Chapter 144

"Senior Efnir!? What are you doing here...?"

Upon seeing Efnir, Ayse's worry and gloom immediately vanished, replaced by surprise and delight.

"Ayse".

"Yukina, you're here too..."

"Ayse, let's talk later. Tell me about the current situation."

Efnir looked towards the training field and said.

At this moment, the girl in the training field slowly spoke up, "No need to change weapons, let's begin."

210. Girls Born for Battle

"Here we go!"

"Ayse shouted."

Efnir raised her eyes and looked towards the training field.

"Starting a war with silence, it's clear the other side doesn't intend to make any explanation regarding the Order Weapon... It seems they plan to exploit the 'information gap' to lower Canary's guard. I wonder if Canary will fall into their trap."

The contest between Canary and her opponent had already begun before they even stepped onto the training field, but Canary was probably completely unaware of it.

And this is only the first collision.

Bang bang bang...

The gunshots were deafening. Taking advantage of her effective attack range, the girl launched the first attack on Canary.

Completely different from the standard firearms commonly seen in the military, the muzzle flash was silver-white. This alone was enough to identify the special nature of the assault rifle in the girl's hand, but for Canary, it was too late to realize something was wrong.

The bullet could not escape the agent's powerful reflexes; Canary swung her twin swords horizontally, the silver blades striking the bullet precisely.

A crisp, clear impact sound.

Metal sparks when it is ground and violently struck, but when such a bullet is struck, it transforms into a burst of brilliant starlight.

And, with just one bullet, Canary's offensive stance was shattered.

"--?!"

The immense impact from the tiger's mouth almost made Canary drop her weapon. In that instant, the force that felt like a thousand-pound boulder slamming into the blade seemed to emphasize to Canary that this was no ordinary assault rifle.

The energy contained in each bullet far exceeded that of the standard firearms issued to the army; or rather, it was somewhat similar to the feeling Canary had when she used a knife to cut through a heavy machine gun bullet.

Without time to think, Canary was forced to stop and adopt a defensive stance, protecting her body with her twin swords.

A broken stance and an unstable center of gravity are extremely dangerous things in combat.

Under no circumstances can we reveal any flaws.

Almost instinctively, Canary bent her elbow and slashed sideways, forcefully shattering the bullet that followed. Brilliant starlight bloomed at the tip of Canary's blade like fireworks. Ayse and Yukina were stunned at the same time, while Efnir frowned slightly.

"Even bullets are products of the Order Force... That's interesting. It's hard to imagine how this kind of firearm works."

Firearms are not something that can be easily made simply by knowing their principles; without rigorous procedures and complete casting tools, it is absolutely impossible to completely replicate them.

The "First Generation" agents were armed entirely with "cold weapons".

Compared to the manufacture of firearms, this presents a significant gap in terms of craftsmanship and design difficulty. Imagine how complex it is to incorporate firearms into Beacon System and overwrite the existing armed system.

In other words, once the firearms can be perfectly replicated using the Order Force, then without a doubt, the transformed form of the Order Force, manifested by the template set by the "program," will be flawless in terms of craftsmanship—it does not require fine-tuning, polishing, or other processes, so there will be no error whatsoever, nor will it be damaged by repeated use; and because it is a product of the Order Force, it is not afraid of rain or sandstorms, completely eliminating the possibility of the firearms malfunctioning.

This is an ideal weapon with an extremely high degree of completion.

Furthermore, Efnir noticed that the girl did not make any movement to change the magazine.

The spent cartridge cases turned into stardust the moment they were ejected, and bullets rained down on Canary like a storm. Each bullet was like a cannonball, and the ground at Canary's feet was shattered into countless fragments by the blast wave. Dust spread in the air. If an ordinary human were hit head-on by such an attack, they would undoubtedly be torn apart by the powerful force.

Rather than calling it an automatic rifle, it would be more accurate to describe it as a "heavy machine gun".

Under the overwhelming firepower, Canary's previous posture was immediately shattered, and she could only defend against the enemy's attacks.

This is tantamount to handing the initiative in the battle to the opponent.

In battle, falling into a passive position is very dangerous.

--The Second-Generation Weapon System was a crucial piece of intelligence that Canary seemed completely unaware of. Due to insufficient intelligence, Canary was at a disadvantage from the very beginning in terms of tactical planning.

"The other party's agent's code name is 'Herul'."

Ayse said.

Canary's opponent—an agent officially codenamed Herul, wielding Order Weapon —the assault rifle, is the embodiment of the so-called "Second Generation" agent and the "latest research results" of the upgraded Beacon System.

Compared to the First-Generation Agent forces, the Second-Generation Armament have an obvious advantage in effective attack range. On the battlefield, effective attack range largely determines the outcome of a battle.

Herul used this to his advantage, taking advantage of Canary's lack of intelligence, to set his operational objectives.

One could say that Herul's actions were despicable, but they were not entirely unacceptable.

That's just how it is on the battlefield. Erosion Entity and Apostle won't show kindness, nor will they advocate fair combat. Information asymmetry is always part of the battle. Ambush is a tactic, and trickery is not shameful. This is what war is all about.

This is the significance of intelligence; it is precisely for this reason that the situation in battle is always unpredictable.

"Herul is the squad's vice-captain, and over there is the squad leader, Anilas."

Ayse pointed to the remaining nine figures at the edge of the training field and briefly recounted what had happened to Efnir, including some information she knew.

In short, there are ten agents who arrived in Xijing City as support troops this time. They are all agents who came from agent training institutions. After careful selection, they formed an agent team of ten and were dispatched here.

Because it is Agent Squad that already has a junior system and is capable of independent operations, the squad has a captain and a vice-captain.

The captain, whose real name has not yet been revealed, codenamed Anilas, comes from a distant northern country. Her exotic features and shoulder-length blonde hair make her stand out among the ten girls. When Efnir cast her gaze, she also looked in this direction, scrutinizing Efnir, Ayse, and Yukina with a critical eye, before lowering her head as if deep in thought.

The vice-captain, whose real name has not yet been revealed, is codenamed Herul. Compared to Anilas, Herul gives off a colder vibe. She is the one currently fighting against Canary in the training field.

The two of them are the true core of the ten-person group.

As mentioned in the new commander's introduction, these ten women are different from agents in the traditional sense, who are "recruited and trained because of the discovery of Eligible's qualities." They were tested and selected at a young age after the "Eligibility Testing System" was fully implemented, and are "experienced warriors" who are undergoing military-style training with the goal of becoming "absolutely powerful agents."

In other words, they are girls who are constantly instilled with the meaning and goal of being agents from a young age, and who grow up in training, born to "become agents".

211. Advantageous Matchup

The girl and Canary were standing 40 meters apart.

This distance is neither too far nor too close for the agent. If Canary were facing an opponent using conventionally recognized firearms as weapons, this distance would be more advantageous for Canary.

But clearly, that's not the case now.

"Is it Anelace and Helur...? I've heard of those codenames before. It seems the codenames for the 'Second Generation' have changed as well..."

Efnir pondered, lowering her gaze.

"Based on the intelligence we have so far, the 'Second Generation' has formidable firepower. While its bullets lack the penetrating power and lethality of 'Fifina's' arrows, its powerful and continuous attacks completely mask this weakness."

Efnir commented.

Compared to the "First Generation," the "Second Generation" is clearly more threatening and tactical in combat against humans, much like an exceptionally powerful special forces Vanguard, or a biological heavy weapon.

The existence of the Second Generation Order Armed Forces makes up for the Agents' lack of "long-range attack means" and "air attack means," and is particularly fierce in terms of sustained fire suppression capabilities. Such an entity may be able to easily confront a well-trained company of soldiers by itself.

"But they seem to be just 'newcomers,' their combat experience against the Erosion Entity is only at the 'training' level... That's what the new commander said..."

On the sidelines, Ayse continued to recount the information she knew to Efnir.

Efnir nodded, neither confirming nor denying.

"That's just a 'modest' way of putting it. Besides, even if they have absolutely no experience fighting against Erosion Entity, their experience in fighting humans is overwhelmingly superior to Canary Yan's."

Even Efnir's almost uninterrupted high-intensity training over two years was overwhelmingly inferior to theirs in terms of total training time.

Will Miss Canary lose...?

Yukina looked at Canary, who was being suppressed by the fierce firepower, and felt somewhat worried.

"I don't know what the outcome will be."

Efnir shifted her gaze to Anilas, only to find that Anilas was looking in their direction again. Their eyes met for a moment before Anilas quickly looked away.

"Canary's strength comes from the calmness and awareness accumulated over the past year of training and countless head-on battles with the Erosion Entity. Perhaps Canary is a step behind in terms of technique, but the powerful fighting spirit she has honed from struggling on the edge of life and death is something that cannot be obtained through training alone. Moreover, based on my observation just now, I have some guesses... It all depends on whether Canary can seize the opportunity to win."

In the training field, Canary quickly fell into a disadvantageous position. She passively supported the advance of the battle, using brute force to shatter the unavoidable bullets, but this undoubtedly consumed a lot of her physical strength. A series of numb sensations rippled through the muscles of her arms, which was a crisis for Canary.

"Senior Efnir... will Canary be in danger...? Her injuries haven't fully healed yet, what if she gets hit by that kind of attack..."

Ayse was very worried about Canary's current situation.

Efnir's gaze lingered on Herul.

The combat training was designed to leave room for error; Herul had not yet crossed the line—none of her bullets were aimed at a fatal point, but rather at Canary's limbs. Given the agent's physical condition, even if she were hit, it wouldn't cause irreparable damage.

Similarly, Canary did not unleash her strongest fighting form against the enemy.

"Don't worry, they know what they're doing."

Herul fired bullets in an irregular fan shape, not just targeting Canary, but employing a tactic of "blocking all of the target's movements," cutting off all possible directions Canary could travel.

This was intended to restrict Canary's movements, preventing Canary from breaking through the suppressive fire and thus wearing down Canary stamina.

Canary was quickly suppressed and rendered unable to move under such firepower.

If this continues, Canary's stamina might reach its limit before the girl's Order Force is exhausted, in which case Herul will win.

Canary was clearly aware of this as well. She did not show any signs of anxiety or helplessness. Instead, she seized the opportunity during her evasions and slashes, suddenly changing the direction of her twin swords and unleashing a cross-shaped slash. Starlight scattered everywhere, and Canary broke through the suppression net at that moment, charging fiercely towards the girl.

The bullet that was chasing her pierced through the ends of her hair, tearing strands to shreds, and leaving two lines of blood on Canary's arm.

She was unable to completely evade the bullets under such intense fire, and was left with grazes.

But such minor injuries were no big deal for the agent and were not enough to affect Canary's actions. She sprinted towards Herul's side in an arc, throwing her twin knives at Herul with a sudden jerk. She drew her pistol from her waist with one hand and quickly pulled the trigger in the face of the oncoming barrage of fire. At the same time, four small black dots were thrown towards Herul.

Hand grenades, smoke grenades, and stun grenades are equipment that agents use when dealing with armed enemies or Dregs.

Herul frowned slightly, maintaining suppressive fire with one hand while quickly retreating to avoid the pistol's attack and create distance.

The ear-piercing explosions rang out one after another. Even those standing outside the training ground, such as Efnir, felt the scorching heat and the dizziness that momentarily deprived them of both hearing and sight.

The stun grenades had very limited lethality against the agents; apart from Yukina, who had no experience dealing with them, they caused almost no trouble for the others.

But for Canary, it was enough to just break through Herul's fierce firepower suppression.

Soon, thick white smoke filled the training ground. This smoke posed little threat to the agents; it was merely slightly pungent and its only purpose was to obstruct their vision.

If Canary cannot close the distance between her and Herul, then this battle will be over.

Canary had no other choice.

Thick smoke filled the training ground, making it difficult for Herul to quickly locate her target within the smoke. However, instead of ceasing fire, she dispersed her firepower.

A piercing collision echoed through the thick smoke. Herul's eyes narrowed slightly, and in an instant, a hail of bullets rained down on the direction of the sound. Surprisingly, however, no further sounds of counterattack or defense followed.

There wasn't even a sound of footsteps.

But in the next instant, a cold silver light flashed and disappeared, and Canary's sharp knife was suddenly thrown from another direction, pointing straight at Herul.

At the last second, Herul parried with the butt of his gun.

A shockwave rippled through the air, and sparks flew everywhere. Efnir keenly noticed that the assault rifle in Herul's hand had developed Fracture —a sign that the weapon was crumbling.

Generally speaking, an agent's weapons are absolutely sturdy.

Even if it were buried in a ton of explosives and detonated, it would absolutely not be able to damage the Order Weapon in the slightest.

But Herul's assault rifle seems a bit different.

212. Short weapons