Sudden Outburst

For a moment, the room fell silent.

"This... sir..." Old Ghost said shakily. "Could we discuss this...?"

"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, his gaze falling on the blood streaming from the Strongman's eyes, nose, and mouth. He then glanced at the panel. [Basic Combat] had already disappeared, and beneath the [Strongman] profession, there was only one ability.

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

This was the professional ability gained from becoming a Strongman. Su Chen had no idea exactly how much of an increase it provided.

But this big guy seemed to be seriously 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, toward the big guy.

What did she mean?

Did she still have another trick up her sleeve?

As expected of a superior profession. Even after being fed that medicine, she was still so lively.

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

Old Ghost had been forced to keep his head lowered. Seeing that his words received no response, he could not help but continue, "If you kill me, the Strongman kills Jiang He, and neither of you can do anything to the other. In the end, you'll both only suffer."

"Once the Inspection Department notices something wrong, 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 expose himself either.

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

Su Chen abruptly exerted force with his palm. With a crunch, his five fingers sank directly into Old Ghost's skull.

"Old Ghost!" The Strongman's eyes bulged as he roared. Just as his large hand was about to tighten as well, an eerie stabbing pain suddenly shot through his head. The hand covering nearly half of Jiang He's head instinctively contracted.

Bang!

The wooden floor beneath Su Chen's feet exploded. He shot forward like an arrow released from its bow; the distance between them had never been great.

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

Fortunately, he had been mentally prepared. [Strengthen] had already activated. His heart seemed to have had its accelerator stomped down, violently contracting and then expanding as blood roared through his veins.

Bulging veins rose one after another, as though they wanted to break 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 bodily instinct reacted faster than his thoughts. His right hand had already gathered force and slammed forward.

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

Bang!

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

Crack—

A faint sound of bones fracturing came from the Strongman's arm. Agony swept through him as he staggered backward, his right arm trembling uncontrollably. His face turned horrified as his gaze fell on the taut veins beneath Su Chen's skin.

"P-perfect employment!?"

Su Chen was slightly taken aback, but he had no time to care. He pressed his advantage, his right leg already whipping into the Strongman's face.

Crack—

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

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Su Chen closed in, driving punch after punch into vital spots. Blood splattered everywhere.

A moment later, Su Chen's chest rose and fell. 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 today. By all rights, he should have been much stronger than Su Chen.

"Perfect employment?" he muttered. The panel did indeed say perfect employment. He had not paid much attention to it before, but it apparently was no small matter.

Riiip—

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

And there was this woman.

"Su Chen, thank you." Jiang He looked immensely relieved, her expression full of gratitude and sincerity. She held the "card" she had just picked up from the floor. "This is for you."

Su Chen said nothing, merely staring directly at her.

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 provisional admission letter?"

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

Was this his true face? Had he been pretending before?

But why had she never sensed that he was a professional?

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

"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. She could not sense any killing intent from him at all.

Yet just moments ago, under precisely these circumstances, this man had crushed Old Ghost to death.

Damn it, who exactly was this guy?

Jiang He cursed inwardly and hurriedly explained, "No. Leaving the city this way is different from a drifter leaving the city. It is a supplement to the City Patrol Guard. You only conduct patrols near the city and won't be sent to dangerous places as cannon fodder."

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

"No..." Jiang He hurriedly shook her head. "The official admission route only opens once a year. If 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 employment?"

Jiang He froze, unable to understand what Su Chen meant. Helplessly, she said, "It means you are extremely compatible with a profession, and the various conditions it requires have been fulfilled to an exceptionally high degree. Then you can achieve perfect employment."

"What are the benefits?"

"The benefits... are that you can gain powerful professional abilities, and it is less likely to undergo mutation..." As Jiang He explained this common knowledge, she pointed at the bloodied Strongman on the ground. "A Strongman with perfect employment should have a well-proportioned body like yours. Those huge muscles of his clearly came from using potions as assistance."

"Although he could still become a Strongman that way, he could not gain professional abilities, and any hope of future advancement would be extremely slim."

So this guy did not actually have the [Strengthen] ability. No wonder he had been so weak.

Su Chen pondered. "Is perfect employment difficult?"

Jiang He explained, "It is not difficult for low-tier professions, but it becomes troublesome with higher-tier professions. Especially superior and top-tier professions—the requirements for employment are extremely harsh."

Su Chen nodded thoughtfully, then abruptly asked, "Do you have any life-or-death leverage over yourself?"

"Huh?" Jiang He looked blank. 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.

At those words, Jiang He instantly snapped awake and hurriedly said, "Y-you can't kill me. Your arrival was arranged by my people. It would be easy to trace it back to you."

"Even if you escape the city, facing the darkness alone will only lead to death."

Su Chen's frown deepened. "That's why I asked whether you have life-or-death leverage over yourself."

Only then did Jiang He understand what he meant. For a moment, she froze 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 character. Without a way to restrain her, once she recovered, he would probably be at her mercy.

"I do, I do!" Jiang He hurriedly shouted. "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. He slowly walked toward Jiang He with a helpless look on his face.

Jiang He swallowed hard. Dense cold sweat appeared on her forehead. For a first-tier professional to recklessly leave the city was a death sentence.

But whether he died or not was a matter for later. She was about to die right now.