Chapter 98 – One in Ten Thousand

“Team Leader Zhou, you don’t seem to be in a good state?”

In the operating room, the doctor performing the surgery glanced at Zhou Ling, his tone carrying a hint of concern.

“I’m fine, keep going.”

Zhou Ling shook his head, but his face looked grim and troubled.

On the virtual screen in front of him, the boy he had been monitoring had already approached the Cavern Rat Monster.

Standing right between the Rat Monster and the black box, the boy seemed determined, rubbing his hands together eagerly, as if ready for a direct confrontation.

“Idiot!”

Zhou Ling couldn’t help but curse.

Immediately, a cold and angry voice came through the hidden earpiece embedded under his skin.

“Zhou Ling, are you cursing at me?”

Only then did Zhou Ling remember that the call he had answered earlier was still connected.

“Not you.”

Zhou Ling quickly explained, but his face grew even darker.

The strength of this Cavern Rat Monster had been preliminarily estimated to reach C-, roughly equivalent to an ordinary Divine Servant level.

At this level, a Divine Servant couldn’t be dealt with by a simple entrapment device.

Strictly speaking, it already qualified to be listed on the organization’s hunting list, becoming the target for his next team mission.

And yet, facing such a formidable opponent, Lu Yuan, that kid, had actually chosen to forgo the use of an entrapment device, attempting to take it on barehanded?

Could he be any more clueless?

What had he just praised him for?

Steady character?!!

“What is he thinking? With just a smattering of Sky Water Stream Crane Style martial arts techniques, he wants to confront a Divine Servant level head-on? Did practicing martial arts fry his brain at such a young age?”

Zhou Ling internally mocked, quickly regaining his composure, and spoke with a stern face: “Gao Qing, are you still listening?”

“What exactly do you want to say?”

The cold female voice on the other end of the earpiece was starting to sound a bit impatient.

“Are you currently on a mission? Still at Jiaoyan? How many people can you mobilize right now? Head to the coordinates I mentioned immediately, I’ve run into some trouble.”

Zhou Ling’s mind raced, hoping to quickly find the best way to handle the situation.

He had no intention of managing Lu Yuan anymore; he couldn’t even if he wanted to.

Lu Yuan was determined to seek death, and there was nothing he could do to stop it.

What he initially thought was a promising candidate for the organization turned out to be…

“I’ll send you the detailed information on the target right now. You should personally lead the team if possible.”

As Zhou Ling spoke, he operated the transparent virtual screen in front of him.

He occasionally glanced at the screen.

During one such casual glance, something caught his attention.

The scene on the screen showed the level C Cavern Rat Monster launching an attack, ferociously pouncing towards the seemingly “frail” boy in the frame.

Zhou Ling instinctively started data collection, frowning with a stern and grave expression.

He could almost visualize the likely outcome in his mind.

Suddenly, a thought popped into his head—

“Could Lu Yuan have brought another expert from the Sky Water Stream Crane Style? Is that why he’s so fearless? Just like the last time he survived an encounter with a Powerful Divine Servant from the Crow Deity sect?”

This thought flashed like a revelation in Zhou Ling’s mind.

But before this idea could fully illuminate his thoughts, the next moment’s scene left Zhou Ling in a state of prolonged shock and rigidity—

In the frame, the boy’s entire body suddenly expanded, muscles rippling, and he punched out forcefully.

“Bang!”

The level C Cavern Rat Monster, charging straight at him, had its head explode without a sound, bursting like a watermelon under the scorching sun.

The headless Rat Monster froze, then wobbled, its massive body collapsing limply to the ground.

The blood-soaked boy stood serenely, eyes closed, retracting his stance with ease, his face calm and peaceful.

From start to finish.

He had only made one move—

A punch!

And then everything ended cleanly and swiftly.

Zhou Ling stared blankly at the scene unfolding before him.

He felt as if someone had injected him with a full syringe of muscle-hardening agent, rendering him immobile.

Countless newly collected data points scrolled across the screen in front of him like a waterfall.

In his ears, the surgeon’s warning echoed.

“Team Leader Zhou, your heart rate and blood pressure are rising rapidly. I demand we immediately terminate the surgery!”

And the cold female voice from the earpiece.

“Zhou Ling! Zhou Ling, are you listening to me properly?”

Unfortunately, Zhou Ling couldn’t hear a thing.

All he could see was the serene and calm, seemingly harmless, handsome young boy on the screen.

The waterfall of data gradually paused, and a brand-new profile finally appeared before Zhou Ling.

“Lu Yuan

Male, seventeen years old.

Power Assessment Rating: C

Potential Assessment Rating: A+”

“Evaluation: One in Ten Thousand!”

Finally, it was over.

Lu Yuan felt an overwhelming sense of clarity and satisfaction in his heart.

It was as if he had been waiting a month for his college entrance examination results, only to find out he scored much better than he had anticipated!

On the [martial artist] panel, the fully unlocked skill point for the Crane Cry Punch shone brilliantly, like the morning star high in the sky.

Oh no, it couldn’t be called the Crane Cry Punch anymore.

It now had its own name.

[Professional Killer Move: Sky Water Stream Crane Style Ultimate True Skill—Spirit Crane Technique: Crane Shadow Float! Level 1 (currently unable to upgrade)]

A killer move!

Spirit Crane Technique: Crane Shadow Float!

Lu Yuan looked at his right hand, still savoring the punch he had just thrown.

That was undoubtedly the most powerful punch he had ever executed.

Four basic attributes tightly combined, multiple core skills fully activated, and the timing of the punch was perfect to the millimeter.

It was like a heavenly steed soaring across the skies, or a pronghorn hanging its horns.

If he had to do it again, he might not be able to do it better.

“Awesome!”

The satisfaction was akin to downing a glass of ice-cold freshly squeezed watermelon juice on a scorching hot day.

Every pore, every cell in his body, from his heels to the tips of his hair, felt exhilarated.

All troubles gone, all frustration vented.

Even walking felt lighter and more buoyant now.

Lu Yuan wiped the partially dried blood off his face and checked the information prompt on his professional panel.

To his surprise, he discovered that by killing this Cavern Rat Monster, he had gained over 400 professional experience points.

The [martial artist] level had directly increased to Level 6, rewarding him with 1 attribute point and 1 skill point.

“With this, I can finally unlock the last professional basic skill for [Death Messenger (extraordinary)]!”

Lu Yuan couldn’t help but feel delighted.

Additionally, the experience points for his advanced boxing techniques had skyrocketed, directly breaking through to Level 4 from Level 3.

After quickly scanning his gains, Lu Yuan turned his attention back to the Rat Monster’s corpse.

Similar to the Ratman he had previously killed, this Rat Monster’s body also began to “dissolve” and shrink.

Headless, the corpse was seeping a large amount of fluid, quickly soaking the surrounding cement ground.

“Did it drop anything?”

Lu Yuan’s eyes flickered with curiosity, recalling the crow mask and red bead that had rolled out from the Crow Deity’s Divine Servant he had killed earlier.

His heart filled with a sense of anticipation.

He wondered if there were any extraordinary items on the Ratman’s body.

Such items could unlock new professional panels and provide a significant amount of professional experience points, making them extremely valuable.

Lu Yuan kicked the Rat Monster’s body forcefully but found nothing.

Remembering that the Crow Deity’s Divine Servant had only dropped items after being thoroughly destroyed, Lu Yuan pondered whether the items might be hidden inside the Rat Monster’s body.

While he was contemplating whether to find a tool to dissect the Rat Monster’s corpse, a sudden buzzing, like a dragonfly’s wings, sounded overhead.

Lu Yuan looked up sharply and saw a silver-gray shuttle rapidly enlarging in his field of vision.

The red and yellow flag of the Xia State emblazoned on the shuttle’s sides shone brilliantly under the sunlight.

Lu Yuan paused his actions on the corpse, stood up, and quietly watched the shuttle approach.

“Hiss.”

Lu Yuan used mineral water to rewet the nearly dry tissue, wrung it out slightly, and began carefully wiping the area around his jaw.

He had anticipated this situation, so he had brought washing supplies and a clean set of clothes with him.

The fishy-smelling bloodstains on his skin were almost completely cleaned, although changing clothes was out of the question for now.

Lu Yuan subconsciously looked in a certain direction.

A massive maglev shuttle hovered not far from him.

This thing, which in his previous life only existed in sci-fi movies, looked like a weaving shuttle from below; up close, it resembled a wingless bird.

Its overall lines were sleek and beautiful, and the silver-gray exterior shimmered with a hazy luster under the sunlight, exuding a futuristic technological vibe.

Lu Yuan longed to go inside and take a look.

Unfortunately, two towering Yellow Bear members stood guard outside the shuttle’s door, like gatekeepers, exuding an aura that deterred strangers from approaching.

Further away, a group of Yellow Bear members was cleaning up the battlefield he had just left.

Lu Yuan saw them extracting several pitch-black unknown objects from the Rat Monster’s corpse, and his pupils contracted slightly.

He had a strong premonition that these items were what he wanted—extraordinary materials useful for his professional panel.

Regrettably, the Yellow Bear team had arrived too quickly for him to act on the Rat Monster’s body, leaving him no choice but to watch helplessly.

The commotion of the shuttle’s arrival had drawn the attention of a few people filming at the entrance of the parking lot. They were now being directed away by a woman commanding the Yellow Bear members.

Lu Yuan’s main focus was also on this woman.

Not because she was exceptionally beautiful.

Well, she was indeed very beautiful, the most beautiful woman Lu Yuan had ever seen.

But the reason Lu Yuan paid attention to her was the White Bear insignia on her left chest, identical to Zhou Ling’s.

“A Yellow Bear team leader with a similar rank to Zhou Ling.”

Lu Yuan thought, as the beautiful woman stepped toward him.

“Lu Yuan.”

The beautiful woman stood in front of him. Despite Lu Yuan’s height of nearly 1.85 meters, she was only half a head shorter, with a tall and slender build.

“My name is Gao Qing, Team Leader of Yellow Bear Team D, No. 9734. Nice to meet you.”

The beautiful woman spoke with a cold tone, and her self-introduction had an interrogative flavor to it.

D-9734.

Lu Yuan silently committed this number to memory and nodded, saying, “Hello, Team Leader Gao.”

It didn’t surprise Lu Yuan that the woman named Gao Qing knew his name.

Except for his professional panel, an ordinary citizen like him had no secrets from the Yellow Bear members.

“Do you know that placing a weapon of mass destruction in a busy urban area violates the Xia State’s public security laws?”

As soon as Lu Yuan finished speaking, Gao Qing’s tone shifted sharply, becoming stern and severe.

“What do you mean?”

Lu Yuan was taken aback. He instinctively glanced at the black box device on the ground that the Yellow Bear members were collecting and couldn’t help but speak up, “I didn’t use it, and this isn’t a busy urban area. Besides, this thing was sent to me by your Team Leader Zhou.”

“Hmm, I know.”

Gao Qing replied coldly, “So when I go back, I will also report him to the organization. Now, let’s talk about your issue.”

Gao Qing’s aggressive demeanor quickly made Lu Yuan realize he might have been set up.

It probably had nothing to do with Zhou Ling. He guessed it was likely due to this woman named Gao Qing herself.

Did she have a grudge against Zhou Ling?

Lu Yuan’s mind raced, and he swiftly calmed down.

“So, Team Leader Gao, are you planning to take me back?”

“According to the rules, yes.”

“Fine!”

Lu Yuan nodded decisively, glanced at the shuttle, and asked, “Do I need to be put in any electronic restraints, or should I just walk up myself?”

“Uh…”

Gao Qing was momentarily stunned, seemingly not expecting such a reaction from Lu Yuan.

In a daze, Lu Yuan had already started walking towards the shuttle, his expression showing a hint of anticipation.

He genuinely wanted to experience a ride in the shuttle.

Gao Qing’s expression fluctuated slightly before she finally spoke.

“Wait!”

Lu Yuan stopped and turned to look at Gao Qing. “What is it, Team Leader Gao?”

“Forget it.”

Gao Qing paused for a moment and said, “Your situation is quite special this time. I’ll report it and handle it separately when I get back.”

“Alright.”

Lu Yuan quietly watched Gao Qing, waiting for her to continue.

Unexpectedly, Gao Qing just waved her hand and said, “You can go now. If there’s anything else, I’ll have someone notify you.”

Lu Yuan didn’t say much, simply nodded, and then picked up his backpack and walked out of the abandoned parking lot.

When he was almost out of sight of the shuttle, Lu Yuan paused slightly.

“Gao Qing, huh.”

“Targeting me, huh.”

“See you in the [Consciousness Space] of the imaginary enemy!”

With that thought, Lu Yuan adjusted the backpack on his shoulders and quickened his pace.

“Team Leader.”

As soon as Lu Yuan left, a Yellow Bear member approached Gao Qing, his face still showing traces of astonishment.

“Lu Yuan is quite powerful. He took down a level C Cavern Monster with a single punch. No wonder Team Leader Zhou is so keen on him.”

“Hmph.”

Gao Qing snorted softly without saying a word. Instead, she casually tapped a spot on her left wrist.

A small virtual screen popped up.

Gao Qing’s right hand deftly tapped on the screen, her fingers as delicate as scallion whites moving like she was playing the piano.

The Yellow Bear member beside her curiously leaned over and saw that Gao Qing was handling an evaluation report.

The report displayed Lu Yuan’s name and information.

Below was a series of various quality assessments, which Gao Qing seemed to be modifying and adding information to.

The Yellow Bear member carefully glanced at the bottom of the report, and a line of small text caught his eye.

[Potential Rating: A+ (One in Ten Thousand)]

“Hiss”

His pupils contracted sharply, and he took a light breath.

But before the astonishment on his face could fully manifest, the letter behind the rating disappeared.

It was replaced by the words “Reevaluation in Progress.”