Chapter 204: 204, Master, don't be too sad

Wang Fugui, knowing the opportunity was rare, no longer hesitated, first freeing Li Xiaoyu and the others from their labor duties before anything else.

He went back and told Ren Xiaosu about the matter. After thinking, Ren Xiaosu said, "Being able to exempt them from labor is already good. When the time comes, you can take everyone to live in the town above. If we ever need to flee, we can gather everyone together."

Now, only ten people in the group need to serve in the military: Chen Wudi, Ren Xiaosu, and eight male classmates. The others can temporarily reside in the town.

In such turbulent times, who can have everything go smoothly? Having this result is already quite good.

After the private army took the bribe, they set off again, and after an hour, they arrived outside the 108 Bifeng. To Ren Xiaosu's surprise, the town outside the Bifeng was livelier than any he had seen before.

Massive engineering vehicles shuttled back and forth, and a vast military camp was stationed outside the town, as if Li's forces had gathered considerable troops here.

Though it was early morning, the area outside the Bifeng was exceptionally bustling.

Ren Xiaosu frowned. Even if the 108 Bifeng was closest to the experimental site at 109 Bifeng, there was no need to summon so many troops here, was there?

After getting off the vehicle, the officer in charge of escorting them immediately ordered those who had paid the bribe to sneak into the town via a small path to evade labor duties, while others waited in place.

The officer laughed heartily and said, "Let me introduce myself first. I am Li Qingzheng. Now, I will take you to the recruitment office for physical exams. Let me tell you a secret: if you pass one test, you might have a chance to return to the Bifeng. Anyway, I, Li Qingzheng, have no such luck. It's up to your fortune."

Upon hearing this, Ren Xiaosu felt some doubt. Was this a normal physical exam? Could it really determine whether one was a refugee or a Bifeng resident?

They followed Li Qingzheng to a massive military tent. Just then, a group of people emerged from inside. One of them exclaimed, "I can enter the Bifeng! I can live inside the Bifeng!"

Li Qingzheng watched the man's excitement and clicked his tongue. "What a fortunate soul, a refugee who has leaped to the heavens in a single bound."

He turned to Ren Xiaosu and the others, explaining, "This man was once a refugee outside the 107 Bifeng. After coming here for a physical exam, he somehow became a Bifeng resident. How intriguing, isn't it?"

Ren Xiaosu stood outside the tent, watching the man's back. Suddenly, he felt this physical exam might be connected to Li's new technology.

Everyone queued to enter the tent. Inside the military camp, over ten tents were conducting physical exams simultaneously—not only refugees but even Li's active soldiers were being re-examined!

Ren Xiaosu stepped inside, but the tent was not what he had imagined. Only a few people in white coats stood before an instrument. Those undergoing the exam had to sit on a stool, with an iron ring connected to wires placed on their heads.

A voice in a white coat, looking at the data, said, "Synchronization coordination 3%, give up."

With that, the staff beside him ushered the examinee away. "You are unqualified."

Ren Xiaosu slowly moved to the end of the line. He felt something was amiss. Li Qingzheng chuckled, "What? You don't want to return to the Bifeng?"

Ren Xiaosu glanced at him. "Aren't you a Bifeng resident?"

"No, I became a squad leader only because the private army recently expanded. Before that, I was just a refugee," Li Qingzheng laughed.

It turned out that Li's military expansion was comprehensive—refugees were even recruited into the private army.

Suddenly, someone in a white coat called out, "Synchronization coordination 81%, pass, record personnel file."

Ren Xiaosu asked, "What does synchronization coordination mean?"

"I don't know," Li Qingzheng said. "Anyway, passing means you can enter the Bifeng. Failing means you're my soldier."

The one who passed was a refugee traveling with Ren Xiaosu. He could hardly believe his ears and asked the doctor, "Can I really enter the Bifeng?!"

The doctor in the white coat glanced at him indifferently. "Congratulations, name."

"Hahaha, I can enter the Bifeng!" the refugee exclaimed.

The doctor snapped, "Name?"

"Lin Qi! My name is Lin Qi!" the refugee shouted excitedly.

Immediately, someone led him away. One by one, the people in the line stepped forward for the exam. The eight male classmates had synchronization rates between 40% and 60%, while the passing standard seemed higher.

When it was Chen Wudi's turn, the doctor frowned. "Synchronization coordination 1%? How so low?"

Chen Wudi wore an expression of indifference. When the doctor told him to leave, he whispered to Ren Xiaosu, "Master, why is my synchronization rate only 1%? It's much lower than theirs."

"Perhaps it's because your brain isn't functioning well," Ren Xiaosu hesitated before answering. "Because your brain is a bit ill, so only 1%."

At that moment, the doctor urged Ren Xiaosu forward for the exam. At one point, he guessed his synchronization rate might be surprisingly high.

But if he was selected to enter the Bifeng, what then? He did not want to enter the Bifeng!

The moment the iron ring was placed on his head, Ren Xiaosu suddenly felt as if countless silken threads, faint and elusive, sought to communicate with his brain. The sensation was as tangible as substance, yet before those threads could reach the palace within his mind, they all snapped apart!

The next moment, the doctor on the other side exclaimed in surprise, "Synchronization coordination 0%? How is that possible?"

Chen Wudi stood by with a look of schadenfreude. "Master, don't be too disappointed."

Heh...

At that moment, Ren Xiaosu was puzzled. Was it the palace's influence that caused his data to be zero?

The doctor said, "Record, neuron interface completely failed," then called out to the next person behind Ren Xiaosu, "Next."

If not for Ren Xiaosu and Chen Wudi's words, he would have accepted the result willingly, but now he felt a bit aggrieved...

Though he did not wish to pass the test, he should at least surpass Chen Wudi, shouldn't he?

"Doctor," Ren Xiaosu said earnestly, "I think I can still be rescued. It must be a problem with the instrument. How could it be so low otherwise?"

The doctor glanced at him. "Don't waste Bifeng resources. Next."

Ren Xiaosu was dragged out of the tent by Li Qingzheng and the others. He shouted, "Doctor, give me another chance!"

Inside the tent, the doctor sneered. "I've seen many like you. No matter how many times you try, it's the same. A waste."

Yet when the next person sat on the instrument, the doctor suddenly froze. "Why no reaction? The data isn't showing."

"Could the instrument be broken?" someone whispered.

The doctor entered a 16-digit password on the instrument, opened the refrigerated cabinet in the middle, and retrieved a bottle of silver liquid resembling a liquid.

Puzzled, he replaced it with another bottle, and the instrument immediately returned to normal.

He handed the removed liquid to his assistant. "Send this back to the Bifeng for inspection. This nanorobot may have malfunctioned."

...

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