The Red world - Chapter 39
Chapter 39: Aptitude Assessment
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“May I ask why Major Chen asked you to come?” Lu Xin asked Gecko after they had found a seat in an abandoned garden.
“It’s something important!”
Although Gecko was annoyed that Lu Xin had decided to bring him to this miserable garden instead of inviting him to his home, he didn’t cling to the unhappiness for too long. He soon forgot about Lu Xin’s rudeness and became cheerful again.
Gecko said in a mysterious tone, “Brother, you surely are a big figure. The Six Monsters of Qinggang have all come to the Second Satellite City just for you…”
“The Six Monsters of Qinggang?”
Lu Xin was puzzled.
“Yeah! Six monsters!”
Gecko said with all seriousness, “Scary, strange monsters!”
“What are they doing here?” Lu Xin asked hastily, surprised.
“What else? They’re here to assess you…”
Gecko was confused. “Has the headquarters not informed you?”
“Assess?”
Lu Xin finally understood after a brief pause. Of course they had told him. In fact, he had been waiting for a while now. Han Bing had once told him that only those who passed the assessment could be officially recruited into the Corruption Cleanup Department. He remembered that very clearly…
However, there seemed to be very limited career advancement prospects in this department…
Lu Xin wasn’t too concerned about that, though, because an official contract was able to give him all the security that he needed.
That’s certainly good news. But soon, he became worried. “Why are monsters involved in the assessment?”
Gecko seemed pleased at his confusion. He smiled mysteriously and said, “You’ll know when you arrive there…”
“I see.”
Lu Xin didn’t ask further. Then, he said, “Sister, don’t gesture at his neck!”
Puzzled, Gecko asked, “Who are you talking to?”
“My sister!”
Lu Xin thought that he didn’t need to lie to other mutants.
He explained with all honesty, “She’s gesturing at your neck now as if she wants to rip off your head…”
Gecko felt a chill down his spine.
Lu Xin comforted him. “Don’t worry. She listens to me most of the time!”
Gecko tilted his body away subconsciously. “What about other times?”
Lu Xin shot him a glance and slightly nodded.
“You surely do live up to your reputation…”
Gecko had wanted to crack more jokes, but he suddenly stood up and kept some distance from Lu Xin. He said, “I love joking around, and I like it when other people joke about me too. But why is there a strange feeling when I joke with you?”
Maybe it’s because I’m not joking, Lu Xin thought.
Curious, he asked, “What did others say about me?”
“The clearance level of your information is super high!”
Gecko said with a smile, “But they all say that you are very dangerous.”
What was I expecting? Any rumor in any company is biased and untrue… Lu Xin thought.
Lu Xin decided not to pursue the topic any further. He asked, “Then… when is the assessment?”
“They’ll tell you when it’s time!”
Gecko looked at the black digital watch on his wrist and said, “But it won’t be long!”
Lu Xin was confused. “Is it still not confirmed?”
“Hehe…”
Gecko giggled. “Do you think it’s a small matter to have all Six Monsters of Qinggang away from the main city?”
As he spoke, the screen of his digital watch suddenly lit up. A serious look suddenly appeared on Gecko’s face.
“Here it is!”
Lu Xin asked at once, “When?”
“15 minutes later at Qingzhuo Mansion in the east of the city!”
Gecko’s eyes brightened up. “Brother, those monsters are super bad-tempered. They hate latecomers. Sadly, we’re nowhere near that location. It’s time to show them what you’ve got…”
Before he finished his sentence, he had already started to retreat backward. When his back touched the apartment wall behind him, he suddenly put his feet on the wall and began walking on the vertical surface. After five quick steps, he straightened his back and stuck his body to the surface of the wall.
Gecko smiled at Lu Xin and said, “Come on, brother. Let’s see who’ll reach there first…”
With that, he climbed up the wall like the shadow of a ghost and disappeared behind the roof in no time.
“Well…”
Lu Xin was dumbfounded as he watched Gecko vanish from his sight.
Then, he estimated the traveling time and walked down the staircase beside the garden into the metro station.
“Rumble…”
An old train covered in colorful graffiti drove into the station.
Lu Xin tapped his train card and entered the station. Did he not know that the last train goes to Qingzhuo Mansion directly? He mused.
When Lu Xin slowly strolled out of the metro station, he saw Gecko climbing down the building beside him, panting heavily. It was still early evening, and there were many pedestrians on the streets. Therefore, Gecko had to carefully avoid people’s attention as he quickly turned around a corner when no one was watching.
“I didn’t lose…”
Seeing the strange look in Lu Xin’s eyes, Gecko felt compelled to explain himself. “I noticed that you didn’t catch up, so I turned back to look for you. How would I have thought that you’d taken the train… I would have reached a long time ago if I didn’t have to move so inconspicuously!”
Although that might be true, Lu Xin didn’t know how to respond.
“Is it upstairs?”
Lu Xin changed the topic and looked up at this tall building, one of the tallest in the entire satellite city.
“That’s right. They’re probably ready. Let’s go!” Gecko said. He looked up at the building, which looked like an unconquerable giant from the ground floor.
Suddenly, his eyes brightened up. “Shall we climb up?”
Lu Xin shot him a look of mixed emotions and entered the elevator in the lobby.
It was unusually quiet inside the entire building, and no redundant people were around. There were a few armed security personnel in the lobby and at the entrance of the staircase. They looked like straight steel nails, which gave the building a serious atmosphere.
Lu Xin had never seen any place so strictly guarded in the satellite city.
In his impression, even the Security Office, the Administrative Office, or the military camp of the city guards were nothing like this.
Under Gecko’s guidance, Lu Xin entered the building without breaking a sweat. He registered himself and took the elevator to the 19th floor.
“This way. The professors are waiting!”
Chen Jing had already been waiting at the elevator lobby of the 19th floor. She was dressed in a black suit, which gave her a competent and crisp look.
“Okay!”
Lu Xin shook her hand unnaturally and followed her to the main office on that floor.
“This assessment is a standard procedure before your official deployment!
“After you’ve passed, you’ll be given a codename and the opportunity to be mentored and guided by the experts!”
“Official deployment…”
Lu Xin was keen to notice the keyword. He suddenly felt less nervous now.
