interview  

Facing Martha's piercing gaze, Alexander let out a wry smile. He had once asked her to track and observe Duke, and although she had been reluctant, she had gone through with it. However, her observations seemed to differ from his thoughts.

It appeared to be a pair of orphaned siblings seeking warmth from each other. Yes, orphans. He had just checked Duke's file through the Enforcer system. The data showed that both Duke and Monica were orphans. Although their records had only been entered into the residents' system three years ago, it was a common occurrence in the slums. Many people weren't documented. Alexander guessed that Duke had entered high school about three years ago, hence his formal record.

"He saved your life, yet you're still suspicious." Martha finished speaking, and Alexander raised his hands in surrender. Then, he discreetly pulled her aside and handed her a bank card.

"Last month's salary is in there, about  eighty thousand Dollar. Help me give it to those two kids." Alexander said with a touch of guilt, and Martha hesitated for a moment.

Even though Alexander held the highest position and received an Awakened allowance every month, being an Awakened also incurred higher expenses, especially for supplements, raw stones, and other costs. Not to mention the cost of treating injuries, which was an even more substantial expenditure.

Martha scolded Alexander for a few sentences, but she actually understood that most of Alexander's monthly income went towards supporting impoverished people back in his hometown.

"Don't meddle too much. I'll call everyone together to raise funds for them." Alexander hastily stopped her, looking at the busy figures of the other team members, and unconsciously lit a cigarette.

"They've all given so much, yet earned so little. They have families and lives, unlike me. It's just my brother and me. If  willing, you can give a bit more to those two kids." Alexander finished, not waiting for Martha's response, and joined the rest of the team in their busy activities. Martha watched him, his figure seeming a bit unsteady due to his injuries, she holding the bank card in her hand.

All of the infected individuals in Zone C had been eliminated, and this news had spread in less than two days. However, for security reasons, the lockdown of Zone C continued for ten days. Fortunately, Duke possessed life crystals, and after testing, it was confirmed that Monica could use them multiple times, otherwise ten days would have been enough to drain him dry. Besides the life crystal from infected individual number 2, including the other crystals, even the one from infected individual number 1, had all been absorbed by them.

Duke really wanted to participate in the test, to see how high his original force value was. Over the past ten days, he felt that his strength, speed, and mental state had all become stronger than before.

Statistical data showed that a total of twelve ordinary residents were consumed, and another six were infected and turned into zombies. These infected individuals also needed to be burned to death. Duke also went to the scene, not to watch the spectacle, but to obtain life crystals. However, what surprised him was that out of the six bodies that were burned, only one sturdy man generated a thumbnail-sized crystal. The bodies of the other five had produced nothing.

"Perhaps this is related to my growth in original force." Duke guessed that the stronger his original force, the more difficult it would be for ordinary corpses to generate crystals. It was similar to how, in a game, once the character's level was high, they couldn't gain experience points from low-level monsters.

After returning home, Duke received a call from his homeroom teacher, Jim.

"Duke, are you okay?"

"Ah, I'm fine now, you scared me."

"The test is coming up in a couple of days. You need to come back. Even if you don't awaken, having a slightly higher original force value will be helpful when looking for a job after graduation."

Jim was quite talkative, but he had always been good to Duke. When Duke first enrolled, he was short on money, and Jim secretly helped cover his fees, although he never admitted it. Duke only found out about this from others later on.

"So, the test is coming up." Duke looked at Monica, who was tidying up the house, and suddenly furrowed his brow, his expression becoming serious.

Over the past few days, not only had Duke himself experienced significant improvements in strength and speed, but Monica had as well. Based on Monica's progress, Duke also felt that his own original force value had definitely increased significantly. 

However, this posed a problem. His original force value from the previous test was just a little over seventy points. If it suddenly increased by a large margin this time, would it arouse suspicion? Duke had to be cautious; after all, he had an infected sibling, and the official attitude towards infected individuals was merciless. He had long grown accustomed to anticipating potential crises.

Just then, a knock came from the door.

"Duke, are you home? It's Martha."

Martha wasn't alone; she had brought a woman dressed in professional attire with her. This woman looked to be around thirty years old, her appearance more formal. Her face lit up upon seeing Duke.

"And who might this be?" Duke asked, puzzled.

"This is Vivian, a reporter from the J City Times. I heard that you were involved in the recent operation and I'd like to interview you for a special feature. Is that okay?" 

Martha had her own intentions as well.For impoverished individuals like Duke and Monica, opportunities were just as important as money. Even if he couldn't awaken, having such a heroic experience to mention after graduation would be a significant advantage during job interviews.

Although Duke initially wanted to modestly decline, as it contradicted his principle of remaining low-key, he suddenly thought that this might be an opportunity to explain the sudden surge in his original force value. After concocting an explanation in his mind, he readily agreed to the interview. After taking a photo with a banner that read "Heroic Deed," Martha left a card, along with a small bag of raw stones, and then departed.

The time that followed was dedicated to Duke and Vivian. Vivian looked at Duke's house, the dilapidated furniture and decorations, and his eyes began to shine. An orphan, a student, a slum dweller, a savior of the enforcement team—these elements combined were enough to make for a striking news story.

During the subsequent interview, what surprised Vivian the most was Duke's adeptness at "to do things correctly." He hardly mentioned the poor conditions of the slums or the authorities' negligence, nor did he complain. On the contrary, he highly praised the authorities' swift response and the responsible attitude of the enforcement team. 

Without any hints or guidance, Duke had managed to completely avoid any content that could potentially expose issues. Wasn't this what they referred to as "to do things correctly"? Could there be a more suitable interviewee? It was practically a draft that needed no revisions!

"Lastly, would you like to convey a few words to the enforcement team?" Although in the past, Vivian might have wanted him to say something without publicly recording it, Duke's previous statements had already satisfied her greatly.

"I'm very grateful for the swift action of the enforcement team and for the life crystals they gave me. During the ten-day lockdown, I didn't waste any time and used these raw stones to practice every day. know that I couldn't afford them before, but these ten days have yielded quite a lot. I even have a feeling that I might awaken during the graduation test!" Duke's demeanor was filled with fighting spirit, as if he had been injected with energy, like a passionate and youthful person.