Chapter Sixty-Two: The Trial

"Not bad, not bad. Alright, see if my bonus has arrived. If it has, help me place an order. Hmm... let’s start with a Kuntal tactical dagger."

This time, the mission was to set out with a team of ability users. Congressman Yao and his group were not as easy to deal with as Su Yi and the others; in most cases, “Regret” couldn’t be used. The Kuntal dagger had received quite a few positive reviews, so Ji Cheng figured it should be decent and decided to buy one.

"It’s in. You’ve received four billion, and fifty contribution points," An Chan nodded.

The full reward for developing and exploring a new type of mining zone was five billion Baishan coins plus fifty contribution points. Some of the cash had to be split among the team, but all the contribution points were credited to Ji Cheng alone.

"Then, get two sets of advanced all-terrain combat suits," Ji Cheng thought for a moment and ordered.

The all-terrain combat suit came equipped with tactical goggles, a biochemical mask, communication devices—essentially an all-in-one package. But what really justified the price was the material: waterproof, fireproof, cut-resistant, able to shield most radiation, and even provided some resistance to psychic contamination found in certain areas.

One for himself, one for his sister—it was only reasonable.

"Two sets of advanced all-terrain combat suits, plus a Kuntal tactical dagger. After the contribution point discount, the total comes to seven hundred and sixteen million."

"Then, add a Blackrock K-90 pistol. Compared to a rifle, I find pistols easier to handle."

"Total spending now is one billion, four hundred and twenty-five million."

Ji Cheng stretched, folding his hands behind his head, and said leisurely, "Don’t rush—make that two Blackrock pistols. My sister will need one too; she doesn’t have much combat ability right now, so she should have a sidearm for protection."

An Chan responded with a cold "mm."

"And grab a backpack, tent, and all sorts of little tools. Just pick the most expensive options for everything."

With billions on hand, spending felt different.

An Chan gave another icy "mm."

"Oh, and get my sister a phone. That should cover everything."

Ji Cheng put away the two girls, got up, and headed for the training room.

The training room was outside the residential area, occupying an entire underground safehouse.

A long corridor, perfectly square, with not a single unnecessary decoration—just the cold sheen of metal. Walking down it, every footstep echoed loudly.

At the end of the corridor was a code-locked door. Ji Cheng walked straight toward it.

A small slot opened in the door, and a camera inside blinked once.

"Verifying."

"Verification successful. Please proceed."

The embedded chip swiftly confirmed Ji Cheng’s identity, and just as he was about to bump into the door, it swung open.

"I have to say, this door is really handy. No need to open it yourself," Ji Cheng commented as he stepped inside.

The room was spacious, built from the same material as the corridor, and the décor was equally rugged.

This training room was designed for ability users, who far exceeded ordinary people in strength and destructive power; durability was the main design philosophy.

Luo Rao emerged from the gravity well in the center, her radiant face adorned with a smile.

"But I think this door is a bit unnecessary," she said.

Ji Cheng walked over. "Sis, what’s your initial assimilation rate?"

"Seventeen percent—not bad, right?" Her big, dewy eyes fixed on Ji Cheng, like a child awaiting praise.

"Mm." Ji Cheng nodded and began searching on his wrist computer.

"A Cheng, you’re already eighteen. You should know how to compliment a girl by now."

"Huh?" He looked up.

"You should praise your sister, and then..." Luo Rao leaned in, pointing to her cheek.

"Sis, you’re amazing."

Ji Cheng continued searching for information about the phoenix’s habits and behaviors. Fortunately, Baishan Star had once had a small population of these birds, so the data was detailed.

"Mainly eats grains... moves by a series of rapid, frequent hops... likes to chirp softly, sounds similar to... hmm."

Ji Cheng pondered for a while, then gave up on a demonstration. Instead, he handed the information to Luo Rao and explained the mimicry technique, letting her figure it out herself.

Soon, her voice floated up from the gravity well: "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp. A Cheng, this bird sounds so weird!"

Ji Cheng: ...

Luo Rao: "Chirp chirp, chirp chirp."

The next morning, Ji Cheng got up early to wash up and change into casual clothes, then put on the special-effect contact lenses prepared for him by the City Defense Department.

"Professionals really pay attention to detail," he murmured, watching his reflection—his eyes had turned into vertical pupils.

Silver District, Xinliu Tower.

Located on Fifth Avenue, one of the busiest areas in South Harbor New City, private cars lined the street. A group of security guards stood at the building’s entrance.

"Are you sure there’s no 27th floor here?" Ji Cheng eyed the receptionist skeptically.

He remembered clearly—Thorn had said the twenty-seventh floor.

The receptionist smiled professionally and nodded. "Yes, sir. You’re welcome to count them yourself—there are indeed only twenty-five floors."

"Alright then." Ji Cheng exited, looked up at the building’s sign—it was indeed Xinliu Tower—and counted the floors.

"One, two, three, four... twenty-five." When he finished, he realized immediately: it must be the classic hidden-floor trick, with the twenty-seventh tucked away between two others.

Glancing around, he slipped into a barrier alley.

These alleys were short, with only one exit that could be closed off at any time—mainly designed so that if mutant beasts broke into the city, citizens who couldn’t reach shelters in time could hide here.

Unfortunately, the most densely populated and vulnerable Grey District lacked enough of these alleys.

The exit barrier dropped, sealing the four- or five-meter-long alley off from the outside for now.

Ji Cheng took out his Black Island communicator and sent a message to Thorn: "Reporting in—I'm at Xinliu Tower, but they say there’s no 27th floor."

After a brief wait, the communicator vibrated.

Thorn: "Do you think the organization would put its base in plain sight? Foolish."

Ji Cheng: "Then where should I go?"

Thorn: "You should have seen a woman in a black dress in the lobby just now."

Ji Cheng: "Didn’t notice. Why?"

Thorn: "Go back in and find her. Tell her you want to go to the 27th floor, but you’d like to stop at the 26th."

Ji Cheng: "Alright, I’ll go now."

He ended the chat, put away his communicator, raised the barrier, and headed back to Xinliu Tower.

Inside the lobby, he scanned the room and soon spotted the woman in the black dress. She stood alone in a corner, about twenty-eight or twenty-nine years old, with a teardrop mole at the corner of her eye. At what should have been her most charming age, she only stared blankly at the floor, her expression numb.

Ji Cheng approached, but before he could speak, she addressed him first. "Sir, how may I assist you?"

"I’d like to go to the 27th floor, but I’d prefer to stop at the 26th."

He noticed her scrutinizing his eyes and quickly looked away, worried the special contacts might give him away.

Her response was perfectly calm, as if each word had been measured with a ruler.

"Very well, please follow me."

This gave Ji Cheng a strange feeling—her emotional state seemed off.

A trap?

He suppressed his suspicion and followed her.

They didn’t head to the main elevators. Instead, after winding through several corridors, they entered a dim, eerie room.

Inside was an old elevator, at least five or six years old, its doors perpetually open, emitting a slow, rhythmic clang.

Dust drifted through the air, making Ji Cheng’s throat itch.

"Ahem, is this the elevator?" he asked, glancing around for clues.

"Sir, please step inside." The woman gestured politely.

Once inside, she immediately turned her back to him, pressed the close-door button, and lowered her head in silence.

He heard a faint whirring from the left corner—the camera.

Members of the Black Island organization had begun monitoring him.

Ji Cheng deliberately straightened his posture, acting tense while secretly observing the woman’s back. Glossy black hair, smooth skin, a posture too perfect—she’d clearly undergone harsh training.

After a while, she still hadn’t pressed any floor buttons, just stood there silently with her back to him.

"Excuse me, why isn’t the elevator moving?" Ji Cheng asked.

At that moment, his Black Island communicator vibrated lightly—a new message.

He discreetly glanced at the screen. Nine words appeared:

"Kill her. This is your test."