Another Beginning

"Hey, you're awake? Listen, you can't just enter someone else's space for special training without reporting it. You know that, right? Since you've already finished training, I won't lecture you. You did a great job on your last mission. For any mission below five stars that you complete within the time limit, you'll receive a random gift. Go pick yours up from the item storage office later. Oh, and after you've collected it, take a day to rest, then come see me. China has a job for you." That was Qiming's voice...

Heming rubbed his head, nodded to Qiming, then got out of bed and left.

After Heming was gone, Qiming muttered to himself, "Ah, this time he'll probably be away for a while."

As he walked, Qiming thought back to his days training at the dojo. The Japanese man who'd trained alongside him hadn't even told him his name. Before they parted, he'd only said, "If fate allows, we'll meet again."

Forty days wasn't a short time. During those days, the Japanese man had taught Heming all sorts of things. There was no denying that Heming had learned a lot...

He reached the item storage office. When the attendant saw him, she took out a black rose and a new ring. "Give me your necklace and ring. Hold the black rose and channel the Pitch Black Heart Method. It'll transform on its own. Good luck."

After handing over the ring and necklace, Heming left with the items...

Back in his room, Heming activated the Pitch Black Heart Method. The black rose slowly dissolved, and a dark purple bracelet appeared in his hand. Then a voice came from the bracelet: "Congratulations to this lucky member on obtaining the Chain of Ming. This bracelet's functions include night vision, freshwater breathing, and a twenty-five percent increase in magic power."

Heming smiled wryly. This was exactly the same as the item you could win in that game put out by Pitch Black Company. Anyone who'd played the game wouldn't be all that eager to get one. It had a high drop rate and was considered a common item.

Looking around his unfamiliar room, Heming couldn't think of anything to do. He changed his clothes and went out again. When would he be back this time?

Heming wandered alone along Okinawa's pedestrian street, watching all sorts of people come and go. He used to be no different from them. What about now? Why had he come here to wander around? There was an arcade owned by Pitch Black on the street. Heming went in and showed all his employee credentials. The hostess warmly gave him a gold card that could be used without limit. No one else could use it, even if they took it...

Heming didn't know how to describe how much the arcade games had changed. Driving games all had dedicated cockpits now, and sitting inside felt incredibly realistic. He tried each one several times. He'd played for hours without noticing; it was already night. For someone who could fully recover his stamina in just an hour, there'd be no problem with playing hard here for days...

Heming had played nearly every game in the arcade. At last, he went to the entrance of the Real Combat Room on the second floor. It was Pitch Black Company's new product for the year. It supported huge battlefields with fifty players against fifty, and even simulated the brutal battles between the United Forces and terrorists, including weapons, equipment, and formations. For various reasons, Pitch Black Company had opened the Real Pain Simulation System. Though it reduced real pain tenfold, getting shot in the head or suffering similarly severe injuries could still deal a serious mental blow. For women, the pain was reduced fiftyfold.

The game was already recruiting players when Heming arrived.

He'd originally planned to join the United Forces, but they were full, so he had no choice but to choose the terrorists.

By the time Heming sat down in a special action pod, the game had entered its preparation phase, and he could choose his weapons. He picked a Desert Eagle and a TX-2 fully automatic laser rifle (it could fire continuous one-meter-long laser beams, couldn't be reloaded, and had unlimited ammunition).

Once he'd made his choices, the game began. The randomly selected battlefield was a pedestrian street. The terrorists were defending, with five minutes to establish their basic defense. No one was specifically giving orders. Some of the fifty players moved in teams, while a few went alone. Heming was one of them. He had absolutely no experience with gunfights, so all he could rely on now was himself.

The battle began. The United Forces slowly advanced into the pedestrian street. Their tactics were clearly well organized: a five-man squad, with four clearing the way, followed at some distance by two twelve-man squads. The remaining six were responsible for engaging visible enemies and covering their teammates' advance.

"Rat-a-tat!" "Boom!" The first skirmish had begun. The explosion clearly meant one of the terrorists had been killed.

Unable to get a grasp of the battle, Heming hid in a small bar. It was cramped and dimly lit. Anyone passing by would probably fire a few shots inside at random.

Gunfire sounded from every direction, sometimes accompanied by the loud blast of a terrorist's death.

Heming hid in a shadowy corner of the bar. If the enemy swept the room with a gun light, they'd surely spot him. But Heming wasn't like he'd been before. His reflexes were faster than a normal person could imagine.

Footsteps approached. A five-man United Forces squad, battered by the terrorists, was heading toward Heming's position. Two of them were already wounded. The three at the front were undoubtedly veterans. Their spread-out formation and the sudden bursts of gunfire made Heming realize his predicament. He could only wait until they appeared in the doorway, then attack.

They kept advancing. In a few seconds, they'd reach the entrance. Heming gripped the TX-2 in his hand. The moment the point man appeared, he'd shoot without hesitation.

"Zzip, zzip!" Two laser beams whistled out, and two of the point men fell instantly. The third dodged the beams by taking cover behind a sign to the left of the doorway.

Heming immediately changed cover, keeping his eyes on the two men who'd fallen at the entrance. All three point men turned out to be wounded. Their slow movements weren't an act; they'd come up with that tactic because they couldn't move quickly. The two men at the back were clearly the real threats.

Heming had just changed position when the spot where he'd been hiding was riddled with bullets.

Silence. Neither side made a sound. Both were waiting for an opportunity. Heming was waiting for the enemy to shoot again, and they were doing the same...

"Zzip, zzip, zzip." It was the same sound as the gun in Heming's hand. The opportunity had arrived.

Heming rolled forward and rushed out. Three United Forces soldiers were hiding around a corner, while the terrorist who'd suddenly joined the fight was taking cover behind a large wooden sign outside a shop. The United Forces didn't know the enemy's exact position and didn't dare fire recklessly.

"Zzip!" Heming fired a laser beam, but the three United Forces soldiers mistook it for a shot from the terrorist hiding behind the wooden sign and rushed out at once...

"Zzip, zzip, zzip!" The three United Forces soldiers fell.

The terrorist beneath the sign stepped out too. Heming was surprised to see that she was a woman. He greeted her, then headed toward the center of the pedestrian street. The female terrorist followed behind him at an unhurried pace.

Before they were even close to the center, gunfire began to ring out nonstop.

Heming's pace matched the sound of the gunfire, slowing more and more until he could see flashes from the central plaza through the windows of a commercial building on the pedestrian street. He stopped, glanced back at the female terrorist, and said, "I'll go in front and clear the way. Stay within range to shoot the enemies. If I come under fire, cover me right away. Got it?"

The female terrorist nodded.

"Phew. Let's do this." Heming was worried. What if she was a beginner?

When they were about seven meters from the stairs to the central plaza, Heming heard footsteps approaching. How many people? No, it had to be six. From their footsteps, they seemed to be moving at a quick march. Heming signaled to the female terrorist, then took cover behind a sign.

The six men ran up the stairs and slowed down, but they were still moving at a run. They kept going until they entered Heming's range.

"Phew, I'm out of stamina. Let's do it here. They'll never expect us to circle around behind them and ambush them!" one of the six said.

"Hah." Heming deliberately sighed. The female terrorist must have picked up on his signal, because she charged out at almost the same time as him. "Zzip, zzip... zzip... zzip." The six United Forces soldiers were instantly struck by laser beams and fell to the ground.

Looking at the bodies on the ground, Heming smiled at the female terrorist. "Nice work."

The game ended...

The two who thought they'd won the terrorists a major victory stared at each other in shock. Those six had been the last of the United Forces...

When the scores were tallied, Heming ranked second with eight kills and three headshots. What was even harder to imagine was that the female terrorist who'd fought alongside him had thirteen kills and seven headshots...

When it came time to enter their names, Heming had planned to use Jiang Xin, but in the end he chose Heming.

As soon as Heming climbed out of the special action pod, he received a call from Qiming. He'd wanted to meet the female terrorist, but had to give up on the idea.

Two hours later, Heming arrived at Qiming's office. Someone else was already there when he entered.

When Qiming saw Heming, he said, "Heming, your leave is over. They've discovered a real Water Dragon somewhere in China. We were the first to receive the news. Guangcheng Mingqiao will explain the details. You two can go now; I have other matters to attend to."

Ming Qiao nodded to Heming, and the two left.

In Heming's office, Ming Qiao took a file from inside his clothes and said, "There's a fairly large freshwater lake in the border region between China and Vietnam. A Water Dragon has appeared there dozens of times over the past two months, and more than a hundred people have seen it. Fortunately, we got the news early and sealed it off. There probably won't be many competitors."

Ming Qiao took out a glass ball and continued, "This is used to capture the Water Dragon. All you have to do is touch it with this, then channel the Pitch Black Heart Method. According to the information we gathered last time, the Water Dragon isn't very powerful. After all, it evolved from an ordinary water snake after a mutation. With your abilities, it shouldn't be a problem. Headquarters said you're to stay there for two months. If you don't find the Water Dragon within that time, abandon the mission. If another faction captures it, you can contact our Vietnam branch. If you complete this mission successfully, our zoo will have two Water Dragons, and you'll receive a Thorny Black Rose as your mission reward. That's everything. A car will come to pick you up shortly. Good luck."

After listening to Ming Qiao, Heming stood up and shook his hand.

On the plane, Heming looked at the strange glass ball in his hand. This world was amazing. Something so small could be used to capture a dragon...

Phew. It felt so good to experience all this firsthand... Yes... This was exactly the life I'd been looking forward to...