“Is it the port again? I heard that several families broke out into a fight over the white arrowfish schools…” one customer muttered.

“Don’t listen to those rumors, not a single one is true.”

The green-skinned lizardman Mickey suddenly looked up, glaring with his yellow, bloodshot eyes, and shouted, “Our White Arrow Port families have always competed for white arrowfish hauls, but when have they ever fought to the death? There are rules to this. Don’t go spreading wild rumors here.”

The surrounding customers quieted down a bit. Some nodded in agreement—these families at White Arrow Port had long-standing agreements. Competing for fish was one thing, but they would never actually come to blows.

Chapter 10 Grouping

“That’s what they say, but I heard it’s because someone spotted the white arrowfish king, which made the families fight like crazy…” another customer whispered.

The shopkeeper Jason snorted, the muscles on his face twitching, and said in a gruff voice, “Even if there really is a trace of the white arrowfish king, you’d have to be able to catch it. With the radar precision on our White Arrow Port family boats, we can’t even track the shadow of the white arrowfish king.”

After stacking a pile of plates, Jason continued, “I heard those families are negotiating with the Haiga people, trying to bring in higher-precision radar equipment. But those greedy Haiga people are asking for sky-high prices. That’s the real problem for those families.”

The customers in the shop all agreed. The white arrowfish king was no ordinary big fish—it was a monster of the deep sea. Across the eastern and western continents, only the specialized radars made by the Haiga people could track it accurately. Any other radar was just a matter of luck.

“So…”

Jason sighed, “Even if it’s not those families fighting to the death, there have been a string of murders at the port this month. Things really aren’t peaceful! You all be careful at night, and don’t go running to the port.”

Charles Lynn listened quietly, thinking to himself that White Arrow Port was indeed as chaotic as the rumors said. A string of bloody incidents in just one month—if this were Nanluo City, the three departments would have launched a joint operation long ago.

Just then, the shrill sound of police sirens rang out again. A fleet of security hovercars returned from the direction of the port, roaring past the shop entrance.

Faintly, a trace of blood filled the air. Charles Lynn looked up and saw bloodstains on one of the security hovercars.

Suddenly, his forehead grew hot, and his vision began to change. He saw a mass of crimson blood mist inside that security hovercar, spreading through the cabin, with faint, agonized screams echoing within.

Thud!

The crimson blood mist dispersed. Charles Lynn felt a wave of dizziness, and when he came to, everything had returned to normal.

“What’s going on?!”

Charles Lynn touched his forehead, which felt a bit feverish. He quickly looked around and saw that none of the other customers had noticed anything, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

Finishing his breakfast quickly, Charles Lynn put on his hat, pulled the brim down low over his forehead, said goodbye to the shopkeeper Jason, and headed toward the security training camp.

With the cool morning breeze on his face, the heat on his forehead gradually faded. Charles Lynn knew very well that the strange markings were slowly disappearing.

“What’s with this change on my forehead… Was what I just saw an illusion…”

Thinking this, Charles Lynn arrived at the training camp. He steadied himself—he’d better pass the entrance assessment first.

…

The written part of the entrance assessment was very simple, about as hard as the written test for a driver’s license on Earth—just some basic common sense. Anyone with half a brain could pass it easily.

However, for Charles Lynn, just passing was definitely not enough. Back on Earth, he was one of the many students tormented by exam-oriented education. If he didn’t get a perfect score on such an easy written test, he wouldn’t be able to forgive himself.

Besides, reality was different from the Xin Yuan battle network. His [Stellar Foundation Firearms Technique] was only at the second ring level, so he had to rely on the written test to boost his score.

“A perfect score on the written test, and a second ring result in the firearms assessment—that should be enough for an excellent rating in the entrance assessment.”

Leaving the written test room, Charles Lynn calculated this as he headed to the training ground for the firearms assessment.

When he arrived at the training ground, there were already many security trainees gathered outside—nearly a hundred people.

The rules for the assessment were simple: each group had three people, who would go in and shoot at targets. Each person had three chances, and the best result would count.

“Charles Lynn, you’re in group five.”

The proctor handed him a tag with the number “5” on it, patted Charles Lynn on the shoulder, and said with a smile, “You didn’t come to get your number yesterday afternoon, so you’re in group five. Relax, don’t stress.”

Taking the tag, Charles Lynn was momentarily stunned—he hadn’t realized you needed to get a number in advance for the firearms assessment.

It was his own fault. After lunch yesterday, he’d rushed back to log into the Xin Yuan battle network and hadn’t stayed at the training camp to learn the details of the assessment.

But if he hadn’t gotten a number in advance, how did he end up in group five? Charles Lynn was a bit puzzled by this.

Looking at the slightly gloating smiles on the faces of the trainees around him, Charles Lynn vaguely understood that group five might not be a good group.

A moment later, his guess was confirmed. When it was group five’s turn, the crowd parted, and a young man and woman walked over—it was Shawn Moore and Myron.