Chapter 33

33

When Lu Yan's video had gone viral overnight, it was scrubbed from the internet by the next day, erased as if it had never happened.

The Prevention Center did have plans to promote certain photogenic Awakened to boost public perception, but Lu Yan would never be on that list.

Because it was incredibly dangerous. Research showed that high-level pollutants could possess a degree of intelligence.

Too much visibility was never a good thing.

Just like how a nation would never publicly spotlight an active undercover narcotics officer.

***

The Western Coastal Sea.

The low-latitude waters had grown noticeably warmer. Shen Qingyang hadn't applied sunscreen, and a few of his tentacles looked distinctly wilted.

They were on a boat. A small fishing trawler.

Shen Qingyang had mimicry, making it easy to blend into human society. The Prophet, however, looked anything but human.

A straw raincoat covered his black robes, shrouding him completely. His left hand ended in an empty sleeve, missing a palm.

The two of them looked like ordinary fishermen out for a catch.

Except, given the size of their boat and the distance they'd traveled from shore, these fishermen had a death wish.

With no one else in sight, several disobedient tentacles wriggled out from beneath Shen Qingyang's clothes at his waist and plunged into the sea.

"Ah, that's better… though this water's bland. Salinity's too low."

Thanks to Shen Qingyang's presence, every fish within several kilometers gave their boat a wide berth.

Occasionally, a shadowy mass in the depths would open a pair of eyes, observe them pass by with disinterest, and close them again.

Their destination was an uninhabited island in the Western Coastal Sea.

The trawler was slow. The Prophet had suggested Shen Qingyang carry him, but the offer was flatly refused.

According to the Prophet, he had recently foreseen a future.

A future where "the only person who posed a true threat to pollutants would leave human society after his pollution value exceeded 100."

The Prophet expounded, "In the future I saw, a black dragon would appear over the Changyi Plains. Half of City A would be flattened. It might still retain some human memories and emotions, which is why it would choose an island far out at sea."

"If we can persuade it, our path forward would be much smoother… After all, it was because of those people that it became what it is."

The Prophet intended to wait for that black dragon's arrival, just as he had once waited for Shen Qingyang.

"Leaving your sentences half-finished is bad manners, teacher."

The massive eye on the Prophet's face was tightly shut, thin trails of fresh blood seeping from the seam.

"It is enough. Who can gaze upon a god and pay no price? Perhaps the talent ranked sixth could. But no one will ever obtain it."

Shen Qingyang lay on the deck, idly scrolling through TikTok on a phone. He'd lifted it from the trawler's owner before they set out. No signal now, so he could only watch cached videos.

Scrolling, scrolling… Shen Qingyang suddenly sat bolt upright, his face a mask of shock.

"What is it?" the Prophet asked.

Shen Qingyang smiled faintly. "Nothing. Saw a creepy image. Scared me to death."

But the image frozen on his phone screen was clearly a pair of pristine white wings.

He set the phone down, thought for a long moment, and couldn't bring himself to delete the video. Then he touched a hand to his chest. "Teach me English grammar today, teacher."

*

Mountain terrain. Weighted orienteering. It sounded like a special kind of hell.

Staff were strapping metal blocks onto Lu Yan. Specially made, high-density, dead weight.

Lu Yan now met the standard for a D-Class Awakened, though his file hadn't been updated yet. So, like the other E-Class Awakened, he was loaded with 270 pounds. And because he was support-type, not combat, they'd shaved off another 30.

A mere 240 pounds. To Lu Yan's current physique, it was barely an itch.

He didn't see a problem, but Director Hu next to him, saddled with 80 pounds, was already wearing a mask of pure agony.

The location chosen was a place called Jagged Peak in the suburbs of City A. Preliminary sweeps had been done. It was often used for training by the "Whistling Arrow" special forces unit, now commandeered by the Special Operations Department.

Whistling Arrow was a famous domestic special forces team.

"If you really can't go on, use the detection meter on your wrist to call for help," the assistant instructor, Lone Wolf, earnestly advised the trainees. "Withdrawing mid-course only costs you 0.5 points. It's fine."

Lone Wolf had one blind eye, giving him the look of a pirate captain. His expression was relaxed.

He'd already reviewed his group. While there were two trainees with spiritual power thresholds over a thousand, one was support-type, the other a mental-focused combat type. Neither were known for physical stamina. He wasn't holding out for any awards.

"Instructor," Lu Yan raised his hand from the crowd. "Is there a reward for finishing first?"

Lu Yan still planned to buy that silver bow after graduation.

Compared to grinding out 30,000 contribution points outside, earning 30 points inside here sounded much more achievable.

A ripple of laughter spread through those nearby.

"Buddy, no offense," a tall, muscular man from the next group over said with a mocking tone, "but for a support-type, you've got some pretty high ambitions."

Lone Wolf answered, "Of course. First place gets 3 points. Second gets 2. Third gets 1. Places four through ten get 0.5."

The numbers might seem small, but converting trainee points to contribution points, then to cash… 0.5 points was five million.

1.5 points would let Lu Yan buy another apartment in downtown K City and live the life of a landlord.

Every trainee started from the same point, but according to their navigation, each destination was different. Distances ranged from 12 to 15 kilometers, mainly based on the difficulty of the obstacles en route.

Just before they were to set off, Chen Anzhi sidled up to Lu Yan and whispered, "Lu Yan. Isn't 240 pounds a bit much for you? Want me to take some?"

He was, after all, combat-type. He figured his physique was still stronger than Lu Yan's.

More importantly, Chen Anzhi had the talent Hypnosis.

He'd already planned to find some poor sucker along the way and transfer his own weight over without them noticing.

Hearing this, Lu Yan was momentarily stunned. "There's such a good deal?"

Chen Anzhi's expression was encouraging. "It's fine. I asked the instructor. He said it's allowed. We're teammates. We should help each other, right?"

So, Lu Yan unceremoniously waved over Director Hu. "Director, over here. Someone says he can help share your load."

Chen Anzhi's smile instantly froze on his face. Director Hu, however, scurried over, grabbed his hand, and pumped it vigorously. "You're a good man, brother! Come to K City First People's Hospital for any surgery in the future, and I'll personally give you a twenty percent discount!"

*

***

The orienteering began promptly at 2 PM.

Sixty-two trainees started from the same point, following the navigation on their watches, and scattered in different directions.

This afternoon's training is actually a baseline test, the system's voice drawled lazily. Finding your limits makes tailored teaching easier. But I think your head instructor this term is a real piece of work. Your route's got plenty of pitfalls.

He probably thinks you really awakened the Precognition talent.

Oh, right. The Special Operations Department has always held that the best training happens in danger. And the best way to train a talent is to use it often. This afternoon, I'll do a good job impersonating 'Precognition.'

300 meters ahead, the grass hides a hollow. There's a hole. Go around.

The bridge will collapse if you don't cross within 10 seconds. Sprint.

Taking straight ahead as the Y-axis, one meter per unit. There's an archer at coordinates (297, 311).

*

*

"Holy smokes," an assistant instructor muttered in the monitoring room, his eyes glued to screen number 17. "Are talents ranked in the 500s this strong now?"

A research fellow from the Third Institute, taking notes beside him, explained, "It could be that he has particularly high compatibility with this talent."

Talent compatibility was a recent research finding.

The First Research Institute had discovered that many Awakened who underwent talent transplant surgery could not utilize their talents as effectively as naturally-awakened Awakened of the same level.

Thus, the concept of "talent compatibility" was proposed.

Evidence showed that a talent ill-suited to its bearer, even if forcibly transplanted, often yielded unsatisfactory results.

Yet ordinary people still lined up for the surgery. Most were from the wealthy and powerful elite.

Compared to awakening through contact with pollutants, this method was undoubtedly much safer.

Tang Xun'an had repeatedly expressed opposition to this practice. The surgery had since been removed from the First Research Institute's regular program.

Thinking of this, the researcher couldn't help but glance at Tang Xun'an, standing at the front of the room.

He stood at the forefront, only his straight, upright back visible. He spoke little, inevitably seeming somewhat apart.

The researcher vaguely recalled a rumor.

Tang Xun'an had also undergone a talent transplant surgery. The surgeon was the long-deceased Professor Qiao Yu. That year, Tang Xun'an was only sixteen.

The talent he received came from a pollutant.

The transplant surgery with a pollutant source caused an exceptionally severe rejection reaction in Tang Xun'an. Many thought he wouldn't survive that winter.

But in the end, Tang Xun'an stubbornly clung to life. He just lost the sight in one eye and the hearing in one ear.

The golden eyes, they said, were a later transplant. And because of the hearing impairment, Tang Xian'an still wore a specialized hearing aid crafted by the Research Institute.

But he'd survived the rejection. And in return, he'd gained what was now the most formidable combat talent in the entire combat division.

[Talent #9: Dragon Bone].