Marcus pressed the call button, summoning support staff to take Joseph to the medical room. Then he pulled Chen Gu aside. "I heard the news. Your initiation ceremony is basically set. So, how about it—are you prepared?"
Silver Eagle, standing to the side, adjusted his lapels. "It’s not easy to succeed on the first try. I spent thirty million and prepared three grams of supermatter myself to succeed in one fell swoop."
Chen Gu really wanted to roll his eyes at him.
Melincha’s greatest strength was that she didn’t spoil things when others were showing off and often unwittingly played along.
She said with regret, "I was such a rookie back then; I didn’t understand anything. My family didn’t have money, and I hadn’t prepared anything. I failed the first time and only succeeded on the second attempt with the help of a senior."
Marcus then said to Chen Gu, "What about you? Have you prepared any extra supermatter? The bureau will only provide the most basic amount."
Silver Eagle tried to look nonchalant, but his ears perked up attentively.
Not to boast, but when it comes to "showing off," I, Chen Gu, am second to none! After all, I’m a man destined to become the Best Actor!
Chen Gu feigned a puzzled look, as if he barely understood anything. "Well, my family did prepare some supermatter for me, about 27 grams or so. I don’t know if it’s enough..."
"How much!?" Silver Eagle’s voice hitched, his face all but spelling "JEALOUSY."
"Almost 27 grams, yes, definitely less than 28." Chen Gu looked at Silver Eagle with a "confused" expression. "What’s wrong, not enough? Then I’ll ask my family for a bit more..."
"Even more..." Silver Eagle became visibly distressed. He considered his family "wealthy." However, during his own initiation ceremony, they had spent thirty million to prepare three grams of supermatter for him. This dried up the company’s liquid assets, and it took a long while for them to recover.
Marcus hurriedly said, "That’s more than enough, definitely enough! In fact... during the ceremony, the more supermatter, the better, of course, but there’s a limit. What you have is absolutely overflowing."
Silver Eagle’s handsome face twisted slightly as he said sourly, "It’s not purely about quantity. Attribute compatibility matters too. The supermatter I used was all of the most suitable Gui Luo series for me."
"Oh, I know about that. It was in the information the Chief gave me. My target is ’Radiation Missionary,’ and the most suitable is the Fear Insect series. Luckily, all the supermatter my family prepared for me is of the Fear Insect series."
Silver Eagle forcefully ran his hands through his hair. He didn’t want to speak another word to Chen Gu for the next two hours.
Melincha asked with a complex expression, "Chen Gu, what does your family do? Are they really that rich?"
"I don’t know either." Chen Gu was answering Melincha’s question, but his voice drifted toward Silver Eagle. "When I was in school, my family gave me a billion Starshield for allowance. I don’t really know how much money they have."
The chair beneath Silver Eagle shattered.
Defeated, utterly defeated. In the art of "showing off," I am far beneath him.
The little imp’s eyes lit up at his words. She stared at Chen Gu, thinking: I heard that new nightclub in North City is really expensive, and I’ve almost blown through my salary for the month... Suddenly, this genius beauty has a daring idea!
"Heh." Marcus no longer wanted to talk to Chen Gu either.
Thanks to Joseph’s brave self-sacrifice, everyone had a very enjoyable weekend, especially the little imp.
Of course, thanks to a certain someone’s crushing verbal blow, Silver Eagle had spent the entire night drowning his sorrows.
The following week, Chen Gu attended classes calmly. On Wednesday, he received a message: the initiation ceremony was scheduled for this weekend.
When Chen Gu received this message, his heart thumped hard. He was finally about to become a professional.
Although he calmly finished his classes for the next half-day, his mind was already a raging tempest.
He then began to count the days on his fingers.
Each day truly felt like an eternity.
On Friday afternoon, after school, Chen Gu parked his car in the precinct’s parking lot. He then slept for a few hours in a small dormitory arranged by the precinct. At four in the morning, his alarm woke him, and he went to the lobby.
This moment was very important for Chen Gu. He was going to board an interstellar flight to Zhaojieze City on Yinglong Star, where he would use the emitter to strive to become a "Radiation Missionary."
But at this hour, no one significant was there to see him off. Everyone was asleep. Who would want to get up so early to bid him farewell?
An older son, perhaps? Absolutely impossible.
Accompanying Chen Gu was Nagano Takesakura, a middle-aged woman of average stature and appearance, but with an elegant demeanor and a somewhat nervous expression.
An unlucky clerical worker, rubbing his sleepy eyes, led them to the spaceport.
After completing all the formalities, Chen Gu and the woman entered the cabin through a special passage.
Such special passages were typically reserved for politicians, tycoons, and celebrities.
Throughout the journey, Chen Gu felt rather uneasy. Despite having made the most comprehensive preparations, he was inevitably anxious as the moment approached.
Nagano Takesakura also seemed preoccupied and didn’t talk much. Once the two were seated, Nagano Takesakura ordered a glass of fruit wine. After downing it in one gulp, she let out a long sigh and looked at Chen Gu with envious eyes. "This is my third time..."
Chen Gu was taken aback. Nagano Takesakura smiled bitterly. "If I fail again, I’ll have to resign myself to being an operations team member for the rest of my life.
"But after experiencing the power of professionals, who can resist such a temptation?
"I may truly lack the talent, though. The first time, I was most prepared, but I didn’t succeed.
"It took me three years to pay off the medical bills for the damage to my body, and then another six years to accumulate enough merit to get a second chance.
"This third attempt has cost me ten years, and it’s my last chance. I don’t know if I can still fulfill that dream..."
Perhaps due to the immense psychological pressure, Nagano Takesakura blurted it all out. Chen Gu remained silent, unsure how to comfort her.
Chen Gu knew very well that this was the reality for most people. Those who truly became professionals were the fortunate ones favored by the heavens.
Behind every professional stood the shadows of several, even dozens, who had failed.
At this moment, the broadcast announced that the spaceship was about to take off. The anti-gravity engines ignited, first lifting the ship into space. After traveling for a while to reach a safe zone, all passengers entered their safety cabins, and then the ship’s AI activated the warp drive.
On Empire River Star, Xiao Jiangxia slept soundly beside her husband, oblivious to the fact that he had, at some point, opened his eyes and was now staring intently at the wall clock on the opposite wall.