32: Chapter 32 The Threshold for Trainees

When Lin Zhao submitted his Apprentice application, he was sitting in the empty training room of the security company in reality.

After the night shift ended, the others had already left, leaving only one white light in the training room. Several old photos hung on the wall; in them, he was wearing a training uniform, standing on the playground after the rain with a few comrades, smiling quite awkwardly, yet very genuinely.

He pressed the Mark of the Torch on the inside of his wrist, and the Xin Huo Interface unfolded before his eyes. It was not a mobile phone screen, nor was it a common holographic image; it was more like a fire-colored stone tablet that only he could see.

"Apprentice Promotion Application: Pending Confirmation."

"Applicant: Lin Zhao."

"Condition Verification: Valid task records, met; Candidate rating, excellent; Violation records, none; Real-world identity risk, controllable; Mark of the Torch stability, qualified."

"Accept formal Mark of the Torch binding?"

Lin Zhao looked at the last line, his finger pausing for a long time.

The candidate mark was more like a temporary rope. When in danger, it would heat up, provide warnings, and allow him to borrow temporary equipment. After the mission ended, he could still retreat to reality, continue his night shift, continue patrolling, and continue pretending that he had only seen a few strange things.

The formal mark was different.

It meant that in the future, when he encountered anomalies, he could no longer place himself in the position of a "passerby."

Lin Zhao looked down at his hand. That hand had once dragged a child out of Old Goods Street and had gripped a temporary wooden stick during the red shoes mission. It was steady, but that did not mean he was not afraid.

"Confirm."

The Xin Huo Interface lit up.

"Apprentice application approved."

"Formal Mark of the Torch binding complete."

"Permissions Opened: Low-tier task acceptance, basic standard equipment exchange, Tier 1 Ability Seed exchange eligibility, task communication channel, squad collaboration application."

"Note: Exchange eligibility does not equal obtaining abilities for free. Ability Seeds require the consumption of contribution points and must meet route adaptation conditions."

Lin Zhao's gaze rested on the last line, and he let out a sigh of relief instead.

He was not afraid of being slow.

What he feared was the phrase "You are very suitable," and then being pushed directly to the front line.

The Ability Seed catalog unfolded accordingly.

"Action Route: Evil Suppressor."

"Role: Close-quarters suppression, protecting teammates, low-tier contamination contact."

"Initial Effect: Strengthens short-term bursts, increases resistance to low-tier contamination, and has high compatibility with anti-evil short weapons."

"Exchange Conditions: Apprentice status, 120 contribution points, two valid task records, no violation records."

"Current Status: Insufficient contribution points, cannot exchange."

A second seed appeared.

"Guardian Route: Guardian Lamp."

"Role: Protection, containment, personnel evacuation, resisting low-tier contamination for teammates."

"Initial Effect: Temporarily stabilizes personal protection, reduces the low-tier remnant erosion suffered by nearby teammates."

"Exchange Conditions: Apprentice status, 120 contribution points, one guardian-type task record."

"Current Status: Insufficient contribution points, cannot exchange."

Lin Zhao finished reading every item and did not rush to close the interface.

In the past, when he executed missions, the thing he hated most was orders that only stated the objective without stating the cost. Now that the Xinhuo Council laid the threshold out in front of him, it actually made him feel at ease.

On the other side, in the lounge of the City Second Hospital, Xu Minglan was also looking at her own promotion interface.

She had just finished an emergency suture, and her fingertips still carried a faint smell of disinfectant. The instant coffee on the table had long since gone cold. She originally only wanted to lean back in her chair and doze for five minutes, but the Mark of the Torch became so hot that she sat straight up.

"Apprentice application approved."

"Basic medical standard tool exchange permissions opened."

"Tier 1 medical Ability Seed exchange eligibility opened."

Xu Minglan opened the ability catalog.

"Medical Route: Wound Purifier."

"Role: Anomalous wound treatment, contamination delay, low-tier purification assistance."

"Initial Effect: Enhances perception of the progression of wound contamination, improves the stability of purification patches and purification needle kits."

"Exchange Conditions: Apprentice status, 130 contribution points, two valid medical task records."

"Current Status: Insufficient contribution points, cannot exchange."

"Medical Route: Lamp-Guarding Healer."

"Role: Soothing mental remnants, post-mission observation, stabilizing low-tier contamination sequelae."

"Current Status: Insufficient contribution points, cannot exchange."

She stared at "cannot exchange" for a while, then suddenly smiled.

It wasn't because she was happy, but a bit of self-mockery.

She hated the term "miracle doctor" in the hospital the most. Saving lives truly relied on judgment, procedures, medication, and checking things over and over again, not waving a hand overnight to pull someone back from the brink of death. The Xinhuo Council did not turn her into a miracle doctor, which instead made her more willing to trust it.

Meanwhile, Tang Zhiwei's interface was also lit up.

She had no Apprentice application prompt, only the logistics collaborator permission tree.

"Identity: Peripheral logistics collaborator."

"Viewable: Logistics resource pool, mission aftermath applications, Safe House registration, vehicle dispatch records, candidate contribution details."

"Ability Seed exchange: Not opened."

"Viewable subsequent route details: Logistics Seal-Holder, Torch Dispatcher, Resource Sealer."

"Current Status: Insufficient identity permissions, cannot exchange."

After Tang Zhiwei finished reading, she leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingertips lightly on the tabletop.

She could see the door to the future, but she could not buy the key.

This was good.

Zhou Yan, meanwhile, was looking at the details of the intelligence route in the old building of the Archives.

"Archive Route: Ember-Gathering Scribe."

"Role: Organizing anomalous data, identifying folklore of old objects, recording remnants."

"Exchange Conditions: Apprentice status, 120 contribution points, two stable task records."

"Current Status: Apprentice qualification not opened, cannot exchange."

He felt itchy with anticipation, yet also a bit intimidated. Bai Ya's words, "Bringing the data back alive is more useful than stubbornly dying at the scene," were still spinning in his mind. For the first time, Zhou Yan felt that perhaps he was not being excluded, but rather placed in a position more suitable for surviving.

Deep within Xinhuo Hall, Lu Chen watched the interface records of the four, confirming that the promotion rules were running smoothly.

Old members had their own growth lines, newcomers had the thresholds they needed to cross, and peripheral collaborators had their own permission trees. Abilities were not given upon joining, and equipment was not picked up for free. Everyone could see the road, but only those who walked to the threshold could push the door open.

Zero's voice sounded.

"Two Apprentice applications have been approved. Ability Seed exchange has not been triggered."

Lu Chen stared at the source essence balance for two seconds.

"Very good."

He said these two words very softly.

It was not because he was wealthy, but because he knew he was still poor. When one is poor, the rules must be even less chaotic.

Deep in the Grey Net, a new abnormal flow marker suddenly lit up.

In the old warehouse district of the West City, a batch of old objects was transferred in the same night.

Lu Chen watched that gradually deepening grey spot, his eyes sinking.

The threshold had just been established, and the real wind had already arrived.