Hunter of Mysterious Creature

"There are indeed many eager applicants... but..."

"But what?"

"It's just that out of these applicants, nine out of ten don't meet the requirements." Ye Jiu glanced at Ling Xiao, who had just finished filling out the registration form beside him, and continued, "There are only six eligible adults, and counting him, only two minors. And this is just the age threshold and doesn't even count as an initial screening... once the medical examinations are done, it'd be surprising to have even one person left from these eight."

The age threshold for the training camp was determined after much discussion, initially set at minors between twelve and seventeen years old, and adults between eighteen and forty-five years... Sun Hang thought this threshold was already quite lenient, especially for adults. For civilians without professional training, physical fitness usually starts to decline after thirty, and many begin to gain weight after forty... For such people, even running a hundred meters is exhausting, surely unable to pass high-intensity training.

"Many children wanted to sign up but were pulled away by their parents. After all, beasts like Chen Hongjuan are rare, and most parents are unwilling to send their children to the battlefield, no matter how good our benefits are," added Yang Lian, who was assisting Ye Jiu.

"Who's Chen Hongjuan?" Sun Hang asked curiously.

"Ling Xiao's biological mother." Yang Lian took off his crystal glasses, folded them, and put them in his pocket, "She's the middle-aged woman who just asked you about the benefits from the audience."

"Then what about this large stack of registration forms Ye Jiu is holding..."

"At first, seeing everyone so enthusiastic, I just handed out the registration forms for them to fill out themselves... who knew there'd be so few that met the criteria when collected," Ye Jiu complained, "Fortunately, I repeatedly emphasized the age restrictions when distributing the forms, but it seems none of them listened..."

"Most of those filling out the forms are middle-aged and elderly people over fifty," Yang Lian said, "Their goal isn't really to pass the training but to exchange their lives for generous compensation for their families and a chance to leave Shuzhou."

"In simple terms, these people are just using their lives to blackmail us," Ye Jiu said.

"What about the other minor who registered?" Sun Hang asked.

"That little girl is an orphan; her family was killed in the Dragon Rock Fortress incident, and no one is stopping her," Yang Lian explained.

"Send the eligible applicants to the research institute first for medical examinations and psychological assessment," Sun Hang said, "Most of the people from the Sixth Settlement Camp come from nearby residential areas. The damage here is relatively light, the residents evacuated in time, and most refugee families are intact... it's normal not to recruit anyone. When we switch to a refugee camp with more orphans, there should be quite a few eligible young people signing up."

"That sounds... so cold," Yang Lian glanced at Sun Hang.

"When I first woke up, the way you spoke to me was no better," Sun Hang immediately retorted, "You almost held a knife to my neck, forcing me to sign a contract of servitude."

"Back then, I didn't know what kind of person you were," Yang Lian snorted coldly, "I was used to dealing with either shameless debtors or vicious death row inmates. I thought you were the same as them..."

"I don't believe you haven't read my file," Sun Hang habitually flipped her the finger, "Did it say I was a debtor or a death row inmate?"

"Alright... I admit I may have just applied my usual work attitude to you," Yang Lian sighed, "But the problem was that your file was completely blank except for a name, and we didn't even know if that name was real. I could only treat you as an illegal immigrant... if you want an apology, I can..."

"No need for an apology, just some tangible compensation."

"...What compensation do you want?"

"I haven't decided yet. I'll ask you for it when I do."

"I warn... no, I suggest you don't go too far," Yang Lian gave Sun Hang a wary look.

"Don't worry, it will definitely be something you can afford."

"..." Yang Lian pursed her lips, choosing not to continue the topic, instead pulling out a file with a special marking on the corner, "As for this file, you'll need to verify it personally."

"What's wrong with this file?" Sun Hang took the file and started flipping through it, "Jiang Yu, twenty-six years old, female, Celestial City local resident... Wow, she's actually a Federation-level archer with several awards... isn't this a rare find? If we tailor a bow and arrow device for her, she should be able to maximize her skills..."

"Don't get too excited just yet; turn to the third page, the medical condition section," Yang Lian said.

"Oh..." Sun Hang turned two pages and found the section Yang Lian mentioned, and there, written in bold letters, was "Stage IV Stomach Cancer."

"She left the Celestial City Archery Team because she was diagnosed with gastric cancer last year, and it's the most malignant kind, signet ring cell carcinoma, discovered already at an advanced stage," Yang Lian said, "I retrieved her medical records from her hospital. Her cancer cells are spreading rapidly, and surgery is no longer an option; palliative care remains. Chemotherapy and radiation therapy are alternated... Despite several fundraising attempts by the Celestial City Archery Team and the Federation Government, her family isn't well off, and the high treatment costs remain a huge burden."

"So?"

"I think... she may have registered for training for the compensation," Yang Lian said, "I don't think a terminal cancer patient who relies on chemotherapy and radiation can withstand such intense training."

"What about her family?"

"Her father passed away early; she only has a mother and a sister. Her mother works in the cafeteria of Celestial City University of Technology, and her sister just started middle school this year," Yang Lian said.

"Let her through," Sun Hang said.

"If you're feeling sorry for her... you can give her the money directly and let her family leave Shuzhou; you have that authority," Yang Lian paused before continuing, "There's no need to put her through training, ensuring her death."

"Who says it's certain death..." Sun Hang gave Yang Lian a look, "Find her and ask her one thing: would she prefer to be tortured to death by cancer or become a 'healthy' infected person?"

"Are you planning to..." Yang Lian's eyes widened slightly, "That's against the rules... Song Yarong's case was 'emergency risk management,' with no accountability, but Jiang Yu's situation is entirely different... This is a matter of principle; an infected person mustn't intentionally infect the healthy, even if the latter is willing. If this rule is broken..."

"Are you being inflexible?" Sun Hang felt a bit speechless, "Can't we let her have a little accident, become critically ill, and coincidentally, I'm the only one around to save her? Then it's settled. Besides, do you really believe that all live experiments in the research institute comply with these regulations?"

Yang Lian looked at Sun Hang, then at the file handed back to her, biting her lip hard and nodding, "Alright, I'll make the arrangements."

"We're saving her, not harming her," Sun Hang said, "As for those damn regulations, let them go to hell."