Chapter 6: Entrance Assessment

It wasn’t until Yang Fan was about to leave that he realized he had been living in a place for three months. It wasn’t a hospital or clinic; the entrance bore the sign of “Scavenger Security Company.”

The company was housed in a single old four-story building. The front yard was surprisingly spacious, with plenty of trees and greenery, creating a pleasant environment.

On his first day here, even though Yang Fan was in a daze, he was still aware of his surroundings. He vaguely recalled taking an elevator and waking up to find himself residing on the third floor.

As he descended the stairs just now, it struck him that they had used the staircase, indicating that this old building lacked an elevator, which seemed somewhat peculiar.

“Let’s go,” came An Ya’s voice from behind.

She was dressed in a black security uniform today, which made her curvaceous figure less conspicuous. By now, they had reached the car.

Yang Fan followed suit, about to get in when An Ya stopped him.

“Before we reach the testing site, if you change your mind, feel free to ask me to stop the car. But once we get there, there’s no turning back.”

“Sister An, thank you. I won’t change my mind,” Yang Fan replied.

Seeing Yang Fan’s determination, An Ya sighed, opened the car door, and retrieved a black cloth bag from the seat. She said to Yang Fan, “You are not a Scavenger yet. The location of the test must remain confidential, so please bear with this.”

Yang Fan nodded as An Ya placed the bag over his head, guiding him as he felt for the car door and settled in.

The car started, driving away.

Approximately twenty seconds later, a right turn, and Yang Fan could hear the noisy chatter around him.

Three minutes and fifty seconds, a left turn…

The journey was lengthy; the car drove for around two and a half hours. Eventually, the speed decreased, maintaining a slow pace for several minutes.

“Sister An, I won’t change my mind. You can drive normally,” Yang Fan remarked confidently.

Upon hearing the voice from behind, An Ya was briefly stunned. This guy actually guessed that she was giving him one last chance to back out.

With a light sigh, An Ya stepped on the gas.

After a few minutes, the car finally came to a stop.

An Ya got out of the car and went to the back seat, removing the cloth bag from Yang Fan’s head. “We’re here. Get out,” she said.

Yang Fan stepped out of the car, finally taking in the scene before him.

In front of him stood a connected eight-story building with three sides, already the tallest structure in the vicinity.

Looking around, the area appeared desolate, scattered with four or five simple single-story buildings. These single-story structures were equivalent in height to three or four floors of a regular building.

Surrounding the area was a wall approximately two to three meters high. Due to the open space, one could easily see beyond the distant wall, revealing rolling hills further in the distance.

No other buildings were visible nearby, indicating that this location was already in the outskirts.

The wall had three entrances, each equipped with gates and guard posts where armed guards patrolled back and forth.

Could a regular company have the qualification to possess firearms? Clearly, the Scavenger organization was far from an ordinary security company.

On the spacious square, numerous vehicles were parked, with some still arriving intermittently.

Several cars had just arrived, and the individuals wearing head coverings only had them removed by their companions after exiting the vehicles.

Like Yang Fan, they observed their surroundings with astonishment.

With no tall buildings obstructing the view, many individuals in security uniforms noticed Yang Fan and immediately began whispering among themselves.

“Isn’t that the new recruit from Team 12, Yang Fan? He looks so thin and short. His physical condition seems even worse than I imagined.”

“Have you seen his stats? His physical fitness is below 50 points; I have never seen anyone worse than him.”

“The people I recruited had much better qualifications than him. As soon as they heard about the mortality rate, they backed out. Who gave him the courage to come here?”

Although An Ya couldn’t hear their exact words, she could gather the gist of their conversation. To prevent Yang Fan from being affected, she took his hand and led him towards the main building.

“The assessment site is behind the main building.”

Passing through the ground floor of the main building and exiting through the back door, Yang Fan saw the peculiar structure several dozen meters ahead.

Compared to the mundane buildings around it, this structure was truly unique.

Rather than calling it a building, it resembled a massive black rock.

Standing over twelve meters tall and at least twenty meters wide, it had a semi-circular shape with extremely irregular edges and a pockmarked surface, with only one entrance at the center.

At that moment, several groups of people were gradually making their way towards it, with security team members escorting the new recruits inside while waiting outside the massive rock.

An Ya glanced at Yang Fan and softly reminded him, “Let’s go.”

As Yang Fan arrived at the entrance of the massive rock, he could clearly sense all eyes fixated on him.

“Is that the vegetable guy?”

“Did he really come? Wow, is he really here to meet his end?”

“Probably brain-damaged; how else could he be this foolish?”

An Ya’s expression turned solemn. Without a word, she escorted Yang Fan to the entrance, watching him enter the passage.

The unabashed comments from those people made her feel repulsed. What left a bitter taste was realizing her own thoughts weren’t far off from those of these detestable individuals.

Watching Yang Fan’s frail figure disappear into the passage stirred a sense of pity in her, prompting her to turn away and leave.

Yang Fan paid no heed to the remarks made by those people, oblivious to An Ya’s current thoughts.

Feeling a mixture of nervousness and a subtle excitement, Yang Fan walked along a corridor within the stone cave, venturing deeper until the path widened, leading him to a spacious stone hall where other new recruits awaiting the test had gathered.

Inside, there were plenty of tall, leggy men and women.

The individuals around him were generally tall and robust, with the men averaging around six feet tall and the women standing at around five feet seven inches.

Their physique was not overly bulky but rather perfectly proportioned, exhibiting a balanced and powerful appearance.

In contrast, Yang Fan’s slender frame stood out conspicuously among them.

With Yang Fan’s arrival, many eyes immediately turned towards this slender figure, prompting a few nearby individuals to start whispering.

“Is that guy here for the assessment too? Doesn’t the assessment require high physical fitness and come with a high mortality rate?”

“Are you kidding me? This kind of person dares to participate in the assessment? He’ll be the first one to go.”

“If this waste doesn’t die, who will?”

Yang Fan remained unfazed upon hearing their conversation. He stood in a corner, calming his nerves while silently waiting.

Gradually, a few more people walked in.

Most of them displayed exceptional physical fitness levels, akin to athletes.

With only five minutes left until the assessment, a young girl, around thirteen or fourteen years old, entered the room.

The girl had naturally delicate features, looking cute and innocent. Her fair skin, large clear eyes, slightly chubby cheeks with dimples when she smiled, and hair tied up simply behind her head exuded youthfulness.

Standing at less than five feet four inches, she wore a light green round-neck short-sleeved T-shirt, loose black sports pants, and light blue running shoes. As she walked in, a lively and radiant aura of youthfulness accompanied her.

Her presence immediately drew everyone’s attention.

“Wow, what a stunning young lady.”

“She’s more beautiful than a star; when she grows up, she’ll definitely be at a national calamity level.”

“Too bad she’s still a minor.”

“What’s wrong with being a minor? I can wait!”

The girl seemed accustomed to the attention around her and didn’t pay it much mind. She glanced around the room.

In the northwest corner, it seemed sparsely populated, with only one person standing alone, while others intentionally kept their distance from that individual.

Yang Fan briefly glanced at the girl, then turned his gaze towards the entrance.

As the time approached, he waited for the person in charge of the assessment to arrive.

“Hello, big brother,” suddenly, a crisp and pleasant voice sounded beside him. Yang Fan turned to see that it was the girl who had captured everyone’s attention.

At close range, the girl’s features appeared even more impeccable.

Yang Fan was slightly surprised but unsure why the girl was talking to him. Nevertheless, he courteously replied, “Hello.”

The girl furrowed her brow, tilting her head slightly, and curiously gazed at Yang Fan. “Your physical fitness… Do you know the high mortality rate of the assessment?”

At that moment, Yang Fan realized that the girl had also noticed him because of his physical condition.

However, unlike others, she didn’t exhibit any disdainful emotions; instead, she seemed more like she was reminding him.

Yang Fan smiled faintly. “I’m aware.”

He found it puzzling why a young girl like her would participate in the assessment.

Since the girl mentioned the mortality rate, indicating her clear understanding of the assessment’s danger, he saw no need to emphasize it further.

After briefly sizing up Yang Fan, the girl simply wished him luck with a “Good luck, big brother,” then took a couple of steps back and leaned against the wall, looking bored.

At that moment, three individuals clad in black security uniforms strode in.

The trio consisted of one man and two women. The leader, around thirty years old, stood tall with a rugged face, sporting neat and crisp short hair. While not conventionally handsome, he exuded a vibrant aura.

His sharp gaze and powerful stride gave off an aura of swift decisiveness.

As his gaze swept across the room, a strong sense of pressure enveloped the surroundings.

Behind him were the two twin women, identical in appearance with beautiful features and matching sleek short hair. Even their slightly gothic makeup made it difficult to tell them apart.

Both women maintained serious expressions, with one of them carrying an identical black briefcase, walking with purposeful strides behind the man.

“They’re here, they’re here,” murmurs rippled through the crowd, and everyone began to grow tense.