Chapter 15: Intermediate Electric Energy Control

As he entered the basement, Yang Bo frowned slightly. The basement looked like a training room with sandbags, wooden stakes similar to those used for martial arts training on Earth, some fitness equipment, and cold weapons.

Shh! Yang Bo let out a whistle. The events of last time still made him a bit nervous. If he hadn’t spotted that strange fish, it could’ve easily ended his life in one bite.

After the whistle, there were no abnormal sound waves, so he took out a trash bag and began cleaning. Everything was dismantled and put into the trash bag.

The most noticeable items were several meditation cushions, though it was hard to tell what kind of fur they were made from. Just looking at the beauty of these furs, you could tell they didn’t come from ordinary animals. Additionally, the wooden training stakes were incredibly heavy, likely not made from ordinary wood.

As for how these items would be disposed of in the end, Yang Bo wasn’t sure. But since the company accepted the job, they surely had their own means.

The reason they let regular residents handle some of this work was that the residents couldn’t recognize all the protected animal furs or plants. Even if they told others, they wouldn’t have any evidence.

Evolved judges with chips can use certain instruments to detect chip fluctuations to verify if someone is lying.

All the cold weapons were broken down into lengths that could fit into the trash bags—spears, axes, two-handed swords, and so on. The materials looked pretty ordinary.

Then there was a carpet on the floor that didn’t seem to be of average make. He cut it up.

The wooden training racks were smashed and bagged.

The meditation cushions made of unknown fur? Those were also tossed into the trash bags.

After all the cleaning was done, Yang Bo didn’t find anything of value. It seemed that something had once been on the walls, now taken away. Perhaps it was some ancient martial arts training technique or other important items, but they were now gone.

After finishing the cleanup, he still had to transport the trash to a designated spot. Staring at the empty basement, Yang Bo considered the task complete.

What kind of place this basement belonged to, Yang Bo didn’t know. When he arrived, they’d gotten off in the underground parking lot, and when returning, it was the same—leaving through the underground parking.

Back at the company, Liu Zhijie rubbed his head and asked Yang Bo, “How was your first solo mission?”

“No problem.” Yang Bo glanced at Liu Zhijie’s thinning hair, feeling curious. The gene injections that treat this should be abundant. Also, the boss’s name was Liu Zhijie, and the company was called Anzhijie. Was there any connection? He wasn’t sure.

“Is there an issue?” Liu Zhijie asked, seeing that Yang Bo didn’t appear to be leaving.

“Boss, for the E-level training entry, what are the requirements for higher-level training?” Yang Bo still felt that grinding skills via training was the safest way.

“You need points. A single session of simulated E-level training costs 3,000 points; D-level costs 10,000 points. Anything higher also scales up. Given your current level, you can participate in D-level training at most. However, if your personal abilities reach the required standard, the company will sponsor your training for free.” Liu Zhijie explained.

Yang Bo then asked, “Thank you, boss. I think I can handle higher-value tasks.”

“Keep an eye on the task platform. It updates at 8 a.m. every day, and high-value tasks are in high demand.” Liu Zhijie treated Yang Bo like any ordinary employee.

“Understood.” Yang Bo got the message. However, completing missions to improve his skill level came with too small a chance. After all, he was currently at the lowest rank.

Yang Bo left the company. Honestly, the pay was quite good, and the workload wasn’t too heavy. It made sense. In an advanced society like this, pushing workers too hard would just make them quit. Worse case, they’d just go home and live a carefree life.

Once home, Yang Bo checked the local news. Soon, a headline caught his attention.

A C-level citizen had been involved in an accident. The accompanying photos showed a man lying in front of a bus. Yang Bo’s eyes narrowed.

“Isn’t this the person I suspected was following me a month ago?” Yang Bo examined the man in the photo. Indeed, this was the person he thought had been tailing him when he’d gone to the company last month.

Yang Bo scrutinized the man’s outfit again, almost breaking out in a cold sweat. This same guy had been behind him that very morning, but back then, he had worn sunglasses and a hoodie, so Yang Bo hadn’t recognized him.

“Damn it, who is he?” Yang Bo felt oppressed. The guy had been watching him last month, and now he was back again.

A C-level citizen—this kind of person was already considered an elite.

Yang Bo then did a quick online search about biological chips. According to the chip company, biological chips were entirely safe, as they could integrate well with brain tissues.

“Damn it, I wonder how this person really died. Did I accidentally electrocute him?” Yang Bo cursed to himself. Everything felt like it was shrouded in mystery.

After that, Yang Bo took out his virtual headset. Looking at the interface, he saw that a single simulation training would cost him 3,000 points. If he chose specific scenarios or venomous creatures, it would add 1,000 points per session.

Yang Bo checked his points; he had over 20,000. The guaranteed minimum wage at Anzhijie was 15,000 credits, and with the missions he completed, earning between 30,000 to 50,000 a month was steady. A solo mission typically started with no less than 1,000 credits, and the daily work hours were six hours. For any overtime, it was 150 credits per hour, and working weekends would net him double.

With such good benefits, Yang Bo felt like he’d be cheating himself if he didn’t work. Still, compared to those who didn’t have to worry about food or drink, he didn’t feel it was anything too special.

If he bought groceries, the prices were also steep. Vegetables and meat were expensive, and Yang Bo cooked for himself. Each day, he spent at least over 100 credits. The upside was that he didn’t have to pay any property fees or utilities.

His salary was decent, but when you think about what it really costs to own a place of your own, it made you pause. For a 1-million-credit house, you’d be paying around 10% annually in property fees, garbage disposal fees, and taxes. That would cost you around 100,000 credits a year, not to mention any other expenses.

Buying things was the same as back on Earth in the U.S. Everything was priced pre-tax, and when you purchased, you had to add the tax afterward.

“Time to grind.” Yang Bo figured he could complete a few E-level simulation trainings with his points, so he decided to get started.

He also specifically selected electric eels, costing him 4,000 points for the simulation. To Yang Bo, points were nothing; power was the real key.

Five hours later, Yang Bo lay in his bathtub. This tub wasn’t as luxurious as the government-provided ones, which were fully automatic with self-filling and temperature control. Here, he had to adjust the temperature and fill it himself.

Yang Bo held his palm out, and slowly, blue electric currents began to appear. Although Electric Power had no actual color or shape, the blue glow was caused by its interaction with air.

“So this is the ability that comes with intermediate-level Electric Power control? At this level, I can release it outside my body now.” Yang Bo felt the heat of the water in the tub as excitement welled up inside.

Just now, after two simulated tests, his Electric Power control had advanced to the intermediate level (11/100). In just half an hour, Yang Bo had already gained an initial grasp of how to release Electric Power.

“I wonder how powerful this Electric Power is. It seems Anzhijie is pretty powerful as a company, using real electric eels for their employees to train with. But I guess that’s how it is—relying on a big company provides a lot of benefits.” Yang Bo thought to himself, and the Electric Power in his palm slowly returned to his body.

“I wonder if the electricity inside my body is the same as the electricity I use. If so, could I recharge myself?” The thought made Yang Bo sit up.