"Hey, brother, what should I call you?"
The young man looked at Qin Tian with a smile.
Qin Tian remained expressionless and pointed to the number on his chest.
"Ahaha, you don't have a name yet, do you?"
The man gave an awkward laugh, then introduced himself. "I'm Xiao Yunlong, and this beauty beside me is Liu Zhaozhao."
Qin Tian nodded and looked the two of them over.
Neither of them looked very old. They seemed to be in their twenties.
Xiao Yunlong was rather handsome, with a bright smile that revealed two rows of white teeth. It was infectious.
Liu Zhaozhao had fair skin and a pure, gentle beauty. Her long, straight hair fell over her shoulders. She seemed to have just been crying; her eyes were swollen and red, lending her a fragile beauty.
"Oh, right. The one outside is our team leader, Qin Dadi," Xiao Yunlong added.
Qin Dadi...
Qin Tian's brows twitched slightly, as if he'd thought of something.
"I'll remember that."
Bang—
The door shut outside, and Qin Dadi walked into the room.
"Captain Qin, I've already told him the names of the three of us."
Xiao Yunlong asked, "But shouldn't we give him a name? Calling him by his number would be kind of weird."
"Mm."
Qin Dadi nodded. Huang Xun had just died, and now this Clone Soldier was joining the Earth Dragon Squad as a Sharpshooter. It seemed like a coincidence, but it could also have been fate.
If so, perhaps they could call him Huang...
"I have a name."
Qin Tian suddenly spoke.
"You have a name? Did Instructor Raymond give it to you?" Xiao Yunlong asked curiously.
Qin Tian glanced at Qin Dadi, his tone calm.
"My name is Qin Tian."
Qin... Tian?
Xiao Tengfei snuck a glance at Qin Dadi. His lips were pressed tightly together. He wanted to laugh but didn't dare, and was visibly struggling to hold it in.
Liu Zhaozhao lowered her head, the corners of her eyes crinkling with a hint of amusement.
Qin Dadi's face stiffened, and his eyelids twitched hard twice.
My name is Qin Dadi, and yours is Qin Tian.
Are you trying to put yourself above me?
Qin Dadi glared at Qin Tian, only to find no expression on his face. But Qin Dadi still caught the subtle twitch of his brow.
This kid... Could he have chosen that name to get back at me for calling him trash earlier?
The thought crossed Qin Dadi's mind, but even he found it ridiculous.
Could a copy who'd just come off the production line and hadn't experienced anything yet really feel irritation or anger?
"Ahem. Qin Tian, that's a good name."
Qin Dadi patted Qin Tian on the shoulder. "That makes us namesakes. Don't worry. Your big brother will look after you from now on."
"Haha, Qin Tian, welcome to the Earth Dragon Squad."
Xiao Yunlong enthusiastically slung an arm around Qin Tian's shoulders, acting like they'd known each other for ages. "From now on, we're comrades-in-arms. We're brothers."
"Welcome," Liu Zhaozhao said simply, her tone somewhat cool.
She still hadn't recovered from the grief of Huang Xun's death. She wasn't exactly opposed to his successor joining them as a new Sharpshooter, but she couldn't accept it as quickly as Qin Dadi and Xiao Yunlong had.
Qin Tian nodded, maintaining his usual cool demeanor.
"Qin Tian, come sit."
Xiao Yunlong pressed Qin Tian into a chair and poured him a glass of water. Curiously, he asked, "Can you tell me how you passed the Agile Bird test? I tried it once before, but I couldn't even hit its wings."
At that, Qin Dadi and Liu Zhaozhao immediately turned to look at Qin Tian.
They, too, wanted to know how a Clone Soldier fresh off the production line had managed to complete a shooting challenge of nightmarish difficulty.
Qin Tian blinked, his tone indifferent. "Anyone with hands can do it."
Anyone... with hands can do it?
The corners of their eyes twitched. Why did that sound so irritating?
But when they saw Qin Tian's eyes, as calm as a still lake, they could only shake their heads helplessly.
Never mind. As a Clone Soldier, he probably didn't know what it meant to show off. He was just saying what he thought.
"Qin Tian, is that your rifle?"
Xiao Yunlong changed the subject and eyed the rifle Qin Tian carried. He pursed his lips. "A Type 85 Standard Rifle. Decent power, but the rate of fire is too slow. A rifle like that can only deal with those Green-skinned Orcs."
"Captain Qin, I think we could give Huang Xun's rifle to Qin Tian."
Qin Dadi didn't object. He nodded and said, "All right. Go get all of Huang Xun's things."
"Sure thing."
Xiao Yunlong hurried into the room and brought out a black case. It held all of Huang Xun's personal belongings.
Click—
Xiao Yunlong opened the latches and lifted out a pitch-black rifle with both hands. Its surface had a matte finish, giving it the rugged feel of solid metal. The oversized muzzle brake at the end of the barrel had a distinctive shape, like a pair of savage fangs. It not only reduced the powerful recoil when firing, but also made the rifle look even more intimidating.
"The Dragon Falcon Rifle, Gerard Company's flagship product."
Xiao Yunlong took out a rectangular metal box and patted it twice. "It also has armor-piercing rounds and high-incendiary rounds made for the Dragon Falcon Rifle. They're powerful enough to threaten a Tier 2 Psionic User. Here, take it and see how it feels."
Qin Tian reached out with both hands to take the rifle. The moment he picked up the Dragon Falcon Rifle, a wave of familiarity welled up inside him, as if he'd been carrying it for over a decade. Every part was deeply imprinted in his mind.
Qin Tian stroked the rifle. Its cold, rough texture made his soul tremble faintly.
"Thank you."
Qin Tian thanked them sincerely, and his earnest manner seemed to leave the others a little unsure how to react.
"No need to thank us. It belonged to our last teammate."
Qin Dadi's voice was low. "A fine rifle like this can only reach its full potential in a Sharpshooter's hands."
"Yunlong, let Qin Tian try on the other things, too."
"Okay."
Xiao Yunlong took several more items out of the case: a silver Combat Suit, a laser pistol, a magazine pouch, a multifunctional combat helmet...
Once he had everything on, a cool, resolute special forces soldier stood before them. His features were sharply defined, and beneath the transparent visor, his eyes revealed nothing but calm and cold resolve.
The three of them stared, momentarily dazed, as if they saw the familiar shadow of someone else overlapping with Qin Tian.
Whoosh—
Qin Dadi took a deep breath, and his gaze cleared. Qin Tian wasn't Huang Xun. He wasn't a replacement for anyone.
"Qin Tian, these things are yours from now on. I hope you put them to good use." Qin Dadi patted him on the shoulder, his voice carrying a trace of emotion, as if entrusting him with something precious.
Qin Tian nodded. The motion was slight, but the resolve in his eyes was deep and unmistakable.
He could guess why Qin Dadi and the others were treating him so well. It was largely because of their previous teammate, who was most likely the original owner of Absolute Gun Sense.
Whatever the reason, he would be grateful to the Earth Dragon Squad. He was also glad to have ended up in a team like this.
Beep, beep, beep—
Just then, Qin Dadi's wristwatch began emitting a series of urgent beeps.
He raised his arm to look at it and said gravely, "We've got a mission."
"Captain Qin, what's the mission?" Xiao Yunlong asked.
Qin Dadi's voice turned icy. "There's a pack of wild cats wandering around near our Camp. Command Center has ordered us to skin them alive."
"Those cat people again."
Liu Zhaozhao knitted her brows, and a ball of crimson flame sprang up in her palm.
Heat rippled outward, and the room's temperature rose sharply.
Qin Tian lowered his eyes, his thoughts stirring.
Flame Psionics?
Just what kind of world was this?
Before you continue