Chapter 10

"Your objection is invalid," the chief instructor replied decisively. "Here, I am the law. When I say one, you cannot say two."

"Hmph, in that case, I'll have to give up my candidate status."

Lin Youde looked at the person speaking, and Noah immediately displayed his information: John De Niro, a native of the Alpha Centauri region, a Level 7 psychic.

Lin Youde remembered that this guy was the one who had used others as meat shields to pass the test. So, the most hated person in the test should have been him. The support team members kept a distance of only two or three meters from Lin Youde, but they kept a distance of more than five meters from this guy.

Lin Youde felt a sense of relief.

"If you so easily give up the test, we will also have to give up on your Level 7 psychic abilities."

"That's not up to you, Chief Instructor. I am a serving military officer selected by the Space Army. I know the procedures. I will appeal to the Space Army's Military Arbitration Court. There is a problem with this test. While there are indeed Phantom Agents who achieve their goals through team effort, there are also agents who treat the team as cannon fodder and pawns. Why should I build a good relationship with pawns that are used and discarded?"

De Niro's words immediately sparked a wave of discussion among the support team. Lin Youde mentally gave him a thumbs up. This guy was really good at drawing hate, a perfect tank.

However, Lin Youde felt he should help out, as he couldn't find a single companion either. Misery loves company, after all.

"Chief Instructor, I also think—"

"Shut up, fool." As De Niro spoke, he waved his hand, and a psychic shockwave rushed toward Lin Youde.

But the shockwave collided with a shield in a flash.

Noah, who had been standing beside Lin Youde, had already stepped in front of him.

Although it was a skill that a Level 3 psychic could use, the shockwave from the collision still caused a chorus of screams, even lifting the hem of a girl's skirt to her face.

In that moment, Lin Youde realized how much his perfect score in the first round of the test had annoyed De Niro.

"Your robot is quite impressive," De Niro said, staring at Noah. "I didn't expect it to have a shield. Is there a factory in New Zhengzhou that can do such modifications?"

"I modified it myself," Lin Youde replied decisively. He couldn't afford to be found out here.

"Based on your grades in physics and automated control?"

"Don't underestimate the practical experience accumulated from long-term use of agricultural machinery!" Lin Youde decided to go all in, since he was already bluffing.

"He mentioned agricultural machinery..." Lin Youde heard the support team members muttering.

"Was he a farmer before?"

"Aren't all farms now industrialized yeast farms? Could it be an ecological farm that produces luxury goods?"

In this era, naturally produced food was a luxury, and it was an important trade product for New Zhengzhou.

"In any case, he must have been a farmer."

"Feels pretty low."

"But it does fit with the idea of hiding in the maintenance ducts."

"You are hurting my master's feelings," Noah suddenly said. "If you don't stop, I will have to take action. Don't worry, I am very capable and can stop you without causing harm."

Noah then looked back at Lin Youde and gave him a thumbs up, a reliable expression that said, "Leave it to me."

"Your robot's AI is quite impressive," the bespectacled man, Enrico, who had also passed the first round, seemed to have taken an interest in Lin Youde. "While it might be pre-programmed, it feels more like autonomous decision-making. I am becoming increasingly interested in the structure of her positronic brain."

As he spoke, he pushed his glasses up—apparently, he was quite into the role, embodying a retro aesthetic.

There was a time when humans feared robot rebellions, and science fiction was filled with stories of robots rising up. But now, humans were completely indifferent, as they were themselves cyborgs, more intelligent and powerful than pure machines. However, AI enthusiasts still believed in creating AI that could surpass humans and were constantly striving for it.

It seemed this bespectacled man was one such AI enthusiast.

Lin Youde felt a headache coming on.

Enrico pushed his glasses up and continued, "By the way, I am also quite dissatisfied that you, with only a Level 1 psychic ability, managed to pass the test. If you can modify an AI like this, you must be quite skilled in electronic warfare, right?"

As he spoke, a large amount of attack data streamed toward Lin Youde. Noah converted the data into images, which overlapped with Lin Youde's field of vision. Now, Lin Youde saw Enrico as if he were a wizard casting spells, with a barrage of magic missiles—actually data streams—rushing toward him.

The moment Lin Youde thought of magic, Noah changed the visual representation. She displayed Enrico's attack programs as magic circles, with small data streams appearing as magic missiles and larger data packets as fireballs. When they hit Noah's firewall, they exploded with sparks.

Lin Youde's entire field of vision was filled with cheap special effects.

[Noah, if you're going to do these flashy effects, can you at least increase the resolution?]

The magic battle in front of Lin Youde's eyes then transformed from cheap effects to 3A-level cinematic effects.

Lin Youde was happy to watch the spectacle.

[It would be even better with some music, Noah.]

[Agreed.]

The classic melody of "Harry Potter" then played in Lin Youde's ears.

[Don't you think this soothing, mysterious music doesn't match the intense battle?]

[But I like this music.]

[But it still doesn't match. How about "Pacific Rim"?]

Noah immediately found the theme music of "Pacific Rim" and matched it to the scene.

[Oh,] she said, [that's better.]

***

Lin Youde was so engrossed in the special effects that he didn't notice the change in the expressions of those around him. Most of the people present had a good understanding of computers and networks, and they knew what was happening.

Two girls beside Lin Xiangzhi asked, "Do we still need to go?"

"No, it's not necessary," Lin Xiangzhi smiled at them. "It seems I was worried about my nephew for nothing. Thank you both for agreeing to my request."

"Oh, we were happy to help Xiangzhi," they immediately responded.

"But," one of them quickly asked, "Xiangzhi, what exactly is your nephew—"

"I'm not sure, maybe the experience from working with agricultural machinery?" Lin Xiangzhi's voice had a hint of pride.

She stared at Lin Youde, who was standing at the other end of the platform. He glared back at her.

But this did nothing to change the gloomy expression on Lin Youde's face.

Lin Xiangzhi smiled, and the impact of her smile left both men and women around her stunned. They probably couldn't resist her charm.

***

De Niro was also serious.

He was an expert in electronic warfare, so he knew that the electronic lock on the maintenance duct used a 4A-level military-grade offensive firewall. A single mistake could result in a week of mental confusion, or worse, becoming a vegetable, requiring a complete personality reconstruction to recover.

Lin Youde's ability to open the lock in such a short time without causing any damage was likely the real reason he passed the test, not the nonsense the chief instructor had spouted.

The reason—

To cover up the breach of the military-grade offensive firewall... This made logical sense. De Niro thought that everything now made sense. Lin Youde, the son of Lin Zhengyi, was a super hacker, and there were indeed Phantom Agents who specialized in electronic warfare.

But without psychic abilities, Lin Youde could not be sent into enemy or neutral territories, only to human-controlled areas to suppress rebels. In that case, the Confidential Bureau would be a more suitable place for him, not the Phantom Agent training facility.

As De Niro thought about this, he noticed that Lin Youde behind him was almost fuming with anger.

But at that moment, the chief instructor clapped his hands and shouted, "That's enough. Both of you, stop."

The intense electronic battle ended instantly.

De Niro looked at the chief instructor.

The chief instructor cleared his throat and said loudly:

"I admit, the test was not entirely appropriate. However, the purpose of the test has been achieved. Although De Niro and Lin Youde did not prove their leadership, they demonstrated their psychic and electronic warfare abilities, which qualify them to become Phantom Agents."

At that moment, the train finally arrived.

"Very good," the chief instructor said with a satisfied expression. "I am pleased to see that all Phantom candidates have passed the test. Now, please board the train. It will take you directly to the dormitory area. The rest of the day is free time. Please familiarize yourselves with the dormitory area as much as possible. We will start the real training tomorrow."

Instructor Li then stepped aside from the shielded door, maintaining a dignified posture as the new candidates boarded the train. After the train departed, his posture relaxed.

A communication came through, and the face of General Zhang, the principal, appeared in the lower right corner of Instructor Li's field of vision.

"How was it?"

"He is quite exceptional. The only thing that might prevent him from becoming a Phantom Agent is his low psychic level."

"That is a problem. Our psychic enhancement course has a record of helping students improve by five levels, but a Level 6 psychic cannot be recognized by the Security Council."

"Yes, ultimately, he cannot become an agent. But until the Security Council rejects him, we will observe him quietly."

"Is that wise?" General Zhang asked. "Without the Security Council's approval, the four years of training he will receive will be meaningless, as he cannot continuously receive the 'Spark' quota. If he passes our test, he will waste four precious years of his youth before the Security Council rejects his agent status."

The Security Council only reviews agent status after the completion of all training.

"Hmm, that is indeed a concern. So, we will set some tests that require high psychic levels to eliminate him."

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