Chapter 18: Are Young People Today So Dependent on Their Parents?
One minute later.
Having climbed over two hundred steps in one go, she paused, gasping for breath. After resting for two minutes, she summoned her strength and pushed onward again, managing to keep up for five minutes this time before stopping to rest another two minutes, panting heavily. This cycle repeated no fewer than ten times.
At last, she caught sight of the others’ backs. Although only an elderly figure was visible, at this moment, Di Qiu’s heart was overwhelmed with emotion.
She had finally caught up!
Perhaps sensing the sound behind her, Zhu Yufang stopped and slowly turned to look down at the person below, teasingly saying, “Oh my, how come a young one like you can’t beat an old lady like me? Is this the strange strength that surpasses the rest in the assessment?”
Di Qiu bent slightly, hands resting on her thighs, yearning for a cane at that moment. She felt she was no match for Zhu Yufang. Just as she was lost in thought, a familiar voice came from above—no need to look up to know who it was.
“One thing at a time,” she said, head bowed, gasping.
“Seeing you struggle so much, I can’t bear to see you suffer, child. How about I carry you up the mountain?”
“Ah?”
Di Qiu finally lifted her head, a bit dazed, but upon hearing the last words, her expression quickly turned to delight.
“Eh, well, that doesn’t seem right, having an old lady like you carry a young person like me.”
Di Qiu hesitated, then after a moment, clenched her fists, cleared her throat twice, and finally looked at the other person with bright eyes. She bowed earnestly and said,
“Then I entrust that to you, Granny Fang!”
“...”
Zhu Yufang was unusually silent, looking up at the sky. She had only spoken casually, yet someone actually took her seriously?
Are young people these days really so dependent on their elders?
...
“Granny is amazing!”
“Wow, so fast!”
“Keep it up, Granny Fang! (^ω^)”
“Passed another one! Oh yeah!”
“.......”
An elderly centenarian carried a blossoming flower of the nation on her back, striding swiftly past one student after another on the steps.
Passersby were stunned, pausing to rub their eyes.
“Did I just see that right?”
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“Is this even allowed?”
“Oh my goodness! That’s elder abuse.”
“Come on, if this old lady can snatch the strange energy from us, she can’t be a normal old lady, right? She’s actually being kind to us.”
“But when did these two become so close? Could she be her biological granddaughter?”
Even Deng Jingxiang, who had been leading from the start, fell silent as she watched the rapidly advancing figure. Were it not for maintaining her image, she would have sincerely asked, “Is this really allowed?”
At first, she wondered how long Di Qiu, who seemed plain and untrained in supernatural skills, could ascend using only the most straightforward means.
Yet, Di Qiu had found a way to cheat the system.
In a sense, this girl was truly fortunate.
Could it be that Di Qiu’s secondary hidden supernatural ability was luck?
Thinking of this, Deng Jingxiang fell silent. The agency’s logistics officer had a lucky ability too, but with a side effect: anyone around him would suffer misfortune. After discovering this, the logistics officer never found teammates for missions again.
Could Di Qiu be the same?
After pondering, Deng Jingxiang quietly followed.
Thanks to Zhu Yufang’s help, Di Qiu was the first to reach the secondary main gate, also the second to enter the interior of the agency’s building.
“Thank you, Granny Fang. If not for you, I’d still be at the foot of the mountain,” Di Qiu said, scratching the back of her head with a smile.
She then looked Zhu Yufang up and down: “By the way, Granny, you haven’t fractured any bones, right? Should I massage your legs or rub your shoulders?”
“...”
“You little brat, always using me as your cover.”
Zhu Yufang hunched her back, one hand behind her waist, the other leaning on her cane. She glanced at Di Qiu with a humph.
Below them, other students were still rushing upward, and from their small shadows, Deng Jingxiang was clearly leading the pack.
Di Qiu forced a smile, understanding Zhu Yufang’s implication—she thought Di Qiu was hiding her true strength by borrowing help.
It seemed many believed Di Qiu was playing dumb to conceal her power after this assessment.
At least Zhu Yufang thought so.
So, how could she explain that she was truly a novice?
She decided not to explain.
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Because there was no way to reveal the truth.
Though on the way, she overheard Deng Jingxiang mention that protective talismans were used to pass through tunnels, showing that this world had spells to restrict supernatural forces.
But to claim one talisman could dispel all strange energies—whether believable or not—everyone would immediately focus on “where did that talisman come from?”
From the reactions of the few present after the second supernatural ability retest, Di Qiu guessed that cases like hers were not uncommon, or perhaps everyone had hidden secondary abilities.
They waited about a minute at the gate before Deng Jingxiang was the first to enter. She raised an eyebrow and said, “I didn’t expect the two of you to cooperate?”
“That little girl only knows brute force, so I helped her out. Otherwise, if all of us waited for her, we’d be waiting until dark,” Zhu Yufang replied calmly.
Di Qiu, like a gangster’s loyal henchman, nodded vigorously beside them: “Granny Fang is kind-hearted despite her age. Thanks to her, I got up here so quickly.”
Zhu Yufang cast a sideways glance: “Hey, hey, what do you mean kind-hearted despite old age? Isn’t it supposed to be kind-hearted and beautiful? Why do you turn it into ‘old’ when talking about me? If you disrespect the elderly, I’ll complain!”
Deng Jingxiang: “......”
After another five minutes, the remaining dozen or so students arrived at the top, each giving Di Qiu a thumbs-up: “You’re amazing.”
Di Qiu avoided their gaze, hands behind her back, whistling as if she hadn’t seen.
Before them stood a towering building that pierced the clouds. Once everyone had gathered, Deng Jingxiang held up her watch: “Show this before entering. The first time you enter, facial recognition will be done; next time, you can enter directly.”
She demonstrated, raising her wrist near the glass door. The door opened automatically, and Deng Jingxiang’s information appeared above her head: name, age, gender, and rank.
[Deng Jingxiang – Ground-level Logistics Officer]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 34]
Everyone focused on the “Ground-level Logistics Officer” rank, puzzled.
“Sister Xiang, why is there a ground level? Isn’t Alpha the highest rank?”
Deng Jingxiang stepped inside, turning to the assembled supernatural users of various ages outside, speaking calmly:
“Heaven and Earth levels are not part of the entry assessment. Once you reach Alpha, you can apply for higher ground-level ranks and even the highest Heaven-level assessment.”
Finally, she looked at Di Qiu with a smile:
“Of course, if Di Qiu has this ambition, today is the assessment day, and you can still register for an advanced test. Interested?”