Chapter 9 – The Trial That Wasn’t Meant for Me

Chapter 9 – The Trial That Wasn't Meant for Me

Ding!

[Workplace Survival Mission: Complete your first day at TechLink Solutions.]

[Rewards: +2 Intelligence, Skill Unlock – 'Multitasking']

Chen Yunran took a deep breath as he settled into his new desk. His first real job in this life, and already, he could feel the weight of expectation pressing down on him.

Across from him, Zhou Feng, the senior security analyst, barely spared him a glance before returning to his screen. Around him, employees typed furiously, their conversations low and filled with technical jargon.

For a moment, Chen Yunran considered playing it safe—keeping his head down, doing the bare minimum, and avoiding unnecessary attention.

But then he remembered the system's tendency to throw surprises at him. Playing it safe wasn't an option.

A Test of Competence

"New guy."

Chen Yunran looked up. A man in his late twenties, wearing thin-rimmed glasses and a casual polo shirt, leaned over his cubicle.

"Zhang Wei. I handle internal security audits," he said, offering a hand.

"Chen Yunran. New IT support." He shook it, keeping his grip firm but not overbearing.

Zhang Wei smirked. "They didn't tell you, did they?"

"Tell me what?"

"First-day hires usually get tested," Zhang Wei said. "They'll assign you a 'small' task, see how you handle it, and decide if you're worth keeping around."

Ding! New Side Quest Issued.

[Survive Your First Task: Impress your supervisor and avoid looking incompetent.]

[Hint: Don't just solve the problem—solve it well.]

[Rewards: +1 Intelligence, +5% Favorability with Xu Meilin]

Of course.

Just as he was processing this, a sharp voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Chen Yunran."

He turned—and there she was.

Xu Meilin.

Even though they had only briefly met earlier, she still carried the same intimidating aura. The entire floor seemed to straighten up at her presence, fingers moving faster over keyboards as if working harder would make them invisible.

"Follow me," she said simply, turning without waiting for a response.

His first instinct was to pretend he didn't hear her. But considering the system's warning about losing favorability, that was a terrible idea.

He stood and followed her into a small glass-walled conference room. Inside, two monitors displayed a scrolling stream of security logs and alerts.

Xu Meilin gestured toward them. "We've had an abnormal increase in failed login attempts across multiple departments in the last hour."

Chen Yunran immediately recognized what she was implying.

"A brute-force attack?"

Xu Meilin nodded. "It's a possibility. But our firewall and authentication protocols should have blocked it before reaching this stage." She turned to him, her violet eyes sharp. "You have a background in IT security, correct?"

"…I have some experience."

It wasn't a lie—between his system-provided technical skills and his own ability to adapt, he could hold his own.

Xu Meilin studied him for a moment before stepping aside. "Show me."

Ding! Mission Update.

[Immediate Task: Assist in diagnosing the security issue without revealing too much of your knowledge.]

[Warning: Revealing suspiciously high-level skills may attract unwanted attention.]

Chen Yunran exhaled slowly and took a seat. Time to work.

A Crisis Unfolds

His fingers moved across the keyboard, pulling up access logs and cross-referencing user activity. His enhanced intelligence stat made it easier to absorb the information, spotting anomalies that others might overlook.

Minutes passed in silence. Then—

"There," he muttered.

He pointed to a specific pattern in the logs. Failed login attempts, yes, but spaced just far enough apart to avoid triggering an automatic block. The attacker wasn't just brute-forcing—they were testing vulnerabilities carefully, methodically.

"They're probing for weak passwords," he said. "If this keeps up, they'll eventually find one."

Xu Meilin nodded approvingly. "Good. Now tell me—what's your solution?"

Chen Yunran hesitated. His instincts screamed at him to implement a countermeasure immediately, but the system's warning held him back. If he solved this too perfectly, it would raise suspicion.

"Strengthen password complexity requirements," he said after a moment. "Force immediate password resets on flagged accounts and analyze the source of the login attempts. If they're coming from compromised accounts internally, we might already have a mole."

Xu Meilin raised a brow. "You caught on fast."

Ding!

[+5% Favorability with Xu Meilin. (Total: 10%)]

"Not bad for a first-day hire," she said. "I'll have the security team investigate further. For now, keep an eye on this."

She turned to leave but paused at the door. "If you notice anything else, report to me directly."

Chen Yunran barely hid his surprise.

He hadn't just avoided a disaster—he had earned Xu Meilin's direct attention.

Ding! New Mission Issued.

[New Task: Assist in solving the internal security breach.]

[Objective: Investigate potential moles within the company and report findings.]

[Rewards: +3 Intelligence, Unique Skill Unlock – 'Digital Espionage']

He exhaled slowly, rubbing his temples.

This was supposed to be a normal job.

Instead, he had already stumbled into corporate espionage.

Status Update

[Host: Chen Yunran]

[Race: Human (Ascended – Sealed)]

[Physique: Weakened Cultivator Body (Suppressed)]

Stats:

Strength: 7 (You can lift groceries without looking pathetic.)

Agility: 6 (Slightly better than a couch potato.)

Stamina: 7 (Congratulations, you can now walk up stairs without gasping for air.)

Perception: 8 (Your instincts are sharper. Still not enough to dodge Zhao Lei's food theft.)

Intelligence: 11 (+2 from Mission, +1 from Side Quest)

Qi Reserves: Sealed (Try harder.)

Innate Skills:

— Perseverance (From First Life): Your refusal to die makes you a cockroach in human form.

— Fast Learner (From First Life): Your ability to analyze and adapt to new knowledge is significantly enhanced.

— Survival Instinct (From First Life): Your gut feeling warns you of danger before it happens.

— Cultivation Techniques (From Second Life): You possess advanced knowledge of Qi techniques, martial arts, and energy refinement.

— Body Refinement Mastery (From Second Life): Your body was once indestructible. Even weakened, you recover faster than normal humans.

— Pill Creation (From Second Life): You retain expertise in concocting powerful medicines, poisons, and enhancement elixirs.

— Stealth Mastery (From Second Life): You were a master of concealment and infiltration techniques, allowing you to move undetected.

— Weapon Proficiency (From Second Life): You have instinctive mastery over various weapons, even improvised ones.

— Technical Aptitude (From System): You now have a solid understanding of computer systems, coding, and digital security.

New Skill:

— Multitasking (Unlocked from First Day Mission): You can now efficiently process multiple tasks at once, increasing work productivity and reaction time.

Favorability Progress – Xu Meilin: 10%