Chapter 594
: A genius player who is clearly confident.
The main building of the Special Search Team headquarters, basement level three.
There is a special area with a ring-shaped structure here.
The surrounding walls were uniformly painted a dark green, which gleamed with a cold luster under the incandescent light.
The light bulb seemed to be disturbed by some unknown force, emitting a low-frequency "humming" sound from time to time.
The air is perpetually filled with the lingering smell of disinfectant.
There was also a faint mist that seemed to drift in from nowhere, slowly swirling along the cement ground.
Looking around, there wasn't even a single window that could let in some air.
The building's inner circle features an arched wall with nine heavy iron doors evenly embedded in it, each door panel marked with a prominent number.
The environment felt particularly oppressive and closed off.
The entrance on the east side of the corridor leads to a spacious hall.
Several rows of cold, metallic benches were placed inside the hall.
At this moment, the benches and aisles were already packed with examinees.
This is the waiting area for the spring recruitment interviews.
As for the rooms behind those iron doors, they are the special investigation team's private "torture rooms".
Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe were also sitting on one of the rows of benches.
Their interviews were scheduled for the 9:00-10:00 AM batch.
To avoid being late due to traffic, the two agreed to arrive early in the morning.
When I first came in, I saw the white mist floating on the ground.
Ma Dong-hyuk stared wide-eyed, thinking there was a fire somewhere, with smoke billowing out.
If it weren't for the red banner with white lettering that clearly read "Special Search Team Spring Recruitment Interview Venue" hanging at the entrance, one would think...
Such a gloomy and terrifying scene would probably give many people the illusion that they have stumbled into the underworld.
Fang Cheng looked around at his surroundings and shook his head to himself.
The intention behind the Special Investigations Unit's leadership choosing to build the interrogation room in such a place is all too clear.
It's simply an attempt to use the perpetually dark and gloomy environment to strip the prisoner of their sense of security before the formal interrogation.
In psychology, this refers to the tactic of striking first to gain the upper hand.
And now, this special treatment meant to break down psychological defenses has been applied to these test-takers without any change.
In retrospect, the results are surprisingly good.
Faced with such a powerful institution that holds the power of life and death, coupled with such a gloomy and oppressive environment, almost no one can remain calm.
Some test takers kept taking deep breaths, trying to calm their wildly beating hearts.
Some people closed their eyes tightly and muttered their self-introductions.
The entire hall, though filled with hundreds of people, was eerily quiet.
Apart from occasional whispers and the soft rustling of shoes on the ground, the only other sound was the clanging of the iron gate opening and closing, echoing repeatedly.
Everyone's nerves were on edge because of the nine heavy, soundproof iron doors in the inner circle.
As the door opened and closed again, some people entered and some people left.
More than two thousand candidates will all be selected here to face the test of fate.
Even though the Special Investigation Team has scheduled most of the purely clerical interviews for tomorrow in order to divert the workload, the progress is still slow.
At this rate of throughput, this interview will probably continue until late at night before it's completely over.
Fang Cheng glanced at the wall clock, adjusted his posture, and leaned back comfortably against the chair.
After observing for more than half an hour, he gradually figured out the pattern.
Candidates applying for administrative positions in logistics only stay in the room for a very short time, usually about five minutes before coming out.
Fang Cheng had excellent hearing and caught the relieved whispers of several examinees.
The examiners inside seemed to have only asked a few routine questions and checked my identity information before letting me through.
The process seemed extremely easy.
In contrast, candidates applying for special duty positions faced a completely different experience.
They would stay inside for at least ten minutes, and some even stayed for nearly half an hour.
When the heavy iron gate opened again, most of these police academy students and combat enthusiasts, who usually thought highly of themselves, turned pale and remained silent.
Some of them even trembled and had to lean against the wall to get out, as if they had seen some terrifying monster inside.
Fang Cheng adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, made a few deductions, and then figured out the logic behind the actions of the special search team's higher-ups.
Civilian staff are mostly ordinary people.
They had already passed a rigorous political background check when they applied.
During the interview process, the veteran interrogation experts in the special investigation team have such sharp eyes that they can tell whether an ordinary person is lying or has ulterior motives in just a few glances.
As long as their background is clean, there's no need to waste too much time on them.
But the special operations positions are different.
These exceptionally talented fighters and police academy students are the core force for the Special Investigations Unit's future missions.
To prevent other forces from sending infiltrators or to screen out dangerous individuals with antisocial personalities, the special investigation team must be extremely cautious and control every step of the way.
After all, fortresses are often most easily breached from within.
For the senior management of the special search team, this interview was perhaps the most crucial assessment item in the entire spring recruitment process.
Just as Fang Cheng was lost in thought, the door to room number five was pushed open.
A handsome male examinee wearing sportswear walked out.
He ripped open his tightly pulled collar, panting heavily; the back of his clothes was already soaked with cold sweat.
Fang Cheng had seen his admission ticket and knew that he, like himself, had applied for a medical position.
I quickly estimated in my mind that the person had been inside for a full twelve minutes.
Based on the patterns summarized earlier, Fang Cheng became suspicious.
Is the medical position I applied for considered an administrative position or a special duty position?
It's important to understand that while medics don't directly participate in frontline combat within the military system, it's common for them to accompany commando teams deep into the front lines.
Furthermore, the special search team requires candidates for medical positions to also participate in the outdoor physical fitness test in Xishan tomorrow.
Their compensation is clearly different from that of ordinary clerical staff.
Fang Cheng couldn't help but picture Shi Chengyi's amiable smile.
The logistics minister had initially assured the medical team that their work would be easy and would allow them to fulfill their desire for a quiet life.
Now it seems that I was somewhat tricked by this old fox's words.
"call----"
A heavy sigh came from the side.
Ma Dong-hyuk shifted his massive, bear-like body, causing the metal bench to creak under his weight.
He watched as yet another examinee with a pale face walked out of the interrogation room, then leaned close to Fang Cheng's ear and whispered:
"Acheng, look at how cowardly these guys are. I bet the examiners have some pretty impressive tricks up their sleeves."
"They might even tie you to an electric chair, like in the movies, and force-feed you truth serum while putting you on a lie detector!"
Although he tried to keep his voice down, it still sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet corridor.
Several young test-takers who were nervously preparing for the exam nearby turned even paler upon hearing this, and kept swallowing hard.
"Brothers, do you know something inside?"
A sudden voice interrupted.
Fang Cheng turned his head and saw a thin young man with pointed ears squeezing over from the seat next to him.
It was the same skinny guy who had been eavesdropping on people's conversations from behind the crowd when they were picking up their exam admission tickets at the service hall the day before yesterday. This guy seemed to really enjoy eavesdropping; his ears were a size larger than average, like two fans waving in the wind.
Ma Donghe glanced at the skinny guy, snorted coldly, and turned his head away, clearly indicating that he didn't want to pay any attention to him.
But the skinny guy was very outgoing and didn't care at all about Ma Donghe's cold face.
He rubbed his hands together, then leaned closer with a beaming smile, his words as sweet as honey:
"Brother, look at your physique and your aura. You are definitely a top expert, one in a hundred. When you enter the examination room, the examiners will probably be stunned by your presence."
"And this guy with glasses, he's incredibly handsome, and his posture is as steady as a mountain. He looks like a confident and talented player!"
"My name is Hou Peng. Greetings. May I ask your esteemed names?"
Flattery will get you everywhere.
Ma Donghe was initially somewhat disdainful, but Hou Peng's barrage of flattery made him quite pleased.
He raised his chin and cleared his throat:
"You've got good taste, kid. My name is Ma Donghe, and this is my brother, Fang Cheng."
Upon hearing this, Hou Peng immediately clasped his hands together and said with a beaming smile:
"It's an honor to meet you! So it's Brother Ma and Brother Fang. My apologies for not recognizing you!"
Then, he cautiously moved closer and whispered, probing:
"Brother Ma, what exactly are the procedures for the test you just mentioned?"
Ma Donghe crossed his arms and said mysteriously:
"Since you seem to know what's good for you, I'll take pity on you and tell you."
"The Special Investigations Team's psychological assessment is incredibly strange. The most important thing is summed up in eight words: stay calm and be a good person!"
"Otherwise, what you fear most is what it will give you. If you're not strong-willed and wet your pants in there, you'll be packing your bags and leaving."
"If I accidentally reveal my true nature and show my true colors during the test, it won't be as simple as just failing the interview..."
At this point, Ma Donghe paused, then said mysteriously:
"Have you ever read Journey to the West? If the demon-revealing mirror exposes a monster that has no powerful backing or connections, you should know what to do next, right?"
"I see."
Hou Peng listened in a daze, nodding his head like a chicken pecking at rice.
"Understanding it is useless."
Ma Donghe chuckled coldly, looked him up and down, and patted Hou Peng on the shoulder:
"Heh, the reason why the Special Investigation Team's interview is so difficult is because this kind of test leaves you completely out of your own hands. If you're a petty thief, don't try to pretend to be a gentleman!"
Hou Peng was stunned again upon hearing this.
I was just about to try and get closer to them by asking a few more questions.
"Click".
The iron door to room number three was pushed open from the inside.
A staff member in a police officer's uniform walked out holding a number plate, glanced across the lobby, and called out loudly:
"Number 253, Ma Dong-hyuk!"
"To!"
Ma Dong-hyuk suddenly stood up.
However, due to the large movement, his knee accidentally hit the back of the chair in front of him, making a dull thud.
He grimaced, forcing back his cry of pain.
Fang Cheng chuckled as he looked at Fang Cheng's outwardly confident but inwardly apprehensive demeanor.
"Donghe, do your best. If you perform as well as you did in the preliminary exam, you're sure to get a high score."
"Thank you for your kind words!"
Ma Dong-hyuk grinned widely and rubbed his cheeks vigorously.
Then he strode confidently into room number three.
As the door closed again, the oppressive silence returned to the hallway.
Fang Cheng leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to rest.
The body's vital energy flows slowly along the meridians.
His consciousness gradually sank, blocking out the noisy breathing and heartbeats from the outside world, allowing his state to stabilize.
The killing intent and sharpness in his bones were completely suppressed and locked away in the blood moon deep within the inner world.
At this moment, Fang Cheng's breathing was deep and his muscles were relaxed.
From the outside, he looks like an ordinary, harmless college graduate.
Only the powerful aura belonging to a martial arts master remained dormant, never dissipating.
Hou Peng, who was sitting to the side, rolled his eyes and his gaze fell on Fang Cheng.
Seeing Ma Donghe go inside, he wanted to take the opportunity to strike up a conversation with this refined and easy-going handsome man and build up his network.
"Um, Brother Fang..."
Hou Peng had just taken half a step forward, and before he could finish speaking, it felt as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat.
He suddenly shivered.
As a cultivator with extremely keen senses, Hou Peng's intuition about danger far surpasses that of ordinary people.
We can even confidently say that it far surpasses 99% of people with special abilities.
The moment he approached Fang Cheng, he felt an extremely terrifying sense of oppression emanating from the young man with his eyes closed.
That wasn't a deliberately released killing intent, but rather an absolute suppression on a life level.
He felt like a rabbit trying to get close to a sleeping lion.
Even if the other person just turned over, the unintentional aura they exuded was enough to make his hair stand on end.
Hou Peng's forehead instantly broke out in a cold sweat.
He swallowed the flattery that was on the tip of his tongue, and gently shifted his position back to his seat.
Then, his body stiffened against the back of the chair, and he dared not make a sound.
A cold wind whistled through the ventilation ducts, causing the white mist to drift slowly.
The occasional sound of the iron gate opening would attract a large number of stares, like startled birds.
Then new names were called out, and new people walked into the unknown with unease.
Time passed by, second by second.
The door to room number three remained tightly closed, and Ma Dong-hyuk did not come out.
Just as Fang Cheng was secretly wondering if this guy had beaten up the illusion along with the examiner inside.
The iron door to room number six was slowly pushed open.
"Number 263, Fang Cheng."
The staff's voices echoed in the corridor.
Fang Cheng opened his eyes, and a golden glimmer flashed and disappeared deep within his pupils.
He stood up, smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, and ignored the various gazes directed at him.
Then, with steady steps, he walked straight into the dark doorway.
The heavy iron gate slowly closed behind him, completely isolating him from all outside noise.
Fang Cheng's gaze quickly swept across the room.
Only one light was on in the room, making the light somewhat dim.
A blurry figure sat quietly in the shadows.
Before him stood an ancient bronze bell covered in green patina.
The dim light shone on the clock face, revealing strange human face patterns on it.
"Please sit down."
The figure spoke calmly. (End of Chapter)