Chapter Fourteen: Astonishment

The vast training hall was now empty, save for Lin Lei and Hoch.

Hoch approached Lin Lei, squeezing his muscular arm with evident admiration. “My, you really are something. Forget about those at the second tier—if a non-Physical third-tier isn’t careful and lets you get close, you might very well take them down in an instant!”

Lin Lei stepped back, shook his head, and coughed lightly, withdrawing his arm. “Opportunities like that aren’t easy to come by.”

Though his strength had grown tremendously, he was not so arrogant as to believe Hoch’s words at face value. Unless a third-tier’s talent was abysmally weak or their combat experience severely lacking, it would be easy for them to crush Lin Lei.

“Come with me,” Hoch said with a subtle glint in his eye, turning to lead the way out.

He brought Lin Lei to the research lab where Dr. Zhou Wei, the consultant for source energy cultivation, was stationed.

Clearing his throat, Hoch stopped at the doorway, not entering the lab himself. Lin Lei, puzzled, asked, “What’s going on?”

Hoch glanced at Dr. Zhou Wei, who was focused intently on her computer. “You go in yourself…”

Startled, Lin Lei turned to look at Zhou Wei inside. She was hunched over her keyboard, typing away with the fervor of an internet addict, seemingly oblivious to their arrival.

Hoch called out from the threshold, “Dr. Zhou, I’ve brought Investigator Lin Lei for you to assess his source energy improvement and, well… his mental state…”

He nudged Lin Lei forward. Lin Lei’s eyes flickered with understanding and he stepped inside, approaching Dr. Zhou Wei.

“Dr. Zhou.”

“Just a moment.” She did not pause her furious typing. After about ten seconds, she exhaled and finally ceased her work.

Only then did she look up at Lin Lei, the lenses of her gold-rimmed glasses glinting mysteriously. She reached out and grasped his arm.

Lin Lei felt the coolness of her hand.

“Hm? Your source energy has increased this quickly? You’ve already reached the peak of the first tier?”

A mere touch, and she had discerned his overflowing source energy—truly worthy of her title as the Bureau’s cultivation consultant.

“Did you consume something you shouldn’t have?” Zhou Wei frowned deeply. Even if Lin Lei was a natural awakener with high compatibility, this rate of improvement was a bit excessive.

His expression turned awkward—indeed, he had consumed quite a few things he probably shouldn’t have.

He coughed, deflecting, “But I feel fine mentally—no ringing in my ears, no emotional disturbances…”

Zhou Wei’s eyes grew stern. She snorted, “Your mental state isn’t something you can judge by feeling alone.”

She flipped her hand, producing an object that looked like a pocket watch and handed it to Lin Lei.

As Lin Lei held it, the needle began to spin, soon coming to a halt. Zhou Wei’s face betrayed a hint of surprise. “Strange… your mental state is remarkably stable.”

The pocket watch was no doubt another source artifact.

Lin Lei shrugged, “I told you so.”

Zhou Wei frowned again. “The Calming Pendant I gave you should only have enough power for a few recoveries…”

In truth, his source energy had overflowed days ago. When he devoured those two “Children of Flesh” on a recent mission, all the excess energy had been converted into calming power. In the past, his emotions may have been unstable, but lately, he had been in perfect condition.

“If there’s nothing wrong, that’s good! Lin Lei, thank Dr. Zhou and come with me,” Hoch’s voice called from outside.

Lin Lei nodded, returning the pocket watch. “Thank you, Dr. Zhou,” he said, then turned and left.

Zhou Wei watched them leave, shook her head slightly, and returned to her computer.

…

As they walked away, Lin Lei couldn’t help but ask, “Advisor Hoch, is there some misunderstanding between you and Dr. Zhou?”

Hoch immediately denied it, “No, absolutely not. Don’t talk nonsense.”

Lin Lei rolled his eyes. “You seem afraid of her. Besides, when I first joined the Bureau, there was someone who looked just like Dr. Zhou in the illusion you created…”

Hoch froze, then grabbed Lin Lei’s shoulder with forced seriousness. “That never happened! You must be mistaken!”

Lin Lei chuckled softly. Hoch was clearly uneasy. There was surely a story between the two—he’d have to look into it when the chance arose.

…

A few minutes later, Hoch led Lin Lei into a sealed room. Two others were already waiting inside—a man and a woman.

The man, with flaming red hair, was Wen Xiang, Lin Lei’s new classmate from his physical training course.

Behind him stood a short-haired woman in a white lab coat, glasses perched on her nose, eyes perpetually narrowed. She looked to be just past twenty.

Hoch stood up and announced, “This mission will be carried out by a three-person team. Take a moment to get acquainted…”

Wen Xiang glanced at Lin Lei, his gaze sharp as a blade. “Wen Xiang, holder of the A-level talent ‘Flame Dragon.’”

The bespectacled woman smiled warmly, raising a hand in greeting. “I’m Zhen Shuang, from the Enhancement branch. My personal combat ability isn’t great, but I can strengthen your bodies and talents. I’ll be supporting you…”

Recalling Hoch’s earlier explanation, Lin Lei wasn’t surprised by Wen Xiang’s presence. He introduced himself simply, “I’m Lin Lei, Physical branch. I’m confident in my close combat skills.”

In fact, the Enhancement and Physical branches were quite similar—the Physical branch was essentially a subset of Enhancement, capable of strengthening only one’s own body.

Wen Xiang looked at Hoch, dissatisfied. “With me here, why do we need another Physical type? Give me two supporters and I can handle anything alone!”

Typical arrogance from someone with an A-level talent.

Hoch snorted, “Impossible. The mission requires a three-person team with distinct roles. If we did as you suggest, the margin for error would be too low. If you ran into trouble, would the two supporters die with you?”

Wen Xiang’s brows seemed to ignite, and he sneered, “With someone like me, how could anything go wrong?”

Hoch, visibly annoyed, removed his glasses and glared coldly. “Listen, boy! Don’t make me repeat myself. Obey orders or get out! Don’t think you can do as you please just because the Deputy Director favors you.”

At the sight of Hoch removing his glasses, Wen Xiang shuddered involuntarily and took several steps back, face pale as death. Even as an A-level talent holder, he was still only first tier—Hoch, at third tier, was not to be trifled with.

Hoch put his glasses back on and continued, “This mission is of utmost importance. Before I give you the specifics, I need to warn you: you may face large numbers of anomalies—mostly first-tier, some second-tier, and perhaps even third-tier anomalies.”

Third-tier anomalies?

Lin Lei was stunned. “Isn’t this a first-level investigation mission? If there’s a chance we’ll encounter third-tier anomalies, why not classify it as a second or third-level mission and send higher-tier operatives?”