Chapter 67

"Hereby certifying that XX, under the premise of signing the free trial scene agreement, successfully passed the XX scene. I, the succubus Cross, guarantee that this scene is suitable for the current soul level of the contract holder."

Old Xu recited this short proposal, and Zhuo Chuan was taken aback. Wasn't this succubus the one Dahei just mentioned?

He looked down at Dahei, who nodded vigorously, indicating it was indeed a creature.

Zhuo Chuan then fully understood why Old Xu was so nervous and why these people had a hint of fear on their faces. If they were all afraid of death, it wouldn't be so serious. Zhuo Chuan believed Old Xu had principles, but passing the succubus scene was different.

Moreover, they had to sign a free usage agreement, which, of course, most reserve citizens couldn't afford to pay for. But the free agreement, as Dahei mentioned earlier, required them to pledge their souls. If they failed, the succubus would have the right to dispose of them. If their souls were shattered, it would mean a quick death.

But the fear was being stripped of their memories and becoming a prop in the succubus's scenes. One might be a respected noble in one scene, and in the next, a despised prostitute. One might be a handsome man with women fawning over him in one scene, and in the next, a woman reviled by all. Just thinking about these scenarios would terrify any normal person.

If it were any other matter, even a death threat, Zhuo Chuan knew the other party wouldn't be so solemn. At most, they would fight to the death. But this matter had such severe consequences that even suicide was not an option, depriving one of the last way to regain dignity.

"Old Zhuo, you might have heard something about the succubus," Old Xu tried to explain, but Zhuo Chuan silently waved his hand.

"I fully understand. Don't worry, Old Xu. I will definitely help you advance to the citizen level as soon as possible."

"Of course, I believe you. But before the citizen qualification exam, I need to repair my body at least once to pass the soul assessment. You know, I have always focused on physical training and combat skills, excelling in courage and resilience, but lacking in wisdom. This has caused many hidden injuries in my body. In the past, body repairs were free, so I didn't care much, and my injuries are more severe than others. Without repairing my body, it will be difficult for me to perform at my best in the soul assessment," Old Xu said with a bitter smile.

Zhuo Chuan fell silent for a moment. This meant that Old Xu, his friend who had helped him all this way, would inevitably have to sign a free succubus agreement and participate in her scenes.

"The others are also my long-time friends, similar to me, focusing on physical training and disliking mental exertion, with low wisdom in their soul attributes. But after all this time, we believe we have enough courage and resilience to pass the soul assessment. Even if our wisdom is lacking, we can make up for it. The citizen qualification exam is held every three years, and we have two years left. We all believe we have a good chance of passing the exam in two years, but at this critical juncture, we need to get this certification first," Old Xu sighed.

"Exactly, everyone knows that the succubus Cross's scenes are twice as difficult as the soul assessment," Liu Yue, whom Old Xu had just introduced, added. "She needs to survive, so the difficulty is high, which is not conducive to attracting customers. But if the difficulty is too low, it won't serve as much of a training tool. A difficulty level about twice as high ensures safety and training for those who pay to participate, making it appropriate. But most reserve citizens can't afford the price and can only choose the free agreement, which carries significant personal risk."

"Of course, we acknowledge that anyone who has undergone the succubus Cross's scene trials will have a much higher chance of passing the citizen qualification exam," Liu Yue added after a moment's thought.

"I think the purpose of the consortium in proposing this bill is not just to increase the pass rate of the citizen qualification exam, which won't show results quickly. Don't forget, according to rumors, the succubus can absorb human souls and convert them into soul crystals. It is said that she must regularly pay a certain quota to Hell City to obtain legal residency. The consortium's citizen class must be pained to see so many reserve citizens die of old age, with their soul power dissipating," another man named Ross sneered, hitting the nail on the head.

"Is that rumor true? Now, with the increasing intensity of the extraterrestrial invasions and multiple breaches in Earth's outer defense, the consumption of soul crystals has sharply increased. Otherwise, the consortium, which has always been relatively stable, wouldn't so brazenly challenge human traditional limits," someone else in the room mentioned another rumor.

"It's not exactly breaking the rules. Honestly, people are going to die anyway. They have enjoyed so many benefits and protections from the consortium. It's not a waste to contribute their useless souls before death. But it should start with those who are about to die, not those over a hundred years old. If it were two hundred or three hundred, I wouldn't object," someone else understood the consortium's actions, though they would support it if it didn't affect them.

"Hmph, those about to die have souls so weak that the succubus wouldn't bother. It's us, whose souls are at their peak but are just one step away from passing the citizen qualification exam and are about to enter the aging phase, who are suitable," Ross sneered again.

"Then, won't such a proposal, which goes against human tradition and sends human souls to the devil, cause resentment?" Liu Yue was puzzled.

At this point, Zhuo Chuan spoke up, "Whether the contract holder succeeds or fails, it benefits the consortium. For the individual, if they pass the scene, they have a high chance of passing the citizen qualification exam. Once they become a citizen, who would resent the strictness of the proposal? It's like how children who were forced by their parents to study and eventually succeed in university usually don't resent their parents but are grateful for their strictness. If they fail, who has ever seen a dead person complain?"

"You're wrong, Mr. Zhuo. I know you were once a B-level citizen and still hold the citizen number B47995, which we can only look up to. Your status is far beyond us, who haven't even touched the lowest citizen level in our entire lives," Ross, who had sneered earlier, spoke with a hint of sarcasm, elongating his words as he rebutted Zhuo Chuan. "What you said is true, but what about the other onlookers who aren't directly affected? You didn't mention them."

"Every person in the underground reserve citizen society, whether an elderly person on the brink of death or a young person just entering society, will eventually need atomic-level body repair after the age of one hundred. No one will accept this proposal. Each body repair becomes a life-or-death gamble, changing a basic reserve citizen service into something that requires risking one's life. The key is that the service cost is just ordinary energy consumption and doesn't involve soul crystals. The consortium's actions won't be accepted by anyone!"

Ross's words left Zhuo Chuan speechless for a long time, and the others nodded in agreement.

The underground reserve citizens, though not formal citizens, were all highly intelligent. They understood the probability calculations and wouldn't willingly accept such a proposal. Even though everyone knew that if the proposal were implemented, it would increase the pass rate of the citizen qualification exam by several times, even ten times, for each individual, it would only change a one-in-a-thousand chance to one-in-a-hundred, but with a 99% risk of death.

Just as he thought he had stumped Zhuo Chuan, Zhuo Chuan spoke up with difficulty, saying something that left everyone speechless.

"Of course, you're right. One trillion underground reserve citizens won't agree to this proposal aimed at forcing progress. But if these one trillion underground reserve citizens had the power to rival the one billion surface citizens, there would be no need to propose this."

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