Guarding the Elevator

In just half a day, there was naturally no way to truly learn anything, let alone train a rookie into a sharpshooter.

They only had two magazines, which they needed for the mission, so they couldn't practice.

Under the patient, even repetitive, guidance of the black-hooded girl, Han Su only managed to learn the most basic actions: safety, magazine changes, gun handling, aiming, and so on.

Soon, it was five o'clock. A staff member came to remind them, and all of them followed to a room where a person was already sitting in a chair, waiting.

It was a chubby man wearing small glasses. He looked about the same age as Han Su, with a very childish face. Now, he seemed to be trying hard to act professional and authoritative, but the effect was poor. No matter how tense his expression was, he still looked like an amateur.

In front of him stood the camouflage man from the military, along with several other trainees from Han Su's mission group.

Especially when the camouflage man stood before him, his posture was straight and firm like steel, making the little fatty look like an unlucky extra. The camouflage man was the professional operative.

"Do you have your weapons and equipment ready?"

Seeing them arrive, the little fatty's slightly uncomfortable face relaxed a bit. He maintained a tense expression and said, "We depart in half an hour."

"In this test, I am your referee, one of the examiners, and also your bodyguard, ready to deal with any unexpected situations at any time. Additionally, I am your captain, responsible for issuing orders!"

"Understood?"

Han Su nodded subconsciously. The camouflage man beside him loudly replied, "Understood!"

The little fatty picked his ear, shot him a resentful glance, then his gaze fell back to Han Su's face. "Before the mission begins, if you have any questions, I will answer those I deem appropriate, but once the mission starts, no one is allowed to speak!"

"You will each be issued a walkie-talkie, but only I have the authority to use it for external communication. Understood?"

"..."

This time, Han Su also loudly replied, "Understood!"

"Good!"

The little fatty waved his hand grandly. "Full of spirit! Let's go now!"

The group of trainees immediately followed the little fatty out of the Disaster Management Bureau. Seeing the night sky outside, they still felt the experiences of the past few days were somewhat surreal.

Two black armored vehicles were already waiting outside the gate. The vehicles had no extra logos or names on them, entirely black, with only a twisted snake painted on the right side door.

They boarded the vehicles, which immediately started silently, taking them through the streets under the night sky. The bustling neon lights and diverse crowds outside the car windows formed a stark contrast with the silent, oppressive atmosphere inside the car.

Although the little fatty had said they could ask questions, they knew so little about the overall mission that they didn't even know what to ask.

On the other hand, the little fatty was already skilled. Sitting in the passenger seat, he frowned and played a game. Han Su leaned his head over and asked, "What level are you?"

The little fatty suddenly looked up, somewhat surprised by Han Su's lack of professionalism. He secretly glanced at the camouflage man sitting rigidly beside him before cautiously replying:

"I'm noob, only level 39."

Han Su said, "I know a big shot who's level 172. I can introduce you later so you can play together."

The little fatty suddenly looked up, and there was a clear hint of surprise in his eyes as he looked at Han Su. However, feeling a bit embarrassed to say it in front of the seemingly very serious camouflage man, he held back.

After chatting for a few sentences, Han Su felt a little strange in his heart: "This little fatty clearly has an extremely dangerous aura about him, but his current pure demeanor doesn't seem fake?"

Around 9:30 PM, the group arrived at the mission destination and disembarked one by one.

Looking up, a fifty-story building seemed to pierce the night sky. All the windows of the building were dark, with only the lobby on the first floor lit by a dim light.

It was peak time for nightlife, yet this building seemed empty, with no figures visible in the darkness.

"Let's go!"

The little fatty had the driver park the car. He, Han Su, the camouflage man, and the other trainees each equipped their sidearms and walkie-talkies before entering the building.

The elevators in the building were now out of service, with only one still lit. The little fatty led them onto the elevator, which went directly to the thirty-ninth floor. Then, using the walkie-talkie, he ordered the elevator to be stopped, and they proceeded to Area B.

It was dark here, with four elevators, but all of them were completely stopped, and not a soul was in sight.

There were only a few chairs placed here.

The little fatty pulled out a chair, positioning it directly in front of an elevator on the left side of Area B. He then picked up the walkie-talkie and reported that the temporary team members and Captain Zhao Da'er were in position, awaiting the mission start.

Then, he conducted a signal test, reported that there were no anomalies in the surroundings, and patiently waited, watching his electronic watch.

Then, nothing happened.

Whether it was in the mission envelope or the little fatty's instructions, it was clear that this was their mission: one person per chair, divided left and right, staring intently at the elevator in front of them.

A very strange mission, in a building that had been completely cleared out, silently staring at this elevator that appeared to be out of power. As per the instructions, their guns could not be lowered, and their eyes could not leave the elevator simultaneously.

From 10 PM until 3 AM.

If any living creature appeared inside the elevator, regardless of who it was, they were to open fire immediately.

Checking the time on his electronic watch, it wasn't yet 10 PM. Han Su finally couldn't help himself and quietly asked, "Why are we waiting here for the elevator?"

Among the trainees, some were already tense. The camouflage man, sitting rigidly, heard the commotion and immediately turned to glance at Han Su, saying sternly, "Our responsibility is to execute the mission, not to ask endless questions."

This reprimand was not only for Han Su but also left the little fatty a bit bewildered.

After a moment, he quietly said, "I don't think I forgot to mention that you could ask questions before the mission started, right?"

"Right."

Han Su said, "The mission starts at ten, and there are still thirty minutes left."

"Exactly."

The little fatty let out a breath and said, "This is our mission for tonight. In fact, it's also the majority of the tasks you'll face when you officially start working as personnel in the Disaster Management Bureau's Executive Department."

"It's not just you who aren't used to it."

As he spoke, he seemed a little regretful, his voice filled with helplessness. "One walkie-talkie, one pack of cigarettes, and I sit there all day. My family thought I'd struck it rich when I joined this department. Who would have thought I'd be doing this lousy work every day?"

Han Su tentatively asked, "Then, what's so strange about this elevator? Why do we have to watch it?"

When he asked this, the camouflage man beside him clearly perked up his ears to listen.

The little fatty hesitated, as if considering whether he could answer this question. Then, he lowered his voice and said, "Do you know how many people have gone missing in this building this month?"

Han Su immediately chimed in, "How many?"

The little fatty said, "5!"

Han Su exclaimed, "My god..."

"And..."

The little fatty emphasized his tone and said mysteriously, "It was only after our department received the report and notified investigators to come and collect evidence that we confirmed five people were missing. But before the report came in, who knows how many people disappeared here without a trace?"

"Of course, the missing people are just a number. For this city, it's barely a drop in the bucket, not a big impact."

"Do you know who we're guarding against with these guns?"

"..."

Han Su played along, showing a hint of nervousness. "Who?"

The little fatty lowered his voice, staring intently at the dark gap of the elevator. "It's the people who come out of the elevator."

"Come out?"

Han Su looked at the elevator.

Externally, it was indistinguishable from the elevators in an ordinary office building. It even looked a bit old, seamlessly integrated into the wall, standing alongside several other elevators.

Most importantly, this elevator was clearly out of power, its display panel completely dark.

And this building had long been under strict surveillance by the Guard Hall. Every night at 6 PM, all staff were completely cleared out.

No people, no power, so who were they guarding against with guns, and who were they supposed to shoot?

"Come out..."

Some trainees felt a chill and stammered, "What kind of people come out?"

"The grotesque."

The little fatty clearly enjoyed the rookies' timid reactions and smiled. "They are things that constantly seek to infiltrate our real world. Most of our future work will involve dealing with them."

"If some monsters were to appear from this elevator, why would we be painstakingly arranging people to guard here?"

Listening to his answer, everyone was already feeling uneasy. Han Su's question surfaced in his mind: "Why not just seal the elevator with cement?"

"The building blew up, just bury it!"

"..."

"It's useless."

The little fatty said, "Since an elevator that's out of power can still operate at certain times, and people can still come out of this elevator in an empty building and blend into the outside crowd, then sealing it with cement won't work either."

"This thing has the ability to distort reality; it doesn't play by the rules."

"What we can do is, following the investigators' advice, guard here at this specific time and shoot at any living thing that emerges from this elevator, which shouldn't be operating."

"Humans are the most efficient and cost-effective consumables among the various methods that can be used to deal with the grotesque."