Cheng Tingyu keenly sensed that the atmosphere around him had become tense.
Her judgment was not wrong. The inspector, who had been speaking nicely all along, swiftly rolled up his sleeves and then threw a heavy punch at the person being questioned.
"Ding—"
In a flash, two consecutive impacts overlapped, merging into a prolonged, resonant chime.
In mid-air, the remnants of fists and arms flashed by. Cheng Tingyu was knocked off balance by the force, falling backward. Her residual muscle memory allowed her to adjust her posture in time, pushing off the ground with one hand to leap up, cautiously widening the distance between herself and the inspector.
——Five seconds ago, the inspector launched an attack on her.
The inspector did not pursue, but instead nodded and lowered his sleeve again: "The test is over, your suspicion has been lifted."
Just a moment ago, he used the pen he had been recording information with to attack Cheng Tingyu three times in quick succession. She dodged the first two strikes with her footwork, and for the final one, she accurately blocked it with the metal button on her sleeve.
The metal button was split in half down the middle, the cut surface exceptionally smooth, as if it had been sliced open by a sharp blade.
The inspector reminded, "You are not yet proficient in your abilities; you need to practice more in the future."
Cheng Tingyu neither agreed nor disagreed, and instead asked, "Is your ability also 'flesh and blood'?"
Although they had only briefly exchanged blows, Cheng Tingyu was acutely aware that his current combat skills and fighting prowess were insufficient to defeat the person before him.
The person sent to inquire about her, an ordinary visitor from a desolate area, must not be a top expert in the inspection team. The power of this organization should not be underestimated.
The inspector shook his head: "My ability is not 'flesh and blood,' but as long as one awakens their ability, a player's physical qualities will improve. The stronger the ability, the greater the enhancement. However, 'flesh and blood' is undoubtedly the strongest among them. There was once an ordinary member of the inspection team who could easily shatter steel plates with sheer physical strength."
No wonder the other party, while considering that she might be a "flesh and blood" type player, also provided other alternative options.
The inspector saw her silent and misunderstood her meaning, comforting her, "You have just awakened and do not yet know what the 'name' of your ability is. To have performed as you did just now is already at the average level of 'flesh and blood'."
Cheng Tingyu: "..."
Cheng Tingyu: "How long will it take to know one's 'name'?"
The inspector replied, "It's hard to say, but participating more in instances that match your own compatibility will help improve your abilities. Participating in other types of instances can also enhance your skills, though the progress will be a bit slower."
Cheng Tingyu: "The instance just now didn't seem to be in the 'flesh and blood' direction."
Inspector: "It shouldn't be. Many copies are a mix of various powers, with one or a few abilities being dominant." He smiled, "You encountered an unexpected situation because someone carried the 'entrance' of the copy with them."
Cheng Tingyu restrained himself, managing not to reveal his surprise at the fact that "the dungeon entrance could be carried around?" This effectively reduced the likelihood of his veteran persona in the desolate zone being exposed on the spot.
After explaining the doubts and revealing some unimportant details, the inspector kindly saw Cheng Tingyu out.
Cheng Tingyu also understood the reason for the other party's change in attitude.
——The detailed discussion just now, besides consuming the power of the tool that can verify the correctness of words, was also to prove her value to the city's forces.
In the perception of City F0631, "Mithra" is dangerous. Cheng Tingyu couldn't be entirely sure that he wouldn't be exposed. If he failed to deceive the other party, he might face imprisonment or expulsion. Therefore, Cheng Tingyu had to ensure that even if he couldn't ultimately conceal his true abilities, there was still a chance he could be recruited for his other strengths.
Before leaving the room, Cheng Tingyu glanced almost imperceptibly towards the position outside.
——The power from the "Secret Eye" made her instinctively believe that there was still a member of the inspection team hidden there.
The subsequent questioning delayed Cheng Tingyu for a long time. By the time everything was over, it was already 7:30 in the evening, and the last bus back to the city had left half an hour ago. Fortunately, there were residential buildings in the development zone, and Yu Wenran and the other two invited Cheng Tingyu to stay the night.
In the office temporarily requisitioned by the inspection team.
"It has already been tested; it's an ability related to 'flesh' or 'disaster insects.' The test paper shows the result as 'low radiation.'"
The person answering the boss's question was a young woman with a scholarly air. She was about twenty years old and wore a pair of rimless glasses on her nose.
——Just now, there were actually two people questioning Cheng Tingyu, one in the open and one in the shadows.
The test paper is a tool used by the inspection team to measure the strength of abilities. "Low radiation" means that both the state of the person being questioned and the state of the items they carry are relatively stable, and no additional monitoring is required.
Inspector Wei, who wore glasses, said, "Her combat ability is exceptional, already surpassing the limits she can control, fitting the characteristics of a sudden awakening."
In the judgment of the inspection team, if a person's combat power comes from accumulated training over time, then during the exercise process, they would have already fully integrated with their own martial strength.
However, Cheng Tingyu's performance in battle had a distinct sense of unfamiliarity, as if he wasn't accustomed to his current body. It was like a child wielding an adult's weapon; although he could respond to external strikes, there was an awkwardness and clumsiness that any expert could immediately recognize.
The inspector Wei, who was responsible for the face-to-face questioning, also said, "I attacked her three times in total. In fact, she didn't need to retreat after the first strike, but it wasn't until the third strike that she made any sort of counterattack."
They habitually used an unannounced, fast-paced attack method to force the person being questioned to give the most direct response.
This makes sense.
Bu Wushang took the investigation report from his subordinate's hand, carefully perused it, and began to sketch an initial image of Cheng Tingyu in his mind.
"Remove her from the list of suspects, help her get a residence permit, and apply for a new forum account for her."
The newly awakened player named Cheng Tingyu didn't have enough experience and had only been in the outer district for a couple of days, falling short of the standards required to join the inspection team. However, considering that her abilities were basically confirmed to be related to "flesh," it might be worth trying to recruit her. If she later demonstrated sufficient value, it wouldn't be too late to find a way to bring her into the team.
For this reason, they did not ask what rewards Cheng Tingyu received after clearing the level, so as not to leave a bad impression.
The inspector Wei smiled, "I think she has good qualities. If it weren't for the requirement that candidates for the inspector team must have lived in the city for a certain period, she could have become our new colleague right now."
Bu Wushang nonchalantly said, "Only strict identity verification can prevent the inspection team from being infiltrated from within."
At that moment, an inspector walked into the office and gave a slight bow to Bu Wushang. "The duty roster information."
In the development zone, the roster of who is on duty in each department every day is public information, easily accessible to all regular employees.
Bu Wushang began to carefully examine the relevant content.
"Duty roster: Yu Wenran, Li Junhui, Yan Jiayu, Liu Xuehong, Zheng Ruinan, Sun Xiaolin."
"Supervision schedule: Lin Baichi, Ren Shuhe."
To ensure optimal work conditions, the supervisors always work in pairs. Today, the two on duty are Lin Baichi, a bearded middle-aged man, and Ren Shuhe, a young man with delicate features.
"..."
To prevent the attendants from slacking off during their shifts, the supervisor would conduct an inspection in the duty room in the afternoon.
Inspector Wei: "After investigation, it was found that after the subroutine in the duty room was triggered, the supervisor responsible for the corresponding area, Ren Shuhe, also suddenly left his post."
Bu Wushang: "Set up personnel at the surrounding city exits for inspection."
Inspector Wei received the order and left.
Bu Wushang's face showed no expression. She flipped to the first page of the documents in her hand and began to read them again.
The night in the development zone was unusually quiet. Employees generally didn't want to stay overnight here, but today was an exception—they had just exited the instance and were in a cooldown period, making it unlikely to trigger the instance again easily.
After finishing dinner, Cheng Tingyu chatted with Yu Wenran and the others for a while, taking the opportunity to learn about the situation in the development zone, thus achieving his initial goal.
Yu Wenran's response was quite detailed. Although many newcomers to the outer district could only find basic jobs in the development zone, with the abilities Cheng Tingyu had demonstrated, securing a formal position wasn't out of the question.
Li Junhui smiled, "Although it's a bit dangerous on our side, the benefits and treatment are quite good. If you're not afraid of the dungeons, it might just be considered an ideal job."
Cheng Tingyu sighed, "Actually, it's not very ideal either."
Yu Wenran: "Hmm, our management here is indeed still a bit rigid..."
Cheng Tingyu said seriously, "No, because my ideal is not to work."
Yu Wenran and the others: "..."
This is also their ideal.
9 p.m.
After finishing her meal, Cheng Tingyu bid everyone goodnight. Whether before or after her time travel, she was never one to go to bed early or wake up early. However, the shuttle bus from the development zone to the city had an unpredictable schedule, with the most regular one being at six in the morning. She had to return to her room early to rest, ensuring she could wake up on time the next morning.
Three o'clock in the morning.
For most people who go to bed on time, this is the period of deep sleep.
Cheng Tingyu's bedroom door was quietly opened from the outside, and a shadow slipped in silently.
The shadow cautiously observed the surroundings and noticed a package lying on the ground. He walked over and began to rummage through it.
There was an object shaped like an ID card. The shadowy figure reached out excitedly and picked up the small rectangular piece of paper.
The surface of the piece of paper was covered with a layer of waterproof plastic film, giving it a somewhat rigid feel. By the light coming through the window, the shadow could vaguely see the five large characters "Postman Work Permit" printed on the front of the rectangular piece of paper.