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The Special Investigation Team headquarters, basement level three, in a movie theater.

The empty room, without a single light on, appeared exceptionally dark and somber.

Cool air rushed in from the four corner vents, spreading out along with the low-frequency hum of the computer room.

A peculiar ozone smell wafted in the air, mixed with a faint aroma of cold brew coffee.

The two intertwined, creating a strange and chilling aura.

The entire hall is lit by the giant curtain wall that surrounds it in a ring.

The curtain wall is evenly divided into nine independent large screens.

At this moment, several of the screens had completely gone out, plunging into a deathly black.

This means that the test takers in this area have triggered the protection mechanism and have been forcibly ejected from the "illusion."

On the remaining screens, various bizarre and fantastical images are playing in real time from a bird's-eye view.

On the third screen on the left, the image is shaking wildly inside a gloomy morgue.

A bald security guard, as strong as a bear, was frantically crawling backward on the water-stained tile floor, using both hands and feet.

He was holding a dry powder fire extinguisher in his arms, using it as a shield in front of his face.

A male corpse with pale white eyes dragged its stiff steps in pursuit.

The burly bear-like man lost a shoe in the process and let out a bloodcurdling scream like a pig being slaughtered:
"Help! Captain Wang, help! Oh my god—there's a ghost!"

He writhed and crawled, howling in pain, while waving the fire extinguisher haphazardly with his eyes closed.

The heavy metal can slammed wildly in mid-air, nearly hitting him several times.

His tearful and utterly disheveled appearance was a stark contrast to his once robust and muscular physique.

What was presented on the screen was like a live-action "The Truman Show".

Outsiders would never have imagined it.

This screening room, located below the headquarters of the special search team, was an ancient underground sacrificial site that was excavated thirty years ago.

Back then, hundreds of workers involved in the excavation went mad and tore each other apart to death simply because they looked directly at some evil creature deep inside the site.

Today, the source of that horror is buried a hundred meters deep beneath the theater.

The outer layer is reinforced with special lead-zinc concrete of nuclear reactor grade, completely isolating it from the ground.

As for the images displayed on the surrounding curtain walls.

It was the scientists in the Special Search Team's Equipment Department who, after spending decades deciphering the eerie characters carved on the surface of the evil object, achieved this technological breakthrough.

Every candidate who puts on a helmet and enters the illusionary test is essentially being guided by the audio waveband of the Soul-Suppressing Bell's "Sub-Clock".

This force will help their consciousness cross spatial dimensions and successfully smuggle themselves into that other world connected by the remnants of evil.

Every fear and tremor they experienced in that world, every time they gritted their teeth and threw a punch, was captured by the "Mother Bell," the soul-suppressing bell buried underground.

Scientists then used modern quantum analysis technology to translate the mental fluctuations received by the master clock, ultimately projecting them onto the screen as these clear and intuitive images.

Although limited by technological bottlenecks and the time difference between the two worlds, the system cannot yet perfectly capture the continuity of all details like a long take in a movie.

But at least, when the candidates' emotions fluctuate wildly, or when they unleash a strong survival instinct.

The mother clock can still accurately reproduce those high-intensity fragments of consciousness on the screen.

At this moment, a man sits alone on the leather sofa in the very center.

He was wearing a sharp, dark black high-ranking uniform, his broad shoulders stretching the garment into a cold, hard silhouette.

The golden wheat ears on the epaulettes reflected a cold metallic luster under the faint glow of the screen.

The man leaned forward slightly, resting his elbows on his knees.

His gaze ignored the burly bear-like man weeping and snotting in the morgue, as well as the images of the other examinees.

Instead, it was firmly locked onto screen number six in the very center.

The background of the screen was extremely dark, making it appear very blurry.

It seemed to be inside an abandoned factory, with rusty pipes crisscrossing the area.

A thin, frail boy is surrounded by a group of twisted, howling shadows.

The boy did not back down at all; instead, he chose to take the initiative.

He dodged a dark figure's attack to the side, then suddenly twisted his body and threw a punch.

A vicious hook punch landed precisely on the monster's head, instantly distorting and disintegrating the dark shape.

Immediately afterwards, he slid his feet and moved like a cheetah through the encirclement, raising his knee and side kicking, repelling one after another the black shadows that pounced on him.

The scene zooms out rapidly, and time passes in an instant.

After the fight ended, the boy, along with several classmates who had suffered bruises and swelling, helped each other out of the water plant gate.

They collapsed onto the overgrown steps, panting heavily, their faces beaming with joy, celebrating their survival.

When I saw the boy looking up at the sky with a puzzled expression.

A flicker of emotion crossed the middle-aged man's deep eyes, and a slight smile curved his lips.

He didn't turn around, but simply raised his right hand and casually waved it in mid-air.

From the deep darkness behind, the sound of very light footsteps immediately rang out.

A young man, not yet thirty, with an extremely capable demeanor, strode forward.

He stopped half a meter away from the sofa and bowed respectfully.

Without uttering a single question, he understood immediately, pulled a paper file from the black folder tucked under his arm, and handed it over with both hands.

The middle-aged man took the file and glanced at the paper.

[Candidate No. 263]

Name: Fang Cheng

[Address: Old Factory Street, JB District, Dongdu City...]

He closed the file, tossed it onto the coffee table beside him with a thud.

"Director Qin."

The middle-aged man's voice was deep and resonant, carrying an air of authority born of long-standing power.

"This candidate's family background seems problematic?"

The young man, addressed as Director Qin, bent over even more deeply, a fine layer of sweat beading on his forehead.

He swallowed hard and reported rapidly:
"Yes. His father, Fang Shijie, was directly involved in the sensational 'Guangwu Gate Shooting Case' seventeen years ago and was once suspected by the police of being the serial killer 'Midnight Red Devil'."

"However, Fang Shijie committed suicide by dousing himself in gasoline during the initial arrest operation, which led to a complete breakdown in the case's leads."

Director Qin paused, then explained cautiously:
"Subsequently, the Intelligence Department's Inspection Section conducted five years of surveillance on the orphan left behind by this suspect."

"It was eventually confirmed that he was just an ordinary person who did not show any antisocial tendencies or abnormal abilities, so he had already been removed from the firewall's list of people to be closely monitored."

"Moreover, during this political vetting process, we sent people to conduct a detailed undercover investigation of his alma mater, the fighting club where he worked, and his neighbors."

"No one found any character flaws in him; on the contrary, they praised his diligent and hardworking attitude."

Director Qin listed the compelling evidence he had gathered as thoroughly as possible, clearly indicating his high regard for the candidate's potential.

"Oh."

The middle-aged man let out a cold snort and turned his gaze back to the screen in front of him:

"Since your assessment concludes that he is an ordinary person, then how do you explain his performance when facing those strange phenomena in the Black Rain World, Director Qin?" This cold snort was like a heavy hammer, slamming into Director Qin's heart.

His shirt back was instantly soaked with cold sweat, and he didn't dare to utter a word in rebuttal. He quickly lowered his head to express his opinion:
"It was my subordinate's mistake; he wasn't strict enough! I'll go and inform the chief examiner right away to remove him from the competition immediately!"

"Wait..."

The middle-aged man raised his hand to stop Director Qin's actions.

His gaze fell on the upper right corner of the file, on the young, handsome, and well-defined headshot.

"When did our special search team become a government agency that only looks at bloodlines and not abilities when selecting talent?"

The man leaned back in his chair, his tone calm yet each word firm and resonant:

"I have emphasized this many times in meetings: when recruiting people, we should first look at their abilities and second at their character."

"His courage to face monsters without flinching, his willingness to step forward to save his companions in danger, and his ability to throw a punch in dire straits have already proven his awareness and character."

"Family background and past experience are certainly factors to consider in political veto, but they should never be the sole basis for rejection."

"As long as he has a pure heart and dares to point his blade at those monsters, why can't the special search team make an exception and give him a chance to prove himself?"

Director Qin stood there, secretly letting out a long breath, his tense shoulders finally relaxing.

In fact, according to the special investigation team's strict political review standards, candidates like Fang Cheng, whose immediate family members have serious blemishes on their backgrounds, should have been directly eliminated during the initial review of their materials.

However, a former leader who had just retired to the second line of leadership personally called him a few days ago, asking for his help through connections.

He couldn't refuse this favor, so he used his authority and reluctantly put Fang Cheng's information into the interview list.

Of course, his willingness to do so cannot be considered complete favoritism or corruption.

Because the underlying logic of the "Black Rain World" is very special.

It is by no means a virtual environment as claimed, but a real, existing alternate world.

All invaders whose consciousness is projected there will face extremely severe dimensional repulsion.

That world not only forcibly strips the invaders of their real-world memories, but also completely suppresses the hidden power within them, turning them into completely ordinary people in the so-called "illusion."

This tactic was originally the special search team's ultimate weapon for dealing with infiltrators with malicious intentions and for distinguishing friend from foe.

In a state of extreme fear, loss of power, and loss of self-awareness, even an S-class psychic would be unable to remain clear-headed and would be most likely to expose their selfish and cruel nature.

This young man, despite being an ordinary person, was able to bravely throw punches and sacrifice himself to save others when encountering monsters, ultimately completing the assessment.

This naturally demonstrates that he is of pure heart and possesses the essential qualifications to be accepted into the Special Search Team.

"What's the current situation?"

The middle-aged man's deep voice interrupted Director Qin's thoughts.

Director Qin immediately opened his tablet and glanced at the data displayed:

"According to real-time statistics reported by each examination center, four candidates have survived for more than twenty minutes in the black rain world."

"One of the candidates in the ninth examination room even reached 24 minutes and 50 seconds, which is very close to the system's 25-minute crash limit."

In this interview, the Special Investigations Unit's scoring criteria were completely different from those of a regular exam.

The "Illusion Test" is not about who can complete the test the fastest or get out the earliest.

Rather, it depends on who can withstand the rejection from the other world and fight against the unknown fear for the longest time.

Any candidate who can stay inside for more than twenty minutes will receive an excellent score.

They are promising talents with extremely strong willpower, and will receive a lot of resources and focused training after joining the Special Search Team.

As for those who couldn't even last ten minutes, and were forced to wake up due to mental breakdown as soon as they came into contact with the monster, they had essentially lost the qualifications to become field agents.

The middle-aged man pondered for a moment.

"Including the candidate named Fang Cheng from earlier, that makes five."

His gaze swept across the large screen, his voice steady yet tinged with disappointment:

"There are still too few. The situation this year is not optimistic. We need more fresh blood."

"Go and notify all examination centers to broaden the passing score requirements. Anyone who can stay inside for more than ten minutes can be considered for admission, regardless of their scores in other subjects."

"As for those who play for more than fifteen minutes, they can be included in the list of key trainees."

"Also, after all the tests are finished today, compile a detailed list. I want to review it personally."

"Yes, I understand."

Director Qin stood at attention with his feet together and accepted the order.

Just then, the heavy soundproof door of the theater was pushed open from the outside.

Accompanied by the sound of high heels clicking on the floor, a female secretary in a gray pencil skirt quickly walked to the sofa.

She glanced at her watch and reported softly:

"Chief, it's eleven o'clock sharp. Lunch has been prepared and delivered to your office. You can go back and have a little something."

"At 1:30 PM, you will be going to the Ministry of Defense building to attend a high-level joint defense meeting with the military. The special operations convoy is already waiting in the underground parking garage."

"Ah."

The middle-aged man nodded slightly, placed his hands on his knees, and stood up from the sofa.

His tall and imposing figure cast a huge shadow on the ground.

This man is none other than Ling Shaofeng, the current highest-ranking officer of the Special Search Team.

The female secretary skillfully picked up the military wool coat draped over the sofa armrest, carefully unfolded it, and draped it over Ling Shaofeng's shoulders.

He then presented the peaked cap with the eagle emblem with both hands.

Ling Shaofeng took the police cap, put it on, and straightened his collar.

He turned around and strode toward the door.

As he brushed past Director Qin, the sound of his military boots hitting the ground suddenly paused.

"Little Qin."

Ling Shaofeng didn't turn his head; his deep gaze remained fixed on the darkness ahead, his tone unhurried:
"In life and in business, one must know how to exercise discretion."

"If the water is too clear, there will be no fish. I can allow those below me to seek some personal gain for the sake of daily necessities, but within this gate, in the face of righteousness, there can be absolutely no muddy water, understand?"

This pointed remark was like a bucket of ice water being poured over someone's head.

Director Qin felt a chill run down his spine, and his back, which had just dried, was soaked with cold sweat again.

He kept his head bowed tightly, barely daring to breathe, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty.
"Understood..."

Ling Shaofeng didn't say anything more and strode out of the theater.

The heavy, soundproof metal door slowly closed behind him, returning the hall to a silent darkness.

Director Qin stood frozen in place, staring blankly at the broad back that had already disappeared outside the door, feeling his legs go weak.

He exhaled a long breath of stale air from his chest, raised his sleeve, and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

Then, he shook his head with a wry smile.

Today's ordeal was overcome thanks to the Chief of Staff's usual trust.

Director Qin gazed at the images displayed on the surrounding screens and muttered to himself:

"Fang Cheng, now that you've joined the Special Search Team, you'd better live up to expectations and perform well. Don't cause me any trouble..." (End of Chapter)