Chapter 230: Evaluation |
Zhang Xinglong felt like he had been struck by lightning on a clear day, muttering in disbelief, "How could this be... An entire branch, with a B-rank Esper stationed... How could it just be gone?"
"That's a question you should be asking yourself."
The man picked up Guan Shan's file from the desk. "Why did you decide to surround a C-rank Esper?"
Zhang Xinglong opened his mouth but, facing the man's gaze, gave up on lying and confessed, "He has an A-rank Panspirit Object."
Acquiring and reselling Panspirit Objects through various "reasonable means" was an unwritten rule within "Free Logistics," a very common practice.
The man had an "I thought so" look on his face, then sneered, "Did you ever investigate why a C-rank Esper has an A-rank Panspirit Object? And why it hasn't been forcibly confiscated by the Special Security Group?"
"Possessing a higher-rank dangerous Panspirit Object is a major violation of Special Security Group regulations. Do you think those old geezers at the Special Security Group wouldn't know?"
Zhang Xinglong was stunned. Why indeed? He stammered, "I, I didn't think too much at the time. He's an external member, so I thought the Special Security Group might not be too strict..."
"Bang!"
Zhang Xinglong's face turned red, then quickly darkened, veins popping on his forehead. He struggled, choking out, "Spare, spare me..."
The man's eyes were cold. "At the same time the Southwest branch was destroyed, the Special Security Group announced that they would send someone to the Youhao Team to evaluate the strength of their external member, Guan Shan."
"Do you know what this means?"
Zhang Xinglong's pupils contracted, a chilling fear welling up inside him. He began to struggle frantically, red-eyed and shouting, "Impossible! Impossible! He's just a C-rank..."
The Special Security Group had its own unwritten rules, one of which was that anyone specially evaluated by the group was almost certain to grow into an S-rank in the future.
Considering the fact that Guan Shan possessed a higher-rank Panspirit Object, it was highly likely that he was "protected" by the Special Security Group, allowing him to "break the rules."
And while the organization might tolerate the sudden death of a C-rank Esper, it would never leave a potential S-rank as a future threat or source of discord...
"Crack."
The man exerted force, snapping Zhang Xinglong's neck and cutting off his words.
He coldly removed the ID badge from Zhang Xinglong's neck, letting him slide to the floor. His subordinates quickly came in to collect the body, bag it, and clean up the scene.
The manager of the Hangzhou branch would soon be replaced by someone wiser and more cautious.
——
Guan Shan was still oblivious to all this. He had a rare peaceful sleep, waking up refreshed and ready to head to the Youhao Team's base.
"Come to think of it, this is probably my first proper interaction with other Espers..."
Guan Shan smirked. He had been to the base fewer than three times and had limited interactions with the Youhao Team members, only managing to get along passably well.
They usually didn't act together, and Xia Lei hadn't assigned him any tasks.
But he probably wouldn't be doing missions with others much in the future either, even if there were team tasks.
The simulator had to remain a secret, at least partially. Many of his abilities couldn't be displayed in front of others.
As Guan Shan stepped out, he saw Lin Shuman pulling up in a car, honking twice to signal him.
Guan Shan was a bit surprised. "It's rare... You're not using your ability."
Lin Shuman coughed awkwardly, then said seriously, "Today, I'm just the driver."
Guan Shan opened the car door and got in the back, joking, "You're really busy, a jack-of-all-trades, doing all kinds of jobs."
Lin Shuman started the car, biting her lip, and looked at Guan Shan through the rearview mirror. "I have no choice. Our third team is mainly for support. I don't have much combat ability, so over the years, I've picked up a lot of seemingly useless skills. It looks like I can do everything, but I'm not really proficient in anything."
"Like driving, I can only drive smoothly."
Guan Shan sincerely said, "That's good enough. It's better than those who drive recklessly, endangering themselves and others."
As a journalist, Guan Shan had seen far more car accident footage than the average person, and some of it was horrific.
The stuff that made it to the news was usually the most sensational, but there was plenty more that was just as bad but didn't get selected.
After chatting for a while, the car entered a construction area.
When they reached a section with the road completely dug up, Lin Shuman didn't stop but kept driving, as if unaffected, and they eventually reached the main gate of the Youhao base.
It was clearly the work of an illusion-type Esper.
Guan Shan followed Lin Shuman, listening to her introduction, "Today's evaluator is an A-rank Esper from the Central Adjustment Team, codenamed 'Tai Bai.' He's not just any Esper, but one of the 'Immortals' like Ye Zi."
Guan Shan clicked his tongue. An A-rank Esper was at least level 40 in simulator terms, and being an 'Immortal' known for combat prowess, this 'Tai Bai' could probably defeat 100 of him...
Lin Shuman comforted him, "But you don't need to be too nervous. This 'Tai Bai' senior is an old friend of Director Xia. He shouldn't make things too difficult for you."
Guan Shan wasn't nervous to begin with, but since Lin Shuman was concerned for his well-being, he smiled and nodded, "That's good to know... Old Xia has quite a wide circle of friends."
Lin Shuman immediately gossiped, "Director Xia used to be an A-rank, so his connections are extensive. He only stepped back to become a director because of an injury..."
She led Guan Shan to the largest training room in the base, whispered some encouragement, and left.
According to regulations, no other Espers were allowed around the training room during an evaluation.
So, Guan Shan had seen hardly anyone on his way in, all for confidentiality.
Guan Shan waved as Lin Shuman left, then pushed open the training room door.
The room was large, about 5,000 square meters, with a short track and various testing equipment. The floor was made of a blue special material, similar to rubber but feeling more solid underfoot.
Guan Shan felt he would need to use at least 30% of his strength to break through it.
Near the entrance, chatting casually, were Xia Lei and a middle-aged man in a suit of similar age—Tai Bai.
As soon as Guan Shan entered, they stopped talking and looked at him.