright future ahead of him!"
"Molten Iron! One of the twelve families of Eagle City, the Twelve Pillars!"
"One of the top combatants of the seventh tier! I never expected Lord Ruby to come here!"
"Seventh tier! That's not just mindless slaughter! Boss, take me with you! I'm so cool!"
The prospective agents showered him with praise, and although the young man didn't respond, it was clear from his increasingly straight posture and slightly curved lips that he was quite pleased with the compliments.
"You flatter me, everyone. I need your help too." After hearing enough praise, Ruby adopted a standard humble posture, but her face was like a carefully crafted mask, revealing no warmth whatsoever.
His gaze swept over the fawning faces, scrutinizing them as if they were mere tools.
"Let's go together once we enter the contaminated area. We're all operators; if we unite, we'll all pass the test." The voice was gentle yet powerful, full of the appeal of a "leader."
But then, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in Li Pu's mind:
[Acting Skills Level 0 Activated]
[The target unit is detected engaging in a higher level of acting.]
?
Goodness, no wonder I always felt this person was awkward.
At that moment, Ruby, who was giving a speech, suddenly and accurately turned her gaze over.
With a condescending air, he slightly raised his voice to make sure everyone could hear his "magnanimity": "You two friends over there, come on over too. It's always good to have someone to look out for you, especially in dangerous areas."
Li Pu raised an eyebrow; he had absolutely no liking for this group of prospective agents.
Especially Ruby, the butler of the Ironclad family, standing right in front of him.
The Ironclad Clan seems to be the backer of those thugs from yesterday.
If your hands are full of scum, what kind of person can you possibly be on stage?
Thinking of this, a cold, almost transparent smile appeared on his face. His voice was clear, yet carried a resolute detachment:
"No need, thank you. The two of us can handle it."
Ruby's "compassion" and humility froze instantly, like lard frozen solid.
He only had time to nod very slightly in Li Pu's direction, a nod that could be described as "meaningful," as if it were the last bit of dignity bestowed upon an ungrateful beggar.
Ha, what an ignorant fool!
You shameless bastard!
If it weren't for my father constantly nagging me about how to maintain this ridiculous family image... would I even bother with you bunch of trash from the ditch?
Good! Saves me from getting my hands dirty! Dying in there will save me some effort!
This once-in-a-millennium "Flying Light" divine selection spot is destined to be mine!
As for these ants... what difference does it make if one more or one less is just a expendable resource to be used as a sacrifice?
Your greatest value lies in dying a worthy death!
An unexpected incident occurred during the evaluation of the hotels in Zone R—a conclusion that anyone with a modicum of insight could easily draw.
But for Ruby, who was in a high position and well-informed, the information he possessed was even more alarming.
At this Class C pollution disaster site, for unknown reasons, the ancient Eastern God "Feiguang" bestowed a divine blessing upon us!
Like the equally elusive and hard-to-find "Medicine King," "Flying Light" has long existed only in ancient legends and documents of immortals in the Eastern Continent.
In this chaotic era, marked by frequent signs of divine activity and numerous divine selections, these two legendary beings never truly manifested themselves in the world, nor did they bestow any verifiable miracles.
Even so, he still wanted to come and take a gamble.
There is no other reason than that there can be many other chosen ones.
However, the divine choice of "Flying Light" is fundamentally different from other divine choices.
Born unique!
Once chosen, he is a born "chosen champion," with strength and potential far exceeding those of the other chosen ones!
At that time, not only will you be able to choose the position of patriarch of the Ironclad Clan, but you can also choose the position of head of each region!
He is determined to obtain the blessing of "Flying Light"!
At this moment, those sycophantic lackeys, seeing that Li Pu dared to offend Ruby, immediately jumped out like hyenas smelling blood, launching a barrage of verbal attacks:
"You even refused a personal invitation from a Tier 7 Operator? What are you pretending to be so arrogant about!"
"Why don't you take a piss and look at your own worthless skin! This trash from the rat's nest in District R dares to say 'no' to Lord Ruby?"
"It seems like there's only one Tier 9 agency in District R, right? Tier 9 doesn't even have the right to name their own agency, hahaha."
"Exactly, what kind of agency are you? You don't even deserve to be in the same group as us. We're all trainee agents from Tier 5 or 7 agencies, or at the very least Tier 7."
"Oh my god!! Who was acting so arrogant? Turns out it's just a nobody who ran away from a ninth-level institute!"
"Hahahaha! Don't you know your own limitations? Still pretending to be tough!"
"Exactly! Anyone who sneaks in is dragging down our overall standards! They're already holding us back and acting all high and mighty before we even get in. What will happen if we actually get in? I suggest we stay away from these jinxes later!"
Despite the harsh mockery, Li Pu showed no anger whatsoever.
For me, entering the hotel is like coming home. What about you?
He curled the corners of his lips into a chilling, utterly indifferent smile, his gaze sweeping over the noisy lackeys:
"Really? I hope you'll still be this quick-witted once you're inside."
Beside her, Tifa was already expressionless with anger, her wine-red eyes almost spitting fire. She clenched her fists and was about to rush forward and smash the heads of those foul-mouthed guys into their chests!
But just then, a crisp, childlike yet angry voice pierced through the polluted air!
"You bad people! Don't you dare bully big brother!!"
It's that little girl who was secretly given a whole bar of chocolates by Lip on the helicopter!
Her small body suddenly burst with amazing courage. She bravely squeezed through the gaps in the crowd, spread her short arms, and stood resolutely in front of Li Pu like a fledgling bird. She stubbornly raised her head and glared at the group of men and women who were many times taller than her!
Li Pu was taken aback.
Could it be that on the helicopter, my "precise search for Mom" wasn't for Ada Wong, but for this little toddler with snot still in his nose?!
Oh my god, my little girl mom...
This joke has gone too far!
His lips twitched slightly, but his hand movements were perfectly natural—he moved the little girl behind him.
"Big brother! I'll go with you!" The little boy stubbornly poked his fluffy head out from his side again, tilting his little face up.
This naive courage is not a castle in the air.
The moment the little girl finished speaking, three icy gazes, cold enough to freeze boiling water, snapped into focus! They instantly fixed their gazes on the faces of the prospective agents!
Ada Wong, 2B, and Black Lily walked over.
The air temperature plummeted by ten degrees!
The sycophants who had been spouting arrogant words just moments before instantly lost their arrogance upon seeing the two supervising officers.
Ruby's face also darkened completely!
The three women, especially Ada Wong and Black Lily, gave him a half-smiling look that felt like needles pricking him, and... the embarrassment of being seen through!
"Don't argue with the other supervising officers, let's go." He forced out the order through clenched teeth.
Apart from the proctors, the supervisors were unaware of each other's strengths. Based on past experience, anyone who could become a supervisor must have powerful backing.
Even as a butler of the Ironclad family, he had to be careful, lest he offend the younger generation and then the older ones.
Ruby spoke, and the crowd slowly withdrew.
Black Lily and Ada Wong then casually stepped forward and each gently patted Lip's shoulder.
He gestured with his eyes for Tifa and the little girl to return to the team.
Another ten minutes passed.
Li Pu and the other participants in those groups began to be lectured.
The speech was mostly about love and peace, which was completely out of character for them.
However, after the speech, the important part came.
All the supervising officers pulled out collar-like neck bombs...
Most people didn't dare to resist. Only a few young masters and ladies, after being hit with electric batons, shouted things like "Sir, I am from Eagle City" and were humiliated by having collars put on them.
Li Pu suppressed a laugh.
With joy and blessings upon them, they exchanged a glance with Tifa and simultaneously fastened the cold metal collar around their necks.
Then a flash of light appeared around their necks, and the tightly locked collars slid off to the ground!
Everyone on the rooftop, including the black lily in front of them, seemed completely unaware!
The two put away the collars, intending to throw them away somewhere.
The cold, hard touch still lingered on his neck when Tifa, who had always been gentle and calm, suddenly burst out laughing. She deliberately raised his forearm and looked him up and down, saying, "You looked like a lucky cat just now, hahaha."
Her eyes were curved in a sweet smile, but her heart was pounding wildly. What if she hadn't been able to take it off...?
Tifa was trying to calm herself down and also wanted to encourage the rest of the team before entering the hotel.
But Li Pu had no intention of letting her go.
"You were just like a little bitch."
Tifa raised an eyebrow, a sly glint in her eyes: "Oh? Now it's your turn to be the puppy barking like a dog, and I'll be the kitten."
"Not playing is childish."
"Ugh! You!" Tifa felt like she had been taken advantage of again.
"Sister, sister, let's play together. I'll be the kitten, and you can be the little female dog." The little girl next to them joined in with a grin.
“Okay, we won’t play with him!” Tifa said with a smile, and picked up the little guy in one go.
Black Lily's cold gaze swept over the faces around her, contorted with fear, before settling back on the three carefree, animated team members in front of her.
His profile, sculpted by frost and snow, was almost imperceptibly tense, and a barely audible sigh escaped from his tightly pursed, purplish-black lips—
"These iron rings will keep you tied up until the trial is over."
"The necklace will record your points for killing monsters, as well as your ranking on the leaderboard."