Chapter 106: The Source of the Apocalypse

Inside the enclosed and spacious cabin, Lin Qing lay back against a soft, comfortable sofa seat.

On the seat to his left sat Zhao Jiayi, who was dozing off, while across the aisle on the two seats to his right sat Xu Qiu and Yuan Anping.

Although the rows ahead and behind were empty, a dozen or so people were scattered further away in the distance.

Most present were either Inspectors or Inspectors-General from the Jiangnan region, either selected by headquarters and signed to an Elite Inspector training contract, or newly emerged Gene Awakened individuals.

There were also their assistants or relatives.

The Inspectorate Headquarters allows one assistant or relative to accompany each member.

"Welcome, new Inspectors."

Suddenly, the ultra-thin full-screen display hanging at the front lit up, showing a smiling, clean-shaven bald man, who was none other than the Inspector-General responsible for escorting them this time.

He didn't know his name, only that his surname was Zhuo.

"In about half an hour, we will arrive at the Inspectorate Headquarters."

Inspector-General Zhuo smiled and said, "This batch of new Inspectors from the Jiangnan region entering the Inspectorate Headquarters is larger than usual, with eleven people; in previous years, there were only a few."

Eleven people? Lin Qing thought for a moment, and it did seem about right.

Just in Lin'an City with its ten million population, roughly one person selected by the Inspectorate Headquarters emerged every two or three years; with the two hundred million people across the three provinces of Jiangnan, half a year per batch, the overall total came to just a few.

However, this time, three people emerged from Lin'an City alone.

"However, this batch of new recruits recruited by the Inspectorate Headquarters from around the globe is actually slightly smaller than last year's, which suggests the Jiangnan region is somewhat special."

Inspector-General Zhuo shook his head with a smile and said, "The work of the Inspectorate Headquarters is also for search and patrol, but the scope of responsibility is larger; all areas of the globe except for the urban circles and the Three Forbidden Zones fall under the jurisdiction of the Inspectorate Headquarters."

"Of course, each city is still managed by its local branch; our Inspectorate Headquarters merely deploys Inspectors-General or Senior Inspectors-General to provide support based on local conditions."

Inspector-General Zhuo said with a grin, "But all of you are prospects with the potential to become 'Elite Inspectors.' If that day comes, the inspection areas you are responsible for will be different; however, since this involves the secrets of Earth's civilization, I will not say more before you become Elite Inspectors."

Secrets of Earth's civilization? A thought stirred in Lin Qing's heart.

He had also asked Chen Guang, but Chen Guang knew little herself; she could only connect to the Inspectorate Headquarters' information network distributed globally, but the core data was controlled by an intelligent life form, and if she forcibly intruded, she would be discovered.

It seemed he could only learn more after entering the Inspectorate Headquarters.

"Before we arrive at headquarters, there are three things I need to inform you of."

Inspector-General Zhuo smiled and said, "First, from this moment on, please forget the titles of Inspector-General and Senior Inspector-General; within the headquarters, there are no such titles, only two tiers: New Inspector and Elite Inspector."

New? Elite? The new recruits present did not find this strange.

After all, the agreement signed at the beginning was an Elite Inspector training contract.

"According to the rules, all new Inspectors, upon their first arrival and entry into the headquarters, belong to the 'Training Division'."

Inspector-General Zhuo said, "You have three years to undergo training; within these three years, your task is to transform from a New Inspector into an Elite one—that is, to obtain One-Star Authority—or you will be expelled from the headquarters."

"Of course, even after obtaining One-Star Authority, you will still be peripheral members of the Inspectorate Headquarters, and you must leave after staying for at most ten years."

"One-Star Authority..."

Lin Qing had heard Chen Guang mention this point.

This title system is mainly used for various regions outside the Inspectorate Headquarters.

Within the Inspectorate Headquarters, which concentrates the world's most elite Inspectors, everyone can be called an Elite, and the scope of authority differs from the past.

Therefore, Elite Inspectors are judged solely by their Authority Level.

The minimum is One-Star, and the maximum is Five-Star.

It is said that an Inspector-General, as a Division Head, holds Four-Star Authority, while the higher Five-Star Authority is exclusive to the Department Head.

"Obtaining One-Star Authority is not difficult."

Inspector-General Zhuo said, "It still conforms to the consistent tradition of our Inspectorate system—merit and strength!"

"For merit, you are required to earn three First-Class Merits."

"As for strength, you must reach the level of a typical Senior Inspector-General, which is the level of an ordinary Gene Awakened individual."

"If your genes have not awakened, you must master the original combat techniques and undergo a certain degree of genetic optimization."

Inspector-General Zhuo said, "In that case, you will be a One-Star Elite Inspector. As for a Two-Star Elite Inspector, usually only Gene Awakened individuals can achieve this level; you can learn more after your genes awaken."

Lin Qing pondered thoughtfully.

Chen Guang had assessed his current strength, and it was merely that of a One-Star Elite Inspector.

Although he was among the top of that tier, he was indeed inferior to a Two-Star Elite Inspector.

After all, the gap between these two levels is too vast.

Within the Inspectorate Headquarters, the vast majority of Two-Star Elite Inspectors are Gene Awakened individuals.

Whether genes have awakened or not makes a huge difference.

An ordinary Gene Awakened individual, even without undergoing third-level genetic optimization, only needs to adjust their genes to the most perfect state and cultivate a series of simplified combat techniques to the level of instinct to become a Senior Inspector-General.

But what about the unawakened? They not only require multiple rounds of genetic optimization but must also master the original combat techniques; only these two advantages combined can offset the gap of gene awakening.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, the majority of Two-Star Elite Inspectors are Gene Awakened individuals.

During this underground research institute incident, the only Elite Inspectors dispatched by headquarters to Lin'an City were One-Star Elite Inspectors, after all, higher-level Elite Inspectors basically could not enter that broken gate.

The key figures stationed there were two Inspector-Generals.

"However... I should be able to become a Two-Star Inspector before my genes awaken."

Lin Qing thought to himself.

In fact, with his current strength, if he used Instant Light, the gap with a Two-Star Elite Inspector would not be particularly large.

Without gene awakening, to reach the strength of a Two-Star Elite Inspector, mastering the original combat techniques is mandatory, and third-level genetic abilities go without saying.

The key lies in fourth-level genetic abilities!

Generally, only those coming from the urban circles can reach this standard.

After all, even Gene Awakened individuals must master the original combat techniques and third-level abilities to be considered Two-Star Elite Inspectors.

To compensate for the huge gap of gene awakening, one must possess an equally huge advantage.

"As for anything higher, that is only possible after Gene Awakening."

Lin Qing pondered silently.

"Remember, if you do not obtain One-Star Authority within three years, you will be expelled from the Headquarters."

Inspector Zhuo said solemnly, "After becoming a One-Star Elite Inspector, you can stay at Headquarters for at most ten years. If you fail to enter a Branch within those ten years, you will likewise be dispatched to various regions to serve as the Chief Commander of each district."

Although most of the new Inspectors present were still unclear about the benefits of Headquarters, they could understand from these words that the benefits of being an Elite Inspector at Headquarters were definitely far better than being dispatched!

"At the Training Branch, you will still need to complete the missions assigned to you by Headquarters every month."

Inspector Zhuo said, "Of course, there will also be rewards such as Points and Merits. For detailed information, you can inquire for yourselves after you arrive at Headquarters."

He showed a slight smile. "That is all I need to say. Good luck to you." The screen image changed, displaying the remaining flight distance to Headquarters.

652km.

And the destination was a mysterious island within the Atlantic Ocean.

"Lin Qing."

Zhao Jiayi, sitting beside him, looked at the azure sky and vast sea outside the window and said softly, "The Inspector Headquarters is on an island; does it also have a cinema and a shopping mall?"

"I don't know, probably not," Lin Qing said. "Who would bother opening a shopping mall at Headquarters?"

"Ah?"

Zhao Jiayi pouted in some disappointment and couldn't help but mutter something under her breath.

Lin Qing couldn't help but glance at her.

This time he understood; this girl was indeed speaking her hometown dialect.

She had just said, 'I want to go home.'

"Lin Qing."

Xu Qiu, sitting across the aisle, turned his head and looked over, asking, "Are you going to stay at the Training Branch?"

"Stay for a while," Lin Qing said casually.

He still had considerable room for improvement and needed to cultivate for some time.

Life at the Training Branch would be relatively relaxed; the main focus would be cultivation and progress, with only one mission operation per month.

Once he became a One-Star Elite Inspector, he would probably have to get busy.

Moreover, the missions he would encounter would be at least One-Star missions. Especially since he still needed to enter Inspector Tang's Branch, the difficulty of the missions he would encounter would be even higher.

Without sufficient strength, he could only rely on others for protection and help. What if they couldn't spare a thought for him? He should at least reach the level of a Two-Star Elite Inspector before worrying about that.

"Then I will stay for a while too," Yuan Anping sighed beside him. "A Gene Awakener as weak as me is truly tragic. No Branch is willing to accept me, so I can only be an Outer Inspector. It's better than staying in Lin'an."

Lin Qing couldn't help but glance at him.

Ever since discovering this fellow's true strength, he no longer believed a word this person said; he just pretended to be weak every day.

The weakest Gene Awakener? If Yuan Anping didn't currently possess the strength of a Two-Star Elite Inspector, Lin Qing would write his name backwards.

Meanwhile, the new Inspectors sitting in the front row of the cabin couldn't help but turn their heads to look over here once.

A Gene Awakener claiming to be tragic, and a new recruit who seemed to already be able to obtain One-Star Authority? Obtaining One-Star Authority immediately upon entering Inspector Headquarters was quite rare.

Shortly after, the plane landed at the airport on the island where Inspector Headquarters was located.

There was a twelve-hour time difference between the Atlantic Ocean and the domestic region. The flight took seven hours, and now it was exactly morning on this island.

"The flight took seven hours."

After getting off the plane, Lin Qing looked at the rising sun in the distance and asked with some confusion, "I recall that when the Inspector was killed, from the report to Inspector Tang's arrival in Lin'an, it took less than two hours?"

The few people beside him said nothing, obviously not understanding it either.

"That is certain."

Inspector Zhuo, standing in front, turned his head to look at him and smiled, "We are taking the Headquarters' supersonic aircraft, which is already faster than commercial airliners. Inspector Tang, however, took a special fighter jet produced by the Dawn Group. Even over twelve thousand kilometers, it only takes a little over an hour."

Lin Qing understood.

Over twelve thousand kilometers in just a little over an hour; that was nearly ten times the speed of sound.

"However, Inspector Tang's vehicle is just average; it's not as good as mine."

Inspector Zhuo said with a smile, "My private flyer is of a higher class than hers. Its flight speed can easily reach over ten times the speed of sound. It is just a bit small and cannot seat so many people. I also don't like others boarding my vehicle."

Lin Qing was stunned.

No wonder a distinguished Inspector like him took the Headquarters' ordinary plane to pick people up.

"If you find it too slow, you can also purchase your own private fighter jets."

Inspector Zhuo said casually, "As long as you have enough Points and Authority, you can even buy the highest-class 'Planetary Cruiser' produced by the Dawn Group. That can circle the Earth in half an hour. Unfortunately, it is too expensive. Even we Inspectors are reluctant to buy one."

Lin Qing was secretly shocked upon hearing this.

Planetary Cruiser? Circling the Earth in just half an hour?

Calculated this way, wouldn't that be dozens of times the speed of sound? However, compared to the Wisdom Star Group capable of space travel to reach Earth, this speed didn't seem like much.

After a moment, a bus drove over and ferried everyone to the Training Branch of Headquarters.

In the area where the Training Branch was located, several large buildings could be seen standing tall from afar.

"You go to your assigned residences first to drop off your luggage, and report to the Training Center promptly at 8 o'clock."

After giving this final instruction, the Inspector left directly.

Lin Qing collected an electronic room card on the first floor and then took Zhao Jiayi upstairs.

Upon arriving at room 2217 on the twenty-second floor, he found that the housing structure here was similar to large hotel-style apartments. They were all two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and one living room, and also came with a relatively sturdy but small-sized cultivation room.

The total area was around 140 square meters.

It was just right for Zhao Jiayi and him to have one room each.

"Even though we live relatively close, you are not allowed to use your telepathy to spy on me," Lin Qing instructed.

"Got it."

Zhao Jiayi puffed out her cheeks and muttered in her hometown dialect: "Really, I'm the girl here, you stingy ghost..."

"What did you say?" Lin Qing feigned confusion.

"I was complimenting you."

"Oh."

Lin Qing said casually: "No problem. A one-star Elite Patrol can swap for a larger duplex apartment; a two-star can live in a standalone small house. Just wait a bit longer."

Walking into the bedroom and closing the door, Lin Qing went to the window and looked out, finding the view quite nice; the distant blue sea and sky were refreshing to the mind.

He picked up the tablet on the bedside table and flipped through it, finding its functions not many, mainly services like ordering food.

"Lin Qing, the island where the Patrol Headquarters is located has quite a few benefits."

Chen Guang's voice sounded in his mind, "One of the sources that caused the 2025 apocalypse should exist here."

"What?" Lin Qing couldn't help but freeze.

Sorry, my schedule has been quite chaotic these past two days; I have to get up and go out to handle matters. I'll try to adjust.

(End of this chapter)