My bizarre resurgence: My price is the ability to trade everything.

After Chen Xuan left, I lay in bed for several more hours.

My mind keeps replaying what happened last night.

The numbers are bizarre...

The balance of costs...

The seventh balancer...

And what that "spirit" said.

"Each Balancer is a host chosen by the scales. And you... are the seventh."

This means that there were six "me"s before me.

Did they experience the same thing?

What happened to them in the end?

I suddenly remembered the question mark on the coin detector.

Total consumption: ? ? ?

Chen Xuan said that the question mark meant that my actual consumption was obscured by some kind of force.

Could it be because... the scales are bearing part of the cost for me?

If so, why would Libra do that?

I rubbed my temples, feeling like my head was about to explode.

Can't figure it out.

I'll stop thinking about it for now.

Let's get through today first.

I arrived at the General Administration at 3 p.m.

It was the same familiar corridor, and the same empty reception desk.

But the atmosphere today seems a little different.

There were a few more people in the corridor.

When they saw me, they all stopped and looked at me with strange expressions.

Curiosity? Vigilance? Or... awe?

I felt a little uncomfortable and quickened my pace to walk inside.

"You're Lin Xiaofan?"

A voice came from the side.

I turned my head and saw a burly young man standing at the corner of the corridor.

He was about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with a square face, thick eyebrows, and big eyes, wearing an ordinary black T-shirt. But the T-shirt was stretched taut by his well-developed muscles, looking like it might tear at any moment.

What's most striking is his bald head, which shines brightly and reflects light under the lamp.

"I am." I looked at him warily. "Who are you?"

"Zhao Tiezhu." He grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Director Chen sent me to pick you up."

Zhao Tiezhu...

My partner.

"Hello." I extended my hand.

Zhao Tiezhu glanced at my hand, then looked down at my hand, and then looked up at me.

"Your hands..." he frowned, "are too thin."

"What?"

"No strength," he said bluntly. "Like someone who's never trained."

I awkwardly withdrew my hand.

"I really haven't practiced anything."

"It's alright," Zhao Tiezhu patted my shoulder, "I'll train you from now on."

Just like that, I felt like my shoulder almost dislocated.

"Ouch—" I grimaced, "Be gentle."

"Sorry, sorry." Zhao Tiezhu chuckled. "I'm used to it. I forgot you haven't even started yet."

He led me to the training room.

The training room is much bigger than the place I visited last time.

Various pieces of equipment were neatly arranged—treadmills, barbells, sandbags, punching bags... and some other things I couldn't name.

"This is the basic training area," Zhao Tiezhu said, pointing around. "From now on, you'll have to report here every day."

"every day?"

"Yes." Zhao Tiezhu nodded. "Arriving at six in the morning and finishing at seven."

From six to seven o'clock...

Morning?

"Are you kidding me?" I cried, on the verge of tears. "I'm a college student!"

"What's wrong with college students?" Zhao Tiezhu asked, puzzled. "I used to be a college student too. I majored in Sanda (Chinese kickboxing) at a sports university."

"Then how come you..."

"I couldn't find a job after graduation, and then Director Chen happened to be hiring," Zhao Tiezhu shrugged. "That's how I got in."

Looking at his muscular physique, I suddenly realized that my worries were a bit unnecessary.

How could an ordinary person possibly beat him?

"Oh, right," Zhao Tiezhu suddenly remembered something, "you joined General Administration?"

"Um."

"So what's your code name?"

"777."

Zhao Tiezhu was stunned for a moment.

"777?" he repeated. "What a coincidence?"

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing." He shook his head, but his expression was somewhat strange. "It's just... there's another person on our team, also codenamed 777."

"What?!" I was stunned. "Code names can be repeated?"

"It's not a repetition," Zhao Tiezhu said. "It's because you and she share the same code name."

"who?"

"Su Mingyue."

My heart skipped a beat.

Su Mingyue?

"Her codename is also 777?"

"Yes." Zhao Tiezhu nodded. "She's an intelligence agent codenamed 777, and you're a combatant codenamed 777. The two of you together make a complete 777."

I was stunned.

It turned out to be the case.

I thought Su Mingyue had resigned, but it turns out she had just changed her identity.

He went from being an "analyst" to an "intelligence agent".

"Where is she now?" I asked.

"At headquarters," Zhao Tiezhu said. "But she applied for a month's leave and left today."

Where did she go?

"I don't know." Zhao Tiezhu shook his head. "Her whereabouts are kept secret."

I was silent.

Su Mingyue saw my memories through a video call...

Then she asked for leave and left...

What did she see?

"Don't think about it." Zhao Tiezhu patted my shoulder. "She'll contact you when her vacation is over."

How did you know she would contact me?

"Because you share a code name," Zhao Tiezhu said. "777 is a unified entity. You and she are bound together."

Binding...

This reminds me of the forbidden code associated with the number 7.

777 ......

Is this also some kind of "binding"?

"Alright." Zhao Tiezhu pulled me inside. "Let's not talk about this now. Training hasn't even started yet."

"What kind of training?"

"Basic physical fitness test," Zhao Tiezhu said. "Let me see what your basics are like."

Half an hour later.

I lay on the ground, panting like a dead dog.

"Too weak." Zhao Tiezhu stood beside him, looking disgusted. "Can't do three pull-ups, can't do twenty push-ups, and ran 1000 meters in six and a half minutes..."

"I...I don't usually...exercise..." I weakly defended myself.

"No exercise?" Zhao Tiezhu frowned. "How did you survive before?"

"That's how I survived." I rolled my eyes.

Zhao Tiezhu remained silent for a while.

"No wonder you were chosen as the Balancer," he said.

"What do you mean?"

"Nine out of ten ordinary people would die if they encountered something supernatural," Zhao Tiezhu squatted down and looked at me. "But the fact that you've survived this long means you must have some extraordinary abilities."

What makes you stand out?

"Luckily," Zhao Tiezhu chuckled. "And also... pretty cowardly."

"...I looked at him speechlessly."

Is this a compliment or an insult?

"Don't misunderstand." Zhao Tiezhu stood up. "In this strange world, being a little cowardly is actually a good thing."

Why?

"Because the reckless all die," he said. "Those who survive are often the ones who know how to assess the situation."

I froze for a moment.

That makes some sense...

"Take you, for example," Zhao Tiezhu continued, "Last night, when you faced a C-level anomaly, you didn't fight it head-on, but instead defeated it by interfering with the rules. That shows you're smart."

How do you know about last night?

"Director Chen told me," Zhao Tiezhu said. "He said your analytical skills are very strong, but your physical fitness is too poor. So he asked me to train you."

"So how long do you think it will take for me to reach your level?"

Zhao Tiezhu thought for a moment.

"ten years."

"Ten years?" I was stunned. "That long?"

"Otherwise what?" Zhao Tiezhu shrugged. "I've been practicing martial arts since I was a child. I entered a sports school at fifteen and graduated at twenty-one. I've been training for almost twenty years now. Do you think you can catch up with me?"

"......cannot."

"That's right," Zhao Tiezhu said. "I didn't expect you to catch up with me. I just need you... to be able to protect yourself."

As long as you can protect yourself, that's enough.

This requirement doesn't seem too high.

"That's all for today?" I asked.

"No," Zhao Tiezhu shook his head. "There's still one more test."

"What test?"

"The capacity to bear the consequences," Zhao Tiezhu said. "Director Chen tested it yesterday, didn't he?"

"Yes. 30 CP."

"That was just a basic test," Zhao Tiezhu said. "Today I'm going to test... how long you can fight while bearing the consequences."

"What do you mean?"

"Literal meaning," Zhao Tiezhu said. "I'll attack you while you're under CP load. Let's see how long you can last."

I was stunned.

"You...you're going to hit me?"

"It wasn't a real fight," Zhao Tiezhu said. "I used training soft gloves. But it still hurts."

"But...why?"

"Because in real combat, you can't use the scales without pressure," Zhao Tiezhu said. "The unpredictable will attack you, the surrounding environment will interfere, and you might even have to fight and dodge at the same time. So you need to learn to use your power under pressure."

That makes sense.

But I'm still a little scared.

"Could...could you be a little gentler?"

"No." Zhao Tiezhu put on his boxing gloves. "Ready?"

"Wait a moment--"

"start."

No sooner had I finished speaking than a fist flew toward my face.

I instinctively dodged to the side, but Zhao Tiezhu had too many punches.

Left hook, right swing, straight punch...

I was being hit like a punching bag, completely powerless to fight back.

"Too slow!" Zhao Tiezhu shouted. "Focus! Use the Breath Concealment Technique!"

Breath Concealment Technique...

Correct.

I closed my eyes and began to regulate my breathing.

Four—Seven—Eight...

breathe......

Gradually, the surrounding sounds began to become clearer.

I can "see" Zhao Tiezhu's fist.

It's not that I actually saw it, but rather that I "perceived" it through some kind of intuition.

His next punch will come from the left...

I dodged to the side.

"Good!" Zhao Tiezhu shouted, "Continue!"

I continued to evade while trying to activate the balance.

Golden light shimmered in his palm.

"Now! Hit me!" Zhao Tiezhu shouted.

I hesitated for a second.

Then, I threw a punch.

Golden light enveloped my fist as I aimed straight for Zhao Tiezhu's chest.

But the next second, he grabbed my wrist.

"Too weak," he said. "The power isn't concentrated enough."

"I...I've already used all my strength..."

"I know." Zhao Tiezhu released my wrist. "So your problem is—not enough strength."

"I know that..."

"No, you don't know." Zhao Tiezhu looked at me, "Your scales can lend you the equivalent of 1 CP of strength. 1 CP is roughly equivalent to one year of lifespan. One year of lifespan, converted into punching power, is about 500 kilograms."

"500 kilograms?" I was stunned. "My punch weighed 500 kilograms?"

"Theoretically, yes," Zhao Tiezhu said, "but in reality, you lose over 90% of your strength. Less than 50 kilograms actually reach the target."

Less than 50 kilograms...

"Is this normal?" I asked.

"That's normal for beginners," Zhao Tiezhu said. "But as you spend more time getting used to the scales, the wear and tear will gradually decrease."

"How low can it ultimately drop?"

"Top-tier balancers can control their losses to within 5%," Zhao Tiezhu said. "That means, with 1 CP of power, they can achieve the effect of 0.95 CP."

0.95CP......

Wouldn't that be equivalent to a punch with 475 kilograms of force?

"I'm currently at 30%, which is equivalent to a 0.3 CP effect," Zhao Tiezhu said. "But I'm already among the top performers in the general population."

"You're a Balancer too?" I looked at him in surprise.

"No." Zhao Tiezhu shook his head. "I am a martial arts practitioner. I am different from a balancer."

"What's the difference?"

"Those who maintain balance rely on scales, while martial arts practitioners rely on themselves," Zhao Tiezhu explained. "The power given to you by scales is 'borrowed,' and it must be returned. But the power of a martial arts practitioner is 'cultivated,' and belongs to themselves."

"So, martial arts practitioners are weaker than balancers?"

"No," Zhao Tiezhu said, "each has its advantages and disadvantages. The power of a balancer comes quickly, but at a great cost. The power of a martial arts practitioner comes slowly, but is stable."

Which one is stronger?

"It depends," Zhao Tiezhu said. "In short-term battles, the balanced fighter is stronger. In long-term confrontations, the martial arts practitioner is stronger."

I nodded thoughtfully.

It turned out to be the case.

The power system of this world is far more complex than I imagined.

"Alright." Zhao Tiezhu glanced at the time. "That concludes today's training. Remember to come at the same time tomorrow."

"Okay." I nodded.

"Oh, right," Zhao Tiezhu suddenly remembered something, "Have you prepared for tonight's mission?"

"A mission?" I was taken aback. "What mission?"

"The fifth day," Zhao Tiezhu said. "Didn't Director Chen tell you?"

Tell me what?

"The task for day five won't be completed by you alone."

"What do you mean?"

Zhao Tiezhu looked at me with a somewhat serious expression.

"It's a team task," he said. "From today onwards, all your tasks will be completed as a team."

"A team?" I was stunned. "What team?"

"Team 777," Zhao Tiezhu said, "is composed of you, me, and Su Mingyue."

"Su Mingyue? Didn't she take leave?"

"She'll be back during the mission," Zhao Tiezhu said. "Her leave is just leaving Jiangcheng, not leaving her post."

I froze for a moment.

"So, what's tonight's mission...?"

"I don't know yet," Zhao Tiezhu shook his head. "The mission details won't be released until midnight. But Director Chen said tonight's mission might involve Night Raven."

Night Raven...

My heart skipped a beat.

"There's one more thing," Zhao Tiezhu lowered his voice, "about Su Mingyue... she said something to me before her vacation."

"What did you say?"

Zhao Tiezhu remained silent for a while.

"She said... she saw something in your memory that she shouldn't have seen."