Chapter 34
The leaders of the Special Operations Department had never expected that faced with such a grand display, the first person to raise their hands in surrender would be one of their own—and the world’s strongest powerhouse, Bai Hewei, no less.
The leaders were caught between laughter and tears, but they could fully understand. Any normal, law-abiding citizen seeing a perimeter like this would react in exactly the same way.
“Mr. Bai, thanks to you, our comrades have been rescued and a much larger conflict has been avoided.” This regional branch director was exceptionally smooth in his interpersonal skills, and his warmth intensified significantly upon learning that Bai Hewei’s organizational placement within the official establishment had not yet been locked down.
Not having a permanent post was a wonderful thing.
Since Bai Hewei currently lacked an official slot, the statistical probability of anchoring him to their branch became vastly higher.
Although the living conditions here at the border were tough, the benefits were spectacular, and their talent deficit was equally immense.
If Bai Hewei could be persuaded to stay, it would save them a mountain of trouble.
“Rest assured, our branch will formally apply for a first-class merit on your behalf. We will absolutely never allow our comrades to feel unappreciated,” the branch director said, holding Bai Hewei’s hand with absolute sincerity. “The three of you must be exhausted after these past three days. Why don’t we go grab something to eat? The cafeteria has already prepared a magnificent meal. You can have a hearty dinner before heading off to rest.”
Staring at the insignia on the director’s shoulders, Bai Hewei was so stunned he completely lost his speech.
This rank was the equivalent of a top-tier provincial-level official. What had he done to deserve this?
Feeling thoroughly lightheaded, Bai Hewei quietly followed the branch director out.
As expected, the higher the rank of a leader, the better their attitude toward grassroots workers.
Meanwhile, Wang Zhengrong and his fellow operatives were immediately received by their colleagues. On one hand, specialized Evolvers were brought in to examine their physical parameters; on the other hand, people eagerly pressed them for updates on the mission details.
“The display you all set up outside was way too excessive,” Wang Zhengrong couldn’t help but complain. “Anyone who didn’t know better would have assumed you were preparing to invade another country.”
“Wasn’t that just a routine training exercise?” a colleague shot back. “Out here at the border, we conduct military drills every single month anyway. This time, the enemy literally marched straight to our doorstep. If we didn’t show some muscle, people would assume we’re just slacking off. You have no idea—for the past three days, the command office was fully lit up every single night, and the leadership committee worked on a tight three-shift rotation, terrified of missing a single piece of intelligence.”
Even though the Research Institute had asserted that everything was fine, the leaders remained deeply worried.
If a true crisis triggered, disciplinary actions could always be delayed, but the moment word leaked out, it would inflict a catastrophic blow to their nation’s international prestige.
Today, an S-Class Evolver sneaked in to stir up trouble; tomorrow, someone else might try the exact same thing.
If they didn’t project absolute dominance in a single shot, these provocations would simply never end!
Consequently, they had maintained strict readiness outside, terrified of an unexpected complication.
Fortunately, absolutely nothing had gone wrong.
“It was genuinely close. If it weren’t for Bai Hewei and Chief Wen from the Research Institute, the three of us might never have made it back,” Zhang Junhao noted with lingering dread. “These S-Class rogue elements are genuinely lawless, and the sheer level of freedom they command is incredibly annoying.”
If Bai Hewei hadn’t been deployed to this sector, the three of them would have been integrated as permanent collection pieces in Cecilia’s roster.
When that happened, their branch’s year-end performance rating would have bottomed out at dead last, and the leadership committee would have faced severe accountability audits.
“But it can be considered a blessing in disguise. Capturing a Rule-Based ability user this time guarantees our branch’s performance evaluation score will skyrocket,” a colleague consoled him.
On the other side.
While Bai Hewei was being escorted by the leaders to the dining room, the micro-robot on his shoulder seamlessly shifted into its powered-down state.
Faced with a scene like this, Wen Zhiyi knew he couldn’t generate a single pleasant pleasantry, so he simply declined to join the crowd.
Conversely, the personnel at the Research Institute had already initiated communication links with the central tactical task force, planning to take custody of Cecilia and transport him back to the capital.
An Evolver of this track commanded supreme research value. Once his ability parameters were thoroughly mapped out, his functional utility would be vast; they absolutely couldn’t afford to lose track of him.
Meanwhile, Bai Hewei was completely intimidated by the overwhelming enthusiasm of the leadership committee.
“Mr. Bai, come, come! Regulations bar us from consuming alcohol during operational hours, so our cafeteria custom-crafted this fermented rice milk tea. The flavor is spectacular; give it a try.”
“Mr. Bai is genuinely young and capable, and remarkably handsome to boot. Do you have a girlfriend yet?”
“We truly have to thank Mr. Bai for his dedication this time.”
…
Every single leader spoke with exceptional pleasantry, and their attitude was profoundly warm. Even the dishes delivered by the cafeteria staff were spectacularly delicious; although the ingredients weren’t lavishly rare, the culinary craftsmanship was refined enough to match an executive chef at a five-star hotel. There was absolutely nothing to complain about.
Yet facing a display like this, Bai Hewei didn’t feel comfortable in the slightest, experiencing a physical sensation akin to ants crawling all over his skin.
He was entirely unaccustomed to sharing a meal with so many high-ranking officials!
Whenever he attended similar gatherings in the past, Bai Hewei always preferred to grab his plate and retreat to a quiet corner to finish his food in silence before slipping away, desperate to avoid being noticed by anyone.
But this time was completely different.
The leaders actually insisted on placing him in the seat of honor!
Help!
Bai Hewei was literally sitting on pins and needles.
Other individuals might have loved a display like this, thoroughly enjoying the rush of adrenaline that came with being surrounded by a crowd singing their praises, but Bai Hewei genuinely loathed it.
“Leaders, I’m not a man of many words, so thank you all very much,” Bai Hewei ranted internally with tearful self-pity, but could only stand up to lift his teacup. “Everyone can just address me as Xiao Bai; I am merely a junior. If the organization has any directives for me, I will absolutely exert my maximum effort to fulfill them.”
The Special Operations leaders exchanged rapid glances, swiftly shifting their approach.
Although they had heard reports that Bai Hewei carried zero arrogance, they hadn’t anticipated that this evaluation was entirely genuine, devoid of any padding.
It wasn’t that the leaders were unaccustomed to modesty, but rather that over the past five years, they had simply witnessed too many exceptions.
Ever since the Day of Awakening, they had seen a mountain of individuals whose egos shot up into the stratosphere the moment they unlocked a power. This was especially true for high-level powerhouses, who became so intoxicated by their abilities that they completely forgot their own names.
Demanding cash or material privileges was considered normal, and within the boundaries of regulations, the department would help coordinate those terms. But there were those who desired absolute exceptions, wishing to reduce ordinary citizens to literal thralls—and that was something they could never tolerate.
A formidable Evolver commanding certain structural benefits was legitimate, but those privileges could never override the law or the core interests of ordinary citizens.
Even if certain corrupt officials executed illicit transactions behind closed doors, they would never dare broadcast it openly; the moment a scandal was exposed, they faced severe legal and organizational penalties. Yet these Evolvers, merely due to a biological mutation, already desired to stand above the law as an elite caste—this was a precedent that could absolutely never be established!
Ultimately, they had to enlist elite powerhouses from the central headquarters to step out and violently thrash those arrogant elements into submission, forcing them to dutifully accept the state’s regulatory placement.
They had originally assumed that even if Bai Hewei didn’t start out with that profile, surviving multiple waves of organizational poaching and international assassinations would have infused a trace of hubris into his character, which they were fully prepared to tolerate.
To their surprise, the reality was infinitely superior to their calculations.
Having climbed to this rank and managed border security, what kind of person had they not encountered?
If before they merely coveted Bai Hewei’s strategic capabilities, right now they genuinely wished to map out an excellent career trajectory on his behalf.
“I am a few years older than you, so I’ll take the liberty of addressing you as Xiao Bai,” a slightly younger leader noted with a warm smile. “I was transferred to the border branch just last year; previously, I managed operations within an inland Special Operations branch. Out here, our unit lacks the complex bureaucratic networks of the inland cities. If someone wishes to accumulate merits quickly, our branch stands as the absolute premier platform. For Xiao Bai to command an ability this exceptional, burying your talent would be a profound tragedy.”
“Exactly. Furthermore, our branch faces a massive workforce deficit, so our exam cutoff thresholds are significantly lower than those of inland cities. Provided you are willing to register, we have plenty of vacancies available, and as long as the applicant pool meets a three-to-one ratio, the exam cycle initiates immediately,” another leader added smoothly. “The entire process is fully compliant with regulations, carrying zero structural flaws that could blemish your resume.”
“We even offer robust home-leave policies. Compared to inland cities, our allocation of leave days is guaranteed to be superior.”
The leaders became exceptionally verbose when outlining the benefits of the border branch.
The baseline compensation package of the Special Operations Department was already spectacular to begin with, but the border branch offered significantly higher regional subsidies, a dedicated housing provident fund modifier, along with a full month of paid home leave every single year.
Bai Hewei had to concede that he was genuinely tempted.
Combined with the spectacular local culinary skills and the warm, accommodating attitude of the leadership committee, his heart was beginning to sway.
He reasoned that his parents were still relatively young and could comfortably care for his grandmother. Slicing through the exams out here would secure a permanent post while allowing him to generate a substantial nest egg; using his home leave to travel across the country every year sounded like a magnificent arrangement.
“Don’t listen to them. Although the border branch offers home leave on paper, in reality, you can almost never take it because those foreign rogue Evolvers cause constant disruptions.”
Huo Ling stormed into the private dining room covered in dust, his tone packed with pure rage.
Bai Hewei caught sight of An Tingyu standing by the entrance, waving her arm with an embarrassed expression.
Three days ago, the moment Huo Ling processed the updates confirming Bai Hewei had faced an assault and that a Rule-Based Evolver had materialized on-site, he immediately filed a deployment request to rush over.
To secure a smooth approval process, Huo Ling had spent days begging every single contact, working relentless overtime to clear his desk before finally receiving Director Yuan’s explicit authorization to catch a direct flight over.
He understood the playbook of these regional branch leaders all too well!
If Bai Hewei managed to neutralize a Rule-Based ability user, they would absolutely stop at nothing to poach his prize.
Sure enough, the moment he arrived at this compound, he and An Tingyu faced systematic obstruction.
Whenever he requested a meeting with the leadership committee, they claimed they were occupied with urgent operational business. If some of his old comrades within the branch hadn’t quietly leaked intelligence to his phone, he would have remained entirely ignorant that Bai Hewei had been carried off to a celebratory dinner.
Despicable!
Utterly shameless.
Huo Ling believed that when it came to managing Bai Hewei’s affairs, the dedication and thought he had expended outmatched any other official. Watching a fellow branch leader step in to reap his harvest now—how could he possibly endure it?
“You can’t phrase it that way,” the leaders responded evenly, completely unbothered by Huo Ling’s aggressive entrance. They had weathered too many macro-political storms to be intimidated by a sector director.
“Xiao Bai, our exam thresholds are lower, our promotion tracks are faster, and our compensation is superior. Even if you can’t log your full home leave currently, you’ll always be able to use it down the line; having it on the books is infinitely better than not having it at all.”
“Exactly. The civil service exams in inland cities are fiercely competitive, whereas our branch is highly accessible. You can work with us for five years first, and when the time comes, we can map out a compliance procedure to have you transferred back to your hometown.”
“Our branch is far superior on every front.”
Bai Hewei cast a somewhat awkward glance toward Huo Ling, though internally his thoughts had genuinely tilted toward the border.
Taking a gamble and trying out the exams here carried zero real downside anyway.
“Xiao Bai, you’d better weigh your choices with absolute clarity,” Huo Ling took a deep breath, forcing his tone into a steady, calm rhythm. “The examination materials used at the border are fundamentally different from our regional syllabus. Their written test contains exactly fifteen additional questions, yet the allotted examination time remains completely identical.”
Bai Hewei was struck with pure horror.
What?!
He already couldn’t manage to finish the regular exams within the time limit, and their written test contained over a dozen extra questions?!
