For a moment, the room fell silent.
"Esteemed... sir..." Old Gui spoke in a trembling voice. "We can... negotiate..."
"I'll have him release Jiang He, you release me, and we each go our separate ways. How about it?"
Su Chen's eyes narrowed. His gaze swept over the Strongman's blood-streaked eyes and the blood seeping from his nostrils, then flicked to the panel. [Basic Combat] had vanished. Under the [Strongman] profession, only a single ability remained.
[Strong: Stimulate the body's latent potential, temporarily increasing explosive strength.]
This was the professional ability that came with assuming the Strongman class. As for how much of a boost it actually provided, Su Chen had no idea.
Still, the brute appeared to be severely wounded.
Hm?
Su Chen suddenly noticed Jiang He blinking furiously, as if trying to catch his attention.
When she saw him finally look her way, her eyes rolled upward and to the side — toward the hulking Strongman.
'What does she mean?'
'She still has a trick up her sleeve?'
'Impressive for an upper-tier professional — even after being poisoned, she's this tenacious.'
Su Chen blinked back, subtly signaling his understanding.
Old Gui's head was being forcibly pressed down. When his words drew no response, he pressed on. "If you kill me, the Strongman kills Jiang He. Neither of you can overpower the other — it'll only end in mutual destruction."
"Once the Supervision Department detects anything unusual, none of us gets out of here."
He didn't know why this low-class refugee was so completely different from his file, but since the man was hiding something, he clearly didn't want to be exposed either.
Feeling the grip on his skull loosen slightly, Old Gui exhaled with relief. Just as he was about to press his advantage — searing pain exploded through his head.
Su Chen's hand clenched without warning. A sharp crack rang out as his five fingers drove straight into Old Gui's skull.
"Old Gui!" The Strongman's eyes bulged with fury, a roar tearing from his throat. His hand moved to crush down on Jiang He's head — but a sudden, bizarre stab of pain lanced through his own skull. The palm covering nearly half of Jiang He's head flinched involuntarily.
Bang!
The wooden floorboards beneath Su Chen's feet shattered as he launched forward like an arrow from a bowstring. The distance between them had never been large to begin with.
The explosive power he possessed after assuming the Strongman profession exceeded even his own expectations. Before he fully registered what was happening, the brute was right in front of him.
Fortunately, he'd been mentally prepared. [Strong] was already activated — his heart seemed to slam down on an accelerator, contracting violently before expanding, blood roaring through his veins.
Veins surged to the surface, bulging beneath his skin as if trying to break free.
The Strongman was left with only two choices: crush Jiang He with one blow and then take Su Chen's fist — or block Su Chen.
Instinct moved his body faster than thought. His right fist was already cocked and swinging to meet the charge.
Su Chen had no technique to speak of — just a straight punch, thrown with everything he had.
Boom!
Their fists collided. Su Chen's savage expression flickered with surprise. He'd gone all-out, yet the force transmitted through the man's arm was far weaker than he'd anticipated.
Crack—
A faint sound of bone fracturing came from within the Strongman's arm. Pain engulfed him. He staggered backward, his right arm trembling uncontrollably, his expression shifting to one of genuine horror. His gaze dropped to the veins straining beneath Su Chen's skin.
"A P-Perfect Advancement?!"
Su Chen blinked in momentary surprise, but wasted no time pressing his advantage. His right foot was already whipping into the Strongman's jaw.
Crack—
Blood sprayed. The Strongman's entire body arced backward, crashing through the sofa and slamming into the floor.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Su Chen was on him in an instant, raining blow after blow on vital points. Blood spattered with each strike.
Moments later, Su Chen's chest heaved as he straightened up, drawing a deep breath and releasing it slowly. His head was swimming, his body feeling completely drained.
The Strongman's face on the floor had been beaten beyond recognition. Even with Jiang He's assistance, the fight had been far easier than Su Chen had imagined.
The man hadn't just assumed his profession yesterday — logically, he should have been considerably stronger.
"Perfect Advancement?" Su Chen murmured under his breath. The panel had indeed mentioned a Perfect Advancement. He hadn't paid it much attention at the time, but it seemed to be far more significant than he'd thought.
Rip—
A sound from behind made Su Chen whirl around, but it was only Jiang He, struggling to pull herself up from the floor, swaying unsteadily.
'And then there's this woman.'
"Su Chen, thank you." Jiang He's face was a picture of relief, tinged with genuine gratitude and sincerity. In her hand was a card she'd just picked up from the floor. "This is for you."
Su Chen said nothing. He simply stared at her.
Gradually, the grateful smile on Jiang He's face stiffened.
Only then did Su Chen move, stepping forward to take the card. "What's a guest-student pass?"
Jiang He's expression shifted. The Su Chen before her now felt like a stranger.
'So this is who he really is. Was everything before just an act?'
'But how did I never sense that he was a professional?'
Unable to read the current situation, Jiang He didn't dare take risks. She answered honestly. "It means you'd be an unofficial student at the academy. You can attend classes, but you'll periodically be required to leave the city..."
"You lied to me?"
Jiang He's body tensed. Su Chen's tone was flat, and beneath the disheveled hair, his eyes were unnervingly deep — devoid of any killing intent.
But it was precisely under these conditions that he'd just crushed Old Gui's skull.
'What the hell is this guy?!'
Jiang He cursed internally and rushed to explain. "No — this kind of leave is completely different from being sent out as a refugee. It functions as a supplement to the city patrol guard. You'd only patrol the area near the walls. You wouldn't be sent to dangerous zones as cannon fodder."
"I see..." Su Chen nodded thoughtfully, then added, "So what you're saying is, you originally assumed I wouldn't know the difference and deliberately used a vague term like 'admission letter' to deceive me?"
"No..." Jiang He shook her head hastily. "The formal admission window only opens once a year. After it closes, no one can enroll through official channels. I assumed you already knew that..."
Su Chen offered no comment. He shifted topics abruptly. "What is a Perfect Advancement?"
Jiang He blinked, unable to follow Su Chen's train of thought. She answered reluctantly. "It means the individual's inherent qualities are an exceptional match for the profession, and they've fulfilled the advancement requirements to an extremely high degree. That results in a Perfect Advancement."
"What are the benefits?"
"Benefits... you gain a powerful professional ability, and the risk of mutation is significantly reduced..." Jiang He recited what was common knowledge, gesturing toward the bloodied heap of the Strongman on the floor.
"A Strongman who achieves Perfect Advancement should have a balanced, proportioned build like yours. His grotesquely oversized muscles are a clear sign of potion-assisted advancement."
"While that still allows profession assumption, it means no professional ability is gained. And any hope of future advancement becomes negligible."
'So he didn't actually have the [Strong] ability. No wonder he went down so easily.'
Su Chen mused aloud, "Is Perfect Advancement difficult?"
Jiang He explained, "For lower-tier professions, not particularly. But for higher-tier ones, it becomes extremely challenging — especially upper-class and apex professions, where the advancement requirements are exceptionally stringent."
Su Chen pondered this, then abruptly changed course again. "Do you have any leverage over someone — the kind that could get them killed?"
"Huh?" Jiang He looked at him blankly. Su Chen's erratic questioning made it impossible to follow his logic.
"If not, then I'll have to kill you." Su Chen frowned slightly.
Hearing this, Jiang He snapped fully alert and blurted, "You — you can't kill me. You were brought here by my people. It would be easy to trace everything back to you."
"Even if you fled the city, facing the darkness alone would be a death sentence."
Su Chen's frown deepened. He stressed, "That's exactly why I'm asking — do you have that kind of leverage?"
Now Jiang He understood what he meant. She froze for a moment, then managed, "You saved me. I'm grateful..."
"So the answer is no." Su Chen cut her off impatiently, raising his hand.
This woman was no simple creature. Without a means to keep her in check, once she recovered, he'd be completely at her mercy.
"I do — I do!" Jiang He cried out. "I can... tell you some of my scandals..."
"Not enough. I need the kind that threatens your life." Su Chen shook his head. Scandals were useless.
"Looks like I'll have to run for it." Su Chen deliberately increased the pressure, advancing toward Jiang He with slow, measured steps, wearing an expression of reluctant resignation.
Jiang He swallowed hard, beads of cold sweat gathering thickly on her forehead. A Tier-1 professional who ventured beyond the city walls alone was as good as dead.
But whether he lived or died was a problem for later — right now, she was about to die.