The staff dormitory at headquarters resembled a luxurious suite, almost like a hotel, where they even offered room service. Surprisingly, the menu included options to consume pollutants alongside the normal international cuisines, but the latter required contribution points for exchange, hence a bit pricier. There was a note indicating that these pollutants were developed by the Seventh Research Institute over the years, boasting delicious taste and nourishment. Their pollution level was negligible, with the added effect of boosting psychic thresholds.
"These meats are in high demand outside, loved by the elite," the system's tone carried a hint of sarcasm involuntarily. There were groups abroad, especially on the edges of white and blue pollution zones, where non-awakened individuals armed themselves to hunt lower-level pollutants, calling themselves "Catastrophe Hunters."
Sihyun had already consumed enough pollutants in his daily life. Therefore, he had no interest in these expensive items. He selected a few dishes he liked and, half an hour later, the meal was brought to his door on a cart. Surprisingly, the taste was good, at least 80% of Sihyun's cooking standard.
By the time he finished dinner, it was already 7 in the evening. Tomorrow marked the first day of training, and Sihyun planned to take a bath, read a book in bed, and sleep.
Ever since forming a symbiotic relationship with Wang Yu, Sihyun had developed a liking for bathing. Soaking for two hours became a regular habit. Upon stepping out of the tub, there was even a warm cup of sleep-inducing milk waiting for him.
Sihyun stood before the bookshelf, pondering what to read later when the doorbell chimed.
Subconsciously checking the time, it was already 9 at night. Outside the door, a voice spoke, "Hello! I'm also a newcomer for this training session! My name is Chen Anzhi, a combat-oriented Awakener, codenamed 'Flow.' I live opposite you. Can we be friends?"
Sihyun glanced through the peephole, observing Chen Anzhi's appearance. He wore a friendly smile, exuding an aura of trust.
"Hmm, Chen Anzhi. Psychic threshold: 1600. A psychic-oriented Awakener in the combat department. Among the new recruits, he's quite skilled. Degree of mutation: 37."
"Talents: 99 - Dream Entry, 197 - Hypnosis, 378 - Charisma."
"Mutation direction: Neurological disorder, Split personality."
There had been debates within the institute regarding psychic-oriented Awakeners, whether they belonged in combat or specialized departments. However, ever since an A-ranked psychic Awakener, the Magician, caused the death of a B-ranked pollutant under mental control, no one contested that psychics couldn't be classified in combat.
Sihyun didn't immediately open the door. Instead, he said, "His mutation degree seems excessively high."
Chen Anzhi's psychic threshold and mutation degree were quite close to Lin Sinan's. However, Lin Sinan had been working for over twenty years, whereas Chen Anzhi was a new recruit, having joined less than a year ago.
"He was originally of overseas descent. However, due to an S-level pollutant, the island country he lived in became the forbidden land 'God's Land.' Chen Anzhi was one of the survivors rescued to the Hua Nation, and he awakened just last year."
"I don't recommend you get close to him. It's been proven that those who come out from 'God's Land' tend to have some mental issues."
Even without the system's advice, Sihyun had no intention of going out. Overall, he wasn't fond of socializing. He preferred spending time reading, learning, or working rather than mingling with others. However, due to his striking appearance from childhood, people always gravitated toward him, leading him to contemplate plastic surgery at one point.
Through the closed door, he replied, "Sorry, I'm too tired today. Maybe next time."
Chen Anzhi's smile didn't falter. "Okay. See you tomorrow."
He moved on to knock on the next door. Aware of the surveillance in the corridor, both he and everyone else who opened their doors exchanged only a few words.
Chen Anzhi was known in the local preventive department for being sociable, so his behavior wasn't out of character. There were 62 Awakeners participating in the new employee training session this time, a number significantly higher than previous years, almost tripled. And among them, there were six individuals with psychic thresholds exceeding a thousand, making it a "bumper crop year" according to headquarters.
That night, Chen Anzhi visited twenty people and managed to get responses from six.
At 11 PM, he stopped this socializing. From the corridor's flower bed, he picked a rose. To alleviate the corridor's dullness and maintain the Awakeners' good moods, the headquarters decorated every corridor with fresh flowers.
Half an hour later, staff brought the aromatherapy lamp he requested. Chen Anzhi couldn't sleep without it, a detail recorded in his file.
He returned to his dorm, lit the aromatherapy lamp scented with roses, and holding one in his hand, he went to sleep with a smile on his face.
Midnight struck. Chen Anzhi's eyeballs under his eyelids moved rapidly, struggling. The curve of his smile gradually widened, even showing a hint of eerie terror, but he remained asleep.
In his dream, Chen Anzhi found himself in a chaotic darkness illuminated by a faint candlelight. He placed this light on a round table before him. Six semi-transparent blue souls were drawn to this light and took seats around the table.
These six people were the Awakeners who had opened their doors to him that day. Their psychic thresholds weren't high, and none had detected his hypnosis.
"Talent 99 - Dream Entry," Chen Anzhi softly began, "Welcome to the world within dreams. Today, I will introduce to you the slumbering gods in a distant realm."
"They are the creators in eternal slumber, and our universe is merely their dream. They cannot be seen, existing as formless chaos preceding the heavens and earth. Their names are unknown, and we must not disturb their slumber, lest we invite disaster."
"Now, they have descended from the void. Their dwelling was once my homeland, and now, I call it the 'Pure Land of Bliss.'"
"You're fortunate. The great Lord is gathering his first followers. Our souls can peacefully journey to a realm free from suffering."
Chen Anzhi extended his arms, and the candlelight split into six parts, floating towards the others. These faint yellow halos enveloped their souls, turning them the same color.
Chen Anzhi's eyes reflected fervent devotion. "Praise be to the great Lord, eternal bliss."
The six blurry souls echoed, "Praise be to the great Lord, eternal bliss."
At 7 AM, Sihyun woke up punctually. The training center wasn't far from the dormitory, about a ten-minute walk. He changed into the standard training uniform, planning to have breakfast at the second-floor cafeteria before heading to the training center.
The training would run from 8 AM to 7 PM, the whole day, with
theory in the morning, practice in the afternoon, and a one-hour break in between. Lin Sinan had revealed some insider information about the training difficulty, mentioning that it depended on the instructor leading that year's session.
If the instructor was tough, the trainees had a hard time; if the instructor was lenient, it eased things a bit. And every year, there were fatalities.
As he pushed the door open, Chen Anzhi from across the hall emerged from his room as well. His smile was identical to yesterday's, with almost no change in curvature. However, his eyes seemed exceptionally calm and indifferent, a little discordant.
"Hello," Chen Anzhi smiled, "I still don't know your name?"
He had particularly deep eyes, resembling a starry sky. Without thinking, Sihyun replied, "Sihyun."
Almost immediately after saying it, he couldn't help but furrow his brows. He had broken free quicker than an average person.
Seemingly noticing something, Chen Anzhi lowered his head, softly saying, "Sorry, I forgot to wear my glasses. My talent ability is always a bit uncontrollable..."
"I didn't mean to. I hope you won't avoid me because of this," Chen Anzhi's expression held a hint of sadness, easily swaying those with less firm wills.
"Ugh, I really dislike psychic talent users," the system sighed, "Don't look into his eyes. I'll keep an eye on him too."
"Combining charisma and hypnosis makes for one of the top setups among psychic Awakeners. Also, try to avoid being in a confined space with him and never sleep in front of him."
The system's tone became playful, "By the way, have you played Werewolf before? Among us, there are some infiltrators."
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