Chapter 180: Humanity Metrics
by xennovel“Ah, this…”
Surprise flickered across the young man’s face. He wanted to argue but couldn’t find the words.
“Of course…”
Another taller staff member spoke up with a smile, “We don’t lower the evaluation just because the Mr. Lone Soldier requested cooperation from the City Patrol Army. In fact, whether it was his idea or his intel analyst’s, his ability to request cooperation is a good thing… We’re not afraid of ability users asking for help; we’re afraid of them refusing it.”
“So, this rating is already quite good, especially considering he’s apparently a newcomer…”
…
“So…”
Looking at these two reserved yet somewhat arrogant seniors, a confused expression appeared on the young man’s face. “Is the job of our Loss-of-Control Risk Assessment Team just to analyze if things could have been handled better after the ability users finish their tasks, essentially second-guessing them, and then give their mission an evaluation based on our discussion?”
…
Both seniors choked, turning to stare darkly at the young man.
The young man shivered, suddenly worried about whether he’d pass his internship.
“You’re wrong…”
The slightly chubbier senior thought for a moment before looking seriously at the young man. “Our task isn’t to judge if there was a better way. It’s to determine how much humanity they still possess based on how they executed the mission…”
“The more humanity, the lower the loss-of-control risk.”
…
“That’s right…”
The taller senior sighed meaningfully. “You might not know this, but this ability user’s initial loss-of-control risk was set at 85% by the higher-ups. After he successfully completed several subsequent missions, it was lowered below 80%. But due to the previous Knight Orders city assault incident, it spiked dramatically, even exceeding 90%!”
“But now, perhaps due to some new developments, the data shows it has decreased slightly again.”
“It’s currently 85%!”
…
The young man was slightly taken aback. “85%… isn’t that already beyond the recruitment threshold?”
“Correct!”
The taller senior nodded. “And our job is to surveil… observe him, see if we can lower it a bit more.”
“Based on his performance in this mission, I think lowering it by 5% is reasonable.”
…
“Just 5%? Isn’t that a bit low…”
When faced with differing opinions, the young man seemed to forget about his internship worries and timidly pushed back again. “I thought he acted very gently and kindly, always trying his best to protect others…”
“And from accepting the mission to resolving it, didn’t he perform far better than ordinary people could have…?”
…
“You’re right, but you missed one detail.”
The slightly chubby staff member spoke slowly. “When he was finally threatened by that ‘Ghost’ ability user with a hostage, it appeared he first verbally intimidated the ability user, then suddenly attacked while they were unprepared, trapping them within a human body.”
“How exactly he did that is outside our scope, so we won’t discuss it.”
“But what concerns me most is that he showed absolutely no reaction to the hostage threat itself.”
“You could interpret it as him dismantling the opponent’s psychological defense, but what if… what if he genuinely didn’t care?”
…
Hearing this, the young man trailed off, unable to continue.
For someone seemingly so concerned about others to show such indifference towards a hostage felt deeply contradictory.
“I have a different opinion on that point…”
It was the taller senior who frowned and spoke up. “While that’s possible, the probability is relatively low…”
The chubbier senior countered, “Low probability is still possible…”
The taller senior retorted, “If you put it that way, anyone in the world could potentially be a psychopath. Should we just focus on the smallest probabilities? If a child steals candy from another kid, should I suspect he’ll definitely become a criminal when he grows up and eliminate him beforehand?”
The chubbier senior conceded, “Hmm… that makes sense too. So, what’s your suggestion?”
“Raise it again?”
“How about we skip it this time? Every time we change a rating, we have to write an extra report…”
“Then maybe give him a higher score next time to balance it out?”
“Sounds good to me.”
…
The young man, who had just felt a flicker of admiration, was bewildered again. “Isn’t this still just reaching a conclusion through discussion?”
“Let’s go, let’s go…”
The two seniors, however, had already reached their final answer, murmuring, “He just accepted another mission.”
“Looks like we’re heading to Satellite City No. 4…”
…
Around the same time, Lu Xin parked his motorcycle near the Security Hall under a street lamp. Sitting astride the bike, he carefully examined a small display screen embedded in a slot on his arm. It showed the materials Han Bing had just sent him – field missions with higher Contribution Points, selected by Han Bing at his request.
“The Drunkard in Satellite City No. 4 is requesting the dispatch of a Spider-type ability user for assistance?”
…
Over the channel, Han Bing added softly, “The source of this pollution incident is an unsolved assassination of a business owner in Satellite City No. 4. The Investigation Team deemed the incident anomalous, and the Drunkard took charge of the investigation. After a month, she’s found some useful clues and is preparing to eliminate the opponent in one go, hence the request for aid from Headquarters…”
Lu Xin nodded, slowly scrolling through the screen, seeing files mostly about recent criminal cases. “General Manager of Yin Huan Business Co. in Satellite City No. 4 assassinated despite bodyguard protection. Doors and windows undamaged, head missing…”
“Members of the Red Vest Brotherhood criminal organization collectively murdered, limbs arranged like potted plants?”
“Red Moon Story Club, Third Issue: Headless Ghost roaming Satellite City No. 4?”
…
Looking through these files, Lu Xin couldn’t help but frown.
It was too chaotic. Just flipping through a few pages, he saw official newspaper reports on murders, classified records of bizarre incidents strictly forbidden from disclosure, and even urban legends published in a story magazine…
How did these completely unrelated things end up together?
…
…
“These were all submitted to Headquarters by the Drunkard.”
Han Bing explained softly, “The Drunkard herself holds Level 3 Special Talent status and is highly autonomous. Since she took over this case, she has full responsibility. Even the materials we have now were submitted by her. So, our Info team hasn’t received a report on the exact progress, we only know it’s very important, Hazard Level…”
After a slight pause, she continued, “Set at Level Three.”
“Level Three?”
Lu Xin felt a flicker of interest. “Then…”
Han Bing’s voice brightened slightly. “The overall reward reaches one million, and there are one hundred Contribution Points.”
“In Qinggang City, this counts as a major event.”
Han Bing continued, “Logically, when the Drunkard requested assistance from a Spider-type ability user, the first choice would be Mr. Gecko…”
Lu Xin nodded. According to the information, Gecko was a Level 3 Special Talent, indeed higher ranked than him.
Then he found it strange. “So why can I take it?”
“Because…”
Han Bing seemed to be suppressing laughter. “Mr. Gecko has always been afraid of the Drunkard and showed strong resistance. Considering that the emotional state of cooperating ability users is a crucial factor when handling mental pollution incidents, they didn’t force him.”
“Why? Isn’t the Drunkard quite good-looking…?”
Lu Xin was slightly surprised, but the decision wasn’t hard for him. “Doesn’t matter, I’ll go…”
The million reward wasn’t really important.
What mattered were the hundred Contribution Points.
He only needed forty-five more to reach Level 3. If he could get even half…
Han Bing chuckled. “Okay, I’ll notify the Drunkard.”
“Um…”
Lu Xin, who initially dismissed the reward, paused and asked, “It’s not just Contribution Points, the monetary reward will be shared with me too, right?”
“Yes, it will…”
Han Bing sounded very happy. “The Drunkard has always been a very generous person.”