When Bai Wan saw the message, he immediately panicked and fired back a reply:

[It wasn’t me who blew it up.]

[???]

[What are you talking about? HQ sent people to find you. They want to run an evaluation. If you pass, you’ll be eligible for a load of resources!]

Bai Wan let out a sigh of relief.

Ah. Just a test. That’s fine.

He replied:

[Tomorrow afternoon. I’ve got something going on in the morning.]

Liu Tong stared at this all-too-familiar excuse, exasperated.

[...Could you sleep a little less? HQ is in a hurry, you know. This is an incredible opportunity.]

He was helpless. Any regular para-hunter would be jumping with excitement to learn HQ had taken an interest in them.

But Bai Wan was... not like most people.

He’d just brute-forced his way through an unsolvable dungeon, and had come out with the highest score ever recorded.

Honestly, Liu Tong suspected that Bai Wan might already be stronger than even Captain Zhou Lu. He doubted Zhou Lu himself could’ve cleared The Letter.

He still wanted to urge Bai Wan to come now, but the HQ staff seemed quite reasonable.

Luo Yimeng apologized politely: “Ah, sorry. We were in a bit of a rush with all the artifacts we needed to test. We forgot that ‘Family’ just came out of a dungeon and probably requires rest. Let’s have him come by tomorrow afternoon instead.”

Liu Tong nodded in agreement.

True—Bai Wan had just cleared a top-tier nightmare dungeon. A break was only fair.

Zhou Lu, however, took this as his moment to shine. He grinned and approached Luo Yimeng enthusiastically: “You know, I’ve actually got a fair bit of experience hunting paranormals myself. How about evaluating me too?”

Luo Yimeng offered a diplomatic smile, “Captain Zhou, we’re just following orders from above. And... you’re well past the new recruit phase, aren’t you?”

Zhou Lu refused to give up.

“Maybe I’m getting on in years, but our branch still has some great talent! Take this girl here— Su Yuening! Through sheer grit, she managed to stab a ghost with a chicken feather! You’ve heard of the Chicken Feather Assassin, right? Ruthless as hell.”

Luo Yimeng’s smile stiffened.

“Yes, I’ve heard of her... Sounds very... ferocious. But that might not be what HQ means by ‘talent.’”

“No problem, no problem. We’ve got others! Like Liu Tong! He was Bai Wan’s beginner mentor! Everything Bai Wan achieved in that dungeon—it all started with Liu Tong. Rumor is, Bai Wan kept bringing up his name while inside!”

“...Captain Zhou... we really should get going. We’ll return tomorrow afternoon. Thank you for the hospitality.”

“Hey, don’t leave so soon! Wait—” Zhou Lu called after them, frustrated. It wasn’t every day HQ evaluators showed up. If only they’d give someone else a shot...

…

Meanwhile, Bai Wan lay sprawled on his bed, completely exhausted and in no mood to talk.

His little sister Bai Xi was fast asleep inside the painting, clearly worn out too. 

Even Mom, Dad, and Grandpa were being unusually quiet, not disturbing her for once. The poor girl hadn’t slept well in days—she needed the rest.

For the first time in a long while, Bai Wan truly relaxed.

Oddly enough, he wasn’t all that nervous about the HQ evaluation. What he was looking forward to… was visiting the Lan City division again.

He liked the people there. Captain Zhou Lu, Liu Tong, Su Yuening…All of them were pretty fun—and kind.

He didn’t know Wang Meng or Li Yintian that well yet, but his first impression had been good.

And besides—each of them had helped chip in 50 Paranormal Coins to support him. Now that he was flush with cash, he could finally pay them back.

With that, Bai Wan drifted off to sleep.

…

The next afternoon, Bai Wan arrived at the Lan City branch operations room looking sharp and well-rested.

Inside were Zhou Lu, Su Yuening, and several others. Across from them sat two unfamiliar faces.

“Hey there, little bro!” Zhou Lu greeted, clapping him on the shoulder. “You clearing an unsolvable dungeon really put Lan City on the map!”

He turned to the guests—"These are the elite testers from HQ.”

The female staff stepped forward with a bright smile: “Hello! I’m Luo Yimeng from the HQ Evaluation Division. This is my colleague, Zhao Jie.”

“Bai Wan. In-game name: ‘Family’.” Bai Wan replied courteously.

“It’s an honor to meet you,” Luo Yimeng said warmly. “As Captain Zhou probably told you, we’re here to conduct a comprehensive assessment. Based on your results, we’ll allocate corresponding resources.”

“Got it. Are we doing it here?” Bai Wan asked.

Luo Yimeng shook her head.

“No—HQ has a state-of-the-art testing facility that cost a fortune to build. It’s specifically designed to measure one’s full potential.”

There was clear pride in her tone. After all, their department fell under the Research Division. Budget was never an issue.

But the moment Su Yuening heard "state-of-the-art" and “cost a fortune”, her expression froze. She hesitated several times, then finally blurted out:

“W–Wait…Do we have to test? I’ve already seen Bai Wan’s potential very thoroughly in-game…”

Luo Yimeng chuckled and shook her head.

“That’s not the same at all. Our HQ testing is scientific, fair, and precise. The system was designed personally by the Paranormal Doctor—it captures a person’s potential with pinpoint accuracy. No margin for error.”

Su Yuening still looked troubled.

“But… aren’t those testing instruments expensive? What if… they break…”

“Impossible.” Luo Yimeng waved the concern away. “Each test is meticulously calibrated. Plus, two of the four S-Rank Captains are stationed at HQ right now. Absolutely zero risk.”

She turned to Bai Wan with a smile. 

“So go ahead, Bai Wan. Let loose. Show us everything you’ve got.”

“Understood. I’ll burn myself to the limit,” Bai Wan replied seriously.

Luo Yimeng gave a satisfied nod.

Su Yuening, on the other hand, looked like she was having a stroke.

Burn yourself? Bro, maybe just don’t burn the HQ down with you…

Please... show some restraint.

“To save time, why don’t we head over to HQ now?” Luo Yimeng suggested.

“Sounds good,” Bai Wan agreed.

Zhou Lu and the others escorted them to the door.

“Little Wan,” Zhou Lu said with a wide grin, “we were planning a celebration banquet for you and Su Yuening—but HQ’s in a rush. Once you ace that test, we’ll throw it big!”

“Don’t worry, Captain. I’ll give it my all!” Bai Wan said with determination.

Su Yuening’s heart skipped a beat.

Oh no… You don’t have to go that hard…

She could only watch helplessly as Luo Yimeng and Zhao Jie led Bai Wan away.

Please let HQ survive this intact… If it gets blown up, are we as his local contacts going to be blamed?

She began rehearsing her denials in her head: I don’t know him. I don’t really know what he’s like. Barely acquaintances. Strictly professional. Absolutely no contact. Who the hell is Bai Wan?

…

Later, Bai Wan and the HQ staff boarded a train bound for Longbei City, where the main HQ was located.

Technically, HQ had its own private jets—but Bai Wan flat-out refused to fly.

Said he had a fear of heights.

Luo Yimeng and Zhao Jie found that a little odd—a Para-Hunter afraid of heights? But respected his wishes. Train it was then. Even if it took longer.

After half a day’s journey, they finally arrived at HQ: a massive, towering skyscraper that dwarfed even Lan City’s branch building.

Bai Wan’s eyes sparkled. “So this is the HQ of the Para-Hunters? Incredible!”

The nearby structures were grand and modern, and the streets bustled with people. Truly, this place was on a whole other level compared to his sleepy hometown.

Luo Yimeng couldn’t help smiling proudly. 

Rural kid or not—they all reacted the same way to HQ.

“Nowhere else in the country can match the construction cost of HQ. You’re looking at the safest place in the nation.” Zhao Jie added, adjusting his glasses.

“It definitely feels safe,” Bai Wan nodded earnestly.

“Alright, let’s head inside,” Luo Yimeng said. “If you perform well enough, you might even be transferred here. Then you’ll have full access to all our top-tier resources.”

They entered the building.

 HQ’s interior design was modest—clean, quiet, and clearly professional.

“The paranormal threat level across the country is intense,” Luo Yimeng explained. “Everyone here is swamped with missions, so HQ is usually half-empty. Right now, two Captains just returned from the field, so it’s unusually secure.”

“I see…Um, is the test difficult?” Bai Wan asked casually.

“It’s manageable,” Luo Yimeng smiled. “Three stages. First is intelligence. Second is combat and comprehensive ability. Third is latent potential. We’ll observe all your behavior and assign scores accordingly.”

Bai Wan nodded. 

So these two would be judging him. Remembering his father’s lessons about manners and social finesse, he decided to make a good impression.

He walked ahead and pulled open the next door.

“Ladies first—”

He was about to finish the sentence… but then froze mid-word.

Because…

The door didn’t lead to another HQ hallway.

It opened directly into a familiar, abandoned warehouse.

Inside stood a deranged yet familiar looking painter, blissfully absorbed in his work.

Then, sensing someone behind him, the painter slowly turned his head.

Bai Wan stiffened.

They locked eyes in a very awkward moment of silent recognition.

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