Initially, Lu Yan's video went viral overnight, but the next day, all related videos were taken down, as if it never happened.
The Disease Prevention and Control Center naturally intended to promote some figureheads with talents, aiming to increase public awareness. But Lu Yan would never be among those introduced.
Because it was highly dangerous. Studies showed that advanced pollutants possessed certain intelligence.
High visibility wasn't a good thing, just like how a country would never publicly promote an undercover narcotics officer.
Western seashores.
Being in a low latitude area, the nearby seas had noticeably heated up. Shen Qingyang hadn't applied sunscreen, and even his tendrils seemed a bit wilted.
They were on a small fishing boat.
Shen Qingyang had mimicry abilities, convenient for blending into human society, but the moment people saw him, it was evident he wasn't human.
His black robe was covered by a layer of raincoat, completely concealing him. His left hand was empty, missing a palm.
The two appeared as ordinary fishermen.
However, considering the size of the fishing boat and their distance from the coastline, these fishermen were remarkably daring.
No one around, Shen Qingyang's tendrils, disobediently, emerged from under his clothes and dived into the sea.
"Ah, comfortable... but why does this water taste bland? The salinity's too low, huh?"
Due to Shen Qingyang's presence, sea creatures within several kilometers avoided their boat like the plague.
Occasionally, from the depths, a shadowy figure would open its eyes, uninterestedly shutting them upon realizing they were merely passing by.
They were heading to an uninhabited island in the western seashores.
The boat moved slowly, and the prophet wanted Shen Qingyang to carry him but was outright refused.
According to the prophet, he recently foresaw a future.
A future where "the one posing the only threat to pollutants, due to contamination surpassing 100, would depart from human society."
The prophet continued, "In the future I've seen, a black dragon will appear in the sky above Yanjing Plains. Half of Yanjing will be razed to the ground. Perhaps it still retains some human memories and emotions, hence choosing to come to an overseas island."
"If we can persuade it, our path ahead will be much smoother... after all, it's because of those people that it turned out this way."
The prophet intended to await the descent of that black dragon, akin to how he waited for Shen Qingyang initially.
"Speaking half-truths isn't ethical, teacher."
The prophet's large eyeballs were tightly shut, crimson blood oozing from the slits of his eyes.
"That's enough. Who can peek at divinity without a price? Perhaps Talent Number 6 in the sequence can. But it's impossible for anyone to obtain it."
Shen Qingyang lifted his phone, lying on the deck, lazily scrolling through Douyin. The phone was swiped from the boat owner before heading out to sea, now with no signal, only able to watch cached videos.
Mid-scroll, Shen Qingyang abruptly sat up, looking surprised.
"What's wrong?" the prophet asked.
Shen Qingyang smiled faintly, "Nothing, stumbled upon a scary picture. Gave me a fright."
Yet, the image on his phone screen clearly displayed a pair of pristine white wings.
Shen Qingyang put down the phone, pondered for a while, reluctant to delete that video clip. Then he touched his chest and said, "Teach me English grammar today, teacher."
Mountain load-bearing redirected cross-country. Sounds devilish at first listen.
Staff were attaching metal blocks to Lu Yan. These blocks were unique, highly dense, and quite heavy.
Lu Yan had reached the standard of a D-tier Harbinger by now, though his profile hadn't been updated yet. Thus, like other E-tier Harbingers, he was tied with 270 pounds. And being a support-type, 30 pounds were further reduced.
A mere 240 pounds felt no different to Lu Yan with his current physique; however, Director Hu next door, tied with 80 pounds, was already wearing a pained expression.
The chosen location was in Yanjiao, named Zhongrong Mountain. It had undergone preliminary cleanup, previously used for the Arrow Resonance Regiment's training. Now it was requisitioned by the Special Operations Department.
The Arrow Resonance Regiment was a renowned domestic special forces unit.
"If it gets tough, use the detectors you're wearing to call for help," Assistant Instructor Lone Wolf earnestly advised the students in front of him. "Quitting midway only deducts 0.5 points, not a big deal."
Lone Wolf had a blind eye, resembling a pirate captain, his expression quite relaxed.
He had already assessed that although there were two students in his class with mental thresholds exceeding a thousand, one was a support type, and the other, among the combat types, belonged to the spiritual category. Neither were particularly robust. So, he didn't expect much reward.
"Instructor," among the crowd, Lu Yan raised his hand, "If I reach first, will there be a reward?"
Lu Yan planned to buy that silver bow after graduation.
Compared to toiling outside to earn 30,000 contribution points or figuring out a way inside to save up 30 points, the latter seemed easier.
As soon as these words were uttered, quite a few people around laughed.
"Brother, not to criticize, but as a support type, your aspirations are quite lofty," a muscular giant from the neighboring class teased.
Lone Wolf answered, "Of course. First place gets 3 points. Second, 2 points. Third, 1 point. The rest from 4th to 10th get 0.5 points."
Though the values seemed low, converting student points to contribution points, then to money, 0.5 points amounted to five million.
With 15 points, Lu Yan could buy another house in the center of City K and live a landlord's life.
Every student had the same starting point, but based on the navigation, their destinations differed. The distances varied between 12 to 15 kilometers. The main difference lay in the obstacles along the way.
Before departure, Chen Anzhi leaned over to Lu Yan, softly asking, "Lu Yan, will 240 pounds be too much for you? Should I take some?"
After all, he was a combat type and believed his physical fitness was slightly superior to Lu Yan's.
Most importantly, Chen Anzhi had the talent for hypnosis.
He had planned to find a sucker on the road and discreetly shift some of his weight without them noticing.
Upon hearing this, Lu Yan was momentarily stunned. "There's such a thing?"
Chen Anzhi's expression was encouraging, "It's fine. I asked the instructor, and he said it's allowed. We're teammates, we should help each other, right?"
So, Lu Yan unabashedly waved at Director Hu, "Director, come here. Someone here said they could help share some of your weight."
Chen Anzhi's smile froze on his face while Director Hu dashed over, grabbing his hand, shaking it vigorously, "You're a good person, big brother. When you come to the First People's Hospital in City K in the future, I'll give you an 80% discount for surgery!"
...
...
At 2 PM sharp, the directional cross-country training commenced. Sixty-two students set off from the same starting point, each sprinting in different directions following the navigation on their watches.
"The training this afternoon is essentially an assessment," the system's voice lazily intoned. "Identifying your limits helps tailor instruction. But I think your head instructor for this session is a bit harsh; there are quite a few pitfalls along your routes."
"He might think you've truly awakened the warning talent."
"Oh, right. The Special Operations Division has always insisted that the best training comes from facing danger. And the best way to train talents is by using them frequently. This afternoon, I'll play the role of 'warning' quite convincingly."
"300 meters ahead, the grass conceals an empty space with a hole. Go around it."
"If you don't cross the bridge within 10 seconds, it'll collapse. Accelerate."
"Using the Y-axis with the forward direction as the origin, one meter equals one scale. (297, 311) direction has archers."
"Goodness gracious," the assistants in the monitoring room murmured uncontrollably, their attention fixated on screen 17. "Even those in the five hundred sequence of talents are this strong now?"
Beside them, a researcher from the Third Research Institute explained while recording, "It's likely his compatibility with this talent is exceptionally high."
Talent compatibility was a recent focus of research within the institute. Researchers at the First Institute found that many who underwent talent transplantation as Harbingers were far less adept at using their talents compared to those who naturally awakened with similar levels of potential.
Thus, the concept of "talent compatibility" was brought forth.
It was proven that even forcefully transplanted talents that didn't suit the recipient often yielded unsatisfactory results.
However, many ordinary individuals still lined up for talent transplantation, mostly from the privileged class.
Compared to awakening through exposure to pollutants, this method was undoubtedly much safer.
Therefore, Tang Xunan had repeatedly expressed his resistance to this approach, and now, such surgeries were no longer part of routine projects in the First Research Institute.
Thinking of this, the researcher couldn't help but glance at Tang Xunan, who stood at the forefront, a tall and silent figure. His reticence made him stand out.
The researcher vaguely recalled a rumor.
Tang Xunan had also undergone talent transplantation surgery at the age of 16, performed by the late Professor Qiao Yu. That year was when Tang Xunan lost his eyesight and hearing in one ear due to severe rejection from the talent sourced from pollutants.
Many believed he wouldn't survive that winter.
But eventually, Tang Xunan stubbornly persevered. He lost his sight and hearing but gained a pair of golden eyes through subsequent transplantation. Due to his impaired hearing, Tang Xunan still wore the institute's specially made hearing aid.
Fortunately, after enduring the rejection reaction, Tang Xunan obtained the most potent combat talent in the Combat Division today.
[Talent 9 - Dragon's Bone].
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