Chapter 74
Si Chen first turned on his phone and found that he had received a text message. It was sent by Baidi University and gave the location of the exam venue.
The location was near Baidi City, 8 days’ drive away.
He carefully inspected the admission ticket.
The black nameplate in his hand looked no different from an ordinary metal pendant. No energy fluctuations could be detected from it.
Only that the Eternal Life Abyss sniffed it gently and said, “This, can eat.”
But it won’t eat it.
If it eats any more, mom will burst.
Si Chen found the information regarding the exam venue quite interesting.
The exam was to last 14 days and “The exam venue opens at 0:00 on May 30”; written as if the school could control when the Space Fold occurs.
Si Chen put the admission ticket back into the box and put it away.
In the gift box, there was also a booklet and a sealed bag.
The sealed bag was only the size of a piece of A4 paper.
Si Chen couldn’t tell what material it was made of, but there was a seal on it. “Inside are your test papers. Please open only once at the exam venue. Otherwise, you will be responsible for the consequences.”
Si Chen was tempted to be contrary. But the opportunity to take the postgraduate entrance exam comes only once a year. In the end, he decided against opening it.
That left the booklet and this surprised Si Chen.
The booklet looked like an advertising brochure. This one had no seal and the Baidi University logo was printed on its cover.
Si Chen opened it and was surprised to see his ID photo.
Si Chen (Level 4, Biological Evolution)
Written test score: 99
Current ranking: 1
His eyes suddenly narrowed. His registration with the Evolutionary Association still listed him as Mechanically transformed. However, his actual evolutionary direction was written on this roster.
Si Chen turned to the next page.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Olc Aljil (Ofnfi 5, Zfmtjclmji Snbiealbc)
Qglaafc afra rmbgf: 98
Jeggfca gjcxlcu: 2
Pa kjr jmmbwqjclfv ys j qtbab bo j yfjealoei ulgi klat j nfgs ygluta jcv wjpfralm jqqfjgjcmf.
…
…
Ktf ybbxifa tjv 6 qjufr lc abaji. Pc ijra qijmf kjr Vbcu Ilse, klat j rmbgf bo 93, gjcxlcu rlzat. Dlbibulmji Snbiealbc, Ofnfi 4.
Ca tlr qtsrlmji fzjwlcjalbc, Vl Jtfc rjk tlr Mbegat Vafq jrrfrrwfca jmmbwqjclfv ys j “4.1” lc ygjmxfar. Ktlr lcvlmjafv atja vfrqlaf yflcu ja atf rjwf Vafq, atf rqfmlolm cewfglmji njiefr wjs yf vloofgfca obg fjmt Snbiealbcjgs.
And while Step Level certainly does not represent actual combat ability there are only a handful of people who are able to go beyond their Step and defeat a higher level enemy.
There were not many high-level Evolutionaries around Si Chen, but whether it was Ji Chuyao, Dongfang Changye or Song Qingyu, they all looked quite young.
So much so that it gave Si Chen the misconception that the Fourth or Fifth Step was nothing special.
In reality, Evolutionaries at the Third Step are promoted to second-class citizens and enjoy criminal and tax exemptions. At the Fourth Step, one can reach the middle level of various major groups. At the Fifth Step, companies would be falling over themselves to recruit these Evolutionaries; and at the Sixth Step, these Evolutionaries would be considered among the top-level strategic resources of their groups. Ji Sicheng at the Seventh Step, was currently ranked first in the world.
The speed at which Si Chen had reached his current Level was enough to rival the Great Family heirs.
Though shocking, Si Chen truly didn’t even know how strong he was.
Si Chen looked at the list, his tail behind him swaying unconsciously.
He still wasn’t used to this new appendage. He could now consciously control it but when he was distracted, it would move on its own.
When he was in a good mood, it would stand up. When he was feeling irritable or deep in thought, it would sway. When he was in a bad mood or feeling scared, it would draw down and stick close to his inner thigh.
After a month, the swelling at the base of the tail had subsided. Si Chen measured it with a ruler and found that the tail had grown 3cm longer.
Normally, Si Chen would use tape to fix his tail before going out but now that he was at home, he relaxed some control.
This year, Baidi University’s written examination admission score was 93.
Obviously, this list contained all of the candidates.
If, for a very important exam, only one person will be admitted and you know who your competitors are beforehand…
If you or perhaps the people around you happen to have the ability to eliminate said competitors…
…Wouldn’t you be tempted to do so?
Si Chen almost immediately thought of applying for personal protection from the company.
Fortunately, when he turned to the last page, he found a line written on it: ‘If any candidate dies (including suicide) before the exam venue opens, the exam will be cancelled.’
“……Oh.”
Although it was Si Chen’s first time to be taking the exam, he had already heard a lot about the process from his seniors during his undergraduate years. Without a doubt, it did not include “disclosure of other candidates’ information”.
Could it be that the process was different for military academies?
Si Chen searched online and found that for the practical exam in other schools, not only would the candidates’ information not be disclosed but the test papers themselves wouldn’t be included along with the notice. Candidates would only be told where the exam venue is and asked to arrive early and wait for the Space Fold to open.
Given the current technology, it is possible to roughly estimate when a Space Fold would open, plus or minus seven days.
Moreover, these schools said that there would be plenty of proctors who would be following them into the Space Fold. The proctors would be using auxiliary equipment such as locators and monitors to comprehensively calculate the results.
Depending on the resources of the school, the ratio of proctors to students is usually between 1:2 and 1:7.
Si Chen searched on the forum using the keywords “Baidi University” and “Postgraduate Entrance Examination”.
On the web page, a line of prompts popped up: ‘The search content contains sensitive words and the results can not be displayed.’
Si Chen tested it and found that the sensitive word was “Bai Di”. However, the words “Baidi City” was acceptable; only that many of the posts related to Baidi City are shown as “under review, temporarily blocked” when clicked.
He thought for a moment and entered two words: “Song Bai”.
There were more than a dozen posts this time but when Si Chen quickly went through them, they seemed to be about other people who simply happened to have the same name.
Si Chen sent the practical exam notice from Baidi University to Ji Chuyao.
Si Chen: It feels a little strange.
A few hours later, Ji Chuyao, who had just finished class, called.
“I saw the message you sent. I asked around and the other candidates received the same package as well. Except for you, everyone else knows each other. After all, there’s not a lot of people included among the upper echelons of the Great Families. Most everyone’s met each other before. I rather think this is actually showing a lot of consideration for you.”
“This senior has always been willful.”
Si Chen asked, “You mean White King (Baidi)?”
“Yes.”
Ji Chuyao thought for a while and added, “Although the outside world has always regarded my dad as the first among the Evolutionaries, about a decade ago, my dad admitted that he isn’t as strong as White King, that is, Song Bai.”
Si Chen couldn’t help but ask, “Who is White King?”
“A biological Evolutionary who many years ago, established a rebel army and wanted to occupy a Safe Zone. But he failed. He signed an agreement with the Alliance and disbanded his troops. Those who were dismissed jointly created the largest Disaster Zone and Wilderness criminal organization, an organization called Weeds.”
“Now, he’s mostly a recluse.”
“…He doesn’t sound like a good guy.”
Ji Chuyao replied, “On the contrary. My dad said that he’s a very good person. I’ve never met White King but I believe what my dad said.”
Si Chen originally wanted to say that Ji Chuyao was a bit like a daddy’s boy. But he realized that the Eternal Life Abyss he was taking care of was the definition of a mama’s boy. So he had to swallow down his words.
Ji Chuyao said, “I’ll have to enter a Space Fold soon, so I might be unavailable for a while. I originally wanted to wait for you to enter the exam venue before going, but this Space Fold is a mechanical civilization and I want to take a look. But before going in, I’ll send you the information of the other candidates. You can check it out on your way to the venue.”
Si Chen replied, “Okay. Take care.”
“You too.” Ji Chuyao was about to hang up when he suddenly remembered what he forgot to say last time, “That’s right. I forgot to tell you…”
“Hm?”
Ji Chuyao’s voice was very gentle, “You’ve done a great job. If I were in your position, I would not have been able to do better. Regardless of whether you pass the exam or not, you are my most profitable investment…”
Si Chen raised his eyebrows. “Am I just an investment?”
“Not just.”
Si Chen’s face was still expressionless, but unfortunately, his tail, betraying his inner thoughts, was already raised.
**
Baidi City.
Happy Community, Senior Recreation Center —
“Song Bai!” The old man glared, “It’s just a game! Do you really have to think this long? Are you wasting my time? Don’t you know this grandpa is already 97 years old? The last thing I can afford to waste is time.”
White King came back to his senses with an apologetic smile on his face. “Sorry, I’ve been so busy recently. I’ve been a little agitated and distracted.”
The old player held a black Go piece and asked curiously, “Aren’t you a rich second generation? What in the world could you be busy with?”
White King sighed, “I’m getting old. My flesh and bones are growing weak. Who knows when I’ll be gone? I’ve been busy looking for a successor.”
If it weren’t for the fact that Song Bai looked no older than thirty, the old man would have almost believed him.
Oh no I have no idea what to expect 😓
Expect something amazing. I love the next instance. It’s so interesting. =)
I knew they were building up to something! (☆▽☆)
that tail will betray him later in front of ji chuyao i swear 🤣 he’s becoming attached to the guy!
I’m looking forward to the exam!
Thanks again for the update ❤️
Wonder what kind of a tail is it? Is it bushy like a cat/dog or bald like a rat..?
Hard to control a tail…pfft! Thanks for the update 🤣❤️🤣❤️
Thanks for the update ❤️
…is Si Chen now furry or he’s neko boy?
Thank you for your translation 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚