Becoming a Reservist

Lin Xiaosu smiled. "Changye, you really lack loyalty. You dragged me here half a month ago, yet you never came to check whether I was eating well, dressing warmly, whether my little assistant listened to me..."

Behind him stood Changye.

Changye curled her lips. "With the living conditions here, do I need to worry about whether you're clothed and fed? As for whether your little assistant listens... she might not have listened at first, but after tonight, perhaps she will."

"What does that mean? Did I pass the assessment?" Lin Xiaosu was a little excited.

"We'll discuss the assessment later. Tell me, after reading these books, what did you feel?"

Lin Xiaosu sighed softly. "Peace and stability aren't things to be taken for granted. We enjoy peace today only because someone is carrying the burden for us."

Changye quietly watched his eyes.

At that moment, his eyes were incomparably clear.

Lin Xiaosu opened the book before him and pointed at a passage. "There's a questionable point here."

"A questionable point?"

"Yes!" Lin Xiaosu said. "The entire book uses aliases, but in this one incident alone, there's a real organization name. Why?"

"What an unusual thing to focus on! Everyone else pays attention to the event itself, while you focus on real names and aliases..." Changye said. "Since you brought it up, I'll give you the answer. This was Qianlong's painstaking intention."

"Painstaking intention? What do you mean?"

Changye took the book from his hand and opened it to that page. "Hydra, Qianlong's greatest enemy, is also the greatest criminal organization in the world. Crossing swords with it is the ultimate goal of every Qianlong member. This Jing Lei became a god in one battle by killing the White Bone Heavenly King. Qianlong included his real name and true deeds in this textbook for three reasons. First, to tell every Qianlong member that legends are created by oneself and must be bought with blood. Second, to tell Hydra that although they boast of being unmatched in strength, Qianlong of Great Xia will still kill them without hesitation. The third reason concerns Jing Lei himself. This monument of a man truly deserves a place in the textbook."

"Jing Lei, a monument of Qianlong?" Lin Xiaosu said.

"Yes. He has truly surpassed the standards of an 'Emergent' and stepped into the ranks of the 'Awakened.' Even within the mysterious 'Awakened domain,' he stands firmly at the forefront. More importantly, there has always been a saying within Qianlong: When Jing Lei thunders, the world settles! Whenever there is a mission, he acts and it is done..."

A figure incomparably powerful took root in Lin Xiaosu's heart: Jing Lei! His achievements were earth-shattering...

Since entering Qianlong 101, he had gained some understanding of the mysterious world of genes.

Genetic Modification granted humanity superhuman traits.

But this undertaking, one that would echo through the ages, had only just begun.

At present, the vast majority of Gene Humans created through Genetic Modification were merely granted superhuman traits in one particular aspect. They were called "Emergents," representing the budding of humanity's self-enhancement.

This was the first level of Gene Humans.

There was another mysterious level among Gene Humans, called "Awakened"!

What awakened?

Transcendent power!

One was superhuman, the other transcendent. A single word apart, yet as far apart as heaven and earth. The former merely surpassed ordinary people; the latter crossed the line into something fundamentally "inhuman"!

Every "Awakened" was a legend worthy of being recorded in history...

Suddenly, his gaze shifted to the left.

To his left, a woman approached with lotus-like steps. She was not the little assistant; she was a True Person.

Her face was round, and her eyes carried an approachable smile. She held a tray with great politeness. Two cups of tea sat atop it. She handed one to Changye, who accepted it and took a sip.

She handed the other cup to Lin Xiaosu. He held it in his hand and examined it. Qingming tea—it was far better than the official tea commonly served in this library. It looked clean and pleasing to the eye, but beneath the Heavenly Insight Eye, there was clearly something hidden within the clear tea...

After examining it for a long while, Lin Xiaosu gently set the cup on the tea table beside him and picked up the cold tea he had had from the start.

The round-faced little beauty widened her eyes. "Sir likes cold tea?"

"Listen to yourself. Who likes drinking cold tea?" Lin Xiaosu smiled. "I simply couldn't determine what type of poison you put in the tea, so I didn't intend to test the poison with my own body."

The little beauty's expression changed. "What do you mean?"

Lin Xiaosu said, "I'd like to ask what you mean... This is our first time meeting, and we're inside the sacred Qianlong base. Why did you poison me?"

"Bullshit!" The little beauty kicked at him.

That kick was incomparably fast. Lin Xiaosu stared at the tip of her foot and saw it clearly, but he simply could not dodge it!

If he had a gun in hand, he could have fired, but he did not have one!

Still, his reaction was commendable. He violently twisted his waist and sprang upward.

The little beauty's kick no longer targeted him, but the chair.

Yet just as that kick was about to strike the chair, her foot stopped. Her toes halted less than half an inch from it, forced to a hard stop...

Thud!

Lin Xiaosu's leaping body landed on the tea table, and he was about to sweep everything on it clean away.

Changye lightly flicked a finger. The teapot and cups instantly flew up. With a gentle sweep of her hand, Lin Xiaosu sat blankly back in his original place, while the teapot, cups, and tray that had flown into the air were touched by her slender fingers and landed almost simultaneously back where they had been. Not a drop of tea spilled.

That move was truly badass.

"I understand now!" Lin Xiaosu shouted. "You and I fought in the system. You lost, so you got this angry! Do you people at Qianlong have any rules at all? You got beaten in the trial ground, and then you poison someone in real life... Do you know what martial virtue is?!"

The little beauty was stunned. "How did you know I was the one who fought you in the system?"

"There are still differences between the system and a real person. Physical characteristics are entirely different. But the way you lifted your leg and kicked was exactly the same as that killer in the system. How could I fail to recognize it?"

The newcomer was naturally Xin Yue!

She was dumbfounded...

Changye's eyes, however, lit up. "I also have a question. How did you know Xin Yue poisoned your tea?"

"Because there was ill intent in her eyes!" Lin Xiaosu said. "Though she looked innocent and kind with that smiling face, the moment she saw me pick up the teacup, there was a tiny expression in her eyes, like a scheme had succeeded..."

"I'll fuck your eight dads! You still dare show off in front of me..." Xin Yue screamed, completely letting herself go.

"You think that's an insult? My eight dads would be thrilled in their graves..."

"Fuck it! I don't care anymore, let's fight!" Xin Yue leaped into the air and swept a kick across...

Changye reached out and grabbed her calf on the spot. "Xin Yue, do you want points deducted again?"

All of Xin Yue's movements stopped instantly...

Point deductions were her lifeblood.

She needed one thousand points to become a full member from a reservist. By merit alone, she had long accumulated more than two thousand points, but she could not withstand having points deducted so often. After deduction upon deduction, she had only 853 points left. If she truly beat this bastard into a pig's head in the library, two hundred points probably would not be enough to cover it.

Changye shifted her gaze to Lin Xiaosu. "Go back. Your little assistant is obedient now."

"Is there any justice in this? If I argue with him, I risk getting points deducted, while he directly passes the assessment..."

Amid Xin Yue's repeated accusations, Lin Xiaosu left the library.

What Xin Yue did not understand, he did.

Today had actually been an assessment as well.

There had been two points to assess.

First, his reflections after reading Spy Warfare.

One's reflections on Spy Warfare could reflect one's inner heart.

He had told Changye that through those twisting tales of spy warfare, what he felt was this: the peace and happiness of today existed because someone was carrying the burden for you.

When he said those words, Changye had stared into his eyes.

She knew he had spoken the truth.

This was the basic mindset required of a Qianlong member.

Qianlong tested far more than skills. It also tested one's mindset. A correct worldview and a pure heart were what made someone fit for great responsibility.

That was the first layer of assessment.

There was also a second.

The second was Xin Yue's poisoning.

As a Qianlong member, one had to remain highly vigilant under any circumstances. If Lin Xiaosu had drunk that tea, his assessment would have failed.

But not only had Lin Xiaosu accurately judged that the tea was poisoned and refused to drink it, he had also thrown in an additional basic skill. What was it?

Through Xin Yue's single kick, he had accurately caught the common point between her and the Gene Human in the system, then determined that Xin Yue was the assassin in the system.

What terrifying powers of observation and judgment were those?

With these three layers of assessment,

he smoothly passed Qianlong's entry assessment. From the moment the little assistant's permissions were unlocked, he became a Qianlong reservist.

Upon entering his room, Lin Xiaosu saw the little assistant Xiao Luo again.

Xiao Luo smiled and told him, "Sir, you now have permission. Xiao Luo can do anything for you."

Anything...

Lin Xiaosu was delighted. "Haha, the daughter-in-law has finally become the mother-in-law. You have your day too... Xiao Luo, serve me all eight great cuisines you claim to have mastered, one after another!"

"Sorry, sir. You cannot eat that much alone. Qianlong regulations explicitly prohibit waste."

Damn it!

In the end, Lin Xiaosu chose three dishes and one soup, the maximum permitted by Qianlong regulations.

Still, permissions were permissions. He could choose any one of the eight great cuisines, or choose dishes from one cuisine with soup from another, mixing and matching freely.

Lin Xiaosu sat on the sofa and watched Xiao Luo roll up her sleeves to cook for him. His feelings were rather complicated. Such a capable robot—was she expensive? Maybe after he got paid, he could buy one to take home and play with...

While eating, Xiao Luo stood beside him, ready to answer his every call.

The food really was top-notch. Five stars, full marks.

After the meal, Lin Xiaosu drank the tea she served and looked her up and down. "Xiao Luo."

"I'm here!"

"All your functions have been unlocked?"

"Yes, sir."

"Including the ultimate function?"

"Xiao Luo doesn't understand what sir means. Xiao Luo's database does not contain the concept of an ultimate function..."

So Lin Xiaosu began to explain...

Xiao Luo blinked her beautiful big eyes and entered every word into her database. At last, she understood. "Sir means solving physiological needs. This is not Xiao Luo's job. Xiao Luo is a Class B robot. The lower part is made of alloy and has no opening. Does sir wish to modify Xiao Luo? If modification is desired, an application must be submitted and also approved by leadership."

"No, no. I was just asking."

"Xiao Luo will give sir a comprehensive explanation..."

Xiao Luo blinked, and knowledge of a robot's mechanical structure appeared within the small room.