"A bold request…"
"I like eating alone. That way, no one will fight for my food against me."
…
Yunhai City, Nanjiang Road, the most prosperous street in the whole city.
Due to the large number of tourists in the area, Jiang Lulu decided to set the dining venue at a private restaurant 500 meters away from Nanjiang Road.
"Tang Hong."
Jiang Lulu rubbed her chin and looked out of the window.
The busy road and noisy traffic could not cover the anxiety deep in her heart.
From a child to a grown-up…
Having lived for twenty years…
This was the first time Jiang Lulu, who led an extravagant life, came into contact with people who were so pitiful that they needed to fight over food. She felt that her view of the world had taken a hit. She couldn't believe what she had just read.
"Impossible. I think that the articles on the Internet are all fakes."
"They deceived people to attract traffic."
"No matter how poor they are…"
"They should still be able to afford a car and a small house."
It was impossible for one to not be able to afford a bowl of simple plain rice that they had to rob others for it.
In the past few years, Hua Country had basically lifted up its entire population out of poverty.
It was to a point where the people did not have to worry about food and drinks.
Jiang Lulu could not imagine how much suffering Tang Hong had endured.
The more she thought about it, the more she became worried.
The innocent Jiang Lulu's heart became extremely heavy.
Although Tang Hong hadn't arrived yet and Jiang Lulu had never met him before…
But she was already eager to see him.
She wanted to do her best to provide Tang Hong with the best meal ever.
Finally…
Tang Hong arrived.
He was wearing a yellow short-sleeved shirt and light gray trousers.
He looked a little tired. Of course, Jiang Lulu didn't know that this was because Tang Hong's Willpower had just massively increased and he still hadn't fully recovered.
She looked at Tang Hong.
Her impression of him confirmed her thoughts.
Now, she was even more certain that Tang Hong had experienced a great tragedy in the past.
"Tang Hong! Over here, over here!"
Jiang Lulu ignored the weird gazes from the people around and led Tang Hong to a huge round table. The round table was filled with delicacies. They were mainly meat dishes with a half-meter-high crayfish dinner plate and two pots of hairy crabs imported from overseas.
There were also staple foods like white rice, noodles, and pastries.
The drinks included plum juice, yogurt drink, and honey.
Tang Hong was a little confused.
Jiang Lulu looked at the waiter standing next to the table nonchalantly.
"There's no need of service here."
"Ok."
The waiter in the white uniform lowered his gaze and left.
Jiang Lulu turned her head again.
She pursed the corners of her lips and looked at Tang Hong earnestly.
"Is this enough to eat? If it's not enough you can order for more."
"Actually, I…"
Tang Hong vaguely realized that Jiang Lulu seemed to have taken his joke of misery as the truth.
'The Heavens, please have mercy…'
He was just looking for a reason to be able to eat alone in such an expensive restaurant. He was still thinking that the experience might trigger the increase of his Individual Value.
Tang Hong couldn't hold it back anymore and confessed.
"I was joking, sorry."
Jiang Lulu nodded her head frantically.
She then seriously responded, "Hmm, Tang Hong…"
"Do you think I'm stupid? Of course, I know you're joking."
"Eat fast."
"Since I am here with you today. No one will fight you for your food."
She then kept her silence.
Without waiting for Tang Hong's response, she turned around and bounced away.
There was a long table at one side. Both sides of the table were already full of people.
Including Jiang Lulu, there were a total of eleven people.
Only two people were absent.
Something unexpected happened that they had to cancel at the last minute.
Once Jiang Lulu returned to her seat, several people teased her in a low voice.
"It can't be. Jiang Lulu, do you really believe what Tang Hong said?"
"Tang Hong is fooling you."
Most of them were watching the show and enjoying Tang Hong's joke as they secretly communicated with their eyes.
"No wonder they said that the youngest daughter of the Jiang family had hurt her head when she was a child. Back then, she had no choice but to drop out of school. Her IQ and EQ are just lower than the average person."
The group of people who were gossiping around had their own places in the special training camp.
But there was a difference in rank!
Only Tang Hong got the attention of the consultants!
People with a little bit of cleverness knew that Tang Hong's future was boundless.
They couldn't help but look over at him.
"No matter how much foresight we have and how much foresight our elders have, what's the use of it? How can it be compared with the judgment of a Transcendent being consultant?"
When Jiang Lulu saw how these people were secretly observing Tang Hong, she immediately fumed. She was furious.
They previously agreed not to disturb him.
But what was up with these people?
Bam!
Jiang Lulu tapped the dinner plate fiercely.
"What are you looking at? Let's eat!"
"Eat, eat…"
Everyone quickly pacified her.
The dinner party was very lively.
On the surface, they talked about everything under the sun and praised each other.
But inside, they all had different thoughts and motives.
Most of those who came here for dinner only attended because they wanted to observe the others up close.
There were rewards for the entrance test and they were excited to participate for a chance to win a reward. Of course, rewards and points were secondary to them. Transcendent items, however, were a great temptation to these people.
"I wonder what kind of Transcendent items would be given out this time. Will they be manmade or natural treasures of heaven and earth?"
"Have you noticed that Tang Hong's muscles look so distinct? He's headed in the wrong direction."
"Willpower is the key. It's not too late to take advantage of his ignorance and take him by surprise once we have entered the special training camp…"
"Tang Hong is already out of the game."
'That's one less competitor… But I cannot let my guard down either. There must be something special about Tang Hong for him to gain the attention of a consultant."
Everyone chatted with each other as they exchanged some information with each other.
On the other side…
Tang Hong wolfed down his meal. His body needed a lot of nutrition after he had just massively increased the strength of his physique.
'Sigh…'
'Can an increase of my Individual Value be triggered if the food tastes bad?'
Tang Hong's eyes flashed.
If it weren't because of his need to verify if this activity would fetch him Individual Value points, then he would rather remain hungry and have rice noodles back at the cafeteria.
After eating for about eight minutes, Tang Hong was delighted when he saw the system prompt.
His Individual Value increased by two!
He threw the crab legs aside and picked up the milky white napkin to wipe his hands.
Then, he walked to Jiang Lulu's side. He pulled a chair over and said with a smile.
"Don't mind if I sit next to you."
"Are you full already?"
She responded with a worried face as she puffed out her cheeks.
Tang Hong smiled. "I don't eat a lot."
"Alright."
Jiang Lulu moved her chair to make room for Tang Hong.
As soon as he sat down, a slender hand stretched out to him.
"Hello, Tang Hong. I am Guo Bojun from the group chat."
"Hello, hello…"
Tang Hong was still not used to the etiquette of shaking hands. He let go after a light shake.
Guo Bojun smiled and started talking to Tang Hong about body training methods.
He could clearly see that Tang Hong's hands were very thick. In addition, his muscles were very strong. It was as if he had just finished exercising.
Everyone thought that Tang Hong was heading in the wrong direction.
But Guo Bojun didn't think so. He was wary against Tang Hong.
"It's strange. He managed to attract the attention of the consultant. In that case, how can he not know that the entrance test is mainly a test of one's Willpower?"
'Unless Tang Hong doesn't care about the reward in that test at all at all.'
'Or what if he already predicted that this would happen, so he decided to optimize his training time and focused more on the special training course of the camp itself?'
Taking this into account, Guo Bojun gently rubbed his customized cufflinks.
He still couldn't figure out why his family paid so much money just to let him join this special training camp.
…
After bidding farewell to the reluctant Jiang Lulu, Tang Hong went back to school and continued to look for opportunities that might trigger the increase of his Individual Value.
"From what I've seen so far…"
"Eating at the canteen and eating take-out is not considered the same as eating out at a restaurant alone."
Tang Hong picked up the loneliness rating scale again as he examined it carefully.
He now had new plans.
But in the next very moment…
A beep was suddenly heard from the QQ chat that he rarely used. Tang Hong opened it and saw that it was the university class's QQ group chat. The squad leader tagged everyone and said that if they submitted their proof of internship, the school would give bonus credits for it.
At the same time, he uploaded a file to the group.
It was a form.
All they had to do was print it out and fill in the information.
Then, they needed to attach the original and two copies of the proof of internship before giving it to the counselor or class leader.
Tang Hong looked at it for a while.
'Seniors from previous years didn't seem to have received this bonus credit.'
'It's because it is difficult for fresh graduates to find jobs this year.'
'The school is also trying to keep its pace with the times.'
Most universities in Hua Country judged merit based on a credit system.
One could only graduate with enough credits.
With bonus credits, one could take fewer elective courses to save time.
Tang Hong was already in the second semester of his third year of study.
Bonus credits were of little use to him.
However…
He suddenly thought of a serious problem.
The headquarters of the Yellow River Organization was in the Imperial Capital and so was the special training camp. Now—the question was—how could he explain to his parents that he would not be able to come home this summer?
In fact, he would not be able to go home until next year.
A single proof of internship was not sufficient at all for that.
His parents would definitely be worried.
If the special training camp restricted phone calls and prohibited the use of mobile phones, it would be even worse. With his mother's personality, she might just show up at the address indicated on the proof of internship.
"This is a problem…"
Tang Hong rubbed his chin and looked down at the screen.
He saw the bold black characters at the top of the form.
Yunhai University of Finance and Economics.
'The school's official certification…' Tang Hong's eyes lit up.
"The elders have full trust in schools, especially to the faculty members of top universities like the Yunhai University of Finance and Economics. They won't doubt them."
He had an idea once more.
The Transcendents' war against the gods was a secret. But should he ask his parents' opinion?
After all, it was often the oldest ones that had the capability to think comprehensively and in detail.
But…
Remembering the Memory Eraser, Tang Hong immediately rejected this dangerous idea.
What if his parents discovered the truth and they had to have their memories wiped out by the Memory Eraser? In addition, what if that so-called Memory Eraser had side effects? If his parents died from a side effect of the Memory Eraser, then he would be to blame.
"It will not be too late to decide after I become a Transcendent and until they understand the inside story of why I did what I have done."
"I might not have to wait till next year."
"If 100% Strength and Willpower is my limit, it will not take that long before I become a Transcendent. At the most, it should be in a few months."