The morning sun spilled over Chen Ling's face. His eyelashes fluttered slightly as he slowly opened his eyes...
"Back..." He rubbed the corners of his eyes and let out a long sigh.
After drawing the lottery, he wandered on the stage for a long time but found no exit. It was only when the stage bell rang and the curtain opened that he was automatically returned.
"Current expectation value is 23%... Approaching the critical line again," Chen Ling murmured, recalling the screen characters before leaving. "I need to do something quickly..."
"Brother..."
The quilt was pulled aside. Chen Yan sat up from the bed, rubbing her red eyes. "Morning."
"Morning." Chen Ling glanced at the clock on the wall, took out the last few copper coins from his pocket, and handed them to Chen Yan. "I need to go out. Not sure when I'll be back. You eat first today..."
"Where are you going, Brother?"
"To catch myself."
"...?"
Chen Ling put on a cotton coat, tucked the envelope given by the law enforcer yesterday into his bosom, turned around, and ruffled Chen Yan's hair. "Don't ask too many questions. Just stay home and wait for me, okay?"
"Got it." Chen Yan nodded obediently.
After watching Chen Ling leave, Chen Yan got out of bed. Seeing the two large holes in the door, her brows furrowed immediately.
"How to fix this..."
She looked at the few remaining copper coins in her hand, silently tucked them away, and took out a heavy hammer and wooden planks from the room to measure the size.
Just then, a figure appeared behind the hole, startling Chen Yan.
It was a man in a woolen coat, a dark blue scarf around his neck, and silver-rimmed glasses on his nose, looking literary and wise.
But at the moment, staring at the house with only two large holes, a look of confusion also flickered in his wise eyes...
He wanted to say something but felt it impolite, so he tried to knock on the door. However, he circled the house but couldn't find where the door was.
He returned to the hole and looked inside.
"Can I help you?" Chen Yan tilted her head.
"Is Mr. Chen Ling in?"
Hearing her brother's name, a trace of vigilance flashed in Chen Yan's eyes. She sized up the man and asked again, "What do you want?"
The man took off his white gloves, took out a letter from his coat pocket, unfolded it, and spoke calmly into the room:
"I heard Mr. Chen needs a [doctor]."
"So here I am."
...
A chilly wind blew down Chen Ling's collar, making him shiver involuntarily.
"Where to, young man? I'll give you a ride," a thin, swarthy man pulled a rickshaw and hurried to Chen Ling's side, grinning to reveal a row of yellow teeth.
Chen Ling glanced at him. "Law Enforcer Headquarters."
"I know that place well! Just sent two people there. You're all going for the reserve seats, right? Since we're fated, I'll charge you seven instead of ten. Deal?"
"...No thanks."
"Six then, six! Can't go lower."
"I have no money."
"No money?" The man frowned, glanced at him, picked up the rickshaw, and muttered as he walked away, "No money yet wanting to be a law enforcer... Bad luck."
Chen Ling: ...?
Thinking about the poor manners in this world, Chen Ling rubbed his frost-reddened hands and quickened his pace toward the center of District Three.
Before last night, Chen Ling had been wondering how to prevent law enforcers from discovering the clue and tracing back to him... Now he had the answer.
To become a law enforcer himself.
Becoming a law enforcer, participating in all operations to investigate disasters, then interfering with them so they can never lock onto oneself.
"I join, I participate, I sabotage, I flee."
This was currently Chen Ling's policy.
Chen Ling crossed several streets and finally stopped in front of a giant building with a glass-like dome.
"So grand..." Chen Ling looked up at the dome and couldn't help sighing, "How much funding must have been spent on this?"
In this neighborhood full of two-story earthen houses, such a unique building stood out as conspicuously and abruptly as an art gallery suddenly appearing in a rural village in his past life.
At that moment, several young people also hurried into the headquarters with letters in hand. They exchanged glances, smiling and nodding politely.
There were roughly over seventy people in District Three who passed the written exam. Generally, the elimination rate for the martial exam was also 50%, so only about thirty people became law enforcers each year. Although this year's martial exam had taken this form, the final elimination rate would remain the same.
In short, everyone entering this building now was a potential competitor.
Chen Ling walked through the headquarters' main door. Beneath the glass dome, several rows of people were already standing in formation.
Like Chen Ling, they were all dressed in ordinary civilian clothing. Standing ten in a row, each held their heads high, every muscle in their bodies tensed tightly, looking like warriors ready to be summoned at any moment.
Chen Ling had arrived relatively late and could only stand at the edge of the last row. After he took his place, a law enforcer scanned the list and nodded slightly.
"Everyone is here."
Just as another law enforcer picked up a prepared speech and was about to speak, the headquarters' door was thrown open, and two figures walked in slowly.
Han Meng dropped a burnt cigarette butt at his feet and crushed it. The four silver patterns on his black trench coat shimmered. His calm gaze swept over all the reserve candidates, and an inexplicable sense of oppression instantly fell over everyone's hearts...
Except for Chen Ling.
Chen Ling raised an eyebrow in surprise, his gaze involuntarily falling on the back of Han Meng's head...
After hitting him so hard yesterday, he's already healed today?
Is this guy's head that hard?
"It's Han Meng!"
"It really is him... He's here too?"
"Who is Han Meng?"
"He's the chief law enforcer of District Three and the only Four-Pattern Law Enforcer here."
"They say he's a super genius who rose to Four-Pattern at 24. He even crushed all his peers in Aurora City... He's the pride of our Seven Districts!"
"Crushed his peers in Aurora City? Really? If he's so amazing, why wasn't he recruited into Aurora City?"
"No idea... Rumor has it he has a grudge against some big shot there."
"Supposedly he's extremely skilled in combat. My mom adores him."
"...How old is your mom?"
"Nearly fifty."
"..."
With Han Meng's arrival, the reserve candidates immediately began whispering among themselves. Even the many law enforcers beside them involuntarily straightened their postures, their expressions serious.
Standing still beneath the dome, Han Meng suddenly felt a chill in the back of his head, as if someone was scrutinizing his weaknesses...
He instinctively turned to look and saw a group of reserve candidates secretly eyeing him.
The moment their gazes met Han Meng's, all the reserve candidates lowered their heads, no longer daring to discuss. The entire headquarters fell silent.
"My name is Han Meng, the current highest-ranking officer in District Three," Han Meng adjusted his mindset and began speaking slowly. "The next three days will be your martial exam assessments. Out of you 72, only 30 will ultimately stay..."
30 people... Lower than the expected pass rate. Chen Ling mused.
This ratio also surprised other reserve candidates, who couldn't help whispering again, their eyes full of confusion.
"However, among these 30 people, 3 will gain early qualification to enter the 'Ancient Treasury of Military Paths'..."
As soon as Han Meng said this, the entire headquarters erupted in an uproar, and even the standing law enforcers beside them widened their eyes.
Chen Ling didn't understand.
More than half of the reserve candidates present also didn't understand.
Seeing this, Han Meng explained unhurriedly, "Do you know the difference between law enforcers and law magistrates?"