Sunny Days

A day.

It could be brief, or it could be long.

This day... for the three people taking turns carrying out surveillance from the high-rise across from Gu Shen's apartment, it was a dull, interminable twenty-four hours.

The moon set and the sun rose; the sun rose and the moon set.

"Since the night before last, the teacher has disappeared with Gu Shen. No word from either of them." Zhong Wei sat on the windowsill. "It really makes me wonder what the final special training will involve."

"To be precise, it was last night, after midnight."

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo took a sip of coffee and corrected him calmly.

Holding a thick old book, she sat in a rocking chair on the balcony. She had maintained that posture for several hours. A Mental Affinity Transcendent of her level had long since integrated the Breathing Method into her daily habits. With only a small amount of rest, she could maintain high spirits.

In terms of sheer mental energy, Zhong Wei and Nan Jin were far inferior.

"Come to think of it, we've been watching for an entire day."

Nan Jin rubbed her eyes. "Han Dang still hasn't shown up... Could he have sensed the danger?"

"Han Dang really is a very perceptive fellow."

Luo Er said softly, "I've dealt with him several times over the past few years. He's full of schemes and exceptionally cunning. Since he chose to come to Da Teng City to investigate in secret, he definitely won't expose himself easily."

"But since he came for Gu Shen's assessment... he'll certainly act at the very end." She turned a page in the old book, completely composed. "Just wait patiently."

"I keep feeling like someone is watching me."

The crowds surged.

Han Dang had changed his usual style, wearing sunglasses, a mask, and a baseball cap. He kept an extremely low profile.

He had hidden among the crowd and walked back and forth along the street outside Gu Shen's apartment several times. Each time he was about to enter the building, his heart skipped a beat and a sense of foreboding welled up within him.

"Something's wrong..."

"Something is very wrong..." His instincts were remarkably accurate.

During missions, he had escaped danger time and again thanks to the warnings of this innate intuition.

"The real files on Gu Shen's Fire Disaster Case... I've already submitted them to the Assessment Team..." He slipped into a narrow alley and completely concealed himself in the darkness. "By rights, I shouldn't feel this uneasy. Today is the assessment day. The fact that he has no Transcendent Ability will definitely be exposed... All I need to do is take that ruler as evidence."

Han Dang sorted through his thoughts.

"That kid was hit by my hypnosis. There's no way he noticed."

"But where is this feeling of unease coming from?" Han Dang truly could not figure it out. He shook his head. "Time is limited. I have to act quickly."

He took a deep breath.

He walked out of the alley.

He entered the building.

The instant Han Dang entered the apartment building, Luo Er closed her book.

"Get ready to move."

She stood, put on her coat, and quickly headed toward the apartment building.

"The guy who just entered the building... was Han Dang?"

Nan Jin was somewhat astonished. She had been watching the entire time, while Senior Sister's gaze had never left the pages of her book. How had she done it? Was it some special application of her Transcendent Ability?

"I left a little thing at the entrance to the building... I can immediately sense anyone who approaches it. As for Han Dang... I know the aura on him far too well. I can't be mistaken." Senior Apprentice Sister Luo said, "There may be a fight when we make contact with Han Dang. Be careful. Just stay behind me."

The three quickly went downstairs and reached the building across the street.

"Wait."

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo stopped. Two fingers brushed across a transparent sensor door.

With a whoosh.

A slender strand of hair appeared between her fingers the next moment.

The moment it was removed, the strand of hair immediately coiled itself around Senior Apprentice Sister Luo's little finger.

This strand had been lying flat against the sensor door. Unless someone examined it inch by inch, it would never attract attention.

"This is that little thing."

She explained, "Don't misunderstand. This isn't my hair... It's an extremely special Transcendent Sealed Item. In a sense, it counts as another one of my eyes."

"Just one strand?" Nan Jin asked curiously.

"Of course..." Senior Apprentice Sister Luo said. "Not."

"I've set up more than three hundred eyes on the streets outside." She said softly, "Since yesterday, there has been someone walking back and forth along the street among the crowds. I've suspected him for a long time. And this eye at the apartment entrance is rather special. Within a certain range, it can not only see, but also sense fluctuations in spiritual power."

Nan Jin understood.

She sensed an unusual movement in the air. As Senior Sister spoke, slender strands of hair, almost impossible to see with the naked eye, continuously gathered toward Senior Apprentice Sister Luo. The passing pedestrians noticed nothing. Those black, spider-silk-fine hairs all ultimately merged into her long hair.

No matter what, placing the most important eye at the entrance could not possibly be wrong.

"He just entered the elevator."

Senior Apprentice Sister Luo said calmly, "We only need to follow him and catch him red-handed."

Knock, knock, knock—

Someone knocked on the door.

A response came quickly:

"Come in."

He pushed the door.

It did not open.

He tried again.

Creak—

A slightly grating sound followed.

The door opened.

To his surprise, what greeted his eyes was a clean, tidy classroom. The windows were half-open, and the curtains billowed continuously in the wind. The desks and chairs had all been moved away, leaving only several long tables lined up side by side.

Gu Shen rubbed his cheek. He had not expected this to be the location of the final assessment.

This looked more like a stage for some upcoming social gathering...

Throughout every day of the special training, Gu Shen had imagined what his final assessment would be like.

The scene in his mind was probably like when the Tribunal Head had questioned him alone... dim lighting, a cramped interrogation room, and important figures with savage-looking, scarred faces like Yan Shicheng seated around him.

Rather than an assessment.

It was more like a solemn trial.

After their conversation on the rooftop, Mr. Shu had taken him through the final day of special training—

There was no fifteen-kilometer weighted run that day, nor was there any training where he was beaten down a hundred times and forced to get back up.

There was no training at all that day.

Mr. Shu had simply taken him around, visiting various places in Da Teng City.

The Old Fellow had somehow gotten hold of a flashy luxury car and taken him cruising through the city. They ran more than a dozen red lights and ate at seven or eight high-end restaurants where Gu Shen could not even name the dishes from the menu. He had not wanted to go anywhere at first, but the Old Fellow's reason was impossible to refuse. It had not been easy for him to visit Da Teng City, and he wanted to experience its authentic local customs. While he was at it, he wanted Gu Shen to see what a day he liked looked like.

Gu Shen had also been curious about what the Old Fellow's day would be like.

In truth, it was nothing but eating, drinking, and having fun, like an endlessly energetic eighteen-year-old.

Meanwhile, Gu Shen had isolated himself from the world like an elderly empty-nester on the verge of death.

When the day ended, Gu Shen lay sprawled on the large bed of a private presidential suite. The windows were open, and chilly gusts of wind kept brushing over his face.

Half asleep, he suddenly remembered something.

He had been here for almost two years.

Today was the first time he had spent a free day as a tourist in the city where he had lived for two years.

Freedom was not riding in the best cars, eating the best food, or living in the best homes.

Freedom was not having to worry, not having to hesitate, not having to think about anything.

During the two weeks of special training, Gu Shen had never known peace at any hour of any day. He would wake from nightmares in the dead of night, and his thoughts would occasionally drift out of control.

The word assessment crawled densely across his heart...

To him, this was a trial.

But after that conversation on the rooftop, Gu Shen suddenly understood the true meaning of Mr. Shu's words.

"Do you hope to be S-rank?"

"Yes... of course!"

In truth, what kind of person one ultimately became had nothing to do with other people's expectations.

It depended on oneself.

If you wanted to become S-rank, and were willing to put forth every effort for it... then the final assessment result was not so important.

So Gu Shen had the most peaceful sleep he had had in more than ten days.

After waking up, he and Mr. Shu came to Da Teng Public School, the finest public academy in Da Teng City. Young students about his age were everywhere.

This was the site of the final assessment, not an interrogation room, nor the Underground Research Institute.

It was an academy under the sunlight.

It was a sunny day, and everything was beautiful.