Chapter 8: Agent a.s.sessment

E/D: fun P/R: larkspur

The Avengers base.

Fifty level 3 and level 4 agents with suits were lined up in a formation, standing straight with solemn expressions. Bruce was also in the formation. Two level 5 agents along with one level 7 agent stood in front of the formation.

Level 7 agents already belonged to the top of s.h.i.+ELD. Bruce knew the level 7 agent. His name was Thompson Zoe, also known as b.l.o.o.d.y Mantis. His fighting ability was at the top of his level. He was also the commander of the base. Bruce and co. were under his command.

Zoe was wearing a casual T-s.h.i.+rt. He was not strong or tall, but his body was emitting a powerful force.

“Today, we will be selecting three level 5 agents and ten level 4s. Good luck to you gentlemen. Begin.” Zoe didn't say anything after that, announcing the beginning of the a.s.sessment immediately.

The agent a.s.sessment was divided into three stages. Shooting ability, physical strength and fighting ability. The first one was shooting.

Ten people were one group, with Bruce being in the last one. Everyone needed to shoot ten times within the time limit. The rankings were decided based off of the score.

From the first four groups, Duke had the best result with 89. Without any preparation, he shot ten times and managed to get an 89, a very good score. This score beat the world record by a mile.

In the last group, Bruce and Bill were getting ready for their turn. Not far away, Duke looked at Bruce and made a cut-throat motion with his hands. He was provoking Bruce. However Bruce did not respond, inwardly sneering.

“Start!” Frank announced.

"Bang, bang, bang.." Bruce shot ten times without any hesitation or pause.

"Ilan 82 rings, Sam 79 rings, Bill 83 rings… Bruce 100 rings!"

Every agent was shocked. Ten shots, 100 rings?

This was only possible for level 6 or level 7 agents. As for Bruce, he was just a level 3 agent. How did he do it? Zoe looked up and glanced at Bruce. Duke and co. changed their expressions..

They doubted their ears.

The second stage was the physical test. It was a distance run of 1 km. There were still 10 people in a group. Bill stood beside Bruce and wanted to say something, but in the end, he held himself back. He felt that Bruce seemed different from usual.

From the first four groups, the best result was still held down by Duke, with one minute and forty seconds. If there was no accident, Duke was guaranteed to be promoted to a level 5 agent.

The last group was one again Bruce's. After the signal, they started. Bruce hid some of his strength this time around, he didn't want to show all of his skills. But even so, he still scored one minute and twenty seconds.

It was twenty seconds faster than Duke's time. At this moment, every agent was shocked. Some were even doubting their eyes.

“Was Bruce hiding his strength before?”

“G.o.d, 20 seconds faster than Duke! Is he still human?”

“He will be promoted to a level 5 agent directly!” The level 3 and level 4 agents were shocked to their core. Still not believing what had just happened.  However, Bruce was very calm. At this point, Zoe looked at Bruce with a smile. Strength was very eye catching, no matter where you were.

“The final test is fighting, and you can choose your opponent freely!” Frank's voice came and made all the agents feel shocked.

This was the highlight of the a.s.sessment. No matter how you did in the previous 2 rounds, actual fighting strength was the most important part of the a.s.sessment.

After Frank made the announcement, Duke stood up immediately. During this a.s.sessment, he was supposed to be the best. But Bruce made him lose his moment to s.h.i.+ne and stole his spotlight. This made him very angry! 

He wasn't the only one angry, the other agents on his side were also furious. “Duke, kill this monkey, let him see our strength.” 

“A level 3 agent can't do what he did, he must be cheating.”

“Duke, go, kill him!”

The shoutings of those agents made Duke even more indignant. Subsequently, Duke walked out: “Sir, level 4 agent Kyle Duke asks to challenge level 3 agent Bruce Lite!”

In the history of s.h.i.+ELD, there were no precedents of senior agents challenging lower level agents. But there was no rule that prohibited it.

“Bruce, Duke challenges you to a fight, do you accept it? Of course, you have the right to refuse.” Frank asked. Frank had a good impression of Bruce, and he liked Bruce's silent character, which was vital to agents. Therefore, he said the words with a warning tone, not wanting to see Bruce get hurt. The battles between agents only ended with one dying or being crippled!

However, Bruce just smiled. Refuse? If he refused, how would he become a level 5 agent?How would he leave the base to make money? How would he find Spider man? Besides, Duke was looking for death. Why not satisfy his wish?

Bruce said without hesitation: "Sir, I accept!"