True Cannon

Qin Wu found it hard to resist that look. Seeing how confident she seemed, she must have undergone special training, so he nodded and handed her three ordinary bullets.

"Thank you."

She took the bullets and expertly checked the firearm. Once she had confirmed everything was in order, she began loading it, her movements exceptionally practiced.

Then she turned sideways and crouched down, aiming the muzzle at several dummies in the center of the Training Ground. Her stance was quite standard.

"Hm? This is..."

Standing beside Jiang Mian, Qin Wu had been worried the recoil from this "cannon" would send her flying.

But the instant Jiang Mian crouched, an invisible cushion seemed to form where her shoulder met the stock.

At the same time, the air currents around the muzzle were disturbed, letting out a low whine.

BOOM!

As Jiang Mian pulled the trigger, the "cannon" in her hands let out an earth-shaking roar.

The muzzle jerked sharply upward, then was firmly held down by the Wind Field around her, absorbing most of the recoil.

The bullet shot from the barrel began spinning at high speed the moment it cleared the muzzle, letting out a shrill whistle as it streaked toward the training dummy.

BANG!

The instant it pierced the dummy's shell, the compressed Wind Field carried inside the bullet rapidly spread.

The specially made dummy could withstand a full-force strike from a Second-tier Awakened, yet it didn't last even a second after being hit. It instantly swelled from within and burst into a rain of metal shards.

The two other dummies beside it didn't escape, either. The Wind Field, mixed with metal fragments, furiously shredded them.

When the Wind Field dissipated, all that remained were two battered, nearly ruined dummies and a floor strewn with metal scraps.

"Damn... That firepower..."

It took Gu An a long while to recover. Was this really First Order?

As expected of a High-tier Sequence...

Even Li Huan, who was usually so composed, looked unsettled as he stared at the sniper rifle in Jiang Mian's hands.

An ordinary Second-tier, whether human or Calamity, would likely be dead or badly wounded if hit head-on by that. The kind of grievous injury that left them unable to even crawl.

An ordinary "cannon" didn't have this kind of power...

"Compressing the Wind Field, then releasing it in an instant after firing?"

As the only Third-tier Awakened on the scene, Qin Wu was much calmer.

He had watched Jiang Mian's every move. Before she even loaded the ammunition, she had already activated her ability and compressed it into the bullets.

That was how she could use ordinary ammunition to achieve effects on par with—or even exceeding—specially made rounds.

No wonder Jiang Mian had been so confident. Had she really gained that much precision in controlling her ability?

Qin Wu had seen plenty of other Wind Element Awakened on the [Elemental] Path.

They usually relied on their high mobility, using light weapons or thrown weapons to maneuver around their opponents.

But Jiang Mian had abandoned mobility altogether and switched to a high-powered weapon like a "cannon." It was certainly an unconventional approach.

Though it took quite a bit of talent and skill.

Most Wind Element Awakened could barely manage to guide the airflow to accelerate a weapon or form a wind blade.

If they tried to compress it by force, the power would go out of control inside the barrel and make the gun explode.

But Jiang Mian had used the innate talent unique to a High-tier Sequence, along with delicate control, to overcome that seemingly insurmountable obstacle with ease.

"Captain?"

Seeing Qin Wu remain silent for so long, Jiang Mian waved a hand in front of his eyes.

"Oh."

Qin Wu snapped out of it and hurriedly said,

"Xiao Jiang, this 'cannon' is yours. Tell me what special ammunition you want, and I'll put in a request."

A flicker of delight crossed Jiang Mian's eyes. She was clearly taken with the "cannon."

She had always liked this sort of thing, but had only ever been able to play with it in games. She hadn't expected she'd get to use one in this world—and a plus-version one, no less.

One shot was a real thrill.

Jiang Mian reined in her excitement and said softly,

"Ordinary bullets are fine. My ability gives them enough of a boost. But... if possible, could you prepare some special ammunition?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

Qin Wu nodded for her to continue.

"Armor-piercing rounds, and... Incendiary Bullets."

She held up two fingers without explaining why. Qin Wu immediately understood.

One was for Calamities with specialized defenses, while the other could be used with the Wind Field to clear out groups or deal with Calamities capable of regeneration. Her approach was crystal clear.

He nodded to Jiang Mian, thinking even more highly of her.

Though the girl had astonishing talent, her temperament was just as quiet and gentle as her appearance. She was easy to get along with, unlike certain rookies who were terrible at their jobs yet unbearably arrogant.

"No problem!"

Qin Wu agreed readily, a pleased smile on his face.

"Thank you, Captain Qin."

Jiang Mian had other plans for the Incendiary Bullets.

She hadn't forgotten that, besides making money, her second reason for coming here was to make contact with Calamities.

Even when she was First Order, Jiang Mian could secretly hide Fire Seeds inside Calamity remains, then quietly reap the rewards.

Now, she could do it with even greater ease.

Strictly speaking, these special rounds also contained a small amount of Calamity material, making them perfect for hiding Fire Seeds in.

If she ignited them during a battle, those Calamities could become her "Fuel."

From the outside, it would simply look as though the Incendiary Bullets had become far too powerful after being enhanced by the [Eye of the Storm].

"Hey, don't mention it. You can call me Uncle Qin, too."

Qin Wu laughed heartily, then remembered another important matter.

"By the way, you just got here. You haven't been assigned a dorm yet, have you? There's a spare bed in your sister Su's dorm. Want me to save it for you?"

Jiang Mian thought it over for a moment. She had just finished taking the medicine a few days ago, so there shouldn't be any problem. Besides, she was only treating the dorm as a temporary place to stay and wouldn't be there often.

"Mm... That works."

"Good. Come with me. Take your bullets first, then Wanning can show you the dorm and get you a set of daily necessities."

The group returned to the break room. After Qin Wu gave a few instructions, Su Wanning led Jiang Mian through the corridors, taking one turn after another until they arrived at the logistics office.

As soon as she arrived, Jiang Mian received two boxes of special ammunition—sixty rounds in total—along with some ordinary bullets and a full set of daily necessities. They had thoughtfully packed everything onto a small cart for her.

"Come with me. The Dormitory Area is this way."

Su Wanning smiled and gestured in the right direction, then took the initiative to push the cart for Jiang Mian.

Jiang Mian thanked her and followed behind, taking the opportunity to memorize the route.

Strangely, at first she could remember the general layout, but after a while... she began to feel a little dizzy.

Oh no. Don't tell me I'm bad with directions?

Jiang Mian didn't think her memory was bad. She had never had any trouble delivering food before... but here, every direction felt the same.

She felt completely turned around. If she tried to get back to the break room on her own right now, it would probably take quite a detour.

"What's wrong?"

Su Wanning sensed that the person behind her was falling behind. She turned around and asked gently,

"Ah, n-no, it's nothing."