Ye Luo's dormitory was a four-person room, but after the class suspension some time ago, one of his roommates returned to his hometown and had not yet returned to school. The remaining roommate owned a property outside the school and was a second-generation rich kid who rarely stayed in the school dormitory.
Their four-person room thus became a two-person room.
Besides Ye Luo, the remaining slightly plump university student was named Wang Fan. He was watching some videos publicly released at the press conference.
Thunder, fire, frost, and monsters.
Unbelievable.
Switching to other channels, it was still the official live broadcast of Donghuang. Wang Fan finally confirmed that he wasn't watching a sci-fi blockbuster; what he was seeing was… reality!
"Our world has undergone some special changes, giving rise to monsters called 'Guixie'."
"But with the concerted efforts of departments such as the Research Institute, we in Donghuang have mastered various methods to deal with Guixie. Meanwhile, with the help of our partner institutions, we now possess a 'Sky Net Early Warning System' capable of monitoring the entire country. I believe that through national cooperation, we can smoothly navigate the changes in our world..."
At the press conference, Director Huang stated this in response to reporters' questions.
He briefly introduced Guixie in a科普 (popular science) format and released some pictures, which were beautified depictions of Guixie.
He emphasized the characteristics of Guixie, how to stay away from them, and to remember to avoid secluded wilderness areas, and so on.
After that came the main point—the Awakened.
This科普 section was longer, but it was also what the audience loved to hear the most. This was extraordinary power! The door to a new world was opening before them!
Speaking of this, Director Huang's expression turned serious.
"I must emphasize that the awakening process is dangerous and difficult. Only those who are physically strong, resolute in will, and possess a certain talent may awaken."
"Here, on behalf of the Investigation Bureau, I welcome youths with ideals and convictions to join us in jointly protecting the peace and stability of our Donghuang and the world."
Following this, the press conference played several video clips.
Clips of official investigators confronting disasters and eliminating Guixie!
Wang Fan watched, his blood boiling.
Just like the vast majority of netizens, he watched the news live broadcast, browsed comments from netizens across the country, and typed on his keyboard to express his views.
"Donghuang is awesome!"
"I heard it's much worse overseas than here. God knows how many people died in London a few days ago!"
"No need for a few days ago. The 'Sakura Country' next door, which is living a good life, had a major disaster two months ago."
"Speaking of which, the gas leak incident in Baijiang City before was also a confrontation with a disaster, right! I didn't expect that in places we couldn't see, investigators were silently protecting us. They are heroes!"
"Salute to the unsung heroes!"
Naturally, there were dissenting opinions online, with some resentful of the authorities for concealing the truth of the disaster and others promoting world-ending rhetoric. However, these were drowned out by the tide of comments and soon disappeared.
This was also due to comparison. While there were indeed many Guixie disaster incidents within Donghuang, compared to the shocking and bloody disasters abroad, the difference was immediately apparent and very obvious!
Only Donghuang was making a concerted effort and had the capability to guarantee the safety of ordinary citizens.
"Don't blame the authorities for not announcing it earlier. In reality, making the existence of Guixie public would only cause worry and social unrest without any benefit. The reason for holding this press conference and having the Investigation Bureau step forward, in my humble opinion, is because the situation abroad is on the verge of collapse."
"Because foreign countries could no longer hide it, and countries like the 'Wave Country' and 'Sunset Country' successively revealed the truth hidden beneath reality, Donghuang had no choice but to make it public. Otherwise, given Donghuang's current social situation, there would be absolutely no need to take the risk of revealing this reality."
"Many netizens who use VPNs to access foreign websites should be well aware of this."
In the comment section, a netizen with the ID "Bai Xiaosheng" said so.
Wang Fan turned to Ye Luo and said, "Son, Dad was so terribly deceived by you."
Ye Luo raised his middle finger and retorted, "Scram!"
"You're blaming me for your own stupidity."
Wang Fan had indeed seen the videos Ye Luo forwarded and hadn't paid much attention to them, just for amusement. Only now did he realize that not a small number of people online knew the 'truth.'
There were firsthand accounts from survivors of Guixie incidents.
It was the investigators who rescued them in times of crisis, allowing them to escape disaster.
There was also an ID named "Disciple of Donghuang's Number One Guixie Hunter..." who vividly described how he punched Guixie and kicked cultists.
At first glance, it seemed like bragging, but the replies from 'insiders' and 'popular science experts' below indicated that this netizen wasn't boasting; he was genuinely skilled!
He seemed like a big shot!
A powerful hunter who hunted Guixie in the darkness!
Wang Fan immediately followed him.
There was also the netizen with the ID "Bai Xiaosheng." After several verifications, Wang Fan found that the content narrated by this person was the most authentic, and he also seemed to be a folk expert.
He had just opened a popular science post.
"On the Hazards and Unpredictability of Guixie."
"Guixie are invisible to the naked eye and possess immense power. It is difficult for non-Awakened individuals to deal with them. However, compared to dealing with and eliminating Guixie, the truly difficult part lies in finding them."
"Guixie have strong latent abilities. The process of investigation and tracking requires significant manpower and resources. It is also common to reach the end of an investigation only to find it wasn't a Guixie case."
"With multiple difficult factors, many small countries cannot maintain domestic order. Even large countries like 'Sunset Country' and 'Wave Country' can only barely maintain the overall situation. In such circumstances, the handling of many Guixie cases becomes delayed."
Bai Xiaosheng provided detailed explanations in the post.
Firstly, the national conditions of Western countries are different from Donghuang. Secondly, and most importantly, Guixie cases can never be dealt with in a timely manner; there is the will but not the power!
"But as far as I know, Guixie incidents in our Donghuang are handled very promptly. This can be seen from the stability and order of our domestic cities."
"All of this, I speculate, is related to the 'Sky Net Early Warning System,' but I can't guess the specifics. I am just very curious about the partner institution mentioned in the press conference."
In the comments below, many people expressed curiosity about this mysterious partner institution.
Wang Fan was one of them.
"Not only the director of the Investigation Bureau, but also the spokesperson for the Research Institute mentioned this partner institution when speaking earlier, saying that their research and development of Guixie weapons also received strong assistance from this institution... What kind of department is this!"
"Does any insider have any information?"
"Is this the legendary mysterious department?"
Regarding the mysterious partner institution, there was not a single informed person online.
However, there were many 'insiders' who knew about Guixie and the Awakened. Wang Fan suddenly realized that although today was the day the world changed and revealed its true nature for him, many people already knew the truth and had long since moved forward.
Striving towards awakening, or already awakened.
Damn it!
"Although the start is a bit late, aren't protagonists always like this! Surpassing predecessors step by step."
"No big deal!"
"I'll start working hard from tomorrow! It seems like people from the Investigation Bureau will be coming to our university town tomorrow for testing. Those who are willing and pass the assessment will have a chance to join the Investigation Bureau!"
"Currently, it seems only the Investigation Bureau knows how to awaken? What's said online is vague."
"In that case, we must join the Investigation Bureau!"
"Son, let's go to the Investigation Bureau's recruitment fair together tomorrow."
Ye Luo nodded.
He was also very curious. The Investigation Bureau represented the official power of Donghuang and had been at the forefront of the new world for a long time. It was likely that there would be Awakened individuals and powerful awakeners within the Investigation Bureau.
He was still hesitant about whether to participate in the Investigation Bureau's recruitment, having some reservations, but he definitely wanted to take a look.
With that thought, he began to exercise.
Since his awakening, the effect of exercise had been very significant. The slight improvement immersed him. The press conference also stated that physical fitness and willpower were very important.
Ye Luo became even more diligent in his training.
Wang Fan looked at his slightly bulging belly with a pained expression.
"Will this protagonist be eliminated in the first round of the recruitment fair tomorrow? Wouldn't that be GG before it even starts? Damn it!"
"If only I had exercised more instead of rewarding myself so often in the past."
He thought with distress, then turned his head and saw Ye Luo doing standard push-ups.
It seemed this kid had been exercising all these days?
Running, squats, push-ups.
We agreed to be lazy together, but you secretly went all out?
Damn it!
...
The next day, Baiyun University Town.
This place housed over a dozen universities and was an important talent cultivation base for the entire Baiyun Province.
Yesterday, Donghuang officially revealed Guixie and the Awakened, and the Investigation Bureau officially appeared in the public eye. Thus, the first public recruitment of investigators began.
The target was university students from various universities.
University students were of the right age, possessing mature minds and values, and had not yet been corrupted by the 'big dye vat' of society. They were highly malleable and the most suitable group for the Investigation Bureau to cultivate.
Although modern university students varied in quality and many lacked exercise, the university student population itself was very large, and they were bound to recruit some geniuses from the mysterious side.
Seen in this light, revealing the truth of the world might not be a bad thing.
From today onwards, Donghuang would embark on a fast track of mysterious development.
And for the students of Baiyun University Town, they were equally excited.
Yesterday, the press conference was held, and the truth of the world had just been presented before their eyes. Today… they had the opportunity to get up close!
Not only did students from over a dozen universities flock to the scene, but many idlers from Baiyun City also came to watch the commotion.
The Investigation Bureau did not prevent this.
Setting up recruitment points everywhere also served the purpose of popularizing knowledge.
It's just that…
"Why are they only recruiting current university students! I just graduated half a year ago, and I'm still a naturally beautiful, youthful, and lively eighteen-year-old girl. Why can't I participate! So annoying!"
"Damn! There are too many people here! It's not even this exaggerated for the civil service exams!"
"The end of the universe is the civil service exam, but the end of the civil service exam is being an investigator. That's right."
Wang Fan and Ye Luo woke up early, or rather, they hadn't slept all night.
But when they arrived at the recruitment fair, they realized they were still late. Looking at the dense crowd in front of them, they were stunned.