Without uttering a single word of inquiry, he already understood and pulled out a paper file from the black folder tucked under his arm, handing it over with both hands.

The middle-aged man took the file, his gaze sweeping across the paper.

[Candidate Number 263]

[Name: Fang Cheng]

[Address: Old Factory Street, Jiangbei District, East City...]

He closed the file, flipped it over, and tossed it onto the coffee table beside him, making a dull thud.

"Director Qin."

The middle-aged man’s voice was deep, carrying the pressure of someone long accustomed to authority:

"This candidate’s family background seems problematic?"

The young man referred to as Director Qin bowed even lower, his forehead glistening with a layer of fine sweat.

He swallowed, reporting swiftly:

"Yes. His father, Fang Shijie, was directly involved in the sensational ’Guangwu Gate shooting case’ seventeen years ago, once suspected by the police to be the serial killer ’Midnight Red Demon.’

However, during the netting operation back then, Fang Shijie set himself on fire with gasoline, causing the case’s clues to completely break off."

Director Qin paused, then cautiously explained:

"Afterwards, the Intelligence Department’s Monitoring Division conducted five years of surveillance on the suspect’s remaining orphan."

"Ultimately confirming he is just an ordinary person, showing no signs of antisocial tendencies or abnormal abilities, so he was long removed from the Fireproof’s key focus list."

"Moreover, during this political review stage, we dispatched people to discreetly investigate his alma mater, the boxing club where he worked part-time, and the surrounding neighbors."

"Everyone praises his hardworking and diligent attitude, without finding any character issues."

Director Qin listed the strong evidence uncovered as thoroughly as possible, clearly optimistic about the candidate’s potential.

"Hmph."

The middle-aged man let out a cold snort, refocusing his gaze on the screen in front of him:

"Since your assessment’s conclusion is that he’s an ordinary person, then how do you explain his performance facing those anomalies in the Black Rain World, Director Qin?"

This cold snort was like a heavy hammer, striking fiercely at Director Qin’s heart.

His shirt back instantly soaked with cold sweat, he dared not utter a rebuttal, quickly bowing his head to express his stance:

"It’s my mistake in oversight! I will notify the chief examiner immediately and remove him from the selection!"

"Hold on..."

The middle-aged man raised his hand, stopping Director Qin’s actions.

His gaze fell on the upper right corner of the file, at the young, handsome, sharply-contoured photo.

"When did our Special Search Team become just a government office that only focuses on lineage instead of capability?"

The man leaned back in his chair, speaking calmly yet with resonant conviction:

"I’ve emphasized repeatedly in meetings: recruitment should first consider capability, then integrity."

"Confronting monsters without retreat, daring to stand up and save companions in danger, being able to throw a punch in dire situations already demonstrates his consciousness and inner strength."

"Family background and past experiences are certainly political review considerations, but absolutely shouldn’t be the sole basis for a veto."

"As long as his intentions are upright and he dares to point his blade at those monsters, why can’t the Special Search Team make an exception to recruit him and give him a chance to prove himself?"

Director Qin stood in place, letting out a deep breath of relief, and his tense shoulders finally relaxed.

Actually, according to the Special Search Team’s strict political review standards, candidates like Fang Cheng, whose immediate family has significant tainted backgrounds, should have been directly eliminated during the initial data review stage.

However, a certain old leader who just retired, personally called him these days to ask for a favor.

He couldn’t decline this personal request, so he exercised his authority to squeeze Fang Cheng’s data into the retest list while holding his nose.

Of course, his actions weren’t entirely favoritism.

Because the bottom logic of the "Black Rain World" is very peculiar.

It is not at all the proclaimed virtual environment, but a truly existing Otherworld.

All intruders whose consciousness is projected there will face severe dimension rejection phenomena.

That world not only forcibly strips away the intruder’s real-world memories but also completely suppresses their dormant inner Strength, turning them into complete ordinary people in the so-called "Illusion Realm."

This tactic is already a specially designed ultimate weapon by the Special Search Team to deal with malicious infiltrators and distinguish allies from foes.

Under such extreme fear, losing Strength and self-awareness, even an S-Class Spiritual mutant cannot maintain clarity, most easily revealing their selfish and cruel nature.

This young man, since he can, with an ordinary person’s body, bravely throw punches when encountering monsters, sacrifice himself to save others, and ultimately complete the assessment.

Naturally, it indicates his pure character, meeting the hard qualifications for recruitment by the Special Search Team.

"What’s the current situation?"

The middle-aged man’s deep voice interrupted Director Qin’s thoughts.

Director Qin immediately opened the tablet in his hand and glanced at the displayed data:

"According to real-time statistics reported from each examination venue, a total of four candidates have persisted for over twenty minutes in the Black Rain World."

"Among them, one candidate from the ninth examination hall has reached twenty-four minutes and fifty seconds, very close to the system’s set collapse limit of twenty-five minutes."

In this interview, the Special Search Team’s scoring standards are entirely different from conventional exams.

The "Illusion Realm Test" does not assess who clears it faster or exits earlier.

Instead, it evaluates who endures the dimensional rejection phenomena and continues to fight against unknown fear the longest.