From Igniting Talent to Becoming a Demon God Section 3

After hesitating for a moment, Lu Chao still could not help asking softly.

This was the best way out he could think of at the moment.

He remembered that the original owner had been willing to risk taking this job precisely because of the Patrol Bureau's reputation.

After all, this was a key government department of the Alliance State, an armed institution responsible for public security in the city districts.

If he could formally become one of them, the significance went without saying.

"Oh?"

Old Cheng's smile vanished, and he tilted his head to look over.

"Hard." Their eyes met, and he shook his head lightly.

"The Patrol Bureau changed its rules three years ago. Like the other consortium companies, it made educational background a key assessment criterion."

"People like us, forget higher education—there aren't even many who finished secondary education... Compared with us, those elites who graduated from higher institutions are much easier to use."

Old Cheng's tone was wistful, and a faint smell of tobacco drifted from his mouth.

Lu Chao's heart chilled slightly. This path had actually been blocked off completely by educational qualifications too.

"But..."

Suddenly, Old Cheng frowned.

Lu Chao was slightly startled.

"Actually, the Patrol Bureau did leave an opportunity for outsourced employees like us."

Old Cheng lowered his voice. "Every October, there's an internal assessment. If your vitality meets the standard, and exceeds twenty points, you can sign up... If you pass the assessment, you can transfer to the Combat Division and become a Level 3 Patrol Officer. Your benefits and treatment double, and you'll have a chance at promotion afterward."

"But... there are very few spots for those who pass the assessment. Only a handful a year. You and I shouldn't even think about it."

He then shook his head again, not optimistic about that path.

A Level 3 Patrol Officer was also known as a temporary patrol officer.

But even so, the status and treatment were higher than many people's, and countless eyes were fixed on those positions.

Not to mention, twenty points of vitality was a threshold, and a very difficult one to reach.

Small fries like them, with no background and no financial power, had no chance at all.

"October's internal assessment..."

However, Lu Chao's eyes brightened slightly, and thoughts began to stir in him.

It was June now. There were still a full four months left.

As for vitality, it was the comprehensive indicator that best reflected a person's strength. The higher it went, the more one could accomplish things that seemed unbelievable to ordinary people.

Fighting a hundred alone, battling fierce birds, splitting steel plates with a palm... even extending one's lifespan. Those with powerful vitality often gained attention from all sides.

A requirement of twenty vitality points looked difficult, but this was the only opportunity he could currently see to turn his life around.

At once, he quietly clenched his fist.

Lu Chao gained a new goal.

"I have to try!"

Buzz!

That afternoon, five o'clock.

The gray-black cleaning vehicle drove away before his eyes. Lu Chao stood by the street near his home and watched it leave.

This could barely be considered one of the benefits of being a cleaner.

After the cleaning work was done, the rest was free time. They could choose to ride a cleaning vehicle heading their way back home and did not have to return to the labor service company.

"It's finally over."

His body was a little sticky, covered in a whole day's sweat.

Lu Chao stepped in his filthy black shoes, still wearing that yellow-striped work uniform.

No further accidents had happened during the later cleaning, though the Patrol Bureau's investigation had delayed them for some time.

Right now, all he wanted was to get home quickly, take a hot shower, and change into dry clothes.

Potential Progress: 98%

"What kind of change will it be?"

Subconsciously glancing at the panel again, Lu Chao thought once more of Old Cheng's words.

He planned to try October's internal assessment. Only that could let him bypass his disadvantage in educational background and break free from the mire.

And the key right now was choosing a path to raise his vitality.

Colonial implant modification, martial arts combat, awakening superpowers.

These were the three paths he had summarized from the original owner's memories, as well as the information he had just searched on the way back.

They were all superpower methods passed on to Earth Star by extraterrestrial civilizations. Each had its own strengths, and all could increase one's vitality.

He was in no hurry to decide right away, because he was looking forward to the changes that would come once his potential progress was complete.

This was tied to his final plan.

Tap, tap!

At once, Lu Chao turned and strode toward home.

A breeze blew past, sweeping a tattered old newspaper toward the black trash can at the street corner.

The concrete street before him was seven or eight meters wide, stretching straight ahead. Utility poles stood one after another along the roadside, strung with a messy web of crisscrossing black wires.

There were dozens of buildings on both sides, all very old, none more than ten stories high, their concrete walls dusty gray.

Black gas pipes were exposed outside, running tight along the concrete walls and extending around the street corners, covered in dark yellow rust.

There were quite a few shops on the first floors, hung with neon signs—mostly small restaurants and hair salons, along with a few scattered supermarkets and a small clinic.

This was where the original owner had lived.

Iron Ring District, Factory Street.

Prism Ring City's industrial district in the old era had once enjoyed a brief period of glory. Later, with the establishment and development of the Alliance State, as well as the completion of diplomatic relations with extraterrestrial civilizations, it was gradually abandoned.

The nearby buildings had been workers' dormitories back then. Later, taking Prism Ring City's population growth into account, they were reclaimed by the Administration Bureau and rented out cheaply.

It was already five in the afternoon, and there were many people coming and going.

The smell of synthetic meat drifted from the small restaurants, and office workers in ordinary clothes hurried back.

"Boss, give me a haircut."

"I'll take one synthetic set meal."

"Pah, aren't you just some stinking streetwalker? Raising the price again?"

Some people were getting haircuts. Some were eating.

On the black bins piled with plastic trash in the corner, flies buzzed and circled everywhere.

Lu Chao stood at the street entrance, swept his gaze over it, then looked away and walked quickly toward an old building.

Because he had not gone back to the company, he had only given his clothes a simple clean earlier. The smell of disinfectant mixed with rot still clung to him.

Some passersby frowned, while others covered their noses. Most glanced at him in disgust, feeling he brought bad luck.

"Study hard, hear me? Otherwise, you'll only be able to do this kind of work in the future too."

"I know, Mom."

The voices of a mother and son entered his ears as they deliberately distanced themselves from him on the road.

Lu Chao's face was expressionless. He had long since grown used to the cold looks this job brought him.

Immediately after, he turned off the road into Old Building No. 3 and climbed the rough concrete stairs to the fifth floor.

There was no elevator here, and each floor had only two units.

Even the security doors only had the oldest kind of keyhole, most of them somewhat yellowed with rust.

Click!

He took out his key and inserted it into the lock.

Lu Chao turned the door handle and walked into the apartment.

A shabby living room came into view. The white paint on the walls showed signs of peeling, exposing the gray base beneath.

Against the wall sat a black leather sofa covered in wrinkles. In front of it was a rosewood coffee table with a broken leg, piled high with all kinds of clutter, one corner propped up by a thick stack of books.

"Not back yet?"

He swept a glance at the tightly shut door on the left side of the living room. There was no movement at all.

Lu Chao braced himself against the wall and removed the black shoes from his feet with some effort.

He did not live alone. The original owner shared the apartment with a friend who had also grown up in a welfare home, splitting the rent and part of the food expenses.