Jiang Mian raised her hand and lightly knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A steady male voice came from behind the door.
She pushed open the heavy metal door as instructed.
The lounge was unlit, so it was somewhat darker than outside. Its furnishings were quite simple: just a few tables and chairs, and a storage cabinet against the wall.
The moment she entered, several pairs of eyes turned toward her in unison.
The four people inside had far denser auras than the Awakened she had sensed outside.
Once she had finished sensing them, Jiang Mian sealed off her senses and aura, so the "scent" of the Awakened wouldn't affect her performance.
The burly man at the head of the group gave off a faint sense of pressure.
She was certain: he was definitely a Third-tier Awakened!
Perhaps because she had the reputation of a "genius," the higher-ups had assigned her to an elite squad despite her being only an intern?
Jiang Mian lowered her head slightly and quickly put on an uneasy, apprehensive expression.
"You're the new intern, right? I'm Qin Wu, the captain here."
Qin Wu's voice was booming, but his tone was quite affable—completely unlike the Awakened outside.
"Hello."
She bowed slightly, but Qin Wu waved a hand.
"No need to be so nervous. When we're not out on a mission, our squad's atmosphere is pretty relaxed. You'll understand once you've spent some time with us."
With that, he turned to the other three.
"Don't just stand there, everyone. Come meet our new teammate."
The young man standing by the window, gazing outside, turned around first and stepped forward.
"Li Huan. Sequence 100, [War] Path, [Charge]."
Jiang Mian's heart tightened. Why did this man feel... familiar? Was it her imagination?
Before she could think it over, the older-looking man beside him continued, smiling as he spoke.
"Gu An. Sequence 234, [Radiance] Path, [Explorer]."
Next, the only woman on the team stood up. She looked to be around twenty-seven or twenty-eight, with gentle features and a soft voice.
"Su Wanning. Sequence 186, [Myriad Spirits] Path, [Healing]."
This squad really was an elite team.
She had learned that ordinary squads didn't usually bring along a healer from the [Myriad Spirits] Sequence. If they encountered a Calamity, healers would be the first targets.
Only squads with enough strength would have a position like that dedicated to one person.
Once everyone had introduced themselves, Qin Wu spoke up again, his voice ringing out.
"I'm Sequence 120, [War] Path, [Knight]. We're all on the same team now, so we'll get to know each other over time. If there's anything you're unsure about, just ask."
Jiang Mian put on a slightly shy smile at the appropriate moment and introduced herself.
"Jiang Mian. Sequence 48, [Elemental] Path, [Eye of the Storm]."
"How much?!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Gu An blurted out the question.
Then he immediately realized he had overreacted. He reined in his overly astonished expression and patted Qin Wu on the shoulder.
"Nice one, Old Qin. No wonder you were being so mysterious earlier. Turns out a genius was joining our squad."
Qin Wu smiled but didn't confirm or deny it.
He knew that with talent like Jiang Mian's, she was probably only here to gain experience for a while. She wouldn't stay long.
A Sequence Ability ranked in the top fifty was worlds apart in quality from those ranked below it.
Even at First Order, it was stronger than some ordinary Second-tier Awakened.
Su Wanning covered her mouth slightly and murmured in amazement.
"Oh my... Sequence 48..."
Li Huan, standing to one side, changed expression ever so slightly the moment he heard Jiang Mian's name.
What had happened to his younger male cousin was no secret in the family.
His second uncle might resent his cousin for being such a disappointment, but he still cared about him a great deal.
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but Li Huan always felt that his second uncle had been acting a little strangely ever since that incident.
In the end, his cousin had been at fault, and that had led to the accident. So Li Huan didn't plan to do anything. After all, the incident had nothing to do with him, much less with the squad.
He only needed to treat her like any other teammate.
Jiang Mian keenly caught the fleeting change in Li Huan's expression. Though she found it a little odd, she kept her face neutral, as if she hadn't noticed a thing.
"All right!"
Qin Wu clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention back.
"That's enough standing around. Xiao Jiang just got here and doesn't know the place yet. Come on, let's show her around the Training Ground and get her equipment while we're at it."
With that, he pushed open the door and strode outside. The others hurried after him, while Su Wanning stayed behind in the lounge to keep watch.
The group followed a passage inside the city wall to a spacious, brightly lit Training Ground.
Jiang Mian had assumed most of the wall was solid, but it turned out to be a world of its own—practically a huge military base.
Qin Wu told her the wall was divided into several levels. The lowest was the logistics zone, the middle was the living quarters, and the upper levels were the actual front lines.
But... even with such tight security, some Calamities still managed to sneak in unnoticed, whether by disguising themselves or using underground pipes. They stopped at nothing.
"These are standard Two-star Standard Equipment. They aren't top of the line, but they're reliable and perform steadily. Pick anything that feels right and use it for now."
Qin Wu pointed to the weapon racks along the edge of the Training Ground.
Jiang Mian followed his gesture and saw rows of weapons in all sorts of shapes and sizes.
Most were melee weapons made from unfamiliar metals, and some still retained the grotesque features of Calamities' bodies. Their overall style was decidedly bizarre.
Yet she passed right over the melee weapons. Under the slightly surprised gazes of her teammates, she walked straight to a hulking, large-caliber sniper rifle.
"Captain, I'll take... this one?"
Jiang Mian asked uncertainly.
She tentatively picked it up. It was quite heavy. Before her body had been enhanced, she probably wouldn't even have been able to lift it, let alone use it.
Qin Wu raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised.
"The 'Cannon'? You're sure you want that? The thing's not bad quality, but it's single-shot. Its performance in actual combat might be... pretty average."
The weapon in Jiang Mian's hands was a rare firearm-type Mutated Bone Weapon. Made with special materials, its barrel was exceptionally sturdy; you could even use it as a club to smash someone with.
The matching ammunition, though, was much more precious. Ordinary bullets could be used too, but their power would be greatly diminished.
"That's right," Gu An agreed.
"When we're on missions outside the wall, Calamities and Mist Creatures usually appear in groups. Using that thing... might be a bit of a struggle."
Everyone knew that even Low Sequence, low-level Calamities had incredibly tenacious vitality.
Unless you used specially made ammunition, it was hard to take one down with a single bullet.
The weapon in Jiang Mian's hands was called the "Cannon," but that was just a nickname inspired by its exaggerated design. Its actual firepower still depended on the specially made ammunition.
"I understand what you're all saying."
She shook her head, not rushing to argue.
"But... my ability seems to match it pretty well. Captain, could you let me try it first?"
With that, Jiang Mian lifted her head and gazed at Qin Wu with pleading eyes.
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