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墨書 Inktalez
When Lu Fei Fan opened his eyes, the mechanical tentacles that had been inserted into him swiftly withdrew their needles, flexibly retracting back to the large black turntable above his head. He touched the wounds where the needles had pierced him; aside from a tingling sensation, there was no swelling or pain as he had imagined, which surprised him a bit.
Lu Fei Fan stood there in a daze, still reflecting on the dream he had just experienced. The image of falling rocks and various attacking water serpents, octopuses, and piranhas in the rushing waterfall was vivid in his mind. Just when he was on the verge of giving up, the waterfall suddenly tilted and rolled over him like a bedspread, completely submerging him. Then Lu Fei Fan woke up.
"Dream assessment passed. Dream time score: minutes," the Electronic System announced within the Assessment Venue.
Lu Fei Fan understood that the longer one could stay afloat in the dream assessment without falling into the water, the better their score would be. However, as the Data Analysis System continued to increase difficulty, the chances of falling into the water would also rise, making it increasingly difficult for evaluators to hold on.
Nevertheless, scoring minutes in dream time was still quite good. He wondered if anyone before him had managed to last longer. As he exited the Assessment Venue, the Fourth Examiner smiled and returned his number plate to him. However, this time it had completely transformed into a badge forged from special black metal, complete with a necklace for wearing around his neck.
Lu Fei Fan examined it closely; it resembled a soldier's tag from his previous life. This badge bore his name and blood type, and occasionally flickered with a faint energy that illuminated its unique energy pattern.
"This is your identity badge obtained by passing the first assessment. With it, you can continue to participate in the upcoming tests. Just scan the energy pattern with a machine device to check your scores," explained the examiner.
However, something unexpected happened: a shameless individual actually bit down hard on the identity badge.
"Hey, it's not black gold!" After inspecting it, this rogue held up the badge with an expression of utter disdain as if he were looking at scrap metal.
"Don't throw it away; we won't issue replacements for this," the Fourth Examiner reminded him with an exasperated smile.
"Alright, alright." Lu Fei Fan reluctantly put the badge around his neck while muttering, "If only it were made of gold; wouldn't that be impressive? The Federal Government is so stingy..."
The examiner could only facepalm at this greedy rogue who even dared to complain about the Federal Government's choices—how audacious!
"Examiner, how about... you exchange it for a gold one?" Lu Fei Fan persisted stubbornly.
"Get lost."
In the end, Lu Fei Fan was kicked out by the examiner. However, as he left, he managed to glean some information from them: several evaluators ahead of him had performed better than he did in this round, with one holding out for nearly an hour in dream time.
This left Lu Fei Fan somewhat astonished; indeed, there were always stronger opponents out there. This realization sparked his competitive spirit.
Once outside the venue, an assistant beside the Fourth Examiner could no longer contain himself.
“Director, it seems you really like this candidate,” the Fourth Examiner said with a smile, stroking the stubble that had just begun to grow on his chin.
“Well, I wouldn’t say I like him, but this Fellow gives me a rather unique impression,” he replied.
“Oh? In what way?” The younger Assistant couldn’t help but ask out of curiosity.
“I’m not entirely sure, but my intuition tells me that this Fellow has a chance to enter the first-tier examination,” the Fourth Examiner stated confidently.
“That… seems unlikely,” the Assistant countered, appearing to have his own opinions. “Based on the overall physical data, he doesn’t seem particularly outstanding. However, I have high hopes for Bai Xu Chang. His performance in the first exam was nearly sixty minutes of exceptional results. If we hadn’t cut the assessment short to save time, he could have easily lasted two hours in the dream without any issues.”
“Hmm… The Bai Family has indeed produced a promising talent this time,” the Fourth Examiner nodded slightly in agreement. “But I still trust my instincts. I firmly believe in that Fellow we just discussed.”
“Hey, how about a bet? Whoever’s prediction turns out right and gets into the first-tier assessment sequence will treat the other to drinks—limitless!” The Assistant licked his dry lips, and the thought of alcohol stirred his appetite.
“Alright. Enough talk; let’s hurry up and get the remaining assessment machines set up. There are still thousands of people waiting outside. This is really exhausting,” the Fourth Examiner said with a hint of frustration, feeling a headache coming on. Although there were several venues operating simultaneously outside, their efficiency was concerning.
Outside, a steady stream of candidates gathered in the square, waiting for announcements to enter the assessment. The actual assessment time wasn’t long; each individual’s process took only a few minutes. By the time Lu Fei Fan emerged, A Teng and Niu Dali were already waiting for him outside. Both wore badges identical to the one Lu Fei Fan had just received, indicating they had also successfully passed this round.
Now, it was time for the second round.
The second examination venue was set up on the opposite side of the base. After receiving their badges, Lu Fei Fan and his companions consulted with an on-site examiner and followed the directional signs towards the location of the second venue along with other candidates who had completed their first round.
The venue at this base was an open area covered in emerald green grass. On one side of the bustling square stood two structures resembling warehouses—Assessment Venues.
What caught Lu Fei Fan's attention was that behind these two buildings were peaks covered in tropical vegetation. Beyond those mountains lay what should be Tea Fragrance Island’s edge; he could already faintly smell the salty sea breeze.
Compared to the first round, there were significantly fewer candidates gathered around this second venue. Lu Fei Fan casually observed that many from the first round had likely been eliminated.
The second round's assessment began similarly to the first, with an Electronic System announcing for candidates to enter the examination hall.
Surrounding the venue were fully armed soldiers in pairs, while two groups of heavily armored soldiers patrolled nearby. This indicated that the Free Federation took this Unified Examination quite seriously regarding maintaining order at this assessment base. Several personnel wearing armbands stood at the entrance; they seemed different from ordinary staff and were likely Empowered Individuals as well.
As Lu Fei Fan, A Teng, and Niu Dali arrived outside the venue, they heard the announcement calling a few candidates to enter the hall. Their numbers were still quite far from being called.
At that moment, a stir arose among the crowd of candidates, filled with murmurs and speculations.
“Look, look! The door to the left venue just opened!” someone suddenly shouted.
Everyone turned their attention to the left entrance. As the Gate swung open, a blast of white vapor erupted from within. Several examiners waiting outside quickly rushed in, and soon after, they emerged carrying two candidates who appeared to be unconscious. To make matters worse, both were foaming at the mouth.
“Wow, how many is this now? Those who went in standing barely come out on their feet,” one person remarked.
“Yeah, it’s true. They go in upright and come out horizontal. It’s brutal,” another added.
“What kind of assessment could it possibly be…?”
“I guess it’s some kind of combat test.”
“Nonsense! Look at those being carried out; they don’t even have any bruises.”
“That doesn’t mean anything. They could be experts who inflict harm without leaving marks.”
“Stop arguing! I think there’s probably some hidden machines inside testing us…”
The crowd continued to bicker animatedly, but Lu Fei Fan observed closely; those candidates didn’t seem to be knocked out. Experts? This level of examination shouldn’t be that difficult.
If it wasn’t a combat assessment, then what could it be? This thought piqued Lu Fei Fan’s curiosity and anticipation.
“Boss, it looks like those who got carried out are in pretty bad shape. Do you think we’ll end up being hauled out by some burly guys too?” Niu Dali chuckled, shaking his shoulders with excitement.
“Maybe it’s a test of temptation? I’d have no resistance against that kind of assessment,” A Teng said, rubbing his hands together with a blissful expression as he imagined the possibilities.
Lu Fei Fan shook his head, too lazy to pay them any mind. The two fellows had both initially awakened their Empowerment, so handling the general assessments should not be a problem.
In contrast, the venue on the right was much better. Many candidates were fearful and avoided the left venue, opting for the right one instead. This was a multiple-choice question; candidates could choose either venue for their assessment. This was one of the rules Lu Fei Fan was aware of.
Although those who entered the right venue would not be carried out, every candidate who emerged looked frustrated and disheartened, clearly having been eliminated. However, since everyone had signed a confidentiality agreement before the assessments, they were prohibited from revealing any details about the questions to anyone else. Violating this rule would result in a lifetime ban from future assessments. Most importantly, those who finished were forced to leave through another passageway under the watchful eyes of armored guards and soldiers with real weapons. Who would dare to communicate? They would be taken away immediately.
This situation sparked even more curiosity about the content of the assessments in these two venues. Many people were discussing whether they should choose the left or right venue for their own assessments.
This was a decision-making question, which should also be part of the assessment, Lu Fei Fan speculated.
In the left venue, several batches of ten students had gone in, nearly a hundred in total, but only a few had not come out. The announcements continued to broadcast information about ongoing assessments.
Those who had not emerged were likely the ones who had passed since they had evidently exited through another route.
After more than an hour, the Data Analysis System announced Lu Fei Fan's badge number along with those of Niu Dali and A Teng. The three approached the registration desk in front of the examiners.
"In front of you are two venues; please choose either the left or right venue for your assessment," explained the cold and indifferent military examiner seated at the front, waiting for Lu Fei Fan and the others to respond.
So, should they choose the left venue or the right one?
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