Ark, Just Tell Me Whether the Mission Was Completed

Ark, just tell me whether the mission was completed.

Author: Naming Is Really Hard 8

Synopsis:

Luo Chen had been expelled from the police academy in his previous life. The moment he arrived in this land, he faced the Lungmen Guard Department's entrance assessment.

Luo Chen, whose physical fitness and Originium Arts were both lacking, could only secure this dream job by passing the practical exam.

The mission required him to investigate the Rat King's true identity. The closer he got to the real person, the better his score would be.

So Luo Chen posted lengthy essays online and spread scandalous gossip about the Rat King everywhere. In less than a week, the Rat King personally paid a visit to the Lungmen Guard Department.

His first mission after joining was to play a robber and interfere with the Guard Department's exercise with all his might.

So Luo Chen directly kidnapped Swire, the exercise's chief commander, ending the competition at its source.

When he was assigned to infiltrate the Reunion Movement and investigate their true objective, Luo Chen directly drafted a detailed plan for the Reunion Movement to seize Lungmen, then forwarded it to Wei Yenwu.

At a Lungmen press conference three years later.

"Governor Wei, the leader of the extremist organization that overturned Ursus claimed to the media yesterday that he was a Guard Department officer. How would you evaluate this?"

Volume One

Such a Wonderful Start

When the scorching sunlight shone on Luo Chen's face, it was already nine in the morning.

He rubbed his pounding head from last night's hangover.

Then he discovered he was lying on an extremely uncomfortable hard bed. There were five identical beds in the room, but their blankets had already been folded, and their owners were nowhere to be seen.

"Where am I?"

Luo Chen sat up from the bed in confusion when he heard a jumble of footsteps outside, along with several people talking.

One of them, a mature-sounding woman, said:

"Hurry up. Superintendent Ch'en is about to give a speech at the training grounds. Isn't your group supposed to have six people? Why is one missing?"

"I think he drank too much yesterday. We can't wake him up no matter what."

"What? He dared drink during training?"

"Isn't he the worst performer? Maybe he wants to give up."

"You guys go ahead first."

Then Luo Chen's door was pushed open.

A tall woman walked straight inside without caring in the slightest whether Luo Chen was dressed.

The next instant, Luo Chen's eyes widened.

The woman who had entered had a horn on her head.

What the hell was going on? Was she even human? Was he seeing a ghost in broad daylight?

Luo Chen froze for a moment.

Hoshiguma looked at his dazed expression, then thought of the fact that Luo Chen was about to be eliminated from the Guard Department.

The scolding words on the tip of her tongue were swallowed back.

"Little Chen, I know this has hit you hard, but don't give up. Nothing is set in stone until the very last moment."

"Get dressed and report to the training grounds immediately."

Hoshiguma patted Luo Chen's shoulder, then turned and left.

Luo Chen felt a sharp pain in his head as memories surfaced.

It seemed that after being expelled from the police academy yesterday, he had drowned his sorrows in alcohol, then directly transmigrated into another world.

This land was called Terra.

The humans here all possessed traits of animals or mythical creatures to some degree. There were also all sorts of unscientific powers, such as Originium Arts, as well as terrifying Catastrophes capable of tearing apart everything.

As for the mobile city of Lungmen, where Luo Chen currently was, it was a semi-modern city with society and order.

As memories from both worlds flooded into his mind, Luo Chen gradually sorted out his situation.

"I'm currently taking part in the Lungmen Guard Department's entrance training, and I'm dead last."

"The Guard Department's entrance training doesn't have a one hundred percent pass rate. The bottom twenty are generally eliminated."

Luo Chen suddenly realized the predicament he was in.

Just like his past self, the Luo Chen of this world dreamed of fighting crime, upholding justice, and building a better world. That was why he had always worked hard to join the Lungmen Guard Department.

However, this version of him was kind of weak.

Not only could he not use Originium Arts, but his physical fitness lagged far behind as well.

As for academic subjects, while he couldn't be called well-read, he was still practically illiterate.

The only reason he had the chance to participate in the Lungmen Guard Department's assessment was because he came from an impeccable family background.

If his parents in this life hadn't been Lungmen martyrs, and if he hadn't received support from the Governor's Office, he would have starved to death in some sewer long ago with his abilities in this life.

"Right, the training. There seems to be one final assessment left."

"Compared to getting expelled in my previous life, this life's start is already so wonderful."

"As long as I turn things around in the final assessment, I can become a police officer. No, a Guard Department officer."

"That horned big sister was right. Until the dust settles, there's always a way."

"As long as your resolve doesn't falter, there are always more solutions than difficulties."

At this moment, in this brand-new world,

Luo Chen once again felt motivation and fighting spirit.

This had to be the reward for reporting the principal and accumulating good karma in his previous life.

With that thought, Luo Chen immediately put on the clothes beside his bed.

By the time he reached the training grounds, Superintendent Ch'en, standing on the platform, had already begun speaking.

Facing the gazes of over a hundred recruits, Ch'en radiated a stern, biting presence.

Even though she was delivering an ordinary leadership speech, every recruit was still so nervous that they couldn't relax.

"I know people outside say the Guard Department is Lungmen's iron rice bowl, and that once you join, you'll never have to worry about making a living for the rest of your life."

"But I need to tell you that the Guard Department is not some leisurely place to retire."

"The Guard Department bears the important responsibility of Lungmen's security and stability. It is a place that requires people to dedicate and sacrifice themselves."

"So if you want to join the Guard Department, you must first have the resolve to shoulder responsibility."

"..."

"Finally, there is one even more important point that must be emphasized: the Guard Department only wants capable people."

"The bottom twenty in this training program will all be eliminated."

As she said this, Ch'en fixed an unhappy stare on Luo Chen, who had openly slipped into the back of the formation.

The moment Ch'en's final sentence fell, the formation immediately erupted into noise.

Some were delighted, some sighed, and some even began to sob.

Luo Chen, however, showed no reaction. He merely met Ch'en's gaze head-on, openly looking back at her as he waited for her to announce the final assessment's contents.

Seeing Luo Chen's shameless face, red as a big radish despite being late, Ch'en's brows furrowed deeply.

Had she not explained herself clearly enough just now?

Why did Luo Chen, the very last-ranked recruit, show no reaction at all?

And he was late to assembly, yet he still had the nerve to stare back at her?

Could it be that this guy knew he had no hope, so he had simply given up?

With that thought, Ch'en couldn't be bothered to analyze it any further.

Whether he had given up or had some other reason, there was no need for her to waste time on someone who would soon be gone.

Ch'en continued in an orderly manner:

"However, don't celebrate too early. The most important practical assessment is still ahead."

"Training is ultimately just training. Only practical experience is the key to testing an officer's abilities."

"How you play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses when facing difficult missions, adapt to changing circumstances, and use every possible method to complete the mission—those are the crucial factors in determining whether an officer is qualified."

"Next, based on the abilities you excel at, you may select practical missions recommended by each department. If you earn a department's recognition, then even if your previous results were poor, you can still work in the department that recognizes you."

At this point, Ch'en suddenly paused.

"There is one final point I must emphasize. This practical assessment is not an act. Some of these missions are extremely difficult."

"If you do not maintain the vigilance and attitude expected of a formal officer, you could die."

Ch'en hadn't raised her voice, but her words echoed through the entire training ground like muffled thunder.

Many recruits had believed that being a Guard Department officer was a stable job for the rest of their lives. They hadn't expected to face mortal danger before even joining the Guard Department.

Because some had joined the Guard Department merely to earn a living, they had not made the corresponding mental preparations.

The training grounds instantly became terrifyingly silent, and the gazes of quite a few top-ranked recruits began to waver.

As if dissatisfied with everyone's reaction, Ch'en stood there with a dark expression for a moment before continuing.

"Now, everyone will select the practical mission they wish to carry out in order of their ranking."

Luo Chen stood at the back of the line. Watching the recruits ahead freely choose their missions, he noticed a major problem.

This final assessment was extremely unfavorable to those ranked near the bottom of the training program.

The top-ranked recruits could choose missions from the relevant departments based on the abilities they excelled at, and would naturally gain those departments' recognition.

The bottom-ranked recruits could only choose from the missions everyone else had left behind.

The missions left until the end were undoubtedly the most troublesome and difficult ones. This meant that lower-ranked members faced several times the difficulty of those before them.

Under such circumstances, if someone with poor results could complete their mission, that would indeed prove their worth.

Please Have the Officer Record a Guarantee.

There was some logic to the Guard Department's arrangement.

He just hoped the big brothers and sisters ahead of him wouldn't leave behind anything especially troublesome.

Near noon,

it was finally Luo Chen's turn as the last-ranked recruit.

He nervously rubbed his palms together and slowly walked over to the desk where Superintendent Ch'en sat. A document bag lay on the table, bearing the words: This mission is from the Special Inspection Group. Choose carefully. Once opened, the mission cannot be changed.

Ch'en looked at the remaining mission with some regret. She hadn't expected that among this batch of recruits, no one would dare challenge a mission from the Special Inspection Group.

Back when she was still only a high school student, she had dared to enter the Lower City alone to investigate the Rat King's true identity.

Thinking back on that experience,

Chen Huijie truly had many realizations.

Without deeply understanding the lives of the Lower City's people and its social order, one could not understand the Rat King's importance to the Lower City, nor could one grasp any trace or clue of him.

And in the process of understanding the Lower City, one would experience a series of incidents: trying to save someone out of kindness only to be robbed in return, or acting with good intentions only to make matters worse.

Through the clash between interests and human nature, one would gradually see that the world was not simply black and white. In places untouched by the light, a dark order was necessary.

By proposing this mission, she also hoped that these ambitious Guard Department recruits could gain a deep understanding of the Lower City's people's lives, experience and realize why reason and law didn't work in the Lower City, and why the Rat King was needed to establish order.

And to understand the Guard Department's grand ideals, as well as the helplessness and sorrow of reality.