Young Man, I See Great Things in Your Future

"Wouldn't it have been easier to do this from the start? With danger at our doorstep, we should help each other."

Xu Yuan led the way. Yang Xiaobing walked in the middle with Zhao Afei, clutching a handful of defensive talismans, while Jiang Xueyao brought up the rear.

Even Jiang Xueyao had drawn her sword now, ready to defend them at any moment.

The four slowly entered the fortification.

"Let the civilians in too, so they don't get hurt out there."

Xu Yuan spoke.

"You've got to be kidding! There's barely any room here as it is. The more people we let in, the more chaotic it'll get. They'll only get in our way." The tall boy stamped his foot, his voice sharp with irritation.

"This is our moment to contribute to the city and its people. You can't worry about that." Xu Yuan spoke.

He put extra emphasis on "contribute."

If the other boy had stopped to think, he might have realized—

Contribution was the key to gaining status.

With contributions came status, and with status came help in the exam.

That was the underlying logic the exam had revealed.

It was easy enough to understand—

Faced with a great catastrophe, any civilization had to encourage and guide people toward those values.

"Contribute?"

The tall boy sneered.

"All we have to do is hold this fortification and hide until the exam ends. We'll automatically outscore the countless candidates who die. Our results won't be bad."

Xu Yuan nodded slightly.

That was one way to approach it.

In large-scale disaster games, the better someone was at lying low, the less risk they faced and the more likely they were to survive.

But—

The bigger the waves, the pricier the fish!

Besides, this was an exam.

What decent person would answer a college entrance exam essay prompt with "You go die, I'll count the money," "Long live selfishness," or "I'm the only one who matters"?

This was an exam!

The examiners were already playing dress-up right there in the exam hall, you know?

For all he knew, one or two of those civilians outside were examiners in disguise!

Xu Yuan puffed out his chest, raised his brows, and declared in a ringing voice:

"I refuse to stand by and watch those people die here. We have to help them!"

Hell, even Homelander cared about his public image!

Wait, why had he thought of Homelander?

Forget it.

The tall boy looked at him as if he were an idiot and pointed at his head.

"Is something wrong with your brain? This is just an exam—a test of our proficiency in nine subjects. Why are you doing things that have nothing to do with it?"

There was no talking this out.

Their principles were too far apart.

That made things troublesome.

Xu Yuan swept his gaze across them.

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven. Seven in all.

Four ordinary students.

Three Qi Refiners who had awakened their sense of qi.

They had numbers on their side.

No wonder they talked so loudly.

Xu Yuan turned abruptly to his three teammates and said:

"Attack."

Even as he spoke, he raised both hands, a pistol in each, and opened fire.

Bang, bang, bang—

Four ordinary students.

Two were shot on the spot, while Jiang Xueyao's sword pierced the other two.

They vanished straight from the exam grounds.

A girl conjured a spirit shield from a talisman and blocked several blows. But Yang Xiaobing pulled out a "Wind Blade" talisman and flung it at her. After seven or eight rapid slashes, she vanished too.

Only the tall boy and his friend remained.

They drew their swords and roared:

"Die!"

"You treacherous bastard! Prepare to die!"

"You two have terrible tempers," Xu Yuan complained.

He raised his pistols again.

Bang, bang, bang—

The two boys jumped back in fright. They hurriedly swung their swords, channeling spiritual power into techniques to block the bullets.

Five shots still weren't enough. Xu Yuan pulled the pistol from Yang Xiaobing's waist and fired five times in succession, emptying its magazine.

Still not enough!

He snatched the pistol from Zhao Afei's waist too and fired five more shots, emptying another magazine.

One boy was shot and vanished.

Only the tall boy was left.

"Blocking all those bullets must've cost you plenty of spiritual power. Low-level cultivators still don't fare too well against modern firearms. So what do you say? Keep fighting, or shake hands and make peace?"

Xu Yuan offered his assessment, then waited for an answer.

"...Shake hands and make peace," the tall boy said.

"That's more like it. Better to settle a grudge than let it grow. We're all good brothers here." Xu Yuan sounded delighted.

Before he had finished speaking,

the tall boy charged forward with his sword.

They were already standing close. One step was enough to bring Xu Yuan within striking distance.

Clang!

The sword flashed free of its sheath.

"You vicious bastard—die!"

The tall boy brought his sword down at Xu Yuan's face.

Xu Yuan's sword moved too.

Jiang Xueyao had been watching without much interest. The instant Xu Yuan moved his sword, her eyes widened.

The tall boy's strike was fast and forceful.

Xu Yuan's was gentle and slow, like a spring breeze carrying fine rain. It lightly "clung" to his opponent's blade and eased it back. Only after shedding much of its force did his sword flash like a sudden thunderbolt.

That's my move.

Jiang Xueyao thought back.

On the roof of the teaching building, she had used that very move to "grind" through his sword.

She hadn't meant to do it.

Yet he had learned from it and was using it to cut through someone else's sword!

She had no words.

Still, the Qiong Jia Sword was exceptionally sharp.

Any weapon that met it blade-to-blade stood a good chance of being cut in two.

How to put it?

Xu Yuan was too lazy to fight his opponents properly. He just used his weapon to bully them.

But looked at another way—

He was getting his weapon's full value.

Clang!

A crisp note rang out.

The two figures met, crossed, and sprang apart.

Whirr, whirr, whirr—

The broken sword tip spun through the air and buried itself deep in the ceiling.

"...A fine sword," the tall boy said grimly.

"You're quite a piece of work yourself." Xu Yuan cupped his hands casually.

The tall boy lowered his head and looked at the sword in his hand.

Its blade had been cut in two.

And it wasn't only his sword. A long sword wound ran from his left shoulder to his right leg.

"I'll say it again: your strategy is wrong. In troubled times, misplaced compassion will only get you and your companions killed."

The tall boy spoke.

"..." Xu Yuan.

Brother, don't say that out loud. The examiners are watching.

"Nothing to say?" the tall boy sneered.

"Some things aren't misplaced compassion."

Xu Yuan's face was set with resolve.

"Naive fool. You only won because your sword is so good." The tall boy shook his head as his figure faded and vanished.

He had been kicked out of the exam.

Xu Yuan sighed, looking desolate.

I took all those people out and didn't get a single gold coin!

He sheathed his sword, walked to the opposite wall, and ran his fingers over the deep sword mark there.

Qiong Jia Sword sharpness +5.

That last stroke had cut through the tall boy and his sword. Sword Qi had burst from the blade and struck the wall, leaving a gash this deep.

It really was a fine sword.

He swung the Qiong Jia Sword a few more times to get used to the agility and strength it gave him, then glanced back at Jiang Xueyao.

She was a bona fide big spender.

Should I hitch my wagon to her, or should I hitch my wagon to her?

Jiang Xueyao lifted her chin proudly. She neither looked at him nor spoke.

She went to one side and picked up the formation disc the students from Nanshan City No. 1 High School had set on the ground.

Setting up that disc took an awful lot of effort each time.

Now they had barely finished setting it up and activating it, and it had already become her side's spoils of war.

That felt good.

"Xu Yuan, was it really okay for us to take out the other candidates like that?"

Zhao Afei asked cautiously.

"What? Some of those thugs were students?" Xu Yuan asked in astonishment.

"..." Zhao Afei.

Brother, you're so deep in character I don't even know what to say.

Yang Xiaobing covered her mouth and laughed.

Jiang Xueyao asked instead, "What do you think of what that boy said?"

"He didn't read the question," Xu Yuan said.

The exam was a city-destroying disaster.

Look closely. Four words: "city-destroying disaster"!

Whatever you did ordinarily was one thing.

But using civilians as shields against monsters in the exam? Did he really think the examiners were blind?

And taking it a step further—

Would human society's education system cultivate practitioners like that?

"I agree."

Yang Xiaobing nodded.

"That's what I think too." Zhao Afei didn't quite follow, but he chimed in anyway.

If we're brothers, we stand together!

Looked at that way, my answer deserved full marks too!

"If you've read the question... what are you going to do now?"

Jiang Xueyao asked another question.

Xu Yuan swiftly reloaded, equipped his pistol and submachine gun again, and picked up the radio.

"Reporting in. The thugs preventing civilians from taking shelter at Xinzhou District subway station have been eliminated."

"We're preparing to guide the civilians into the underground shelter."

"Over."

A beat passed.

A familiar voice came over the radio:

"Xu Yuan? You killed that Wolf Demon on Chaoyang Road too, didn't you?"

—It was Officer Liu!

"Hello, Officer Liu. Our team worked together to kill it," Xu Yuan explained into the radio.

"First the Tree Demon, then the Wolf Demon, and finally you set up a shelter in the subway station—you've done very well!" Officer Liu said.

His voice turned stern:

"Martial law is now in effect."

"If anyone else disrupts public order or endangers people's lives and property, you may shoot them on the spot!"

"Yes, sir!" Xu Yuan replied loudly.

This was authority.

The man had given him the authority to use deadly force as circumstances demanded.

Because he had contributed and passed the test!

Xu Yuan paused, then added:

"Things are chaotic right now. If there's anything else you need us to do, just give the order!"

"Good. I'm formally recruiting the four of you as members of the Fifth Special Operations Team until this disaster is over," Officer Liu said.

"What do you want us to do?" Xu Yuan asked.

"Stand by for now."

"I'll prepare the identification, supplies, and equipment your team needs. Give me a little time," Officer Liu said.

"Yes, sir!" Xu Yuan replied.

He had already switched from "Officer Liu" to "sir."

That meant he and his team were now part of the system, ready to draw on the police force's resources whenever they needed them!

The call ended.

Xu Yuan glanced at Jiang Xueyao.

Her gaze dropped to the Qiong Jia Sword in his hand, then moved away.

Xu Yuan was puzzled.

—"You're just about worthy of my sword."

Was that what she meant?

Why couldn't she just say it? What a headache.

He couldn't marry someone like that. How would he get through each day?

Zhao Afei said quietly:

"I wish those guys were here to see who was right."

"They've already been eliminated," Yang Xiaobing said with a smile.

—And we've gained official status!

Becoming members of a special operations team meant the four of them were now law enforcement officers in this city.

With that status, they could legitimately do a great many things.

The police would provide supplies and equipment, too!

Xu Yuan put away the radio, kicked aside the metal sheet blocking the way, and waved to the people outside:

"Everyone, get underground and take shelter."

Yang Xiaobing and Zhao Afei caught on and hurried to move the other obstacles so the crowd could enter the underground station.

Suddenly—

With a clang, a ball of white light burst above Xu Yuan's head. It shone for quite a while before slowly fading.

Faint lines of text swiftly appeared in the air:

"You have received one spotlight (excellent grade)."

"Officer Liu Shanxing (played by monthly exam examiner Ding Ling) has expressed approval of your judgment, actions, and character."

"His assessment is as follows:"

"—Young man, I have high hopes for you."

"As a result, you have earned a special reward."

(The end)