The blonde beauty spoke in a clear voice. Her legs were exceptionally long, the tight jeans wrapping around her firm thigh muscles, giving an impression of agility and strength as she moved.

Ethan Brooks's gaze landed in surprise on the wall of the hall, where a small black hand ghosted out, followed by a slender arm, thin legs, and then a face wearing a roguish, irreverent smile.

The entire body actually phased through the wall from outside the hall.

“Cadet Sarah reporting in.”

The skinny black man crossed his arms lazily, leaning against the wall, and made a teasing face at Linda.

The cadets entered the hall one after another. They came from different countries and races—some looked strong and imposing, exuding an intimidating aura; others wore bizarre outfits, appearing agile, clever, and eccentric.

The last cadet to enter was a handsome young man, dressed in a luxurious designer suit, wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his manners refined and elegant.

“Lance reporting in.”

The young man’s gaze swept over everyone, finally stopping on Ethan Brooks’s face. Through his glasses, his blue eyes showed a hint of surprise.

Next to Ethan Brooks, Linda muttered under her breath, “Strange, isn’t Lance a world authority in the field of psychics? Why is he here for this training too?”

Seeing that everyone had arrived, George Hill said in a deep voice, “Welcome to this training assessment. The twenty cadets present have all been carefully selected from various countries for their extraordinary abilities. However, here, you are just ordinary cadets, taking part in this assessment.

Those who successfully pass will become members of the newly established UN Security Directorate’s special abilities task force—Thunder Shield—with myself as the team leader.”

“Coach, please start quickly, we can’t wait any longer.”

A cadet named Bach spoke in a muffled tone. His lips didn’t move at all as he spoke; only pale blue electric sparks flickered around his body, making him look quite terrifying.

George Hill looked around at everyone and pulled out a stack of documents from his coat: “This is a death waiver. It states that unexpected incidents, including accidental death, may occur during the assessment. The UN Security Directorate bears no responsibility. If you agree, sign it; otherwise, leave the examination room immediately.”

Everyone looked at each other in astonishment, not expecting the assessment to be so serious as to involve matters of life and death, and they hesitated.

“Haha, life itself is just a game. Life and death are only a matter of time.”

With a gentle, casual smile, Lance took the document and signed it quickly without even looking. Inspired by his boldness, the other cadets also signed the waiver one after another.

“How about you? Do you need to think about it for so long?”

Sarah patted Ethan Brooks on the shoulder, winking and making fun of him.

“Life and death are serious matters—how can I be careless?”

Ethan Brooks replied solemnly, carefully reading the waiver again before decisively signing his name.

“Since none of you have chosen to withdraw, let’s begin.”

George Hill took out a thin chip from his coat and quickly pressed a sequence of numbers.

“Bang bang”—all the doors and windows closed automatically. After a moment of silence, the hall began to move at an almost imperceptible slow pace.

The ceiling suddenly turned into a giant LCD screen, with complex computer programs flashing rapidly across it. When all the programs had finished running, the screen shut off automatically.

George Hill clapped his hands lightly.

Suddenly, everything around them turned pitch black, with only the white mist above the fountain swirling and shifting in the darkness.

A mysterious, oppressive feeling instantly enveloped everyone.

With a “boom,” a deep green flame suddenly flared up in one corner of the hall, casting a ghastly green light over everyone’s faces.

From the burning green fire, a woman’s figure appeared, moving like a snake. As the flames flickered, the marble statues displayed in the hall seemed to come alive, alternately illuminated and shadowed. The runes on the pool wall began to glow, like brilliant stars in the summer night sky, sparkling and flowing.

Bubbling sounds came from the fountain, and the milky white water churned violently like boiling porridge.

The water changed color, shifting from milky white to a dazzling display of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple. Then a jet of water shot up into the air, arching overhead and falling back down, like a rainbow dragon with its mouth wide open, facing the crowd. The flowing water held its shape, defying the usual laws of physics.

The cadets couldn’t help but cry out in astonishment, but George Hill’s deep, powerful voice quelled the commotion: “Inside the dragon’s mouth is a virtual world. It simulates the most wondrous things from ancient times, built by the Security Directorate using all known alien relics and the highest human technology. You will face harsh trials there, but you will also learn things that will benefit you for life. After seven days, those who make it out alive will become members of Thunder Shield. Do you all understand?”

“Since it’s a high-tech simulated world, does that mean we can withdraw from the assessment at any time?”

Unfazed by the scornful looks from the others, Ethan Brooks asked calmly.