The invitation card's intricate patterns were particularly mysterious, and merely gazing at them felt like stepping into a wondrous realm, offering a peculiar visual experience.
And within it...
The content was surprisingly similar to the previous letter. The only difference was that the sender of this letter wasn't the Investigation Bureau, but a mysterious organization.
No name was written, only a special icon was drawn—a long sword planted point-down, burning with an orangey-red flame of hope.
"What is this?"
Ye Luo was bewildered. He hadn't heard of two recruitment notices.
At this moment, people online were already showcasing the Investigation Bureau's notice letters. Besides their Baiyun University Town, Donghuang had over ten other recruitment points opening simultaneously today. The passing rate for the assessment was very low, but with a vast number of applicants, many still passed, becoming honored investigators... trainees.
However, he hadn't seen anyone claim to have received two notice letters. Of course, it was possible they received them but chose not to say. Judging by himself, Ye Luo certainly wouldn't post his letter online; what use would it be other than showing off? Low-key was the way to go.
He pondered.
Wang Fan, sitting beside him, spoke up, "Could it be a scam message?"
The Investigation Bureau's public recruitment today was a nationwide event. Modern-day scammers could have easily replicated a letter, making this possibility not small. Rationally, Ye Luo felt the same.
But, looking at the profound and mysterious patterns on the letter, he had a gut feeling it wasn't a scam.
Each letter had a verification code. Ye Luo went to the Investigation Bureau's official website and entered the code for verification. The letter from the Investigation Bureau naturally verified successfully. However, the unsigned mysterious letter also verified through the official website.
Were they both real? But what kind of department was this!
"Ye Zai, why don't you ask an insider?" Wang Fan suggested. Along with the Investigation Bureau's notice letter, the examiner who assessed them today had also been sent. So, why not ask the examiner, who knew the inside scoop?
Ye Luo glanced at him, a bit surprised. "You can actually come up with a valuable suggestion."
...
Baiyun City, Investigation Bureau Provincial Branch.
Jiang Feng, a Level Two Investigator, was organizing the files of the new recruits for the day. Whether university students could join the Investigation Bureau wasn't solely determined by today's three tests. The three tests were prerequisites; investigators would select those who met the comprehensive assessment standards and then conduct background checks to weed out the unsuitable ones. The remaining individuals would become honored investigator trainees.
However, these trainees were different from those recruited internally. This batch of university students were complete novices, requiring training in everything from knowledge of the eerie and unusual, weapon usage, to physical conditioning. This would take a considerable amount of time.
Jiang Feng and his colleagues were currently categorizing these new recruits: one group strong in physical conditioning, another in average physical conditioning, and one group weak in physical conditioning... and there was indeed one with weak physical conditioning who was selected, forming a separate group. These individuals would be sent to a training location for one to two months of special training. Even then, they wouldn't necessarily be officially hired; it would depend on their performance, and some unsuitable candidates would be eliminated during the training process. This was different from internal selections, where completing training would lead to promotion to a full investigator.
"I wonder how many of this batch will be officially hired. I hope they can inject some new blood into our provincial bureau."
"It's hard to say. It's the first time recruiting from the general public. I estimate quite a few of these young students might not be able to persevere. I hope they're up to it."
"There will definitely be some who can't persevere, but this selection model is different from the past, and the applicant pool is large. It's possible that in the future, there will be those who are very poor and those who are very strong, with many geniuses among them."
"Geniuses... is the Mystic Fusion Stone truly that miraculous?"
Jiang Feng had also held a Fusion Stone; the light it emitted wasn't exactly bright, essentially not related to brightness at all. After all, they were selected from the military. Back then, there weren't such magical items, and the selection criteria heavily emphasized physical fitness and combat skills. Therefore, they could basically persevere through the trainee training, but it was unpredictable when they would awaken.
The investigators chatted and laughed. They might be discouraged by geniuses, but who wouldn't want their comrades to be powerful? They wished for more geniuses to emerge from this batch of newcomers, making their Baiyun Province Bureau even stronger. If they encountered a terrifying eerie entity, they wouldn't always have to request reinforcements from headquarters, right?
Lost in thought, Jiang Feng's phone rang. The caller ID indicated it was a new recruit who passed the assessment today, a freshman named Ye Luo. Jiang Feng had a very deep impression of this student. During the mysterious detection, Ye Luo was the student whose strange stone emitted the brightest light. Furthermore, in the subsequent willpower and physical tests, Ye Luo's performance was also quite brilliant. He wasn't the first to finish the ten-lap physical test, but Jiang Feng could tell he hadn't used his full strength. Young people these days.
Jiang Feng answered the call, and after a moment, his expression became somewhat strange. "What did you say? Two notice letters, but both can be verified on the official website?" His first thought was also a scam; daring to impersonate their Investigation Bureau to commit fraud was unacceptable. But, what was going on? The codes were real?
"Brother Wei, do you know what's happening?" Wei, a Level One Investigator who joined six months earlier than him, shook his head. Then, as if remembering something, he said, "Wait, could it be that organization!"
"Which organization?"
"Ask the team leader, and you'll know."
The team leader approached upon hearing them. His codename was 'Chang Hong,' one of Master Ma's disciples and a core Special-class investigator in the Baiyun Provincial Bureau. Chang Hong took out his phone and opened an image, asking, "Is the signature a pattern like this?"
"Yes, yes, yes."
"Since it can be verified on the official website, it's definitely real."
"Team Leader, what exactly is this department?"
Chang Hong pondered, "When you can know, you will know."
Jiang Feng: "???"
Chang Hong continued, "Tell him, if he chooses our Investigation Bureau and will be serving in Baiyun Province in the future, I can authorize an excellent student bonus for him."
"Mm, five hundred thousand Huang Yuan, and he will receive special training during the assessment."
Jiang Feng: "???"
These terms were too generous. Although Ye Luo's assessment performance was excellent, whether he was a true genius would only be determined by his performance in subsequent training.
"Simple tests this morning can't reveal much, but this young man has been chosen by our cooperative organization."
"Then he's very likely a true genius." Team Leader Chang Hong sighed.
Jiang Feng's eyes widened. "If he's a true genius, then he must stay in our Baiyun Province!"
"Do I need to tell you that?"
"Quickly relay my words to him."
"Okay, okay."
Jiang Feng called back, dropping the team leader's generous offer like a bombshell. A mere university student would surely fall into their Baiyun Provincial Bureau's embrace.
The next moment, Jiang Feng's expression froze, and he looked at the team leader for help. Chang Hong shook his head, sighing inwardly. It seemed he was a smart person. It might be possible to impress the young man by escalating the offer, but that would violate their agreement with the cooperative organization. They would let fate decide; their Investigation Bureau recruited many more people, countless times more, and wouldn't miss one or two geniuses. This wasn't a world where potential determined everything.
...
In a student dormitory in the University Town.
Ye Luo refused without even thinking. Judging by the common pattern, if the Investigation Bureau's leader offered such generous terms, it only highlighted the preciousness of the mysterious invitation. It could very well be a better destination than the Investigation Bureau! That's what he thought, but after hanging up and calming down, all that occupied Ye Luo's mind was the five hundred thousand. Five hundred thousand! His family background was very ordinary!
"Hiss..."
"I regret it a little; I should have told the investigator brother to consider it." How could his mouth have been so fast! But it was already said; he couldn't go back on his word. Ye Luo pondered, "Could this be the legendary cooperative organization?" "The meeting time is also tomorrow? In any case, I'll know when I go tomorrow." "I hope my choice is the right one." Thinking of the five hundred thousand made him ache. If he chose the wrong department or position, then... it would be unbearable!
Wang Fan had listened to the entire conversation and understood the cause and effect. He felt it wasn't a big problem and was envious. "In a novel, this would be a fortunate encounter for you, entering a mysterious department and soaring to unimaginable heights from then on." "Of course, I, Emperor Wang Fan, am also not bad. Although my starting point is ordinary, I will lay a solid foundation step by step until I reach the pinnacle." He nodded his head and spoke for half the night, finally putting his arm around Ye Luo's shoulder and saying, "Brother, if you get rich, don't forget me."
...
The night before last, he was shocked by the reality of public disclosure and stayed up all night. Last night, he was excited about passing the Investigation Bureau's assessment and couldn't sleep again. The world was changing too fast; who would have imagined his current fortune two days ago? Even their homeroom teacher was amiable. "Don't worry about your academic records; the school has already handled it for you. Participate well in the training and bring honor to the school."
The two took the subway, their destinations both within Baiyun City. Wang Fan was brimming with excitement. He didn't know if there were awakened individuals among yesterday's examiners, but today, he would surely meet the legendary awakened ones!
"I checked the Investigation Bureau's personnel structure last night."
"For someone like me, after passing the training, I have a chance to become a formal investigator, still the lowest Level Three. Above that are Level Two Investigators, Level One Investigators, and then the Special-class investigators who have already awakened."
"Looking at it this way, awakened individuals are still very rare."
Ye Luo nodded. Although he had been discouraged by foreign videos before, after learning about these past two days, he found that awakened individuals were still very valuable. He was still part of a small group at the forefront of the world. He just didn't know if there were awakened individuals as powerful as those in the videos within the organization he was about to report to. Recalling the powerful foreign experts and the fleeting glimpse of thick vines in the videos, Ye Luo gradually became excited, his restless heart unable to be contained.
"After completing training and entering the Investigation Bureau, becoming stronger step by step and then awakening!"
"This will be the main initial goal for me, Emperor Wang Fan!" Wang Fan declared, full of confidence.
Ye Luo opened his mouth, "Actually..."
Wang Fan said excitedly, "With your performance, and having entered a mysterious organization, you're definitely going to awaken."
Ye Luo opened his mouth, "Actually, I..."
Wang Fan continued, "Although we're going to different departments, we'll definitely have opportunities to fight together in the future. Perhaps by then, I will have already surpassed you." Wang Fan was exceptionally talkative, and Ye Luo couldn't get a word in. He simply stopped trying.
After exiting the subway station, they parted ways. Wang Fan headed to the Baiyun Provincial Bureau office building of the Investigation Bureau to report. Meanwhile, Ye Luo arrived in front of another magnificent building not far from the provincial bureau. He walked in.