Chapter 110: Assessment Questions

“The vast majority of people, even after extensive training, lose their composure when truly confronted by a demon,” he said. “In the end, this means they can't unleash their real strength and end up dying at the hands of monsters. That’s one of the reasons for this assessment. On the one hand, it’s to test combat ability. On the other, it’s to see if rookies have the courage to face demons.”

Two steaming bowls of noodles were set down before them. The two chatted idly as they ate, and after breakfast, a white sedan pulled up at the inn’s entrance. When the car stopped, two men in black suits got out and entered the building.

Hu Xiong, seeing this, said, “The examiners are here. Hurry up and eat.” The two quickly finished their meal and returned to the inn, heading to a small conference room on the second floor. The room wasn’t large, with a dozen or so chairs arranged inside, and several people were already there, chatting in groups.

Among the crowd, Li Changqing spotted Sima Xi and Lan Qiqi standing together. Most of those present had been specially recruited. Following Hu Xiong inside, Li Changqing asked in a low voice, “Old Hu, how exactly does this demon assessment work?”

“It’s simple—they’ll check your spiritual energy and take a blood sample,” Hu Xiong replied with a chuckle.

Li Changqing frowned and asked quietly, “Test spiritual energy and do a blood test?” Testing spiritual energy was fine, but the blood sample… He couldn’t help but wonder if a zombie’s blood could pass inspection.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a formality,” Hu Xiong said, unconcerned. “Whether someone’s a demon or not, we’re not blind—we’d notice.”

“Old Hu.” Sima Xi noticed their arrival and came over, his eyes tinged with envy. He nodded toward a pale man in a black robe not far away. “That’s the warlock I mentioned yesterday—the special recruit from the Lamela Empire, Rodin Xun.”

“Rodin Xun? Huh, it’s that guy?” Hu Xiong was startled. This warlock had practiced forbidden arts and committed many murders back in the Lamela Empire. He’d been wanted there for years, always living in the shadows. Who would’ve thought the Twenty-Second Bureau would recruit him? Then again, the Bureau of Anomalous Investigation had done the same many times. The truth was, they were simply too short-staffed. Training a newcomer took immense time and effort, and even then, few dared to face demons head-on. Even those who passed the assessment faced an extremely high mortality rate.

Li Changqing gazed curiously at Rodin Xun. He looked very young—perhaps twenty-six or twenty-seven—with a face as pale as paper and an aura of coldness about him.

Rodin Xun’s turn came. He stepped forward, and one of the examiners glanced at the roster. “Rodin Xun, correct? We’ll now assess your strength and take a blood sample.”

Rodin Xun nodded expressionlessly.

“Old Hu, if the Bureau is willing to accept warlocks like him,” Li Changqing asked quietly, “why not recruit some demons to fight for us as well?”

Hu Xiong shot him a sidelong glance. “You think we haven’t tried? No matter what a warlock’s done, at least they’re still human. A long time ago, we did use some demons, but the losses were disastrous.”

The instruments in the examiner’s hands were more advanced than Hu Xiong’s. The results came out quickly.

“Nine thousand points of demonic energy,” the examiner announced, his eyes widening slightly. Nine thousand was an impressive number even in the Bureau of Anomalous Investigation. More importantly, Rodin Xun was still young—his potential was enormous.

Hearing this, Hu Xiong and Sima Xi both looked over, their eyes filled with envy. Nine thousand… Of course, whether it was spiritual power or demonic energy, it was only one way to measure strength. It couldn’t tell the whole story.

Soon, it was Lan Qiqi’s turn—her spiritual energy measured five thousand. Most of the special recruits scored between three and four thousand, far above the standard threshold of fifteen hundred for newcomers.

Then it was Li Changqing’s turn. The examiner brought the device to him, and the numbers appeared.

“Spiritual energy: eighteen hundred,” the examiner reported to the colleague recording beside him. The others glanced curiously at Li Changqing. His spiritual energy wasn’t high, yet he’d been specially recruited; he must have some unusual talent or ability.

Only Hu Xiong stared at Li Changqing, eyes wide in disbelief. Eighteen hundred? That wasn’t a particularly high number. But… He had just tested Li Changqing not long ago, and the man’s spiritual energy had only been five hundred.

How could it have risen to eighteen hundred in such a short time? Had he consumed some miraculous elixir?

After the blood was drawn, Li Changqing eyed the vial of his blood, which looked no different from anyone else's, though worry crept into his heart.

“Once the blood tests are complete, we’ll notify you,” the examiner said, standing. “Just focus on preparing for the assessment this afternoon.” With that, the two examiners left, blood samples in hand.

Hu Xiong hurried over, pulling Li Changqing aside and whispering, “What have you been up to lately?”

“Me? Nothing, really,” Li Changqing replied, puzzled. “Why do you ask—?”

“You little rascal, how did your spiritual energy jump from five hundred to eighteen hundred in such a short time?”

Li Changqing could hear the astonishment in Hu Xiong’s tone. He didn’t really have a sense of whether his spiritual energy was high or low. “How much do you have?” he asked.

“Guess,” Hu Xiong retorted, rolling his eyes. “Never mind. Just focus on the assessment this afternoon. I’ll see if I can find out what you’ll be tested on.”

After the tests, most people returned to their rooms. Hu Xiong disappeared somewhere as well. Li Changqing went upstairs to rest. As soon as he entered his room, Lan Qiqi came in, hands clasped behind her back.

“I’m very curious,” she said, her eyes bright with interest. “You actually have spiritual energy?”

She was clearly surprised. She could smell the scent of a corpse on Li Changqing—proof enough that he was a zombie. Yet he had spiritual energy inside him. Earlier, when she learned that the assessment would measure spiritual energy, she’d thought for sure his secret would be exposed.

“Miss Lan, if you keep seeking me out alone like this, people will start to talk,” Li Changqing replied calmly.

Lan Qiqi smiled. “For this afternoon’s assessment, shall we team up?”

“Team up?” Li Changqing was taken aback.

Lan Qiqi explained, “Sima Xi asked around. The challenge this time is to hunt and kill a demon.”