Sudden Attack

For a moment, the room fell silent.

"This... sir..." Old Ghost began shakily. "We can... talk this over..."

"I'll have him let Jiang He go, and you let me go. We'll each leave separately. How about it?"

Su Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. His gaze fell on the blood streaming from the Strongman's eyes, nose, and mouth, then swept over the panel. [Basic Combat] had already vanished. Under the [Strongman] profession, only one ability remained.

[Strength: Activates the body's potential, greatly increasing explosive strength for a short period.]

This was the professional ability gained from becoming a Strongman. Su Chen did not know exactly how much of an increase it provided.

But this big guy seemed to be badly injured already.

Hm?

Su Chen suddenly noticed Jiang He desperately blinking, seemingly trying to draw his attention.

Seeing that he had finally looked over, the woman shifted her eyes diagonally upward again, toward the big guy.

What did that mean?

Did she still have some trick up her sleeve?

As expected of an advanced profession. Even after taking whatever medicine that was, he was still this fierce.

Su Chen blinked inconspicuously as well, signaling that he understood.

Old Ghost had been forced to keep his head lowered the entire time. Seeing that his words received no response, he could not help but continue. "If you kill me, the Strongman will kill Jiang He. Neither of you will be able to do anything to the other, and in the end, you'll both be badly hurt."

"Once the Inspection Department notices anything unusual, none of us will be able to leave."

He did not know why this lowly drifter was completely different from the information they had, but since Su Chen had been hiding himself, he surely did not want to be exposed either.

Feeling the large hand gripping the top of his head loosen slightly, Old Ghost sighed in relief. Just as he was about to press his advantage, a violent pain suddenly exploded in his skull.

Su Chen's palm abruptly tightened. With a crack, his five fingers forcibly pressed into Old Ghost's skull.

"Old Ghost!" The Strongman's eyes bulged in fury as he let out a roar. Just as he was about to tighten his own hand as well, an eerie stabbing pain suddenly shot through his head. The hand covering nearly half of Jiang He's head instinctively clenched.

Bang!

The wooden floor beneath Su Chen's feet exploded. He shot forward like an arrow loosed from a bow; the distance between them had not been great to begin with.

The burst of power after becoming a Strongman even exceeded Su Chen's own expectations. Before he could nearly react himself, the big guy was already right in front of him.

Fortunately, he had been mentally prepared. [Strength] had already activated. His heart seemed to have had its accelerator pressed, violently contracting before expanding as blood roared through his veins.

Veins bulged one after another, as though they wanted to burst free from beneath his skin.

The Strongman had only two choices left: slap Jiang He to death, then take Su Chen's punch head-on.

Or block Su Chen.

His body reacted faster than his thoughts. His right fist had already gathered force and smashed forward.

Su Chen had no technique. He simply threw a straight punch.

Bang!

Their fists collided. A flicker of surprise crossed Su Chen's fierce face. He had struck with all his strength, yet the power coming from the other man's arm was weaker than he had imagined.

Crack—

The faint sound of bones breaking came from the Strongman's arm. Agonizing pain swept through him, and he staggered backward, his right arm trembling uncontrollably. His face instantly turned horrified as his gaze settled on the taut veins beneath Su Chen's skin.

"P-perfect advancement!?"

Su Chen froze briefly, but did not have time to think further. He pressed his advantage, his right leg already whipping into the Strongman's cheek.

Crack—

Blood sprayed out. The Strongman flew backward, smashing the sofa away before crashing onto the floor.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Su Chen closed in, hammering blow after blow into vital points as blood splattered everywhere.

A moment later, Su Chen's chest heaved. He stood up, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled, feeling dizzy and hollowed out.

The Strongman on the floor was already unrecognizable. Even with Jiang He's help, this battle had been far easier than Su Chen had expected.

This guy had not become a Strongman just yesterday. Logically, he should have been much stronger than Su Chen.

"Perfect advancement?" he muttered. The panel had indeed said perfect advancement. He had not paid much attention to it before, but it seemed to be anything but simple.

Rip—

A sound came from behind him. Su Chen spun around sharply, only to see Jiang He struggling to rise from the floor, swaying unsteadily.

And this woman.

"Su Chen, thank you." Jiang He wore an expression of immense relief, mixed with gratitude and sincerity. She held the "card" she had just picked up from the floor. "This is for you."

Su Chen said nothing. He merely stared at her intently.

Gradually, the grateful smile on Jiang He's face stiffened.

Only then did Su Chen move. He stepped forward and took the card. "What is a letter of provisional enrollment?"

Jiang He's expression shifted. The current Su Chen felt unfamiliar to her.

So this was his true face. Had he been pretending before?

But why had she not sensed that he was a professional before?

Unable to gauge the situation, Jiang He did not dare take risks and answered honestly. "It means an unofficial student of the academy. You can still attend classes, but every so often, you have to leave the city..."

"You lied to me?"

Jiang He's body trembled slightly. Su Chen's tone was calm, and the eyes beneath his disheveled hair were unusually deep, as though there was not the slightest killing intent in them.

Yet just moments ago, under those exact circumstances, this guy had crushed Old Ghost to death.

Damn it, who exactly was this guy!?

Jiang He cursed inwardly and hurriedly explained, "No, leaving the city like this is different from leaving as a drifter. It serves as a supplement to the City Patrol Guard. You only patrol the areas near the city; you won't be sent to those dangerous places as cannon fodder."

"I see..." Su Chen nodded thoughtfully, then said, "So you thought I didn't know the difference and deliberately used a vague term like enrollment letter to fool me?"

"No..." Jiang He hurriedly shook her head. "There is only one official enrollment period each year. Once you miss it, no one can enter through official channels anymore. I thought you knew..."

Su Chen neither confirmed nor denied it, instead asking, "What is perfect advancement?"

Jiang He was stunned. Unable to understand what Su Chen meant, she said helplessly, "It means you are extremely compatible with the profession, and you fulfill all the required conditions to an exceptionally high degree. Then you can achieve perfect advancement."

"What are the benefits?"

"The benefits... are that you can gain powerful professional abilities, and you are less likely to mutate..." Jiang He explained some common knowledge as she pointed at the bloodied, mangled Strongman on the floor. "A Strongman with perfect advancement should have a well-proportioned build like yours. Those huge muscles of his were clearly produced with the aid of potions."

"Although he could still become a Strongman, he could not gain professional abilities, and his chances of advancing further afterward were slim."

So this guy did not actually have the [Strength] ability. No wonder he was so weak.

Su Chen pondered for a moment. "Is perfect advancement difficult?"

Jiang He explained, "It is not difficult for low-level professions, but it becomes troublesome with high-level professions. Especially for some advanced and top-tier professions, the requirements are extremely demanding."

Su Chen nodded thoughtfully, then abruptly asked, "Do you have any life-threatening leverage?"

"Huh?" Jiang He looked completely bewildered. Su Chen's erratic questions made it difficult for her to follow his train of thought.

"If not, I can only kill you." Su Chen frowned slightly.

Upon hearing this, Jiang He instantly sobered up. "Y-you can't kill me. Your people brought you here. It would be easy to trace you."

"Even if you escape the city, facing the darkness alone, you'll only end up dead."

Su Chen's frown deepened. "That's why I asked whether you have any life-threatening leverage."

Only then did Jiang He understand what he meant. For a moment, she fell silent again before forcing out, "You saved me. I'm very grateful..."

"Then you don't have any." Su Chen impatiently cut her off, already raising his hand.

This woman was no simple person. Without some means of keeping her in check, once she recovered, she would probably have him completely under her thumb.

"I do, I do!" Jiang He cried hurriedly. "I... I can tell you about some of my scandals..."

"No. I need the kind that can get you killed." Su Chen shook his head. What use were scandals?

"Looks like I can only run for my life." Su Chen deliberately increased the pressure, slowly walking toward Jiang He with a helpless expression.

Jiang He swallowed hard. Dense cold sweat appeared on her forehead. For a first-tier professional, rashly leaving the city meant certain death.

But whether he died was a matter for later. Right now, she was the one about to die.