Chapter Twenty-Eight: Script Six

After investing a certain amount of mental energy into the Thought Planet of Script Six, Yang Qiu suddenly realized that his abilities had evolved. The divisions between scenes and chapters grew increasingly distinct; now, he could isolate each scene and review its individual rating.

This segmented format allowed Yang Qiu to better identify problems in the script’s evolution and pinpoint which stage had gone awry. The change was welcome, yet Yang Qiu remained a little greedy. If only, instead of more detailed scripts, he could gain an additional slot for script evolution. Being able to activate only one script at a time still greatly affected his development speed.

Half a month later, Natasha, training in hand-to-hand combat at S.H.I.E.L.D.; Blade, practicing archery in the mountains; and Frank, surveying his next target, all simultaneously received a message from the Ouroboros mark.

[The entry for the new member assessment is now open. Assessment time is tomorrow at 8 PM New York time. Countdown has begun. A temporary portal will open when the countdown ends.]

The three looked down at their right hands, where the long-dormant mark had lit up again. Immersing their consciousness within, a glaring countdown appeared in their minds—a precaution against misunderstandings caused by differing time zones.

Twenty-four hours later, Natasha and Frank had weapons hanging and hidden all over their bodies. Coupled with their elite skills, they were equipped for a small-scale war.

Blade was slightly less dramatic. His main weapons were just a hunting knife and a longbow, supplemented by consumables like stun grenades and adrenaline injectors. Van Helsing had intended to make some potions for Blade, but after so much time, he hadn’t managed to gather the necessary ingredients. In the end, he could only craft a few special arrows for Blade—better than nothing.

At the moment the countdown ended, An’s figure darted through shadows three times, transporting the three candidates across space to the haunted house in less than a second. Afterwards, An lay exhausted beside Yang Qiu, tongue lolling, nearly dead from fatigue.

To simulate the effect of a portal, An had to move quickly without leaving the shadow pathway to rest—a workload that was pure torment for a cat. Fortunately, it was accomplished in the end.

Yang Qiu gently rubbed An’s little head to comfort him, then turned his attention to the haunted house. The script evolution had officially begun!

Script Six (Large/Team): The Ouroboros Assessment

Main Cast:
Natasha (Top S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, former Soviet operative, possesses elite physical fitness and combat skills after modification, training, and enhancement.)
Frank (Former S.H.I.E.L.D. Level 10 agent, ex-Marine, peak combat strength for a normal human.)
Blade (Half-vampire, disciple of monster hunter Van Helsing, hunter apprentice.)
Jenomie (Rank: Full Knight. Born into a declining noble family, succeeded in surpassing the squire rank using ancestral breathing techniques and personal talent. Hopes to gain further advancement through the Ouroboros assessment and restore family honor.)
Fina (Rank: Apprentice Mage. Born to a common family, chosen by her current teacher for her innate mental strength. Unable to advance to full mage due to lack of funds, she hopes to earn resources through Ouroboros to pay her teacher’s debt and support her future development.)
Vernon (Rank: Apprentice Druid. Orphan, raised in an orphanage sponsored by Ouroboros. Aspires to join Ouroboros to repay his benefactors.)
…
Nausea… dizziness…

That was Frank’s first sensation upon regaining awareness; he felt as though he had been crushed into a ball, shoved through a pipe, then dragged out again.

Steadying himself, Frank looked around. Meeting several people’s gazes, he realized he wasn’t the first to recover. If recovery time correlated with physical condition, he’d need to stay alert.

“Why hasn’t she recovered yet…” Fina approached Natasha and poked her arm.

Cross arm choke!

Natasha, startled by the touch, reacted reflexively. Her powerful thighs locked around Fina’s neck, intent on slamming her to the ground.

Natasha’s sudden attack left everyone stunned. Fortunately, she regained control midway, released Fina mid-air, and landed deftly on her feet.

With Natasha’s influence, Fina hit the ground hard.

“Cough, cough… cough, cough!” Fina’s face flushed as she clutched her neck, gasping for air after the sudden choke.

“What are you doing?!” Jenomie frowned at Natasha, displeased at the assault on a teammate. Without a reasonable explanation, he would refuse to cooperate.

Natasha glanced at the armored Jenomie and the pale blue-robed Fina, and realized she was here for the Ouroboros new member assessment.

“Sorry, little one, my reflexes were a bit over the top. I apologize.” Natasha helped Fina to her feet.

Fina looked at Natasha fearfully, stepped back twice, still holding her neck.

Vernon stepped forward. A faint green light wound around his hand as he gently brushed Fina’s neck, instantly reducing the swelling caused by Natasha’s choke.

“Thank you,” Fina nodded to Vernon.

Natasha’s eyes flickered with curiosity about the green light, but knowing she’d left a poor first impression, she stayed silent and stood aside.

“Now that everyone’s acclimated, why don’t we introduce ourselves? We’ll be working together soon,” Jenomie said, sweeping his gaze over the five others. “I’ll start.”

“My name is Jenomie, rank Full Knight. I specialize in single-handed swords and round shields. This is my second assessment.”

Fina stepped forward and performed a mage’s salute. “Just call me Fina. I’m only a mage apprentice, not particularly skilled, just some basic spells. First assessment.”

Vernon spoke next, “Vernon, druid apprentice, focus on healing spells. First assessment.”

Blade followed suit. “Blade, hunter apprentice, skilled in archery. First assessment.”

Frank adjusted his goggles. “Frank, former Marine, specialize in special operations, solo assaults, and so on. First assessment.”

“Natasha, S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, skilled in intelligence gathering and analysis, also my first time.” Natasha paused, then spoke honestly.