Becoming a Reservist

Lin Xiaosu laughed. "Changye, you really aren't being much of a friend. You kidnapped me here half a month ago, yet you never came to check whether I was eating enough, dressing warmly enough, whether my little assistant was behaving..."

Changye stood behind him.

Changye curled her lips. "With the living conditions here, do I really need to worry about whether you're fed and clothed? As for whether your little assistant behaves... she might not have 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 first—after reading these books, what did you take away from them?"

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

Changye quietly looked into his eyes.

At this 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 this one incident alone has a real organization name. Why?"

"Your focus really is peculiar! Everyone else pays attention to the incident 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 flipped to that page. "Hydra is Qianlong's greatest enemy and, across the entire globe, the greatest criminal organization as well. Battling it is the ultimate goal of every Qianlong member. Jing Lei became a god in a single 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 forged by oneself and must be bought with blood. Second, to tell Hydra that although they call themselves unmatched in power, Qianlong of Daxia will still kill them without hesitation. Third, this concerns Jing Lei himself. He truly deserves to stand as a monument in this textbook."

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

"Yes. He has truly surpassed the standard of an 'Emergent' and entered the realm of an 'Awakened.' Even within the mysterious 'Awakened Domain,' he stands firmly among the very best. More importantly, there has always been a saying within Qianlong: When Jing Lei sounds, the world is settled! Whenever there is a mission, he will resolve it with a single move..."

An incomparably powerful figure was etched into Lin Xiaosu's mind—Jing Lei! His accomplishments were utterly shocking...

Since entering Unit 101, he had gained some understanding of the mysterious Gene World.

Genetic Modification bestowed superhuman traits upon humanity.

Yet this great undertaking that could echo through the ages had only just begun.

At present, the Gene Humans created through Genetic Modification mostly possessed superhuman traits in only a single aspect. They were called "Emergents," representing the budding of humanity's self-enhancement.

This was the first tier of Gene Humans.

Among Gene Humans, there was another mysterious tier, called "Awakened"!

What was awakened?

Transcendent power!

Superhuman and transcendent differed by only one word, yet they were worlds apart. A superhuman merely surpassed ordinary people; a transcendent, once crossing that threshold, was practically "no longer human"!

Every "Awakened" was a legend worthy of being written into 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 held an amiable smile. With great courtesy, she held a tray bearing two cups of tea. She handed one to Changye. Changye 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. The tea looked clean and pleasing to the eye, but beneath the Heavenly Insight Eye, there was clearly something mysterious within its limpid brew...

After studying it for a while, Lin Xiaosu gently set the cup on the nearby coffee table and picked up the cold tea he had started with.

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

"Listen to you. Who likes drinking cold tea?" Lin Xiaosu smiled. "I simply couldn't determine what type of poison you put in the teacup, so I had no intention of testing 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 the first time we've met, and we're in 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 her toe and saw it clearly, but he simply could not dodge it!

If he had had a gun in his hand, he could have fired it—but didn't he have no gun in hand?

Still, his reaction was rather commendable. He violently twisted his waist and leaped into the air.

The little beauty's kick was no longer aimed at him, but at the chair.

Yet just as that kick was about to strike the chair, her foot stopped. Her toe was half an inch from the chair, yet she had forcibly halted it...

Thud!

Lin Xiaosu's leaping body landed on the coffee table, and it looked as though he was about to sweep everything on it clean off.

Changye flicked a finger lightly. The teapot and teacups flew into the air at once. With a gentle sweep of her hand, Lin Xiaosu found himself sitting blankly back in his original place, while the airborne teapot, teacups, and tray were tapped by her slender fingers and landed almost simultaneously where they had been. Not a drop of tea spilled.

Now that was truly badass.

"I get it!" Lin Xiaosu cried. "You and I fought once in the system. You lost, so you got this enraged. Tell me, does Qianlong have any rules at all? You lost in the trial grounds, and now you want to poison someone in real life... Do you even know what 'martial virtue' is?!"

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

"There are still differences between the system and a real person. Physiological traits are entirely different. But the way you lift your leg to kick is exactly the same as that killer in the system. How could I fail to tell?"

The newcomer was naturally Xin Yue!

She was dumbfounded...

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

"Because her gaze had ill intent!" Lin Xiaosu said. "Though she smiled sweetly and looked innocent and kind, the moment she saw me lift the teacup, there was a little expression in her eyes like some scheme had succeeded..."

"I'll fuck your eight dads! You still dare show off in front of this auntie..." Xin Yue screamed, completely cutting loose.

"You think that's an insult? My eight dads are excited in their graves..."

"Fuck! To hell with it, let's fight!" Xin Yue sprang into the air and swept out with a kick...

Changye stretched out a hand and caught her calf on the spot. "Xin Yue, do you want points deducted again?"

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

Point deductions were the lifeblood of her existence.

She needed a thousand points to become a full member from a reservist. Based on merit, she had long accumulated over two thousand points, but she could not withstand being frequently deducted. After all those deductions, she had only 853 points left. If she really beat this bastard into a pig's head in the library, she probably would not get away with fewer than 200 points deducted.

Changye turned her gaze to Lin Xiaosu. "Go back. Your little assistant is behaving now."

"Is there any justice in this? I risk getting points deducted for arguing with him, while he directly passed the assessment..."

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

What Xin Yue did not understand, he understood.

Today had actually been an assessment as well.

It had tested two things.

The first was his thoughts after reading Spy Warfare.

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

He told Changye that after reading those twisting, turning spy warfare stories, his feeling was this: the peace and happiness of today existed because someone was carrying the burden for you.

Changye had stared into his eyes the entire time he said it.

She knew he was speaking the truth.

This was the fundamental mentality a Qianlong member had to possess.

Qianlong tested far more than skills. It also tested one's mentality. Only a proper worldview and a childlike, sincere heart could shoulder great responsibility.

This was the first layer of the assessment.

There was also a second layer.

The second layer 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 Lin Xiaosu had not only accurately determined that the tea was poisoned and refused to drink it. He had also thrown in an extra basic skill. What was it?

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

What terrifying observational and deductive ability was that?

With these three layers of assessment,

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

Upon entering his room, Lin Xiaosu saw his little assistant, Xiao Luo, once 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 wife has endured until she became the mother-in-law. So you have this 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. The Qianlong Regulations explicitly prohibit waste."

Fuck!

In the end, Lin Xiaosu chose three dishes and a soup, the upper limit stipulated by the Qianlong Regulations.

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

Lin Xiaosu sat on the sofa, watching Xiao Luo roll up her sleeves and cook for him. His feelings were rather complicated. Such a capable robot—was she expensive? Maybe once I get paid, I'll buy one and take her home to play with...

While he ate, Xiao Luo stood beside him, ready to heed his every command.

The food truly tasted first-rate. Five-star rating!

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

"I'm here!"

"Have all your functions been unlocked?"

"Yes, sir."

"Including your ultimate function?"

"Xiao Luo does not understand what sir means. The concept of an ultimate function does not exist in Xiao Luo's database..."

At that, 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 resolving physiological needs. That is not Xiao Luo's job. Xiao Luo is a Type B robot. The lower part is made of alloy and has no opening. Does sir want to modify Xiao Luo? If so, an application must be submitted and approved by a superior."

"No, no. I was just asking."

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

With a blink of Xiao Luo's eyes, knowledge of robotic mechanisms appeared within the small room.