Chapter 6
Chapter 6
The spacious, cozy bedroom was decorated with a distinctly feminine touch.
Sunlight spilled through the window, warming the exquisite dolls arranged beside it. The books on the desk were perfectly neat, showing how much the room’s owner valued cleanliness.
The faint, pleasant fragrance in the air spoke for itself.
Su Xiaoyue lay on her stomach across the bed, a chat window open on the laptop before her.
The conversation had not changed in ten minutes. It remained frozen on the last two messages she had sent.
“He didn’t answer…”
Su Xiaoyue bit her rosy lower lip, her heart twisting with worry.
Ever since Qin Lan’s subtle confession that day — at least, she believed it was a confession — she had found herself strangely preoccupied with him.
Many people had whispered sweet words to her, written her love letters, and made mawkish promises such as, “I would give my life to protect you.”
Only Qin Lan had actually done it.
How many people could face a 2-Star anomaly in that situation, disregard their own survival, and intervene without hesitation?
Su Xiaoyue did not believe anyone else could.
Qin Lan had not even claimed credit. Instead, he repeatedly fell silent.
Had she not pressed him, he might have buried those feelings in his heart forever.
He was almost like a brave knight silently guarding her from behind.
Of course, all of this was merely the fantasy of a lovestruck girl and bore no relation to reality.
When his result was stolen after the examination, she had felt the injustice keenly but could do nothing to help.
Principal Wu had sternly forbidden her from getting involved again.
Su Xiaoyue’s family was well-off, but it was still no match for the Qian Group. Principal Wu knew this, which was why his warning had been so severe.
But…
Even the most obedient teenage girl had her rebellious moments.
Especially where the boy who moved her heart was concerned.
“How is he now? Was my warning in time?”
Su Xiaoyue unconsciously curled her toes and tensed.
The shadows in the room trembled with her, a sign that her Talent had activated unconsciously.
Through her family’s connections, Su Xiaoyue had barely managed to learn that someone planned to attack Qin Lan, and she had rushed to warn him immediately.
“Please let him be safe…”
She closed her eyes. Her lashes trembled as she prayed.
Ring! Ring! Ring!
The sudden ringtone shattered her thoughts and nearly made her throw the laptop away.
“Hello?!”
Su Xiaoyue snatched up her phone and answered, anxiously waiting for the person on the other end.
Aside from her family, only one person knew this private number.
A familiar, low voice came through the phone.
“I’m fine.”
“Thank you.”
Su Xiaoyue relaxed. She recognized Qin Lan’s voice, and knowing he was safe finally eased her heart.
Then she heard him suppress a cough amid distant, chaotic shouts and realized something was wrong.
“Are you really all right? You’re not hurt?”
“Don’t lie to me!”
Urgency slipped into her voice.
Qin Lan was silent for a moment.
“Just a minor injury.”
“Also, my house burned down. It doesn’t look like anything survived.”
“This must be your first phone call with a homeless man. A novel experience, right?”
His forced levity only made Su Xiaoyue more uneasy.
Before she could respond, Qin Lan decisively ended the call.
“Thank you. I won’t forget what you did for me.”
“One day, I’ll repay you.”
After hanging up, Qin Lan pulled the brim of his cap lower.
His eyes were frighteningly cold.
He raised his head. The sunlight was as bright as ever, but to Qin Lan, it seemed unusually harsh today.
“There has never been any such thing as fairness inside the Safe Zone.”
Repeating Principal Wu’s words, Qin Lan smiled coldly and turned toward the Anomaly Hunter Bureau.
Of every place in the Safe Zone, it was probably the safest.
…
“Hello. Begging isn’t allowed here.”
Someone patted the crouching Qin Lan. He looked up into the concerned eyes of the young receptionist at the Anomaly Hunter Bureau.
It took him a moment to realize she had mistaken him for a beggar.
“Uh, I’m not begging. I’m here to take the Anomaly Hunter licensing exam.”
The receptionist covered her mouth in surprise.
“Oh! You’re applying for a license?”
“I’m sorry. I thought…”
Qin Lan waved helplessly. He looked utterly destitute, and his clothes had been dirtied during his escape. He could hardly blame her.
“My apologies. Please come inside.”
She bowed and led Qin Lan through the doors.
The moment he entered, he learned what obscene wealth looked like.
“That screen… Is that the newest projection display? I remember some tycoon in Safe Zone 088 built a computer with one. It cost as much as several homes downtown…”
Qin Lan stared at the enormous screen overhead, large enough for a movie theater.
Something that expensive was being used only to scroll through safety regulations?
Numbly, Qin Lan looked around and realized that every corner of the Anomaly Hunter Bureau radiated the unmistakable aura of “you cannot afford this.”
“No wonder people say Anomaly Hunters are swimming in money. Even the Bureau itself is filthy rich…”
Qin Lan’s mouth twitched.
Without exaggeration, snapping a corner off any table here would cover his living expenses for years.
“Name, age, and Talent rank?”
The receptionist patiently registered his information.
Pulled from his amazement, Qin Lan scratched his nose.
“Uh, Qin Lan. Nineteen. Talent… F-rank.”
The receptionist looked up in mild surprise, but there was no contempt in her eyes. Instead, she smiled.
“Mr. Qin, you’re very young. Did you just graduate?”
“Every year after the college entrance examination, some candidates who are unhappy with their results apply for a license. It’s perfectly normal.”
“An F-rank Talent is no obstacle. Talent is only one benchmark. An Anomaly Hunter’s strength cannot be judged by Talent rank alone.”
Her words surprised Qin Lan.
This was the first time no one had discriminated against him because of his Talent.
“Even if your examination result was disappointing, you don’t necessarily have to become an Anomaly Hunter,” she advised gently.
“It’s a dangerous profession with a high fatality rate. Even the licensing exam has a mortality rate above ninety-five percent.”
“If you only need to earn a living, the United Government offers basic positions that also grant residency. Would you consider one?”
Qin Lan shook his head.
The receptionist sighed. Seeing his determination, she stopped trying to dissuade him.
“All right. Enter your personal information, collect your recorder and identification card, then wait in the lobby for an announcement.”
“You’re the first applicant here today, so you should make the first examination group.”
As she finished, people began arriving through the entrance.
Besides other applicants, Qin Lan saw many licensed Anomaly Hunters.
They wore finely made black uniforms issued by the Anomaly Hunter Bureau, with badges on their chests denoting their rank. They chatted casually about their daily lives.
“A black-iron badge. A 1-Star Anomaly Hunter?”
“That one’s bronze — a 2-Star. That person is 2-Star too.”
Qin Lan had researched the subject, so he was not completely bewildered.
“They really are Anomaly Hunters. People capable of killing anomalies have such powerful presences.”
These people had skirted the boundary of death countless times. Their minds had been tempered beyond compare, and their auras inspired fear.
Tap, tap…
Footsteps came from the entrance.
The moment they sounded, Qin Lan instinctively held his breath.
Everyone else in the lobby also stopped moving.
All because of the man walking inside.
At the sight of his badge gleaming brilliant gold, a thought flashed through Qin Lan’s mind.
“A gold badge. A 4-Star Anomaly Hunter!”
Four stars!
A 4-Star Anomaly Hunter was not merely someone comparable to a 4-Star anomaly.
Even a new graduate like Su Xiaoyue could escape a 2-Star anomaly.
Anomaly Hunters, however, were ranked by killing anomalies.
Behind a 4-Star badge was the terrifying achievement of single-handedly killing a 4-Star anomaly.
Qin Lan had escaped the Slit-Mouthed Woman by exploiting his information advantage, but killing her was another matter entirely.
That mouth could consume far more lives than Qin Lan had to spare.
Someone like this had already surpassed the limits of “human.”
As the tall figure approached, the crushing pressure kept Qin Lan’s head lowered. He could not even meet the man’s eyes.
Before this man, Qin Lan felt like a lamb awaiting slaughter.
“So this is… a high-ranking Anomaly Hunter?”
“Can developing a Talent really take someone this far?”
Qin Lan clenched his fists against the pressure, deeply shaken.
“Good morning, Director Lu!”
The receptionist smiled sweetly and bowed.
“Morning,” Director Lu replied mildly, sounding like any ordinary passerby.
The pressure vanished with his voice, and everyone who had been holding their breath exhaled.
Qin Lan could finally raise his head and see Director Lu’s face.
He had a square face, a high nose, and calm, regular features that seemed remarkably approachable.
“Huh?”
Only then did Qin Lan realize that Director Lu was slightly shorter than him.
Why had he felt as though he needed to look up at the man?
Director Lu reached the desk and regarded Qin Lan with faint surprise.
“A new applicant?”
“He seems to have a solid foundation.”
Every gaze in the lobby converged on Qin Lan.
“Damn it!”
Being watched by so many Anomaly Hunters made the pressure soar.
Of course his foundation was solid.
After dying several times in the instance, Qin Lan’s Constitution had reached 1.8 and his Spirit 2.0, far beyond the standard values of an ordinary eighteen-year-old.
Someone at Director Lu’s level could naturally see the difference at a glance.
Director Lu soon looked away and smiled at the receptionist.
“How about this?”
“I happen to have time. I’ll personally proctor today’s licensing exam.”