For a moment, the room fell silent.
"This… Sir…" Old Ghost began, his voice trembling. "We can… we can talk about this…"
"I'll have him let Jiang He go, you let me go, and we go our separate ways. How about that?"
Su Chen's eyes narrowed slightly. His gaze fell upon the Warrior, blood trickling from his eyes, nose, and mouth. He then glanced at his panel. The [Basic Combat] skill was gone. Under the [Warrior] profession, only one ability remained.
[Strong: Unleashes the body's potential, temporarily increasing explosive power.]
This was the Professional Ability that came with becoming a Warrior. Su Chen didn't know how much of a boost it provided.
However, the big guy already seemed to be heavily injured.
Hmm?
Su Chen suddenly noticed that Jiang He was blinking frantically, apparently trying to get his attention.
Seeing that he was finally looking, the woman flicked her eyes diagonally upward, toward the big guy.
'What does she mean?'
'She still has a trick up her sleeve?'
'Just what you'd expect from someone with an Upper-tier Profession. Still this feisty after being fed that potion.'
Su Chen discreetly blinked back, signaling that he understood.
Old Ghost's head was still being forced down. Getting no response, he couldn't help but continue, "Sir, if you kill me, the Warrior will kill Jiang He. Neither of you will be able to stop the other, and it will only end in mutual destruction."
"She was the one who brought you here. The Inspectorate could easily track you down."
He didn't know why this low-class refugee was so completely different from his file, but since the man was hiding his strength, he surely didn't want to be exposed.
Su Chen remained silent. This was precisely why he hadn't killed the man immediately. Even though he was now a Professional, he had little ability to resist the Inspectorate.
Feeling the large hand clamped on his head loosen slightly, Old Ghost breathed a sigh of relief. But just as he was about to press his advantage, a sharp pain shot through his skull.
Su Chen suddenly tightened his grip. With a sickening CRACK, the man's neck twisted over ninety degrees, and he fell silent.
"Old Ghost!" the Warrior roared, his eyes bulging with rage. He was about to apply the same force when a bizarre, stabbing pain shot through his head, causing the massive hand covering nearly half of Jiang He's head to instinctively flinch.
CRASH!
The floorboards beneath Su Chen's feet shattered as he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. The distance between them was already short.
The explosive power that came with becoming a Warrior was beyond even Su Chen's own expectations. He barely had time to react before the big guy was right in front of him.
Fortunately, he was mentally prepared; he had already activated [Strong]. His heart felt like an engine with the gas pedal floored, contracting and expanding violently as blood roared through his veins.
Green veins popped out all over his skin, looking as if they were about to break free.
The Warrior had only two choices: either kill Jiang He and take a punch from Su Chen…
…or block Su Chen.
His body reacted faster than his mind, his right hand already gathering power for a collision.
Su Chen didn't use any fancy techniques, just a straight punch.
BAM!
As their fists collided, a flicker of surprise crossed Su Chen's ferocious expression. He had put his full strength into the blow, but the force coming from his opponent's arm was weaker than he had imagined.
CRACK—
The faint sound of bone cracking came from the Warrior's arm. An intense wave of pain washed over him as he staggered backward, his right arm trembling uncontrollably. His face filled with horror, his eyes fixed on the taut green veins beneath Su Chen's skin.
"A p-perfect Profession Change!?"
Su Chen paused for a moment, but didn't dwell on it. He pressed his advantage, swinging his right foot into the Warrior's cheek.
CRACK—
Blood sprayed out as the Warrior flew backward, sending the sofa flying before he crashed onto the floor.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
Su Chen closed the distance, raining punches on his opponent's vital spots as blood flew.
A few moments later, Su Chen stood up, his chest heaving. He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, feeling dizzy and light-headed, his body completely drained.
The Warrior on the floor was a bloody mess, his features unrecognizable. Even with Jiang He's help, the fight had been far easier than he had imagined.
It wasn't the guy's first day as a Professional, so he should have been much stronger than him.
"Perfect Profession Change?" he murmured. The panel had indeed said it was a perfect change, something he hadn't paid much attention to, but it seemed to be a bigger deal than he thought.
RRRIP—
A sound from behind made Su Chen whirl around. It was Jiang He, shakily struggling to her feet.
'And then there's this woman.'
"Su Chen, thank you." Jiang He's face showed relief, mixed with gratitude and sincerity. She held out the "Card" she had just picked up from the floor. "This is for you."
Su Chen didn't say a word, just stared at her intently.
Gradually, the grateful smile on Jiang He's face began to stiffen.
Only then did Su Chen make a move. He walked forward and took the Card. "What's a Borrowing Letter?"
Jiang He's expression changed. The Su Chen before her now felt like a stranger.
'Is this his true self? Was he pretending before?'
'But why didn't I sense that he was a Professional?'
Uncertain of the situation, Jiang He didn't dare to take any risks. She answered honestly, "It's for an informal student at the academy. You can attend classes, but you have to leave the city at regular intervals…"
"You lied to me?"
Jiang He trembled slightly. Su Chen's tone was placid, his eyes beneath his messy hair unnervingly deep. She couldn't sense any killing intent from him.
But he had been just like this moments ago when he'd crushed Old Ghost to death.
'Dammit, who the hell is this guy!?'
Jiang He cursed inwardly and scrambled to explain, "No, leaving the city this way is different from leaving as a refugee. It's a supplement to the City Patrol Guard. You only patrol the vicinity of the city; you aren't sent to dangerous places to be cannon fodder."
"I see…" Su Chen nodded thoughtfully, but then added, "So, you thought I wouldn't know the difference and deliberately used a vague term like 'enrollment letter' to trick me?"
"No…" Jiang He shook her head quickly. "The official enrollment channel is only open once a year. Once you miss that window, no one can enroll through official channels. I thought you knew…"
Su Chen was noncommittal and changed the subject. "What's a Perfect Profession Change?"
Jiang He was stunned, not understanding what Su Chen was getting at. "It's when you yourself are an extremely good fit," she said with a sense of helplessness, "and you fulfill all the conditions required by the Profession to an extremely high degree. That's how you get a Perfect Profession Change."
"What are the benefits?"
"The benefits… you can obtain powerful Professional Abilities, and you're less likely to mutate…" Jiang He said, stating some common knowledge as she pointed at the bloody mess of the Warrior on the ground.
"A Warrior who has a Perfect Profession Change should be well-proportioned, like you. His kind of bulky muscles are a clear sign he used a Potion to assist the process."
"Although he still managed to change Professions, he couldn't obtain the Professional Ability, and his hopes for future advancement are also slim to none."
'So, that guy didn't actually have the [Strong] ability. No wonder he was so weak.'
He mused, "Is a Perfect Profession Change difficult?"
Jiang He explained, "It's not difficult for Low-tier Professions, but it gets very troublesome for High-tier Professions. The requirements for some Superior and Top-tier Professions, in particular, are extremely demanding."
Su Chen seemed thoughtful, then abruptly asked, "Do you have any life-threatening secrets I could hold over you?"
"Huh?" Jiang He looked baffled. Su Chen's disjointed questions made it hard for her to follow his train of thought.
"If not, then I'll have no choice but to kill you," Su Chen said, frowning slightly.
Hearing this, Jiang He instantly sobered up. "You—you can't kill me," she said hurriedly. "My people brought you here. They could easily trace everything back to you."
"Even if you flee the city, facing the darkness alone is a death sentence."
Su Chen's brow furrowed even more deeply. "That's why I'm asking if you have any life-threatening secrets I can hold over you," he emphasized.
This time, Jiang He understood what he meant. She froze for a moment, then forced herself to speak. "You saved me, and I'm very grateful…"
"So that's a no, then," Su Chen cut in impatiently, already raising his hand.
'This woman is no simple character. Without some leverage, I'll be at her mercy once she recovers.'
"I do, I do!" Jiang He cried out. "I… I can tell you about some of my scandals…"
"Not good enough. I need the kind that could get you killed," Su Chen said, shaking his head. 'What good is a scandal?'
"Looks like I'll have to run for my life, then." Su Chen deliberately increased the pressure, walking slowly toward Jiang He with a look of resignation.
Jiang He swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on her forehead. For a Tier One Professional, leaving the city rashly was a death sentence.
But whether he would die or not was a problem for later; she was about to die right now.