Mission

"Spiritual Penetration, Language of the Gods..."

Han Su glanced at the girl, then slowly looked away.

It was the first time he had heard this theory. But thinking of his right eye and left hand, he felt an odd sense of familiarity.

Everyone else used an innate talent—or, perhaps, training acquired later in life—to achieve penetration. But I managed it with a Spell Song Chushi gave me and the scars the monster left on my body. So does that make mine innate or acquired?

He had a vague sense that he had grasped something. It was as if another door had quietly opened inside him. Gently squeezing his numb left hand, Han Su stood to one side, lost in thought.

Nearby, the instructor checked the time. Seeing that the assessment was about to end, he immediately signaled the staff to stop the playback, then opened the door and entered the room.

The other trainees had all woken up. They stared at one another, some looking bewildered, others dejected, and still others thoughtful. They seemed to feel they had understood something, but weren't quite sure what.

Some thought of the few people who had just been sent out and, still confused, protested indignantly. "Was that real or not?"

"Why did I hear only a jumble of noise from the same recording, while she could make out two Spells?"

"Did she cheat?"

"..."

Amid the clamor, the instructor strode forward and gave a cold snort. "Looks like you're all a bunch of talentless nobodies."

"Just look at him!"

He turned and pointed at Han Su. "He got an A without even taking the assessment!"

Han Su, who had been lost in thought, froze. You didn't have to praise me that much...

After fairly mocking every trainee present, the instructor sighed. "You didn't get so much as a glimpse of the light in the section where it was easiest to score highly. Which group you end up in will depend entirely on how hard you work from here on out."

Those whose performances hadn't gone well felt a little encouraged, but then the instructor added, "Though the rest of the training won't do much to affect your evaluations."

Everyone was immediately crestfallen.

The instructor continued, "It'll only affect whether you live or die."

The trainees were getting angry. What a load of bullshit. You think you're so important?

But as it turned out, the instructor's words about the next few days of training weren't far off. The trainees finally moved past the novelty of joining the Disaster Management Bureau and experienced what it was like to have all sorts of new information crammed into their heads.

Qinggang City's internal structure, terrain, population distribution, strategic locations, division of power, the implementation of policies inside and outside the city, and much more.

The material even included some combat and firearms theory, as well as instructions on operating related electronic devices.

At first, they'd been told it was training, but all they'd done was take two assessments. Now, at least, this felt more like actual training.

But it soon seemed as if the Bureau was impatient to stuff all the necessary information into their heads and kick them out of the base. They didn't even have time to memorize the rules.

Oddly, though, they covered plenty of useless material while saying nothing about the paranormal, contamination, or the supernatural. And no matter how well the trainees did, none of the material they'd covered so far had any bearing on their evaluations.

Six days later, the instructor came to the training room and smiled at the trainees, whose expressions ranged from cheerful to grim. "Congratulations, everyone."

"Your training is now mostly complete. The final evaluation results aren't out yet, but you should all have a pretty good idea of how you did."

"The trainees with strong spiritual intuition have already secured bright futures. Two of them will be assigned directly to Group D1."

"The third has also secured a bed in a mental hospital. Maybe they'll even be sent to a lab to carry out the serious task of being studied."

"And you, as ordinary people, are about to face your final evaluation."

"Of course, there's no need to be discouraged. I told you from the start that we wouldn't eliminate anyone. This whole training—or, if you prefer, assessment—is just to help us assign you to groups."

"..."

It might have been better if he hadn't said that. His words left many of the trainees feeling utterly hopeless.

A week ago, they had been thrilled to sign their names on the contract. Now they regretted signing it just as much.

Many of them knew what they would face by joining the Disaster Management Bureau. They knew the social status and extraordinary authority they'd gain as investigators. But they hadn't been prepared to end up in D5D6.

Of course, plenty of them kept their emotions in check and calmly wondered, "What exactly is the final assessment?"

"..."

"This one's important. A lot of your evaluation results will depend on it."

The instructor clapped his hands. Someone entered from outside carrying a tray piled with sealed envelopes. He gestured for the trainees to gather around, then said cheerfully:

"Of course, this is also your chance."

"Memory and spiritual intuition are innate talents. You can't change them, and there's no way to improve them. But the upcoming assessment will give you a chance to show what you can do."

"These envelopes contain the missions you'll carry out tonight. Do your best to complete them, but don't feel pressured. Professionals will be monitoring you, so in theory, the missions shouldn't be dangerous."

"But believe me, this may also be the only mission you'll ever receive from the Disaster Management Bureau that doesn't involve any risk."

"..."

"Are we going straight into the field?"

Han Su and the other trainees felt their hearts skip a beat. They exchanged glances, then some began stepping forward to take an envelope.

When his turn came, Han Su casually pulled one from the middle and opened it. On the sheet of paper inside, he found the printed details of his mission:

[10:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., guard Elevator B3 at Huaguang Building. Report any observed abnormalities promptly, and shoot any human-shaped creatures that emerge from the elevator.]

Below that was information about where to collect his gun and other details.

"Guard an elevator?"

The mission left Han Su confused. He couldn't imagine how difficult it would be. Looking around, he saw plenty of others wearing the same bewildered expression.

He could more or less understand the part about observing abnormalities, but were they serious about "shooting" something?

His doubts peaked after they had rested for a while and followed the instructions to collect their Service Pistols.

When they got their hands on the heavy, dark objects, quite a few of them could hardly believe it.

They were real guns.

And they came with two magazines.

Gun control in the city was extremely strict. Even gangsters fighting each other carried baseball bats and chainsaws. Guns were something you only saw in movies.

Most of the people taking this training were indeed the best of the best, but being the best meant they excelled in some particular field. They'd never even handled a gun before. How were they supposed to use one when they'd suddenly been handed it?

The staff member handing out the guns wore a frosty expression. Watching Han Su fiddling with his gun in front of him, he asked, "Do you have a question?"

Han Su said, "Yes."

The staff member clearly didn't know about Han Su's relationship with Zhang Chiguo. He snapped impatiently, "What?"

Han Su looked up. "How do you turn this thing on?"

"..."

The staff member froze, then said irritably, "The people they recruit these days are getting less and less qualified. If you want to know how to use it, go ask your instructor."

"?"

"During the training on this, the instructor skipped it too. He said we'd figure it out when we came to collect our guns..."

Han Su was stunned. The Disaster Management Bureau had just handed real guns to a bunch of people who had never even touched one before. Was this place really just a ramshackle operation?

"What's your mission tonight?"

As he wondered about this, someone beside him turned to look, accompanied by a gentle voice.

Han Su glanced over. It was the girl who liked wearing black hoodies with the hood up. He immediately became wary. This assessment has stressed confidentiality more than once. Could asking about someone else's mission be part of the assessment?

When he didn't answer, the girl looked at the gun in his hand. "I heard you say you don't know how to use a gun. Is that right?"

Han Su said, "You're pretty curious, aren't you?"

The girl in the black hood asked, "Would you like me to teach you?"

Han Su eyed her warily, then grinned. "You'd do that for me?"

He didn't dare let his guard down. Who knew whether people all trying to get into Group D1D2 might be feeling competitive? Maybe she was trying to set him up.

But the girl in the black hood led Han Su to one side and proceeded to demonstrate, step by step, how to load the gun, take off the safety, aim, and change the magazine.

She explained everything carefully and gently, like a kindergarten teacher showing a child how to use chopsticks.

Han Su listened, and after a while, several other trainees who weren't used to handling guns gathered around as well. They watched in silence, but she didn't seem to mind.

Han Su followed along carefully for a while. He couldn't spot anything suspicious, but another question came to mind. Once the girl had finished her demonstration, he couldn't help reaching out to her. "Thank you. I'm Han Su."

The girl in the black hood froze, then lowered her head. Still, she reached out her hand. "My name's Dong Wei."

"Dong Wei..."

Han Su felt a little disappointed, but still couldn't help asking, "Have you ever used another name? Something like Meilan?"

"Meilan?"

The girl in the black hood paused, then smiled and shook her head. "No..."

Han Su felt a little disappointed. Looks like she really isn't the one. But she didn't try to set me up, and she had no other reason to be so nice to me. Why did she help me?

Could it be because I'm handsome?

That explanation was so disappointing.