Reporting to the East Wall

A few days flew by in the blink of an eye.

Under Ye Chenyang's meticulous guidance, Jiang Mian's "progress" could only be described as lightning-fast.

She could now not only maintain a small wind field for an extended period but also compress it and attach it to small objects—what Ye Chenyang had previously referred to as "enchanting" bullets.

Simultaneously, she had been learning about firearm-type weapons, covering both basic theory and practical operation.

Although her accuracy still left something to be desired, the power of a single shot was already enough to pose a threat to those First Order Calamities that weren't specialized in defense.

Of course, that was Ye Chenyang's assessment.

Perhaps because she had recently taken an Inhibitor, Jiang Mian's mental state had been exceptionally good lately, and she was picking everything up quickly.

If she wanted to, within the sensory range of Gale, she could basically hit whatever she pointed at.

As for the specific range of Gale, even Jiang Mian herself couldn't quite estimate it, but covering at least one city block was well within her capabilities.

Therefore, she intentionally controlled her strength to avoid overexerting herself like she had on the first day.

During this time, she had inadvertently asked Ye Chenyang how he managed to find the time for all this.

As it turned out, his answer was that for high-sequence Awakened, the authorities usually granted a considerable amount of autonomy.

He worked out of personal willingness and for the purpose of gaining experience; if Jiang Mian found she couldn't adapt after joining City Defense, she could also apply for a transfer.

Jiang Mian didn't commit to an answer. Once she was fully prepared, she headed to the City Defense Office in the East City all by herself.

Unlike the independent buildings of the Public Security Bureau and the Special Affairs Bureau, the City Defense Office was backed against the city wall—or rather, it was "embedded" into the wall itself.

The towering city wall was an ash-black color, reflecting a deep, metallic luster.

Moving about at the base of the wall were ordinary soldiers responsible for basic defense.

They made up the vast majority of City Defense, handling daily patrols, sentry duty, equipment maintenance, and the construction of fortifications and other basic tasks.

They were the cornerstone of the defense line, while the Awakened were organized into a separate establishment.

Jiang Mian pushed open the office's heavy glass door. The interior layout was simple, and most of the people coming and going were wearing standard combat uniforms, all looking like they were in a hurry.

She walked up to the information desk and stated her business.

"Hello, my name is Jiang Mian. I'm here to report for my internship."

The female clerk at the desk looked up at Jiang Mian, appearing somewhat surprised, but after taking Jiang Mian's identification and the invitation letter stamped with the official seal, her expression immediately turned solemn.

Come to think of it, when she was in the hospital, those leaders had stuffed a pile of invitation letters into her hands; looking at it now, they were indeed convenient.

"Alright, one moment... Sequence 4, Eye of the Storm?"

The female clerk looked at the documents before her, her tone laced with a hint of reverence.

Everyone knew that anyone with such a high-level sequence, provided they didn't perish prematurely, was guaranteed to reach at least the Seventh-tier in the future.

They were incredibly scarce; for their city to have three this year was already a rare occurrence.

The person before her... if she grew up to reach her potential, the leadership would surely be mentioning her name every day or putting her picture up on the wall.

"Yes," Jiang Mian nodded gently.

"Please wait a moment, I will process your paperwork immediately."

She was highly efficient, quickly producing a contract and offering a brief explanation:

"Ms. Jiang, per your request, the internship period is one month. During this time, you will be assigned to Team Five of the East District Third Branch Team."

"The internship stipend is settled daily at 1,200 yuan per day. If you participate in actual combat and contribute, there will be additional subsidies."

1,200... per day!

That meant 36,000 for the month!

If you enjoy this book, please remember to add it to your Bookshelf so you don't lose track of it next time.

Jiang Mian's mental abacus clicked away. Based on her current usage of one Inhibitor every ten days, this would perfectly cover her expenses in that regard.

"Thank you! I will study hard, it's just... I don't have any combat experience..."

"Don't worry, Captain Qin has mentored many newcomers and will arrange things properly.

Besides, the primary task of an intern is to observe, learn, and assist. Generally, you won't be expected to face dangerous situations directly."

The female clerk offered the reassurance with practiced ease, then handed Jiang Mian a temporary ID badge and a manual.

"The paperwork is complete. Please head directly to Sentry Tower Number Three on the East Wall and report to Captain Qin Wu. I wish you a smooth internship."

"Okay, thank you."

Jiang Mian tucked her things away, turned, and headed toward the passage behind the office, soon arriving at a lifting platform.

The platform was made of the same dark metal as the city wall, looking exceptionally rugged. Jiang Mian looked up, seeing only a circular patch of sky through the opening above.

After waiting for a moment, the platform emitted a low hum and began to rise at a steady speed.

"Hiss!"

With a soft sound, the platform came to a steady halt.

The scene before her opened up, and a fierce wind instantly tousled Jiang Mian's hair.

She looked toward the direction of the outer wall. Visibility was decent nearby, but as the distance increased, the mist grew thicker, rolling like a living thing and filled with unknown terror.

Over the past few days, she and Ye Chenyang had made up for a lot of lost knowledge.

The reason the Base City could be established relied on something called the Radiance Monument.

They were the products of the abilities of certain high-ranking Radiance Awakened, capable of forming a special field, thereby creating "safe zones" where humans could survive.

To delineate boundaries and block the invasion of calamities, people had built towering city walls.

The people on the city wall were clearly divided into two distinct groups.

The majority were ordinary soldiers wearing standard combat uniforms; they didn't have much of a reaction when they saw Jiang Mian passing by.

The other group consisted of Awakened gathered in twos and threes. When they weren't on missions, their downtime was quite ample.

A standard squad generally consisted of five people. To allow for more diverse tactical arrangements, the Awakened abilities in each team were basically never the same.

Jiang Mian was already striking in appearance, and with a pair of glasses that looked completely out of place in this environment, she inevitably drew the attention of others.

Her Gale perception spread out silently, taking in every word of their hushed discussion about her.

"New face? Here for an internship?"

A burly man squatting in the corner, maintaining his weapon, merely glanced at her before looking away.

"Look at those thin arms and legs—can she even handle it?"

"Not necessarily. Did you forget there's a screening process to get up here? Unless it's a very high-ranking sequence, those who aren't good at combat basically can't get up here."

"Who knows. I just hope she doesn't get assigned to our team. Taking a rookie like that on a mission is just asking for trouble."

Jiang Mian glanced toward them, her expression unchanged.

City Defense... really didn't take just anyone. At the very least, one had to have a specialty. If it were someone like Wang Chen, with his purely sensory enhancement, he definitely wouldn't have passed the initial screening.

For Awakened on the front lines like the City Defense forces, strength was the only thing that mattered. Furthermore, the War sequence, which enhanced physical attributes, made up the vast majority.

As abilities grew, they would also cause slight changes to the Awakened's appearance—for instance, strength-types becoming taller and more robust, while speed-types developed more balanced physiques.

With her appearance, it was perfectly normal for people to gossip if she didn't reveal her Sequence Ability.

Jiang Mian ignored the chatter and walked toward the location marked on the map in her manual.

Entering the Sentry Tower, she quickly found a lounge. A metal plate etched with blocky text hung above it:

"East Third Five Team."