I Pick Up Talents on the Interstellar Battlefield Chapter 1059 - 668: Li Qi’s Inner Demon

"A Jun, A Jun, what are you doing?"

A Jun, such a familiar name.

Li Qi slowly opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a young boy. His facial features were ordinary, easily lost in a crowd, yet his eyes carried an uncommon liveliness.

"A Jun, what’s wrong with you? The trial is about to start; why do you seem so distracted?"

The boy frowned, his tone urgent and slightly reproachful. He waved a hand in front of Li Qi’s eyes, as if trying to pull him back from his daze.

Trial? A Jun?

I am...

Li Qi’s pupils contracted, a torrent of memories surged into his mind, drowning his consciousness.

I am Chen Jun.

I am an assassin chosen by the Shadow Division and trained from a young age. I’ve been in this Battalion for six whole years, struggling daily between life and death, dancing on the edge of a blade.

Six years of blood and fire honed me from a clueless child into one of the most promising candidates among this batch of Shadow Division trainees.

No, that’s not right.

If I am Chen Jun, then who is Li Qi?

Li Qi felt his brain becoming chaotic, as if a dense fog was sealing off his memories.

The memories were clearly there; he could feel their presence, yet he couldn’t see through the fog to understand them.

"Don’t stand there dazed, hurry up."

The youth grabbed Li Qi’s arm and dragged him towards the forest. The warmth of the youth’s hand felt real, almost too real to be fake.

Li Qi looked at the boy pulling him, and more memories emerged in his mind.

This boy named A Hao is his brother since childhood, also chosen by the Shadow Division like him.

In the Battalion, they supported each other, encouraged each other; it’s because of this that they managed to survive in that brutal and bloody Purgatory.

How many times have they hovered on the brink of death, and it was A Hao who pulled him back; how many times did he want to give up, and it was A Hao who told him to hang on a bit longer.

After today’s trial, they will become real assassins.

"A Hao."

Li Qi whispered, his voice laced with confusion.

The name rolled off his tongue, familiar yet strange.

To him, A Hao is the most important person in his life, even more so than his deceased parents, but for some reason, he felt as though he had forgotten something even more important.

What did he forget?

He tried hard to think, but his mind remained blank.

Soon, they reached the trial ground in the forest.

It was a clearing surrounded by tall trees, with sunlight filtering through the canopy, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

The clearing was already filled with many boys and girls like them, all dressed in black, standing silently. Some were expressionless, revealing no emotion; others were glaring with hostility at those around them, like young beasts ready to pounce on prey at any moment.

They all knew, with the Shadow Division’s way of doing things, today’s trial would undoubtedly be exceptionally brutal. And the people around them are likely to be enemies — it’s either you die, or I die.

The air felt so heavy it seemed like it could drip.

"Tap, tap, tap—"

A slow and steady sound of footsteps came from within the forest.

Following that, a man wearing an iron mask walked to the front of the crowd of youths.

He was tall and exuded an overwhelming oppressive aura, holding an iron box in his hand.

The iron mask covered most of his face, leaving only his cold eyes visible. Those eyes swept across everyone present, like a butcher examining livestock ready for slaughter.

"Today is the final trial." The iron-masked man’s voice was devoid of emotion. "Those who complete the trial can leave the training ground and become real Shadow Division assassins."

After speaking, he opened the box, revealing neatly arranged bamboo tubes inside.

"Now, everyone come and receive your task." The iron-masked man’s tone was indifferent. "Remember, your task must be kept secret, and must not be seen by others."

Upon hearing this, the youths’ hearts sank, and their alertness was instantly heightened to the maximum.

From the iron-masked man’s words, they were even more certain that today, among them, a brutal massacre must unfold.

"Number one!"

As the iron-masked man called out numbers, the boys and girls stepped forward according to their sequence number in the Battalion to receive their bamboo tubes.

After receiving a bamboo tube, they would immediately run to a further place, making sure no one was nearby, then take out the slip of paper inside, carefully read each word, firmly remember it, and then directly put the paper into their mouths and swallow it.

Soon, it was Li Qi’s turn.

He walked forward and took a bamboo tube from the iron-masked man’s hand. The bamboo tube felt slightly cool and heavy, as if it contained not only a piece of paper, but his destiny.

He walked to the side, confirmed that no one was around, took out the slip of paper from the bamboo tube, and slowly unrolled the paper.

When he saw the words on the paper, his pupils suddenly contracted.

It had a name written on it, a name he was all too familiar with.

After him, A Hao also received his bamboo tube, took out the slip, glanced at the content, and expressionlessly swallowed the paper.

When everyone finished receiving their tasks, the iron-masked man slowly spoke, his voice echoing through the silent forest: "Now, the trial officially begins."

As soon as he finished speaking, the iron-masked man’s body lifted into the air, and he lightly tapped the treetops with his toes, vanishing from sight like a ghost before everyone.