Proofreader & Editor: Lotas
"Second, what's going on? I'm being sneaky here…"
The Simulation Field abruptly ended, and a middle-aged man who was mingling in a town street crowd, sneakily groping people's buttocks, ignored the punches and kicks from others, staring dumbfounded at his personal interface, his astonishment mixed with delight.
***
"Damn, third, jackpot, jackpot, I really hit the jackpot this time!"
On a pirate ship, the chubby chef swallowed hard, not sure whether to cry or laugh.
***
"Is Paul really that fierce? Leading all the way to the end, he took out everyone ahead."
On Phoenix Tail Island.
The examinee who saw the location of the Sea of Fate chart from thousands of kilometers away was full of shock, "Even peeking made it into the top ten, that's really freaking unbelievable…"
***
Outside the Simulation Field.
A black-haired young man climbed out of the assessment pod, his face ashen: "Bad luck, damn bad luck, why the hell did I try to steal the Trident of the Sea God? If I just sat there doing nothing, with everyone ahead dying, I could have made it into the top ten…"
***
A massive room filled with dense screens.
Inside the room sat many experts and scholars, each with a display in front of them.
These experts and scholars, each wearing headphones, tracked the contestants on their screens intently, occasionally jotting down notes, summarizing the strengths and weaknesses of the examinees…
At this moment.
The central large screen was frozen on the image of Du Ge and Janice both holding the Trident of the Sea God.
The other small screens showed other contestants, most of them checking their attributes, some using skills to search the ocean for the Sea of Fate chart; some on Hurd Island, after completing divination from the witch, were being hunted by other lying-in-wait examinees…
But the people standing in front of the big screen no longer cared about the other contestants on the small screens.
An old man with graying hair spat the tea back into his cup, his eyes widened in disbelief, "Seventeen, it's only been a bit over a month! The Simulation Field was decimated by him, leaving only 17 people, who is this Paul? Quick, pull up his information…"
Beside him, Nan Youlong was speechless, "Judging by the style, it must be that rascal Du Ge."
"Du Ge?" The old man with graying hair paused, "The one from the Pan-Universal who was specifically requested to participate in the Alien Star Battlefield."
"Yes, the first Simulation Field ended in less than a month because of him. The second Simulation Field collapsed in over half a month due to his antics, forcing an early termination. His style is reckless and unconventional, in the past, he would never have been allowed on the Alien Star Battlefield." Nan Youlong's brow twitched involuntarily, he sighed, "Before entering this Simulation Field, I repeatedly emphasized that he should restrain himself and focus more on Keywords, but I didn't expect him to finish the Simulation Field in just over a month…"
"This guy…" The old man with graying hair was stunned for a long while, then uttered a few words, "He's a talent."
"Staff Officer Nan, don't be too confident, what if it's not him? I can't believe a freshman could clear a level two Simulation Field in a month." A young man in his late twenties frowned, "This Simulation Field had several promising scions from great families…"
His name badge read Fang Yan.
At that moment, a staff member handed a freshly printed report to the old man with graying hair.
Nan Youlong and Fang Yan both leaned in to look.
First place: Du Ge; ID: 48699527; Keyword: Happiness.
"Happiness?"
All three exclaimed in unison.
"How did he do it?" Fang Yan asked in shock.
Nan Youlong looked as if he had seen a ghost, "Happiness? It's actually happiness, I always thought it had something to do with chaos!"
"Pull up all the data on happiness from the previous exams for me," the old man with graying hair instructed the staff member, then turned to Nan Youlong, "Bring me Du Ge's overall evaluation."
"Okay." Nan Youlong nodded, turned to leave, muttering as he walked, "Happiness, it's actually happiness? How is that possible? How did he do it?"
The contestants from second to tenth place were naturally ignored by them.
***
About twenty minutes later.
The old man with graying hair, Nan Youlong, Fang Yan, and seven or eight experts around their fifties gathered in a small conference room.
Each person at the table had a copy of Du Ge's information, all engrossed in the data before them.
The office was occasionally filled with sounds of amazement.
Clearly.
Du Ge's experiences in the Simulation Fields had brought them a huge shock.
"Almost done reading, any thoughts?" The old man with graying hair was the first to finish the materials, he waited quietly for a moment, and when he saw most people looking up, he cleared his throat and asked.
"General Fu, Du Ge was quite ordinary at school, but once in the Simulation Field, he was like a different person, probably one of those explosive talents." A middle-aged man named Zhuo Cheng said, "He always manages to turn ordinary Keywords into new advanced skills. Once or twice could be a coincidence, but three times taking first place in the Simulation Field and ending it within a month, that's his own ability. At his age, even Hua Guyun wasn't as outstanding."
"In the previous Simulation Fields, the keyword happiness appeared 2,800 times, the best result being 374th place. On the Alien Star Battlefield, the keyword happiness has never won. I can't guess what kind of derivative skill he's come up with." The middle-aged man next to Zhuo Cheng said with a wry smile, "Staff Officer Nan, haven't you contacted him?"
"General Fu forbade it." Nan Youlong shook his head.
"There are two and a half months left before the new round of the Alien Star Battlefield begins, we must come up with a targeted training plan for Du Ge." General Fu looked around, "I have a feeling, as long as he doesn't fall midway, perhaps, he could be the next Hua Guyun. At 18, he's too young."
"Yes! Such a young man, if given another two years, no, one year to grow, and if we can smooth out the restless elements in his character, he'd have a better chance of surviving on the Alien Star Battlefield." Zhuo Cheng said, "18 years old, too young, and such an impulsive character, I'm really afraid he won't last even one round on the Alien Star Battlefield."
"Why can't we hold him back for a year?" A middle-aged man named Bai Jiang asked.
Nan Youlong said, "His last assessment broke the Simulation Field, and the higher-ups specifically requested his participation."
A silence ensued.
General Fu tapped the table, his face serious, "Du Ge's participation in the Alien Star Battlefield is a done deal, everyone here is the most experienced instructor, I have only one request, find the most suitable training method for Du Ge, strive to let him survive the first round of the Alien Star Battlefield. As long as he can get through the first round, we will have the opportunity to further cultivate him…"
The experts exchanged glances, Bai Jiang said, "General Fu, the summaries on paper are too general. We want to see the replays of Du Ge's three Simulation Fields to come up with specific strategies."
General Fu nodded.
Nan Youlong was prepared and pressed the play button on the table.
The screen switched to Feng Residence, the moment Du Ge opened his eyes in bed…
General Fu shifted to a more comfortable position and also focused on the screen.
***
Three hours later.
The screen froze.
In the office, everyone's expressions were quite something.
"What do you think?" General Fu asked.
"Unconventional and imaginative." Bai Jiang said.
"Not like someone taught by the academy." Zhuo Cheng frowned.
"In the third Simulation Field, he probably intended to keep a low profile at first, but in the end, he couldn't help but flip the table." An expert named Meng Yonghu said, "This is his innate character, and moreover, he's tasted success in three consecutive fields. It's impossible to change his mindset in just two short months."
"Unless his character truly settles down, surviving the first Alien Star Battlefield will be difficult." Fang Yan shook his head, "Too impulsive, several times, it was purely luck that got him through. The warriors on the Alien Star Battlefield won't be as immature as the examinees…"
"I want methods to enhance his abilities, not to listen to your complaints." General Fu tapped the table, dissatisfied.
"Can't teach him." Bai Jiang shook his head again, "General Fu, his character is already set."
"If only Du Ge was born into a great family." Zhuo Cheng said, "His understanding of Keywords, combined with the training from a great family from a young age, might have made it possible for him to become the next Hua Guyun, but now, it's too difficult."
"General Fu, at this point, our intervention won't do much, find him some successful past examples to learn from!" Meng Yonghu said, "At this stage, it's all up to him to comprehend. Du Ge is highly perceptive, external forces may make him comply on the surface, but he won't really listen…"