Chapter 26 Compensation from the City Research Bureau

【 Jupiter City Comprehensive Scientific Research Bureau 】

This place is not the same research institute that everyone went to for their last practice.

To be precise, the last time I went there was only a branch office, but this is the municipal headquarters.

Brutalist-style high-rise buildings, with deep, cool color schemes.

By using dynamic light-emitting devices densely distributed on the building’s surface, publicly visible images related to the research are projected throughout the day, keeping the building’s exterior bright.

The ride-hailing car arrived at the station.

As soon as the three of them got out of the car, they saw Anna Ivanova waiting there.

Unlike the three who were wearing school uniforms, Anna took the time to change into casual clothes, or rather, she had to change clothes to avoid triggering unpleasant memories for the class monitor.

“ Wu Wen!”

Anna ~​

Seeing that her class monitor was “completely unharmed,” Anna almost burst into tears, and when she hugged him, she didn’t hug him as tightly as usual.

The four arrived at the research institute building. They had already obtained one-time access permission and could enter by facial recognition.

As soon as they stepped into the Research Bureau’s lobby, electronic arrows appeared on the smooth marble floor, guiding them to the areas they were to go.

Perhaps it was past closing time, because there were no employees in sight along the way.

After walking for about ten minutes in the empty, maze-like building, a seemingly continuous channel without door frames suddenly opened a door on the side, and the arrows on the ground disappeared in front of the door.

The dark gray room

No windows

Cube structure

The wall tiles have a built-in glowing effect.

A long stone table was placed in the center of the room, with four chairs positioned towards the entrance, and a middle-aged man already seated inside the table.

His head was almost square, he wore frameless glasses, and had a prominent black mole above his lip.

Despite appearing serious, he stood up and shook hands with the four young people in turn when they arrived.

” Wang Shuokang is currently the Director of the Records Management Department at the Research Bureau. As for you, there’s no need for self-introductions; I have already reviewed your practice videos and personal information in detail.”

You are a very outstanding group of young people. Please allow me to apologize on behalf of the research institutes below.

We have now shut down and rectified the branch office where the incident occurred, and those responsible for dereliction of duty will be severely punished.

Director Wang bowed before sitting down again.

Apart from Luo Di, everyone else was actually holding back some anger, but this anger was largely wiped away by the recent campus life and Director Wang’s sincere apology.

Of course, we’ll have to see what the compensation situation is like afterward.

Director Wang took out four documents from his briefcase and handed them to the young man opposite him.

“This is your practice report and final rating. Please check if there is anything you are dissatisfied with. If there are no problems, please sign in the last column. It will be entered into your personal file tomorrow.”

When we received our first practical report, we were all more or less excited.

It details the entire experience of the practice, lists the individual’s “effective subjective behavior” separately, and includes practice comments from Research Bureau experts. Finally, a rating is given on the last page based on specific scoring rules.

“Yay! I’m an S-!”

The class monitor raised her fist high, as if to announce some kind of victory.

“Wow, I’m an S- too!” Anna was overjoyed. Such a score would greatly reduce her pressure to get into a good high school. She immediately interlocked her fingers with the class monitor and almost jumped up from her seat.

“S!”

Even Gao Yuxuan, who is usually not very talkative, exclaimed in surprise at this moment.

His higher rating was mainly due to his application of “acupuncture” in actual combat and his composure at the last moment, which allowed him to make a special emergency call.

Everyone then turned their attention to Luo Di, who was sitting on the far side and had not yet spoken.

“Hey~ Luo Di, you must be an S too, right?”

Luo Di did not respond, but instead displayed the last page of the practical materials on the table.

【S+】

This represents the highest level of practical rating.

According to statistics, only 1.3% of high school students can get an A or above in practical skills, and even fewer can achieve an S grade.

The class monitor’s eyes shone even brighter than when he saw his own rating. “Wow! S+, this is the first time I’ve seen that. Luo Di, could you show me your rating materials? Let me see how you got the highest score.”

Luo Di shook his head, closed the signed document, and handed it back to Director Wang.

The class monitor didn’t mind and instead signed his own document.

After receiving everyone’s signed documents, Director Wang continued, “I must say that everyone is exceptionally talented, surviving such an unexpected event. To express our apologies and to show our appreciation for talent, this is our compensation plan.”

An official document with an official letterhead is placed on the desktop.

The Research Bureau has provided four alternative compensation options based on the criteria of whether the recipient is a “high school student,” “of average physical condition,” or “outstanding,” as well as the severity of the practical error.

1. Enjoy one free prosthetic body modification within the General Administration, not limited to limbs or organs, and the modification will be permanent.

2. City Research Bureau quota (requires successful completion of undergraduate studies with all grades at or above good)

3. Ten million rubles

4. Beginner Corner (Monster, Anomaly) Items

The first three were all normal, but the last compensation option made all three except Luo Di frown.

The class monitor immediately became serious. “Director Wang, is the fourth option a printing error? I remember that these kinds of things should have a 【20+】 limit, which would have a significant side effect on us students, and could even affect our physical and mental development.”

“Indeed, Corner items were once restricted to those over twenty years old, but in recent years, with the advancement of technology and national needs, we have tried to make younger people accept the items and adapt to them in advance. According to the current data, the overall effect is quite good.”

Moreover, the props provided by our headquarters are “entry-level” and limited in type, mainly for external use, so that the impact on individuals can be minimized.

Once you make your selection, a compatibility test will be arranged immediately. If the compatibility does not meet the standards, you will not be provided with the device.

At this point, Director Wang suddenly leaned forward, his face grim, and said:

“Finally, and most importantly.”

The reason we included a “fourth option” is because we believe that this “accident” may be related to yourselves to some extent, rather than being entirely accidental.

After all, the research branch responsible for simulating anomalies has always done a good job, and has even secured a lot of resources from the country for our city. They have already conducted more than 20 successful practices before you.

Perhaps one of you four is relatively special, possessing some kind of unseen and intangible quality that easily triggers ‘accidents’.

This characteristic may not disappear after the practice ends, which means that you will be more likely to encounter ‘accidents’ in your daily lives than ordinary people.

Considering the above reasons, our General Administration has provided this option. As long as you can master the tool, it will greatly increase your survival rate when you encounter accidents again.

Whether it’s us, the General Administration, or the whole country, what we value most is talent.

Only those who survive can contribute to our cause.

Make your choice.