Special Squads handled special missions for Great Xia, responded to urgent enemy threats, and provided support across the nation.
On average, a new Special Squad emerged only once every four or five years.
And the department overseeing the Special Squads-Hidden Dragon Base in Central China-was an elite department that commanded every Special Squad, the single most extraordinary organization in Great Xia.
In two hundred years, Great Xia had established only one Hidden Dragon Base.
And now Wei Yuan wanted him to measure up to Hidden Dragon Base!?
At that moment, he suddenly remembered the terror of being at the mercy of idiot bosses and clients in his previous life.
Seeing Yi Tian's strange expression, Wei Yuan smiled slightly.
"Don't be nervous. I imagine you can still awaken quite a few more people, right?"
Yi Tian nodded. With enough funds, he could even use Recruitment to awaken a billion people!
In fact, he rather looked forward to that day. If he recruited a billion people, just how powerful would he become?
"Then what's the problem? Think about it. What does a Special Squad base need most? Top-tier classholders, right?"
"And you can find plenty of top-tier classholders!"
Wei Yuan was brimming with enthusiasm, while Yi Tian fell silent.
Working with the nation for mutual benefit was indeed what he wanted;
But if he joined and established a government department, he would certainly receive resources and support, yet there would inevitably be far more tedious affairs and hassles than there were now. He didn't want to waste his time on those things...
He made no attempt to hide it, openly explaining his concerns to Wei Yuan and expressing his opposition.
To his surprise, Wei Yuan gave him an odd look. "You don't seriously think Great Xia can support a second Hidden Dragon Base, do you? Where would we get all those resources?"
Yi Tian froze. "Then what did you mean?"
Wei Yuan placed a hand on Yi Tian's shoulder and explained, "The Special Squad base I want you to establish wouldn't be positioned as a government department..."
"It would be a mercenary outfit working with Great Xia!"
Yi Tian's eyes lit up at those words. That role seemed promising!
As mercenaries, they wouldn't have to deal with the endless trivial affairs of a government department. Cooperation would remain at the heart of their relationship.
With further explanation from Wei Yuan, Yi Tian understood: this Special Squad base wasn't an idea from Great Xia's central authorities, but Wei Yuan's own suggestion.
Great Xia currently faced numerous special missions and urgent enemy threats, but a shortage of resources prevented it from establishing another Special Operations Department. Yi Tian and his people clearing the Medium Secret Realm had given Wei Yuan hope.
Simply put, Yi Tian had previously worked with the nation as an individual;
Now, Yi Tian would bring everyone under him into that partnership, shifting from an individual to an organization.
"I'll still do my best to meet your needs, but you'll have to handle your organization's internal affairs yourself."
Wei Yuan smiled. "Want to give it some thought?"
Yi Tian was quite tempted. Operating as an organization would give him access to higher-level matters, which meant more opportunities to earn through Profit Sharing.
For instance, when a Medium Secret Realm appeared like the one last time, he could dispatch Special Squads to reinforce other regions, just as Hidden Dragon Base did.
The only issue seemed to be that he would have to compete with Hidden Dragon Base.
After all, a newly established Special Squad base with the same functions as an existing department would inevitably face some competition.
Yi Tian looked at Wei Yuan suspiciously. "Do you have a problem with Hidden Dragon Base?"
Wei Yuan rubbed his chin, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Not really."
"It's just that the person in charge of Hidden Dragon Base holds a bit of a grudge against me."
As he spoke, he suddenly realized what Yi Tian meant.
"You certainly are confident!"
Yi Tian's question clearly implied that Hidden Dragon Base would never be able to compete with him when it came to Special Squads.
And that was indeed what Yi Tian thought. Given his employees' strength, he truly couldn't think of any Special Squad that could match them.
He readily accepted Wei Yuan's proposal. However, he still had too few employees, so establishing Special Squads would have to wait a while.
"Good! If you need a site for your base, I can provide one."
After saying that, Wei Yuan took Yi Tian back to Green Mountain Apartments and left.
Midnight.
It was time for another day's Management Log settlement.
[Management Log] [Wan Jiang cleared the trials on the second and third floors of the Demon-Sealing Tower. Funds +10!] [Ye Xiu and Jiang Che successfully completed the first clear of the level 40 dungeon-Grievous Bone. Funds +6!] [Jiang Che submitted a dungeon guide, sold equipment and materials from the new dungeon, and saved enough money to open a new "Spark" Martial Academy. Funds +1!] [Jiang Che taught Bajiquan to a new student who came to the martial academy after hearing of its reputation. Funds +0.2!] ... [Your experience is full. You cannot level up until you complete your advancement quest.]
Bai Qiu Li's college entrance exam was tomorrow, so she had spent the entire day practicing techniques for the various Combat Exam events and generated no funds.
What surprised Yi Tian most wasn't Wan Jiang clearing the Demon-Sealing Tower or Ye Xiu completing a new dungeon's first clear, but Jiang Che!
"Opening a new martial academy? I think I heard him mention that!"
Jiang Che had been taken in as a child by the old head of Spark Martial Academy, and his wish was to open a new martial academy for him.
But Yi Tian hadn't expected that opening a new martial academy and teaching new martial arts students could generate funds too!?
Did that count as some sort of achievement as well?
Perhaps it did. Yi Tian couldn't figure it out yet; he needed more examples before he could make a clear judgment.
The good news, however, was that his funds had increased further, reaching 114.3.
Unfortunately, he had focused on searching for the Black-Robed Man today and hadn't spotted any new talent at all.
Fortunately, the college entrance exam was tomorrow!
If there was one place in Great Xia where talented people gathered, the college entrance exam venue certainly qualified!
"Hopefully I'll find someone tomorrow!"
After closing the Management Log settlement, Yi Tian picked up his phone, planning to play a couple of games before bed.
Early the next morning, Yi Tian arrived at Qingcheng's designated college entrance exam venue-Green Mountain No. 1 Middle School-with faint dark circles beneath his eyes.
The Concealment Array at the school gates had been activated early. Anyone without authorization to take or invigilate the exam was forbidden from entering.
People from the various Classholder Guilds and prominent families were kept dozens of paces away from the gates by fully armed Garrison Army soldiers.
The annual college entrance exam had officially begun!
Having been granted Special Admissions Officer privileges, Yi Tian passed through without obstruction and arrived at No. 1 Middle School's exam administration office.
The moment he arrived, a woman in red beside Wei Yuan caught his attention.
She wore a specially tailored red casual outfit that accentuated her tall, slender figure. Her slightly wavy black hair fell behind her shoulders, and she exuded a seductive yet dangerous air, like a red datura standing proudly in the wind.
But Yi Tian noticed her not because she was beautiful, but because she kept glaring at Wei Yuan with hostility...
"You're here! Come on, let me introduce you."
Seeing Yi Tian arrive, Wei Yuan smiled and waved him over.
There were more than a dozen people in the exam administration office, all admissions teachers from Great Xia's top universities. Seeing Wei Yuan take the initiative to wave over someone who looked like a student, they couldn't help feeling curious.
But Yi Tian's lips twitched. He already had a guess as to who the woman in red was.
Sure enough, Wei Yuan raised a hand toward her and said with a smile:
"Here she is-the head of Hidden Dragon Base and your future competitor, Officer Ling Luo."
Ling Luo stood with her arms crossed. Her cold, striking eyes swept over Yi Tian before she snorted at Wei Yuan.
"Hah. Coward!"
"You're making a student shoulder something you don't dare do yourself."
Yi Tian's eyes lit up. Those two sentences alone told him there was no shortage of love, hate, and drama between Ling Luo and Wei Yuan!
Wei Yuan chuckled twice, seemingly oblivious to Ling Luo's mockery, and continued:
"This is Yi Tian..."
"I know. The captain of the team that beat the Yagu Dynasty and the Earthshaker Team to clear the Medium Secret Realm."
After failing in the secret realm, the Earthshaker Team had mentioned him to Ling Luo upon their return, making her intensely curious about him.
Ling Luo's gaze was sharp. As the head of Hidden Dragon Base, she was also a top-tier level 74 classholder, yet she couldn't gauge Yi Tian's strength at all...
"Strange."
"The Written Exam has begun."
In the exam administration office, the principal of No. 1 Middle School noticed the time and reminded everyone.
The college entrance exam for classholders was divided into a Written Exam and a Combat Exam.
The Written Exam tested textbook knowledge as well as tactics and strategy.
Some candidates who had obtained weaker classes registered only for the Written Exam, using their scores to seek a clerical or tactical support position.
What Yi Tian hadn't expected was to find a target during the very first Written Exam!
[Detected talent with "gold" potential!]
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