Chapter 54: The Assessment

After expending every ounce of effort, Xia Yan finally managed to shake off the dazzling woman. He then braced himself and returned home once more to bid farewell to his newlywed wife, telling her that he would not be coming back for some time.

Despite his wife’s attempts to persuade him to stay, Xia Yan left in the middle of the night with a dark expression. The two girls laughed so hard they could barely close their mouths.

Xia Yan cursed them inwardly. You really have nothing better to do, do you? It is the middle of the night, and you still have time to make fun of someone else’s family.

The next day, Xia Yan applied to enter the research base as a security guard. The relevant test would take place three days later.

It was worth mentioning that the examination for peripheral ability users was held twice every month.

There were two requirements. The first was loyalty. Without loyalty accumulated over a sufficient period of time, no one was permitted to enter the research base in the core region. The second was strength. According to Xiaoling, brain-region development of around thirty-five percent was generally sufficient. Even somewhat less would be acceptable, provided that one’s loyalty had reached the required level.

Morris’s brain-region development stood at twenty-nine percent, and his first ability was Strength Enhancement. Since Morris placed considerable emphasis on physical conditioning, his physical development had reached thirteen percent as well. Combined with Strength Enhancement, his overall power was respectable.

Even so, Morris was still somewhat short of the examination requirements. Judging by his current strength, his original body would need at least another two or three years of training before he could enter the research base.

Adam had indeed been in poor condition lately. If a person could remain calm in the face of certain death, perhaps he could no longer be called human.

But that was not all. What troubled Adam even more was whether the plan would succeed.

That mattered more than his own life.

“Second!” Adam called to one of the security captains.

“Yes, Lord Adam. What are your orders?”

“When will the next research-base examination be held?” Adam asked.

“Tomorrow. Everything has already been arranged, and I will be responsible for conducting the assessment,” the security captain replied.

“I’ll go tomorrow.” Adam made his decision. Since he had been in a poor state recently, he needed to be even more cautious, lest anything unforeseen occur.

Yet after making that decision, Adam gave a bitter laugh. What had happened to him lately? Why had he become so suspicious of everything?

After all, the research project had reached its final stage. He could not afford the slightest carelessness. Adam could only sigh quietly. This was his final mission.

The examination grounds were extremely spacious. Five people were taking the test this time, all of them ability users from the peripheral districts of the Welber family.

In truth, “core region” was only a general term, one coined to make planning more convenient. How could the Welber family possibly have only one research base?

More precisely, there were at least seven or eight places within the Welber family that could be called core regions. This was merely one of them.

That made sense. If there were only a single core region, then three people of modest strength would hardly be enough. The Welber family could not possibly be considered a major clan under such circumstances. Yet the Welber family was, after all, one of Domino City’s three great families.

“The examination is simple,” Adam said as he looked at the five candidates, his expression unchanged. “Fight one of the security personnel and remain undefeated for five minutes, or defeat him outright. Once you meet that requirement, you will become security guards at the research base.”

Entering the research base had both advantages and disadvantages. One’s status would rise, and one’s salary and other benefits would increase. On the other hand, one’s free time would be greatly reduced. Overall, it was a mixed blessing.

For that reason, some people who had already reached the required level of strength still had no intention of taking the examination.

“You’ll go first.” Adam looked toward a bare-chested, muscular man.

“Yes, sir.”

The muscular man stepped into the arena, and a white-clad security guard soon followed.

Adam studied the man’s records with a sharp gaze. Since he had been in a poor emotional state recently, he naturally had to remain cautious.

“According to the records, this muscular man should last two minutes—two and a half at most,” Adam calculated inwardly. “If he cannot last two minutes, he fails and must be sent back. If he lasts two minutes but no more than two and a half, he passes. If he exceeds two and a half minutes, he must undergo a strict investigation. His identity may be problematic.”

If Adam discovered that someone’s strength did not match the records, he would launch a thorough investigation. In serious cases, this included detailed questioning about every aspect of the person’s background, as well as verification of fingerprints, irises, and other identifying information.

This was an examination for entry into a core region. Adam could not afford to be careless.

Besides, he had been suspicious of everything lately.

There was no problem with the loyalty of these five candidates. All that remained was to determine whether any of them were impostors.

The muscular man and the white-clad guard quickly began fighting. Both were ability users, but the difference in their strength was obvious. At last, after two minutes and twenty seconds, the muscular man was knocked to the ground, utterly unable to resist.

The man was deeply unwilling to accept the result. He believed that failing to last three minutes meant he would certainly fail the examination, and he even asked for another chance. His objection, however, was rejected.

The staff then instructed him to wait off to the side. The examination was not yet over, so his final result could not be confirmed.

Adam placed a checkmark beside the man’s name. He had passed.

An examination conducted by Adam was far stricter than one conducted by an ordinary security captain. If Captain Second had been in charge, he might not have noticed anything even if the muscular man had lasted more than three minutes.

Even if the muscular man had won, Captain Second probably would not have found it strange.

But Adam was different. He was exceptionally perceptive. As a spy who had remained undercover for twenty-two years, he would never have survived if he had not been wary of everyone and paid close attention to every detail.

The second candidate was a woman of about twenty-five or twenty-six. She had a heroic, spirited appearance.

“She should last more than three minutes. She may even reach five,” Adam judged after a brief assessment.

The spirited woman was clearly stronger than the muscular man. She held out for nearly five minutes before finally losing.

“No problem.” Adam nodded.

“The third.”

The third candidate was a frail young man in his early twenties. His strength was relatively weak.

“He’ll lose after one minute. If he manages to last two minutes, he can pass, though his identity will require a careful investigation.”

That was Adam’s judgment.

The frail young man lasted one minute and three seconds.

Adam shook his head and drew a large cross beside the man’s name.

“The fourth!”

The fourth candidate to enter was a young man of average height who appeared to be in his early twenties. Adam’s eyes narrowed slightly. He had a vague feeling that there was something strange about this person.

He glanced over the man’s records. Was it something unusual about his appearance, or was it his expression? Could he be an impostor?