I, the World’s Strongest, Have Failed the Civil Service Exam Thirty-Nine Times – CH54

Chapter 54

As Bai Hewei walked and stopped along the way, the surrounding evolutionary energy grew scarcer and scarcer.

Mister Number One also started to grow tense.

They both harbored a premonition that they were already very close to the destination they were looking for.

Amusingly, Wei Yan’s side had been continuously transmitting their real-time coordinates to the others to make it easy for Pullman and Bai Hewei to come back them up at any moment. Yet, Bai Hewei discovered that the distance between himself and The Embargo squad along with Wei Yan’s team was also growing progressively closer.

The two groups were like two separate teams departing from opposite ends of the Forbidden Zone simultaneously, rushing toward the exact same destination.

This also meant that the path Bai Hewei was walking was completely correct.

“Based on this distance estimate, we’ll probably cross paths with The Embargo squad by tomorrow morning,” Bai Hewei couldn’t help but look forward to it. “It’s best if we bump into them a bit earlier. Having chewed on survival rations for three days straight, I’m nearly at my limit.”

Even if survival rations came in different flavors, it couldn’t alter the reality that they were still survival rations.

Bai Hewei felt he would lose a good few pounds by the time he walked out of this Forbidden Zone. Although his stomach was filled, his mouth was constantly craving real food, and that specific sensation was truly uncomfortable.

“We can send a message to them first, finding a way to get them to check out what’s going on with the collar locked around Shirley’s neck,” Wen Zhiyi said after a moment of thought. “We must also prevent the possibility of them using Shirley as a shield to threaten us during the confrontation.”

“Right, right, right. Knowing oneself and knowing the enemy ensures victory in a hundred battles; it’s always best to be prudent.” Bai Hewei completely approved of this opinion, letting Mister Number One transmit the message directly.

Wei Yan had only managed to discreetly pull out the robot to check the messages by using the pretext of needing to “freshen up.”

At present, The Embargo squad didn’t seem to harbor many doubts regarding the fact that they were Evolvers from South Korea. Wei Yan swore she had already utilized the absolute peak acting skills of her entire life!

First, looking at the update sent from Bai Hewei’s end—the distance between them was steadily closing, and they would be able to cross paths by tomorrow morning. That was truly fantastic. As for finding a way to first assess Shirley’s current situation and help her regain her freedom, that was an assignment they were already actively executing, which she could state in a brief reply.

Next, looking at the updates sent from Pullman’s end… a massive flood of messages inquiring about whether his sister was doing well. Sending a simple “Received” was more than enough.

Wei Yan had learned her lesson previously. On the very first day, when Pullman sent a message, she had politely replied once, only to be hit with an absolute message bombardment from the man. She had only slipped out to “freshen up,” not because she was suffering from “constipation.” How could she afford to constantly waste time sending text messages?

Consequently, Wei Yan turned thoroughly cold.

Whatever words needed to be said could wait until the siblings crossed paths face-to-face; she had zero desire to act as an intermediary messenger.

“Ms. Wi, are you finished yet?” Vivian called out from outside, sounding immensely “concerned.”

“All done,” Wei Yan immediately rolled the robot up into a ball and stuffed it straight into her pocket.

“Apologies for making you wait so long,” Wei Yan said with a hint of embarrassment. “I think I’m still not quite adapted to the conditions inside the Forbidden Zone. I haven’t been feeling very well over these past few days.”

“It’s fine, it’s completely understandable.” Vivian flashed a “women understand each other” smile, then casually inquired as if it were an afterthought, “You mentioned you only planned to explore the Forbidden Zone for a few days before heading back, and your food supplies are already depleted. Don’t you need to step outside the perimeter to check in and report that you’re safe? You must have some means of communication, right?”

Wei Yan felt a spike of tension inside her chest, but her face remained entirely unfazed.

“Initially, we had planned to leave, but didn’t we serendipitously cross paths with you superheroes? As for the President’s side, we can just cook up an excuse later on. It isn’t that easy for Evolvers to exit the Forbidden Zone anyway, so stalling for a bit of time is entirely standard.” The persona Wei Yan had crafted for their team was that they were employed by a “top-tier financial conglomerate,” meaning they typically didn’t show much courtesy to the President anyway.

“In that case, why don’t you accompany us to a certain location?” Vivian finally bared her fangs. “We are already very close to our destination. If we can secure your assistance, we will absolutely be able to complete the mission smoothly.”

“Being able to assist you is our absolute honor. Rest assured, we definitely won’t let you down.” Wei Yan appeared “agitated,” unhesitatingly recommending her own team.

Meanwhile, over on The Embargo squad’s end, they also accelerated their pace.

Originally, their food supplies weren’t exceptionally abundant to begin with, yet mid-journey they had added three extra mouths who devoured their remaining stores completely like starved ghosts. If things continued in this fashion, they were terrified they would starve to death inside the Forbidden Zone.

Consequently, the members of The Embargo squad picked up their speed, marching toward their final destination without a shred of hesitation.

Their luck wasn’t bad either; they hadn’t chosen the wrong direction this time.

The Doctor had noted that the closer they drew to the destination, the safer they would become. Over the past two days, they had rarely encountered any Forbidden Zone lifeforms, and the accidents they fell victim to were incredibly scarce, which clearly indicated they were heading in the correct direction.

Vivian’s move this time was aimed precisely at turning Wei Yan and her companions into their advance vanguards.

Shirley, however, was beginning to feel a wave of deep unease.

The evolutionary energy density in this area was getting lower by the step, and their journey was becoming safer by the moment, to the point where the number of times Shirley had to deploy her healing capability grew fewer with every leg.

Yet Shirley felt progressively terrified and tense.

Furthermore, based on her observations, she wasn’t the only one experiencing this sensation; the others also displayed varying degrees of it. Everyone knew that inside this brand of Forbidden Zone, danger lingering constantly was the standard baseline. The moment all danger evaporated, it meant a far greater catastrophe was hidden right behind the veil.

“Where exactly are we going? Even at this point, you guys still refuse to speak?” Shirley couldn’t help but question the captain, who looked all prim and proper. “This evolutionary energy density is so low it makes me assume I’ve already cleared the Forbidden Zone!”

The captain didn’t say much, silently pulling a larger spotlight out from their gear.

The beam clicked on.

Illuminated beneath the spotlight, a colossal expanse of ruins manifested in the distance.

No, calling it a ruin was a bit too harsh; it should be described as slightly better than a ruin. At the very least, from the external silhouette, one could barely discern a few faint traces of soaring skyscrapers.

However, this expanse of ruins merely retained the structural silhouettes of skyscrapers, while the external walls appeared spectacularly mottled and weathered, looking as though sheets of brick could shed from the surfaces at any given moment.

For this Forbidden Zone to have persisted for five full years, yet manage to preserve a relatively intact architectural structure in an area subjected to extreme corrosion was simply mind-blowing.

Throughout all the days they had spent inside the Forbidden Zone, this was the very first time they had laid eyes on an actual building out out in the open.

“Look over there,” Wei Yan extended her hand, pointing toward the two flanks of the architectural ruins. “Those two objects that look like lighthouses seem to be massive energy dispersal instruments!”

Out in the open world, energy dispersal instruments were engineered to be smaller and more compact with every iteration, to the point where one could easily carry them around anytime, anywhere. Yet here, those two lighthouse-like objects appeared to be completely upscaled, heavy-duty variants of energy dispersers from their external appearance.

“Those two ultra-large dispersers should be the precise reason why this area has managed to retain a relatively intact architectural silhouette. A disperser can harvest evolutionary energy to serve as a power source, which then disperses the surrounding evolutionary energy, theoretically allowing it to sustain operations for an immense duration,” Huang Silin remarked after a brief moment of contemplation. “Regrettably, perpetual motion machines don’t exist in this world. Even if a disperser can utilize evolutionary energy as a power source, there’s no way it can run indefinitely without degradation. Looking at their exteriors, although they’ve suffered substantial corrosion, I’m afraid they are also nearing the absolute end of their operational lifespan.”

To be capable of protecting an array of buildings within a massive Forbidden Zone of this scale for so many years—and utilizing dispersers that had already been deployed and constructed five years ago before Evolvers had even appeared on a massive scale—simply made one’s skin crawl.

Even now, attempting to construct two massive dispersers of that caliber would demand an immense amount of time.

The Zero Research Institute truly lived up to its legendary reputation. Their research into Evolvers outpaced the rest of the world by a full half-century!

The Embargo squad’s captain fought to suppress the intense surge of excitement welling up inside his chest. Before entering the Forbidden Zone, the Doctor had shown him intact photos and video footage of this architectural expanse. He could be considered exceptionally familiar with this layout.

The Doctor had once been one of the researchers serving under the Zero Research Institute, so he naturally knew exactly how much funding and effort the institute had poured into this specific sector, and he also understood the monumental importance of this project. What their squad needed to execute was to infiltrate the interior of this architectural layout, locate the central archive room, and carry away every single scrap of the project data files housed inside!

Thinking up to this point, the captain didn’t rashly order an infiltration. Instead, he signaled for everyone to halt and take a proper rest, recovering their energy completely before entering.

“Speaking of which, your country shares a border with Huaxia. Huaxia’s Special Operations Department possesses robust strength, whereas your research seems to have consistently lagged behind others,” the captain remarked, casting a sympathetic glance toward Wei Yan and her companions. “You can tell just by looking at this building layout; your country likely can’t even manufacture an energy disperser of this scale right now. When we officially enter in a bit, I suggest you guys go look for the blueprints and data files for the dispersers. Bringing that back to your superiors will count as a monumental achievement, and you won’t have to be suppressed and beaten by Huaxia’s Special Operations Department in the future.”

Wei Yan wanted to laugh inside, yet she still had to maintain a stubborn facade, tilting her head high in absolute defiance. “We didn’t lose to the Special Operations Department because we lacked the strength. We merely operate on the baseline principle of neighborly friendship, choosing not to lower ourselves to bicker with them, that’s all. If a true clash erupted, they wouldn’t match us at all.”

“We’ve long since secured the latest version of the disperser; it simply hasn’t been disclosed to the public yet. Its technological version leads the entire globe!” Huang Silin chimed in, refusing to be outdone.

“If our team is going to hunt for something, we only target truly formidable prizes; our boss wouldn’t even look twice at a mere blueprint of that caliber,” Chu Han also joined the wave of “righteous indignation.” “What Special Operations Department? They are merely defeated trash beneath our boots.”

The moment it was turn for the trio’s “acting class,” they performed with absolute, intense devotion.

The captain merely smiled without responding, while several other team members exchanged glances, offering them a few minor, patronizing compliments.

Once they pitched their tents to rest, Vivian detected that the three South Korean Evolvers appeared to be planning to violently abduct Shirley and enter the building expanse to explore ahead of schedule.

Sure enough, South Korean Evolvers might possess subpar strength, yet their vanity and self-esteem were terrifyingly robust. A minor prod of provocation from them was more than enough to make them lose their composure, driving them to rush inside ahead of the pack.

“Captain, they want to abduct Shirley. Are we seriously going to just stand by and do nothing?” Vivian frowned. “Shirley is a top-tier healing-type Evolver. If they carry her away, we might be left rather vulnerable.”

“Once you step inside that expanse of architectural ruins, making it back out is incredibly difficult,” the captain shook his head. “They fear death, so they are bound to abduct Shirley. We have already arrived at the destination, so Shirley’s utility isn’t nearly as absolute anymore. Furthermore, we also have to worry about her brother tracking us down. If Shirley accidentally dies, the culprit who killed her won’t be us; we won’t have to shoulder a shred of risk.”

When the time came, they could simply deflect all the blame onto those South Korean Evolvers.

Vivian thought it over, and it indeed made sense. The number of times they required Shirley’s services lately was growing fewer by the step; if she truly died, it wouldn’t present a massive hurdle for them anyway.

“I’m primarily worried that if those three manage to secure the data files a step ahead of us…”

“They won’t find them!” the captain stated with absolute certainty. “Furthermore, even if they do track them down, they will inevitably have to pay a price. Snatching data files out of the hands of three individuals is naturally infinitely simpler than hunting for files amidst a sea of ruins.”

“The captain is brilliant.”

Clinging to a mindset of exploitation, they willfully permitted Wei Yan and her team to carry Shirley away. Without offering them a taste of sweet temptation, how could they expect them to march into the building expanse so submissively?

Shirley watched the three Evolvers approach her person, instantly grasping her current predicament.

“You guys want to drag me into that ruin? Wake up! You’ve been thoroughly tricked by those so-called superheroes; they are deliberately forcing you to act as their advance vanguards!” Shirley snarled in a low voice.

“What kind of gibberish are you spouting? Can’t understand a word,” Wei Yan had zero intention of engaging in dialogue. “Behave and follow us. Once we secure the files, we’ll bring you back to our country.”

Shirley refused to budge, continuing to struggle. The Embargo squad was unwilling to take the lead to scout, choosing instead to provoke these three to go first. Yet that expanse of ruins carried an extraordinary level of hazard; Shirley harbored zero desire to throw her life away.

“That isn’t up to you. Knock her out and carry her away.” Wei Yan flashed a subtle glance toward Chu Han. Although Chu Han’s expression was highly unsightly, he still stepped forward and knocked Shirley unconscious.

“As long as we secure the files first, we can enjoy the absolute best treatment no matter which country we choose to visit in the future,” Huang Silin muttered to himself. “Exercise caution; ensure those few individuals don’t discover us.”

“Understood, daebak.”

Under the willful negligence of The Embargo squad, they watched with their own eyes as the three South Korean Evolvers dragged Shirley along with them, slipping straight into the ruins.

Vivian also “collapsed unconscious” at that exact moment.

“Those three are indeed a bit suspicious, but it doesn’t matter. As long as Vivian remains host-parasited onto them, everything they experience inside will become our own primary data,” the captain smiled. “All we need to do now is wait.”

Wei Yan and her companions carried the unconscious Shirley, slipping into the ruins without a shred of trepidation. However, the moment they crossed the threshold, they immediately sought out a marginal corner to hunker down, completely avoiding any advancement toward the core sector.

They were all seasoned operatives; what point was there in playing dangerous games?

The Embargo squad had permitted them to carry Shirley away precisely so they would serve as cannon fodder. Yet they had simply turned the tables to rescue Shirley, resolving to halt all movements the second they entered the perimeter, fully intending to huddle right here until Bai Hewei arrived to bail them out. None of them was stupid; no one harbored a desire to serve as a stepping stone for someone else.

“This collar is rather interesting. Click the button on the robot to initiate remote guidance mode; let’s have the tech guys on the other side talk us through unlocking it.”

Just as Wei Yan and her companions were relaxing, the robot cradled in her arms suddenly emitted a human voice.

“Chief Wen?” Wei Yan was absolutely ecstatic. “So our robots feature a live human service too? I knew it—Chief Wen isn’t the type to show favoritism or look down on others.”

Once a person relaxed after a period of extreme tension, it was exceptionally easy to lose their filter, to the point where she accidentally voiced her innermost thoughts.

Beside her, Chu Han and Huang Silin wanted to clap a hand over her mouth, but they were a step too late.

Realizing what she had just blurted out, Wei Yan’s face turned stark white in an instant.

What kind of person do they think I am down to their core?

“…Use your brain. The robots were all produced by the Research Institute, so their built-in functions are identical.” Wen Zhiyi managed to suppress his temper after all. Reflecting on the fact that they had successfully engaged in a battle of wits and courage against The Embargo squad, he refrained from crushing their spirits.

“There are several buttons; which one do we press?”

“The white one located on the inner side of the robot’s arm.”

“Remote mode initiated,” the robot emitted a prompt.

The next moment, a researcher was hauled over by Wen Zhiyi. Operating the small robot via remote control while disassembling components from another robot to serve as makeshift tools, he began clinking and clanking as he set about dismantling the collar locked around Shirley’s neck.

“This collar is highly sophisticated; exceeding a set distance automatically discharges a current. However, the remote control can calibrate the distance parameters,” the researcher dismantling the collar actually found the spare focus to chat with them.

By now, the collar locked around Shirley’s neck had already begun to emit a faint, pulsing glow.

“Quite high-tech?” The researcher controlling the robot grew intrigued, his movements becoming increasingly fluid, entirely devoid of a shred of visible tension.

“Your acting lessons weren’t in vain. It seems we need to implement more acting drills moving forward; look at that, it came in spectacular utility.”

“Director Pei, could you focus a bit more?” Huang Silin’s heart was practically hovering in his throat, deeply terrified that a minor slip would end up killing Shirley.

That collar looked as though it were already sparking with electrical current!

They knew that Director Pei Xiangqing of the Central Research Institute was different from Wen Zhiyi. Compared to theoretical data, he excelled in physical engineering, dismantling all manners of precision instruments with staggering dexterity. Word was he had been an elite surgical doctor before switching careers, making him one of the rare Evolver researchers.

Following the sudden emergence of healing-type Evolvers, a substantial number of medical professionals began to switch careers. As a surgical doctor, Pei Xiangqing had spent years honing his physical dexterity, and he had serendipitously evolved into a manipulation-type Evolver, specifically specializing in mechanical instruments. Consequently, he had caught the eye of the Central Research Institute. The very first generation of dispersers engineered internally by the institute had been completed under Pei Xiangqing’s hands.

Perhaps medical professionals were prone to being slightly eccentric; Pei Xiangqing possessed supreme technical skill, but he was a complete chatterbox—a chatterbox who didn’t care about the scenario. Just like right now, as they watched Shirley’s body subtly begin to twitch from the pulsing current, Pei Xiangqing actually still possessed the casual leisure to continue joking around?

Ah, ah, ah, ah! Is the psychological resilience of a surgeon cutting down with a scalpel really this bulletproof?

Shirley’s body shuddered a few times, appearing on the verge of waking up. Chu Han and the others couldn’t help but hold their breath instinctively.

“Wei Yan, step up and hold this foreign beauty steady; don’t let her move. This piece is nearly fully dismantled. You guys don’t understand the mechanics—dismantling this kind of device cannot be done in one single heave, otherwise it will trigger its built-in emergency anti-tamper protocol. We must first force its electrical output down, making it assume it is still operating within standard parameters, which makes the dismantling infinitely simpler.”

Controlling the robot, Pei Xiangqing unfastened the final component from the collar. With a sharp click, the collar popped open right from the center.

While the duration appeared agonizingly long, in reality, a mere five minutes had elapsed.

“The robot is still rather clumsy to use; if I were handling it personally face-to-face, thirty seconds would be plenty. Wen Zhiyi, give me my vacation, I want to go on a fieldwork trip!”

The remote service link on the robot’s end snapped shut.

Shirley also slowly blinked her eyes open at that exact moment.

“Ms. Shirley, apologies for the rough handling. We are from the Central Special Operations Department. Your brother Pullman requested our aid to track you down, and he is currently en route. Our prior disguise was strictly for the sake of rescuing you safely.” Wei Yan delivered a rapid explanation of the situation.

Shirley reached up to touch her own neck, discovering that the damnable collar had vanished completely. The surprise on her face was entirely unmasked. “Thank you so much! You guys are infinitely more formidable than what my brother described!”

Although she had harbored suspicions, she hadn’t expected these three to pull off her rescue this quickly.

“Is this the sector where that ruin is located?” Shirley scanned her surroundings, standing up to stretch her limbs. This was the absolute flavor of freedom.

“Correct,” Huang Silin smiled. “If we hadn’t stepped inside, the members of The Embargo squad would have quickly realized something was amiss, making it very difficult for us to slip away. Since we had to enter anyway, we’ll refrain from marching toward the core sector for now, waiting until our other companions rendezvous with us before making our move.”

They belonged to a unified department cohort, and their baseline operational philosophy emphasized fighting shoulder-to-shoulder to drive down mortality rates. If they threw their lives away out of a greedy desire to hog all the achievements, not only would their department’s performance score sheet suffer a downward calibration, but all the cash they had painstakingly scraped together, along with their hard-earned rank increments and seniority allowances, would vanish completely!

Consequently, the very first class they took upon entering the Special Operations Department focused precisely on how to guarantee their own safety across different scenarios. If the mortality rate within the Special Operations Department was too astronomical, how could they ever recruit anyone in the future? Furthermore, the state had spent immense resources to cultivate an Evolver, and those top-tier welfare benefits and packages couldn’t be allowed to go down the drain for nothing; unless pushed to the absolute brink, they couldn’t sacrifice themselves lightly.

“I didn’t expect it to go this smoothly,” Wei Yan also began to laugh. “I originally assumed it would be brutally hard, but it turns out they aren’t that clever either. If future enemies all maintain this level of intelligence, I feel I should fight for a re-employment contract after I eventually retire.”

“Hahaha, exactly.”

“They really are rather dense.”

Huang Silin and Chu Han also felt their performance had been stellar. With these acting skills, once they retired in the future, they could easily hit the entertainment industry to run a few cameos or become stars.

Hmph, who says only members of The Embargo squad can act as superheroes?

“Apologies for interrupting your joyful gathering,” Wen Zhiyi’s voice re-emerged from the robot. “Maintain your positions and stand by. From this exact second onward, no one is permitted to utter a single word related to the Special Operations Department or classified intelligence. If anyone displays anomalous behavior, subdue them immediately.”

“The intelligence has been verified: a parasitic-type Evolver truly exists within The Embargo squad. If my deductions are correct, that Evolver’s consciousness has already attached itself onto one of the four of you at this very moment. From now on, every word you speak and every action you perform will be perceived by that parasitic-type Evolver. However, a parasitic-type Evolver cannot access your memories, so you are strictly forbidden from taking any further independent action.”

The members of The Embargo squad weren’t genuinely brainless. Their brief lapse into being deceived didn’t mean they lacked a backup card.

Wen Zhiyi’s words dropped into the ears of Wei Yan and her companions like a bolt from the blue.

Someone among them had been host-parasited?

Being targeted by a parasitic-type Evolver meant that once they returned to the Research Institute, they would inevitably be subjected to a barrage of exhaustive testing, and they would even have to undergo months of isolation just to assess the situation.

Help! Please let it not be me!

The three of them clasped their hands together in unison, offering a silent prayer to God.

Shirley wanted to point out that praying to God didn’t involve that specific hand gesture, but she chose to remain silent anyway. These three were her absolute lifesavers; perhaps this was a traditional Huaxia custom.

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