As they spoke, Bai Ye was led to the testing site, a multifunctional training room converted for the purpose, with data-gathering instruments installed along the walls.
"I'm applying to be the head of Rhodes Island's External Operations Department. Do I need to complete combat operator tests too?" Bai Ye asked, somewhat puzzled.
The HR operator beside him smiled and replied, "Of course. Deployed operators encounter more accidents and dangers, and personal combat ability and survival skills are the bargaining chips that keep you alive in dangerous situations. Besides, the External Operations Department has squads specifically responsible for rescue and support. If you want to become the department head, you need to know how to fight."
"Dr. Kal'tsit notified us that the test intensity needs to be increased." The HR operator handed her terminal to Typing Girl before quietly adding.
Typing Girl stared at the terminal screen in surprise. "Dr. Kal'tsit makes jokes too? He hasn't even officially joined yet..."
"To take on that sort of position, he needs the corresponding ability. The previous department head resigned due to injury, and the situation is becoming increasingly severe. We don't want the next one to die on the job either." The HR operator looked deadly serious, making it clear she was not joking. "Those are our boss's exact words."
However, neither the physical fitness tests nor the practical combat tests troubled Bai Ye. He even breezed through the additional special-environment simulations.
"Thank you for going easy on me."
Bai Ye reached out and pulled up the four operators he had knocked down.
"Did you really use your full strength? Why do I feel like you still had plenty left in the tank?"
One operator could not help but press him.
Four operators from the same squad had joined forces against one person and still gotten knocked flat. It was a rather humiliating affair.
Bai Ye shrugged. "Who knows?"
At that moment, the HR operator walked over to Bai Ye. "Please forgive the cumbersome process. Although Rhodes Island has many methods of prevention and response, the first checkpoint in operator screening will always be HR."
"There are actually many contradictions and suspicious points in your résumé. But what determines whether an operator is qualified is not his behavioral record, but his own intentions."
"You did very well. Even if you may not obtain the position you want, I still hope you'll stay."
With that, she uploaded the documents containing her evaluation to the Rhodes Island terminal.
"How did it feel?" Typing Girl approached with a bottle of water and tossed the ice-cold plastic bottle to Bai Ye.
"The hiring standards for this medical company are ridiculously high..." Bai Ye felt that something was off. In his previous life, many Rhodes Island operators had not even possessed combat experience. How had they passed such strange and difficult tests?
Typing Girl could not help exposing the truth. "The tests you went through were special. There were many extra procedures too."
Ordinary operators only needed a medical examination and an ability test when joining. Afterward, they had to attend a Rhodes Island instructor's training camp, then pass an assessment after training to meet the standards for active operators.
"So you're actually this strong." Typing Girl had not had an intuitive grasp of Bai Ye's strength before, but now she had witnessed it firsthand.
And this guy had not even used Originium Arts or his talent for spells. He definitely had not gone all out.
Bai Ye shook his head. "Not enough. Whether I can currently defeat a pureblood Wendigo one-on-one is still a question."
His skills and experience should have been sufficient, but Wendigos were too tough. Their armor was powerful, their strength terrifying, and their Sarkaz rituals were frightening as well. He most likely could not beat one.
"Why are you so fixated on Wendigos?" Typing Girl asked in confusion.
The fiends and Laterano people had a blood feud. Some extreme Sarkaz might directly open fire upon seeing a fiend.
But as a Rhodes Island operator, Typing Girl should not have held prejudice toward Sarkaz. Besides, many Sarkaz had long since moved away from Kazdel, and the descendants of those overseas Sarkaz could not be called fiends.
Even so, in Typing Girl's eyes, pureblood Wendigos still represented destruction and slaughter.
"Maybe because they're just too strong..."
Bai Ye was obsessed with Wendigos.
Even a badly wounded Wendigo was harder to deal with than Talulah.
It was not until Version 3 that Players finally found a way to clear the Wendigo dungeon, "The Last Patriot."
In Version 4, TeaParty cleared a new Wendigo dungeon. This elite player squad ultimately defeated the Ursus ultimate battlefield killing machine at its peak, Patriot's Heart. The cost was that half the Players, including the commander, saw their screens go black.
That battle had taught Bai Ye what frustration felt like—his blade could not even pierce Patriot's outer armor. Attacking him felt like scratching an itch; he simply could not break through his defenses...
Big Daddy at his peak had shown the Players the terrifying power of Terra's high-end combatants.
Even though Bai Ye had become stronger by Version 6, he still could not forget the obsession in his heart.
Joining Rhodes Island
"I object. Letting a newly recruited operator immediately take a supervisor position is getting him killed! You should tell him how his predecessor lost an arm on the job."
"Bai Ye's strength is sufficient for this responsibility."
"Can you guarantee he won't act recklessly?"
"The psychological evaluation and simulation tests have already sufficiently reflected his capabilities and his attitude toward the Infected."
"He emphasized during the test that he is a selfish person."
"Recognizing one's own shortcomings is the first step toward treating others with kindness."
"I always feel that he has his own thoughts and goals regarding this position."
"At the very least, he has no intention of harming Rhodes Island."
Inside the meeting room, Rhodes Island's upper management was engaged in a heated argument.
The External Operations Department was one of Rhodes Island's primary departments. It handled matters concerning deployed operators while also managing all external offices.
If Bai Ye successfully obtained this position, he would enter Rhodes Island's management directly. It was absolutely a lightning-fast promotion.
There had never been such a precedent before.
Finally, the head of HR voiced her opinion. "I read the employment examination report Paper Cutter just sent over. Personally, I support him. For every candidate, the most important thing is for them to find their place in Rhodes Island and acknowledge Rhodes Island."
"'When someone continually reflects on and tests their ideals, we are willing to be their forge. The hardships of this land are neither yours nor mine alone... We will overcome them alongside our operators.' I hope everyone appreciates Miss Theresia's words."
Dr. Kal'tsit glanced at Amiya, whose expression had changed at the mention of Theresia, then tapped the table. "As customary, let us begin the vote."
"Alright, the motion has passed. Bai Ye will become the new head of Rhodes Island's External Operations Department."
"I didn't expect you to actually succeed!" Typing Girl stared at the brand-new ID badge on Bai Ye's chest, her little mouth hanging wide open. This was the first time Bai Ye had seen such a marvelous expression on the girl's face.
So this kid could be surprised too...
"This shouldn't be possible. Joining and getting promoted at light speed... how could something so outrageous happen?" Typing Girl could not accept that the newbie she had received had suddenly become Rhodes Island upper management. "Aren't they afraid you'll tear Rhodes Island apart?"
She continued muttering under her breath.
"Maybe if you went to Dr. Kal'tsit's office and caused a scene too, you could get promoted quickly?" Bai Ye was in a fine mood. As he looked at the newly added title of Rhodes Island External Operations Department Head on his game panel, he teased the angel girl.
"Bai Ye!"
A clear female voice rang out behind him. Bai Ye turned around and saw the vampire lady, Warfarin, standing behind him.
"?" Bai Ye slowly produced a question mark. Had this woman actually come after him again?
He seemed to have heard about her intentions earlier in Dr. Kal'tsit's office.
"I have yet to introduce myself. I am Warfarin, a specialist hematologist. Welcome to Rhodes Island."
Warfarin referred to herself in an unusual manner. Based on Bai Ye's understanding of Terra's common language, that form of self-reference had already been outdated for an entire era. No one used it in modern times.
What era had this ancient monster crawled out of...? Bai Ye no longer had the strength to complain. Why was Rhodes Island full of living fossils?
"Something is off about you. Bai Ye, be careful. Miss Warfarin's reputation in Rhodes Island is rather complicated..." Typing Girl looked wary. She swore that she had never seen Warfarin this serious before.
Where had that casual, unreliable vampire lady gone?
The angel girl felt that after Bai Ye's arrival, Rhodes Island's atmosphere had begun shifting in some strange direction. Everyone was becoming abnormal.
A large vein popped on Warfarin's forehead as she said "kindly," "Receptionist, Bai Ye has officially joined Rhodes Island. He is no longer a visitor. Your task is complete."
There was nothing left for you to do here! Damn Sankta brat!
"It's fine. I've just arrived at Rhodes Island and am unfamiliar with many things. I need this young lady to show me around."
Bai Ye stepped forward and stood in front of Typing Girl, then looked at Warfarin. "Miss Warfarin, there's no need to beat around the bush. We can discuss whatever you need. We'll be colleagues from now on, so there's no need to be so roundabout."
"Anything can be discussed?" Warfarin immediately seized the opening without a shred of dignity. Though she was a Rhodes Island veteran, she put on no airs at all and completely ignored her own image.
"If you don't say it plainly, you'll keep pestering me." Bai Ye sighed. "Besides, I have something I want from Miss Warfarin as well."
"Eh, you're interested in me?... Well, it isn't impossible. But do you have the courage to walk alongside a demon?" Miss Warfarin raised an eyebrow and leaned closer to Bai Ye.
"Stop joking, Miss Warfarin. You know that's not what I mean." Bai Ye held back the petite figure trying to move closer behind him.
Warfarin smiled. "Hehe, if that small price could get me the rarest and most valuable blood sample, it wouldn't be much of a problem. Besides, I could just refuse to pay afterward. Aren't all the vampires in the novels you've read like that?"
"Idiot, you just exposed your intentions..." Bai Ye covered his forehead with one hand.
This woman was far too unreliable.
"I'll be direct. You want my blood? Fine, I can give it to you. But I need more support from the Medical Department, and I want knowledge of pharmacology too."
The External Operations Department had great demand for medical support.
Moreover, Bai Ye currently lacked healing methods, and pharmacology could make up for that weakness.
"Deal!" Warfarin declared. "I like straightforward people."
"Hehe, perhaps we can reach even more agreements in the future."
"Sure, sure. How about coming to my office and sitting down now?"
"I'm done for... Why do I feel like I just witnessed some secret under-the-table deal... It feels like Rhodes Island's two great dark forces have joined hands." Typing Girl trembled behind Bai Ye.
Although Bai Ye stepping forward to protect her had made the girl very happy, at this moment she suddenly felt that Bai Ye seemed to have no moral principles either.
"Right now, I need to go to my department first." As Bai Ye spoke, he hung his ID badge on his chest. "Typing Girl, help me gather all External Operations Department employees currently on the island. I want to hold a meeting!"
"I'm not your secretary..." Typing Girl's expression became marvelous once more.
She felt like her character setting had collapsed.
Supervisor Bai Ye
Though she complained aloud, Typing Girl was still extremely reliable. She contacted every operator who was still aboard Rhodes Island through the terminal.
"No, after some time, I'm definitely transferring you over. You'd be perfect as a secretary." Bai Ye was genuinely satisfied with this Sankta girl.
Typing Girl rolled her eyes. She was doing quite well in Logistics. What kind of nonsense would it be for her to suddenly transfer to External Operations...
Rhodes Island's definition of the Logistics Department was rather broad. It was a concept opposite to frontline operators, and most office-based clerical workers could call themselves logistics operators.
By rights, a Laterano native like Typing Girl was better suited to becoming a frontline combat operator, but the girl preferred a peaceful life.
However, when she recalled her miserable experiences in Logistics and the countless problem children there, Typing Girl suddenly felt that being transferred to Bai Ye's side as his secretary did not seem so unacceptable.
Naturally, Bai Ye had no idea that his casual suggestion had thrown the girl beside him into such a dilemma. He simply put on the department head's uniform, hung the Rhodes Island Pharmaceutical ID badge around his neck, and headed toward his department.
The supervisor uniform was custom-made and differed from ordinary uniforms in style, making it very easy to recognize. As he walked through the corridors of the Rhodes Island landship wearing it, he immediately attracted the attention of quite a few operators.
Bai Ye was a new face, handsome, had directly become a department head, and had a mysterious background. All sorts of rumors about him immediately began circulating through Rhodes Island. Many people went to HR to inquire about this newcomer.
Everyone was curious. What kind of ferocious newcomer became a department head the moment he joined Rhodes Island?
How many department heads did Rhodes Island have in total?
Every single one of them was an absolute powerhouse!
Bai Ye mixed in among them with an atmosphere that felt entirely out of place.
This lightning-fast promotion was absurd.
The most outrageous rumor was started by an operator who claimed that this newcomer was Dr. Kal'tsit's illegitimate son...
The crucial thing was that quite a few people agreed with the claim.
That afternoon, someone saw that operator hanging from the bridge...
The rumor collapsed on its own.
No one bothered with that daring fool who had earned himself a prime seat at Bridge University.
Because that guy was frequently hung up there anyway, and everyone was used to it.
Before you continue