Chapter 24: Advancing to a Higher Rank

The Purification Alliance headquarters is located within the base’s First Civilian Hospital, where the mental power testing department still had staff on duty.

"We brought in a few wilderness drifters today. We just finished testing them, and the machines haven't been turned off yet. You came at the perfect time, Teacher Tang," the young female tester said upon seeing Tang Xinying. She was extremely attentive, rushing to pour water and pull up chairs.

She also recognized Qi An. As she applied the sensors to Qi An’s temples one by one, she joked, "I hope the equipment won't malfunction this time."

Three years ago, when Qi An first entered the base, it was this same tester who measured her mental reinforcement value. The data back then had spiked to 10 instantly before glitching and fluctuating wildly. The tester had been startled and rushed to check the machine, but the numbers quickly stabilized at a moderate 7. After the tester called her supervisor to witness a few more tests, the result remained consistently 7, and that initial spike was blamed on an equipment glitch.

Qi An closed her eyes, feeling a faint electric current skitter across her scalp. Then, a massive surge of information flooded her mind—starting gentle, then becoming stimulating, then laced with the irritation of a pollution source, and finally, becoming intensely overwhelming!

On the instrument, several oscillating lines appeared. The thickest, brightest red line continued to climb, quickly settling within the range of "7." Tang Xinying stared at the value, lost in thought.

The tester smiled. "Above the midline—Dr. Qi has certainly made progress. Unless you’re someone like Teacher Tang..."

Before she could finish, the red line surged upward again! The tester froze, and Tang Xinying’s spirit sharpened. Both watched as the red line crawled upward until it broke through the "8" threshold!

"This..." the tester was stunned. A Purifier with a mental reinforcement value of 8 had appeared! And one who had risen from 7 to 8 within three years! The line crossed the threshold and steadied in the middle of the 8 range, climbing no further.

...

Yu Shuang and Zhao Bohan had dinner in the East Camp canteen and were walking back to their dorms through a light night drizzle. Yu Shuang had used Zhao Bohan’s card for the meal, as her own salary and subsidies for the year were already deducted, and she never saved money; she was currently so broke that she had to freeload for every meal. She was determined to pay him back, so she did it with a clear conscience, though she found Zhao Bohan’s line of reasoning annoying. "Are you saying little Qi faked her files? That she has some hidden, godlike power but is keeping it from us?"

Zhao Bohan frowned and denied it. "I don't know. I’m just observing facts and raising questions. Haven't you noticed?"

Yu Shuang had noticed, of course, but she didn't want to dwell on it. She scoffed, "First, strength on paper is one thing; performance in actual combat is another. Second, what reason would she have to hide her strength? Just to join our squad? What do we have? Does anyone here have the strength of a 'Dove'? Or is someone’s aunt the Minister of Logistics? Is it not possible that her strength has improved, but since she hasn't been tested in a long time, her file just hasn't been updated?"

Her tone was sharp, and she squinted at him, causing Zhao Bohan to lean back involuntarily. He steadied himself and said, "I’m not doubting Qi An’s intentions... what you said is possible, but many times, Qi An has discovered traces of Fallen Insects before any of us. Her sensory reinforcement is only a 4, lower than all of ours. That doesn't seem reasonable either!"

Yu Shuang choked, speechless for a moment.

...

Qi An processed the lingering discomfort from the test and opened her eyes. The tester came back to her senses and hurriedly looked at Tang Xinying. "Teacher Tang, should we conduct a second test?"

Increasing one’s mental reinforcement value, especially at or above 7, is incredibly difficult and relies heavily on talent. When Tang Xinying rose from 8 to 9 years ago, it caused a sensation in the Alliance! Qi An was still so young that the tester found it hard to believe.

"No need." Tang Xinying stared at the number for a while, then looked at Qi An, a smile curling her lips. "Keep the record. We'll be back soon."

Tang Xinying took Qi An to her old workplace—the Purification Department of the Military Hospital. She intercepted all the remaining patients, prioritized them by the urgency of their purification, and handed them all to Qi An. Qi An knew this was a practical assessment of her purification ability. Watching from behind the one-way glass were not only Teacher Tang, but also the hospital’s senior leadership and perhaps her former supervisor, Sister Qu.

There were 15 patients waiting for purification, making Qi An regret that she hadn't slept more that afternoon to recharge. Yet, even without being in her best state, and with four patients having pollution levels over 50%, Qi An completed the work with remarkable stability, though she was exhausted afterward.

When she emerged, the hospital leaders were moved and delighted, and Sister Qu was absolutely stunned.

"Three days apart, and one must look at you with new eyes. Congratulations, little Qi!" she congratulated her repeatedly. As Qi An’s old boss, she felt a sense of reflected pride.

Qi An smiled and accepted the praise, thanking Sister Qu for her past guidance and care. Tang Xinying seemed touched and patted Qi An’s head. "You truly... have great potential."

"I have persisted with the methods you taught me, Teacher—building a routine, keeping up with exercise, meditating deeply every morning and night and after every purification, using deep sleep to soothe my mind, and controlling my emotions daily. I’ve also used the neural control instruments and deep-brain stimulation prototypes developed by your team, which is why I could improve so quickly. This proves that your theories and methods for mental reinforcement training are correct," Qi An said, looking at Tang Xinying.

Tang Xinying’s gaze softened, and a smile spilled from the corners of her eyes. "Thank you."

She brought Qi An back to the testing department and, under the envious gaze of the tester, took the test data and uploaded it to the Alliance database on the spot.

"Now that your reinforcement value has reached 8, have you felt any prominent or strange abilities emerging?" Tang Xinying asked.

She had meant it as a casual question, but Qi An hesitated. "I... I seem to be able to sense the direction of Fallen Insects."

Tang Xinying was startled. She sat up straight and asked, "How do you sense them? Is it only Fallen Insects? What is the range?"

"I just sense them as soon as I get close. The range... 1 to 2 kilometers. It's clearer within 1 kilometer, and blurry at 2 kilometers," Qi An said honestly. "I can only sense the insects, not people. I suppose I’m just sensitive to pollution sources."

Tang Xinying leaned back in her chair slowly, her gaze shifting—appearing to understand, yet looking even more puzzled. A moment later, she smiled. "There are many types of specialized mental reinforcement abilities, but yours is truly the best suited for the battlefield—especially for long-range, deep-enemy-territory teams!"

"I will report your awakened special ability as well. Your Purifier rating should rise, and the allowance you receive from the Alliance will increase," Tang Xinying said, her beautiful eyes curving. "Next time we eat, I'll leave as soon as I'm done. As for the bill, I'll leave that to your intuition!"

Qi An replied, "I guarantee, Teacher, you won't even know when I've settled the bill!"

Tang Xinying chuckled. Qi An then brought up another major matter on her mind: "Teacher, when I visited your lab last time, I heard from Brother Xu, the engineer, that you’ve also created mental power transmission instruments for remote treatment and pollution prevention. Are those fully debugged and ready to be deployed yet?"

Tang Xinying raised an eyebrow, sighing in admiration: "You’ve got a sharp nose for sniffing out good things!"