A Good-for-Nothing

146. I’ll Carry You on My Back (2)

Translator: Dragon Rider

Li Zong brushed off the dust on He Zheng’s shoulders and drew him to his feet. “What’s done is done. I’ll talk to Elder Chen about this.”

Lin Di, “…”

‘Fine. You’re the boss. It’s your call,’ he thought.

Beneath Lin Zhuo’s expectant gaze, Lin Di took a bite of the drumstick in resignation. ‘Emm, this tastes pretty good.’

Lin Di rubbed Lin Zhuo’s head. After finishing the drumstick, he recalled his task. “Supt. Li, it’s about time the four of them got out of the system.”

“I know.” Li Zong pointed his finger at somewhere and with that the ruined scene vanished. The four of them were perplexed as to what had just happened, but they, along with all other examinees, were standing where they had been previously, their faces full of confusion, looking at each other.

Suddenly, someone among the crowd burst into wail. “I didn’t die! I’m still alive!”

“Ah! I’m still alive as well!”

Some were cheering; some were screaming; and some were pallor-faced, their breathing short and quick with nervousness, clearly not having yet got over the fear that the thrilling fight had struck into them a while ago.

Li Zong told He Zheng to straighten himself, and then his flinty voice was heard amid the crowd. “Here are the results of the test. Of all forty participants of this special training session, only eleven passed: He Zheng, Wei Cheng, Tianyi, Lin Zhuo, Chen Qianlin, Qiu Luo, Jin Qianlai, Xiao Baimu, Luo Yan, Yan Ke and Sun Xiao. Participants who ‘died’ in this session and had no weapons, or suffered nervous breakdowns or gave up fighting, have all been weeded out. As for the rest of you, your failure in this session will be recorded in the files on you, and you’ll be sifted out as well if you fail again in the next training session.”

Li Zong made these remarks in a steely voice without any considerations of anybody’s face. After this session, at least ten of the 29 people had been washed out.

Someone immediately yelled, “This is unfair. Nobody notified us of this test. We were totally unaware and unprepared!”

Li Zong’s piercing eyes flashed towards the speaker, his voice very calm. “Will demons notify you of their attacks beforehand?”

The speaker’s lips twitched.

He was a disciple of the Tigers and Dragons Mountain, who had come with Luo Yan.

“Zu Zhichong.”

“Chief.” Zu Zhichong on the side, who had come along for the ride, hurriedly trotted over in an obsequious manner.

“In no circumstances will the trainee who just said that be recruited.”

“Why?! Who are you to make that decision?!” snarled the man immediately, but his heart did a somersault at the sight of Li Zong’s eyes which were daunting enough to make Yōkai flee.

Li Zong’s voice was still unhurried. “Because this is what I said.”

“I’m going to complain to your boss about this!”

“Go ahead.” Li Zong briefly paused and added, “Walk through that door, turn right and you’ll find the office where you can make a complaint. My employee number is 008.”

That man had said that in a fit of overwhelming rage. He’d be risking death if he really made a complaint about Li Zong. Not daring make any further remarks, he stormed out, flustered and exasperated.

“Now, those who failed the test, please come to me. I’ll erase your memories of this session. After that, you’re to follow our staff members and leave.”

Having heard the punishment that had been meted out to that man, nobody dared make any more comments. Though disgruntled, they still dejectedly walked up to Zu Zhichong and lined up.

After those that had been sifted out left, there were twenty-five people staying on the scene in total, including those that had passed.

Nobody dared take the liberty of leaving. Some of them were still experiencing a carry-over of horror, their faces drenched with sweat, but they still didn’t dare leave and waited for Li Zong’s further instructions.

“All of you who are still in here, go back and have a good rest.”

It was after hearing this that they felt a sense of relief, but they weren’t fully relaxed. Some of them instantly sank to the ground, sitting with their hands holding their chests, panting heavily as if they were reliving the terror of being killed by demonic beasts. He Zheng saw that Tao Wujiu, Kang Ba and some others gathered together, their countenance miserable. Lan Bai the unapproachable beauty had a deep frown on her face, tears brimming in her eyes, her shoulders quivering.

It seemed that they had also been through a fierce fight.

He Zheng didn’t dare disturb them. Even Chen Qianlin who had always been rather stiff-backed, after hearing Li Zong give the instruction, found himself leaning against a tree, his breathing a little shallow.

He Zheng’s group seemed to be in the best state compared with other groups.

“You want to go back and get some rest?” The relationship between Li Zong and He Zheng had gone public a long time ago, so Li Zong hadn’t left.

He Zheng who was even too tired to lift his hand, nodded.

“I don’t think I can walk.”

On hearing this, Li Zong dotingly squeezed his cheek and then crouched down. For a few moments, He Zheng was stupefied. Then he directly lay prostrate onto Li Zong’s back, heedless of how dirty his clothes were.

Others who were still in lingering fright or excitement were nonplussed at the sight of this. After Li Zong carrying He Zheng on his back walked away, their faces were still full of incredulity.

Someone said, “Holy shit! Am I still in some kind of simulation? Why do I feel I just saw Supt. Li leave with He Zheng on his back?”

“Holy crap!!! So I’m not the only one?!”

Everybody couldn’t believe what they’d just seen.

Gazing at their receding backs, Lin Zhuo sighed, “Supt. Li and He Zheng seem so solid.”

Lin Di lowered his head and asked his younger brother, “Do you feel tired?”

Lin Zhuo thought for a moment, the cold sweat on his forehead giving him away. Lin Di gave a smile and crouched down in imitation of what Li Zong had just done. Lin Zhuo was in stupefaction even longer than He Zheng had been, but then he instantly threw himself onto Lin Di’s back, smiling a blissfully happy smile.

“You’re the best brother ever!”

“I’m your cow, eating grass, providing milk,” chuckled Lin Di self-deprecatingly. Still, carrying Lin Zhuo on his back, he sure-footedly walked away.

Conduct of the couple and these two brothers rendered the other trainees dizzy and speechless.

“Wait. The taller one who talked just now seems to be a staff member of the second action group.”

“That’s right! I was wondering how all four of them came to pass the test! It turns out they all have backers pulling strings for them!” Someone made an inharmonious remark.

As luck would have it, Tun Shanhai who was crouching on the side heard this. He raised his little face and reproached, “Only losers would make such wild speculations. All trainees’ performance have been filmed and the videos are available on the website of SMB. If you do have any suspicions, you may go and watch them. Hopefully it’ll help you see sense.”

After saying this, Tun Shanhai swept off, leaving the couple of trainees looking at each other in dismay.

Chen Qianlin, with an inexplicable expression on his face, glanced in the direction Li Zong and He Zheng had headed, grabbed his sword and left.

Apart from them, there was yet another man staring fixedly in the direction He Zheng had left.

It was Luo Yan.

‘He Zheng is actually in a relationship with Li Zong now. There is such a great risk involved in spying on him. That goddamn Zhou Yihao is indeed up to no good!’

An extremely faint puff of black gas flitted across Luo Yan’s eyes. Unfortunately, nobody noticed this.