Arknights, Just Tell Me Whether the Mission Is Complete

After recognizing Lungmen's polarization, they could still remain unwavering in their sense of justice and devote themselves wholeheartedly to building Lungmen.

This way, newcomers could hone their professional skills and temper their character during the process. If she grew enough, she could even make an exception and promote her into the Special Inspection Group.

Unfortunately, no one chose the task she had painstakingly arranged.

Most people turned to pick someone else's task the moment they saw that it came from the Special Inspection Group.

At that thought, Ch'en shook her head regretfully and looked up at the unlucky last-place candidate, Luo Chen.

"This task is fairly dangerous. If you can't handle it, you can choose to give up. Knowing when to retreat is also wisdom."

"Officer, if I give up, does that mean I'll be eliminated?"

Ch'en nodded without saying anything.

Objectively speaking, based on Luo Chen's previous performance, it made no difference whether he gave up or not. He would be eliminated either way.

If someone else capable took on this task, they might face mortal danger.

But if Luo Chen did it, he would be perfectly safe.

Because he wouldn't even be able to uncover so much as a trace of the Rat King, naturally no one would do anything to him.

So in the end, it didn't matter whether Luo Chen accepted the task or not.

"Then I'll take the task."

As he spoke, Luo Chen opened the last document envelope.

Inside were a printed sheet, a record form, and a phone. The printed sheet contained a mission summary, while the record form listed the points he needed to investigate in secret.

[Mission: Secretly investigate the true identity of the Rat King, Lungmen's underground emperor.]

[Mission duration: One week.]

[As the leader of the lower city's most powerful non-governmental force, the Rat King is a major destabilizing factor in Lungmen.]

[To safeguard Lungmen's security, it is necessary to gather more intelligence on such a dangerous individual.]

[As an assessment task for newcomers, the Special Inspection Group requires you to enter Lungmen's lower city alone and independently investigate the Rat King's true identity.]

[The closer your findings are to the truth, the higher your score will be.]

[You may encounter life-threatening danger during this mission. If you encounter a danger you cannot handle, you may use the phone to call the number stored within and request assistance.]

[Note: If you reveal your identity as a member of the Lungmen Guard Department, or call a number stored on the phone, it will be considered an automatic abandonment of this mission.]

[The record form includes: target age, gender, hobbies... family background.]

Luo Chen studied the mission summary three times with utmost seriousness.

He had heard quite a bit about the Rat King mentioned in the task.

Rumor had it that twenty years ago, a man called the Rat King had swept through Lungmen's gangs, large and small, with an exceptionally forceful approach, establishing underworld rules such as not involving one's family.

It could be said that the unwritten rules governing Lungmen's dark forces today had all been set by the man known as the Rat King. Calling him Lungmen's underground emperor was no exaggeration.

And this mission was actually asking him to investigate Lungmen's biggest gang boss.

The Special Inspection Group truly deserved its reputation as the Lungmen Guard Department's elite. Even their assignments were this challenging.

Fortunately, he had awakened the memories of his previous life. Otherwise, with only this life's abilities and experience, he would have been scared to tears just reading the mission title.

"The higher-ups of the Lungmen Guard Department can't possibly be unaware of the Rat King's real identity. So what exactly is the purpose of setting this task?"

"Just now, Superintendent Ch'en said I should play to my strengths, avoid my weaknesses, adapt to circumstances, and think of every possible way."

"My weakness is undoubtedly my physical ability, while my strengths are the knowledge and temperament accumulated over two lifetimes."

By the time Luo Chen finished analyzing the situation, he already had a rough direction for completing the task.

But before officially starting, he still needed to confirm a few things with his superior, lest she go back on her word later and refuse to hire him.

"Officer, before I begin this mission, I have a few questions I'd like to ask."

Ch'en nodded. "Go ahead."

"Are there any restrictions on how I complete the mission?"

"No."

"If I complete this task, does that mean I can join the Lungmen Guard Department?"

"Yes, provided you can complete it."

"Alright. Can I record that?"

Ch'en's brow furrowed involuntarily. Did she look like the sort of person who would go back on her word?

"If you want to, you can."

"Please repeat what you just said, Officer."

Ch'en had merely been polite, but Luo Chen actually took out his phone and pressed the record button.

Suppressing the urge to hit him, she said with a stern face, "As long as you can complete the task assigned by the Lungmen Guard Department, you may join the Lungmen Guard Department."

"Alright, thank you, Officer. Then I have one final request. Could the Lungmen Guard Department provide me with a few more phones?"

"Yes."

More phones?

What did he need them for?

Luo Chen's request made Ch'en somewhat curious, but she didn't ask further. She still believed that even if Luo Chen racked his brains, he wouldn't be able to uncover the slightest trace of the Rat King.

The System Took One Look at Me and Wanted to Run Away

When Luo Chen returned to the dormitory, his other five roommates had already packed their luggage and gone to their chosen departments for their practical assessments.

But the dormitory wasn't empty. A tall woman stood with her back to the door, staring out the window as though lost in thought.

"Ghost Sis, why are you here?" Luo Chen asked.

Come to think of it, he should really have called Hoshiguma Auntie.

According to this life's memories, Hoshiguma had been comrades-in-arms with his late parents.

Still, no matter how old a woman was, she probably wouldn't enjoy being called Auntie.

Hoshiguma heard Luo Chen's voice and slowly turned around. When she saw the document envelope in his arms, an expression of just as expected appeared on her face.

When Old Ch'en had come up with that ridiculous task a few days ago, Hoshiguma had already had a feeling that no one would choose such an extremely difficult assignment.

It would most likely fall into the hands of Luo Chen, the last-place candidate.

And just as she had expected, the task was now in Luo Chen's hands.

Now Luo Chen didn't even have a chance to turn things around in the practical assessment.

Hoshiguma looked at Luo Chen with a complicated expression.

Honestly, she wanted to persuade Luo Chen to change careers quickly and stop obsessing over joining the Lungmen Guard Department to punish evil and uphold justice.

But while it was easy to think those words, she simply couldn't bring herself to say them.

She had watched Luo Chen's efforts ever since he was young.

He exercised every day, remained disciplined, and studied late into the night.

To enroll in Victoria's police academy, Luo Chen had even sold his house in the upper city.

In the end, he spent his entire family fortune and studied for years, only receiving a completion certificate. He still couldn't enter the Lungmen Guard Department.

All she could say was that talent was something a person either had or didn't. Luo Chen simply wasn't born to be a Lungmen Guard Department officer.

But for Luo Chen, who had lost his parents at the age of seven, becoming a Lungmen Guard Department officer had been his lifelong pursuit. If she told him to give it up, she might directly make him lose the will to live.

At that thought, Hoshiguma could only suggest that Luo Chen first live an ordinary life.

"Luo Chen, it's alright if you don't make it this year. Find another job to support yourself first, then come try again next year if you get the chance."

"Alright. Does Ghost Sis have any recommendations?"

Luo Chen answered very naturally.

Luo Chen had long since learned how to deal easily with questions that carried the concern of an elder in his previous life.

The best way to deal with such questions was to agree first, then throw the question back at the other person.

That both satisfied their dignity as an elder and gave them an opportunity to show off their capabilities. If they really could provide him with better resources, he could pick up a free advantage as well.

That was how one navigated relationships.

"There'll be other chances... What? You're willing to consider other jobs?"

Hoshiguma had been preparing to counsel Luo Chen and tell him that there was plenty of time ahead. He didn't need to stubbornly fixate on one path. He could still help others and be an upright, decent person in other professions.

Yet Luo Chen immediately agreed and asked Hoshiguma to recommend some work.

That left Hoshiguma completely at a loss, because she had planned to first talk Luo Chen around before helping him look into other jobs.

But unexpectedly, the hardest hurdle had been cleared in an instant.

Had this training camp finally made Luo Chen see reality clearly and give up completely?

He had come to terms with it so quickly that she didn't know whether it was a good thing or not.

"Ghost Sis, you've seen my situation. My physical fitness is poor, and I don't have the brains for criminal investigation either. If I don't consider other work, I might starve to death outside one day."

"Sis, you've seen a lot and know plenty of people. See if there's any job suitable for me."

Luo Chen asked with complete sincerity.

Although Superintendent Ch'en had promised not to go back on her word, smart people didn't put all their eggs in one basket. It would be a shame not to make use of Auntie Hoshiguma's excellent connections.

"Well, I'll need to ask some friends."

Luo Chen's acceptance and composure finally put Hoshiguma's worried heart at ease. Since Luo Chen could let go of his obsession, she was willing to do her part.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Sis."

After Hoshiguma left, Luo Chen, having regained some peace and quiet, began working on his practical assessment mission.

He lined up the five phones he had borrowed from the Lungmen Guard Department's logistics division on the desk.

He had already thought of a way to complete the mission. It couldn't be considered a guaranteed success, but with his experience from his previous life, he was at least sixty percent confident he could pull it off.

Just then,

A voice suddenly rang out in Luo Chen's mind.

[Positive Growth System binding in progress.]

[This system will help the host become a person useful to the world.]

[Detecting the host's bodily functions.]

[Name: Luo Chen.]

[Intelligence: Some.]

[Physical fitness: Trash!]

[Originium Arts: None.]

[Skills: None.]

[Specialties: None.]

[Mentality: A personified Dongxi.]

[After viewing the host's status panel, the system wishes to automatically uninstall. Do you agree?]

"No."

This system was a little rude.

Didn't he look like a positive and motivated person?

After Luo Chen chose no, the system seemed to have crashed and fell completely silent.

The system's appearance had startled Luo Chen a little, but considering that he could live through two lifetimes, wasn't having a system perfectly normal?

Still, this system clearly seemed unwilling to stay with him. It couldn't wait to uninstall itself.