Chapter One: Psychological Test (Part 1)

　　“Next, William Carter!”

　　“Here!”

　　William Carter responded loudly, stood up, and straightened his new military uniform. Although his movements weren’t perfectly standard, he still managed to tidy himself up neatly.

　　This was the first day’s aptitude test after enlisting, which would determine in which branch he would serve in the future—a very important matter. He was so serious because he wanted to leave a good impression on the officers conducting the test.

　　“Dong,” “dong,” “dong”—clear and rhythmic knocks sounded on the alloy door. Then, a dignified voice came from inside: “Come in!”

　　As the words fell, the alloy door automatically opened, and William Carter strode inside. The room was spacious but simply furnished, with only a long table and a few chairs. One chair was placed in the center of the room, and the other three were behind the long table. On one side of the table, there was also a display screen and a control console.

　　Three officers sat behind the long table, all middle-aged—one captain and two lieutenants. Judging by this setup, it was clear that this test was not going to be simple or perfunctory.

　　“Good day, sir!” William Carter gave a not-so-standard military salute and greeted loudly. There was no helping it—this was his first day in the army, and he had just received his uniform, with no time yet to train in these military movements.

　　The three officers returned the salute seriously. The captain in the middle glanced at William Carter’s attire, a hint of satisfaction in his eyes: “Sit!”

　　Sitting down in the only empty seat, William Carter tried his best to straighten his back, tensing himself up, afraid that any wrong move would displease the officers and result in being assigned to some harsh posting.

　　“William Carter, twenty-one years old…” It sounded like a synthesized voice, reading out William Carter’s already simple resume in a flat tone. There was no helping it—even if he wanted to make it complicated, he couldn’t. After finishing the current fifteen-year compulsory education, William Carter enlisted before even attending university. His previous experience was truly as simple as it could get.

　　“Tell me, why did you join the army?” The captain spoke as kindly as possible. He could see that this young man was very nervous.

　　“Reporting, sir! Serving in the military is the duty of every citizen!” William Carter straightened up and answered loudly from his seat.

　　“Any other reasons?” This was a generic answer—no one could say it was wrong, but everyone knew this was not the real motivation for young people to join the army these days.

　　“Reporting, sir! In the army, I can learn skills that can’t be acquired in society!” William Carter answered quickly, without any hesitation. Many military skills are never taught in civilian life, but once you master them, it’s easy to find a job in society. Especially the unique cultivation techniques of the military, which are several levels above the basic versions available to civilians. This is also what makes the military so attractive to young people.

　　The officer nodded. The young man in front of him was clearly very honest, without any of the pretentiousness of some others who, when asked this question, would make themselves sound so selfless and noble.

　　“Anything else?” It was rare to meet someone so candid, so the captain subconsciously pressed further.

　　“Yes, sir. After I retire, if I take the university entrance exam, I can get at least forty extra points. If I perform well in the army and earn commendations, I can get even more. Also, under equal conditions, I’ll have priority admission.” William Carter wasn’t at all afraid that admitting his personal motives would make the three officers think less of him. He knew that in the military, being straightforward often worked better than trying to be slick.

　　“Very good!” The captain greatly appreciated William Carter’s honesty. After saying this, he immediately wrote on William Carter’s evaluation: Clear goals, honest character!

　　“Please draw your random test question!” The lieutenant by the display screen looked at William Carter expressionlessly, signaling him to come forward and draw a question. This comprehensive test covered many topics and used various methods. To prevent cheating, everyone drew their questions at random.

　　“Number thirteen!” When William Carter heard this number, he couldn’t help but mutter in his heart, “What an unlucky number!”

　　The first question was about the old Grimm’s fairy tale “Cinderella”—the one where Cinderella runs away before midnight, before everything turns back to its original form. The question was: What’s wrong with this fairy tale?

　　William Carter had read this before and knew the problem, so he couldn’t help but smile a little: “Reporting, sir, there are two issues here.”