America: Starting with Daily Intelligence

Chapter 136 Certificate Examination

After getting dressed and washing up, Zhang Ailun woke up Dominic and Jennifer.

"Whose turn is to cook today?"

"Your breakfast is delicious, why don't you make it anymore? People who are capable should put in more effort." Jennifer snuggled up to her, wanting a warm hug.

"Go wash your face and brush your teeth!" Zhang Ailun refused her outright and led her into the bathroom.

Jennifer reluctantly went to wash up, and in the end, Dominic took the initiative to make breakfast, and also woke up the punk girl Jesse.

Zhang Ailun looked at the sleepy-eyed Jesse and wondered how she had done her makeup, which hadn't come off even after a whole night.

After washing up, without eyeshadow and long eyelashes, and removing her lip piercing, she changed into a Jennifer dress and sat there looking serene.

A pink teddy bear t-shirt, shorts, white socks, and sneakers—she looked so sweet and innocent, like a girl next door. Youth is wonderful! She's a completely different person from her crazy self yesterday.

Sensing that Zhang Ailun was observing her, she smiled slightly.

Dominic quickly prepared breakfast and put it on the table.

"What's the schedule for today?" Zhang Ailun asked.

"Make money," Jennifer said.

"Collect cans, sell cans," Dominic said.

"Go to the funeral home and play with the dead," Jesse said.

???

All three looked at her. Jesse, her expression unchanged, munched on her sandwich and explained, "I'll work part-time as a porter there, and after that, I'll collect cans on the street. I can earn two jobs a day!"

You're such a little genius!

"But before that, I need to set up the tent. Dominic, you'll have to help me," Jesse said.

"Okay." Dominic nodded.

Zhang Ailun noticed that she seemed like a normal person today, and after exchanging a few words with her, he didn't pay much more attention to her.

But then Jesse dropped another bombshell: "I feel like living in a tent by myself isn't as comfortable as living in a campervan. At least when I want a man, I can do whatever I want without caring what you guys think."

"..."

Zhang Ailun and Jennifer exchanged a glance.

This girl is even more crazy than you; no wonder she's a mental patient.

After finishing breakfast and quickly rinsing the dishes, Zhang Ailun received another email notification. He glanced at it and saw that it was all in English and official language.

大致意思是：你已经通过了我们的线上笔试审核，可以进行线下的正式考核，请在上午10:30-11:59分，下午13:30-17:59分时间段前往郊区xx地点的线下场地进行职业考核。

There are also reminder texts and serial numbers.

As an aside: Your card number is a [mysterious code]. Please back up and save your serial number to prevent it from being stolen by malicious people. This number is unique and will be used to make identity cards and legal documents after you pass the test...etc.

Zhang Ailun quickly glanced through the lengthy description of over a thousand words, downloaded and backed up his card number, and casually sent a copy to Sieg.

Just kidding. If I don't give my card number to anyone, do you think I can pass the exam on my own?

Of course, one copy for the person taking the exam and one copy for me.

He put away his phone, greeted the three of them, and immediately left the RV. He then found Sig, who was returning from Camp 9 next door, and informed him of the news.

Sieg also received the number Zhang Ailun sent him, and was somewhat surprised: "You've already passed the written test? Then all you need to do next is go to the testing site. If you do well, you might be able to print and get your certificate on the same day, and it will be valid in two days. If you do poorly, the auditors will need to review it multiple times, and the printing and data entry process will be slower."

He added, "I just handed that box over to the people in Faithmore and asked them to handle the medical supplies. I promised to give them some running fees."

Zhang Ailun trusted Sieg's abilities and immediately nodded. "Are you confident you can pass on the first try? We have to pay the proctor a $50 fee. It's $50 once, so it's $100 twice."

"I'm confident!"

Sieg may not be so confident in other areas, but when it comes to shooting, he's not exactly a crack shot, but he's much better than non-professionals.

"Okay, let's go then." Zhang Ailun decided to go with him to take a look.

The two got into the pickup truck and drove directly out of the city to the designated location in the suburbs.

It took several tens of minutes to reach the suburbs, and this was the first time Zhang Ailun had seen the security training and assessment base.

It's not actually that mysterious. The facilities were probably built on a construction site. At first glance, the wire mesh and fences look like a small military base, but it also looks more like a wilderness shooting range.

Many people drove into the parking lot, unloaded their equipment, and lined up outside to swipe their cards and get receipts.

Sig stopped the car, placed his gun inside, and locked the doors and windows.

Zhang Ailun gave him $50, and Sieg went straight to the queue, familiar with the place.

There were a total of five challenges: a marksmanship test (range and distance), a movement test requiring hitting a dummy, a physical fitness test involving parkour and wall-climbing, first aid and employer protection measures, a psychological test, and an assessment of adaptability. The staff were incredibly dedicated, acting as both kidnappers and hostages – it was practically a large-scale, real-life CS 1.6 offline amusement park.

It is divided into many smaller items, which is quite complicated. Each item will add points. The cumulative score is considered to be qualified if it reaches the standard score, and it is considered to be excellent if it exceeds the score.

If it were the second event, Zhang Ailun might get a high score, but he'd have a hard time getting past the first round. His aim is off, so nothing he says matters.

There were security personnel throughout the base, but they were mostly just for show, and no one would cause trouble there. There was a shooting range nearby, where many people were nervously firing their guns to warm up their skills.

Zhang Ailun was also very interested and went over to inquire about the price.

The staff member replied, "This shooting course is specially set up for the participants and their accompanying family members. Tickets are $50 per person, and you can choose any gun and fire as many bullets as you like."

So cheap?

Zhang Ailun immediately took out fifty dollars to register and pay, received his name tag, and entered the shooting range under the guidance of the staff.

The sounds of gunfire from the people nearby were incessant. Boxes of bullets were piled up, and weapon racks displayed all sorts of pistols, rifles, sniper rifles, and submachine guns.

The reason why bullets are relatively cheap is that they are stockpiled here and are nearing their expiration date. They need to be disposed of as soon as possible, so the purchase price is cheap and all types can be found. The production line cost of a copper bullet is only a few cents, and steel bullets are even cheaper. They are only sold at higher prices in stores and convenience stores.

A box of bullets typically sells for around ten to several tens of dollars in supermarkets. If someone like Sieg gets them from his friend, it's even cheaper; he can make a profit as low as five dollars a box.

Seeing that Zhang Ailun was Asian and found everything novel, the staff assumed that he didn't shoot much and probably didn't know the rules. They explained the program and rules to Zhang Ailun in detail, such as not pointing the gun at people and checking the safety when firing and reloading.

Basically, there are several major rules to pay attention to. Zhang Ailun understands these rules. He has played at the shooting range before. He just can't hit the target accurately. It's not like he's never tried before.

He picked a Beretta 92F that suited his hand; he liked that it was comfortable to hold, had low recoil, and looked cool.

He grabbed a few boxes of bullets, took a stance, and started firing.

At 30 or 50 meters, you'd typically hit two out of ten targets, or even just graz them. If you were lucky, you might hit the bullseye, which means you don't really have any shooting talent.

With this level of skill, in a huge shooting range, he would be considered an amateur among amateurs, the absolute worst.

Complete beginner.

Zhang Ailun fired two sets of magazines in succession until his wrists ached, then he chose to stop and rest. His shooting score also improved slightly.

He turned his head and looked at the other professional athletes for a while.

A chubby man with a thick beard, wearing overalls and Doc Martens, was holding a Glock 21 pistol. He skillfully loaded it, aimed at a fixed target 100 meters away, and fired it with a series of clattering sounds, making the target seem to dance.

All hits.

Zhang Ailun glanced at the opponent's marksmanship, then at his own target.

Thank you, I was quite discouraged.

Why can't I hit the target? Because it's inherently kind! I can't bear to shoot it!

"Hey buddy, are you here for an assessment? Your aim is so good you can hit the bullseye every time. You must have passed all the tests, right?" Zhang Ailun asked him as the bearded man changed his magazine.

"No, I was too nervous and lost a lot of points while moving and shooting."

The bearded man glanced at Zhang Ailun's target and asked with a smile, "Did you come with your friend?"

"Um."

That was all Zhang Ailun could say. After all, with his marksmanship, who knew who would be the one to die if he went to protect his employer? And it wasn't easy to openly admit to hiring someone to take the exam for him.

"I failed this time, so I'll have to wait until next time," the bearded man said, then gestured for Zhang Ailun to look at the man dressed as a cowboy next to him, and said, "He's also very accurate with shooting. He can hit any stationary target exactly, and he's also very precise with moving targets. But like me, he failed the test four or five times. He mainly lost in the psychological test and the section that assesses his ability to adapt to unexpected situations."

"Being a good shot is useless; you need to make your employer see that you're working for him. Protect your employer while also protecting yourself."

Goodness, if this guy can't pass, then I'm even less likely to pass.

Zhang Ailun felt that this was not a test of gun license and security, but a selection of elite special forces soldiers!

The president's bodyguards are only this good, but they're all just a facade; their actual skills might not even be comparable to a street-side security guard who earns $200 a day.

All I could do was comfort them and encourage them to keep trying.

The assessment is like this: the system is rather rigid. Taking the driving test requires driving according to the requirements, but in reality, who drives according to the requirements?

If there are no traffic lights or cameras, and you're in a hurry, you'll definitely floor the gas pedal.

After greeting the bearded man, Zhang Ailun went to other venues to try out different firearms, including rifles, submachine guns, and even lever rifles. He found he had no feel for the guns, and the bullets flew around erratically.

But at least I've gotten the hang of it.

This is what happens when you lack shooting talent; even sharpshooters are made through sheer volume of bullets. Wait until the Grand Master has fired a ton, two tons, ten tons of bullets, and then will you still dare say the Grand Master's accuracy is poor?

Zhang Ailun fired a gun for a long time and was surprised to find that he hadn't seen a single black person here.

No wonder that in previous Olympic Games, the shooting events were all white, while the sprint and long-distance running events were all black.

After waiting for several more hours, around noon, Sieg came out.

Zhang Ailun had already left the shooting range and was sitting on the side resting, chatting with Reina on his phone.

Zhang Ailun: My hands are all red from controlling the recoil!

Reina: What kind of gun are you using?

Zhang Ailun: There are all kinds of guns at the shooting range.

Reina: Oh, I thought you were up to no good again. Your bank card has been issued; remember to come and pick it up when you have time. I'll personally help you control your recoil then!

Zhang Ailun: ...

Putting away his phone, he turned around and saw a smug-looking Sieg, asking him, "How did the assessment go? Did you pass? Judging from your expression, you seem to have it in the bag?"

Sieg handed him a form, brimming with confidence. "Look at the scores here. Every single one is excellent. These are all things I excel at. I've taken this test before, and it was a much more rigorous, near-combat assessment in the military. How could I possibly fail!"

Zhang Ailun glanced at the report card. His name was his, his photo was his, and his grade was excellent, but the examiner was not him.

Emptiness! Utter emptiness!!

An ugly system! Transactions of money! And me, getting in through connections.

"When will I be able to get the CCW certificate?" Zhang Ailun only sighed for less than two seconds before ignoring these small details.

"I originally thought it could be printed out today, but there are quite a few people who have passed the test, so we need to queue up to enter the results for review and printing. It won't be ready until tomorrow at the latest. Don't worry, you've already paid, so you're ahead of many people in the queue. It will definitely be printed out soon," Sieg reassured her.

"Will we pick up the documents here, go to a special department in the city, or have them mailed?" Zhang Ailun asked again.

"Printing from the suburbs to your city address incurs a $15 postage fee, but the advantage is that you'll receive your documents quickly and without delay. If you print on a weekend, their staff are off work, so you might have to wait another two days."

Sieg explained, "I haven't finished filling out these forms yet, so I wanted to come and ask for your opinion."

"Then let's mail it."

Zhang Ailun filled in the address information of the Green Letter shelter, gave Sieg $15 for the fee, and said he could pick it up directly when it was mailed to him.

Sieg filled out the form and handed it in. Afterwards, the two got into the car. The driver stopped at a traffic light, and Sieg checked his phone, exclaiming with delight, "The $12000 has arrived!!"

"Then log on to the Los Angeles charity website, select the Green Letter Shelter to make a charitable donation, and when filling out the project details, there will be an option for outstanding employees. Remember to select outstanding employees Humbert Juan King and Reina."

Zhang Ailun thought about it and figured that since they were all on the same side, Reina's savings should be much more than his.

Sig immediately got to work.

"Did you donate it all?"

"Yes!"

A deduction of -$12000 has been made from your bank account. Thank you for your charitable donation!

What Zhang Ailun saw was +12000 US dollars.

Pay taxes? I'll pay my ass!

I don't want to pay you even a penny.

I spent $150 today, leaving me with $42480 in wealth.

Wuhu! Exciting!

(End of this chapter)