Chapter Six: The Test

WTF!

Back at the warehouse, Fu Qian stood still for a rare moment, stunned.

This is completely unpredictable!

You ask me a question, I respond—shouldn’t we then exchange words back and forth?

But instead, with just an apology, I was immediately sent away?

[Entering containment scene 2-133: Old City]

“Can you hear me?”

Fu Qian didn’t respond this time as he re-entered the scene; instead, he leaned back slightly.

Only now did he clearly see the figure who had sent him away just moments ago—a woman wearing a narrow black hat, holding a slender curved sword in her hand.

The lower half of her face was hidden by a high collar, obscuring her full features.

From the visible parts, she appeared to be a beauty—skin white as snow, delicate as fine porcelain—no, that was porcelain!

The two sides of her face were strikingly different; the left half had no skin at all, instead it was a pristine, bone-white texture resembling fine porcelain.

Fu Qian looked down at the hand gripping his collar. It wasn’t shaped like a normal human hand; it resembled a puppet’s prosthetic limb.

A Night Enforcer!

That was Fu Qian’s immediate thought.

Setting aside everything else, her appearance alone made it impossible for her to be an ordinary person.

The question was, why did she try to kill him without a word?

Recalling his previous encounters, Fu Qian did not rush to fight back.

From the slash that sent him away earlier, he could sense that this porcelain-faced woman was stronger than the werewolves he had faced before—at least a tier above.

Although he had gained two skills so far, his physical strength remained that of an ordinary man.

There was still a significant gap between him and this heavily armed humanoid weapon before him.

Surely he couldn’t just slide tackle like he did against the werewolves?

If her intelligence was normal, she wouldn’t give him the chance to do such a reckless move.

Noticing Fu Qian’s gaze, the porcelain woman’s face showed a hint of sadness.

She sighed, loosened her grip on his collar, and gave a gentle bow.

“I’m sorry, there’s no time.”

“All contaminated individuals within the area must be eliminated.”

“So… I apologize…”

She was about to strike again. The porcelain woman bowed once more, and Fu Qian’s eyelid twitched, sensing trouble.

As expected, the next moment a dazzling flash of steel filled his vision, making his eyes sting.

Blood splattered everywhere.

Knowing he couldn’t dodge, Fu Qian deliberately suppressed his body’s instinct to evade and took the blow head-on.

Blood gushed violently from the gruesome wound, but Fu Qian showed no fear—instead, a bitter smile crossed his lips.

“Fu Qian.”

?!

The porcelain woman looked puzzled.

“My name is Fu Qian. What’s yours? I think I already know whose blade will kill me.”

Fu Qian calmly stared at the killer.

So she wanted to know his name.

The porcelain woman paused again.

“Su Gao.”

“Good!”

Fu Qian nodded, then lost his strength.

[Containment Failed]

[Evaluation: Useless Individual]

[Reward: None]

[Current Sanity: 30]

Back at the warehouse, Fu Qian had a clear assessment of his situation.

First, this woman named Su Gao was most likely one of the Night Enforcers.

According to the initial briefing, they were on a mission to cleanse the contamination here.

Her words and her immediate attack were because they had deemed the situation out of control.

They were forced to indiscriminately eliminate anyone appearing in the contaminated zone, including him.

[Sanity -1; Re-entering containment scene]

Having sorted out his thoughts, Fu Qian chose to enter again.

“Can you hear me—”

“Su Gao!”

This time, Fu Qian didn’t wait to see her face clearly; he called out her name directly.

“Don’t waste time. All potentially contaminated individuals must be cleared quickly.”

…

The porcelain woman’s hand holding the sword froze in place.

Her confusion was almost palpable; Fu Qian glanced at her.

“No time to explain. I need your cooperation from now on.”

“You… how do you know my name?”

Su Gao hesitated long before finally lowering her blade and voicing her question.

“What’s the situation outside now?”

Fu Qian feigned ignorance, calmly responding with a question.

Using a question to answer a question—after years navigating the net, this tactic was second nature.

It was then he noticed that Su Gao was nearly his height.

“Not good…”

Su Gao’s tone darkened noticeably, her attention diverted.

“You’ll see when you go out.”

Good!

Fu Qian took two steps forward and stood beside her.

Clink!

The next moment, he silently fired an air bullet.

At such close range, Su Gao could hardly avoid it. One side of her face was hit squarely, shattering with a sound like breaking glass.

“You—”

Su Gao’s voice was a mixture of shock and anger.

The power of the air bullet was greater than expected, possibly related to her unique form.

Hit by the air bullet, the porcelain half of her head cracked like tempered glass, covered instantly with countless fissures—but no blood flowed.

This woman was definitely abnormal!

The next moment, the gleaming blade appeared again, and Fu Qian bled on the spot.

“Sure enough, you’ve completely lost your sanity at your core!”

Su Gao’s sigh echoed long after.

[Containment Failed]

[Evaluation: Cold-blooded Creature]

[Stealth is a precious trait, the greatest respect for one’s enemy]

[Reward: None]

[Special Evaluation Reward: Feline School]

[Current Sanity: 29]

Excellent!

Back at the warehouse, Fu Qian felt no discouragement. He quietly analyzed what he had gained.

First, his judgment was correct: this woman was not normal.

For reasons unknown, part of her body had transformed into porcelain-like material, and even when injured, she did not bleed.

Was this the price for wielding some power? Or had she originally been a living puppet?

Considering his current mission—to prevent the birth of an evil god’s offspring—this world was indeed strange!

The good news was, as a Night Enforcer, she likely represented order and justice.

She was powerful, a formidable enforcer.

Moreover, her strike proved he had the strength to harm someone of her caliber, which was encouraging.

Overall, dying this time was worthwhile.

What if he had actually killed the porcelain woman?

One who kills is destined to be killed. This woman had tried to eliminate him more than once; Fu Qian felt no psychological burden about taking her down.

Oh, and there seemed to be a skill reward?

Remembering, Fu Qian quickly checked his special rewards.

[Feline School: Your footsteps are as light and silent as a cat’s, your hands more dexterous, your movements swifter, making it easier to launch surprise attacks anytime, anywhere.]

Simply put, it increased agility.

He tried activating it immediately; a lightness spread through his body, and his control over it improved significantly.

That wound had not been in vain.