Chapter 466: Undesired Side Effects
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Ye Chong stared at the ad on the holographic screen, lost in thought.
He remembered when he first escaped from the trash planet. In the past, mechs were still new to him. Back then, long range mechs were mainstream in the Five Galaxies, and few people would choose to use close range mechs. Now, he actually saw an ad for hiring close range mech instructors.
He gathered his thoughts and decided to try it out.
Ye Chong never had much luck in asking for the directions in the past. However, under Shang's guidance, he found that everything went smoothly this time. With a polite tone, mellow voice, and a relaxed stance, the passerby that he stopped to ask for directions quickly pointed to him in the right way. Moreover, the person even offered to bring him there.
After accomplishing this, Shang said happily, "Ye, this is the power of socializing. Often, it is more useful than brute force."
Ye Chong silently agreed. Shang was right. Compared to grabbing someone by the throat and demanding for directions, this method was a lot more effective.
Ye Chong began to train even more earnestly. This caused him to arrive at the hiring location in a deep state of fatigue.
It was all too tiring! Shang had required that his disguise looked as natural as possible. This was not a problem for ordinary people, but a huge problem for Ye Chong! He was already used to being calculative and precise, and could control his breathing to be rhythmic with less than a 0.01 second difference between breaths. However, this so-called natural behavior that Shang described, with natural pulse, natural breathing, natural pace, natural muscular state, natural stance, natural gaze …
The training did not require him to move so much, but it was extremely tiring! Besides, Ye Chong had given his all into this training. Soon, undesirable side effects began to kick in.
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Brahm studied the lifeless young man before him, and frowned.
How could people like this come to try out for the position as instructor? He smiled coldly inside. No one had tried to make trouble with the Research Consortium's hiring process so far, but this young man must be quite daring. Given the currently urgent situation, close range mech pilots were one of the highly demanded occupations. Frontline battles did not cease, but the higher-ups had still ordered for them to hire a new batch of close range mech pilots.
Brahm immediately categorized Ye Chong as one of the troublesome youngsters in the neighborhood. He had never heard of any instructors at such a young age, with the exception of a few proteges. As for this particular young man, he looked skinny and sluggish, with eyes that stared blankly and a wooden expression. If this young man can become an instructor, then Brahm himself could very well be promoted to Commander.
Brahm's voice was strict. "We're hiring close range combat instructors here. Unrelated personnel are advised to leave."
The young man seemed unfazed, and did not prepare to leave, while still looking weary and tired.
Ye Chong was feeling extremely exhausted! This exhaustion was unlike the physical kind, but of the mental kind. It was as if there were two personalities inside him, one destroying the other. No wonder Shang had said that physical pain was nothing compared to mental pain. Shang had even given him examples, like interrogations. Only by finding a psychological weakness in the interrogated could one be able to extract the necessary information.
So it was like this! Ye Chong could feel a headache beginning inside his head. His whole body felt heavy and weak, and his condition deteriorated.
There were only six people in the waiting room.
Ye Chong was not in his best condition, but he still managed to take note of his surroundings. He heard the hiring officer's words, but did not think that it was directed to him. Ye Chong found his mental focus becoming more and more hazy.
Unrelated personnel? He was here to be interviewed, and therefore not an unrelated person. Hence, Ye Chong filtered away the words coming from Brahm.
"Are you here for the interview?"
Ye Chong could not understand the hostility in the officer's voice, but he was not offended. Not that he had the energy to get worked up anyway.
"Yes," Ye Chong replied weakly, and resumed his silence. His training required a lot of mental concentration, and his mind was beginning to have a splitting headache. His mental condition was worsening, and his thought process was heavily compromised.
Brahm was furious seeing the young man replying without even looking him in the eye. He wasted no more words and passed a card with the number 231 on it to Ye Chong.
"This is your number. You'll only need to go through a test in actual combat. If you pass, you'll be hired," Brahm explained coldly.
"Okay," the young man acknowledged him and took the card, then entered the waiting room.
Noticing so many people lining up in front of him as he entered the combat test arena, Ye Chong decided to find a spot in a corner and rest. He was too tired, and desperately needed to rest. Shang had not expected the huge strain his training routines had created for Ye Chong, and was not quickly modifying his training plan accordingly.
The fact Ye Chong had gone to sleep right before facing the test was a deplorable action that the all the hiring staff observed with contempt. Since when was the Research Consortium underestimated like this?
There were many forces at play in Gray Valley, but only the Research Consortium held the highest power. They controlled all the latest tech, and had it not stood up when the red-tailed beasts appeared, the current alliance would never have been formed. So far, every round of recruitment by the Research Consortium was attended by capable men and women in Gray Valley, but even the most arrogant of them would not behave in a challenging manner.
If the Research Consortium's own guards were here, they would surely have chased out this young man. Anyone who could join the Research Consortium would be talented, capable, and vain. These days, as the power of the Consortium expanded in Gray Valley, they became even more conceited.
There were many within the Consortium who were against the recruitment this time. However, since demands from the frontlines were urgent, they had to lower their standards and hire close range combatants in large numbers. They had so few close range combatants that it was hard to even allocate some of them as instructors. Hence, right now they needed to hire a group of instructors to train new mech pilots, as preparation for the war at hand.
It was generally believed by the Research Consortium and the Alliance higher-ups that the war would continue on in the near future, and this belief continued to strengthen day by day. It was because of this that the Research Consortium decided to organize close range combat training. Gray Valley did not lack talents, but, just like most other places, long range mech pilots were more prevalent. Fortunately, most of the locals here have good fundamentals. Almost anyone can become qualified as combatants with the right training. Since close range mech pilots who fought at the frontlines were precious manpower that each force and organization would prefer to keep to themselves, it would be almost impossible to ask for them to become instructors.
Hence, the current hiring round was established.
The staff decided that although they could not outright throw the young man out of the room, there were other ways to teach the arrogant man a lesson.
Ye Chong never imagined that he had unwittingly offended all the hiring staff.
Even if he knew, however, he had better things to worry about. His situation was dire. As he had no experience in his kind of training, it had obviously overwhelmed him. This caused a series of undesirable side effects.
Ye Chong found to his despair that he could not quite focus his thoughts. It was like having worms crawling around inside his head. Even with his eyes closed, he could not rest. It was torturing, not being able to rest despite being so very tired.
If anyone were to attack him right now, Ye Chong was not sure if he could avoid it.
"Who'd have imagined that this training in disguise has such annoying side effects?" Ye Chong thought to himself bitterly. It was fortunate that Shang was with him, or he would have been entirely defenseless.
With his distracted eyes and rigid facial muscles, Ye Chong looked like a century-old zombie. Everyone who walked passed him looked at him with disdain.
"Number 231! Number 231! Please report immediately to the combat zone for your test!" A hiring staff yelled loudly.
Shang spoke up, "Ye, it's your turn."
"Oh," Ye Chong replied weakly, and stood up with shaky legs.
The hiring staff yelled again, "Number 231? Where are you?"
"Here, " a tired voice replied from a corner of the room.
Sweep! Everyone in the room turned to look at the source of the voice. It came from a lazy, weary looking young man half slumped against the wall, with his right hand lifted up shakily.
"Bravo, Ye, bravo!" Shang sounded most excited. "You're now definitely qualified to be the Most Depressed Youngster of the Year!"
Most depressed youngster? What kind of d*mned award was that? Ye Chong did not even have the mood to laugh mockingly to himself. He mind drew a blank. Everything he saw looked like an illusion. The effects of overusing his brain were dead serious!
No matter the time and place, Ye Chong's aura of intensity was hard to disguise, but now he looked like an entirely different person.
Shang was positively exhilarated. "Ye, your disguise now is superb! Tsk tsk, I didn't expect you to learn so quickly. Changing your whole aura is the hardest trick! Hehe, Ye, if some beauty happened to see you now, she'd fall head over heels for you …"
Ye Chong decided not to reply to Shang. Even keeping his eyes open was a chore right now.
The people around him were giving him glances that spelled condescension, disdain, confusion …
"What're you standing there for? Hurry up!" The hiring staff looked annoyed.
Ye Chong felt like he was walking in a daydream. The people around him shook like apparitions. Every step felt like a walk on clouds, as though he could stumble at any time.
To the rest of the people, this obvious depressed and tired young man was walking lazily, with his eyes barely open. The rest of the people who came for the interview shook their heads. How can someone like him be here? It was a joke! Combat skills were necessary for every close range combat mech pilot. Hence, these mech pilots were expected to walk steadily with a focused gaze. This young man was obviously not fit for the task.
The rest of the interviewees looked insulted. To them, the presence of this young man was a humiliation to them all!
The distance from his corner to the combat test arena was only a mere 50 meters, but Ye Chong thought it felt like a mile away.
Phew, finally there! Ye Chong never expected to be weakened to this extent. Just 50 meters had cost him dearly. In fact, Ye Chong could hardly think clearly right now. Had he been more sensible, he would have given up on the job.
Ye Chong stood rigidly in the test arena with his mind blank.