Chapter 5: Memory

Bai Ze coughed repeatedly, choked by a mouthful of tea, unable to speak for a while.

An Ya, on the other hand, stared wide-eyed at Yang Fan.

What happened to the “slight self-awareness” we talked about? This guy seems to lack even a shred of self-awareness!

“Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear earlier. I meant to say you’re most probably unlikely to survive the entrance assessment,” An Ya stared with those large eyes, almost wanting to smack Yang Fan’s head hard to snap him out of it.

“Perfectly clear,” Yang Fan replied. “But since the rewards are so extraordinary, taking some risks seems worth it.”

Bai Ze who finally recovered but upon hearing Yang Fan’s words, he immediately started coughing violently again.

“Cough, the rewards may be tempting, cough, but the issue is you need to be alive to claim them!”

“I, cough cough cough, I need to give you another check-up, to see if there’s something wrong with your brain.”

From the conversation between the two outside the door, Yang Fan roughly deduced that recruiting new members was a mandatory requirement from higher authorities.

Since it was a directive from above, even if the two of them disagreed, they couldn’t change the outcome.

However, Bai Ze’s words made Yang Fan somewhat anxious. If this guy discovered that he hadn’t actually lost his memory, things could get complicated.

It seemed like he needed to come up with a reasonable excuse.

“Dr. Bai, I am very much lucid now,” Yang Fan said calmly. “You all have emphasized the dangers of this job repeatedly, and considering my condition, my mortality rate would be even higher than others.”

“But have you ever considered this: I was comatose at the age of ten, didn’t even finish elementary school, and have been bedridden for the past decade with no social experience or skills.”

“Even if it’s manual labor, who would hire a waste like me?”

“Miss An, you mentioned that this job would grant me strength, which is exactly what I’ve longed for. I don’t want to remain a waste of space forever.”

“Moreover, you’ve only mentioned that I am “most probably” unlikely to pass the entrance assessment. This is simply your judgment, isn’t it?” Yang Fan emphasized the pronunciation of the word “most probably.”

Both An Ya and Bai Ze had used this term, rather than more definitive words like “certainly” or “absolutely,” indicating that there were still possibilities.

Yang Fan’s words left An Ya and Bai Ze silent.

They had only considered that upon learning about the dangers of the job, Yang Fan would willingly give up. However, they had overlooked the fact that he had spent the crucial developmental years lying in bed for a decade.

Yang Fan was no longer even close to being considered a normal person. Even if his body recovered, he would still be far from average.

Just like someone who has lost their legs for years, even if given a pair of normal legs, they might be willing to pay a price beyond others’ comprehension.

Moreover, now, this job offered more than just the abilities of an average person!

After a long silence, An Ya sighed, stood up, and glanced at Yang Fan.

“I didn’t expect you to make this choice. Honestly, I personally don’t think it’s a wise decision.”

“But I have no right to interfere with your choice.”

“For the next three months, stay here, recover well. After three months, you will undergo the entrance assessment.”

As An Ya was about to leave, Yang Fan hastily spoke up, “Miss An, I still have some questions.”

An Ya, already walking towards the door without looking back, replied, “After you pass the entrance assessment, then you can truly be considered a Scavenger. At that time, you will be eligible to learn more details.” With that, she exited the ward.

Soon after, Bai Ze followed, muttering to himself as he walked away and casting a stern glance back at Yang Fan.

“You, lad, you must be out of your mind!”

In the room, only Yang Fan remained, lying quietly on the hospital bed, his gaze fixed on the ceiling.

The entrance assessment three months later would mark his first step towards seeking revenge!

……………….

During these three months, Yang Fan persisted in training.

His physical rehabilitation was progressing well, now able to jog and even sprint short distances.

However, due to poor bone development from prolonged bed rest, despite regaining mobility, his physical abilities still fell far short of the average person.

In the equipment room, Bai Ze was personally testing Yang Fan’s various data, recording the results in a notebook as he conducted the assessments.

“Height 1.66 meters, weight 42 kilograms. Strength 45 points, speed 43 points, endurance 31 points.” After noting down the results, Bai Ze weakly let his hand hang by his side, observing Yang Fan.

“I advise you to reconsider carefully. The entrance assessment is no joke. With these results of yours, you’ll end up dead!”

Three months had been ample time for Yang Fan and Bai Ze to become more acquainted.

Yang Fan pressed the stop button on the treadmill, panting as he held onto the handrails.

“Brother Bai, you’ve said that sentence over fifty times in the past three months…”

“Because you keep hitting a wall, don’t you?” Bai Ze retorted. “Oh, and there’s something else I need to tell you—you’re famous now.”

“Huh?” Yang Fan looked at Bai Ze, puzzled.

Staying here all this time, how did he become famous?

“It’s the Information Network!” Bai Ze explained. “I can’t disclose the specific organizational structure of the Scavengers right now, but I can tell you that all veteran members can access the information of every new recruit participating in the entrance assessment.”

“Your score is not just lower than the now second-to-the-last, but more than half of theirs! Who wouldn’t notice that?”

Yang Fan frowned, “Why do they need to look at my information?”

Bai Ze replied, “New recruits who pass the assessment will be assigned to different teams. Therefore, each team reviews the newcomers in advance to select the most promising candidates.”

“Well, what if no one chooses me?”

Bai Ze chuckled, speaking in a peculiar tone, “Oh, claiming you lack self-awareness, yet still intent on foolishness. You seem pretty clear now—you understand that no one would pick you.”

“You understand that no one would voluntarily choose you?” Bai Ze pondered for a moment, then corrected himself, “Wait, you won’t even pass in the first place, why worry?”

“Brother Bai, I’m talking about hypotheticals.”

Bai Ze looked at Yang Fan helplessly, shook his head, and said, “I won’t keep you in suspense, your scenario is close to impossible. Those who pass the assessment, no matter how poorly, won’t perform that badly.”

“However, considering luck, there have been cases of passing the assessment but being rejected due to extremely poor aptitude. Such individuals are directly eliminated,” Bai Ze explained.

Yang Fan, pondering, asked, “Can’t I choose which team to join myself?”

“Choose for yourself? Brother, who do you think you are? A peerless genius, a prodigy of the heavens? Long Aotian? You want to choose yourself? It’s embarrassing you even asked,” Bai Ze remarked.

…………………..

“I’m just curious. You keep saying I’m a dead man walking, so indulge my curiosity for a bit,” Yang Fan insisted.

Bai Ze stared at Yang Fan, his expression a mix of resentment and compassion. Finally, he sighed, “Unless you can achieve the ultimate goal of the assessment, then you can choose your team… I won’t say more, as it involves assessment details that I can’t reveal in advance.”

“However, individuals like that, among all the new Scavengers in our various divisions, might not even emerge once in a year.”

Yang Fan quietly noted Bai Ze’s words about achieving the ultimate goal.

Two days later, Yang Fan was sitting on the edge of his bed, engrossed in a book. It was the third volume of “Junior High School Physics” that he had borrowed with Bai Ze’s help.

In the past few days, while practicing with the mysterious beads, Yang Fan realized that there wasn’t much improvement on the his five senses, possibly reaching the current level cap.

However, each practice session helped him regain a certain amount of energy, reducing his need for sleep significantly. Now, he only needed five hours of sleep a day to stay energetic throughout.

Moreover, practicing with the beads had an additional benefit—it helped him keep his mind sharp.

Although Yang Fan only had an elementary school education, he was far from unintelligent. Before his coma, his teachers had always given him the highest regards.

During the ten years of his coma, he didn’t truly become a vegetable. Instead, he constantly struggled against the Nebulae Chain, which affected his physical development severely but left his intellectual development intact.

With his intelligence, coupled with his clear-minded state, he was well-suited for learning new knowledge.

In these three months, utilizing his spare time, he had self-studied junior high Chinese, mathematics, and geometry.

As Bai Ze pushed the door open and called out from the doorway, “Yang Fan, it’s time to go!” Yang Fan closed the book and placed it on the bedside.

He stood up, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened his eyes and walked towards the door.

An Ya was already waiting for him at the door.

After Yang Fan left, Bai Ze looked around the empty ward, feeling lost, and walked over to Yang Fan’s bed.

“What a good kid, so bright, why choose to do something foolish?” Bai Ze sighed and absentmindedly picked up the book next to the pillow.

Flipping it open, he found a bookmark on page 75.

“Generation and transmission of sound… Ah, still planning to come back and continue reading? You won’t have the chance anymore!” Bai Ze remarked with a sense of regret.