Becoming a Reservist

Lin Xiaosu laughed. "Chang Ye, you're really not much of a friend. You dragged me here half a month ago, yet you never came to check whether I was eating enough, dressed warmly enough, whether my little assistant was obedient..."

Behind him stood Chang Ye.

Chang Ye curled her lips. "With the accommodations here, do I really need to worry about whether you're fed and clothed? As for whether your little assistant is obedient... she might not have been at first, but after tonight, she may well be."

"What do you mean? I passed the assessment?" Lin Xiaosu was a little excited.

"We'll discuss the assessment later. Tell me, after reading these books, what did you feel?"

Lin Xiaosu sighed softly. "Peace and stability aren't something to be taken for granted. The peace we enjoy today exists only because someone is carrying the burden for us."

Chang Ye quietly watched his eyes.

At that moment, his eyes were incomparably clear.

Lin Xiaosu opened the book before him and pointed to a passage. "There's something questionable here."

"Questionable?"

"Yes!" Lin Xiaosu said. "The entire book uses aliases, but this one incident alone includes a real organization's name. Why?"

"That's quite an unusual thing to focus on! Everyone else focuses on the incident itself, while you're focused on real names and aliases..." Chang Ye said. "Since you brought it up, I'll give you an answer. This was Qianlong's painstaking intention."

"Painstaking intention? What do you mean?"

Chang Ye took the book from his hand and opened it to that page. "Hydra, Qianlong's greatest enemy, is also the greatest criminal organization in the world. Sparring with it is the ultimate goal of every Qianlong member. Jing Lei became a legend in a single battle because he killed the White Bone Heavenly King. Qianlong recorded his real name and true deeds in this textbook for three reasons. First, to tell every Qianlong member that legends are created by oneself and must be earned with blood. Second, to tell Hydra that although they claim to be unmatched in strength, Qianlong of Great Xia will still kill them without hesitation. Third, it concerns Jing Lei himself. He truly deserves to be a monument worthy of this textbook."

"Jing Lei, a monument of Qianlong?" Lin Xiaosu asked.

"Yes. He had truly surpassed the standard of a 'Sprouter' and entered the ranks of the 'Awakened.' Even within the mysterious 'Awakened Realm,' he stood firmly at the forefront. More importantly, there has always been a saying within Qianlong: When Jing Lei sounds, the world settles! Whenever there is a mission, he will resolve it..."

A figure of incomparable power was planted in Lin Xiaosu's heart: Jing Lei! His achievements were astonishing beyond measure...

Since entering Qianlong 101, he had gained some understanding of the mysterious world of genes.

Gene Modification bestowed superhuman traits upon humanity.

However, this great undertaking that could shake the ages had only just begun.

At present, the Gene Persons created through Gene Modification were, for the most part, only granted superhuman traits in a single aspect. They were called "Sprouters," representing the budding stage of humanity's self-enhancement.

This was the first level of Gene Persons.

There was another mysterious level among Gene Persons, called the "Awakened"!

What was awakened?

Extraordinary power!

One was superhuman, the other extraordinary. A single word separated them, yet the difference was as vast as heaven and earth. The former merely surpassed ordinary people; the latter crossed the boundary into something fundamentally "nonhuman"!

Every "Awakened" was a legend worthy of being recorded in history...

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the left.

To his left, a woman approached with graceful steps. She was not the little assistant; she was a real person.

Her face was round, and her eyes held an approachable smile. She carried a tray with great politeness. Two cups of tea sat on it. She handed one to Chang Ye, who accepted it and took a sip.

She handed the other cup to Lin Xiaosu. Holding it in his hand, he examined it. It was Qingming tea, far better than the official tea commonly served in this library. It looked clean and pleasing to the eye, but under the Heavenly Dao Insightful Eye, there was clearly something hidden within the clear tea...

After examining it for a while, Lin Xiaosu gently set the cup down on the tea table beside him and picked up the cold tea he had started with.

The round-faced beauty widened her eyes. "Sir likes cold tea?"

"Listen to you. Who would like drinking cold tea?" Lin Xiaosu smiled. "I simply couldn't tell what type of poison you put in the tea, so I didn't plan to test it with my own body."

The young beauty's expression changed. "What do you mean?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "I'd like to ask what you mean... This is the first time we've met, and we're in the sacred Qianlong base. Why did you poison me?"

"Bullshit!" The young beauty kicked at him.

This kick was incomparably fast. Lin Xiaosu stared at the tip of her foot and saw it clearly, but he simply could not dodge it!

If he had a gun in his hand, he could have fired, but he did not have one!

Still, his response was quite impressive. He violently twisted his waist and leaped into the air.

The young beauty's kick no longer targeted him, but the chair.

However, just as the kick was about to strike the chair, her foot stopped. The tip of her shoe was half an inch from the chair, yet she forcefully halted it...

Thud!

Lin Xiaosu's airborne body landed on the tea table, and he was about to sweep everything from it.

Chang Ye flicked a finger. The teapot and teacups instantly flew into the air. With a gentle motion of her hand, Lin Xiaosu found himself sitting blankly back where he had been. The teapot, teacups, and tray that had been tossed into the air were tapped lightly by her slender hand and landed almost simultaneously back in their original places. Not a drop of tea spilled.

That move was genuinely badass.

"I get it!" Lin Xiaosu shouted. "You and I fought in the system. You lost, so you got so furious. Do you Qianlong people have any rules at all? You lost in the training ground, and then you try to poison someone in real life... Do you even know what martial virtue is?!"

The young beauty was stunned. "How did you know the person who fought you in the system was me?"

"There are still differences between the system and real people. Physiological characteristics are completely different. But the way you lifted your leg and kicked was exactly the same as that assassin in the system. How could I fail to recognize it?"

The newcomer was naturally Xinyue!

She was dumbfounded...

Chang Ye's eyes, however, lit up. "I have a question too. How did you know Xinyue poisoned your tea?"

"Because there was ill intent in her eyes!" Lin Xiaosu said. "Although she looked innocent and kind with that sweet smile, the instant she saw me pick up the teacup, there was a little look in her eyes that said her scheme had succeeded..."

"I'll screw your eight fathers! You still dare show off in front of me..." Xinyue shouted, completely losing it.

"You think that's an insult? My eight fathers are thrilled in their graves..."

"Fuck it! I don't care anymore, let's fight!" Xinyue shot into the air and threw a sweeping kick...

Chang Ye reached out and grabbed her calf on the spot. "Xinyue, do you want points deducted again?"

All of Xinyue's movements instantly stopped...

Point deductions were her lifeline.

She needed a thousand points to become a full member from a reservist. Based on merit, she had long since accumulated over two thousand points, but she could not withstand her frequent deductions. After having points deducted over and over, she only had 853 points left. If she really beat this bastard into a pig's head in the library, she would probably lose no fewer than 200 points.

Chang Ye turned her gaze toward Lin Xiaosu. "Go back. Your little assistant is obedient now."

"Is there any justice in this? If I get into a dispute with him, I risk losing points, while he directly passes the assessment..."

Amid Xinyue's repeated protests, Lin Xiaosu left the library.

He understood what Xinyue did not.

Today had actually been an assessment as well.

There had been two points to it.

First, his reflections after reading "Espionage Warfare."

His reflections on "Espionage Warfare" could reveal what was in a person's heart.

He had told Chang Ye that through those twisted stories of espionage warfare, he had come to feel that the peace and happiness of today existed because someone was carrying the burden for them.

When he said those words, Chang Ye had been staring into his eyes.

She knew he was speaking the truth.

This was the fundamental mindset every Qianlong member needed.

Qianlong tested far more than skills. It also tested mindset. A correct worldview and a sincere heart were what made someone worthy of great responsibility.

That was the first layer of assessment.

There was also a second layer.

The second was Xinyue poisoning the tea.

As a Qianlong member, one had to remain highly vigilant under any circumstances. If Lin Xiaosu had drunk that tea, his assessment would have failed.

But Lin Xiaosu had not merely correctly determined that the tea was poisoned and refused to drink it. He had also demonstrated an additional fundamental skill. What was it?

Through Xinyue's kick, he had accurately caught the common point between her and the Gene Person in the system, thereby determining that Xinyue was the assassin from the system.

What terrifying powers of observation and judgment were those?

With those three layers of assessment.

He successfully passed Qianlong's entry assessment. From the moment the little assistant's permissions were opened, he was a Qianlong reservist.

Upon entering his room, Lin Xiaosu saw his little assistant, Xiao Luo, again.

Xiao Luo smiled and told him, "Sir, you now have permission. Xiao Luo can do anything for you."

Anything...

Lin Xiaosu was delighted. "Haha, the wife has finally become the mother-in-law. So you have this day too... Xiao Luo, serve me all eight major cuisines in rotation, every single one!"

"Sorry, sir. You cannot eat that much alone. The Qianlong Regulations clearly prohibit waste."

Damn it!

In the end, Lin Xiaosu chose three dishes and a soup, the upper limit stipulated by the Qianlong Regulations.

Still, permissions were permissions. He could choose any one of the eight major cuisines, or pair dishes from one cuisine with soup from another, freely mixing and matching.

Lin Xiaosu sat on the sofa, watching Xiao Luo roll up her sleeves and cook for him. His feelings were rather complicated. Such a capable robot—was she expensive? Maybe after I get paid, I'll buy one to take home and play with...

While he ate, Xiao Luo stood beside him, ready to serve at any moment.

The food really tasted top-notch. Five-star rating.

After eating, Lin Xiaosu drank the tea she had brought him and looked her over. "Xiao Luo."

"I'm here!"

"Have all your functions been unlocked?"

"Yes, sir."

"Including the ultimate function?"

"Xiao Luo does not understand what sir means. Xiao Luo's database contains no concept of an ultimate function..."

So Lin Xiaosu began to explain...

Xiao Luo blinked her beautiful eyes and entered every word into her database. At last, she understood. "Sir means resolving physiological needs. That is not Xiao Luo's job. Xiao Luo is a Class B Robot. The lower part is made of alloy and has no openings. Does sir wish to modify Xiao Luo? If so, an application must be submitted and approved by a supervisor."

"No, no. I was just asking."

"Xiao Luo will give sir a comprehensive explanation..."

Xiao Luo blinked, and knowledge of robotic mechanisms appeared throughout the small room.