The smoke and stench of blood had yet to fully clear. Chen Jin shook the sticky residue off his gun barrel and pulled out his phone.
The call connected. There was some noise in the background, and he could faintly hear papers being shuffled.
"Director Xu, the mission is complete." Chen Jin's voice betrayed no emotion. "I'm calling to report..."
Before he could finish, a middle-aged woman's slightly impatient voice cut him off.
"Fine, fine, I know." Director Xu spoke quickly. "You did... well enough. Handle the scene yourself. Make sure it's clean. I have a meeting and no time to hear the details."
Chen Jin's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.
"Listen, Chen Jin," Director Xu said, lowering her voice. The background noise seemed to grow more distant, as if someone had deliberately shut it out. "Your current 'temporary worker' status is over. Get ready to start your next assignment. The location... You remember it?"
Chen Jin gave a blank "Mm."
"As for the mission expenses..." Director Xu paused. "You know how it is. The team's finances are extremely tight right now, and the higher-ups are watching every penny. Pay out of pocket for now. Don't worry, when the team has more funds, we'll reimburse you in full. I'll personally see to it."
The corner of Chen Jin's mouth curled into a cold smile. Silently, he mouthed two words: "Yeah, right."
"That's all. The meeting's about to start, so I'm hanging up." Director Xu gave Chen Jin no chance to speak again. Only the busy signal remained.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
The top floor of a modern office tower. A brightly lit conference room.
Director Xu pushed open the door. Five people were already seated around the oval conference table, and the projector cast a file onto the wall.
Xu Lihua took her seat and cleared her throat, her gaze sweeping over the projection.
"Continue the briefing," said an elderly man with graying hair and a stern face, seated at the head of the table.
Xu Lihua nodded and pointed to Chen Jin's photo and basic information on the screen:
"Name: Chen Jin.
"Gender: Male.
"Legacy: Form of Flesh-Eating Infinity, 65%.
"Legacy skills: [Regeneration] [Metamorphosis]
"Specialties: Unarmed combat, 69%; firearms, 86%."
She paused and flipped to the next page of the digital file. Her tone turned somewhat peculiar. "Two years and six months since joining the Special Operations Team of the Field Division. Yanfu Events: 15. Mission records: 17. Evaluation: mediocre performance, no notable contributions."
"Conduct record: On multiple missions, his behavior has lacked discipline and rigor, causing repeated adverse consequences. These include, but are not limited to: excessive destruction of mission sites, unnecessary panic among civilians, conflicts with local law enforcement, and cleanup costs far exceeding the budget."
"Based on the above, I strongly recommend removing him from the Special Operations Team and dismissing him from the Field Operations Team's core ranks."
The conference room fell silent, broken only by the projector fan's faint hum.
In the eastern district of Rust City stood a bar called Scrap and Engine Oil. The lighting was dim, and the air reeked of cheap liquor, sweat, and engine oil. Heavy metal music blared from a corner, but could not drown out the patrons' crude din.
Chen Jin sat alone in the darkest corner of the bar, a murky beer in front of him.
He had changed into an inconspicuous old jacket and pulled his cap low, hiding most of his face.
The phone in his pocket vibrated, breaking the gloom that hung around him. The screen showed a name: Yang Zheng.
Chen Jin stared at the name for two seconds before slowly pressing the answer button and bringing the phone to his ear.
"Hey, Brother Zheng." His voice was low and hoarse, despite the bar's background noise.
"Ah Jin. You in Rust City?"
"Yeah. Just got here." Chen Jin kept his answer brief.
Yang Zheng fell silent for a moment. "...You heard?"
Chen Jin looked at his blurred reflection in the murky beer. A self-mocking smile tugged at his lips, but his voice remained even. "Yeah. I know. I got 'optimized.'"
"That Xu Lihua, that bitch!" Yang Zheng's voice brimmed with barely contained fury. "She's worked you like a beast all these years, dumping all the dirty, exhausting jobs on you. She takes the credit, leaves you with the blame, and even skimps on your expenses! Leaving that hellhole might not be a bad thing for you!"
Chen Jin lifted his glass and gulped down a mouthful of bitter liquid. The icy liquor slid down his throat, bringing a false warmth.
"It's fine," he said, setting down the glass. His fingertips traced unconsciously over the rough wooden bar. "I can live with it."
Yang Zheng was silent for a few seconds. When he spoke again, his tone had turned grave. "Ah Jin, I've heard something... Your next Yanfu Event is supposed to be a 'hunt.'"
Chen Jin's fingers clenched around the glass! The hard sides gave a faint, strained crack.
A hunt-type event! One of the most dangerous types of Yanfu Event, with one of the lowest survival rates!
"I can't tell you too much." Yang Zheng sounded helpless. "But I've confirmed it—it's highly likely. Listen, brother, I'll send something to you in a bit. It'll go to your old safe house in Rust City. There's a Wish Stone inside."
A Wish Stone!
An extremely precious lifesaving treasure!
You could use it to ask Yanfu to preserve only your physical abilities, give up your status as a Yanfu Walker, and return to your ordinary life.
"If you're not confident you can survive... don't push yourself." Yang Zheng's voice was utterly serious. "Use it and retire early. Staying alive matters more than anything!"
Chen Jin didn't answer right away. He clutched his phone, his knuckles completely drained of color from gripping it too tightly.
Earth Immortal Walkers could influence the contents and arrangements of Yanfu Events to a certain degree.
Chen Jin remembered that Xu Lihua's legacy, [Qin Gao], was an Earth Immortal legacy.
Someone wanted him dead!
A cold chill, mixed with fury, surged from his spine straight to the top of his head!
"Crack!"
A sharp snap! Chen Jin crushed the thick glass in his hand!
Shards of glass sank deep into his palm. Bright red blood welled up instantly and dripped between his fingers onto the greasy bar.
But the writhing flesh forced the shards out, and the wounds closed at a visible pace, leaving only a few faint red marks.
The bar's commotion seemed to pause for a moment. Several nearby patrons stared at the man in the corner in shock.
Chen Jin slowly opened his hand and let the glass shards and drops of blood fall onto the bar.
"Thanks, Brother Zheng. I'll... take it."
"Be careful, whatever you do," Yang Zheng said solemnly. That was all he could do.
"Mm." Chen Jin ended the call and looked down at his rapidly healing palm, then at the glaring smear of blood and glass on the bar. His eyes were as deep as a frigid pool.
Someone... was asking to die!