Brushing Past Each Other

"Okay, here's your Registration Form."

".That simple?"

Lu PingAn still found it a little hard to believe as he held the successfully processed form.

He had merely demonstrated his BUFF ability a little and mentioned that he was attempting the Gardener path, and he had met the requirements.

Then the people waiting behind him shoved him out of the office.

".Another Logistics Dog."

"Say less. He's one of the smart ones. Hah, unlike idiots like us, fighting an army to cross a single-plank bridge."

Mocking, sarcastic remarks drifted from the crowd.

This was the first-floor lobby of the office building. There were simply too many people lining up, and he had no idea who had said it.

But from the way most people looked at those leaving the Logistics Department Registration Office, Lu PingAn understood that Cat Cat had probably put it mildly when she called it "hostility."

When admission to the Regular Department required an average score of at least seven, with luck still playing a role, while six points was enough for the Logistics Department, resentment was perfectly normal.

Generally speaking, when one had incurred public outrage like this, it was not the time to reason with anyone. Keeping one's head down was the right approach.

The few Logistics Department applicants ahead of Lu PingAn had all silently left with their forms in the face of this hostility from the masses.

But this was Lu Family PingAn.

".Sigh, the Logistics Department is so boring. An average score of six is enough to get into university. It really doesn't reflect my standards at all."

With that one sentence, he maxed out the aggro. Everyone stared at him in dumbfounded disbelief.

And he was not done yet.

".Oh, right, I remembered wrong. I also pulled some strings to get one bonus point for an internship, plus two points for my Tier 1 class. Huh? An average score of five is actually enough for me! Hahaha, this is way too easy."

The Young Man proudly planted his hands on his hips and burst into loud laughter in the lobby beneath everyone's stunned gazes.

"Some people should just apply properly. I'm going home to play games."

"You—"

At last, someone could no longer endure it. He charged out of the crowd, ready to teach that smug bastard a lesson.

Lu PingAn did not know whether he was one of the people who had been making sarcastic comments earlier. He only knew that those people had to be here, so—

"It's you! Stinky Flower!"

As he spoke, Lu PingAn suddenly scattered two roots.

The next instant, huge red flowers bloomed from the floor. In moments, an "enticing" scent began spreading through the entire lobby.

"Ugh, it stinks!"

"What is this thing!?"

"Who farted? No, it's too disgusting—who took a dump? Damn it, who pushed me?!"

The corpse flower, also known as the Corpse Flower, was a slightly modified ordinary plant, Tier 0, and therefore very cheap.

But used now, in this packed lobby, its effect was exceptional.

Its once-in-a-lifetime giant blooms opened, and their foul stench hit everyone in the face, sending the victims fleeing in all directions.

But in a lobby already packed shoulder to shoulder, where could they possibly run?

Instantly, people and bodies tumbled into chaos, while the culprit had already slipped away unnoticed.

The chaos had only just begun. At the other end of the lobby, people who had no idea what was happening were already being hit by both the foul stench and the human tide.

".This is the kid you recommended?"

"Not bad, right?"

"He certainly has plenty of energy."

As the chaos spread across the first floor, familiar faces of Lu PingAn's were chatting in an office on the second floor.

".Then we'll do as we discussed. If he doesn't get in, give him an invitation for special admission."

"Thank you."

"No need to thank me. It's just procedure."

Xia Qin rubbed her stiff brow and forced out a smile.

Working overtime day and night lately had truly worn her down.

But this time, she had to come personally to secure a special-admission ticket for her "ward." In the end, he had made her lose face in front of her former teacher!

Qian ShuEn, the admissions director, glanced downstairs. Noticing that the security guards had arrived and the source of the stench had been burned away, he could not be bothered to move.

He looked at his visitor, his mood somewhat complicated—not because of this little "incident."

She had once been his student, and was now a young backbone member of the Special Task Force—the foolish girl he had not thought highly of back then.

Yet judging from the results, she seemed to have the brightest prospects among the batch of graduates who had entered government service two years ago.

At the very least, she was still alive.

He had heard that the child he had thought most highly of back then, from the same batch, had also returned. Yet everyone would rather he never came back.

"Professor Qian?"

"It's nothing. When you get old, your mind tends to wander. By the way, Captain Xia Qin, I don't think he'll need this special admission letter."

Xia Qin gave a bitter smile. She was conflicted too—who could have known things would change so quickly?

"I hadn't expected him to take the logistics gardener route. He only suddenly reported that 'plant catalysis' ability to me three days ago."

"Heh, so he's a sly little brat. You'll have your hands full with him from now on."

Lao Qian pondered for a moment before continuing.

"What he said makes sense. The Logistics Department gets an extra two points for profession bonuses, plus internship bonuses. An average score of five points will do; it really isn't the same difficulty as for the others. If the Logistics Department weren't short-staffed every year, with all the Training Institutions fighting over recruits, this loophole should have been closed long ago."

Suddenly, Xia Qin's expression turned very strange.

"Professor, I only found out today that he has Tier 1 profession bonus points."

"Was he bragging? Doesn't seem like it. He looked very confident. No—he was absolutely confident."

Lao Qian was very sure of himself. Before a "Negotiation Expert" like him, lying was difficult—especially for low-tier lies from ordinary people.

Lu PingAn was really Tier 1, or close to it? Now it was Xia Qin's turn to find it hard to accept.

"Professor, as I recall, the average time for an ordinary person to reach Tier 1 is about a year and a half, right?"

"That's too absolute. Going from an ordinary person to Tier 0 actually isn't difficult, especially for those with good talent."

After giving it some thought, Professor Qian gave a more precise answer.

"There are no tricks to going from Tier 0 to Tier 1. The evolution from Profession Skills to supernatural abilities depends on accumulation and waiting for the right opportunity. As far as I know, although different professions vary greatly, if someone has high compatibility from the start and an easy profession to take up, the fastest would be around six months. The slowest would be around three years."

"...Lu PingAn awakened only a week ago."

Now even Director Qian began to wonder whether his "Lie Detection" ability had malfunctioned, or whether that Young Man possessed some innate ability that blocked him.

Then he laughed.

"Impressive, truly impressive. I'm rather looking forward to his entrance exam. I'll speak with the other professors and make sure he receives special attention."

Uh... Xia Qin's expression became even more subtle. Had she unknowingly screwed Lu PingAn over?

Lu PingAn, who was already wandering around Gu City Academy, had no idea he had just passed by his guardian.

"Ugh, that stinks. Next time, remember to get a Gas Mask before using it—and stand farther away too."

Complaining as he did so, he took out his phone, intending to ask whether Lei Shui Yun had finished up.

The next moment, he put the phone away again. Unlike the nearly deserted Logistics Department, the Regular Department's long queue was not something that could be dealt with anytime soon. Calling now would most likely get him an earful.

"...I hope Cat Cat is okay."

Yes, he hoped Cat Cat, with her sensitive sense of smell, was okay. More than that, he hoped the beastified catfolk, whose sense of smell was even sharper than a cat's, was okay.

In fact, while Lu PingAn had been making his escape, cries had already risen from the chaotic hall.

"Someone fainted! Bring a stretcher, quick!"

"Why are they so fragile? A beastified newbie who still can't control their abilities? Then never mind."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. How miserable. Three beastified newbies have already gone down, haven't they?"

More than two hours later, after Lu PingAn had grown tired of wandering around, he finally received his lunch box—as well as the person carrying it, with two large cotton balls stuffed in her nostrils.

"...Pfft? Why do you smell like medicated oil?"

Seeing Lei Shui Yun's gloomy face, Lu PingAn instinctively took a big step back.

"Some bastard set off a stink bomb in the hall! Meow got squeezed in the crowd, and the stink kept wafting right into my nose! Someone even stepped on me! When I find that bastard who released poison gas, I'll definitely %￥& him first, then kill him, then—"

For the first time, Lu PingAn saw Cat Cat so angry that she started using censored words.

Smiling, he soothed Cat Cat, took the lunch box, and was pleased to see that the package was completely intact. The food should be fine too.

Then he made a plan: he would remove "Rafflesia," that Ultimate Weapon, from his list of backup plants.

"...But it was pretty useful. Then I'll keep another foul-smelling plant as a backup. Right, irritating-smelling plants are especially effective against beastified ability users. I should make a note of that."

Well, apparently recommendations now depend on follow-up reading data or something, so please don't leave the book sitting in your library. It'll die that way.