I'm Just a Newbie

The motorcycle carried the two of them through the city's towering and deep spaces, descending from the interwoven overpass onto the industrial South District.

Giant steam pipes could be seen extending in parallel, bypassing rows of sparsely lit, low-rise buildings, like a jumbled but subtly ordered tangle of thread.

From time to time, surging steam, like the breath of a whale, spewed out from both sides of the road.

At first, Xiao Xiao only smelled the burning iron rust and dull steam, mixed with unknown chemicals, filling the air with a dangerous atmosphere.

The entire old South District gave the impression of desolation and decay. Abandoned factories due to bankruptcy were everywhere, and only one in ten streetlights were working, making the whole area look much darker than other places.

Exaggerated and brightly colored graffiti covered the tall brick walls, but beneath the graffiti were groups of idle wanderers.

Some had cigarettes in their mouths, some held bottles of wine, either in groups of three or five, or squatting alone in dark street corners, and countless hollow eyes stared at every new face that appeared.

This was the city's most dangerous district, and the breeding ground for countless thugs, prostitutes, and criminal geniuses.

In Xiao Xiao's memory, this place had been famous four years ago. Order had collapsed, and even The Guard Hall dared not come here to arrest people casually, unless they dispatched a large force.

He couldn't help but withdraw his gaze.

Here, making eye contact with anyone could lead to unnecessary conflict.

Ruan Ruan, on the other hand, seemed very relaxed in this environment. She even stopped next to a railing where she could support herself.

She took out a small electronic device and observed it for a long while, and then, before a few unfamiliar faces could tentatively approach, she revved the engine and left.

A chorus of curses and the sound of bottles being smashed on the ground behind them quickly followed.

Ten minutes later, Ruan Ruan's motorcycle drove to a place that could be considered desolate even for the old district. It seemed to be the edge of the city.

Here, there were only large expanses of abandoned factories, stretching into the distance, dark and silent like corpses lying on the ground. Occasionally, a dim light shone outside a door, lonely and shivering in the heavy night.

"The abnormal radiation was detected near here..."

Ruan Ruan stretched out her foot to support herself on the nearby railing, raised her left wrist, and swiped across the display screen.

Xiao Xiao remained quiet, like a newcomer, and did not disturb her.

Opening his own mailbox, he could also see a map with a special marker, which should be a hint given by the mission issuer.

This also made Xiao Xiao feel a little strange: he already understood that he and these other Outsiders were messengers who were here to clear out the mutated creatures in this city.

However, at first, he thought that the city would directly issue him "missions," but later he realized that it wasn't quite like that.

At least, if the city were issuing missions, it would never give him the opportunity to pick and choose, to look for suitable events...

According to Ruan Ruan, even the mission levels were only summarized by all the Outsiders together.

So, who was issuing the missions?

The sender of the email, the person named "Ye"?

Who was he? The leader of the Outsider organization?

Just as they were thinking, two men who looked like drunks stood up on the side of the street not far away, tentatively walked to a spot not far from them, without saying a word, just wandering around with flickering eyes.

After observing for a while, they slowly walked over, their eyes scrutinizing Xiao Xiao and Ruan Ruan, and said, "What are you doing?"

Ruan Ruan looked up at them and smiled, "Just asking you guys about something. Have you heard of any strange things happening in this area?"

"Any missing people, or anything else?"

"..."

When these two men saw Ruan Ruan's smile, their eyes lit up, and unnatural smiles appeared on their faces. They walked closer and closer, reaching towards their lower backs: "Is it just you two?"

"Little sister, your headlights are quite pretty..."

"..."

Ruan Ruan frowned slightly, subconsciously reaching into the bag in front of the motorcycle, but hesitated for a moment, thought of something, and withdrew her hand, elbowing the honestly seated Xiao Xiao.

"Oh?"

Xiao Xiao was stunned for a moment before he understood.

This big sister had said that she wouldn't interfere with anything this time and that he was to handle everything himself.

So, it was starting now?

So he looked up at the two men, a trace of thought flashed in his eyes, and then suddenly pulled out his gun and fired a shot into the leg of the man in front.

"Bang!"

The sudden gunshot startled Ruan Ruan, and she turned her head sharply.

She saw Xiao Xiao steadily holding the gun in his hand, not even looking at the man lying on the ground clutching his leg, but steadily moving the muzzle, pointing it at the other man's face.

His voice sounded very polite: "Just asking you guys about something. Have you heard of any strange things happening in this area?"

"Any missing people, or anything else?"

"..."

"Ah, ah..."

It wasn't until he had finished asking the question that the two men reacted. One clutched his thigh and let out a pig-like scream.

The other, facing the dark muzzle of the gun, turned pale instantly, and his pants gradually became wet.

Xiao Xiao's face was calm as he moved his finger up and down in front of his mouth, saying, "You haven't answered our question yet..."

"I... I don't know..."

The uninjured man's legs trembled as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket with a mournful face and offered it over: "P-people often go missing here... My... my wife ran off with someone..."

"Oh."

Xiao Xiao, used to being around the docks, casually took a cigarette from the pack and tucked it behind his ear. He gave the man a sympathetic look and patiently said, "Anything else?"

"I... I really don't know..."

"Think harder..."

The man with the gun pointed at him was on the verge of tears. Suddenly, he thought of something and cautiously pointed towards a deserted factory area: "Oh, th-there..."

"Legend has it that people often go missing there. Everyone... everyone says there's a m-Man-Eating Warehouse there..."

"..."

"Man-Eating Warehouse?"

Xiao Xiao was surprised and turned to look at Ruan Ruan, who nodded slightly.

So Xiao Xiao turned back to the man and said gently, "Thank you, that's all. Go home early in the future, drink less, and your wife might come back."

"Oh, right, take this one on the ground with you too. He's pretty badly injured, find a good clinic."

"..."

"Y-yes... yes..."

The man, looking mournful, laboriously dragged the man with the gunshot wound in his thigh to his feet and stumbled away.

Xiao Xiao watched them walk away, then put away his gun and gave Ruan Ruan an inquiring look, as if wanting to know how well he had done.

Ruan Ruan looked at his calm and handsome face, and after a long silence, said, "You shot a gun just to ask for directions?"

"They had bad intentions..."

Xiao Xiao honestly explained, "When they came close just now, they were already reaching for their knives... I didn't see clearly, maybe they had guns."

"You shot a gun because maybe they did?"

Ruan Ruan's expression grew even more surprised: "You didn't even hesitate?"

"Because it's better for everyone this way."

Xiao Xiao said, "I'm just a newbie, I don't have much combat experience. They were already right in front of me, and if they suddenly pulled out their knives and charged, my marksmanship is so bad, I might have killed them..."

"They might even have caught me off guard and injured me."

"It's better to fire a shot first, which avoids killing them both, and we can still get some information from them without delaying things..."

"..."

Ruan Ruan looked amazed: "So you're actually doing it out of kindness?"

"Of course..."

Xiao Xiao looked calm. Didn't he make the most correct choice?

Besides, this is a strange Outsider world full of monsters. Even if he really killed them, what would happen?

"Okay, you really... have unlimited potential..."

Ruan Ruan was convinced and sighed helplessly, turning to look at the abandoned factory area, the location of the "Man-Eating Warehouse" that the two men had mentioned.

Her expression quickly became serious: "What are you going to do?"

Xiao Xiao thought for a moment, jumped out of the car, glanced at the warehouse in the distance, then gripped the gun tightly in his hand and strode forward.

Ruan Ruan followed, watching him walk all the way, her curiosity growing: "Are you just going to go straight in like that?"

"What else can I do?"

Xiao Xiao stopped and looked at her in surprise, saying, "I'm just a newbie, I don't have any experience..."

"You guys didn't even arrange any military training for me..."

"..."

"Okay, okay, I'm only responsible for observing you this time. Do whatever you want..."

Ruan Ruan didn't know how to answer, so she waved her hand and stood firmly two or three meters away from Xiao Xiao.

Xiao Xiao also thought for a moment and realized that he really didn't know anything else, so he just kept walking straight ahead.

He took a deep breath, secretly thinking in his heart, "I really have to be on my guard this time. If I don't do well, the Points..."

"...No, Points aren't important, what's important is that I'll lose face."