Early the next morning, at around five, the doorbell rang outside Qi Wu's room.
When the insistent ringing woke Qi Wu, the sky had not yet fully brightened.
He rubbed his eyes and opened the door, surprised to find Jiang Qingyue standing outside in full combat gear.
She had changed into a fitted combat uniform. The black outfit traced her shapely curves, while her over-the-knee boots made her legs look even longer.
Her long hair was neatly tied into a high ponytail, exposing her smooth forehead and eyes now filled with nervousness and determination.
"Mr. Wu!"
The moment she saw Qi Wu, she stood at attention, her voice trembling slightly with nerves.
"I'm ready!"
Qi Wu glanced at the clock on the wall and smiled helplessly.
"The mission is at nine in the morning. It's only five."
Jiang Qingyue's face instantly flushed crimson, and her fingers twisted together unconsciously.
"S-sorry! I was so nervous I couldn't sleep all night, so I came early..."
She fidgeted with her hands and said shyly, "I was afraid being late would leave you with a bad impression..."
Qi Wu could not help smiling at the sight of her.
The future Death Witch had actually lost an entire night's sleep over a simple extermination mission.
"Come in."
He stepped aside to let her through.
"This gives us time to discuss tactics."
Jiang Qingyue followed closely behind Qi Wu into the room, curiously surveying the powerful man's private space.
The room was unexpectedly tidy. Apart from the essential furniture, its most striking features were the assorted weapons hanging on the wall and a high-performance simulation pod.
"Sit."
Qi Wu pointed to the sofa and headed toward the kitchen. "What would you like? Coffee or tea?"
"Anything is fine!"
Jiang Qingyue sat primly on the edge of the sofa, her back ramrod straight.
Qi Wu returned with two cups of coffee. Seeing that Jiang Qingyue was still sitting stiffly in the same position, he chuckled.
"Relax. We're teammates now. You don't have to be so formal."
He slid a cup of coffee toward her.
"You've been on a few extermination missions before, haven't you?"
Jiang Qingyue cradled the warm coffee cup, her fingertips trembling slightly.
"Actually, this is my first time officially taking part in an extermination."
"On my previous missions, I only handled support."
"Last time, I only fought because I had no choice..."
Qi Wu raised an eyebrow. That came as a surprise.
No wonder Jiang Qingyue's ability had never truly awakened.
So she had barely seen any actual combat.
"Interesting."
He took a sip of his milky coffee, loaded with sugar.
"That gives me even more to look forward to."
"Your ability can only awaken through combat."
Jiang Qingyue looked up in surprise.
"Aren't you afraid I'll mess things up?"
"Everyone has a first time."
Qi Wu set down his cup and walked toward the simulation pod by the wall. "Since it's still early, let's do some special training."
He activated the device. The pod door slowly opened, spilling soft blue light.
"Special training?"
Jiang Qingyue grew nervous. "Right now?"
Qi Wu nodded slightly and said with a faint smile,
"It's still early. This is the perfect time for some last-minute preparation."
Qi Wu gestured for her to enter the simulation pod.
"Today, I'll simulate a Demon called an 'Essence Devourer.' Like the weasel, it's a monster-type Demon."
Jiang Qingyue hesitated, then gathered her courage and stepped into the simulation pod.
The moment the pod door closed, a wave of dizziness swept over her. When she opened her eyes again, she was standing in a virtual abandoned factory.
"Rrraow!!!"
A gigantic black cat glared furiously at Jiang Qingyue, the fur along its back standing on end.
Qi Wu's voice came through the built-in communicator.
"Essence Devourers consume energy. Watch its tail-when it stands upright, it's about to launch a devouring attack."
Jiang Qingyue stared nervously at the enormous black cat, her palms growing damp.
The Essence Devourer arched its back and let out a low growl, then suddenly lunged at astonishing speed!
"Dodge left!"
Qi Wu warned her.
Jiang Qingyue hurriedly rolled to the left, narrowly avoiding its claws.
But the Essence Devourer's tail suddenly shot upright. Its jaws opened wide, releasing a powerful suction, and she felt her energy rapidly draining away.
"Your curse mark. Use it to resist the suction."
Qi Wu's voice remained calm.
Jiang Qingyue hurriedly activated the curse mark on her wrist. A flickering red light formed a barrier, barely holding off the energy drain.
But she was already panting, fine beads of sweat forming at her temples.
"Good, but you used too much energy."
Qi Wu assessed her performance. "Remember, the curse mark is an extension of you, not a shield."
"Try shaping your energy into a spike and attacking its weak point."
Over the next several dozen minutes, they practiced repeatedly.
From her initial frantic fumbling, Jiang Qingyue gradually learned to read the signs of the Essence Devourer's attacks accurately.
After one graceful dodge, she finally found an opening. She condensed her curse mark's energy into a blood-red spike and drove it precisely into the Essence Devourer's chest.
The virtual Essence Devourer let out a pained shriek, then dissolved into fragments of data.
The simulation ended, and the pod door opened.
When Jiang Qingyue stepped out, her face was flushed with excitement, but her steps were unsteady. Repeatedly using her curse mark had exhausted her.
"You're better than I expected."
Qi Wu handed her a towel. "But you still wasted a little too much energy on that strike."
Jiang Qingyue wiped away her sweat and said sheepishly,
"I still can't control how much power I use..."
"Keep practicing. Converting your curse mark into energy is only a basic application of your ability."
As he spoke, Qi Wu looked up at the clock on the wall.
Jiang Qingyue's training had actually taken two hours.
The clock on the wall now read seven.
It was time to begin the mission.
"It's about time. We should get going."
Qi Wu grabbed the jacket draped over the chair and slipped it on.
Just as they headed out, something seemed to occur to Qi Wu. He turned to the eager Jiang Qingyue and asked,
"By the way, do you have a driver's license?"
Qi Wu had almost forgotten that he had another reason for recruiting a teammate.
There was one more consideration.
He could not drive.
So he wanted someone who could.
He had been a little too excited when recruiting Jiang Qingyue and forgotten all about it.
But Jiang Qingyue had joined the branch before him.
Surely she had a driver's license or something.
To his surprise, Jiang Qingyue's pretty face went momentarily blank.
"Huh?"
"I haven't taken the test yet."
She added quietly,
"We normally have assigned drivers when we go on missions."
The two stared at each other, a trace of awkwardness hanging in the air.
Qi Wu suddenly felt rather inadequate as a team leader.
He rubbed his chin and gave a helpless smile.
"What a coincidence. I don't have a license either."
"Then... should we call a car?" Jiang Qingyue asked tentatively, her fingers unconsciously twisting together.
Qi Wu checked the time and shook his head.
"Forget it. There's no need."
"I was hoping to give this a bit of ceremony, but since neither of us can drive..."
An enigmatic smile suddenly crossed his face. "I have a faster way to get around."
"Brace yourself!"
Before Jiang Qingyue could react, Qi Wu had already stepped forward.
He bent down, slipped one arm beneath her knees and the other around her back, and effortlessly scooped her up.
"Ah!"
Jiang Qingyue cried out, instinctively wrapping her arms around Qi Wu's neck as her entire body stiffened in his embrace.
"M-Mr. Wu? What are you doing?"
She felt the solid strength of Qi Wu's arms. Even through her combat uniform, she could feel the warmth of his palm.
Her legs tensed unconsciously beneath her over-the-knee boots, and her cheeks instantly turned scarlet.
"Hold on tight!"
There was a hint of amusement in Qi Wu's voice, but it left no room for argument.
Qi Wu used Teleportation toward the window.
Whoosh!
The next second, the two abruptly vanished from where they stood, teleporting toward their mission destination.
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