Trafford's Trading Club

Chapter 1205: The Assessment Questions

In a narrow and orderly basement, crows kept cawing incessantly.

The young man stepped out of the dim restroom, his body wrapped in bandages… He casually tossed the towel he had been using to wipe sweat over the birdcage, and the crow fell silent.

The young man slumped onto the sofa, his eyes still lifeless, though his lips twitched slightly from time to time… His training ensured that even with a rib puncturing his lung, he would not die, but it couldn’t make the wound heal quickly.

After all, curse techniques have no healing properties.

“Didn’t expect this…” 24 slumped fully onto the sofa, muttering to himself, “Seems like recovering to a certain level of ability is a bit difficult…”

“Hmm…”

He was an extremely lazy person, even considering thinking a waste of time—so he chose to sleep.

“Move somewhere else after waking up…”

24 thought subconsciously, gradually sinking into dreams.

…You have five missed calls.

When Chen Mingming returned home, he checked his phone—five missed calls: three from Zhou Yusheng, two from his mother.

Zhou Yusheng also left a message: he wanted to discuss going abroad properly.

His mother’s message: company matters required her attention, so she might be home late—no need to wait.

He was alone again at home.

With a desk lamp on, Chen Mingming sat at the table… On the desk, waiting for him as he entered, was a silver handgun.

The gun was linked to him; it could be lent out but would never be lost.

It had returned here naturally because Zhao Le had discarded it—after all, not everyone chooses the most extreme method.

Chen Mingming picked up the silver gun, a complex smile on his face, then made it disappear again… It could appear or vanish at his will.

Truly marvelous—a thing that could only exist in fantasy… Chen Mingming thought.

Logically… or rather, from the moment he obtained it, he shouldn’t have felt this calm—he didn’t know when his inner world became so placid.

Perhaps it began when he saw that figure on the riverside—seeming both near and far.

Or perhaps even earlier.

Chen Mingming always felt that since being sent off by Miss Maid, he had forgotten certain things… He tried to think if anything had been erased, but on careful reflection, his memory felt continuous.

Recalling what the Boss had last said, Chen Mingming sat quietly.

The two scrolls of parchment lay rolled on the desk… If unopened, they would vanish with time. If opened, he would have only five days to complete them.

Chen Mingming remained silent.

When he first obtained the gun, he hadn’t felt much excitement, only a sense of wonder.

When he confirmed it could kill remotely without leaving a trace, he still felt little emotion, even sensing that this was perfectly reasonable.

But when the countless moving lights floated before his eyes, observing every moment in the world, an unprecedented stirring of his soul disrupted his calm exterior.

He had always been decisive—a habit formed since childhood.

So he opened the first scroll, reading carefully the lines of floating text… The Boss had said this scroll contained background information and the assessment questions.

“Today, a dismemberment case occurred in this city. The victim, Wang Liang, was dismembered and hidden in a rental apartment.”

Chen Mingming frowned. This case had caused a stir; he had even read about it online… He continued patiently.

“At the same time, in another location, a similar dismemberment occurred. The victim, Wu Rong, was in a romantic relationship with Wang Liang…”

The scroll detailed line after line: the relationships Wang Liang had, entanglements with other women, even Zhang Xiaoqin’s failed suicide attempt—all carefully listed.

Chen Mingming felt this scroll contained nearly all the information the police had on the two dismemberment cases so far.

—Key person: Zhao Le.

This was the last line of text appearing on the scroll… After waiting a moment without more text, Chen Mingming opened the second scroll—it contained the assessment questions.

There were two questions:

—Requirement 1: Assist Zhou Yusheng in finding the real culprit.

—Requirement 2: Learn to cry.

The first requirement didn’t surprise Chen Mingming—based on the first scroll, it naturally related to the two dismemberment cases.

But the second requirement left him silent for a long time… After some thought, he picked up the phone, already forming a plan.

Since the first task was to help Zhou Yusheng solve the case, it wasn’t suitable for him to investigate in secret—doing the same thing separately didn’t guarantee efficiency.

The key was how to convince Zhou Yusheng to participate in the case.

—Key person: Zhao Le…

Chen Mingming stared at the last line on the first scroll, waiting for the call to connect.

“Hello? Mingming? Why are you calling me now?”

“Can I ask you for a favor…”

…

“He accepted… the assessment.”

You Ye was preparing a cup of faint, water-like alcohol for Luo Qiu.

Luo Qiu seemed eager, and the prepared drink was slid slowly in front of him. He sniffed it and softly said, “Meng Po?”

“Modified a bit,” Miss Maid chuckled. “Meng Po was too bitter, so I added some orange juice. Should taste much better.”

Luo Qiu took a sip.

This was the ultimate product of the Worry-Free Seven Liquors series, a prototype of Meng Po soup… If left to act, it would likely provide a pleasant dream.

Luo Qiu slowly closed his eyes.

The old record player in the corner started playing.

…

“Has Dong Shaofeng gone to sleep?”

At midnight, two Management Bureau agents were still working overtime… Liu Minghao was writing the report on today’s battle with mysterious youth 24.

How many bullets were used, what spells were cast, the damage caused, casualties—all had to be detailed, especially suggestions for handling the aftermath.

Once submitted, the Bureau would evaluate, and if approved, the logistics department would act, usually completing the process within 48 hours.

In short, one of the Bureau’s core principles was to minimize the societal impact of supernaturals as quickly as possible.

Wei Zidào brought two cups of coffee and sat down, casually saying, “That guy went to sleep after celebrating his birthday.”

“Birthday?” Liu Minghao paused, stopping his work.

Wei Zidào shrugged, “Seems it was today… Just past midnight. Probably his most memorable birthday.”

Liu Minghao sipped his coffee, feeling more alert. “Didn’t expect he’d want to take the logistics assessment.”

Wei Zidào smiled. “Brother Hao, wasn’t that your idea… When he asked what we’d do with Zhao Le, you ‘accidentally’ mentioned a few ways?”

Liu Minghao smiled. Some things hadn’t been explained to Dong Shaofeng—namely, the residual alien energy in his body.

This strange energy, transmitted through Xiang Qiang’s dagger, remained partially in Dong Shaofeng and had been sealed by Liu Minghao—but not completely irredeemable.

Though the energy was unusual, it could still be removed, since only a small amount remained… No matter how strange, energy still obeys laws of strength and quantity.

No matter how solid, a tiny iron ball in football would never weigh more than a truckload of cotton.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect that the residual power in Dong Shaofeng’s body would actually cause some strange changes to his physique,” Liu Minghao said, frowning. “I’ve noticed that his cellular activity has increased dramatically—three times that of a normal person… He probably doesn’t even realize that his physical condition has long surpassed some top athletes.”

“Consider it a blessing in disguise,” Wei Zidào said with a smile. “With the power sealed, who knows how much his body will ultimately improve… but regardless, he’s clearly no longer an ordinary person.”

Liu Minghao nodded. “The Bureau is short-staffed right now. There’ve been movements recently, selecting talented individuals from forces nationwide… As for us, we also have an obligation to scout potential talents from the civilian side. Hopefully, promoting Dong Shaofeng this time will bring us a little surprise.”

“This kid’s smart and calm. With some thought, he might be useful,” Wei Zidào said with a smile.

Liu Minghao sighed and asked, “By the way, how’s the research on this mysterious youth going?”

Wei Zidào answered seriously, “I searched the Bureau’s database and found no trace of this person. Neither his abilities, weapons, nor attack methods have any records, not even reference materials.”

“So… it’s all blank?” Liu Minghao frowned, his expression grave. “That’s a problem… Even though the world is vast, over the years we’ve collected records on Divine Land supernaturals, Daoists, Demons, and even some foreign supernaturals…”

At that moment, Liu Minghao received an email. Glancing at it, he said, “The orders have come down: Dong Shaofeng is approved to participate in the assessment, ‘24’ is wanted, and they request he be captured alive if possible.”

“But we don’t have enough personnel…” Wei Zidào said, troubled.

Liu Minghao said, “There’s also a temporary transfer order—Bu Bugao’s deployment will be delayed to assist us for now.”

“Bu Bugao?” Wei Zidào frowned. “He’s fine… but Wang Hu, I have a feeling something’s off. Brother Hao, doesn’t Wang Hu seem… not like a normal little Demon?”

Liu Minghao replied, “I checked Wang Hu’s records. He’s recently registered. Before that, his records were completely blank… Many Demons hide in deep mountains, or occasionally awaken by chance. Usually, they need review, testing, and observation before being approved as agents for logistics support.”

“I wonder how Bu Bugao got him through so easily,” Wei Zidào shook his head, joking, “He didn’t… put Miss HR in bed with him, did he?”

“Doesn’t matter,” Liu Minghao said, having been in the Bureau long enough to see oddities. “As long as the files show no issues, we use them. This ‘24’ is mysterious, strong in combat, and Wang Hu can suppress him—good news for us.”

Wei Zidào nodded.

“Oh… the handling plan was approved too,” Liu Minghao added, checking another newly arrived email. “Tomorrow morning, go to the police station, visit Director Liu, and say the detainee and Chang Xiao’s case can be closed. We found the criminal; have him withdraw the case.”

“Understood!”

…

Early morning.

“Why won’t you let me in!!”

Faced with this regular at the criminal investigation unit and the afternoon tea courier, Lin Feng felt quite pressured…

“Miss Ren, you know this case has high-level attention; we can’t just reveal details…”

Ren Ziling complained, “I haven’t even been to the crime scene, and it’s been almost a week! I even brought breakfast!! Other reporters dug up all the gossip, but you guys give me nothing! How unfair is that!!”

If it were any other reporter, they’d have been kicked out long ago… But Lin Feng dared not speak, only continued serving this “aunt,” though she had restrained herself a lot, making even Sir Ma wonder if she’d taken some wrong turn in her personality.

While Ren Ziling showed her true nature, Lin Feng struggled to cope. Meanwhile, a short-haired, composed woman in a suit walked down the corridor.

Sir Lin considered this some sort of compensation—her black stockings made the morning seem not too bad.

“Who’s this?” Ren Ziling asked curiously.

“Oh, a new forensic doctor at the Bureau,” Lin Feng said casually. “Her name is Nan Xiaonan; she’s only been here a few days. You probably haven’t seen her.”

“New forensic doctor?” Ren Ziling’s eyes darted, and she grabbed the breakfast bag from Lin Feng’s hands. “Alright, I’m leaving, you go back!”

“But… breakfast?”

“I’m eating it, not you lot! Go eat your own!”

“So realistic…”

…

Just after turning the corner, Nan Xiaonan suddenly stopped, her face showing fear, whispering, “This woman… actually… possesses the blessing of the entire subworld’s will…”

(End of Chapter)

Translator is here shamelessly posting his Ko-fi link. Any donation amount would be appreciated. Thank you!