You've Got to Be Kidding Me?

The two of them left the apartment and hopped on a trolleybus. It had only been a little over a month since the apocalypse started, yet this place felt worlds apart from the outside.

Song Weishi couldn't help but wonder if the places she'd seen elsewhere had been deliberately made to look worn-out. How else could Huihai City be so vastly different from everywhere else?

She swiped her team-issued transportation card and sat down quietly beside Chu Miaoxuan. Apart from the danger, the security team came with free transport, free housing, and a decent salary—all in all, a pretty good gig.

The trolleybus was packed. Aside from public officials like them who had designated seats, everyone else was packed in like sardines, jostling against each other with the occasional minor scuffle. It wasn't much different from her old subway commute.

Song Weishi's mind wandered—how was it that even in the apocalypse, she still had to go to work?

The carriage was silent, everyone wearing the same defeated, high-strung expression.

After glancing at the new scenery for a while, Song Weishi closed her eyes and pretended to rest, but in reality, she was talking to the System.

Last night had been quite a haul. She'd nearly lost her life, sure, but she'd earned more energy points than all her previous days combined. Since time had been tight last night, she hadn't gotten a proper look at her rewards. Her captain wasn't in the mood for small talk, so she decided to check them out now.

The System was likewise quite pleased with her performance, its expression shifting through several variations to convey its mood.

The shop had leveled up thanks to her tireless efforts. It now stocked a wider variety of items, and the refresh count had increased too. According to the System, unlocking the second tier of the shop would even let her find some high-tech gadgets. Song Weishi was curious, but the shop was still on its daily refresh cycle, so she could only wait patiently and browse casually.

A hidden quest had also been unlocked last night—the Devil Fish's Gift. Those seaweed strands were probably the quest reward. No one else had taken any, and she'd stored them all in her space. She had no intention of bringing them out. If the Trailblazer Squad asked, she'd just say she'd only grabbed a little and eaten it all.

After all, it was rightfully hers. Even by the rules, she had no obligation to hand it over.

It was the same as completing Sister Chen's task—this time, she'd even gotten a bonus of 20 points. Not a bad deal, and it padded her pitifully thin point balance a bit.

Just as she was happily admiring her interface, the news broadcast on the holographic screen at the front of the carriage caught her attention.

"Recently, the case of the massive sunken ship in the Suo Harbor district has been solved. Following an exploration by the Vanguard Squad, the Devil Fish swarm involved has been eliminated in a cleanup operation. The Trailblazer Squad, which participated as the lead vanguard squad, brings us the latest combat footage..."

Song Weishi's eyes snapped open involuntarily. The footage was a bit shaky. A familiar figure stood at the bow, raising a harpoon and stabbing wildly at the fish.

That person was none other than Song Weishi herself. At first, she'd been a bit clumsy, but after getting two fish, she'd become practically unstoppable.

The previously quiet carriage began to stir. Everyone was watching the Trailblazer Squad's recording with rapt attention.

"Isn't that a civilian organization? When did they get as good as the security officers?"

"I thought they were a bunch of ragtag nobodies. Didn't expect them to actually get things done."

"Honestly, it's nothing special. The security team could finish this in a burst of gunfire. This is so inefficient—they must have wasted the whole night on it. Might as well stay home and dream."

"Heh, easy for you to say. Why don't you go try it? Everyone knows these things are worth a lot. You're just jealous of others making money."

"I'm just stating facts. Who says I couldn't do it?"

"Shut up, you're annoying!"

"Alright, alright. We're all struggling here..."

A fight nearly broke out in the carriage. Everyone's temper was frayed, ready to explode at the slightest spark.

To be fair, it wasn't unreasonable for people to have different opinions. The quality of civilian groups varied wildly—only a small fraction were actually capable. Most groups that organized monster hunts lost more people than they killed monsters.

Over time, the public's impression soured. Except for squads like the Trailblazer Squad, who were willing to invest in good equipment upfront, the rest were practically going in naked.

The conflict in the carriage cooled quickly when someone stepped in to mediate. It wasn't worth arguing about—just a difference in perspective.

There were security team members in the carriage too. After glancing their way, everyone settled down completely.

Chu Miaoxuan stood quietly with her arms crossed, showing no intention of intervening. She simply moved the pistol at her waist to the front, and a wide empty space cleared out in front of her.

No one wanted to catch a stray bullet. This wasn't the law-abiding society of before—everyone had to tread carefully. With the crowd thinning out, Song Weishi's view of the screen improved dramatically.

She watched her own footage replay on a loop and couldn't help but twitch her lips. Was there no other footage? Did they start recording late, or had they been filming the whole time? Of course, she couldn't rule out that it was captured by the harbor's surveillance cameras.

Chu Miaoxuan was watching intently too, but Song Weishi didn't see what was so newsworthy about it. Why replay it so many times?

Finally, on the third replay, Chu Miaoxuan averted her gaze and studied Song Weishi with a curious look. "You know, that figure looks a bit like you."

Song Weishi's heart jumped, but she kept her expression neutral. "Really? You're joking, Captain. I didn't have the time for that."

The apartment area was relatively safe, with fewer surveillance cameras than vulnerable spots like the harbor. She wasn't too worried about being caught on camera—she'd already planned her route back yesterday. Still, being asked directly made her heart race.

Chu Miaoxuan smiled. "Right. If you'd gone, you wouldn't be here training with me now."

The intensity would have been too much for anyone.

But in reality, the model citizen in Chu Miaoxuan's eyes had indeed been there last night. Not only had she gone into the water, but her 'heroic' deeds were now being replayed on loop for everyone to see. She was so embarrassed she could dig a hole and bury herself.

Song Weishi could only smile and stay quiet, listening to the carriage chatter while secretly logging onto the forum. She saw a message from Cang Ning.

Cang Ning explained that this wasn't her intention. The higher-ups had suddenly decided to promote positive examples and had chosen their squad as the poster child. Song Weishi had inadvertently become the perfect case study.

Cang Ning had shared the details of last night on the forum, and the thread had exploded with activity. Song Weishi was now a celebrity among civilian squads, rated even higher than the experts she'd worked with before.

Under the thread, some people wanted to team up with her, while others mocked Cang Ning for hype. All sorts of comments flooded in, overwhelming to read.

There were also a few people who'd caught her registration from before the thread went down. Now her account was flooded with requests from organizations wanting to team up—her messages hit 99+. Song Weishi didn't have the energy to open them right now. She'd set them aside and check Cang Ning's message first.

Cang Ning: Song Yi, you're really skilled. We should team up again sometime. Here's my contact: xxxxx. Our squad has a fixed four members, and we've got a spot waiting just for you. That said, our work schedule is unpredictable. Hope we can still hunt together. If you agree, add my contact. (hands clasped in prayer)

Song Weishi typed out several responses. She wanted to curse at her, but then again, the woman hadn't meant any harm. And given that Cang Ning had transferred her 10,000 credits, Song Weishi forced herself to type: Sounds good.

She'd bowed to money—and this was a full 10,000!

Cang Ning had probably given her the lion's share of the payout, clearly trying to make nice. After all, she'd screwed Song Weishi over pretty badly last time—dragging out a two-to-three-hour job until midnight, and the woman nearly died in there.

But she'd underestimated Cang Ning's squad's wealth, because right after she received that 10,000, another 100,000 credits landed in her virtual account.

Song Weishi's irritation vanished instantly. She'd been in it for the points before, but who in this world would say no to more money?

Feeling rather pleased with herself, she rode the trolleybus until they reached their destination half an hour later.

They were the only two who got off at this stop. Stepping out of the station, they came to an open plain. The streets were almost empty on both sides—completely different from the crowded city they'd left behind.

Flanking the road were tall white walls. This was a research institute and training facility combined.

Song Weishi recalled that newly hired security officers didn't usually train here. Typically, after selection at the Suo Harbor Quarantine Center, officers were sent for standardized training. This was an advanced training ground—you had to pay extra to attend and qualify for a promotion.

She asked, "Captain, did we come to the wrong place? Isn't the Jiayun District training base reserved for advanced level?"

Chu Miaoxuan glanced at her. "You know quite a bit. Yes, it's extra training, but given your background, I figured the basic physical training would be a waste of time for you."

"Chief Xie told me to make sure you're trained well. But don't worry, Xiao Song—even if she hadn't said that, I'd already planned to do this. This level of difficulty shouldn't be a problem for you. Let's go."

The entrance had a fully automated checkpoint. Chu Miaoxuan swiped her card and went through, followed by a secondary identity verification. Song Weishi went right after her.

Going by what Chu Miaoxuan had said, today's training would not be easy.

Inside the entrance, Song Weishi spotted several higher-ranking security officers with uniforms completely different from theirs. The guards at the checkpoint only gave them a brief glance before turning back to the front, not bothering to greet them.

Besides the security officers, there were researchers in protective suits. They rarely passed through the main gate. Chu Miaoxuan led her through a long corridor until they reached an equipment room.

Training here required reservations. Their equipment room had guns pre-prepared, along with all sorts of weapons. The guns were loaded with specialized bullets or agents designed to deal with monsters.

Some monsters wouldn't die from gunshots—they often needed to be cut in half or burned to be truly killed.

Some monsters with strong regenerative abilities could survive even being chopped into pieces. In such cases, cold weapons like blades were far more useful than bullets.

Song Weishi didn't know how to use a gun. Chu Miaoxuan had her holster a pistol and also brought along an M4 for practice.

Song Weishi touched the pistol. It was similar to her silver one, just a size bigger.

She was fretting over how to learn shooting. The last thing she wanted was to run into something and embarrass herself by missing every shot.

Chu Miaoxuan first explained the structure and mechanics of firearms, then taught her the basics of marksmanship. After that came hands-on practice.

Song Weishi learned quickly, but marksmanship required talent. Her shots inevitably strayed off target—she couldn't hit a bullseye every time, let alone from a hundred paces.

Still, she gradually developed some feel for it. Good shooters were made by burning through ammo. She wasn't a natural prodigy, so she could only rely on the slow and steady grind.

Just as she was getting into the swing of things, Chu Miaoxuan called a halt after Song Weishi finished a magazine. "Let's stop here for now. Time to head to the main training room. Come on."

Song Weishi holstered her pistol and swapped in a fresh magazine. The weapons she carried—the gun and the long blade on her back—were all her own choices. Hauling the sword, she followed Chu Miaoxuan.

Beside them walked a researcher who had just come from the experimental zone. She had a neat bun and still wore her lab glasses. She seemed to be on good terms with Chu Miaoxuan, the two of them chatting casually.

After a while, the woman turned to Song Weishi and introduced today's training.

"There's an experimental monster in the base that needs disposing of. This thing killed seven residents in the suburbs before it was captured and locked up in the research institute. Its specialty is serrated fangs, but they've already been removed before you enter. No need to worry about that. This is what you'll be training against today."

Song Weishi blinked. This wasn't how advanced security training was supposed to go. The base had designated low-level monsters—like rabbits or chickens—for basic training. Those were plentiful and relatively easy to handle.

After being cultivated to a certain point, they were used for security officer training. So why was she being given something different?

Chu Miaoxuan was just as puzzled. "Didn't I book a chicken?"

Lu Yuxin smiled. "Sorry, Captain Chu. The security officers under Captain Jiang came by earlier and used up all the chicken monsters. This is the lowest-level one we have left. Aside from its teeth, it should be pretty harmless."

Song Weishi might have been imagining things, but she swore she saw Chu Miaoxuan's face darken for a split second. "Jiang Yan?"

Lu Yuxin nodded. "I know you two don't get along, so I already sent her on her way. You shouldn't run into each other. She's in 303, and I've put you in 301."

Chu Miaoxuan tugged at her shoulder strap in annoyance, then took the tablet Lu Yuxin offered and pulled Song Weishi over to look.

On screen was a massive, obese creature resembling a human-bodied bug lying on an operating table. Its head was so fat that its human features were smushed together, leaving only a pair of long, unicorn-like black serrated mouthparts that stood out prominently.

Researchers were extracting some dark red fluid from its restrained body. Due to the anesthesia, the creature looked perfectly calm. Even a large needle being jabbed and stirred inside it drew no reaction, as if it were dead.

The most recent photo showed it after the mouthparts had been sawed off. Its formerly bloated body had been drained somewhat, looking deflated, but it still seemed twice Song Weishi's size.

Chu Miaoxuan frowned deeply. "How many people did it take to capture it?"

Lu Yuxin: "I think over fifty."

Both of them turned to stare at Lu Yuxin. Song Weishi even raised her hand and pointed at herself. "You want me to fight this? Do I look like I could take on fifty people?"

Lu Yuxin seemed to realize how unreasonable it sounded. She looked away awkwardly. "Well, you're here now. Worst case, we'll waive the fee this time. Think of it as contributing to the lab. And you know, Captain Chu—reservations are non-refundable."

Song Weishi looked at Chu Miaoxuan in disbelief. Chu Miaoxuan nodded. "No choice, Xiao Song. Look, you go in first. All our training has life safeguards. If it goes wrong, I'll pull you out."

She was given no choice at all. And this was only with her connections guaranteeing her safety. Plenty of security officers had died in this training. It was purely paying money for suffering.

Song Weishi: "Can I just not participate? A starved camel is bigger than a horse. What if it goes berserk and kills me?"

It had eaten seven people. Song Weishi didn't have the confidence to survive a fight with this thing. And in front of a crowd, she couldn't use her space. Either way, backing out of this training seemed the smarter move.

Lu Yuxin waved a hand dismissively. "Hey, it'll be fine. We've given it a weakening shot. If worse comes to worst, the two of you can go in together."

Chu Miaoxuan also wanted to persuade Song Weishi not to back down. If she cowered even with such safeguards, wouldn't she lack combat experience even more when she got out there?

As Song Weishi mulled it over, the System—which had been listening in—spoke up. "Host, you should participate. I have a feeling this is an important plot point."

"What? A plot point where I go in and get killed for the finale?"

The System: "...Host, cut it out. I'm not joking."

Song Weishi closed her eyes, then opened them with the look of someone facing certain death. "Fine. I'll go. If it doesn't trigger, you're dead meat. I won't give you a single energy point until I die. You can starve for all I care!"

The System: "QAQ Host, how can you be like this!"

How the tables had turned. It was the System's turn to cry now. Song Weishi flashed a slightly wicked smile, pleased with herself for scaring the System.

The two people beside her, seeing the sudden shift in her expression, felt a chill run down their spines. "Xiao Song, are you alright?"

Chu Miaoxuan left the second half unspoken—"Have you gone crazy?" She felt like Song Weishi's expression had turned a bit sinister. Song Weishi walked ahead of them, faster than the other two, clenching her fists and muttering encouragement under her breath.

"I'll take on ten. I'm Song Wen, and I'll take on ten!"

Lu Yuxin and Chu Miaoxuan exchanged a look. "Is your officer crazy?"

Chu Miaoxuan: "Say less. You'd go crazy too if you had to do this."

Lu Yuxin: "No thanks. Here's the door card. There are other squads coming to observe this one. See if you still want to go in. I've got things to do, so I'm off."

Chu Miaoxuan took the card she offered and stopped at room 301, swiping it open.

The 301 sparring room had a massive sunken fighting pit surrounded by a crowd—security officers from other squads, all staring at the two who just walked in.

Song Weishi still had her fists clenched, body tense, but instead of the earlier resistance, she was getting more and more fired up inside.

The System wisely stayed silent, afraid Song Weishi would say something even nastier.

The crowd parted to let them through.

Song Weishi took the card from Chu Miaoxuan and stood before the elevator leading underground, waiting for it to arrive. When she saw Chu Miaoxuan stride forward to join her, Song Weishi stopped her. "Captain, I'll go alone. You stay up here—if something goes wrong, you can pull me back up."

Chu Miaoxuan paused, looking down at her. She stepped in front of Song Weishi, using her body to block some of the onlookers' stares. "Are you sure you don't want me to come down with you? This isn't an easy one to handle."

Song Weishi nodded firmly. "No need."

If the System said so, she'd rather go alone to ensure the quest's integrity. Whether Chu Miaoxuan went down or not didn't change much, but staying up top was a safety net for her life. After all, the people around were just spectators who didn't care about her well-being, unlike Chu Miaoxuan. Song Weishi had some degree of trust in her captain.

That was one reason. The second was the points. Hidden quests gave high rewards, and it was better to do them solo if possible.

The elevator dinged open. Song Weishi headed down with her blade. This creature's body was peculiar—bullets didn't work well against it. Lu Yuxin had coated her blade with some special liquid to boost its attack, so Song Weishi planned to just hack at it.

Once the elevator doors closed, the murmured voices from outside faded away.

She stood with her blade, exchanging a look with Chu Miaoxuan through the glass. The other woman waved, and the elevator descended.

When she stepped out, she looked up—the glass was one-way, so she couldn't see the crowd above.

That had both pros and cons. On one hand, it greatly reduced the fighter's psychological burden. On the other, it let the people outside watch the combat with perfect clarity.

The training room's lights were bright. She stood quietly inside as the monster's exit door slowly opened. She saw the creature from the photos—it lay on the ground, barely alive, its jagged teeth sawed off. The bloated flesh that once filled its body had shrunk to a thin layer of loose fat hanging slack over its bones.

It didn't seem too dangerous. Song Weishi tightened her grip on the blade and stepped forward twice.

Her movement seemed to stir the unconscious monster. It half-opened its eyes, pitch-black pupils giving no hint of where it was looking, fixed on Song Weishi. Then, from beneath its body, it extended another pair of strangely shaped legs and slowly crawled out.

This thing, half human and half insect, was truly bizarre. The bite force of its mouthparts was astonishing.

When it devoured people, it would first shear through their necks with its mouthparts, then swallow them whole from the neck down. The consumed body was like squeezing a juice pouch with the cap twisted off—it deflated quickly. For leftovers, the monster would fold the body up, carry it on its back, and take it home to eat later.

The monster's back was flat, with no needle marks—it seemed there wasn't much flesh there to begin with.

Song Weishi took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to reach for her pistol. She charged forward, blade swinging toward its neck.

It seemed to sense the danger and tried to dodge, but slowed by the drugs, it was a step too late. Song Weishi's blade carved into its neck.

Her sword sank in like it was cutting through a mass of slime—similar to the monster she'd fought at the hotel back then. She pulled the blade out. She'd put all her strength into that blow, but the creature didn't fall. Instead, it convulsed once. And then, inexplicably, its severed mouthparts slowly began to regrow.

Song Weishi: ?