Disdain

Chapter 19: Disdain

"Newcomers, stick together. Our mission is different from yours, so don't come over and get in our way."

Lone Wolf snorted coldly, his arrogance plain to see. Whether it was the dozen or so newbies or the five second-timers aside from Xu Yue, he seemed to regard none of them as worthy of his attention.

Though he had some doubts about Xu Yue's strength as well, the fact that Xu Yue had awakened first was indisputable. Even if he was merely stronger in terms of mental power, Lone Wolf could reluctantly acknowledge him as a teammate.

But in Lone Wolf's mind, he was undoubtedly the strongest one present. His abilities were all related to firearms, and firearms unquestionably offered the best value for the cost.

His physical abilities were somewhat weaker than theirs, which was why he had woken up a little later.

Hmph, a bunch of idiots aiming too high. They always want to swallow a huge bite in one go, not realizing that for newcomers like us, survival is the first priority. Cost-effectiveness is the best choice.

"How can you be like this? Since we've all fallen into this together, we should support one another."

A man dressed in a clean scholar's robe spoke anxiously. Xu Yue had appeared near the SH Concession upon crossing over, and the people he had encountered had all dressed in styles similar to the modern era. This was the first time he had seen someone dressed in such an old-fashioned scholar's outfit.

But it also reminded him of the bizarre era he was currently in.

"Yeah, yeah. People can't be so selfish. Only by standing together can we deal with this damned space."

The shop assistant who had spoken first hurriedly chimed in.

"Shut the hell up!"

A booming roar abruptly cut through the conversation. Yet the one who spoke was not Lone Wolf, but a bare-chested man among the newcomers, his body covered in scars and his face full of bandit-like ferocity.

His bulging muscles and vicious appearance made those around him unconsciously move away.

With a fierce gleam in his eyes, he repeatedly sized up Xu Yue's group before shifting his attention to the several Railway Guerrillas. His face was filled with wariness as he stared at the Hanyang 88 rifles in their hands.

He seemed to recognize this as the most advanced weapon currently available in the Great Qing. In contrast, he showed no particular reaction to the MP5 in Lone Wolf's hands.

After his roar cowed everyone into silence, he took advantage of a moment when one of the Guerrillas was distracted and suddenly sprang up like a cheetah, lunging straight at him.

His already formidable physique, enhanced by the newcomers' double boost, gave him speed that far exceeded ordinary imagination.

He drove an elbow directly into the handsome youth's face before he could react. Everyone clearly heard the chilling crack of bone breaking, and in the next instant, the weapon had been snatched from his hands.

Then he leaped out of the crowd and coldly watched everyone.

He skillfully chambered a round, raised the gun, and assumed a defensive stance.

As for the handsome youth he had attacked, his face looked as though a dye shop had exploded across it, dark red and mottled. Several broken teeth had fallen to the floor, his nose had been completely flattened, and blood poured endlessly from it.

A fully equipped veteran who had already gone through one mission had been beaten into such a state by a genuine newbie. Even Lone Wolf and the others were taken aback.

They began scrutinizing the bandit-faced man from head to toe.

"This is a peaceful mission. Attacking your own people will result in point deductions," Lone Wolf said coldly.

But the bare-chested brute, who seemed to have already received the Reincarnation Space's punishment notification, merely flashed a contemptuous grin.

"If it could bring me here without a sound, then of course I believe the Reincarnation Space possesses incredible power. But the prompt only says I'll have to pay the penalty after completing the mission and returning. Compared with punishment in the future, I care more about the present!"

His crude, savage words made it clear that he was a true desperado, the kind who lived with his head hanging from his belt and cared only about the here and now.

"Compared to the future, I trust this more!"

He gestured with the gun in his hand. After skillfully inspecting it and chambering a round, he stood off to one side alone, cold and aloof, as if he trusted no one. He was even more withdrawn than Lone Wolf.

"Brute. You'll probably fail to get through even your first mission like this."

Lone Wolf spat contemptuously, but he had no interest in standing up for that piece of trash on the ground. The man had already gone through a mission, yet had been utterly crushed by a pure newcomer. It was simply disgraceful.

Xu Yue, however, gave the bandit-faced man an interested look. Though he had acted impulsively and seized a weapon right from the start, after getting it, he had obediently remained to the side without rashly pushing forward. Clearly, he was not as reckless as he appeared.

Just as the atmosphere grew tense, with only the occasional twitch of the man lying on the ground and the roar of the train echoing around them—

A sharp screech of metal grinding rang out. The door connecting their carriage to the one ahead opened, and a Samurai holding a Steam Gun stepped inside.

"All right, the reserve unit comes with me. We'll be passing through an abandoned station soon. Everyone will be issued a weapon, so get ready to engage when the time comes. As for you commoners, stay here obediently."

As for the blood-covered man on the ground, the Samurai merely glanced at him, frowned in disgust, and ignored him. He stepped over him, pointed at the dozen or so newcomers, and spoke.

Without caring about their varied clothing, he simply had them follow him.

This was another bonus for first-time newcomers: a reasonable, legitimate identity!

In the world of Koutetsujou, the gap in status between Samurai and commoners was enormous. Xu Yue had not expected this group of newcomers to be assigned the starting identities of reserve Samurai.

They could enjoy some of the treatment given to Samurai without having to fight on the front lines, and they would even be issued Steam Guns.

"Haha, dumbfounded now, aren't you? They were going to hand out guns anyway, yet you still went and stole a piece of trash like that."

Lone Wolf sneered, watching the expressionless robber follow the Samurai out, his face full of mockery.

Xu Yue could vaguely tell that Lone Wolf was somewhat frightened. Though he had already gone through two missions and had a fine set of equipment, his experience was still lacking compared to that man, who looked like a hardened rogue. Two newcomer missions were clearly not enough for Lone Wolf to develop that kind of temperament.

As for the Steam Guns being distributed, if Xu Yue remembered correctly, their power was probably about equal to air rifles used for shooting birds in the modern world. They could not penetrate the membrane around a Kabane's heart and could only knock them back.

Of course, there were plenty of plot holes in that anime. Since the Mission Space had made it completely real, there would probably be some changes and adjustments.

(Note: The plot will be based on this story. Minor adjustments may be made when necessary and will not affect readability.)

"Everyone, I'll be taking my leave as well. Good luck to you all."

Xu Yue rose from where he had been sitting on the floor, revealing a bright smile. He dusted off his clothes, then headed toward the carriage connection.

"Hey, you're not teaming up with us?"

Lone Wolf looked at Xu Yue in surprise. Blondie and Spy were equally astonished.

"No. My abilities are limited, so I won't drag you all down. I'll just look for some simpler missions."

For this mission, Xu Yue had already decided to earn as many points and mission points as possible. He had not been opposed to forming a team first to get accustomed to things before going solo.

But after seeing Lone Wolf's performance, he was greatly disappointed. Lone Wolf did not want useless teammates, and Xu Yue did not want them either...

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