Starting to Gain Experience from Push-Ups-Chapter 1204 - 585: Admission Card

"Time to head back."

Fang Cheng glanced around, suppressing the urge to try once more.

The commotion just now was too great, if he ran again, it might really attract the water police.

Besides, there was still official business today.

The Special Search Team had sent a notice for today to go over there, receive the exam admission ticket, and familiarize oneself with the interview process.

Since he decided to use this disguise to conceal his identity, he had to go through the necessary steps right, lest he gave people an opening to gossip.

Fang Cheng adjusted his breath, his body suddenly sank, then his arms moved like paddles, slicing through the water.

He was like an agile fish, dragging a white wave under the shimmering lake surface, swiftly swimming towards the shore where his clothes were placed in the woods.

..................

AM.

Jing’an District, Huaihai West Road.

Sunlight penetrated the thin layer of clouds and shone on the gray-white granite exterior wall of the Special Search Team Headquarters, reflecting a cold, hard sheen.

This was a sprawling complex, occupying hundreds of acres, laid out in a "hui" shape.

The main building stood a towering thirty stories tall, with rigid, straight lines devoid of any superfluous decoration, like a giant steel ingot erected in the heart of the city.

Above the main entrance, the massive metal national emblem glistened in the sunlight, while the bright red national flags flapped soundly in the wind on either side.

At the gate, armed sentinels stood with an eagle-like gaze, scanning the flow of people moving in and out.

Even standing across the street, one could feel the overwhelming solemnity and authority emanating from it.

That oppressive feeling was unique to the nation’s violent institutions.

At this time, the square in front of the building was already bustling with heads.

Thousands of young people gathered here, either conversing quietly in small groups or standing alone in corners, flipping through their materials.

The air was thick with a mix of the scent of sweat and the anxiety-infused atmosphere.

"Ah Cheng! Over here!"

A loud holler pierced through the noisy crowd.

Fang Cheng turned his head to look, only to see a sturdy figure, as massive as a bear, waving at him from the bottom of the steps.

Ma Donghe wore a tight black T-shirt, the taut fabric faintly revealing the contours of his muscular build.

He stood among the crowd like a huge boulder.

The candidates around, relatively thinner, instinctively glanced sideways at him, carefully making their way around him.

"You’re pretty early."

Fang Cheng walked over, chuckling as he greeted him.

"Of course, today’s a big day."

Ma Donghe slung an arm over Fang Cheng’s shoulder with an air of familiarity with the place, leading him inside.

Along the way, he’d occasionally nod his head at some similarly burly and unruly fellows in the crowd, his voice booming:

"Da Fei, your get-up looks great, looks like you went all out!"

"Qiang Zi, don’t rush off after the test, let’s get a drink somewhere tonight!"

"Hey, Old Hei, you’re here too? Your leg’s healed?"

He bellowed holiday greetings throughout their walk, catching the attention of many people.

The middle-aged man named "Old Hei" saw Ma Donghe and squeezed through the crowd, approaching with a smile, offering a cigarette with both hands:

"Brother Ma! Thanks to you, it’s healed quickly."

Ma Donghe waved off the cigarette, promptly patting Fang Cheng’s shoulder, introducing with a bold demeanor:

"This is my good brother, Fang Cheng. If you end up in the same team for a mission, keep your eyes sharp and look after him."

"Brother Ma’s brother is my own brother, understood, understood."

Old Hei nodded eagerly, his gaze sweeping over Fang Cheng, unconsciously showing a hint of respect.

Throughout their walk, Ma Donghe had greeted at least five or six groups of people.

Clearly, in these months, he’s been making waves amongst the examinees, becoming the apparent leader of this cohort of social candidates.

After greeting a few acquaintances, Ma Donghe pointed at the surrounding crowd, lowering his voice to say:

"See this? It’s just like a thousand troops crossing a single-log bridge. But don’t be fooled by the numbers, most are just cannon fodder."

"Of course, you and I are different, we’re specially recruited ’special-talents’ by the Special Search Team."

He spoke while nodding towards the other side of the square, where a group of young people in uniform stood:

"As for those guys, they’re elite graduates from the Special Police School, professionally trained, the Special Search Team’s own."

"During our interview, we’re mainly competing with these rookies for slots."

Fang Cheng followed his gaze and glanced over.

Those trainees stood with perfectly straight postures, eyes radiating a sense of pride.

In contrast, the social candidates here indeed seemed a bit disorganized, a mixed bag.

"Let’s go, Brother Wei is waiting inside."

Ma Donghe led Fang Cheng through the security passage with ease and entered the service hall.

The hall was well air-conditioned, and many uniformed staff members were busily moving around.

The sounds of printers and phones rang out one after another.

Today, Wei Zheng wore the dark green regular uniform of the Special Search Team, with his uniform buttoned meticulously and silver stars shining on his epaulets, making him appear especially sharp and upright.

"You’ve arrived."

Seeing the two of them, Wei Zheng showed a gentle smile and handed a prepared document folder to Fang Cheng:

"All the materials have been filled out. I wrote my name in the recommender section."

"After all, the teacher’s position is sensitive, there are too many eyes on him. To avoid unnecessary trouble, it’s better to be low-key."

"Got it, thank you, Brother Wei."

Fang Cheng took the document folder without even looking at it and signed his name directly.

He was eager for this arrangement.

What he wanted was the qualification to pass the Special Search Team’s background check, not the label of a "ministerial relation," speaking with his strength gave him more confidence.

"Alright, you two, hold onto your admission tickets first."

Wei Zheng then handed over two magnetic cards with photos and numbers to Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe, then pointed to a large electronic screen on the wall of the hall:

"The detailed exam procedures are out, take a careful look."

At this moment, the area below the electronic screen was already crowded with people. Everyone was looking up, watching the scrolling subtitles, and the sound of discussions buzzed like a hive.

Seeing this, Fang Cheng and Ma Donghe also moved closer.

The exam was spread over three days.

The written test would be held tomorrow morning, scheduled in the teaching building of the "National Police Academy," a subsidiary of the Special Search Team, divided into three sessions.

Subjects covered "Basic Law," "Basic Psychology," "Introduction to Political Science," "General Theory of Tactical Command," as well as Mandarin and foreign languages.

Law and psychology were considered comprehensive subjects, testing individual comprehensive ability and literacy.

As for the exams for Mandarin and foreign languages, the main aim was apparently to eliminate the illiterate.

Looking at the long list of book titles, Ma Donghe’s face instantly scrunched into a bitter gourd as he painfully scratched his head:

"I’m doomed, I really can’t understand this stuff, it’s practically harder than a cryptic script. I wonder if I can even scrape a passing score?"

After complaining, he turned to Fang Cheng, as if seeking a comrade:

"Ah Cheng, how’s your review going?"

"Not bad, I’ve crammed a bit these past few days."

Fang Cheng replied in a flat tone.

Seeing this, Wei Zheng, thinking Fang Cheng was trying to save face, patted his shoulder and comforted him:

"Don’t worry too much. You applied to the Medical Team as a ’traditional medicine specialty student,’ so the written test score threshold is accordingly lower."

"As long as you don’t hand in a blank paper, even if you just pass, the teacher will help pull your score up during the interview."

Fang Cheng smiled without further explanation.

For someone with excellent memory like him, these rote learning points seemed akin to a university student doing first-grade math problems, it would be difficult not to pass.

"Brother Wei, what about me? What should I do?"

Nearby, the "illiterate" Ma Donghe had a distressed expression, like a pleading Big Bear.

"You?"

Wei Zheng glanced at him with a bit of annoyance:

"Just try to write as much as you can, don’t leave any blanks."

"As for the rest, as long as you excel in the physical test, the teacher will naturally have a reason to apply for a ’special talent special enrollment’ spot for you and recover the score."

Seeing Ma Donghe slightly relax, Wei Zheng then continued to explain the exam process:

"After the written test comes the interview, scheduled for the afternoon of the day after tomorrow, at the interrogation room of the Special Search Team Headquarters."

"Interrogation room?!"

Upon hearing this, Ma Donghe was startled.

"Don’t be nervous, just a borrowed venue."

Wei Zheng immediately explained:

"The main content is psychological evaluation and political review. It sounds intimidating, but for you, there’s no need to worry at all, it’s basically a formality, just confirming a clean background and no antisocial personality."

At this point, Wei Zheng paused, his expression suddenly becoming serious.

He pointed to the last line on the electronic screen:

"The focus of this exam is still the physical test on the third day."

Fang Cheng’s gaze shifted downwards, looking at the displayed content, his eyebrows slightly raised:

"West Mountain?"